First Edition News for July 15, 2003Edited by Jeff Jones & Chris Henry Impressive win, but ambitions kept lowAlexandre Vinokourov moves closer to yellowBy Gabriella Ekström in Gap
"This was a stage designed for Alexandre Vinokourov," Telekom rider Rolf Aldag told Cyclingnews after the stage finish in Gap. "The stage was a mixture of hard climbs and flats, and that is just the way he likes it!" Two days ago in Lyon, I wanted to know what kind of ambitions Alexandre had for the alpine stages. Even after I raised my eyebrow in disbelief, he stuck with his story that a stage win was not on his mind. The same low profile escape was being used this morning. With a fourth placing in the G.C and only 1'17 down on Armstrong, Vinokourov had other things in mind. "This morning, I didn't consider the stage win at all," he told Cyclingnews. "Just before the stage, I had a discussion with [Telekom D.S.] Mario Kummer, and we agreed that if I felt good towards the end, I could try an attack in the last fifteen kilometres, and see if I could gain some time on Armstrong." Click here for the full interview. Armstrong not penalised for cutting course
Lance Armstrong's improvised cross country manoeuvre to avoid the fallen Joseba Beloki in today's stage 9 did not earn him a penalty from the race jury. Despite "not completing the entire course", Armstrong's cutting out of a section of road did not give him any advantage over his competitors. "The regulations are clear," said jury president Martijn Swinkels. "If a competitor cheats, he is penalised. But in this case the reaction of Armstrong was completely unintentional. It is considered an exceptional circumstance." See also: Beloki crashes out of Tour. More post-stage quotes
Ivan Parra (Kelme, 18th at 1'06) "I felt really good today, and I had good enough legs to win the stage," said Parra, who's in his first Tour. "I attacked several times at the end, but at the moment Vinokourov came past, unfortunately I couldn't follow."
Laurent Brochard (Ag2r, 21st at 1'47)
"The stage started very quickly, and I think a lot of guys were riding to make a selection early. It was a tough day for us because we had a few riders stuck behind the splits."
David Millar (Cofidis, 28th at 1'47) "It was my own fault. On the parcours I thought it climbed again, I didn't realise there was so much flat. With a headwind as well there was no way. Tactical error by me... Oh well. I'm strong... I'm good."
Franco Pellizotti (Alessio, 46th at 5'45)
"This is my first Tour de France, and I'm just so very excited over everything I see here," Pellizotti told Cyclingnews. "Yesterday I saw some of the famous mountains I've only heard about before. That encouraged me even more, and I was determined to try something at today's stage. Because of the position Jaksche held (virtual yellow) our break was predestined to be caught, and at the end we totally lost the good rhythm we had earlier. I am convinced I will try to go in more breaks, because I didn't come here just to ride my bike across France." More from stage 8 (yesterday)
Francisco Mancebo (iBanesto.com, 4th at 2'12) "I'm a diesel, and even if we climbed the Galibier fairly slowly, I was surprised by the sprint on l'Alpe d'Huez. I was surprised at first, but I managed to come back, which was good because I was able to finish in the group with Armstrong and there are still mountain stages where I can show myself."
Ivan Basso (Fassa Bortolo, 8th at 2'12) "I had a flat back tire right at the start of l'Alpe d'Huez. The Mavic motorcycle gave me a wheel because my team car was too far back. I lost forty seconds on Armstrong but I didn't panic. When I see the speed at which they were all riding, I'm very satisfied. However I was so tired, I was just trying not to lose the wheels of [the leading] group. Now our team is down to three riders (Basso, Bruseghin, Cioni). It won't be easy and I'll have to marshal my teammates."
Stefano Garzelli (Caldirola-SO.DI, 15th at 4'46) "I crossed the Galibier first, which was my goal. I wanted to show myself in this centenary Tour, and that's a big mountain. To go over the summit first, passing the monument to Henri Desgrange, is an important thing for an Italian since we know the exploits achieved there by Coppi. "Now the problem is that for three or four days I've had trouble breathing while riding hard. I felt it on l'Alpe d'Huez. I stayed with Ullrich for a while, but I had to let him go at the end. I'll continue the Tour like that... taking it day by day."
Christophe Moreau (Credit Agricole, 11th at 3'36) "L'Alpe d'Huez is a hard enough climb without having a mechanical problem. I had a broken spoke, and I lost my morale. It handicapped me, but that's part of racing." Bruyneel satisfied with Alpe d'HuezJohan Bruyneel, directeur sportif of US Postal Service-Berry Floor, declared himself satisfied with the performance of Lance Armstrong and his teammates on l'Alpe d'Huez, even if the day was not a dominant performance by the USPS climbers. Despite some miscommunication with Manuel Beltran, who set an infernal pace at the base of l'Alpe d'Huez, Bruyneel was pleased to have his leader Armstrong back in yellow and with some time in hand on his principal rivals. "It's true that Beltran went a bit too hard, but the point was to see how the strong guys were," Bruyneel commented in l'Equipe. "It still succeeded in putting Ullrich in the red, but be careful... He is still a serious rival and he always gets better over the course of a three week race." Armstrong may not have had his best day in the Alps, but he was still able to contain his closest rivals and take the overall race lead. The team's objective is not to defend the lead at all costs, but time is yellow is always a good thing. "If we can keep the jersey without spending too much energy, we will," Bruyneel explained. "If not, we'll let it go. The Tour has a long way to go, and we're only getting started." French wins on Bastille DaySince 1947, 13 French riders have won a stage of the Tour de France on the national holiday, Bastille Day (July 14). Those winners are: Emile Idée in 1949 in Nîmes Medical CommuniqueJoseba Beloki (ONCE): Fractured upper femur, a complex fracture of the right elbow, a simple fracture of the right finger and multiple contusions to the hip (see separate story). Médéric Clain (Cofidis): Two fractures revealed in his right hand from crash in stage 8. Cuts on his right knee required stitches. Has not abandoned. Mercado talking to Quick.StepJuan Miguel Mercado (iBanesto.com) is reportedly in advanced talks with Belgian team Quick-Step-Davitamon. His iBanesto contract will finish this year (along with the rest of his teammates of course), and the talented Spanish climber is on the hunt for a new team. Di Luca talking with CofidisSaeco's Danilo di Luca, who spent the first week of the Tour getting over illness, is in negotiations with the Cofidis team. Di Luca would help to strengthen the team in the Grand Tours, as he is normally a good climber. The 27 year old won a stage in the Vuelta last year as well as the Tour of Lombardy in 2001. This year he finished third in the Amstel Gold Race and eighth in Liege-Bastogne-Liege. If he does transfer to Cofidis, then he'll probably be allowed to take a friend/training partner with him. Waterford Junior Tour previewBy Tommy Campbell, Irish Independent, Evening Herald, Sunday Independent The Irish Waterford Junior Tour, which started back in 1978, is still alive and kicking. The 26th edition goes on the road in the first week of August and will be based entirely in the sunny east, Waterford. Incidentally it shares the same number of birthdays with the Waterford Lismore Pattern, part of the Waterford Wedgewood Group. Today the organiser is Alice Sherratt, whose capable hands have steered the event into calm waters in the past few years. "Yes, there was a drop off in the numbers of Juniors participating towards the end of '90's," said Sherratt. "Along with a selected committee we trawled far and wide to get people interested. We have been rewarded this year with a team from South Africa and the United States, which has certainly caused a bit of stir with our sponsor, M. Donnelly." "It is a fact that when you look back on the records belonging to the JT. One thing that strikes a chord is the number of cyclists who have gone on to be successful in the professional ranks. Of course, Martin Earley, winner of the inaugural event, is head and shoulders above the majority of them. "I'm still hopeful that a former winner of the JT will win the Tour de France. Of course you should be aware that Stephen Roche reminds everybody when he engages in conversation, that he has one up on the greats of the Tour de France, because Jacques Antiquetil, Bernard Hinault, Eddy Merckx, Miguel Indurain and Lance Armstrong never won the 'Ras,' but he did in 1979. "So I would like to be able to say one day, that a JT winner won the TdF and there is still a light out there that Mark Scanlon will oblige in the next three years," finished Alice. UPMC confirmed for Vuelta a VenezuelaThe UPMC cycling team will ride the Vuelta a Venezuela (UCI 2.5) in September as preparation for the team's appearance in Australia's Herald Sun Tour (UCI 2.3). "Our goals for Venezuela are to take at least one stage, and to contend for the points jersey for leader of the regularity competition," explained team director Mike Fraysse. Venezuela will be the fourth multi-week tour for the New York based UPMC squad. The team won the Tour of Cuba in February, and rode the Tours of Chile and Uruguay in March and April, respectively. After Venezuela, the team will complete a two-week training camp in Cuba before departing for Australia. The Sun Tour will be the team's last event of the 2003 season, and the squad will recommence racing in late-December in Uruguay. The tentative team for the Vuelta is: Alejandro Acton (Arg)
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