First Edition Cycling News for June 13, 2005

Edited by Jeff Jones

Dauphiné final stage wrapup

Thriller in Sallanches; Landaluze by 11 seconds, Discovery 1-2-3

Yaroslav Popovych and George Hincapie
Photo ©: AFP

This year's Dauphiné Libéré came to a thrilling conclusion in Sallanches, the same town that hosted the 1980 World Championships. In a bold and ultimately successful move, Discovery Channel's George Hincapie and Yaroslav Popovych attacked a large breakaway group on the Côte de Saint-Sigismond after 35 km, and stayed away right until the end, with Hincapie taking his second Dauphin stage win ahead of Popovych. The peloton split to pieces in pursuit, with Santiago Botero (Phonak) making a bold bid for the leader's jersey and putting 38 seconds into leader Iñigo Landaluze (Euskaltel-Euskadi). It was almost, but not quite enough for Botero to take the overall victory, and he finished 11 seconds short on GC.

In a perfect day for Discovery Channel, Lance Armstrong led the Botero group home for third place, 22 seconds behind Hincapie and Popovych. Armstrong also took the points jersey and finished fourth on GC, behind Landaluze, Botero, and Leipheimer, showing that he is on track for July's Tour de France.

"It's gone really well for me," Hincapie said in a team statement. "I would never have dreamed of winning two stages. I trained very hard for this race so to win the prologue was a really big deal for me. And today's stage, it was a really hard day, just brutal. So I'm really happy."

Lance Armstrong commented to the Associated Press that his form was not quite there. "B plus for the whole week? Maybe that's a little generous," said Armstrong. "I wasn't explosive and wasn't able to make the selection, only to follow. But I know from here I can step up another level."

On today's 1-2-3 finish, Armstrong said, "It was a great race because I could help a teammate today, that's racing. They were dream circumstances."

Saunier satisfied

Saunier Duval-Prodir team director Pietro Algeri expressed his satisfaction with the yellow team's performance in the Dauphiné, after Angel Gomez Marchante finished seventh overall. "The team was working very hard, unfortunately no victory but I am very satisfied at the end. Gomez Marchante was so strong; Cañada, Fritsch and Zaballa did a nice race too. So, I am quite confident about the selection for the Tour de France."

Also see:

Stage 7 - Full results, report & photos
Main & preview
Start list
Past winners
Stages
Photos

Tour de Suisse stage 2 wrapup

The big motors fire in the TT

Jan Ullrich (T-Mobile)
Photo ©: AFP

The second stage of the Tour de Suisse was an up and down 36 km test against the clock, run around Weinfelden. It was a stage that many of the Tour de France contenders had targeted as a form test, and they did not disappoint. The winner with an impressive ride of 44'06 was "Der Kaiser", Jan Ullrich (T-Mobile), who rode a solid first half and a superb second half to claim the stage and the yellow leader's jersey. Not too far behind Jan were the two Australians, Brad McGee (Francaise des Jeux, 44'21) and Michael Rogers (Quick.Step, 44'24), who also showed that they will be among the top contenders for the Tour de France's opening stage on July 2 in Fromentine. In fourth and fifth were Fabian Cancellara (Fassa Bortolo) and Serguei Gonchar (Domina Vacanze), and a CSC trio of Vladimir Gussev, Jens Voigt, and Bobby Julich took out the next three places.

After the stage, Ullrich said that he was happy with the win, but wasn't going to defend the jersey at all costs. Rather, he wants to merely test himself in the two tough mountain stages towards the end of the week.

Also see:

Stage 2 - Full results, report & photos
Main & preview
Start list
Past winners
Map
Stages
Photos

Botero moves up ProTour rankings

With his second place overall in the Dauphin Libéré to go with his Tour de Romandie win, Santiago Botero (Phonak) has moved up to fifth in the ProTour rankings, netting 93 points so far this season. The white jersey is still held by Danilo Di Luca (Liquigas-Bianchi), who has 184 points and doesn't look like losing his lead anytime soon. Tom Boonen (Quick.Step, 112 pts), Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo, 111 pts), and Oscar Freire (Rabobank, 94 pts) occupy the next three places behind Di Luca.

Other beneficiaries from the Dauphin Libéré include overall winner Iñigo Landaluze (Euskaltel), who has slotted himself into 20th with 50 points, and Alexandre Vinokourov (T-Mobile), who won a stage and finished fifth overall, moving himself up from 19th to 10th on the ProTour rankings.

In the teams rankings, Davitamon-Lotto (207 pts) has maintained its edge over Rabobank (202 pts) and Phonak (192 pts). Italy tops the nations rankings with 540 points, ahead of Spain (336 pts), Belgium (223 pts) and the USA (221 pts).

Rankings as of June 12, 2005

Individuals
 
1 Danilo Di Luca (Ita) Liquigas-Bianchi                               184 pts
2 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick Step                                         112
3 Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Fassa Bortolo                             111
4 Oscar Freire Gomez (Spa) Rabobank                                    94
5 Santiago Botero Echeverry (Col) Phonak Hearing Systems               93
6 Paolo Savoldelli (Ita) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team            89
7 Davide Rebellin (Ita) Gerolsteiner                                   86
8 Michael Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank                                       80
9 George Hincapie (USA) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team             77
10 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) T-Mobile Team                            76
 
Teams
 
1 Davitamon-Lotto                                                     207 pts
2 Rabobank                                                            202
3 Phonak Hearing Systems                                              192
4 Team CSC                                                            179
5 Fassa Bortolo                                                       172
6 Saunier Duval - Prodir                                              170
7 Credit Agricole                                                     154
8 Liberty Seguros - Würth Team                                        151
9 Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team                                  140
10 T-Mobile Team                                                      139
 
Nations
 
1 Italy                                                               540 pts
2 Spain                                                               336
3 Belgium                                                             223
4 United States Of America                                            221
5 Germany                                                             193
6 Australia                                                           132
7 Netherlands                                                         112
8 France                                                               94
9 Colombia                                                             94
10 Ukraine                                                             86
 
Full rankings: ProTour, Teams, Nations  

Rousseau disappointed with Kilo loss

French track coach and former kilometre time trial specialist Florian Rousseau has added his voice to the growing chorus against the UCI's decision to remove the kilometre and 500m time trial from the Olympic Games in Beijing.

"It took my breath away when I heard about it," he told Cyclismag.com. "I'm very disappointed and sad. It's a mythical event. Why do they remove the kilo, while it's a discipline where physical qualities are put forward?

"It seems that the federations ruled in majority for the removal of the kilo. I don't think that nations like Australia will not react. But as far as France is concerned, it will wait a little bit before expressing an official position on the subject."

An online petition to the UCI and IOC has so far collected 2000 signatures, including those of Theo Bos, Chris Hoy, Jason Queally, Josiah Ng, Anna and Kerrie Meares, Yvonne Hijgenaar, Chris Witty, Josh Kersten, Dory Selinger, Jiri Jezek, Danny Clark, Phil Liggett, MBE, Tim Jackson, Shane Perkins, and many more.

CSC denies keeping files on journalists

An Associated Press report claiming that Team CSC keeps its own files on journalists has been strongly denied by the Danish team. The report quoted Gilles le Roc'h, the president of the International Association of Cycling Journalists (AIJC), who said that Team CSC's Bjarne Riis kept a file with journalists' details, photos, and their style of reporting and questioning, which the team could use to decide whether to speak to a certain journalist or not, and in particular to avoid those who wish to ask about doping. Le Roc'h claimed that this was "in opposition to French law, which forbids such files to be kept in a professional context."

Team CSC reacted with a strong denial that it kept files. "We are very shocked to hear the accusations made by the French journalist, Giles Le Roc'h, about the way Team CSC interacts with the press," said the team in a statement. "These are very serious and insulting claims and they are all completely false. We do not have, nor do we intend to make such a file in the future, and furthermore we do not agree with the keeping of such files on journalists.

"We are known - both nationally and internationally - as a team with a sympathetic, professional and well functioning interaction with the press...We have contacted Giles Le Roc'h and have demanded a complete retraction of these accusations."

José Beyaert dies

French Olympic gold medalist José Beyaert has died on Saturday, June 11, aged 79. Beyaert won the Road Race and finished third in the Team Time Trial in the 1948 Olympics, and went on to coach the Colombian national team for many years. His other achievements included winning the Tour of Colombia in 1952 and finishing as runner-up in 1953.

Beyaert was born on October 1, 1925 in Lens (Fra), and died in the Western French city of La Rochelle on June 11.

Team Universal Caffé-Styloffice in Asturias

The belatedly registered Continental Pro team Universal Caffé-Styloffice will start in the Vuelta Asturias with the following riders: Niklas Axelsson, Raivis Belohvosciks, Simone Bertoletti, Giuseppe Di Grande, Vladimir Duma, Leonardo Giordani, Gabriele Missaglia, and Igor Pugaci. Director: Giuseppe Lanzoni.

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