Tour digest-Riis back after a year disgrace
BREST, France, July 4 (Reuters) - Brief news from the Tour de France:
* Team CSC manager Bjarne Riis of Denmark was one of the main absentees from last year's Tour when he decided not to show up after confessing that his victory in 1996 had been obtained with the help of doping.
Back one year later at the start in Brest, he said: "I'm very happy to be back on the Tour again. Everybody remembers that last year, I was not in a condition, mentally and because of the circumstances, to help Team CSC on the Tour.
"This year I'm hoping to be able to bring my experience of the race and the sport to one of the best teams in the race."
Following his confession, organisers deleted Riis's name from the winners' list.
* Quick Step team manager Patrick Lefevere, one of the leading advocates of the ProTour series, said he saw no point in his team to staying in the series sponsored by the International Cycling Union (UCI) next season.
"Our sponsors don't see why they should stay in the ProTour as we could see our invitations to some leading races turned down," the Belgian manager said.
A long-running feud between the UCI and the leading race organisers has left the biggest races out of the ProTour.
"I believe in the ProTour if everybody takes part in it. The UCI must understand we can no longer go on like this", he said.
The Tour and all the races held by its organiser are not part of the ProTour this season.
* The relentless rise in oil prices in recent months has been a major burden on professional cycling teams, accounting for a rise of 15 percent of their oil petrol budget in 2008.
"As a pro cycling team, we cover some 1.2 millions km a year for a petrol budget of 140,000 euros ($219,800). This budget has gone up by 15 percent by some 30,000 euros," Bouygues Telecom team manager Jean-Rene Bernaudeau told Reuters.
Because of the rise, the French team decided to take one car fewer to each race.
* Belgian champion and Tour of Flanders winner Stijn Devolder found himself the Quick Step team leader on the Tour de France after compatriot Tom Boonen was involved in a cocaine scandal last month.
"I'm here to win a stage, perhaps a mountain stage or the second time trial," he said.
Devolder added that he was not going for overall victory, but was hoping for a top 10 finish.
* Credit Agricole sports director Serge Beucherie will follow his proteges on the Tour despite breaking his arm in a crash while riding his bike.
Beucherie is set to drive a team car along the 3,559.5 kms of the three-week stage race.
* Organisers said 1,047 journalists are accredited to the Tour. "It is basically the same numbers as last year," a spokesman said.
guardian.co.uk (c) Guardian News and Media Limited 2008
Race plan works for Durango native
The local gal had a plan. And it worked perfectly.
Durango's own Carmen McNellis, better know around these parts by her maiden name, Carmen Small, let a pair of the biggest names in the Iron Horse pro women's downtown criterium duke it out during 45 minutes of racing, then stole the show in a sprint finish.
French cycling legend Jeannie Ciprelli-Longo was second to the line, and 2007 criterium champ Mara Abbott was third.
"It went the way I thought it would," McNellis said in describing the race's dramatic battle between herself, Ciprelli-Longo and Abbott. "They attacked each other, and I stayed right on the wheel of whoever was attacking."
The win was a great homecoming for McNellis, now a member of the U.S. Cycling Team, who liked her chances coming into the race.
"I know Jeannie. She likes to work for a break," McNellis said.
"But I knew Mara wasn't about to let her go. I got a little antsy there at the start and led a few laps, but the plan was to get on their wheels and stay there."
And because Abbott's and Ciprelli-Longo's plans called for them to put the hammer down as the race wound down, the three racers were all alone going into the race's final laps.
It was great racing for a large crowd of adults and kids gathered along Main Street to watch the finish. And it was an amazing battle of two generations of cyclists for Durango's cycling aficionados.
The diminutive but fierce Ciprelli-Longo - 49 years young and a veteran of every summer Olympic Games since Moscow in 1980 - gave Abbott and McNellis, both in their 20s, everything they could handle. And the younger riders, try as they might, couldn't come up with any combination of tactics or speed to leave the veteran behind.
"You know, wherever I race the other girls all work together to beat me," said Ciprelli-Longo, who made the Iron Horse one stop on a tough North American training schedule designed to get her ready for another shot at making the French cycling team headed to Beijing. "At the end, I was a little tired."
That wasn't an excuse, even though Ciprelli-Longo, like the rest of the pro criterium field, didn't get a chance to race to Silverton on Saturday.
Instead, she entered - and won - the masters men (50-54) criterium with her husband Patrice Ciprelli (who finished third) first thing Saturday morning.
She had plenty left in the tank during the race's final laps, pushing the pace on Abbott and McNellis.
"Mara and Jeannie attacked each other over the last five laps, but nobody was ready to give up at that point," McNellis said.
Letting Abbott and Ciprelli-Longo do the hard work up front, McNellis bided her time until that final sprint, and won by the width of the painted finish line.
For the Durango native, and for locals Allen Small and Donna Nazario, her parents, the win was a great reason to smile.
"I'm more of a worker on the U.S. team, so it feels great to have a chance to go for the win," she said. "And it feels even better doing this at home."
She also hinted that Durango cycling fans can expect to see more of her at future Iron Horse competitions.
"I think it's important to come and do the Iron Horse," she added. "I'll always try to support the local race. I had a really tough training week, but I really wanted to ride this event."
Durango cycling fans have another chance to see McNellis, Abbott and Ciprelli-Longo in action today. The trio, and the rest of the women's pro field, will ride the Alpine Bank Iron Horse time trial.
That competition, with both men's and women's categories riding 13.7 miles, begins at 7 a.m. at the Jehovah's Witness hall on Country Road 250 and runs north toward Highway 550.
(c) The Durango Herald. All rights reserved.
Clarke joins winner's list in Tour of Japan
SouthAustralia.com-AIS rider Simon Clarke has notched up a third stage win for the team, with victory in the fourth stage of the Tour of Japan. Cameron Meyer crossed in third place, with team mate Wesley Sulzberger fifth on the stage.
Sulzberger remains in the overall lead, with Meyer one second behind and Japan's Yukiya Arashiro ranked third at 26 seconds.
Today's fourth stage was one of the toughest of the Tour, with the peloton contesting 12 laps of the Shimohisakata circuit, for a total distance of 155.3km.
"It was basically five kilometres up, five kilometres down and two kilometres across," said Clarke. "It was bloody hard and everyone was so tired at the finish it was more of a grovel for the finish line than a sprint."
Team Director Brian Stephens said the aim today was to defend the positions of Sulzberger and Meyer by going on the attack and that tactic paid off for Clarke at the finish.
"Simon didn't have to do any work in the break because he was protecting our lead," said Stephens. "That meant he had pretty fresh legs at the end when the break had been caught and could go for the win."
Clarke explained that "I stayed away over the top of the climb, but with about five kilometres to go I got caught by a group of around a dozen riders, including Wes (Sulzberger) and Cam (Meyer). That gave us the manpower to go with all the last ditch attacks and in the end I managed to score the win."
Clarke won the stage in 3hr53min27sec with ten other riders finishing on the same time. Meyer's third place gave him a four second time bonus.
Tomorrow, Thursday, is a travel day for the race, which resumes on Friday with an 11.4-kilometre individual time trial on Mount Fuji. The massively steep climb will take the riders from an altitude of 600 metres to 2000 metres, with a gradient of around 15 percent.
Copyright Future Publishing (Overseas) Limited, a Future plc group company, 1995-2007. All rights reserved.
Arroyo wants Giro top five
David Arroyo (Caisse d'Epargne) will be chasing a top five finish when the Giro d'Italia gets underway this Saturday in Palermo, Italy. Arroyo held a press conference in Talavera, Spain with the local mayor Jose Francisco Rivas before leaving for the first Grand Tour of 2008.
"This year I'm going to raise the bar," he told AP. "I would like to be among the top five, thereby improving on the 10th position I achieved last year."
While Arroyo will be riding for Venezuelan team captain José Rujano, much will depend on the way the Giro unfolds. In the mean time, Arroyo is also hoping to claim a stage win while at the three week Grand Tour.
"I think this year is very important for me, so I'll look to break away and want to finish among the best," said Arroyo. "All support in principle [goes] to Rujano, since it has been decided by management. But then the road will decide the patterns and strategies to follow."
"In the Giro you have to start at 100 percent because there are no stages which can be used to take shape, from day one you have to be ready," he added.
The Giro starts this Saturday with a Team Time Trial in Palermo. The 21 stage race carries through to June 1, when it will conclude with an Individual Time Trial to Milano.
Arroyo finished in the top 20 at all three Grand Tours in 2007. After finishing 10th at the Giro the Spaniard claimed 13th place at the Tour de France before going on to take 19th at his home Grand Tour, the Vuelta a Espana.
Copyrigth Future Publishing (Overseas) Limited, a Future plc group company, 1995-2007. All rights reserved.
CYCLING ROUNDUP
By Gerard Cromwell
May 4, 2008,
National veteran's champion Martin O’Loughlin stepped into the yellow jersey of the Corkman 3-Day yesterday when race leader Michael Lucey (Kanturk Town) crashed with 2kms remaining in the third stage, which was won by Paul Kinch of Murphy & Gunn.
Lucey had taken over the race lead from stage one winner Michael O’Reilly (Dan Morrissey) having won the stage two time trial. O’Loughlin now leads the race by nine seconds from local hero Denis Lynch (Kanturk Town) with the race finishing with a 52 mile stage around Kanturk today.
Meanwhile Irish professionals recorded more good performances on the continent at the weekend. Sean Kelly's Irish pro team took fourth overall at the three day, 2.2 ranked Vuelta Ciclista a Acencion in Spain with their English rider Daniel Lloyd. The An Post / M. Donnelly / Grant Thornton squad also took first and second on the opening stage with Benny De Schrooder and Dan Fleeman respectively.
Ciaran Power of the Galway based Pezula team carried over the form that saw him win last week's East Midlands CiCLE classic in the UK, when he took eighth at the Ronde van Overijsse in Holland. Sean Kelly's squad also kept the flag flying, with An Post's Paidi O'Brien finishing two places behind the Waterford pro in the 1.2 ranked, 210kms race, won in a bunch sprint by 19-year-old Robin Chagneau (Asito-Lowik) from well known Dutch sprinters Bobbie Traksel (P3-Transfer) and Tom Veelers (Skil-Shimano). "It was a crazy finish," said Power yesterday. "It came down to a group of about 60 riders, and I've been sick with a cold all week, so I'm happy to get another good result".
Up north, two time winner, David McCann looks set to record his hat trick at the Tour of Ulster this year, having moved into the race leader’s yellow jersey after stage two yesterday. The Giant Asia professional duo of McCann and teammate Paul Griffin have dominated the race thus far, with Griffin winning the opening stage in Omagh on Saturday, before McCann took over the race lead yesterday, courtesy of second place on the stage behind defending champion and breakaway partner Ryan Connor (Pezula). The former Irish champ then went on to win last night's time trial stage to consolidate his lead, with Griffin 45 seconds down in second overall, and leading the King of the Mountains competition, going into today’s final stage in Omagh.
TOUR OF ULSTER RESULTS
Stage 1 Result - Omagh - Omagh (78.6 miles)
PL Name Team Time @
1 Griffin,Paul Giant Asia 2h57'56"
2 Delahaye,Neil Usher Irish RC A 2h58'09" @13"
3 Coughlan,Simon Donamon Dymamos 2h58'09" @ s/t
4 Nestor,Mark Eurocycles 2h58'09" @ s/t
5 Crowley,Aidan My Home.ie A 2h58'09" @ s/t
6 McCann,David Giant Asia 2h58'09" @ s/t
7 Fenlon,Joe Dan Morrossey/Carrick 2h58'09" @ s/t
8 Lacey,Sean Eurocycles 2h58'09" @ s/t
9 Swinard,Greg Usher Irish RC A 2h58'09" @ s/t
10 Surdival,Stephen Orwell Wheelers B 2h58'09" @ s/t
Stage 2 Result - Omagh - Omagh (67.4 miles)
PL Name Team Time @
1 Connor,Ryan Pezula Racing 2h42'26"
2 McCann,David Giant Asia 2h42'27" @01"
3 Griffin,Paul Giant Asia 2h43'44" @01'18"
4 Fenlon,Joe Dan Morrossey/Carrick 2h43'48" @01'22"
5 O'Sullivan,Stephen My Home.ie A 2h43'48" @ s/t
6 Gater,Keith Comeragh CC 2h43'50" @01'24"
7 Kelly,Simon Usher Irish RC A 2h43'50" @ s/t
8 Surdival,Stephen Orwell Wheelers B 2h43'56" @01'30"
9 Delahaye,Neil Usher Irish RC A 2h44'01" @01'35"
10 McDonald,Scott Winning Solutions 2h44'46" @02'20"
General Classification AFTER 2 STAGES (G.C.)
PL Name Team GC Time@
1 McCann,David Giant Asia 5h41'16"
2 Griffin,Paul Giant Asia 5h41'40"@24"
3 Fenlon,Joe Dan Morrossey/Carrick 5h41'57"@41"
4 Surdival,Stephen Orwell Wheelers B 5h42'05"@49"
5 Delahaye,Neil Usher Irish RC A 5h42'10"@54"
6 McDonald,Scott Winning Solutions 5h42'55"@01'39"
7 Nestor,Mark Eurocycles 5h45'30"@04'14"
8 Lacey,Sean Eurocycles 5h45'30"= s/t
9 Coughlan,Simon Donamon Dymamos 5h45'30"= s/t
10 Crowley,Aidan My Home.ie A 5h45'30"= s/t
KOH Competition
PL Name Pts
1 Griffin,P 28
2 Connor,R 19
3 McCann,D 15
Results; Ronde van Overijssel - 210kms - Holland 1.2
1 Robin Chaigneau (Ned) Team Asito - Löwik 4.44.00
2 Bobbie Traksel (Ned) Team P3 Transfer - Batavus
3 Tom Veelers (Ned) Skil-Shimano
4 Michael Van Staeyen (Bel) Rabobank Continental Team
5 Marco Bos (Ned) Cyclingteam Jo Piels
6 Lieuwe Westra (Ned) Krolstone
7 Michael Reihs (Den) Team Designa Kokken
8 Ciaran Power (Irl) Pezula
9 Boy van Poppel (Ned) Rabobank Continental Team
10 Paidi O'Brien (Irl) An Post-M Donnelly-Grant Thornt
Vuelta Ciclista a Acencion (Spain) 2.2
Final General classification
1 Pablo De Pedro (Spa) Supermercados Froiz 13.36.34
2 José Banos (Spa) Cueva El Soplao 0.38
3 Francisco Torrella (Spa) Cafemax-Contentpolis 0.55
4 Daniel Lloyd (GBr) Post-Donnelly-Thornton-Kelly Team
5 Antonio Cosme (Spa) Madeinox / Boavista
6 Juan Carlos Escamez (Spa) Comunidad Valenciana 1.01
(c)Copyright 2008 by IrishCycling.com
Kalentieva and Absalon win in Offenburg
Irina Kalentieva, World Champion showed she is back on top of the UCI's World Cup following an emphatic victory Sunday in Offenburg, Germany, for round two. In the men's race, Julien Absalon rode away from the field without effort - underlying his class and dominance when it comes to men's cross country racing.
In the women's race, America's Georgia Gould led out from the start. Soon a group of four emerged, containing Marga Fullana, Kalentieva, Marie Helene Premont and Ying Liu. Gould would pay the price for her early effort followed by Liu then Fullana coming off the leaders' pace.
That left Premont and Kalentieva to do battle and the World Champion got a slight gap from which she attacked to open a lead through the fifth and final lap. She won by 33 seconds over Premont who was pleasantly surprised with her form. With her win, Kalentieva took over the series lead from Chenguyan, who crashed hard, but still finished the race.
In the men's race, a long queue of riders formed before the first singletrack. An additional start loop was not enough to spread the 230-strong field and for the first lap at least a group of twenty riders headed the race, including all of the favourites.
The start was not Absalon's strongest, but by halfway through the first full 5km lap he was back taking control of the race. Here the main challengers emerged, along with a few less familiar faces that soon paid for their early exertions. After three laps it was easy to see what sort of race was shaping up.
A lead group containing Absalon, Hermida, Nino Schurter, Florian Vogel and Christoph Sauser controlled the race while behind Adam Craig was flying just moments away from the top spots. Just as he was about to bridge however, Absalon put his plans forward and such was his pace, nobody could give any more. In less than two hours Absalon had managed to put a minute into the chasers as he went onto a solo victory with a margin of 51 seconds.
Copyright Future Publishing (Overseas) Limited, a Future plc group company, 1995-2007. All rights reserved.
Toyota-United Calls it a Wrap at this Years Tour de Georgia Presented by AT & T
Continues winning streak with most stage wins (9) of any team worldwide in America's Grand Tours
Los Angeles, CA - The Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team finished their third consecutive Tour de Georgia yesterday in Atlanta in what was arguably their most successful major American tour since first putting a wheel on the ground February 14, 2006 at the inaugural Amgen Tour of California; where Toyota-United began its incredible run of nine stage wins in the major American tours by claiming victory in the opening stage. In addition, Toyota-United remains the only team in the world to win at least one stage in every major American tour the past three seasons.
This past week Toyota-United did not disappoint by attacking the race early and often with its stacked team of speedsters and race winner Ivan Dominguez who took out the opening stage in Savannah, where he also picked up the yellow leaders jersey to boot heading into Stage 2.
Stage 2 was another thrilling ride as Justin England attacked at mile marker 40 in a solo breakaway to put the pressure on the other teams who wanted what Toyota-United’s Ivan Dominguez had, the leaders yellow jersey. 61 miles later, the plan worked to perfection, as England was finally caught by the hard charging peloton while teammates Henk Vogels and Dominique Rollin set Dominguez up for what appeared to be another stage win. However, JJ Haedo (CSC) and Greg Henderson (High Road) had a different idea in mind and past Dominguez in the final 100 meters to claim first and second respectively, relegating Dominguez to third place on the stage, but he retained the coveted yellow leaders jersey.
The responsibility of the yellow jersey was beginning to weigh heavy on the Toyota-United team as they were constantly attacked by other teams during Stage 3 of the 108 mile race into Gainesville which featured 7,000 feet of climbing to unseat Dominguez. In addition, Toyota-United's Ben Day crashed at over 45 miles per hour and broke his bike and helmet in half, but was able to suck it up and finish the stage. Dominique Rollin represented in the finale and ended up 7th place on the day, but Dominguez was never to see the yellow jersey again as Team High Road's Greg Henderson won the stage and in the process the overall leaders yellow jersey.
The following day saw Toyota-United ride an impressive team time trial around the Road Atlanta race car track finishing 5th on the day, a mere 23 seconds out of first place. "Had Ben not crashed the day before, I really believe in my heart we would have run Team Slipstream close for the win" said Henk Vogels, Toyota-United team captain.
Although, Toyota-United made sure they had representation in every major breakaway for the next three days of racing, in the end, their glory days were behind them as their results were as dark and gloomy as the clouds and rain that filled the sky in Atlanta yesterday during the final stage; where Toyota-United sent Hilton Clarke and the weeks strongman, Justin England up the road in a break only to be caught on the final lap which saw Greg Henderson (High Road) win his second stage of the tour and secure the sprinters points jersey.
"I'm so proud of how our guys rode the tour this week. I've never seen our team ride so aggressively and like professionals, which is a testament to our new Team Directors Len Pettyjohn and Scott Moninger and the tenacity of our riders who gave it all they had every day down to the final rainy stage in Atlanta." said Team Owner Sean Tucker.
Toyota-United will begin racing again this Wednesday April 30th at the Scott Nichols Toyota Presents the Ben D. Altamirano Memorial Tour of the Gila in Silver City, NM.
For rider, staff interviews or general information, please contact Sean P. Tucker at 541-318-8491 or cell at 541-390-5981 or email sean@toyota-united.com
-TUP-
About Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.: Toyota established operations in the United States in 1957 and currently operates ten manufacturing plants including one under construction. There are more than 1,400 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealerships in the U.S. which sell more than 2 million vehicles a year. Toyota directly employs over 32,000 in the U.S. and its investment here is currently valued at more than $13 billion, including sales and manufacturing operations, research and development, financial services and design.
About United Pro Cycling Team, L.L.C.
Based in Newport Beach, California, a wholly owned subsidiary of United Cycling, L.L.C, United Pro Cycling Team is owned and operated by Sean Tucker. Comprised of some of the top cycling talent in the country, it is positioned to be the premier cycling team in America. In addition to its racing team, United Cycling, L.L.C, wholly owns and operates United Bicycles, L.L.C. The team has also designated the United Cycling Foundation, Inc. as its designated charity, committed to raise awareness and funds for American causes including homelessness and the environment.
Additional Toyota-United Sponsors:
In 2008, The Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team is exclusively sponsored by, Bicycling Magazine, Bontrager, Giordana Clothing, Fuji Bicycles, Shimano, SockGuy, Specialized Bicycle Components, and United Bicycles, in addition to title sponsor Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
Publish Date: 04/28/2008
(c)2005-2006 www.ppolnews.com LLC
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