|
15.07.2007/ Tour of Austria: Stijn Devolder takes Time Trial & overall lead, Cascade Classic: Dominguez
takes stage 4, Condition Kai Reus unchanged, Tour de France: Good start for Carlos Sastre and Fränk
Schleck in the Alpes, Tour de France: Vinokourov and Klöden finished with main group, Rasmussen:
The Tour will be decided later, Tour de France: Andrey Grivko's preview of today's eight stage
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.
|
New: Kai Reus kept in an artificial coma after crash
New: Kessler sacked by Astana
New: Tour de France: "A hard day" for Klöden and Vinokourov
New: Tour de France arrived in the Alps: The battle for the white jersey
Special Coverage Tour de France 2007
Tour of Austria: Stijn Devolder takes Time Trial & overall lead
As expected the seventh stage of the 59. International Tour of Austria, the 24.5 kilometers long time trial
in Podersdorf at the Neusiedler See brought a change in the overall classement: Stijn Devolder, the Belgian rider from Discovery
Channel, won the time trial and took over the yellow jersey from Thomas Rohregger!
'I gave 150 per cent. But I had
no chance against a world class man like Stijn Devolder.' The estimated winner of the 59. Tour of Austria is called Stijn
Devolder: ‘”My form is magnificent and I could give all I have here at the Tour of Austria. For me it is one of
the largest success in my career, better than the 3rd place at the Tour de Suisse this year.”
Stijn Devolder
is leading 1:04 minutes ahead of Thomas Rohregger and 1:13 minutes ahead of slovenian rider Jure Golcer. Tomorrow follows
the last stage to Austrias capital city Vienna.
Results
Stage 7
1 Stijn Devolder (Bel) Discovery Channel
0:28:12.27
2 Ruslan Pidgornyy (Ukr) Tenax
00.51.57
3 Steffen Wesemann (Sui) Wiesenhof-Felt 00.52.33
4 Dmytro Grabovskyy (Ukr) Quickstep-Innergetic 00.56.24
5 Andy
Capelle (Bel) Landbouw-Krediet 01.01.83
6
Frantisek Rabon(Cze) T-Mobile 01.03.28
7 Vasil Kiryiena (Blr) Tinkoff
01.09.07
8 Oliver Kaisen (Bel) Predictor - Lotto
01.12.27
9 Alexander Serov (Rus) Tinkoff
01.26.57
10 Gianni Meersman (Bel) Discovery Channel 01.29.72
General Classification after stage 7
1 Stijn Devolder (Bel) Discovery Channel
26.59.29
2 Thomas Rohregger (Aut) Elk Haus-Simplon
1.04
3 Jure Golcer (Slo) Tenax-Salmilano
1.13
4 Christian Pfannberger (Aut) Elk Haus-Simplon
1.18
5 Ruslan Pidgornyy (Ukr) Tenax-Salmilano
1.34
6 Oscar Sevilla (Spa) Relax-GAM
2.40
7 Gerrit Glomser (Aut) Volksbank
3.15
8 Vasil Kiryienka (Blr) Tinkoff Credit Systems
3.46
9 Jurgen Van Goolen (Bel) Discovery Channel
4.24
10 Andreas Ortner (Ger) RC ARBÖ Resch & Frisch Gourmetfein Wels
4.25
|
| Gerrit Glomser defended his 7th place in the overall at the Tour of Austria (picture: Heinz Zwicky) |
Cascade Classic: Dominguez takes stage 4
A perfectly executed lead-out by the Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team delivered Ivan Dominguez to victory
Friday night at the Stage 4 Desert Orthopedics/Rebound Physical Therapy Downtown Criterium at the Bend Memorial Clinic Cascade
Cycling Classic.
In front of a huge crowd stacked two- and three-people deep around the course, Dominguez held off
Kirk O’Bee (HealthNet presented by Maxxis) while Dan Schmatz (BMC Pro Cycling Team) was third in the 90-minute race
that had no effect on the overall standings.
The victory was Dominguez’s ninth win of the season, his fifth
in a National Race Calendar event and his first since a crash May 17 sidelined him for eight weeks. It was also Toyota-United’s
27th win of the season and marked the second consecutive year the team has won the Friday night downtown criterium stage at
the five-day, six-stage National Race Calendar event (Juan Jose Haedo won in 2006).
"It feels good to be winning again,"
Dominguez said. "There were so many people here tonight that you can see a lot of people love cycling here. It was cool."
Heading
into Saturday’s 92.4-mile (148.7 km) Pacific Power Cascade Lakes Road Race, Toyota-United remains first in the team
classification on the strength of three riders in the top 10 in the individual standings. Chris Baldwin is second, 13 seconds
behind race leader Phil Zajicek (Navigators Insurance Cycling Team), defending champion Chris Wherry is fourth (1:12 behind)
and three-time former Cascade Classic stage winner Burke Swindlehurst is 10th, 2:43 behind.
"I think our strength
is definitely our depth," Baldwin said. "We have a 1-2 punch with Wherry and every other team it’s a one-man show. So
we’re going to have to use each other to put them in trouble. It’s going to be a real tall order, though, because
they have the perfect team to defend his lead. Ben Day, Glen Chadwick and Darren Lill are all very strong and very good climbers
and these last two races are not hard to control."
Baldwin briefly held the race lead after finishing second in the
race’s first two stages. But in Friday morning’s 15-mile (24.1 km) Bend Research, Inc.-Skyliners Time Trial, he
conceded 30 seconds to Zajicek, who beat his Navigators teammate, Ben Day, by one second. Baldwin’s third place on the
stage dropped him to second overall behind Zajicek. In third place overall is Ben Jacques-Maynes (Priority Health Cycling
Team presented by Bissell), 44 seconds behind Zajicek.
"My position on the bike was probably the best I’ve felt
in a time trial all year," Baldwin said. "So that’s a positive. But I’m used to winning time trials and I haven’t
been winning in a long time so that’s frustrating. But I honestly think these guys are going faster. I’m not going
slower."
The overall team strength of Toyota-United was showcased in Friday night’s criterium. A nearly race-long
breakaway of Oregon residents Ryan Trebon (Kodakgallery.com/Sierra Nevada Pro Cycling) and Doug Ollerenshaw (Health Net presented
by Maxxis) that threatened to spoil the night for the sprinters never gained more than a 35-second lead, but it was not reeled
in until the final laps. Zajicek’s Navigators squad kept the margin in check, but it was ultimately left to Toyota-United
to help pull the escapees back.
Doing the lion’s share of the work on the front was Toyota-United’s Jose
Manual 'Chepe' Garcia, who recovered from a mid-race crash. Working with teammate Stefano Barberi, Garcia helped bring the
gap to the break down to single-digits. From there, 12-time New Zealand national champion Heath Blackgrove took over, burying
himself on the front and stringing the entire peloton into a single-file line as the final two escapees were absorbed with
about four laps to go.
Justin England and Chris Baldwin each took turns on the front to keep the pace high, with Baldwin
leading out Wherry three-quarters of the way around the course on the bell lap. From there, Wherry raised the tempo to its
maximum, delivering Dominguez safely to the final corner for the block-and-a-half long sprint to the finish.
"You
never know until you cross the finish line, but the way I was riding today, I knew it was mine to lose," Dominguez said. "We
had the last corner and I started giving chase. I passed him (O'Bee) very quickly."
Baldwin’s last-lap turn
at the front turned more than a few heads, who were startled at the sight of the rider in second place on general classification
figuring so prominently into a stage where he was not destined to pull any time back.
"Usually how it works out is
that guys who are going good are the guys who go to the front at the end who can turn up the heat the most," Willett said.
"The real only plan we had was that Wherry was going to be the last guy."
Baldwin chuckled when asked about his turn
at the front that caused huge gaps to open in the peloton as speeds reached more than 35 miles an hour.
"I used to
win criteriums," he said, smiling.
Results
Stage 3
1 Phil Zajicek (Navigators Insurance)
30.34 (47.385 km/h)
2 Ben Day (Navigators Insurance)
0.01
3 Chris Baldwin (Toyota-United)
0.30
4 Ian McKissick (BMC Pro Cycling Team)
0.51
5 Benjamin Jacques-Maynes (Priority Health Bissell) 0.52
6
Glen Chadwick (Navigators Insurance)
0.53
7 Jonathan Garcia (BMC Pro Cycling Team)
0.56
8 Ryder Hesjedal (Health Net presented by Maxxis)
0.57
9 Chris Wherry (Toyota-United)
0.57
10 Jeff Louder (Health Net presented by Maxxis)
1.02
Stage 4
1 Ivan Domiguez (Toyota-United)
1.29.31
2 Kirk O'Bee (Health Net presented by Maxxis)
3 Dan Schmatz (BMC Pro Cycling Team)
4 Ricardo Escuela (Successful Living.com P/B Park)
5 Frank Pipp (Health Net presented by Maxxis)
6 Benjamin Jacques-Maynes (Priority Health Bissell)
7 Alessandro Bazzana (Successful Living.com P/B Park)
8 Remi McManus (Razzignators)
9 Chris Wherry (Toyota-United)
10 Phil Zajicek (Navigators Insurance)
General Classification after stage 4
1 Phil Zajicek (Navigators Insurance)
8.47.48
2 Chris Baldwin (Toyota-United)
0.13
3 Benjamin Jacques-Maynes (Priority Health Bissell) 0.44
4
Chris Wherry (Toyota-United)
1.12
5 Jeff Louder (Health Net presented by Maxxis)
1.16
6 Scott Moninger (BMC Pro Cycling Team)
1.55
7 Jonathan Garcia (BMC Pro Cycling Team)
2.09
8 Ryder Hesjedal (Health Net presented by Maxxis)
2.11
9 David Vitoria (BMC Pro Cycling Team)
2.35
10 Burke Swindlehurst (Toyota-United)
2.43
|
| Ivan Dominguez outsprinted Kirk O'Bee (picture: Cascade Event Photography ) |
Condition Kai Reus unchanged
The medical condition of Kai Reus remained unchanged on Saturday morning, serious yet stable. The nursing doctors at the
hospital in Grenoble want to bring Kai out of his narcosis when his situation improves. In the meantime, there is more clarity
with regard to the exact cause of the accident. According to the police, he crashed during the descent of the col d'Iserand
at around four kilometers below the top of the mountain. He went head-over-heels while he was trying to overtake a car and
the chain of his bike broke.
Bystanders and the police were quickly able to provide first aid. Kai was constantly in a conscious state. The policemen
that arrived on site were able to talk to him. He was also conscious when they took him to the hospital. They immediately
proceeded to the operation and ever since then, Kai has been in an artificial coma. His parents are with him today. Rabo team
doctor Dion van Bommel is also continuously with him in the hospital in Grenoble and is in live-contact with the nursing doctors.
Kai crashed hard during a practice ride on Thursday afternoon. He sustained a hemorrhage on the left side under his skull.
Additionally, he broke his collarbone and three ribs on the right side. Kai was in training camp in the Alps. He left the
hotel to practice on his own at eleven o'clock on Thursday morning. The crash occurred at around one o'clock.
Tour de France: Good start for Carlos Sastre and Fränk
Schleck in the Alpes
Team CSC's Carlos Sastre and Fränk Schleck both got off to a good start in the biggest mountains of this year's Tour de
France, when the peloton crossed the Col de la Colombière during the seventh 197-kilometer stage from Bourg-en-Bresse to Le-Grand-Bornand.
All
the favorites to the overall win stuck together in this stage, but they finished three and a half minutes behind winner Linus Gerdemann (T-Mobile). The former Team CSC rider was part of a break and ended up crossing the finish line solo, which
won him the yellow jersey as well as the stage.
The Team CSC duo Schleck and Sastre finished 19th and 37th in the stage – 3.38 behind Gerdemann and they are now
28th and 27th overall.
"None of the favorites gave it their all today, which makes it very hard to determine anything
from this stage. At the beginning the pace was quite fast, but after the break got away things got quiet in the peloton. My
knee was ok today and I felt fine really," said Sastre.
As expected this was Fabian Cancellara's final day in yellow
and he spent the day working hard to try and minimize the gap to the break ahead of the final climb.
"We tried to get
one of our guys in the break and Christian (Vande Velde) did make it, but the group got too big so it was reeled back in and
we didn't make the second attempt. I still think it went ok in the end though. We only used one rider at a time in the peloton
starting with Stuart (O'Grady) and then Fabian (Cancellara), but the pace was manageable," said CSC Sports Director Kim
Andersen and continued:
"We were two favorite's teams, which didn't have anyone in the break and like us Predictor-Lotto
were determined not to repeat last year's mistake, so we made sure they didn't get too far. But tomorrow will be a lot tougher,
because there were a lot, who got dropped today."
Tour de France: Vinokourov and Klöden finished with main group
Alexander Vinokourov and Andreas Klöden finished at stage 7 in the same time as all favourites for the overall win. Astana
team manager Marc Biver said: "This stage has been good for Alexandre Vinokourov and
Andreas Klöden. The rythm was regular and they could stand the efforts. Even if I know that they suffered. Tomorrow is another
day and the stage seems to be more difficult."
Alexander Vinokourov said: "I di dit ! For me, today’s stage is like a victory. I gave maybe the impression to ride easily in the Col
de la Colombière, but that’s not true. I really suffered there..."
|
| Alexander Vinokourov: "I did it." (picture: Cyclingheroes) |
Rasmussen:
The Tour will be decided later
Last years winner of the Polka Dot jersey, Michael Rasmussen (Rabobank) said about yesterdays stage:
"It went smoothly. Today was tough though. The temperature on the Col de la Colombière was quite high. And they were the first
mountains so that always takes a little getting used to. But I think the Rabo ProTeam has cycled dominantly. We took full
responsibility for the pack. We handled it really well with four to five men and that is a good sign for things to come."
Rasmussen doesn't think that the Tour will be decided in the Alps. The Danish climber said about todays stage: "It will give
an idea about how strong everyone is but it will not be a decisive stage. I do think it will only be decided in the Pyrenees.
The Alps are only a foretaste for things to come." He was happy with yesterdays performance of the Rabobank squad: "This team
is oriented more towards the mountains. That gives me confidence for winning the spotted jersey. I have been told that having
four men in the first group in a mountain stage has not happened to the Rabo ProTeam in ten years. So that gives a major boost
to the team's morale. I am personally feeling well too; I liked it today [yesterdays stage 7]. And it will get even better."
Tour de France: Andrey Grivko's preview of today's eight
stage
Andrey Grivko (Milram) said: "That’s going to be really tough. I’m
not sure if I already rode over all the passes. I did the Roselend in any case, that’s one of the classic passes. But
I don’t really remember it. Actually, the passes are not too difficult, but I think it’s the first real stage
for the classification. The classification riders are finally going to attack and in the end, there will be 20 riders left
at the most. We’ll see how long I’ll be able to keep up with them. My condition’s good, but unfortunately
not perfect. It’s gonna be very, very tough. I think there will be 30 or 40 riders together at the first mountain, 20
at the second, and at the final mountain everybody fights for himself. Who’s a candidate for the stage win? I’m
not sure, a lot of riders. The Tour’s very open. Cancellara dominated the race with his team very long, but there’s
no team that’s as strong as Discovery was lastly, when they had everything under control. For us it’s to get through
the stage as well as possible. I can’t say a lot about our tactics, we’ll talk about them with Vittorio right
before the race only. But it’s gonna be hard in any way."
|
