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Latest Cycling News for May 27, 2005

Edited by Anthony Tan

Elliot keeps turning back the clock

By Anthony Tan

At 43 years old, and more than 20 years after he first turned professional for Ti Raleigh-Weinmann in 1984, Britain's Malcolm Elliot is still going strong.

When the US team he was riding for folded in 1997, the then 36 year-old decided to take a break from the sport, most thinking for good. But almost six years later, his name began popping up on various startlists.

"I think it was to see if I could do it [again]," he said an interview with Cyclingnews in 2003.

"Initially, my plan was just to get fit enough to be able to do the Masters' races, and I was thinking about the national Master's Championships at the time, thinking it would be nice to go to that. But I just missed the cycling scene and being part of it. I had nothing to do with it at all during those last five years, and I needed to have it as part of my life again."

Right now, Elliot's riding the FBD Insurance Rás stage race in Ireland, and doing very well indeed. Taking the fourth stage from Lisdoonvarna to Templemore in a bunch gallop, showing that he's lost none of his speed, and sitting pretty in second overall on the general classification with three stages to go, could we be seeing the oldest winner of the Rás come Sunday?

Elliot doesn't think so, stating his target is to win stages, but after yesterday's much talked about stage that was supposed to break the bunch into pieces, 53 riders all finished within five seconds of each other. And regardless of what he says, it's hard to ignore a person lying eight seconds off the lead - race leader Chris Newton (Recycling.co.uk) certainly isn't.

"I've had six years out of the sport - which is a long time away - so I'm treating this year as a fresh start to the sport and trying not to make too many comparisons," he said to Cyclingnews two years ago.

"But really, just to keep winning races and showing the younger guys how to do it. And when I do finally decide to stop, I want it to be on my terms; and when I do stop, I want to be involved, not slip into the shadows again."

The way he's currently going, there's little chance of that happening.

See also: 2003 interview with Malcolm Elliot - Only as young as you feel

Youth on side for Caruso

Caruso in action on Stage 17
Photo ©: Sirotti

One rider who does have youth on his side is Liberty Seguros' Giampaolo Caruso. On Stage 17 of the Giro d'Italia, the 24 year-old Italian was part of the six-man breakaway that formed after the penultimate climb, and on the lower slopes of the final ascent to Limone Piemonte, Caruso was the only one to have the audacity to attack eventual stage winner Ivan Basso (Team CSC).

"Today I thought before they attacked me, I would to attack, because I did not have anything to lose," said Caruso.

"I had seen that Basso was very strong, but I decided to attack him anyhow. I am very satisfied, because I wanted the fans to see at the front; I did everything I could, but I could not respond to the many changes of pace," he said.

Said team manager Manolo Saiz: "Liberty Seguros-Würth continued today in the same fashion, with a very brave Giampaolo Caruso, fighting against the best in spite of his youth. Michele Scarponi, however, is not okay and he will have some tests next Monday; his bad form is probably due to some viral infection."

Saiz also had some interesting comments to make about the contenders, for which the race will surely be decided over the coming two days.

"We must do an analysis of the race when the Giro ends, but today we have seen a willing Simoni, a Savoldelli that always finds friends to help him in complicated moments, and a Di Luca who has started paying [the price] for having been two months on top [form]."

Placed 15th on the overall classification going into today's Torino time trial, 10'25 behind the maglia rosa of Paolo Savoldelli (Discovery Channel), Caruso finished by saying that he will go into the final stages of the race with the same attitude he went into yesterday's stage: "I do not have anything to lose.

"Tomorrow it will be a difficult day, but I have confidence in doing well in the time trial, because now what counts is power and less to be a specialist. [The stage to] Sestrieres will be harder still, especially because of the Finestre climb, but I have great morale and I'm going to do my best until the last day. I do not have anything to lose."

Rujano can do no wrong

With flyweight Venezuelan Josè Rujano continuing to impress, yesterday finishing second on the stage to Limone Piemonte and moving into third overall, Selle Italia-Colombia can only look forward to more of the same in the next two stages to come.

Said direttore sportivo Gianni Savio: "After today's wonderful teamwork of Josè Rujano and Ivan Parra, our team is living a magical moment. We therefore wait with anxiety for the next two days, where we will be able to put it all together."

While Rujano, a two-time winner of the Vuelta al Tachira, has proven himself in the mountains, the 23 year-old is also an excellent time trialist, finishing a close third to Australian time trial champion Nathan O'Neill on the fourth stage of this year's Tour de Langkawi. And with a seven kilometre-long climb in today's 34 km time test, the odds are in his favour.

See also: February 3 Tour de Langkawi interview with Gianni Savio - All for Rujano

Phonak for Dauphiné Libéré

The Swiss-registered Phonak Hearing Systems team is fielding very much a Tour de France-styled line-up for the upcoming Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, to be held in France from June 5-12, and with three team managers, it's clearly race they're treating very seriously. Tour de Romandie victor Santiago Botero, American Floyd Landis and Spaniard Oscar Pereiro will act as the team's leaders, while South Africa's Robert Hunter will be looking for a stage win on the flatter stages.

Team: Santiago Botero, Santos Gonzalez, Bert Grabsch, Enrique Gutierrez, Robert Hunter, Nicolas Jalabert, Floyd Landis, Oscar Pereiro
Team Management: John Lelangue, Jacques Michaud, Juan Fernandez

See also: April 2005 Tour de Romandie interview with Santiago Botero - The time of my life

Sprinters foil CSC's plans in Germany

On yesterday's second stage of the Bayern Rundfahrt in Germany, Team CSC attempted to split the bunch near the end, but unfortunately for them, the sprinter's teams were too attentive, leading to another sprint finish, this time won by Jean-Patrick Nazon (AG2r Prévoyance).

"Again we tried to split the peloton with an attack from Linus [Gerdemann] and Jens [Voigt] on a climb shortly before finish, but even though a group of 15 riders escaped, they never managed to gain more than a 10 seconds advantage," said directeur sportif Kim Andersen on the team's website, team-csc.com. "[Jakob] Piil was feeling better today but is still not 100 percent."

Voigt and Luke Roberts are still the team's two best-placed riders, less than 15 seconds off the race lead of Sebastian Siedler (Wiesenhof).

McGee in "full Tour mode"

With just the Tour de Suisse left before he launches his assault on the 2005 Tour de France, La Française des Jeux's Bradley McGee was more than happy to score a win at the GP de Villers Cotterêts two weeks ago. The victory also happened to be his first one-day victory since turning professional six years ago in 1999, which was another reason for the 29 year-old Sydneysider to celebrate.

Recalling the race as he saw it on his personal website, bradleymcgee.com, he wrote: "The race was aggressive and relentless in pace. Almost a 45km/h average for the 14 laps and 193km's. With a mix of many Pro Continental teams and a few ProTour teams, the race lacked a clear 'ruler' causing constant attacking.

"FDJ rode superbly all day and never lacked a guy for every major move. I was able to hold solid positioning all day near the front before making a leap for victory 1 1/2 laps out, dragging two guys with me - [Samuel] Plouhinec and [John] Gadret. Clearing out from these two at just over 1km to go sealed victory.

"Feels good to put one away just prior to switching into full Tour mode with less racing (only the Tour de Suisse before the start of the Tour) and many training camps," McGee concluded.

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