First Edition Cycling News for September 3, 2006
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Edited by Anthony Tan, with assistance from Susan Westemeyer
Chicchi wins farcical stage in Britain
On Saturday in Canterbury, 25 year-old Italian Francesco Chicchi took
his third season victory in the fifth
stage of the Tour of Britain, beating Mark Cavendish (T-Mobile) and
Aart Vierhouten (Skil-Shimano) in a sprint finish.
However, the stage turned out to be somewhat of a farce. Due to a lack
of organisation in closing the race route to traffic, the peloton chose
to strike en masse, venting their frustration by riding at 'tourist pace'
until 30 kilometres to go.
"The strike at the beginning was not only about the misdirection, but
also about the fact that security has been somewhat lacking during the
previous days," said CSC directeur-sportif Tristan Hoffman in a team statement.
"The organisers made a guarantee that this would be rectified for the
remainder of the race, and then there was no alternative but to continue.
There was a lot of debating among the riders on the route, but in the
end it did turn into an actual race, and we made sure we got through without
taking any chances," said Hoffman.
"The team worked for me today, and I really couldn't go wrong," said
Chicchi. "Boonen and then Pozzato both piloted me splendidly. 200 metres
from the finish line, I launched myself into the sprint. The thing that
surprised me most was the fact that champions such as Boonen, Pozzato
and Nuyens put themselves at my disposal. They had faith in me and I repaid
them for their trust by winning the stage."
Team CSC's Martin Pedersen will be wearing the leader's jersey going
into tomorrow's final stage, which concludes with a circuit of London.
Ullrich's manager denies Hamburg charges
The latest revelations over doctor Eufemiano Feuntes' post-arrest activities
in Hamburg, Germany, include a calendar page indicating that 'Number 1'
underwent blood extraction and transfusion on June 20 this year.
According to Spanish investigators, this code name refers to Jan Ullrich.
However, Ullrich's manager Wolfgang Strohband denied that the rider was
in Germany on June 20: "After his victory in the Tour de Suisse on June
18, Jan went straight home to his house in Scherzingen [Switzerland],"
Strohband told the Hamburger Abendblatt newspaper.
Liquigas takes four aces to Pologne
Starting in Warsaw on Monday, September 4, the Liquigas squad for the
Tour de Pologne will be captained by four riders who are in peak form:
Stefano Garzelli, Vincenzo Nibali, Manuel Quinziato and Enrico Gasparotto.
All of them want to win a stage and have a good placement on the overall
ranking. Said team manager Stefano Zanatta: "We start with good expectations
and the riders' morale is at its peak. This race may surprise us till
the very end, especially in the last two stages. That's why we'd rather
be on guard."
For the four Liquigas 'captains', especially Garzelli and Nibali, the
Tour de Pologne is one last chance to demonstrate to Italian technical
director Franco Ballerini they deserve a place in the 'squadra azurra'
at the world road championships.
The squad is completed by Eros Capecchi, Alberto Curtolo, Mauro Da Dalto
and Roman Kreuziger.
Torsten Hiekmann: Sooner rather than later
Torsten Hiekmann won the final stage of the Rothaus Regio-Tour - his
first win for Team Gerolsteiner, his first this year, and, as a matter
of fact, only his second pro win ever. Cyclingnews' Susan Westemeyer
asked him how felt to finally score another win after a three-year drought.
Torsten Hiekmann
Photo ©: Gerolsteiner
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Six years as a pro and only one victory - some riders might throw in
the towel. Not Torsten Hiekmann. This season he changed from T-Mobile
to Team Gerolsteiner, and three years after his first victory in the GP
Schwarzwald in 2003, he won again claiming the final stage in the Rothaus
Regio-Tour. How did he feel when he won - relieved, or vindicated, or
simply happy? "I was proud and happy that I could finally stand on top
of the podium again," he said
"My performance on the whole stage was promising, I was pretty sure early
on that it would work out that day. That alone is a great feeling - and
when you come over the finish line alone in first place, that gives you
an extra kick, especially after such a long dry spell," he says, adding
wryly, "Now of course, I can only hope that I don't have to wait another
three years for my next win!"
Some riders have a favourite race, or a race they make their own. The
Regio-Tour seems to be that race for Hiekmann. The 26-year-old has finished
second on G.C. in 2003 and 2005, but he doesn't really know what it is
about the race that is so good for him.
Click here
to read the rest of the story.
Top field for Univest GP
Second and third in the USA Cycling National Race Calendar standings,
Navigators Insurance and Toyota-United Pro, along with Team TIAA-CREF,
recent winners of the USPRO National Criterium Championships, will lead
a high-quality, 28-team field for the ninth annual Univest Grand Prix
(UCI 1.2).
Scheduled for September 9-10, 2006, the Univest Grand Prix is the penultimate
race on the 2006 US NRC Calendar. Navigators' Vassili Davidenko will face
tough competition from Argentinian sprinter Juan-Jose Haedo and his team-mate
Ivan Dominguez. New Jersey based Colavita Olive Oil will also be sending
a powerful team featuring former USPRO Champion Mark McCormack and Italian
Davide Frattini.
Strong international professional squads from Mexico, Germany, Poland
and Canada will look to take advantage of the in-fighting between the
U.S. teams and take the win in Souderton on Saturday and the lion's share
of the $20,000 prize list. Last year's second-place finisher Amos Brumble,
an Elite with CCB-Volkswagon, will return to the roads of Montgomery and
Bucks counties to challenge the professional class of riders.
Sunday's Univest Grand Prix of Doylestown Criterium is tailored for the
sprinters. Team TIAA-CREF will arrive in Doylestown with the past two
winners of the 50-lap circuit race, Chad Hartley (2004) and Mike Friedman
(2005), and will be looking to capitalise on their recent strong showing
at the USPRO National Criterium Championships.
More information: www.univestgrandprix.com
AIS seeks talented track wannabes
The Australian Institute of Sport Talent Search Program is currently
looking to identify males with power, speed and determination to succeed
in track sprint cycling.
The program is seeking males aged between 15 to 19 years old (parental
consent required if under 18 years old) who are fast and explosive and
live in Victoria. This initiative aims to identify the most talented males
who could potentially represent Australia at the 2012 Olympics Games in
London and provide them with the opportunities to become nationally and
internationally competitive track sprint cyclists.
The Australian Institute of Sport Talent Search Program will provide
coaching from one of the best Track Sprint coaches in Australia (Hilton
Clarke: Assistant Cycling Coach: Victorian Institute of Sport), training
and education camps, and assistance with access to competition.
A pool of approximately 10 athletes that have the physical and mental
power and speed will be shortlisted from the initial intake. The AIS will
have one testing session on Sunday, September 17, 2006, but applicants
can also get a PE teacher/coach/parent to time them at another convenient
time.
More information: www.ais.org.au/talent/cycling/index.asp (go to Men's
Track Sprint TID Project) or email Tammie Ebert: tammie.ebert@ausport.gov.au.
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