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20.06.2007/ Tour de Suisse: Fränk Schleck took stage four & leaders jersey, Volksbank
satisfied with first four days of Tour de Suisse, New anti-doping programm: More pressure for Pro-Tour riders, Ster Elektrotoer:
Ignatiev takes prologue
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Picture gallery: Delta Profronde, Netherlands June 16, 2007
Johan Buyneel: "If you live in a glasshouse you shouldn't throw to much stones"
Picture gallery: Austin Criteriums, USA June 16 & 17, 2007
Discovery Channel out of AIGCP
T-Mobile team release Sergej Gonchar
The full text of the "Riders' commitment to a new cycling"charter can be downloaded here (PDF): click here to download file
New: Toyota-United : "One of our goals - to be the best team in the United States"
Tour
de Suisse: Fränk Schleck took stage four & leaders jersey
Fränk Schleck won yesterdays fourth stage of the Tour de Suisse. The rider from Luxembourg also took over the overall
lead. However it did not change teams as Fränk Schleck (CSC) took over the yellow jersey from Fabian Cancellara (CSC), when
he left everyone behind during the final 12-kilometer climb towards Steg/Malbun.
After the day’s first climb, the Col de l'Arlberg (1793m), the peloton was still pretty much together although
Kevin De Weert (Cofidis) and Arkaitz Duran Aroca (Saunier Duval) attacked early in the stage but
the breakaway duo was caught before the final climb. Luxembourg’s Schleck made his move on the day’s
final climb, the 9,2 km ascent to Malbun (1600 m), setting a blistering pace that saw him move clear of all chasers.
Schleck won with a 32-second lead to Caisse d'Epargne's Vladimir Efimkin and a further 10 seconds behind came
Saunier Duval's José Angel Gomes.
"I had good legs today, so I asked my teammates to go for it on the second last
climb towards Arlberg. They were all brilliant and especially Cancellara worked really hard – actually they all did.
Seven kilometers before the finish I took a chance and went for it. I thought nothing ventured nothing gained and in the end
it worked out for me," said a very happy stage winner after his efforts.
"We deliberately tried to make the stage tough
early on, and the fact that Fränk went on the attack as early as he did was according to the master plan as well. If he had
been sitting there with the rest of them until the final kilometers his rivals would've had a chance to counter attack, so
that's why the wisest move was to keep it fast-paced from the beginning," explained CSC sports director Kim Andersen.
T-Mobile's Kim Kirchen came in fifth and defended his third spot in the overall. Kirchen said: “I am pleased with how things went here today. Considering the effects of yesterday’s crash gave me difficulty
sleeping last night, I went fairly well today."
Results
Stage 4
1 Frank
Schleck (Lux) Team CSC
4.20.37 (38,493 km/h)
2 Vladimir Efimkin (Rus) Caisse d'Epargne
0.32
3 José Angel Gomez Marchante (Spa) Saunier Duval - Prodir
0.42
4 Matteo Carrara (Ita) Unibet.com
0.48
5 Kim Kirchen (Lux) T-Mobile Team
6 Gilberto Simoni (Ita) Saunier Duval - Prodir
1.05
7 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Caisse d'Epargne
1.11
8 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre-Fondital
1.25
9 Xavier Florencio Cabre (Spa) Bouygues Telecom
1.37
10 Stijn Devolder (Bel) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 1.40
General
Classification after stage 4
1 Frank
Schleck (Lux) Team CSC
14.32.24 (38,294 km/h)
2 Vladimir Efimkin (Rus) Caisse d'Epargne
0.49
3 Kim Kirchen (Lux) T-Mobile Team
4 José Angel Gomez Marchante (Spa) Saunier Duval - Prodir
0.58
5 Matteo Carrara (Ita) Unibet.com
1.05
6 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Caisse d'Epargne
1.19
7 Xavier Florencio Cabre (Spa) Bouygues Telecom
1.39
8 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre-Fondital
1.46
9 Stijn Devolder (Bel) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
2.03
10 Gilberto Simoni (Ita) Saunier Duval - Prodir
2.06
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| May for Andy, June for Fränk, & who will shine in July?(picture: Cyclingheroes) |
Volksbank satisfied with first four days of Tour de Suisse
The Team Volksbank can be satisfied with its performance at the first four days of the 71st edition
of the Tour de Suisse: On Saturday, it was Swiss rider Florian Stalder who opened the ProTour-race at the prologue. The
Volksbank-riders didn't lose much time in the opening time trial, but the true action started on Sunday: Pascal Hungerbühler
was the first rider to breakaway. His solo lasted for about 60 kilometers, where he had gained a maximum advantage of 4:35
minutes. 20 kilometers before the finish line he was caught by the chasing bunch, but fellow-countryman Florian Stalder managed
to get away again and to win the second intermediate sprint. Having the equal number of points for the white sprinter's jersey
as Pascal Hungerbühler, who had won the first sprint, Stalder was awarded the white jersey for the best sprinter.
The
second stage leaded from Brunnen to Nauders in Tyrol, Austria. The first mountain stage of the Tour de Suisse with one HC-category
climb, the Flüelapass. While young Italian Alessandro Proni took the victory after an outstanding 200 km-breakaway, Volksban-captain
Gerrit Glomser finished 13th in the bunch of the best riders. Florian Stalder lost his sprinter's jersey, although he had
tried to catch up to the breakaway group in order to claim some points at the intermediate sprints.
Stage 3 was today's
stage, that started in Nauders and finished in Malbun, Liechtenstein, on 1.600 meters on the top of a mountain. It was the
first stage where the captains of the teams had to show their real strenght. It was an extremely fast stage with an average
of 45 km/h during the first hour. However, nearly the whole bunch managed to stay together until the final climb. At Vaduz
Florian Stalder again won the sprint intermediare and got back the white sprinter's jersey for tomorrow's stage to Giubasco.
Gerrit Glomser finished 16th and is now 17th in the overall classification, 2:58 minutes behind the new leader Frank Schleck
(Lux/CSC).
Gerrit Glomser is satiesfied with the team's performance. "The whole team rides strong here and there is
a real boost of motivation. Today, I didn't feel that good. Yesterday it was better, but I'm just a small step away from where
I'd like to be."
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| Florian Stalder with the white sprinter jersey (picture: Team Volksbank) |
New anti-doping programm: More pressure for Pro-Tour riders
As reported yesterday the UCI announced new anti-doping policies. On a meeting on Tuesday in Geneva UCI president Pat McQuaid has called on all ProTour riders to sign an anti-doping
declaration before the start of the 2007 Tour de France – the declaration requires riders to provide their DNA samples,
as well as pledging to pay back a year's salary in the case of a doping offence. The iniative is called "Riders'
commitment to a new cycling."
All 20 ProTour teams attended at the UCI meeting. Mister McQuaid presented
in hard copy the charter which the 600 ProTour cyclists are invited to sign before July 7th.
In the Charter its written: "I do solemnly declare, to my team, my colleagues, the UCI, the cycling world
and the public that I have not cheated, have not been involved in the Fuentes case or in any other doping case," read the
statement. "At the same time, I declare to the Spanish law, that my DNA is at its disposal, so that it can be compared with
the blood samples seized in the Puerto affair."
The names of riders who have signed the " Riders’ commitment to a new Cycling " will be added to a list published
on the UCI website. Two riders signed the declaration at the press conference: French rider Sandy Casar (Française des Jeux)
and British rider Mark Cavendish (T-Mobile).
Other measures, which form part of the same strategy and also concern undertakings by riders, were also announced.
McQuaid said that riders who refused to sign would not leave themselves open to legal sanctions, instead
it would be up to the “teams to decide what to do with them."
Anne Gripper, who is leading
the UCI’s anti-doping program, surmised that any rider who won't sign the agreement would most likely not take part
in the Tour de France "not for legal reason but due to the pressure". The fine of a year's salary will be used for the fight
against doping.
It's not known if the new anti-doping policy will also have consequenses for team doctors, soigneurs and other
team employees and officials who are linked with doping cases. It seems that only riders would have to pay back
a year's salary in case of doping offences. In the past months soigneurs like Jef D'Hondt (former Telekom and Festina soigneur),
team doctors like Andreas Schmidt and Lothar Heinrich (former Telekom and T-Mobile doctors) and team managers like Rolf Aldag
(former Telekom and T-Mobile rider) admitted that they have been involved in doping offences in the nineties. The confessions
seems to indicate that the current and past doping problems are not only caused by the riders.
The full text of the "Riders' commitment to a new cycling"charter can be downloaded here (PDF):
click here to download file
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| Sandy Casar (FD Jeux) already signed the new UCI charter (picture: Cyclingheroes) |
Ster Elektrotoer: Ignatiev takes prologue
The 22 year old Russian Tinkoff rider Mikhail Ignatiev won the 7.6 Kilometer long prologue in Schijndel
(Netherlands). The 2004 Olympic points (track) champion needed 9 minutes and 27 seconds for the fast course. Wit a second
spot for Nikolai Trusov Tinkoff took the double. Sebastien Rosseler (Quickstep) came in third.
Rick Flens (Rabobank) came in fourth, 11 seconds behind Ignatiev. "He was the first one of the team to start
so it was difficult to estimate how well he did after his 7.6 kilometers (in Schijndel, ed.)," Rabobank Sports Director Erik
Dekker said. "But looking back at it, you can tell that he did really well. Rick should be satisfied." Most of Flens's teammates
also did well.
Former T-Mobile rider Bram Schmitz (Van Vliet-EBH Advocaten team) want to ride a good result at the Elektrotoer.
"I would like to show something during the Elektrotoer and later at the Dutch national champion ships." Schmitz clocked
after 9 mintues and 48 seconds and that was enough to be 19th at the prologue.
Rabobank Sports Director Dekker expects Australian sprinter Graeme Brown to get his first chance in a
bunch sprint as soon as Wednesday: "I think we have a number of other motivated cyclists, with many qualities, starting here
as well. They should be able to play their part in the general ranking." Besides the south of the Netherlands, the course
will also visit the Netherlands' neighboring countries of Germany and Belgium. The tour's concluding stage will finish in
Eindhoven on Saturday.
Results
Prologue
1 Ignatiev, Mikhail 103 TCS
9:27.82
48.184
2 Trusov, Nikolai 107 TCS
9:34.41 6.59 47.631
3
Rosseler, Sebastien 23 QSI
9:34.62 6.80 47.614
4 Flens, Rick
48 RAB 9:38.27 10.45
47.314
5 Arvesen, Kurt-Asle 1 CSC
9:39.24 11.42 47.234
6 Pollack, Olaf
85 WIE 9:42.35 14.53
46.982
7 Krauss, Sven
34 GST 9:42.51 14.69
46.969
8 Tjallingii, Maarten 111 SKS
9:42.93 15.11 46.935
9 Oostlander,
Sander 132 LOW
9:44.31 16.49 46.824
10 Van Petegem, Peter
21 QSI 9:45.48 17.66
46.731
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