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17.03.2007/ Paris-Nice: Popo with fabulous win, Tirreno-Adriatico: Ricco takes stage 3, Volta ao Santarem:
Hunter won bunch sprint, Sastre has to take it easy
Mailbox - win a nice surprise with Original Autograph of Jan Ullrich
Letterbox: You can send your letters with ideas, comments and other things you would like to let us and
our readers to know to: letters@cyclingheroes.de . Some of the letters will be published on our website. We can only publish letters with your full name, hometown
and country.
The editor choose every month "The letter of the month". The writer of the best letter in March 2007
will receive a nice surprise with original handwritten autograph of Jan Ullrich.
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Jörg Jaksche: no team and without investigation
Special coverage Jan Ullrich retires
Will Puerto be archived?
Cyclingheroes Mailbox March 12
Paris-Nice: Popo with fabulous win
Emulating team-mate Alberto Contador in Mende, Yaroslav Popovych gave his Discovery Channel team their second
stage win in as many days thanks to a great effort between Sorgues and Manosque over 178 kms. The Ukrainian former under-23
world champion completed a successful 169-kms breakaway to take the 5th stage on his own after parting company with his former
companions in the last climb. Thirteen men had gone nine kilometres after the start. Also winner of a Tour de France stage
in Carcassonne last summer, Popovych retained a slim lead at the finish but not enough to dislodge Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner)
from the top of the overall standings.
Dave Zbriskie was one of the riders who was in the 13 men breakaway group. Zbriskie could not follow Popovych
when he attacked. CSC sports director Alain Gallopin said: "It was just a bit too soon for Dave today. We have to keep
in mind that he's only had a few days on the road after his crash in Tour of California, so this race is part of his rehabilitation
really." Gallopin continued by saying: If Dave hadn't suffered that crash and had been able to do the whole Tour of California,
I think he'd been able to keep up with Popovych and given him a run for his money. He was strong out there today, but not
quite strong enough yet though."
Koos Moerenhout was also in the breakaway group, Frans Maasen, Rabobank sports director said: "Popovich
was clearly the best of the group of escapees. I hoped Koos [Moerenhout] would be able to follow Popovich when he initiated
his attack at the thirty kilometers mark from the finish, but he, unfortunately, could not," recaptured Maassen, who saw his
team perform reasonably well. He, for instance, observed that Joost Posthuma again raced with the best. "I am in shape, but
the arrival on Thursday was just a little too steep for me. These are my limitations. If the climbing percentage is above
15, it is too steep for me," reported Posthuma on his personal website.
Asked if his attack was planned, Popovych said: "Not really. In the beginning, it was very hard. I found
myself in the break thinking I would work for Levi [Leipheimer] and Alberto [Contador]. Little by little, I gained confidence."
About his early attack "Popo" said:" I attacked because I saw that the others were tired. It’s the kind of stages I
like, with bumps and changes of pace but not so hard as yesterday when the last climb was too gruelling for me." About the
team strategy he said: "What we’re going to do now? I have no idea…" and smiled.
Results stage 5 Paris-Nice
1 Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) Discovery Channel
4.11.51 (42.406 km/h)
2 Francisco José Ventoso (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir
0.14
3 Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) Ag2r Prévoyance
4 David López García (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne
5 Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom
6 Samuel Sánchez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi
7 Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas
8 Davide Rebellin (Ita) Gerolsteiner
9 Joaquím Rodríguez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne
10 Tadej Valjavec (Slo) Lampre-Fondital
11 Fränk Schleck (Lux) Team CSC
12 Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Bouygues Telecom
13 Alberto Contador (Spa) Discovery Channel
14 Alexandre Botcharov (Rus) Crédit Agricole
15 Patxi Vila (Spa) Lampre-Fondital
16 Cadel Evans (Aus) Predictor-Lotto
17 Patrick Calcagni (Swi) Liquigas
18 Luca Paolini (Ita) Liquigas
19 Roger Hammond (GBr) T-Mobile
20 David Millar (GBr) Saunier Duval-Prodir
21 Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Liquigas
22 Jesús Del Nero (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir
23 Luis León Sánchez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne
24 Iban Mayo (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir
25 Sébastien Joly (Fra) Française Des Jeux
General Classification after stage 5
1 Davide Rebellin (Ita) Gerolsteiner
21.52.39
2 Alberto Contador (Spa) Discovery Channel
0.06
3 Tadej Valjavec (Slo) Lampre-Fondital
0.23
4 Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas
0.31
5 Sébastien Joly (Fra) Française Des Jeux
0.32
6 Cadel Evans (Aus) Predictor-Lotto
0.35
7 David Millar (GBr) Saunier Duval-Prodir
0.42
8 Fränk Schleck (Lux) Team CSC
9 David López García (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne
0.43
10 Samuel Sánchez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi
0.46
11 Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom
0.48
12 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Cofidis
0.49
13 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Discovery Channel
0.50
14 Thomas Lövkvist (Swe) Française Des Jeux
0.51
15 Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Liquigas
0.54
16 Luis León Sánchez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne
0.55
17 Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Bouygues Telecom
0.58
18 Joaquím Rodríguez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne
1.03
19 Alexandre Botcharov (Rus) Crédit Agricole
1.05
20 Patxi Vila (Spa) Lampre-Fondital
1.06
21 Maxim Iglinsky (Kaz) Astana
1.13
22 Sandy Casar (Fra) Française Des Jeux
1.15
23 Andy Schleck (Lux) Team CSC
1.17
24 Jurgen Van den Broeck (Bel) Predictor-Lotto
1.20
25 Pierrick Fédrigo (Fra) Bouygues Telecom
1.26
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| Popo during last years Tour de France (picture: Cyclingheroes) |
Tirreno-Adriatico: Ricco takes stage 3
Riccardo Riccò took the tough third stage of the 42nd edition of Tirreno - Adriatico´s event, the
longest leg of this UCI Pro Tour race, 213 kilometres from Marsciano to Macerata. The Italian rider of Saunier Duval - Prodir
showed his strength in the three final and exciting kilometres, coming in front of Alexander Vinokourov and Andreas Klöden,
both defending Astana´s colours.
After several attempts by the big guns -Vinokourov (Astana),
Freire (Rabobank), Kessler (Astana)-, the young man in yellow took victory thanks to his solid performance in the last, taxing
climb, first accompanied by Scarponi (Acqua & Sapone) and then alone. The 23 year-old Italian from Modena knew how to
take advantage of his slight two-second gap over Vinokourov in the last 400 meters. The Kazakh rider won the group sprint
over German teammate Andreas Klöden. Russian Alexandr Arekeev (Acqua & Sapone), who won the stage yesterday, retains the
leader´s red and yellow jersey, with an advantage of only 21 seconds over Riccò, who climbed to the second place as a result
of his outstanding performance today.
Today´s victory was the second taken by Riccò this
season, the first one being the fourth stage win in the Tour de San Luis, in Argentina.
Jens Voigt and many other favourites finished in the same time as Vinokourov. CSC sports director
Scott Sunderland said: "It was a tough finish and it was good to see Jens all the way up front.
He was up there among the best and still holds a good position in the general classification ahead of this weekend's difficult
stages. It will be very interesting to see how far he's able to take over the next couple of days. O'Grady didn't quite have,
what it took to sit in the front group today, but he didn't loose too much time though. It was also great to see Matti Breschel
finishing in one of the first groups."
Rabobank had three riders in the first group: Oscar Freire, Michael Boogerd and last years overall
winner Thomas Dekker: "The finale was a little too difficult for Oscar [Freire]," confessed Rabobank sports director Erik
Breukink after the stage. "A couple of very steep parts on that final climb. He, therefore, had used too much of his energy,
which made it hard for him to fight for the stage victory. It, nevertheless, was encouraging to see that the team managed
to keep up with the pace. Thomas [Dekker] climbed with ease and Boogie [Michael Boogerd] rode well." Breukink also noticed
that the cyclists no longer suffered from the injuries they had sustained on the first day. "We can leave that behind us now.
We will start the decisive phase with a strong and sharp team."
A similar stage like the one ridden on Friday is scheduled for Saturday. Difficult, but not too difficult. A tough finale,
but, according to Breukink, it is more made for Oscar Freire than today's stage. Thomas Dekker has set his heart on the time-trial,
which is scheduled for Sunday. During the stage on Monday, the cyclists will reach the highest point of the Tirreno. Breukink:
"Our morale was boosted again today. The team rode well. Of course we want to win, but we must, based on the finale of the
stage, also remain realistic. It was just not possible today."
Results stage 3 Tirreno-Adriatico
1 Riccardo Riccò (Ita) Saunier Duval-Prodir
5.41.22
2 Alexander Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana
0.02
3 Andreas Klöden (Ger) Astana
4 Stefano Garzelli (Ita) Acqua & Sapone-Caffè Mokambo
5 Luca Mazzanti (Ita) Ceramica Panaria-Navigare
6 Andrea Moletta (Ita) Gerolsteiner
7 Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Liquigas
8 Thomas Dekker (Ned) Rabobank
9 Kim Kirchen (Lux) T-Mobile
10 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Discovery Channel
11 Jens Voigt (Ger) Team CSC
12 Michael Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank
13 Staf Scheirlinckx (Bel) Cofidis
14 Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita) Ag2r Prévoyance
15 Oscar Freire (Spa) Rabobank
16 Serguei Yakovlev (Kaz) Astana
17 David Arroyo (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne
18 Evgeni Petrov (Rus) Tinkoff Credit Systems
19 José Luis Rubiera (Spa) Discovery Channel
20 Michele Scarponi (Ita) Acqua & Sapone-Caffè Mokambo
21 Stefan Schumacher (Ger) Gerolsteiner
22 Fabian Wegmann (Ger) Gerolsteiner
23 Pablo Lastras (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne
24 Linus Gerdemann (Ger) T-Mobile
25 Stéphane Goubert (Fra) Ag2r Prévoyance
General Classification after stage 3
1 Alexandr Arekeev (Rus) Acqua & Sapone-Caffè Mokambo 15.07.50
2 Riccardo Riccò (Ita) Saunier
Duval-Prodir 0.21
3
Oscar Freire (Spa) Rabobank
0.27
4 Alexander Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana
5 Andreas Klöden (Ger) Astana
0.29
6 Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Liquigas
0.33
7 Andrea Moletta (Ita) Gerolsteiner
8 Evgeni Petrov (Rus) Tinkoff Credit Systems
9 Stefano Garzelli (Ita) Acqua & Sapone-Caffè Mokambo
10 Stefan Schumacher (Ger) Gerolsteiner
11 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Discovery Channel
12 Linus Gerdemann (Ger) T-Mobile
13 Jens Voigt (Ger) Team CSC
14 Kim Kirchen (Lux) T-Mobile
15 Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita) Ag2r Prévoyance
16 Fabian Wegmann (Ger) Gerolsteiner
17 Michele Scarponi (Ita) Acqua & Sapone-Caffè Mokambo
18 Thomas Dekker (Ned) Rabobank
19 Staf Scheirlinckx (Bel) Cofidis
20 Pablo Lastras (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne
21 Michael Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank
22 Serguei Yakovlev (Kaz) Astana
23 David Arroyo (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne
24 Ricardo Serrano (Spa) Tinkoff Credit Systems
25 Luca Mazzanti (Ita) Ceramica Panaria-Navigare
Volta ao Santarem: Hunter won bunch sprint
It is really a happy moment for Rob Hunter (Barloworld) who won Friday's second stage of Volta ao Santarem,
after 187 km from Abrantes to Cartaxo.
The 29-year old South African rider had the fastest legs in a bunch sprint finish
to take stage honours, after he had placed second on Thursday behind Portuguese Benitez.
Four riders
were on the spots escaping the peloton after 90 km to make up the break of the day. The escapees built up a maximum lead of
nearly 3'30" on the peloton, but with Barloworld leading the chase behind them, the break was shut down with 5 km to race.
Fully supported by his strong team-mates, Rob Hunter took the stage win easily, and he also achieved the overall lead. It
is Hunter's second win in the season after Sunday's Cape Argus Pick'n Pay Classic.
Hunter appeared to be in impressive
form looking forward Milan-Sanremo on March 24, and the Barloworld steamed in the last kilometres as a strong locomotive to
make the sprint easier.
"I'm really pleased. Rob rode at his best, as well as the whole squad did " , said the Barloworld
sportive director Valerio Tebaldi.
Sastre has to take it easy
Team CSC's Spanish ace Carlos Sastre very much wants to get back on the road in a hurry, but after his crash
in Vuelta Ciclista a Murcia last week, he has to be patient and take it easy, which does not suit him at all.
"I've
hurt the nether part of my spine, my hip and my back side, but there are no fractures anywhere. I've had x-rays done a couple
of times just to make sure and there's nothing to see. But it hurts pretty bad at the moment so I have to be patient and give
it time," explains Sastre, who has attempted to get back on his bike several times to test himself.
"It's virtually
impossible for me to do more than an hour because my back hurts so bad. But the doctors say it shouldn't be too long before
I'm ready again," says the sympathetic Spanish rider, who does not have any races on his agenda till the end of this month,
where he is supposed to do Vuelta a Castilla y Leon.
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| Carlos Sastre needs to be patient (picture: Cyclingheroes) |
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