Latest Cycling News for June 6, 2006Edited by Jeff Jones
Cyclingnews will cover the 60th edition of
the Dauphiné Libéré live
as of stage 4 on Wednesday, June 10, at approximately 15:00 local Europe
time (CEST)/ 23:00 Australian time (CDT)/ 9:00 (USA East). Fabian Wegmann: "Wow!!!"
"Wow!!! My second Pro Tour win, and in France, of all places, where I've never won anything before!" said Fabian Wegmann, the happy winner of the Dauphine Libéré's first stage on Monday, who described his coup on his website, www.fabianwegmann.de. "The whole day went by quietly in the peloton and I even had time to enjoy the beautiful weather." With 14 km to go, however, the quiet time was over and Wegmann got down to it. Nicolas Inaudi was finally caught by the peloton "and I attacked at exactly that moment for the mountain points (4th category). Mancebo, Voeckler, and Martinez, three explosive types, came over the mountain with me." As the finish line drew nearer, he checked out his competition more closely. "I checked the group. I don't need to worry about Martinez, even though I don't know him that well. Mancebo is a great rider, but shouldn't be a problem in a sprint. So I concentrate on Voeckler, who is a similar type like me. Then Martinez attacks and the same Voeckler closes the gap to him, because of course Voeckler wants to win in his homeland. It really went fast in the last 1000 meters. I lead out early, pass Voeckler 200 meters before the finish and still have a good bike's length advantage as I cross the finish line. It's enough of an advantage that I can concentrate on celebrating." Wegmann's victory also gave him the overall lead. "Now we'll have to see whether we can somehow defend the jersey," he said. "I'll simply wear it tomorrow and we'll see what happens." Courtesy of Susan Westemeyer Savoldelli to form part of Discovery's Tour teamThe first inkling of what a post-Lance Armstrong Discovery Channel Tour de France team looks like has been revealed by La Gazzetta dello Sport. The Italian newspaper interviewed Paolo Savoldelli, who finished fifth in the Giro d'Italia, about his role in the race. Together with George Hincapie, Yaroslav Popovych and Jose Azevedo, Discovery will have four riders capable of riding for the classification. According to Savoldelli, it will be the road that decides "who shines the most and who will be supported for an important result." As for Savoldelli's chances in the Tour, 'il Falco' commented, "The Giro was really hard with many long climbs; now I will find a more suitable parcours for my abilities. Last year in Revel, I won a stage working for Armstrong, who was going for the record of seven consecutive wins." The favourite for the Tour is Jan Ullrich, reckons Savoldelli, despite the dominance shown by Ivan Basso in the Giro. "[Basso] showed great self control and has the mental energy to try to double it with the corsa rosa," said Savoldelli. "Ullrich is, however, facing the chance of a lifetime after having lived for many years under the dominance of Armstrong in a race that he has already won nine years ago...Landis, Vinokourov and Valverde will also have good chances." Phonak looks towards the Tour de Suisse
While Floyd Landis hones his Tour de France form in the Dauphiné Libéré this week, the Phonak team is gearing up for its most important home race, the Tour de Suisse between June 10-18. "We intend to provide a very exciting race with our version of a 'Swiss National Team', reinforced with Axel Merckx," said team manager John Lelangue. "The latest results by Gregory Rast (3rd at Gippingen) and Steve Morabito (2nd at the GP Schwarzwald) as well as the very good form displayed by Martin Elmiger and leader Alexandre Moos put us in a very confident mood. We can look forward to a very exciting and hopefully very successful week for our team." Steve Morabito's primary goal will be to support his teammates and finish the race. He is looking forward to the fifth stage from La Chaux-de-Fonds to Leukerbad because it will pass just 5 km from his home town of Troistorrents. "The fact that I can take part in the Tour de Suisse is like a gift for me, my family and my fans," he commented. Gregory Rast, who claimed a podium spot for the first time this season by taking 3rd place at the GP of the Canton of Aargau in Gippingen, will also enjoy a home stage at the Tour de Suisse. The second stage on Sunday, from Bremgarten to Einsiedeln, will pass through his training grounds. "During that stage I'll try to be right up there in front," said Rast. In the two previous editions of the race, the 26 year-old twice claimed second place. "Now it's time for a win." The full Phonak team is: Aurélien Clerc, Martin Elmiger, Alexandre Moos, Steve Morabito, Gregory Rast, Johann Tschopp and Steve Zampieri. Young South African rider dies15 year old Jaco van Zyl (MR Price YCA) has died less than a day after taking part in the South African National Road Championships, which finished on Sunday in Port Elizabeth. Van Zyl competed in the junior road race on Saturday, but suffered a fatal heart attack on Sunday while playing at the beach with some of his friends. Attempts to revive him were unsuccessful, and he was declared dead on arrival after being taken to hospital. The cause of death was reported to be a deformed heart. A memorial service for Van Zyl will be held this Friday in Pretoria. Landbouwkrediet-Colnago to Veenendaal-VeenendaalWednesday's Veenendaal-Veenendaal will see Landbouwkrediet-Colnago in action with the following riders in the Dutch midweek classic: Jurgen Van Loocke, Andy Cappelle, Kevin Neirynck, Fréderic Amorison, Sjef De Wilde, Mathieu Criquielion, Sven Renders and Jean Claude Lebeau. DS: Claude Criquielion. Tour of Britain hits the South EastThe Tour of Britain will hit the south eastern part of the country in stage five of the race, which takes place between August 29 and September 3. The fifth stage of the tour will start in history Rochester, travel through the county of Kent and finish in Canterbury. The regional launch of the race was held on Tuesday, June 6, at the St George's Centre, Chatham, North Kent, where budding cyclists were given the opportunity to meet some of Britain's s top cycling names. In addition to being a major event in its own right the Tour of Britain will play a big part in raising the profile of cycling in the area in preparation for the Tour de France next year, which also goes throughout Kent. Head of European and Cultural Policy at the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), Stella Bellem said, "The Tour of Britain is a fantastic opportunity for Kent and the South East region. SEEDA and its partners throughout the county are delighted to be welcoming this exciting event. It will raise the profile of the county and provide an opportunity to showcase our magnificent countryside as well as boosting cycling to a wide audience." SEEDA will be supporting this event over the next couple of years, working with other regeneration areas across the region which can profit from hosting such a high an event. The stages Stage 1 - August 29: Scotland, Glasgow to Castle Douglas Mt. Holly-Smithville Invitational GP offers $10,000The 8th edition of the Mt. Holly-Smithville Invitational Grand Prix will be held in Burlington County, New Jersey, USA on July 22. The 92 mile (148 km) circuit race consists of seven laps of a 12 mile circuit through Mt. Holly and the surrounding towns of Easthampton, Westhampton and Springfield followed by three 2.5 mile loops through Mt. Holly's residential and downtown business district. This year's event is open to UCI professional trade teams and a selection of elite amateur teams, who will compete for a $10,000 purse. UCI pro and continental teams that have already confirmed their participation include: Targetraining "Because this event is in our sponsor's backyard, we are making this a highly important goal for the team's 2nd half of the season," said Ken Mills, director sportif of the Targetraining pro cycling team. "There has only been one professional team that has been able to crack the hold of the elite amateurs on this course and we're planning on being the team that wrestles that winner's trophy away from them. There has yet to be field sprint at this event and we've got plenty of riders that love being in a small breakaway at the end of the race." Proceeds from this event benefit the H.B. Smith Industrial Village Conservancy, a non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to improvements, restoration and programs in Burlington County's historic Smithville Park. The conservation programs and projects focus on making Smithville a family destination, where residents can indulge in recreational activities, in arts and music oriented programs, and in events that highlight the park's historic past and its role in the industrial revolution. Teams wishing to be considered for participation can submit an application via the web at: www.co.burlington.nj.us/announcements/bikerace . The team application/selection process will end on July 3 and selected teams for the 2006 edition will be announced on July 7. The 2006 edition will see 27 pro and elite amateur teams invited with 6 riders per team. For additional information, email mthollysmithvillegp@hotmail.com. (All rights reserved/Copyright Knapp Communications Pty Limited 2006) |
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