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19.02.2007/ Leipheimer takes prologue Tour of California, Cioni won first stage Ruta del
Sol, Tour Méditerranéen: Mirco Lorenzetto wins in Sanremo, Ivan Guterriez takes overall win
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Looking back in anger
A Day in the Life of a Soigneur
Ullrich with Klöden and Kessler at Mallorca
Leipheimer takes prologue Tour of California
For the second consecutive year, Santa Rosa resident Levi Leipheimer (Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team)
rode to victory during the 2007 Amgen Tour of California Prologue stage before an enthusiastic crowd that San Francisco city
officials estimated to be between 280,000 to 300,000 fans.
Reaching Coit Tower from San Francisco's famed Embarcadero
in a record time of 4:49.05, Leipheimer will once again proudly ride into Santa Rosa wearing the Amgen Leader's Jersey when
Stage 1 takes the riders from Sausalito to Santa Rosa Monday morning.
Fitting for the largest sporting event in the state, two California cyclists placed in the top three. Behind
Leipheimer, Jason Donald (Team Slipstream Powered by Chipotle) took second place, followed by San Jose resident Benjamin
Jacques-Maynes (Priority Health Cycling Team Presented by Bissell). Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team (USA)
leads the general team classification after today with a total time of 14:45.
A 180-degree wind shift after the first 30 minutes of racing put the later riders at a disadvantage. The
final rider of the day, Leipheimer rode hard into the wind to best last year's time of 4:53.43 by about 4 seconds for the
1.92 mile-course (3.1km), which ended with a steep climb to the San Francisco landmark, Coit Tower.
Early in the day, the seventh rider to start, neo-pro Jason Donald (Team Slipstream presented by Chipotle),
from Winter Park, Colo. surprised everybody by posting a time of 4:50.97. Neither the road cycling world champion, Italy's
Paolo Bettini (Quick Step-Innergetic), who placed 122nd with a time of 5:31.57, nor the time trial world champion,
Switzerland's Fabien Cancellara (Team CSC), who placed fifth with a time of 4:55.09, could better Donald's remarkable
ride. San Jose's Ben Jacques-Maynes (Priority Health Cycling Team Presented by Bissell), the second rider to start,
surprised himself by finishing third today, with a time of 4:54.22.
Other pre-race favorites included Discovery
Channel Pro's George Hincapie, who finished ninth (4:57:238) and Ivan Basso, who finished 23rd (5:03:351) in his return
to racing, and Team CSC's Bobby Julich, who finished 22nd (5:03:221), and Dave Zabriskie, who finished 14th (4:59:169).
Stage 1 will bring the cyclists 96.8 miles from Sausalito to Santa Rosa. In 2006, Santa Rosa set the mark
for one of the largest and most enthusiastic crowds of the entire race. Best viewing spots will include: the start in Sausalito
near Spinnaker restaurant; the finish on Third Street in Santa Rosa; the sprint lines in Point Reyes and Bodega Bay; the climb
up Coleman Valley Road; and Occidental as the race comes down the hill into town.
Results Prologue Tour of California, San Fransisco
1 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Discovery 4.49.50
2
Jason Donald (USA) Team Slipstream
0.01.00
3 Benjamin Jacques-Maynes (USA) Priority Health
0.04.73
4 Rory Sutherland (Aus) Health Net Maaxis
0.05.20
5 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) CSC
0.06.48
6 Adam Hansen (Aus) T-Mobile
0.06.10
7 Mauricio Alberto Ardila Cano (Col) Rabobank
0.07.41
8 Hilton Clarke (Aus) Navigators Insurance
0.07.46
9 George Hincapie (USA) Discovery
0.07.74
10 Ben Day (Aus) Navigators Insurance
0.07.80
Tour of California prologue quotes
Levi Leipheimer
“I didn’t feel my legs. I was obviously super-motivated to win today. Everybody came back and
told me about this headwind, that the wind had changed, and a I think a few years ago that might have affected me, but I just
told myself ‘I have to win today,’ and I knew exactly the pace I had to go, and Johan (Bruyneel – his team
manager) did an awesome job… he knows exactly what to say behind me. I was like, four, maybe five seconds ahead of George
(Hincapie) at the bottom of the climb, and I knew I had so much left. I really saved a lot and then before halfway up the
climb, he told me I had ten seconds. I knew that was enough to win. It hurt, but I did it…. This means I will get to
ride into Santa Rosa (hometown) wearing the Amgen Leader Jersey.”
David Zabriskie (CSC)
Are you surprised to hear that a kid named Jason Donald has come in with a time of 4:50?
“Not really.
That’s the way cycling is, people take this race very seriously. It’s a good opportunity for him to show himself.”
Your
time of 4:59 is very similar to last year’s time. Can you draw a comparison to how it felt last year?
"A year ago
I was much more nervous and dropped my chain. This year I tried to keep it in the big ring as long as possible. The second
left turn, where it got really steep, I thought, 'I’ve got to shift because it’s going to be impossible for me
to stay in the big ring on this climb!'”
Taylor Tolleson (Team Slipstream) Best Young Rider
Tell us how it is for you and your team to be in this race.
"I think it was a really good day for the team.
I think there are more young riders getting involved in the sport. You couldn’t ask for any better conditions, I don’t
think. It seems like when fans are cheering out there, I feel a little bit more at home. I think it’s great (the amount
of American riders) for the sport and the Amgen Tour of California. There are a lot of the world champions and top guys here
this week and I’m really excited to have the opportunity to race with them."
Jonathan Vaughters (Sports Director Team Slipstream)
“We’re pushing toward becoming one of the largest teams in the world. I’m hoping that the
Amgen Tour of California will become as big as the Tour de France and we’ll be doing two big stage races per year...”
Kim Andersen (Sports Director CSC)
”I'm satisfied with our results. In an extremely short prologue, it's hard to make a difference, but
we had a good start. We have a very strong line-up and I know we've done our homework, especially at the recent training camp
here in California. Apart from Stuart, it's the first race for all our riders, but I'm convinced we have a good opportunity
to make an excellent overall result over here.”
Charles Wegelius (Liquigas)
What is your impression of this event?
“The organization is on the level of the very best events
in the world. There are very enthusiastic people in the crowds in the USA, and that’s what it takes to make a successful
event. Cycling in the US has a big future.”
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| Charles Wegelius during last years Tour of Germany (picture:Cyclingheroes) |
Cioni won first stage Ruta del Sol
The stage linked Otura Sta Clara Golf with La Zubia, over 146 kilometres, with
two 3rd cat. hills in the first part of the stage.
Dario Cioni (Predictor-Lotto) attacked after 100 km with Spanish
rider Anton Luengo (Euskaltel), and with Predictor-Lotto controlling the peloton, the two riders were able to reach the
final together.
The stage finished with a 1,5 kilometre hill, where Cioni took the win.
Results stage 1 Vuelta Andalucia
1. Dario Cioni (Ita) Predictor-Lotto
2. Anton Luengo (Spa) Euskaltel at 1"
3. Oscar
Freire (Spa) Rabobank at 5"
4. José Ventoso (Spa) Saunier Duval
5. Joaquin Rojas (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne
Tour Méditerranéen: Mirco Lorenzetto wins in Sanremo, Ivan Guterriez takes
overall win
Milram pro Mirco Lorenzetto has won the last stage of the Tour Méditerranéen. In a photo finish he relegated
Daniele Bennati (Lampre) to rank two. The overall classification of the Tour Méditerranéen was won by the Spaniard Ivan Guterriez
(Caisse d’Epargne), who had been in the lead since the team time trial at the beginning of the tour.
The day
before, Mirco Lorenzetto had already been third, proving his good condition. The finale in Sanremo was very narrow, so that
Daniele Bennati had already been declared winner of the stage. But the photo finish decided for Mirco Lorenzetto, who could
celebrate his first victory this season. The Australian Mark Renshaw (Crédit Agricole) was third. „I started to pull
through with Bennati 250 meters before the finish. I was on the left side of the group and he on the the right,” Lorenzetto
described the last meters of the finale. “I took his wheel and started again. I won with just one millimeter, but I
am very happy now about my first victory,” Mirco Lorenzetto, whose next races are the Trofeo Laigueglia, the GP Chiasso,
the GP Lugano and Paris – Nice. “I’m going to try to repeat my success there,” the Italian is now
highly motivated. With Elia Rigotto, another Milram rider was part of the sprint. The Italian finshed sixth.
The last
stage, which lead from Dolceacqua over 122 kilometers to the Ligurian Sanremo, was dominated by Sylvain Chavanel (Cofidis).
Before the first climb to Sanremolo he was already part of a break, in which Milram’s Mirko Celestino and Igor Astarloa
rode as well. In the climb Chavanel attacked and continued his escape alone, while the others were caught up again.
Sylvain
Chavanel was able to defend his lead, meanwhile 1:30 minutes, to the Cipressa, the second to last climb. But at the Poggio
he eventually was caught up as well after the teams Lampre and Tinkoff had made the pace in the main group.
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