Latest Cycling News for January 16, 2006

Edited by Jeff Jones

Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under preview

All on for young and old in South Australia

By Les Clarke in Adelaide

Luis Leon Sanchez Gil (Liberty Seguros)
Photo ©: CN

Now in it's eighth year, the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under continues to evolve as Australia's premier stage race. Cut back to five stages in 2006, the addition of the Jacob's Creek Down Under Classic, a criterium through downtown Adelaide, will showcase the event's riders before they begin the 735-kilometre event that takes in the surrounds of Adelaide.

The 2006 field is crammed with experience and talent, with riders such as Allan Davis, Robbie McEwen and Cadel Evans looking to find some early season form or even a stage win, and the youth brigade, with gun 20-year-old Rabobank pro William Walker hoping to take advantage of some great form after his win in the national open road championships, where he showed he is a superstar of the very near future. "I've got good hopes for this week - I'll see what I can do. I've got good form, obviously, but it's just that I haven't done this race before and it makes it a little bit harder," said Walker, before adding, "I don't really know what to expect, but it'd to great to grab a stage win or be up there overall."

One of the most successful and experienced riders in the field, Robbie McEwen, believes the young riders in this year's race will be hungry for the win and may have what it takes to snare a victory. "As one of the senior members of the peloton I realise it gets harder each year to get into form quickly; these young guys come up really quickly and they ride at a high level. We've got some great young guys coming through and I think they'll try and make themselves famous over the next week or so here in South Australia."

Click here for the Preview, Stages & results, Map, Start list and History.

More T-Mobile news

Ullrich: "A team to my taste"

T-Mobile's Jan Ullrich couldn't be happier with the 2006 squad. "The team is absolutely classy. After many years is it a team to my taste. We harmonize well together and we're already further than we were last May." It also helps that Rudy Pevenage has returned to the team as directeur sportif, he says. "I've worked for years to get Rudy back. He is very important to me. (...) Rudy is the best directeur sportif for me."

Ullrich's goal, of course, is to win the Tour de France for the second time, and he thinks it will be more difficult to do in the first post-Armstrong year. "There is no team to control the field like Armstrong's team did the last few years. The field will be much more hectic." As his biggest rivals, he sees "...Basso, Vinokourov and the Spanish riders. And surely there will be one or more surprises."

Ullrich plans to start his season in March. "There is no exact appointment. I will only start to race when I am ready." He also refused to commit himself to riding the Giro, saying, "The Giro is an option. But if I start in Italy, it would only be as preparation. I would not ride the Giro to win it."

Stapleton happy with "co-ed" T-Mobile

The new combined men's and women's T-Mobile Teams are a good idea all around, says Bob Stapleton, team manager of the women's team. "From a marketing standpoint - they will bring more spectators to races, since women make up another group of athletes that people can identify with. It is very economical for T-Mobile and the additional costs are relatively low." And in addition, "it will help to improve the general acceptance of cycling, not just with a view to female cyclists, but also as successful athletes who happen to be women. It's good for everyone involved."

It is a big plus for women's cycling in general, Stapleton added. "It'll make this sport more visible...The athletes are highly qualified and very dedicated. Not just to cycling but also to women's sports in general."

Stapleton also outlined the sporting goals for the women this season."We will be concentrating on one-day classics and international stage races in 2006, including the Women's World Cup." He noted, "There are races in the Czech Republic and in the Netherlands, major races in Germany and a few in the US: Of course we want to win as many as we can. We have a very good team and we are keen to show that."

Kohl riding for a new contract

Bernhard Kohl is going into his second pro year motivated to do well. "I have enough confidence in myself. I know what I can do," he said in an interview with the Austrian TV website, ORF.at. He is looking to do well enough to get an extension on his contract with Team T-Mobile. His first race will be the Tour of California in February, and his season highlight is to be the Austrian Tour in July. "After that it would really be nice to have a new contract in my hands." He came in for praise from team manager Olaf Ludwig, who said, "He did surprisingly well, did his job well and because of that has good chances for a new contract."

Courtesy of Susan Westemeyer

Merckx and Pena to do Giro and Tour

By Shane Stokes in Mallorca

Axel Merckx and Victor Hugo Pena are other Phonak riders who are considering the Giro/Tour double in 2006. "My plan is to be in good shape for the classics such as Liège-Bastogne-Liège, then carry that form into the Giro," said the former. "I would like to be going well, especially with the race starting in Belgium. I'd then like to go to the Tour with a view to helping Floyd and Santi (Santiago Botero) in the race."

Merckx moved to Phonak from Davitamon Lotto this winter. He's happy with his move. "Things are good here, the team is very professionally run," he said. "There is also a good atmosphere between the riders and also with team management."

"I have known John Lelangue for a long time as his father was involved in my own father's bike factory. We grew up together. I always wanted to work with John in cycling but it was only last year when he became involved in a team. When he asked me to join this squad I was very happy to do so."

Victor Hugo Pena said that he made his mind up to race in Italy several months ago. "We had a training camp right after the season when we were able to decide on our programme for this year," he stated. "I decided that I wanted to try to be in my best possible shape for the Giro, then go to the Tour to help out the leaders in that race. I will put everything towards riding a good Tour of Italy. I think I will have the opportunity to have a team built around Axel, Floyd and me. I will then have the opportunity to see how I get on, what I can achieve.

"I don't know how I will do, whether I will be 20th or top five, but I will aim to do my best there. I am fully recovered from my crash last year and got a good winter in."

An interview with Christophe Moreau

Changing perspective

Along with 'Paco' Mancebo, Christophe Moreau is the second leader at the new ProTour squad AG2R, who is licensed to help his team-mate at the Tour de France. But he tells Cyclingnews' Hedwig Kröner, it's an agreement that works both ways.

Christophe Moreau
Photo ©: Hedwig Kröner

Since Christophe Moreau discovered that a little aggressive riding could earn him a stage victory or a even a day in yellow, the 34 year-old has changed his perspective from the eternal first Frenchman on GC to a potential attacker, able to spice up the 2006 Tour de France.

Looking at the press kit with maps and profiles Cyclingnews brought to the interview, Moreau revealed that even the first week of racing could well hold some surprises in this year's Grande Boucle, especially as there will be no true favourite team to take control over the race before the mountains begin. And Moreau is determined to take advantage of that...

Cyclingnews: How did you team change to AG2R come about? During the Tour, things got stirred up with your former team, Crédit Agricole...

Christophe Moreau: Yes. My contract with Crédit Agricole was coming to an end. In principle, my intention was to continue with Crédit Agricole, and the team manager Roger Legeay wanted to wait a little before re-signing me. So I waited, one week into the Tour, two weeks, three weeks... during this time, suddenly, the French sporting press printed that Vinokourov was to come to Crédit Agricole. I didn't know that Legeay's future plan was to continue with another rider instead of me. All I was doing was waiting for an answer - positive or negative.

Legeay never confirmed or denied that he had dealing with Vinokourov, so to this day I don't know if it was even true. Anyway, from that moment on, I understood quickly that I wouldn't ride in this team's colours in 2006, because they had other plans on a strategic and sporting level.

Click here for the full interview

TIAA-CREF headed to Etoile des Bessèges

U.S. development team TIAA-CREF will participate in the 2006 Etoile des Bessèges and GP Marseilles. GP Marseilles is the 2006 French season opener and will be the first time Team TIAA-CREF hits the road this year. Among those racing for Team TIAA-CREF are former Espoir Time Trial World Champion Danny Pate and current Canadian Professional Road Champion, Francois Parisien.

"Garnering invitations for both of these races is a huge step up for Team TIAA-CREF and we are looking forward to honouring these events by being the aggressive underdog," said team director Jonathan Vaughters.

Brand new European director Johnny Weltz also feels confident after watching the neophyte team train for two weeks in Silver City, NM. "It's amazing how much hard work these guys have been able to do at such high altitude." says Weltz, referring to Silver City's 7,000 foot elevation. "It's been fun working with such young and enthusiastic athletes and I think we will hit the ground running."

Team roster: Craig Lewis, Francois Parisien, Tom Peterson, Dan Bowman, Mike Lange, Stu Gillespie, Timmy Duggan, Ian MacGregor, Danny Pate

NZ Track World Cup team

The New Zealand team for the Track Cycling World Cup round 3 in Los Angeles, between January 20-22, has been named: Anthony Chapman, Jason Allen, Sam Bewley, Richard Bowker, Matthew Haydock, Darren Shea, Dale Tye and Jo Kiesanowski. Terry Gyde, Tim Carswell and Tessa Sollaart are the support team. The team arrives in Los Angeles today (Monday).

Panaria headed to Qatar

The Ceramica Panaria team will start its season in Qatar with the Doha International GP on January 27 and the Tour of Qatar which follows on January 29 - February 3. The team consists of

Paride Grillo, Brett Lancaster, Felipe Laverde, Aitor Galdos, Matteo Priamo, Tiziano Dall'antonia, Miguel Angel Rubiano Chavez, Moises Aldape Chavez. Directors: Bruno Reverberi and Fabiano Fontanelli.

Saunier Duval camp in Murcia

Saunier Duval will hold a team training camp in Murcia, Spain in January. The big name riders include Gilberto Simoni, Angel Gómez Marchante, Koldo Gil, and probably David Millar, who will be there between January 17-24. Also Nicolás Mateos and Sergi Escobar will be in Murcia between January 20-28.

Courtesy of Antonio J. Salmerón

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