Latest Cycling News for April 15, 2005

Edited by Jeff Jones

Di Luca and Pellizotti lead Liquigas in Amstel

Danilo Di Luca
Photo ©: AFP Photo

Danilo Di Luca, the winner of the Vuelta al Paìs Vasco, and Franco Pellizotti, will lead the Liquigas-Bianchi team in the 40th Amstel Gold Race this Sunday, and the Ardennes classics next week. Di Luca is in top form, managing to beat Davide Rebellin by three seconds in Pais Vasco, and has spent the last week building up his reserves.

"I only went for some quite short rides [3-4 hours], but did 230 km training behind a motorbike last Wednesday," said Di Luca. "I had already been in top form in the Vuelta al Paìs Vasco. It would be damaging to push it after such a demanding week. I feel sure of myself as I know I have trained very well. I think I'll be in top form.

"I finished fourth last year and third in 2003. I like the finish on Cauberg. The team support will be decisive along the varied Dutch parcours. We can play two cards: Pellizotti and me. We should be careful: woe betide us if we do not pay attention on the Dutch toboggan. The most dangerous opponents? Rebellin more than any else and Boogerd too. He will be racing on home soil and knows all the tricks of the race. Also, he is in great form."

The complete Liquigas-Bianchi team is: Danilo Di Luca, Franco Pellizotti, Michael Albasini, Patrick Calcagni, Kjell Carlström, Mauro Gerosa, Nicola Loda, and Marcus Ljungqvist.

Fassa Bortolo and Quick.Step for Amstel

The Fassa Bortolo squad for the Amstel Gold Race has been finalised with the following riders lining up on Sunday in Maastricht: Massimo Codol, Mauro Facci, Massimo Giunti, Volodimir Gustov, Kim Kirchen, Vincenzo Nibali, Roberto Petito and Kanstantsin Siutsou.

The Quick.Step team will be led by Paolo Bettini, with Ad Engels, Kevin De Weert, Marc Lotz, Filippo Pozzato, Patrik Sinkewitz, Bram Tankink and Rik Verbrugghe making up the rest of the squad.

An interview with Thomas Voeckler and Anthony Geslin

France calling

By Stéphanie Langlais, translation by Chris Henry

Thomas Voeckler Photo ©: Luc Claessen

Anthony Geslin Photo ©: Régis Garnier

Two riders on the same team; great friends, but with contrasting personalities, riding styles and objectives. And as Stéphanie Langlais discovers shortly before Paris-Roubaix, Bouygues Telecom's Thomas Voeckler and Anthony Geslin have one more thing in common: they're both are motivated to make their mark in the peloton sooner rather than later.

Cyclingnews: We're in the heart of the classics season, are the classics a type of race you like?

Anthony Geslin: The big classics are a dream of mine, whether it's Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders, or Paris-Roubaix.

Thomas Voeckler: I like these races too, because they carry a certain valour and sense of history. That gives them extra prestige. Emotionally, it's a strong feeling and very demanding when you race them. It's also very hard to play a role. You have to have a lot of reserves, experience, and of course, lots of strength. I do think that if fundamentally you're not a specialist, you can develop the qualities necessary through hard work and experience. For me, I'm not worried about finishing in the finale of any [of these] races in the coming years!

AG: For my part, I hope to specialise in the classics. I've got a good turn of speed, I can hold my position well, and I do OK on the small hills, whereas in the stage races, I'm limited by the mountains and the time trials. I haven't ridden a lot of classics yet in my career, but this is the year for me to start and you learn quickly, particularly when there's an expert on the team. Sébastien Chavanel lives in the area [in Tournai, Belgium-ed.]. He knows these roads by heart and helps us understand the strategic locations in the different parcours: the hills and the entrances to the pavé sections. That's important because it's in these spots that placement is critical and it's where the difference is made.

In any event, I'm satisfied with my races in Belgium and I'm going to try to prepare better from this point on. I finished 14th at Het Volk and 17th at the GP E3. At the Tour of Flanders, I was going well until about three or four climbs from the finish, then I got caught behind a split. It was really demanding, and for my first participation I was satisfied to have finished not too far behind the best riders [40th at 6'25 to Tom Boonen-ed.].

Click here for the full interview

Efraín Gutiérrez badly injured

Spanish cyclist Efraín Gutiérrez (Andalucía-Paul Versan) is a very serious condition in the Miguel Servet hospital in Zaragoza after colliding with a stationary car during stage 2 of the Vuelta a Aragon. Gutiérrez suffered trauma, a broken femur, bruised lungs, and laceration of the liver and spleen. The accident happened at kilometre 14 of the stage, and Gutiérrez was firstly taken to a hospital in Alcañiz before being transferred to the intensive care unit of the Miguel Servet hospital.

Aerts could still race next week

Mario Aerts, who broke his collarbone in training last week, may still be able to start in next week's Ardennes classics, according to doctor Toon Claes, who operated on him. Aerts had a plate inserted into his collarbone on Wednesday evening, and after taking two days off the bike, he is allowed to ride on a home trainer on Saturday. Although Aerts himself isn't sure of how he'll feel, he has in principle been given a green light to race.

Gilbert tired

Young Belgian Philippe Gilbert (Francaise des Jeux) will miss the Amstel Gold Race this Sunday, and next week's Ardennes classics are also in doubt, according to a report in Het Nieuwsblad. Blood tests have revealed that Gilbert is suffering from general fatigue, the exact cause of which is unknown. "Further tests should hopefully show what it is," said Gilbert. "The results are expected by Tuesday. At the moment, I don't think it will be good for the Ardennes classics, but maybe it can improve."

Women's Prestige Cycling Series standings

Christine Thorburn (Webcor)
Photo ©: Rob Karman

The Webcor Builders Women's Professional Cycling Team set the pace at the first round of the USA Women's Prestige Cycling Series: the PoolGel Redlands Bicycle Classic. The Webcor Builders women took the lead in the individual, best young rider and team competitions. The only competition to elude their grasp was the chase for the sprinter's jersey, which was claimed by Ina Teutenberg of T-Mobile.

Christine Thorburn (Webcor Builders) emerged as the series leader after a hard-fought battle with Annette Beutler (Quark). Thorburn held a tenuous lead over Kimberly Baldwin (T-Mobile, 6 seconds) and Beutler (7 seconds) going into the final stage. Beutler managed to pull back four of the seven seconds by finishing second in the stage, but couldn't quite get rid of Thorburn.

Erinne Willock (Webcor Builders) claimed the lead in the Best Young Rider competition, with an impressive fourth overall when she finished with Thorburn and Beutler on the tough Sunset Road Race. Willock's teammate Stefanie Graeter took the second Best Young Rider spot for the Series by finishing 29th overall.

Ina Teutenberg (T-Mobile) answered any lingering doubts about her comeback from her 2004 surgery when she claimed the PoolGel Redlands Classic's 1st Centennial Bank sprinters' jersey, and took the lead in the Women's Prestige Series Sprinters' competition. Teutenberg came from five points back after the Sun Oak Glen Road Race to eke out a narrow win over the Quark duo of Laura Van Gilder and Helen Kelly (21 vs. 20 and 18 points) in the Beaver Medical Group Downtown Criterium.

Finally, Webcor Builders took a commanding lead in the Team competition, with Quark and T-Mobile in a virtual dead heat for second. Webcor placed three riders in the top ten and earned 121 bonus points thanks to an outstanding performance by Young Rider Erinne Willock. Their team performance was reminiscent of Equipe Rona, which dominated last year's team competition in similar fashion.

The Series continues at the Nature Valley Grand Prix (June 8 - 12), followed by the Tour de Toona / International (July 25 - 31) and the Bermuda Grand Prix (September 22 - 25).

Women's Prestige Series standings after round 1

Individuals
 
1 Christine Thorburn (Webcor Builders)         220 pts
2 Annette Beutler (Quark Cycling)              165
3 Kimberly Baldwin (T-Mobile)                  132
4 Erinne Willock (Webcor Builders)             121
5 Kristin Armstrong (T-Mobile )                110
 
Young Rider
 
1 Erinne Willock (Webcor Builders)             220 pts
2 Stefanie Graeter (Webcor Builders)           165
3 Rebecca Larson (Colavita / Cooking Light)    132
4 Laura Yoisten (Diet Cheerwine)               121
5 Darcie Murphy (Velo Girls)                   110
 
Sprinter
 
1 Ina Teutenberg (T-Mobile)                    220 pts
2 Laura Gilder (Quark Cycling)                 165
3 Helen Kelly (Quark Cycling)                  132
4 Annette Beutler (Quark Cycling)              110
5 Lara Kroepsch (T-Mobile)                      99
 
Teams
 
1 Webcor Builders                              566 pts
2 Quark Cycling                                296
3 T-Mobile                                     295
4 Colavita / Cooking Light                     101
5 Ford-Basis                                    87

More information: www.womencyclists.com

FBD Insurance Rás: Six Pro Teams

By Shane Stokes, Irishcycling.com

Chances of an Irish victory in this year's FBD Insurance Rás look uncertain following the announcement that six professional teams will take part in this year's race. David McCann and David O'Loughlin, first and third last year, are set to miss the 2005 edition due to commitments with their pro teams, while other Irish professionals are also thought to be tied up at the time.

Race organiser Dermot Dignam confirmed today the participation of pro teams from Britain, Europe, North America and Scandinavia. There will also be a record six American amateur teams, plus squads from France and Germany amongst the 200-rider lineup.

The identities of the six pro teams are expected to be confirmed soon, as is the lineup for the Irish national selection for the eight day, 2.2 ranked race.

Irish juniors invited to France

By Tommy Campbell, Irish Independent, Evening Herald, Sunday Independent

Transferring its international set-up in Ireland to Belgium has already started to pay dividends for Cycling Ireland with the launch of the Sean Kelly Academy of Cycling recently. The Academy, which is based in Mertchem, Brussels, is very close to the main hub of cycling in Europe.

Cycling Ireland has received an invitation to the Paco International Junior Two-Day event which will be held in and around Marseilles, France, on April 22-23. This race belongs to the stable of the Société Tour de France, and is attracting top talent from the junior ranks.

The Head of Coaching for Cycling Ireland, Padraig Marrey, who will manage the team of five juniors, is enthusiastic about the invite. "I know it was a brave decision to uproot our internationals at home to Belgium. The country is a hot bed for the sport and the facilities are second to none in Mertchem, and also we have a manager Kurt Bogaerts in place at the location.

"Cycling Ireland's aim is to try and find someone of the quality of Sean Kelly and Stephen Roche. The house will be capable of facilitating twenty cyclists at any given time, who have the will and determination to further themselves in the sport."

The team for the Paco race will be led by Martin Munroe and supported by Maurice O'Brien, Marcus Tracey, Shaun Rock and Andrew McCullough. In recent weeks the quintet have experienced racing against seniors where they acquitted themselves well.

"The invite is a bonus," added Marrey. "Opportunities like this one are few and far between. Unfortunately, we have to do without the support of Ciaran Kelly from Leixlip, who has two wins in Belgium in recent weeks. Ciaran has taken up a scholarship with the International Cycling Union at their base in Aigle, Switzerland."

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