Latest Cycling News for May 25, 2005Edited by Anthony Tan "Il Killer di Spoltore"By Anthony Tan
"I have also surprised myself," were some the first words Danilo Di Luca muttered at the rest day press conference in Lissone. "Il Killer di Spoltore", as he is now nicknamed, has always had the killer instinct for the Classics, but the 29 year-old's performance over the last two weeks of the Giro d'Italia has been nothing short of sensational. Even before the Giro has concluded, Di Luca has already shown another dimension to his abilities. But when asked about his transformation, he replied with somewhat muted confidence: "Don't forget I have already won the Baby Giro..." However, this is certainly the first time the ProTour leader has proven himself in the pro ranks. His win at the Vuelta a Pais Vasco earlier last month pointed towards this progression; however, the step from a one to three-week event is significant - yet Di Luca has made the transformation with apparent ease. "I am living in a new dimension; it is a beautiful period of my cycling life," he continued. "It points to the podium in Milano, even before I ride the obstacles in front of me... one of the biggest of all, the Colle delle Finestre." Direttore sportivo Stefano Zanatta made the following observation: "We at Liquigas-Bianchi have tried to provide Di Luca with the all-round support to give him the confidence necessary to become a leader. He is responded with real 'fuoriclasse' [unequalled class]". Certainly, if Di Luca keeps riding the way he has done, the podio in Milano is achievable. And don't forget, the maglia rosa is just 25 seconds away from him; if Savoldelli cracks, Di Luca simply needs to follow the wheels of Simoni and Garate, his two biggest threats on the classifica generale. But like he says, the the climb of the Colle della Finestre may pose the biggest threat of all, boasting an average gradient of 9.2 percent over eighteen and a half kilometres. Whatever happens over these next five days, "Il Killer di Spoltore" can now be considered an 'uomo da fuoriclasse' - a rider with the potential to follow in the footsteps of Bartali, Coppi Moser and other Italian cycling greats. Speaking about his ambitions for the rest of the season, he said: "I aim to finish the season with the maglia bianca [white ProTour leader's jersey]. After the Giro, I will give myself a rest period before I aim for the summer classics, offering precious points that could give me the [overall] classification in the UCI ProTour." That is another thing Di Luca has done: he has made the UCI ProTour and its jersey special - all within the space of three months - something its World Cup predecessor took years to achieve. "To whom do I dedicate this magical moment?" he asked himself towards the end. "First and foremost to my wife: her support has been fundamental, especially in my more difficult moments." Flatter Tour of BelgiumPreview by Jeff Jones in Gent, Belgium This year's Tour of Belgium, the fourth edition since it was relaunched in 2002, should suit the sprinters and time trialists, with a fairly flat parcours that covers six stages in five days. Starting on Wednesday, May 25, the race will spend two days near the western coast of Flanders with stage starts and finishes in Oostende and Knokke-Heist. On Friday, the first part of stage 3 heads from Knokke-Heist into the centre of Belgium, finishing about 30 km from Brussels in Buggenhout for a total of 108 km. That will be followed in the afternoon with a 15 km individual time trial between Buggenhout and Londerzeel. Saturday's fourth stage is the longest at 232 km, and takes the riders from Londerzeel to Visé in the eastern part of Belgium. This will be the stage where the power climbers can shine, with some hills towards the end. Sunday's 175 km finale from Visé to Putte should present any problems to whoever is leading the GC by then. 15 teams will start the race, including three ProTour teams: Quick.Step-Innergetic (Boonen, Knaven), Davitamon-Lotto (Van Petegem, Mattan, Roesems, Steegmans), Rabobank (Wauters, Hayman), Chocolade Jacques-T Interim (Caethoven, Eeckhout), RAGT Sémences (Auger), MrBookmaker-Sportstech (Gardeyn, Omloop), Acqua&Sapone-Adria Mobil (Sosenka), Landbouwkrediet-Colnago (De Waele, Monfort), Agritubel (Brard), Shimano-Memory Corp (Kemna), Team LPR (Khalilov, Napolitano), Bodysol-Win For Life-Jong Vlaanderen (Cornu), Jartazi-Revor (Gadret), Axa Pro Cycling Team (van Schalen), Profel Cycling Team (De Champs). The Stages Stage 1 - May 25: Oostende - Oostende, 155km Wilson reflects on an opportunity lostWith Baden Cooke sitting out the third week of the Giro and no other team leaders to ride for, La Française des Jeux's Matt Wilson finally had an opportunity - and the legs - to go for a win himself on Stage 15 of the Giro. At 20 kilometres to go, the 2004 Australian road champion made a pact with his anglo team-mate Brad Wiggins, both agreeing to launch their move with around a lap to go. "But when the time came, I couldn't find him, so I had to go it alone," Wilson wrote on his personal website, mattwilson.com.au. Unfortunately for the 28 year-old, fate dealt him a cruel blow, as he punctured four kilometres from the finish. But in typically Australian humour, Wilson seems to have a good laugh about it: "Is that the most ridiculous coincidence or what? To be completely honest, I would of been caught a kilometre or so later anyway, but that's not the point." After an extremely difficult day in the mountains on Stage 14, where the gruppetto he was in finished almost three-quarters of an hour down on stage winner Ivan Parra (Selle Italia Colombia), the friendly Victorian seems to have found his second wind. And coupled with his riding characteristics, he's determined to try again. Writes Wilson: "So with five more days of racing left, I'm feeling strong and looking forward to possibly two more chances to have a go in the finishes. I know as well as anyone that to pull off a stage like that is a long shot at best, but if you're not a sprinter, climber or time trialist, there is nothing else you can really do here that has a possibility of succeeding." Sense and sensibility from ZabriskieSpeaking about the shortened stage of the Giro two days ago, Team CSC rider Dave Zabriskie welcomed the decision make by the organisers in moving the start 50 kilometres down the road to Villa di Tirano, at the foot of what would have been a treacherous descent of Forcola di Livigno. "Yesterday [Monday] they shortened the stage and I don't know who made the final decision, but I think the sport is getting a little more sensible," he wrote in his personal diary on davezabriskie.com. "There is just no reason to descend a mountain in the freezing rain from the beginning of a race. The way they handled the snow at Paris-Nice earlier in the year was very nice also." The Utah native also had a few words to say about Basso's fall from grace: "Ivan had a bad last couple of days and his hopes of winning the Giro are over. This is the life, things go wrong, but life goes on." Finally, in his typically enigmatic style, he describes cresting the 2758 metre-high Passo di Stelvio on Stage 14 akin to "being on the moon" - but it was the descents that worried him most. Wrote Zabriskie: "I stopped and put some extra clothes on and then took off down the other side. I was warned earlier in the day about the tunnels on the downhill; they are narrow, dark, wet, and twisty. So you're going down a mountain letting it all hang out and then bam - you're blind and you slam on the brakes, but not too hard or you're going to slip and fall in the water, then try to decide which way the road is turning. It was seriously like something out of Lord of the Rings, I wish I had some elvish light with me, but it all turned out OK." A battle of former champions for women at CSC InvitationalIn conjunction with the men's CSC Invitational on May 29 will be a pro women's race, covering 50 laps of the five-turn, kilometre-long course. Defending champion Gina Grain of Victory Brewing Company will have her hands full with a talented field of teams including T-Mobile, lead by two-time winner Ina Teutenberg of T-Mobile. "I haven't been back here since 2003," said Teutenberg. "There is always something to make this a hard, hard race. Last year it was the wind - 40 mile an hour gusts! This year, I think the depth of the field will keep the pace very high." 2003 Champion Laura Van Gilder and her Quark team will also be staking a claim for the top spot this year. Van Gilder will have team-mate and former Junior world champion Sarah Uhl, to complete their one-two punch. Last year's runner-up Shannon Hutchison (Aaron's Corporate Furnishings) will also be back, fresh off some great NRC performances in the last few weeks, including a win at the Athens Twilight Criterium. Cyclingnews diarist and 2000 runner-up Nicole Freedman will also be back with her Ford-Basis team and witty humour. Freedman was the national road champion and an Olympian at the Sydney Games. Other teams that will be participating include: Team Lipton Overall event racing begins at 8am on Sunday, May 29, with a series of amateur races, followed by the women's race shortly after 10am. The CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Kids' race (free to all children 9 and under) begins at 11:35am, followed at by the CSC Invitational men's pro race at 12 noon. Previous News Next News (All rights reserved/Copyright Knapp Communications Pty Limited 2005) |
|
January 2009 |
Recently on Cyclingnews.com |
 Mont Ventoux Photo ©: Sirotti |
