First edition Cycling News for May 3, 2005

Edited by John Stevenson

Zabel to ride Giro

Erik Zabel (T-Mobile)
Photo ©: AFP

At 34, Erik Zabel may feel he can no longer get ahead of Alessandro Petacchi and Oscar Freire in bunch sprint finishes (see yesterday's news), but he will still be taking them on anyway when he lines up on Saturday for the 88th Giro d'Italia. Zabel's T-Mobile team announced yesterday evening that there has been a slight change of plan in Zabel's racing schedule.

Zabel and the team had originally planned that he would take a few weeks off from racing after Sunday's Rund um den Henninger Turm, and start again at the Bayern-Rundfahrt (Tour of Bavaria), May 25 - 29. However, "his bikes are already on the way to Italy," said T-Mobile directeur sportif Mario Kummer in a team statement.

The decision was made jointly by Kummer and Zabel when the two discussed Zabel's race programme after Henninger Turm. "I am going great guns at the moment and I believe that the Giro fits well to my programme," said Zabel, adding that he is keen to try something different after, "14 years of always the same preparations. May always used to be my race-free month, but now I want to try something new."

It's tempting to speculate that Zabel - whose enthusiasm for racing his bike is legendary - may have decided to reinvent himself as other sprinters have done toward the ends of their careers. Perhaps this Giro will be livened by the spectacle of some Laurent Jalabert-style solo breakaways in the mountains!

T-Mobile's full line-up for the Giro d'Italia is: Erik Baumann, Matthias Kessler, André Korff, Daniele Nardello, Olaf Pollack, Jan Schaffrath, Bram Schmitz, Christian Werner and Erik Zabel.

Wauters out of Giro

The Rabobank team has announced that Marc Wauters will not start the Giro d'Italia after crashing in the Profonde Van Made on Sunday. It was Wauters' fourth crash in two weeks and an examination at the hospital in Hasselt, Belgium showed that he was suffering from concussion and bruises to the ribs under his right shoulder, as well as needing stitches to a cut in his right knee.

The team has pulled Steven de Jongh from the UNIQA Classic to replace Wauters in its Giro line-up and has not replaced de Jongh at the Austrian race.

More Giro teams

The peloton for the Giro d'Italia continues to take shape as more teams announce their line-ups for Italy's grand tour which starts Saturday May 7 in Reggio Calabria and finishes in Milano on Sunday May 29.

Selle Italia - Colombia will field Ivan Parra, Marlon Perez, Josè Rujano, Raffaele Illiano, Moreno Di Biase, Leonardo Scarselli, Philippe Schnyder, Russel Van Hoout, and Trent Wilson.

Davitamon-Lotto's Giro team will comprise Mauricio Ardila, Christophe Brandt, Nick Gates, Bjorn Leukemans, Robbie McEwen, Tom Steels, Wim Van-Huffel, Henk Vogels, and Aart Vierhouten

Française des Jeux has announced that Sandy Casar and Baden Cooke will spearhead its assault on the Giro. It's a change of plan for Casar who had not originally intended to start the Italian grand tour. Meanwhile, Baden Cooke will take on his fellow sprinters in the race's bunch finishes.

The full Française des Jeux line-up for the Giro d'Italia is Sandy Casar, Freddy Bichot, Carlos Da Cruz, Lilian Jégou, Cyrille Monnerais, Baden Cooke, Mark Renshaw, Matthew Wilson, and Christophe Detilloux.

The Quick-Step team for the Giro will consist of Paolo Bettini, Davide Bramati, Mads Christensen, Ad Engels, Cristian Moreni, Filippo Pozzato, José Antonio Garrido, Nick Nuyens and Stefano Zanini.

Domina Vacanze's efforts in the Giro will centre around last year's runner-up Serhiy Honchar, who will be supported by Wladimir Belli, Simone Cadamuro, Mirko Celestino, Marco Fertonani, Ruslan Ivanov, Mirco Lorenzetto, Ivan Quaranta and Alessandro Vanotti.

Giuliano Figueras back on the bike

Lampre-Caffita rider Giuliano Figueras is back in action after breaking his hip in a crash on March 22 at the Settimana Ciclistica Internazionale Coppi-Bartali. Figueras was yesterday x-rayed at Bologna hospital and the hip injury was found to have completely healed.

"Giuliano is now training, cautiously," said Lampre-Caffitta team doctor Carlo Guardascione. "In about two weeks he will do another check at the hospital to be sure everything is over and he will probably be able to come back racing for the second part of June."

"I have been training for four days," said Figueras. "For the moment I'm doing very light training but I feel very good on the bike and I'm very happy to pedal again. It has been a very difficult period for me but I've understood that I have a great power to face up life's difficulties. I've improved slowly but constantly. Seventeen days after the accident I was able to walk again."

During his convalescence, Figueras has been in Napoli being looked after by his wife and family - and the greater cycling community has helped too. "I have received also a lot of calls, SMS and e-mail from my colleagues, friends and supporters to encourage me to come back racing quickly. They helped me a lot and I'd like to thank them for their presence during all this time," said Figueras.

Landbouwkrediet-Colnago for Dunkerque

The Landbouwkrediet-Colnago team has announced its line-up for the Quatre Jours de Dunkerque, May 4-8. The team will field Bert De Waele, Maxime Monfort, James Van Landschoot, Mathieu Criquielion, Tony Bracke, Nico Sijmens, Jurgen Van Loocke, and Geert Verheyen.

Minard operated

RAGT-Semences rider Sébastien Minard has had a minor operation on his scaphoid. The team hopes he will be back in action for the Tour de Picardie, Mat 13-15. Minard is said to be disappointed at missing the Quatre Jours de Dunkerque, which starts tomorrow.

Los Gatos pros to hometown race

This Saturday's Testarossa Vineyards Cat's Hill Classic Criterium in Los Gatos California will include an unusual homecoming - pro riders Matt Dubberley , Jackson Stewart (Kodak Gallery/Sierra Nevada), and Zach Walker (McGuire-Langdale) all spent their high school days in the area, rode together as members of the Los Gatos Bicycle Racing Club and all three graduated from Los Gatos High School in 1998.

The three met at the Sea Otter festival. "I was already racing when I moved to Los Gatos during our sophomore year in high school," said Stewart. "I met Zach at a mountain bike race where he was watching and that year we went to do Sea Otter but Matt showed up and just smoked everyone!"

After that, the three riders began training together and racing on the Northern California road and mountain bike circuits. Since Dubberley and Stewart lived up in the mountains and didn't have cars, Walker's house ­ located in town at the top of the Cat's Hill racecourse's namesake climb ­ became the group's after-school training base.

Walker takes up the story. "I've lived in that house my whole life and I've only missed watching Cat's Hill once or twice. When I was a kid, I'd see all the big teams getting ready to race there and I thought it was the only bike race they did all year."

Dubberley, who broke his collarbone training in April and may not start Saturday as a results, added, "I hope to race at Cat's Hill but it will have to be a game-time decision. But even if I can't start, I'll be watching from Zach's house and pulling for him and Jackson to have good rides."

More than 700 amateur and professional cyclists of all ages and abilities are expected to compete in the Testarossa Vineyards Cat's Hill Classic Criterium, known for the incredibly steep 23 percent grade of its namesake climb.

OCA contributes to the Forest City Velodrome

The Ontario Cycling Association (OCA) has announced that it is making a financial contribution to the new Forest City Velodrome in London Ontario. The OCA will provide $10,000 towards the purchase of shares in the track. The purchase will be made over two years with the initial $5,000 being presented at the Grand Opening this past weekend.

"The development of an indoor Velodrome in London is truly one of the most exciting opportunities for cycling in this province," said an OCA spokesperson. "The Velodrome is the result of the tireless work of Rob Good, Albert Coulier and the Forest City Velodrome Association. We look forward to working with this group in developing track cyclists at all levels."

The Tour Baby! in Santa Cruz

Filmmaker and avid Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) fund-raiser Scott Coady will be on hand at a showing of his movie about the Tour de France, The Tour Baby!, at the Rio Theater, Santa Cruz, CA this Friday May 6. The screening will also feature a raffle and silent auction, and all proceeds will go towards Scott's goal of raising $100,000 for the LAF.

As well as The Tour Baby!, Scott will also provide a sneak peek at his latest film, detailing his adventures following one of the Spring Classics. Attendees will have the chance to win a Santa Cruz Roadster Frame in the raffle, and a unit from Cambiatta and helmets from Giro in the silent auction. Scott is also putting a cooler used for years by the US Postal Service Cycling Team into the auction, complete with water bottles used by the team.

For more info see: www.thetourbaby.com

US National Park Service recognizes mountain biking

Mountain bike riders have long been barred from everything but the tarmac in most of the US' National Parks - even fire roads are generally off limits. However, according to MTB access body IMBA, that's about to change after the organisation signed a five-year agreement with the National Park Service in which the service recognizes mountain biking as a positive activity, compatible with the values of the National Park system.

The agreement has the potential to open hundreds of dirt roads in National Park areas that have been closed to cycling. While National Park Service rules require a lengthy process to open singletrack to bicycle use, appropriate dirt roads may be opened with a more straightforward administrative process.

"This agreement represents a true breakthrough for mountain biking," said IMBA Executive Director Mike Van Abel. "It opens the door for individual park units to partner with mountain bikers and investigate new riding opportunities on a case-by-case basis."

As part of the agreement, IMBA and the Park Service will initially partner on two pilot projects to be selected later this year. The projects will bring mountain bikers and park officials together for on-the-ground teamwork and serve as models for future collaboration.

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