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23.06.2007/ Tour de Suisse: Gusev wins at Grimselpass, Ster Elektrotoer: Vasil Kiryienka
won queen stage, Nature Valley GP: Nathan O’Neill won time trial, Stevic takes back yellow jersey, Will Thomas
Dekker break his relation with Checchini?, B.T. accused Arvesen of doping and later regrets, Lotz receives wildcard for Dutch
nationals, T-Mobile for TTT Eindhoven, Liquigas for TTT Eindhoven
Mailbox - win a picture in poster format with Original Autograph of Michael Boogerd
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.
Please note: your letter should not be longer than 350 words. The editor choose every month "The letter of the month".
The writer of the best letter in June 2007 will receive a picture in 20 X 30 CM format with original handwritten
autograph of Michael Boogerd.
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The full text of the "Riders' commitment to a new cycling"charter can be downloaded here (PDF): click here to download file
Toyota-United : "One of our goals - to be the best team in the United States"
Lance Armstrong: "Another unobjective book by David Walsh"
Download Midyear results CSC anti-doping programm (PDF file)
New: Picture gallery, Nature Valley, Stage 3, St Paul Time Trial, USA , June 22, 2007
New: Picture gallery, Nature Valley , Stage 4, Minneapolis Downtown Classic
New: Picture gallery, Tour de Suisse , Stage 7, Ulrichen - Grimselpass (3 pages)
Tour
de Suisse: Gusev wins at Grimselpass
Vladimir Gusev (Discovery Channel) took an impressive solo win on Friday's queen stage of the Tour de Suisse.
The 24-year-old Russian attacked on the final climb to the summit finish on the Grimselpass, crossing the line with a two
minutes lead on second place Chris Horner (Predictor-Lotto). Andreas Klöden (Astana) also was on the attack all day and
came in third.
The
queen stage at Tour de Suisse was rather short, but really difficult, over 127 kilometres between Ulrichen and the top of
Grimselpass (1st category), with two hors category ascents on the road: 4 km after the start, Furkapass (17 km) and 52 km
farther, Sustenpass (18 km).
Chris Horner had promised to be seen today and he kept his word, attacking immediately
after the start with Vladimir Gusev (Discovery Channel) and Marzio Bruseghin (Lampre-Fondital). Shortly after that attack
Klöden started a counter attack and reached the Gusev group with 7 riders in his wheel on the Susten pass.
This
11-man group came together at the foot of the final ascent, Grimselpass, where Gusev attacked alone.
The small group
disintegrated behind the winner of last Tour of Belgium, Chris Horner being last to keep sight of Gusev, who won the stage
solo. Chris arrived also alone at the top. Andreas Klöden
T-Mobile's Kim Kirchen continued
his impressive run, charging hard on the final ascent to place sixth and move up to second overall after Caisse d'Epargne's
Vladimir Efimkin finished six seconds behind Kirchen to retain the overall lead.
"I am very excited about this
win. To win a mountain-top finish in a Pro Tour race is incredible and I want to thank Johan and all the directors for believing
in me. I love this team. My teammates and the staff are the best," Vladimir Gusev said.
“Kim
was very strong on the finale. His attack wasn't planned, but he just had to go for it. If he keeps on riding like this, he
cold go on to win the race", said a highly satisified T-Mobile Sports Director Brian Holm. "After his struggle
with back injuries last season, Kim says that the team's new gymnastic training methods have made him feel like a new man."
Michael Rogers and Giuseppe Guerini (both T-Mobile) were not at the start-line for Friday’s 125,7 Kilometre
'queen stage' of the Tour de Suisse.
The veteran 36-year-old Guerini is suffering from stomach problems, while Rogers
is being hampered by knee trouble. With the Tour de France in mind, the Australian has decided not to take any risks and instead
return home for physio treatment.
"I am certain that the problem will pass soon so that I can make a quick return
to intensive training," said Rogers, who finished Thursday's weather-curtailed fifth stage in a ‘Grupetto’ together
with Guerini.
Although nothing like Friday's profile, Saturday's eighth stage still counts as a mountain stage of
sorts, but more than likely, not one for those high on the overall classification.
The
lumpy 152.5 kilometre journey ends with two small categorized climbs, the last Cat. 3 to Schwarzee somewhat of a mountain-top
finish.
Results
Stage 7
1 Vladimir
Gusev (Rus) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 3.53.50 (32,254 km/h)
2
Christopher Horner (USA) Predictor-Lotto
2.02
3 Andreas Klöden (Ger) Astana
2.37
4 Marzio Bruseghin (Ita) Lampre-Fondital
5 Beat Zberg (Swi) Gerolsteiner
3.00
6 Kim Kirchen (Lux) T-Mobile Team
4.09
7 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Caisse d'Epargne
4.15
8 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre-Fondital
9 Vladimir Efimkin (Rus) Caisse d'Epargne
10 Matteo Carrara (Ita) Unibet.com
4.20
General
Classification after stage 7
1 Vladimir
Efimkin (Rus) Caisse d'Epargne
25.55.08 (37,437 km/h)
2 Kim Kirchen (Lux) T-Mobile Team
0.24
3 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Caisse d'Epargne
0.30
4 Matteo Carrara (Ita) Unibet.com
0.31
5 Frank Schleck (Lux) Team CSC
0.33
6 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre-Fondital
0.57
7 Stijn Devolder (Bel) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
2.02
8 Gilberto Simoni (Ita) Saunier Duval - Prodir
2.03
9 Gerrit Glomser (Aut) Team Volksbank
2.04
10 José Angel Gomez Marchante (Spa) Saunier Duval - Prodir
2.06
Picture gallery: Tour de Suisse , Stage 7, Ulrichen - Grimselpass(3 pages)
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| Vladimir Gusev won the queen stage of this years Tour de Suisse (picture: cyclingheroes) |
Ster Elektrotoer: Vasil Kiryienka won queen stage
Tinkoff's Vasil Kiryienka (Tinkoff Credit Systems) took the victory in the 192-kilometer third stage from
Verviers to La Gileppe. Britain's Jeremy Hunt (Unibet) placed second with Denmark's Matti Breschel (CSC) third.
Kirijenka was the final survivor of the eight men lead group, of which Kai Reus (Rabobank) had also been part.
That group initially consisted of twelve riders and came to live on the initiave of Koos Moerenhout (Rabobank). Earlier on,
William Walker (Rabobank) had shown himself in an eight men attack group. They managed to get a two minute lead, but were
not really able to get away, despite the fact that the best-ranked rider was more than four minutes behind in the classification.
The twelve riders including Moerenhout and Reus had more chance to succeed, but they also did not survive.
First, the group was broken up on the selective track and a little later, Kai Reus, for instance, fell behind due to a cramp
attack. In the end, only Kirijenka was able to hold his own on the final climb. Behind him was a relatively large group of
around seventy men. Of course that group fell apart on the climb, but Sébastian Langeveld (Rabobank) held his ground well
in the front line.
Team CSC had made a solid effort to split the peloton, but Skil-Shimano's rider
in the leader's jersey, Paul Martens had the tactics to maintain his overall lead.
"Alexandr Kolobnev and Martin Pedersen
were in an early break with seven other guys and later on they were joined by another seven, where Michael Blaudzun was one
of them. So we had three riders in a 14-man break, but they were caught as we reached the final laps. The leading rider stuck
to Kurt-Asle Arvesen like glue so he wasn't able to escape like he'd hoped," said CSC Sports Director Scott Sunderland.
With only one more stage left to race in the Ster Elektrotour, Sébastian Langeveld’s position still
looks promising. Even though he did not gain a single second vis-ŕ-vis the leader in the classification, Paul Martens, during
the king stages across the Ardennes, he did not lose any seconds either. "The latter was our primary objective. We will give
everything we have during the final stage," said Rabobank Sports Director Erik Breukink with a fighting spirit.
Saturday's final stage of the five-day race takes the peloton over 149 Kilometre from Sittard/Geleen
to Eindhoven, where a bunch gallop is expected.
"The route is pretty much without any obstacles. I am expecting a
bunch finish," says T-Mobile Sports Director Jan Schaffrath, who with Ciolek, Eisel and Cavendish has three options to
draw from.
"We will have to see which of the lads feels the freshest in the finale, but all three are in good shape.
Gerald [Ciolek] could still also land a place on the podium."
Results
Stage 3
1 Vasil Kiryienka (Blr) Tinkoff Credit Systems
4.52.23 (39.46 km/h)
2 Jeremy Hunt (GBr) Unibet.com
0.06
3 Matti Breschel (Den) Team CSC
4 Sven Krauss (Ger) Gerolsteiner
5 Maarten Wynants (Bel) Quickstep-Innergetic
6 Kurt-Asle Arvesen (Nor) Team CSC
7 Peter Velits (Svk) Wiesenhof-Felt
8 Lorenzo Bernucci (Ita) T-Mobile
9 Paul Martens (Ger) Skil-Shimano
10 Roy Sentjens (Bel) Predictor-Lotto
General Classification after stage 3
1 Paul Martens (Ger) Skil-Shimano
13.41.46
2 Sebastian Langeveld (Ned) Rabobank
0.02
3 Kurt-Asle Arvesen (Nor) Team CSC
0.04
4 Matti Breschel (Den) Team CSC
0.07
5 Maarten Wynants (Bel) Quickstep-Innergetic
0.12
6 Sven Krauss (Ger) Gerolsteiner
0.21
7 Bram Schmitz (Ned) Van Vliet - EBH Advocaten
0.22
8 Gerald Ciolek (Ger) T-Mobile
0.35
9 Addy Engels (Ned) Quickstep-Innergetic
0.37
10 Martin Velits (Svk) Wiesenhof-Felt
1.13
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| Vasil Kiryienka won in the Ardennes (picture: Tinkoff) |
Nature Valley GP: Nathan O’Neill won time trial, Stevic takes back yellow jersey
Ivan Stevic of the Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team pulled off a stunning performance in Friday morning’s
Stage 3 individual time trial to regain the yellow jersey he lost the night before at the ninth annual Nature Valley Grand
Prix.
The Serbian National Champion was only nine seconds slower than eight-time Australian national time trial champion
Nathan O’Neill (Health Net presented by Maxxis), who won the 5.0-mile (8.0 km) race against the clock with an average
speed of 31.6 mph. The win by three seconds over rising stage race talent Ben Jacques-Maynes (Priority Health), moved O'Neill
into second place overall.
Stevic’s third-place finish – behind Ben Jacques-Maynes (Priority Health Cycling
Team presented by Bissell) and just six-tenths of a second ahead of Toyota-United teammate Chris Baldwin – put him back
in the race lead heading into Friday night’s Minneapolis Downtown Classic Criterium. Stevic leads O’Neill by six
seconds, with Stage 2 winner Kirk O’Bee (Health Net) in third place, nine seconds back. Baldwin’s time trial moved
him from 34th to fifth place overall, 15 seconds behind Stevic.
There are a total of four bonus sprints in tonight’s
criterium, each carrying time bonuses of five, three and one-second for the first three riders. Additionally, there are bonuses
of 15, 10 and six seconds for the first three finishers of the stage. With 39 riders within one minute of the lead, the time
bonus sprints are expected to figure heavily into the 60-minute race.
Stevic’s remarkable ride back into the
race lead helped Toyota-United forget the misfortunes suffered on Stage 3’s 65.3-mile (105 km) road race Thursday night
in Cannon Falls, Minn. Baldwin was involved in a large pile-up less than 15 kilometers into the stage and had to switch bikes
three times after it was discovered his Fuji bicycle frame had been damaged in the crash.
Additionally, Toyota-United’s
Chris Wherry, who has been plagued by illness for much of the season, withdrew from the event after finishing more than nine
minutes down in Thursday night’s race. Earlier in the stage, Wherry had figured prominently in Toyota-United’s
chase to catch three riders who held a nearly two minutes’ lead with 30 km remaining in the race. The trio was caught
after the race reached the finishing circuits within Cannon Falls and Stevic finished fourth in the bunch sprint.
The Nature Valley Grand Prix continues this evening with a 60-minute criterium in downtown Minneapolis, with
a large after-work crowd expected to be lining the course.
Results
Stage 3
1 Nathan O'Neill (Aus) Health Net p/b Maxxis
9.29
2 Ben Jacques-Maynes (USA) Priority Health Cycling Team p/b Bissell
0.03
3 Ivan Stevic (SCG) Toyota - United Pro Cycling Team
0.09
4 Christopher Baldwin (USA) Toyota - United Pro Cycling Team
5 John Murphy (USA) Health Net p/b Maxxis
0.14
6 Phil Zajicek (USA) Navigators Insurance Cycling Team
0.18
7 Edward King (USA) Priority Health Cycling Team p/b Bissell
0.19
8 Rory Sutherland (Aus) Health Net p/b Maxxis
0.20
9 Darren Lill (RSA) Navigators Insurance Cycling Team
0.22
10 Garrett Peltonen (USA) Priority Health Cycling Team p/b Bissell
0.24
General Classification after stage 3
1 Ivan Stevic (SCG) Toyota - United Pro Cycling Team
3.30.18
2 Nathan O'Neill (Aus) Health Net p/b Maxxis
0.06
3 Kirk O'Bee (USA) Health Net p/b Maxxis
0.09
4 Ben Jacques-Maynes (USA) Priority Health Cycling Team p/b Bissell
5 Christopher Baldwin (USA) Toyota - United Pro Cycling Team
0.15
6 John Murphy (USA) Health Net p/b Maxxis
0.20
7 Phil Zajicek (USA) Navigators Insurance Cycling Team
0.24
8 Edward King (USA) Priority Health Cycling Team p/b Bissell
0.25
9 Rory Sutherland (Aus) Health Net p/b Maxxis
0.26
10 Darren Lill (RSA) Navigators Insurance Cycling Team
0.28
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| Stevic pulled on the leaders jersey less than 24 hours after he lost it (picture: Matthew Moses) |
More pictures at: Picture gallery, Nature Valley, Stage 3, St Paul Time Trial, USA , June 22, 2007
Will Thomas Dekker break his relation with Checchini?
UCI president Pat McQuaid is putting pressure on young gun Thomas Dekker and his Rabobank team. Mcquaid
demands that Dekker breaks with his trainer Luigi Checchini. Dekker told Dutch tv programm N.O.S. Studio Sport: "There already
was a lot of talking going on about my controversial doctor." Dekker continued by saying: "Perhaps I will have to draw conclusions
from it in the future." The winner of Thursday's mountain stage at the Tour de Suisse said he learned a lot from Checchini.
"The outside world does not know how it works. Rabo is testing me since one and a half year and they never found anything
wrong."
But that doesn't mean that dekker will stop his cooperation with Checchini just like that. Yesterday, Rabobank
team director Theo De Rooij told Dutch daily newspaper Algemeen Dagblad (AD) : "I will not let myself being seduced by
the media or a remark from McQuaid to forbid the relation between Thomas and Checchini. We agreed one and a half year ago,
under certain conditions. Since then we are keeping a close eye on it. And i have to say: nothing strange happened since
then."
B.T. accused Arvesen of doping and later regrets
Danish daily newspaper B.T. accused Kurt Arle Arvesen of taking performance enhanching drugs in May this
year. Arvesen won a stage at the Giro d'Italia last month. According to the newspaper said that the analysis of Danish anti-doping
expert Dr. Rasmus Damsgaard that all CSC riders tested negative were wrong.
However a few hours later the newspaper published a statement saying that the newspaper regrets to have
used the words "signs of doping" in their story. According to B.T. the Bispebjerg Hospital found out that the test cannot
be used to conclude whether, there has been talk of doping or not.
Download the results of the CSC anti-doping programm:
click here to download file
Lotz receives wildcard for Dutch nationals
Marc Lotz (Löwik Meubelen) has received a wildcard for the Dutch national
road champion ships on July 1. The former Quickstep rider came back in the peloton after being banned for 2 years because
of the use of epo.
Lotz signed with Löwik Meubelen and started to race earlier this month.
Lotz did not manage to get enough point before June 11, and could not qualify for the champion ships. The road commission
of the Dutch Cycling Federation decided with national trainer Egon Van Kessel to handout a wild card to Lotz and 6 other riders.
According to Van Kessel Lotz belonged to the riders
who deserved the wildcard since he came back shortly before the deadline of June 11. "And in that first race he also had bad
luck. Enough reasons to allow him to start," van Kessel said.
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| Marc Lotz signed with Löwik Meubelen after the end of a 2 year ban (picture: Löwik Meubelen) |
T-Mobile for TTT Eindhoven
Marco Pinotti leads the T-Mobile formation at the third edition of the ProTour International Team Time Trial
in Eindhoven on Sunday. Pinotti, the wearer of the maglia rosa for four days at the recent Giro d’Italia
is also a former Italian time trial champion who knows a thing or two about following a wheel and pulling hard turns in a
team chrono.
Teaming up with Pinotti are Lorenzo Bernucci, Servais Knaven, Scott Davis, Frantisek Rabon,
Stephan Schreck and Thomas Ziegler and Canada's Michael Barry who placed second at the event last year in the colours of Discovery
Channel.
Each team will start the ‘contre la montre’ with a maximum of eight riders, with the clock
stopping when the team’s fifth rider crosses the line. The 48.6 km route - where average times of up to 55 km/h are
expected – leaves Eindhoven on the A270 highway, a fast and flat stretch of road, and proceeds to Helmondbefore looping
back to Eindhoven.
"The most crucial section are the last ten kilometres, as the wind is huge factor there,"
says T-Mobile Sports Director Tristan Hoffman.
As well as the 20 ProTour teams, wildcard entries Wiesenhof-Felt,
Skil-Shimano and Tinkoff will also race in Eindhoven. Wiesenhof-Felt are first off the ramps at 11:55, with the other teams
following at four minute intervals. The T-Mobile express roll off the ramps at 12:51. Defending champions CSC are last
off the ramps.
With no team time trial at the Tour de France this year and the Giro teams test already run and
won, the race will not play one of its originally intended rolls of allowing squads to fine tune their technique prior to
July.
T-Mobile for TTT Eindhoven:
Michael Barry (31/Canada), Lorenzo Bernucci (27/Italy), Scott Davis (28/Australia),
Servais Knaven (36/Netherlands), Marco Pinotti (31/Italy), Frantisek Rabon (24/Czech), Stephan Schreck (28), Thomas Ziegler
(26).
Sports Director: Tristan Hoffman (37/Netherlands)
Liquigas for TTT Eindhoven
Vincenzo Nibali, who has often showed excellent cronoman features, will take part at the Team Time Trial
in Eindhoven on June 24. Nibali will lead Liquigas with Magnus Backstedt, he will guide the green-blue team in the team
time trial. Mauro Da Dalto, Roman Kreuziger, Alianksandr Kuchynski, Roberto Petito, Manuel Quinziato and Frederik Willems
will participate in it as well.
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