|
16.07.2007/ Tour of Austria: Ciolek takes final stage - Devolder overall winner, Cascade Classic: Jeff
Louder wins fifth stage, Tour de France stage 8 crashes, Tour de France: Napolitano and McEwen out
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.
|
Kai Reus kept in an artificial coma after crash
Kessler sacked by Astana
New: Confusion about Eddy Mazzoleni's future
Special Coverage Tour de France 2007
Tour of Austria: Ciolek takes final stage - Devolder overall winner
The final stage of the 59. Tour of Austria in front of the Wiener Rathaus was a spectacle of the sprinters:
T-Mobile-rider Gerald Ciolek won his second stage after Salzburg. The German rider defeated the Italian Marco Zanotti and
German Robert Retschke after 129 kilometers from Podersdorf to Vienna.
"Everything went smoothly today. We definitely wanted to win the green jersey. Of course, to cap this with
a stage win was icing on the cake", explained Ciolek's Sports Director Jan Schaffrath. "Two stage wins, a second place and
victory in the points classification is a superb result for us. We achieved all the goals we set for ourselves in this Tour."
After
the start a group of 3 riders broke away:Steffen Wesemann and the two Austrians Markus Eibegger and Andrew Bradley. They were
caught by the peloton in the third-next to last round at the Wiener Ring. In the bunch sprint Gerald Ciolek showed once
more his form and celebrated his second stage-win. The final stage did not bring any change in the general classification. Belgian
Stijn Devolder celebrated one of his biggest successes at the Tour of Austria. "Wins are always something special,"
said the Belgian Devolder. "But the win here, in such a difficult and high-class race is something very special." said
Devolder.
Results
Stage 8
1 Gerald Ciolek (Ger) T-Mobile
2.48.47
2 Victor Hugo Peña (Col) Unibet.com
3 Robert Retschke (Ger) Wiesenhof-Felt
4 Jörg Ludewig (Ger) Wiesenhof-Felt
5 Benny De Schrooder (Bel) Chocolade Jacques-Topsport Vlaanderen
6 Elia Rigotto (Ita) Milram
7 Werner Riebenbauer (Aut) Volksbank
8 Davide Viganò (Ita) Quickstep-Innergetic
9 Jochen Summer (Aut) Elk Haus-Simplon
10 Mauro Santambrogio (Ita) Lampre-Fondital
Final General Classification
1 Stijn Devolder (Bel) Discovery Channel
29.48.16
2 Thomas Rohregger (Aut) Elk Haus-Simplon
1.04
3 Jure Golcer (Slo) Tenax-Salmilano
1.13
4 Christian Pfannberger (Aut) Elk Haus-Simplon
1.25
5 Ruslan Pidgornyy (Ukr) Tenax-Salmilano
1.41
6 Oscar Sevilla (Spa) Relax-GAM
2.40
7 Gerrit Glomser (Aut) Volksbank
3.22
8 Vasil Kiryienka (Blr) Tinkoff Credit Systems
3.53
9 Jurgen Van Goolen (Bel) Discovery Channel
4.31
10 Andreas Ortner (Ger) RC ARBÖ Resch & Frisch Gourmetfein Wels
4.32
|
| Tour of Austria: Stijn Devolder won the overall (picture: Heinz Zwicky) |
Cascade Classic: Jeff Louder wins fifth stage
Despite a formidable performance by his Toyota-United Pro Cycling teammates on the Stage 5 Pacific Power-Cascade
Lakes Road Race, Chris Baldwin was unable to steal any seconds back from race leader Phil Zajicek (Navigators Insurance Cycling
Team) at the Bend Memorial Clinic Cascade Cycling Classic.
Baldwin remains 13 seconds behind Zajicek heading into
Sunday’s final stage, the 81-mile (130.3 km) Deschutes Brewery-Awbrey Butte Circuit Race. Four time bonus sprints, each
with bonuses of 15, 10 and five seconds to the top three riders, are up for grabs on four of the five laps of a 17-mile (27.3
km) circuit.
Baldwin wasn’t conceding the race to Zajicek, who took the race leader’s yellow jersey from
him after the Stage 3 time trial Friday morning. But the winner of the King of the Mountain competition at this race in 2005
admits it will be a tall order to pull back the time needed to help Toyota-United duplicate Chris Wherry’s victory on
the final day last year.
“Our race is against Phil and so far he’s showing he’s the strongest guy
in the race,” Baldwin said.
Toyota-United Team Director Kirk Willett said the time bonus sprints on the final
stage necessitate a change in tactics. Don’t be surprised, he said, to see Toyota-United on the front on the first lap,
setting up Baldwin for the first bonus sprint, which comes approximately 13 miles into the race.
“Basically,
if Chris wins the first sprint and Zajicek is no better than fourth in it, Chris has the race lead,” Willett said. “So
you know Navigators are going to want a breakaway to go away as soon as possible and we don’t want the breakaway to
go away.”
In last year’s race, Toyota-United successfully helped Wherry win the race on the final day
on the strength of a time bonus sprint and higher placings throughout the five-day, six-stage race. Wherry and Baldwin are
two of four Toyota-United riders in the top 15 overall. Wherry is fourth, 1:27 back, Swindlehurst is 10th, 2:48 back, and
Justin England is 13th, 3:39 behind.
Saturday’s race included a few tense moments for Baldwin. After he was
nearly brought down by another rider about 10 miles into the stage, Baldwin discovered his rear derailleur was damaged. He
switched bikes on the first climb but was able to quickly rejoin the pack. After Toyota-United Head Mechanic Shane Fedon performed
a roadside repair – which included replacing the entire derailleur cable and a broken derailleur hanger – Baldwin
got back onto his repaired Fuji bicycle about a mile from the summit of the first climb up Mount Bachelor.
“Shane
is an incredible mechanic,” Baldwin said. “Thanks to him I was able to get right back in the race as if nothing
happened.”
Saturday’s race was marked by two separate breakaways. The first – a group of eight –
was chased down by Ben Jacques-Maynes (Priority Health Cycling Team presented by Bissell), who stands in third place overall,
49 seconds behind Zajicek
The second break of three riders stayed away for nearly 60 miles and, with the Navigators
Insurance team doing all the work, was finally chased down six miles from the finish.
From there, Toyota-United’s
impressive lineup of climbers: Baldwin, Wherry, Swindlehurst and England all made the final selection of 13 riders as the
rapidly dwindling pack splintered. Baldwin was out-sprinted to the line by Jeff Louder (Health Net presented by Maxxis) and
Zajicek, but finished third, ahead of Scott Moninger (BMC Pro Cycling Team). All four riders were given the same time.
England
and Swindlehurst finished seventh and eighth, respectively, five seconds later, while Wherry was 10th, 15 seconds behind the
winning time of three hours, 39 minutes and 37 seconds.
Swindlehurst seemed headed for a possible stage win when he
covered an attack by David Vitoria (BMC) in the final kilometer. But Vitoria – confused by marshaling vehicles –
did not make the final turn into the Sunrise Lodge parking lot at about 250 meters and went off course.
“I was
just hanging on his wheel and thinking as soon as we make the turn, I’m going by him,” Swindlehurst said. “But
at the last second, I realized he wasn’t going to make the turn. Luckily, I knew the course.”
Results
Stage 5
1 Jeff Louder (Health Net presented by Maxxis)
3.39.37 (40.450 km/h)
2 Phil Zajicek (Navigators Insurance)
3 Chris Baldwin (Toyota-United)
4 Scott Moninger (BMC Pro Cycling Team)
5 Benjamin Jacques-Maynes (Priority Health Bissell) 0.05
6
Jonathan Garcia (BMC Pro Cycling Team)
7 Justin England (Toyota-United)
8 Burke Swindlehurst (Toyota-United)
9 Ryder Hesjedal (Health Net presented by Maxxis)
0.15
10 Chris Wherry (Toyota-United)
General Classification after stage 5
1 Phil Zajicek (Navigators Insurance)
12.27.25
2 Chris Baldwin (Toyota-United)
0.13
3 Benjamin Jacques-Maynes (Priority Health Bissell) 0.49
4
Jeff Louder (Health Net presented by Maxxis)
1.16
5 Chris Wherry (Toyota-United)
1.27
6 Scott Moninger (BMC Pro Cycling Team)
1.55
7 Jonathan Garcia (BMC Pro Cycling Team)
2.14
8 Ryder Hesjedal (Health Net presented by Maxxis)
2.26
9 David Vitoria (BMC Pro Cycling Team)
2.40
10 Burke Swindlehurst (Toyota-United)
2.48
|
| Chris Baldwin had to change bikes (picture: Cascade Event Photography ) |
Tour de France stage 8 crashes
Michael Rogers
T-Mobile Captain, Michael Rogers , has been forced out of the 2007 Tour after crashing 53km
from the finish at Tignes in stage 8.
Team captain, 27-year-old Australian ,Michael Rogers came off on a fast descent
on the Cormet de Roselend when the rider he had been following, David Arroyo(Caisse d'Epargne), lost control and ended up
in a ditch. The 'softer landing' allowed Arroyo to continue but Rogers hit the tarmac hard and appeared to have injured his
right wrist and shoulder.
Rogers was in "virtual yellow" at the time of the crash. He continued on but was forced to
abandon 28km from Tignes after being overtaken by the peloton. Rogers is the second T-Mobile rider to abandonyesterday after
Mark Cavendish at the near the start of the stage.
Stuart O'Grady
This year's winner of Paris-Roubaix, Australian Stuart O'Grady crashed and had to abandon
Tour de France during Sunday's mountain stage. O'Grady was in bad shape and was taken straight to hospital for observation
after the crash.
O'Grady was working his way through the peloton with bottles for his teammates during the final descent,
when the crash happened.
The Australian rider landed on his right side and punctured one lung, broke his collarbone,
shoulder blade, five ribs as well as some bones in his spine. It is important to point out though that it is not the spine
itself, which is broken.
Tour de France: Napolitano and McEwen out
Robbie McEwen already strived to finish saturday's 7th stage at Tour de France.
Sunday's stage was
a real Calvary for last years winner of the points classification, who came in at Tignes out of the maximum time.
McEwen,
who never properly recovered after his bad crash during stage1, will not start at stage 9. Danilo Napolitano (Lampre-Fondital)
also won't start at Tuesday's nineth stage, the Italian rider finished later then the maximum time allowed.
|
