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Mont Ventoux
Photo ©: Sirotti

Latest Cycling News for May 12, 2005

Edited by Hedwig Kröner

Bettini relegation: the Quick.Step side

Paolo Bettini (Quick.Step) explains his version of the sprint
Photo ©: Sirotti
Click for larger image

The morning after Paolo Bettini's controversial side sprint, Baden Cooke's crash and the maglia rosa's subsequent relegation from Giro d'Italia stage four, the issue continues to polarize. According to Quick.Step manager Lefévère, Cooke hit Bettini's back wheel and that's what caused the crash.

"OK, it is a matter which can be discussed," Lefévère told Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad. "It is a rule that a rider shouldn't deviate from his line, but on the other hand the rider in the lead determines the line he takes. When Paolo was still a metre away from barriers, he changed gears and his back wheel skipped a second. Just at that moment, Cooke let go of his handlebars, probably to push Bettini, and he fell."

On Belgian Sporza, an otherwise very diplomatic Patrick Lefévère continued expressing his rage: "We lost two stages in two days time! On Tuesday Bettini had to hit the brakes for Di Luca, and nothing was said. If Bettini wouldn't have slowed down in that last corner, he also would have ended up against the fence. We thought about complaining, but in the end we were happy to take the pink jersey. And complaining against Di Luca, in Italy? That's something Bettini really didn't want to do," the Belgian said.

"I do think it's pretty poor that the UCI doesn't even have the equipment to freeze the images," he remarked. "They can forward and rewind, but no freezing. An appeal? No, that would be in vain. At least we can say that we are the victims of being the good guys in both these stages."

Paolo Bettini initially threatened to quit the race but told the press he then changed his mind because of the team. "I've decided to stay out of respect to my team-mates and sponsors," he said. "I'm an honest person and if someone would crash because of me I'd the first to admit it. I'm convinced I didn't do anything wrong today."

Il Grillo maintains his innocence. "I went early in the sprint and rightfully chose my line on the left of the road. Like everybody else sprinting on a road that goes slightly uphill, I deviated a little on my line. I checked under my legs one last time and then jumped. My gear wouldn't go into the last sprocket and so my back wheel jumped to the left a bit, but I didn't do anything to make Cooke crash."

Paolo Bettini (Quick.Step)
Photo ©: Sirotti
Click for larger image

However, the Australian rider sees it differently, as did the race jury, which relegated the Italian Olympic champion. Immediately after the stage yesterday, Cooke told Cyclingnews that at the time of the crash, he was "absolutely cruising. Dropped it down the gears, ran at him, just about to blow his helmet off as I went past him...and he's just turned left and put me in the barrier. I had it won, I was just about to throw my hands in the air. Instead I did five somersaults down the road!" (See full report.)

The overall reporting of the affair in the Italian media, according to Cyclingnews correspondent Tim Maloney, seems unsympathetic to Bettini's explanation, as the overhead view shows the Australian was moving up quickly and was likely to win the stage. Also, the Italian's protestation at the finish and then performance in the post-stage ceremonies - where he was 30 minutes late and then emptied out his bottle of bubbly - did not earn him any new fans or respect.

Lopez de Munain recovering

By Martin Hardie

The news on the state of health of Euskaltel's Alberto Lopez de Munain who suffered that terrible crash on stage two of the Giro is that he is coming along "much better, very much better". Our colleague Unai Larrea of the Basque daily DEIA spoke by telephone to team manager Miguel Madariaga who is still camped by Alberto's bedside in the intensive care unit to which he was admitted earlier this week. Loaded into our direct orange line, Madariaga's comments display a much happier tone than they did earlier this week.

"Everything is going well. The doctors are saying that the only worry now is the chance of an infection in the lung, but it doesn't seem likely," Madariaga told Larrea. "The truth is he doesn't have an inch of his body without wounds from his face down to his ankle." Yesterday Lopez de Munain and Madariaga passed time together watching the Giro at the invitation of another patient and talked together about his cycling career. Madariaga reports that Alberto is cheering up but that when the subject turns to his future on the bike "he changes the subject... he just doesn't want to talk about that. You have to realise that the damage is enormous and also still very recent."

Yesterday the drainage tube that had been inserted in Alberto's lung was removed and today he might be moved from intensive care and into observation where he will stay at least a few more days. Madariaga in the meantime is making arrangements with the hop of the pair being able to return home this coming weekend. The plan is for them to fly via Rome to the Basque capital of Vitoria-Gasteiz where Alberto will enter hospital again to have operations on his collar bone and possibly shoulder blade. The final word from Madariaga was that "I am happy! Every time I recall what happened and how I found Alberto I am more certain that we have saved a life."

Calcagni fractures collarbone

Patrick Calcagni (Liquigas), who abandoned yesterday's stage four of the Giro d'Italia after a crash at km 144, has been diagnosed with a broken collarbone. He hurt his left shoulder badly when he fell along with several other riders in the middle of the race just after the feed zone. He continued on at first, but then dropped out of the race with 15 km to go and was taken away to hospital in an ambulance. French rider Nicolas Inaudi (Cofidis), who had crashed earlier in the stage at km 76 and abandoned later, fortunately was spared from any broken bones.

Wood leads Australian charge to top of world rankings

Oenone Wood at the Souvenir Magali Pache on May 1
Photo ©: Cyclingnews
Click for larger image

Australian cyclist Oenone Wood, 24, has regained her world number one status and the performances of Australian women cyclists have pushed them back to the top of the nations list in the latest rankings released yesterday by the UCI. "This is really the result of a ten year development program and demonstrates the value of the hard work put in place by James Victor (National Women's Coach until 2004) and carried on by Warren McDonald (current National Women's Coach)," said Australian Head Coach, Shayne Bannan. "What is even more pleasing is the depth of riders being developed and I see no reason why we can't have the number one status or close to it for the next four to six years, such is the quality of riders we are producing."

Wood, who last year claimed overall honours in the World Cup Series and is currently sitting second in the 2005 Series, has 384 points to be 15 points ahead of reigning World Champion, Judith Arndt of Germany while in the nation rankings Australia has 735 points ahead of traditional cycling power houses Germany, on 683 points, and the Netherlands on 537 points.

"I don't really keep track of it because you don't want it to go to your head," said Wood, downplaying her achievement. "It's good to have it and I've been consistent but I don't feel I've had any brilliant performances yet this year. It will probably have more meaning to me if I am still on top at the end of the year!"

The reigning Australian road time trial Champion was number one in the March rankings, after strong performances in the Geelong Tour and Geelong World Cup, but dropped to second in April. However her two recent World Cup performances, second placing in Belgian World Cup and a fifth placing in the Spanish World Cup, have pushed her back to the top rank.

Both Wood and Arndt compete with the German registered Team Nürnberger outfit, also number one on the professional team rankings, and the Australian is a lot more excited about achievement of the team which she and fellow Australian Olivia Gollan joined this season. "Nürnberger is an awesome team," said Wood, who is based near Frankfurt during the European season. "In a recent tour in Spain (Vuelta Castilla y Leon) we rode really well as a team and won all three stages and the overall. It's amazing to be on such a great team!"

Sydney's Rochelle Gilmore, 23 (Safi - Pasta Zara Manhattan), who claimed victory in the opening World Cup round in Geelong in February, is the other Australian in the top ten at eighth with 145 points. Queensland's Sara Carrigan, 24, is ranked 19th on 75 points with her Olympic performance not counted in the new ranking system which started in January this year with all riders on zero points, and Katie Brown, 22, sister of dual Athens gold medallist, Graeme, is 20th on 73 points. "Katie was second in a major Belgian race recently and has been the big surprise this year," said Australian Head Coach Bannan. "Plus we have other youngsters like Alexis Rhodes, 20, (SA) and Amanda Spratt, 17, (NSW) coming through who are sure to stake their claim in the next few years."

Spratt last year claimed third place in the junior road time trial at the Road World Championships in Italy and won gold in the points race at the Junior Track World Championships in Los Angeles. Rhodes was the 2002 individual pursuit Junior World Champion and claimed points race gold at the 2004 Australian Championships and 2004 Sydney World Cups on the track.

But Bannan emphasises that the riders he describes as the 'so-called veterans' are themselves only young in cycling terms. "The likes of Oenone, Sara, Kate Bates and Rochelle are all still under 25 whereas if you look at the other major countries their riders are in the 27 to 35 range," said Bannan. "They have at least another five to six years and maybe more depending on whether they stay in the sport."

Phonak in Catalunya

Swiss Phonak team has announced its roster for the Volta a Catalunya from May 16-22: Santiago Botero, Santos Gonzalez, Martin Elmiger, Robert Hunter, Nicolas Jalabert, Floyd Landis and Miguel A. Perdiguero will line up at the Spanish ProTour race.

Quick.Step to Picardie with five

Five Quick.Step riders will line up at the Tour de Picardie from May 13-15 instead of the usual eight. Belgian sprinter Tom Boonen will nevertheless count on the support of Wilfried Cretskens, Dimitri De Fauw, Kevin Hulsmans and Servais Knaven in the UCI rated cat. 2.1 race.

Directeur sportif Wilfried "Fiete" Peeters explained: "Because of the ongoing Giro d’Italia, the Vuelta a Cataluna that will start next Monday and the numerous accidents in our team, we can't do it any other way. Guido Trenti has a fever, while Rosseler and De Weert are injured and Paolini is not still completely recovered from his knee problem. We will still try however to honour the race with five riders!"

International award for Australian cycling physiologist

Australian Institute of Sport Physiology PhD student Tammie Ebert has just won an American College of Sports Medicine International Student Award given out only three times a year for her work with elite cyclists and the effects of dehydration on their hill climbing performance. She has been invited to attend the ACSM annual conference (more than 5000 delegates from around the world) next month in Nashville, USA to receive her award, which includes US $1000 cash, and present her research. Ebert is currently in Europe with the AIS/Aus women's road team and AIS/Aus men's Under 23 team. Ebert also worked with the Australian cycling team in Athens.

2006 Australian MTB venues announced

In a series of 'firsts' for Mountain Bike Australia (MTBA), the National Championships in 2006 move to a January time frame and will be split between XC and DH. The National XC Championships will be hosted by Team Mt. Beauty at the nationally famous Mt. Beauty MTB park on January 12-15, 2006. The National DH Championships will be hosted by RawNRG and Thredbo Range Rats in Thredbo the following week on January 19-22, 2006.

"2006 is a special year in many respects, said Tony Scott, CEO for MTBA. "The January date for the XC Championships was needed because of it being the final selection event for nomination of 2006 Commonwealth Games XC athletes. Nominations need to be finalized by the end of January and it takes two weeks for the Cycling Australia board to ratify the nominations and forward them to the Commonwealth Games secretariat.

"Unfortunately Team Mt. Beauty were not in the position of hosting an event of the size of a combined XC and DH plus the additional events of Mountain Cross and Bike Trials," he added. "They were however able to engage Dave Olle as event manager for the XC Championships alone, and together with members of Team Mt. Beauty will deliver an awesome event.

Thredbo was not able to host high level XC competition due to a focus of DH activity on the mountain. Thredbo does, however, hold a special place in the minds of Australia's DH'ers and is one of the most visited DH MTB destinations in Australia. The National MTN X Championships will also be hosted in Thredbo on a specially constructed course designed with the assistance of Glen Jacobs."

The 2005-2006 National Series dates and venues will be announced shortly.

Darebin Indoor Velodrome opens in Melbourne

Mid Week Winter Track cycling returns to Melbourne after the demolition of the old Olympic Park Velodrome 35 years ago. The Northcote Cycling Club Inc is promoting track racing at the newly completed Indoor Velodrome in Darebin every Thursday night during the winter months until October, starting this Thursday.

Thanks to generous sponsorship from Le Tour Cycles, Team Alex, Paul Hillbrick Frames and Velocity Wheels the club will be able to offer racing for all categories. The three guaranteed races (no handicaps) will start at 7.30 pm. There are four grades planned for now with separate women's races. All riders go in the draw to win a complete INEXA track bike (no pedals).

 

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