A team presentation will be given next season. Kirk O'Bee is of course my first target . Russian, I might be struggling with that
The morning after, I met the team. Most of them are Danish , although team leader Sergio Pardilla is Spanish. They seem a nice enough bunch, but I won’t be doing much with them, as I’ll be concentrating on next year, and hoping to bring in lots of big names. Morale isn’t great as well, but it shall improve in time.
Straight away I contacted most of my old team whos contract ran out out the end of the season. Top of the list was Benat Intxausti, but I couldn’t offer him enough money. This set the tone for the whole day, as I got rejections from Holder, Terpstra, Hushovd, Haedo, Viera, Gasparotto, Kozontchouk and Grabovskyy. Not a great start, but tomorrow should be better as I’m contacting some Spanish riders that I hope to sign as neo-pros.
Well, I spoke to three neo-pros and all three signed on the spot instantly. Jon Casas and Jonay Luque are two excellent young climbers, but Aritz Moyano impresses me the most: he is already a great rider in climbing, and has a lot of potential as well. More refusals though, as Renshaw, Krauss, Van Hecke, Veelers, Frohlinger, Arroyo, Mertens, Moreno and Tschopp refuse to even discuss terms. In other news in the transfer market, Alex Holder has joined Team Endeka, and Benat Intxausti has gone to Euskaltel, which explains why they rejected my offer.
Memorial Henryka Lasaka
A hilly race for my first outing, the riders weren’t in great form, but it was nice to get a ride under my belt as director sportif. The early breaks struggled to get away, but when an 11 man break did, we were forced to shut it down. We caught most of them, but as soon as we did, riders kept getting clear, and eventually, on one of the last hills, I sent Ricco on the attack. He was joined by four more, but blew up near the summit. He trailed a group of 8 all the way to the finish, and the win was taken by CCC Polsat’s Santo Anza’. Riccardo came in tenth, 1’25 behind.
I’ve just got off the phone to Kasper and he has managed to get hold of Baumann of T-Mobile, who will come in for talks tomorrow.
Lots of rejections today, and Eric Baumann proved to be a dead loss. He anted to become team leader and demand a ridiculously large pay, so I flatly told him to get lost. He is good, but nowhere near that good. Other rejections came from: Landis (Traitor), Boasson Hagen, Cavendish (traitor), Tynyanov (traitor), Grivko and Kvasina. I also tried to poach Kirk O’Bee from Cycling24, but the asking price from them was way too high. I did manage to sign Marcel Kittel from the free rider pool though, and he can start riding for us immediately.
Kittel is a good signing, a very handy TTer. For a russian - try to contact Ignatiev. Maybe you should save Holder from Endeka using a database editor?
Coppa Sabatini
Into October, and our bid for ProTour wild cards failed. More rejections over the transfer period, as Sonnery, Goss, Duarte, Ciolek and Adario all refuse. These were my big targets, so it’s a shame I couldn’t get any of them. However, Kasper managed to put me on to Evgeny Popov, a great all round rider who signed for us. I’ve also been busy by signing some more young riders/domestiques, as well as hill rider Andrea Masciarelli.
Anyway, today we faced up against Danilo Di Luca riding in the World Champions jersey, although he was quite quiet today. Niki Ostergaard broke early, and led 11 riders with him. The pack didn’t seem intersetd throughout, so the break made it all the way to the line. Great news for us, as Niki is by far the best sprinter, and he didn’t disappoint, earning himself the win and a contract extension.
More transfers, and great news for the team. I’ve managed to sneak two riders from Cycling24 – David Belda, who is a great mountain rider, and Alfredo Balloni, the very promising sprinter. Both flourished under me last year, and signing them shows they have the kind of loyalty and attitude I’m looking for. Another great buy was time trialist Piotr Mazur, another youngster with good potential. Frenchman Stephane Poulhies was another signing, and my final signing was the decent sprinter Stefan Radochla, who will help Alfredo Balloni’s development greatly. I’ve also had to let go Sergio Pardilla, but the price offered was just too hard to refuse, and we’ve got adequate cover for him.
Chrono des Herbiers ITT
The final race of the season, and a great debut for Marcel Kittel, as he goes straight in as race favourite, along with team mate Vitauskas Kaupas. He dulely obliges with a superb win in the 48 km course, and Kaupas finishes second.
On the final day of racing this year, announcements came from six riders that they were retiring. They are Zapata, Julich, Moreau, Wesemann, Hincapie and Dessel. Some great riders who will be missed.
Cycling24 taken over!
I just read in the newspapers today that the Cycling24 team has been taken over by DFL – Cyclingnews – Litespeed, and so reverts to its original name with the same jersey. Still the same manager though, and the same riders, but revenge is still something that drives me.
So it’s the end of an eventful season for me, and one which had some great highs and lows. Winning the Giro was great, but my fall after that was the worst time of my life. The team breaks up on holiday now until the end of December, so I’ll enjoy returning home to England, and trying to find out who this masked stranger is.
2007 End of Year Rankings: ProTour:
Individual Rankings:
1. Vincenzo Nibali DFL - CYCLINGNEWS - LITESPD 252
2. Patrik Sinkewitz T-MOBILE TEAM 249
3. Samuel Sanchez EUSKALTEL-EUSKADI 198
4. Jan Ullrich T-MOBILE TEAM 191
5. Fabian Cancellara TEAM CSC 188
6. Pieter Weening DAVITAMON-LOTTO 187
7. Tom Boonen QUICKSTEP-INNERGETIC 182
8. Frank Schleck TEAM CSC 166
9. Thomas Dekker RABOBANK 153
10. Stefan Schumacher GEROLSTEINER 141
Nice to see that my rider took the number 1 spot
Team Rankings:
1. TEAM CSC 748(C) Predicted 1st Superbly dominant as usual
2. T-MOBILE TEAM 740 Predicted 3rd Jan Ullrich leaves the team in style as he moves to Davitamon
3. DFL - CYCLINGNEWS – LITESPEED 561 Predicted 9th What a season for the new boys
4. DAVITAMON-LOTTO 488 Predicted 10th The big surpise of the season
5. QUICKSTEP-INNERGETIC 441 Predicted 7th Tom Boonen led them well again
6. EUSKALTEL-EUSKADI 427 Predicted 13th Another surpise, their climbers developed well this season
7. RABOBANK 424 Predicted 2nd Disappointing, the big riders didn’t produce the results
8. CAISSE D’EPARGNE-ILLES BALEARS 382 Predicted 5th Valverde was pivotal and produced the results needed
9. ASTANA TEAM 348 Predicted 4th Another disappointment, Vinokourov and Kashechkin led poorly
10. GEROLSTEINER 304 Predicted 12th A solid year
11. DISCOVERY CHANNEL 229 Predicted 6th Failed to produce the big results expected
12. LAMPRE-FONDITAL 227 Predicted 8th A decent performance
13. SAUNIER DUVAL-PRODIR 201 Predicted 16th Had some surprising results
14. PHONAK HEARING SYSTEMS 190 Predicted 11th Ryder Hesjedal was one of the season’s revelations, but lacked depth
15. COFIDIS, LE CREDIT PAR TELEPHONE 162 Predicted 18th Must be seen as a good season for the team
16. FRANCAISE DES JEUX 146 Predicted 14th Thomas Lovkvist failed to produce this season
17. CREDIT AGRICOLE 53 Predicted 17th Did well to avoid relegation, signing Kashechkin should save them next season
18. TEAM MILRAM 49 Predicted 15th Danilo Di Luca may be the WC, but an awful season for the Italians
19. BOUYGES TELECOM 33 (R) Predicted 19th Never looked like staying up
20. COMUNIDAD VALENCIANA 24 (R) Predicted 20th No rider investment meant this was obvious
Continental:
Individual Rankings:
1. Sergey Kolesnikov AGRITUBEL 632
2. Dmitry Kozontchouk ACQUA & SAPONE 533
3. Martin Elmiger IMOHOLDING-LOULE JARDIM HOTEL 519
4. Markus Eichler TEAM REGIOSTORM-SENGES 471
5. Stefano Garzelli LIQUIGAS 428
Team Rankings:
1. LIQUIGAS 1888 (C)
2. CHOCOLADE JACQUES 1434 (P)
3. UNIBET.COM 1397
20. TEAM GLS 544
My Record
Team Cycling24 - 2012 37 wins, 42 seconds, 26 thirds
Team GLS 2 wins, 1 second
Nice wins to end the season! It really does seem that my jersey will not be used, or are you going to prove me wrong somehow? Something momentous with Cycling24 being taken over?
Edited by SportingNonsense on 12-06-2007 17:21
December 2007
The coaching team met up in December to organise the season’s schedule, and discuss rider programs and our training programme. Kasper Busk was pivotal in these discussions, he is so intelligent. He pushed forward some new ideas, and his ideas seemed to match my own. I have already booked January’s racings, after refusals from the Jayco Bay Cycling Classic and Tour Down Under, we will start our season in Qatar, with the Doha International GP, and will stay for the Tour of Qatar. Not particularly heavy, but I’m hoping that Alfredo Balloni and Stefan Radochla can gain some early season form, and maybe a couple of victories.
The board also met me on numerous occasions to discuss next season, and they seemed happy with my ideas. However, they set out some goals and their important races, and they have high expectations of me: Wear Overall leader’s jersey for at least 1 day in the Tour De France
This goal is a little ambitious, but the board really want me to get good results quickly Wild card entry to Deutschland Tour
This is a bit nasty, as it all comes down to the race organisers Top 3 in Post Danmark Rundt
Should be fairly simple Win the Regio Tour
Don’t know this race very well, I’ll need to get a couple of coaches to research it Win the climber’s jersey in the 3-Lander Tour
David Belda can do this
There important races *** Post Danmark Rundt, Oddset-Niedersachsen Rundfahrt
** Tour de France, Hervis Tour-Osterreich Rundfahrt
* 3-Lander-Tour, Rund um die Henniger Turm
5th January
With our first race in 22 days, I left the start of training a little longer than usual, and as soon as the riders arrived, I focused on getting morale immediately high. It worked well, spirits are lifted, and training went well. During our first training session, I saw a familiar face on the road flag me down. I pulled over, and the stranger got in.
“Hello again Mr Smile. It’s been a while.”
“What do you want?”
“I’m here to discuss your season.”
“What’s there to discuss, its all been sorted out.” I replied, irritated
“You still do not understand me. I’m glad you enjoyed your new signings, it took a lot of effort to convince them to sign.”
I was a little confused, “What are you talking about?”
“Your new signings: Belda, Balloni, Mazur, Popov, the list goes on…”
“I’m sorry, but what on earth are you talking about. I signed them.” He had me startled but angry
“Mr Smile, none of these riders would have joined you had I not convinced them it was in their best interest to join.”
“Now hang on, I know that’s not true, David Belda…”
He cut me off, “Would not join you had I not talked to him. Jef De Bilde had persuaded him that you would wreck his career, but I Mr Smile, yes, I convinced him otherwise.”
“How did you do it?”
“I showed him the truth.” He said plainly
“The truth?” I whispered
“Yes Mr Smile, the truth. Why would he join a disgraced manager for a small team? He had offers from ProTour sides, and yet when he saw what I showed him, he got in contact without hesitation.”
“What did you show him?” I questioned
“You do not need to know that Mr Smile, and you should no better than to ask.” He signalled for me to pull over.
“Why would you help me out. Why would you help this team?”
“I owe this team everything Mr Smile, everything. This board gave me everything.”
“But why do you need to tell me all this?” I questioned, already knowing the answer
He got out of the car.
“Now that, Mr Smile, is the right question.”
Edited by Crommy on 14-06-2007 18:05
Team GLS Team Presentation 2008
København, 15th January
A fairly glitzy affair, I was almost asleep when I was asked to make a speech. I didn’t have one, so I was nervous as I walked up to the platform, but guess what was awaiting me on the stand. A speech, with the words, “Have Fun, from you know who.” This masked stranger was making himself very useful, and I delivered a great talk on the future of the team (I always liked public speaking), and was rewarded with a standing ovation. The team was then presented, looking fairly bored as they wore suits (my orders: they weren’t happy about it, but this was a formal occasion). I presented the team, and here are my introductions for each of them Team GLS Team 2008 Evgeny Popov – This 23 year old Russian has had a promising career so far, with a win in 2006 for Rabobank Continental in the Tour de Rijke, but this year he is set to take the Continental Tour by storm having moved from Grupo Nicolas Mateos. He is a solid rider, specialising in stage races, but is a rarity in that he can sprint well as well
David Belda – This 24 year old Spaniard joins me from DFL - Cyclingnews - Litespeed, where he enjoyed two victories in two years (GP Triberg-Schwarzwald and Vuelta a Colombia Pilsen Mountain Jersey plus stage 13). However, he has recently developed into an awesome climber, and he will lead the team in high altitude races
Piotr Mazur – The 25 year old Polish rider spent two years at Saunier Duval, and commands respect in time tirals. His only win came in 2006 in a stage of the Euskal Bizikelta – Bicicleta Vasca, but this year he should add to this in the time trial he competes in
Alfredo Balloni – This 18 year old Italian will one day wear the green jersey in Tour, although he would much prefer the points jersey in the Giro. His sprinting is already at a high standard at such a young age, and he is aiming to develop his cobble skill as well. He already has 3 victories to his name, including the GP de la Villes de Rennes which he won when he was just 16 years old
Stephane Poulhies – This 22 year old Frenchman is developing into a strong all rounder, although he currently prefers the flat. He was obtained from Ag2r Prevoyance, after 2 years their in which he won the points jersey at the Route du Sud, and more recently, the Herald Sun Tour’s mountain jersey, displaying his ability to excel in all areas
Marcel Kittel – This 19 year old German arrives as a neo-pro, but don’t doubt his ability, as he already has a win to his name after arriving just in time last year to win the Chrono des Herbiers
Vitauskas Kaupas – A more experienced rider at 25, the Lithuanian joined Team GLS last year from Jartazi, and is still looking for his first victory, which, with his fighter spriti, should come quickly
Riccardo Ricco – Riccardo didn’t develop as quickly as Saunier Duval wante him to in 2006, so was signed last year by Team GLS, and what a mistake they’ve made. He may already be 24, but this Italian still has huge potential, and will focus on improving throughout the year
Thomas Riber-Sellebjerg – Last years second place in the Trofej Porec was good for the 20 year old Dane, but three years at GLS has seen him develop into a formidable cobble rider with bags of potential
Aritz Moyano – All I can say is Aritz must have fallen through the net. At 22, he is an old neo-pro, but he makes up for that in absolutely amazing climbing ability and doglike tenacity, which should see him become one othe worlds greats. Transfer of the season
Andrea Masciarelli – After 2 years at Acqua & Sapone, this 25 year old Italian decided he needed a change of scenery, and whilst Denmark isn’t exactly the most hilly of places, he is an excellent leader for the hills
Jose Miguel Elias – The veteran of the side, the 31 year old Spaniard joined last year from Relax-Gam, and immediately provided some great leadership with two podium positions and 4 top 10 spots last season. This season could well be his greatest, and he’ll be looking to conqueor the mountains
Stefan Radochla – A great find from Wiesenhof, the 28 year old German is a great sprinter, who notched up three wins last year, culminating in winning the 3-Lander-Tour overall GC.
Niki Ostergaard – Last year, the 20 year old Dane gave a great performance in the Coppa Sabatini for his first pro win, and is set to bring in more wins in the near future
Michael Morkov – After 2 years with us, Michael stays on to hopefully improve on his best place of fifth (Danish Championships 2007). The 22 year old Dane is a strong sprinter and excellent team member
Brad Armstrong – A great aquisiton from Orbea, the 21 year old American has greatly improved as a climber, and whilst not strong enough yet to lead a team, he will give valued support
Jon Casas – Another Spanish neo-pro, the 20 year old was highly sought after as a stage racer by many teams, and will look to develop into a future Grand Tour winner in the coming seasons
Nicolaj Foulum Olesen – Support, 19, Danish
Thomas Oredsson – Support, 28, Danish
Agnetti Sheldrake – Sprinter, 23, American ACQUIRED FROM HEALTH NET
Jonay Luque – Neo-pro, 20, Spanish
Markus Eibegger – Neo-pro, 23, Austrian
Mikkel Lund – Sprinter, 18, Danish
Frerk Huesers – Neo-pro, 20, German
Franz Schulze – Neo-pro, 20, German
Kim Milton Kilic – Support, 21, Danish
Benoit Sinner – Sprinter, 23, French ACQUIRED FROM AGRITUBEL
Hilmar Sasse – Neo-pro, 20, German
Gianluca Sironi – Support, 33, Italian
Martin Hoberg Nielsen – Support, 19, Danish
Stepan Shelmenko – Sprinter, 20, Ukranian
Staff:
Kasper Busk DEN
Asle Olsson NOR
Kenneth Weltz DEN
Tobias Johansson NOR
Lars Isaksen DEN
Doha International GP
Team Leaders: Alfredo Balloni and Stefan Radochla
Aim: Top 10
The early break worked its way up into epic proportions, with 20 riders getting clear (no GLS riders) though, and with no other team willing to work, we were forced to close it down, which we did very well. Firstly, Vandevelde fell, and we quickly caught him up. He was the danger man in the break, and it was just lucky our riders avoided him, as he fell in a blind spot round a tight bend. Eventually we overtook the rest of the break, which forced me to kill four of our riders, but that break was just too dangerous.
As soon as we caught them though, five dangerous riders went off (Vandenbergh, Cepeda, Rolland, Coppel and Bazhenov). They quickly built up a lead, but it soon came tumbling down as other teams chased. They just made it, and Bazhenov took the stage win. Radochla was our best sprinter in eleventh, which was decent for our first race of the season: not great, but not too bad either. Results:
1. Alexandre Bazhenov NATURINO-SAPORE DI MARE 2h33’17
2. Jerome Coppel FRANCAISE DES JEUX s.t.
3. Pierre Rolland COFIDIS, LE CREDIT PAR TELEPHONE s.t.
4. Wilson Fernando Cepeda CYCLING TEAM CAPEC s.t.
5. Stijn Vandenbergh UNIBET.COM s.t.
11. Stefan Radochla TEAM GLS s.t.
13. Alfredo Balloni TEAM GLS s.t.
18. Michael Morkov TEAM GLS s.t
What matters most for a good breakaway rider (in stats) does one with a good stamina stay out longer or are there any stats that make them more succesful in breakaways.
Tour of Qatar
Team Leaders: Alfredo Balloni and Stefan Radochla
Aim: Top 5 GC
Stage 1
The early attack came from ten riders, and they managed to stay away for the whole of the race. We left it up to the ProTour guys to bring the break back in, but they started out too late, so we had to be content with trying our best to get into the top 10. Stefan Radochla led out Alfredo, but they both got boxed in, so Alfredo had to settle for twelfth , 1’44 behind, as 5 riders made it to the line from the original break. Jan Boven took the victory ahead of Uros Murn and Ralf Grabsch.
Not good, so a reassessment of goals was needed as a top 5 spot looked highly unlikely. I told the boys to go for a stage win instead, and they seemed resolved after the team debrief
Edited by Crommy on 21-06-2007 22:18
Stage 2
The pack came in for a sprint today, after we sent Lund on a couple of failed attacks. The 11 man break was only caught at the start of the sprint, agonising for them, but great for us, and in a very tight sprint, we had to settle for fourth with Alfredo Balloni, as he was beaten by inches to third spot by Aldo Ino Ilesic. Ruben Bongirono took the stage win, whilst Stefan Radochla was sixth
Tight finish
Stage 3
We’re getting closer, but we’re running out of time. We managed to get second today, in a tightly fought sprint where Ruben Bongiorno took back to back stage victories. 5 riders today got a maximum lead of 10 minutes, but failed to capitalise as Cofidis brought them back in with 30 km left. The sprint didn’t go great for us at the start, but Stefan squirmed his way through from the back of a train to come in second. Alfredo followed him into sixth. Stefan is also seventh in the GC, as Jan Boven holds on to his leader’s jersey, and is set to keep it.
Bongiorno looking impressive
Stage 4
Rabobank protected the lead of Boven today by chasing down the breaks quickly, and not letting them get much time. Everything was building up nicely, when 15 riders fell, including our own Michael Morkov and Sheldrake, who both appeared injured. Two Agritubel riders had managed to crash into each other, but fortunately for us, it was towards the rear of the pack. I pulled both my riders out, and immediately got them to a doctor. Then, I heard over race radio another three man crash: but this time, second place Uros Murn and third place Huzarski had fallen. However, they managed to claw their way back into the peloton, and we had to settle for sixth in the sprint after Alfredo chose the wrong chain agagin. Aleksei Zaitsev took the stage today. Stefan Radochla falls to tenth in the GC
Stage 5
Going for the stage win, I allowed Riccardo Ricco to attack early, and he was followed only by Pepels of Wiesenhof. Not enough riders there, it was caught fairly easily after Riccardo had taken the two intermediate sprints. In this sprint though, we got it perfect as we set up our own sprint chain. Poulhies was the workhorse up front, who brought us up to the front of the peloton as the sprinting began, which then allowed Lund, Radochla and Balloni to break off, confusing those behind us, who couldn’t decide who to follow. That hesitation gave Alfredo the moment he needed to get ahead and take the stage win.
Nice to get a win under our belts
Final GC:
1. Jan Boven RABOBANK 18h42’32
2. Uros Murn PHONAK HEARING SYSTEMS + 2”
3. Bartosz Huzarski FRANCAISE DES JEUX + 16”
8. Alfredo Balloni CYCLING24-2012 + 1’24
11. Stefan Radochla CYCLING24-2012 + 1’32
I spotted a familiar figure in the crowd today, but as I made my way towards him, I lost sight for one second, and he was gone. Puzzled, I returned to the team bus, and lo and behold, a special someone was sitting all alone, waiting for me, whilst Alfredo celebrated his win with the rest of the team.
“Good evening, Mr Smile.” He opened
“Not good,” I replied, “A bit too hot for me.”
“Was that an attempt at humour?” He questioned
“Would I do that top an old friend?” I replied, smirking.
He paused, frowning slightly. “I see you still know how to annoy me, and I can do the same to you.”
“Why are you here, anyway?” I asked, slightly puzzled
“I was checking on the team, but have something to tell you now. Don’t interrupt me. The team is undergoing a change. Not just you.”
“What kind of change?”
“Mr Smile, I kno you aren’t the cleverest pea in the pod, but I only asked you not to interrupt me ten seconds to go. Now, as I was saying, change is coming. When it does, don’t let it change you. We hired you to be you, and this change has nothing to do with you.”
“But…” I interrupted
He groaned. “Mr Smile, not everything revolves around you. You thought you were the absolute centre of this team, that every little detail had to do with you. Of course, it doesn’t at all. Quite frankly, your interest is peripheral at most, but you do need to know, change is coming.”
“OK, what change?”
“Mr Smile, don’t make me use another metaphor for stupidity, it starins my creativity. Oh, and one more thing. DFL will be in Malaysia.”
“Is that part of the change?” I asked hopefully
“You know better than to try and pry information from me Mr Smile. Oh, congraulations by the way, don’t let it rush to your head, stage wins aren’t exactly the great heights we’re expecting.”
“Better wins will come.” I replied confidently
“I’m sure they will Mr Smile. Remember what I have told you today.”
“Just one thing,” I halted him as he left, “Why won’t you tell me your name?”
He looked a bit startled by that question, and his answer was not as elusive as usual.
“Very astute of you Mr Smile. Your progressing faster than I expected,” he told me mysteriously. Finally, I’d got him off balance, this was my first question that I would get an answer.
“So why?” I asked
“Now that, Mr Smile, is the right question.” Maybe not such a great question.
Oh well, it was a good conversation all in all. I tweaked his nose a couple of times, and nearly managed to get some sort of answer out of him. I’ll get him eventually though.
TEAM GLS MONTHLY ROUNDUP
Posted online on teamgls.dk, direct from Allan Smile, director sportif extraordinare
We have started the season, and it's been a fairly positive start - a win from Alfredo and a couple of podium positions. Hopefully we can build on this, and challenge for that coveted ProTour position Results:
--Doha International GP: Stefab Radochla 11th, Alfredo Balloni 13th, Michael Morkov 18th
--Tour of Qatar: Alfredo Balloni 8th plus stage 5 win, Stefan Radochla 11th plus 2nd stage 4 Rankings:
Continental Individual Rankings:
Unpublished until March Continental Team Rankings:
March! Doctor’s Report: An injury free month, look out for the sprinters as they hit their fitness peaks Best Rider of the Month: Stefan Radochla
Picking up race fitness is a tricky business, but Stefan still does this and gets up there as well. Whilst he hasn’t picked up the win, the veteran has helped out the young Alfredo Balloni, and has still shown he has a kick in his legs, just missing out twice on a top 10 finish in Qatar by 1 place Best Under 25 Rider of the Month:
It’s hard to remember Alfredo is still only 18. He has ridden well this month, and its even harder to realise he is only racing to pick up some form. An impressive stage win in Qatar made everyone sit up and watch, and a top 10 finish was well deserved. Next Month: We start off with the tough Tour de Langkawi, so any fans in Malaysia, make sure you come and meet us at our team bus. We then move onto Portugal, and end the month with a couple of tough classics
Tour de Langkawi
So, we return once again to one of my favorutie tours. Two mountain stages and an ITT are all that will separate the riders in this 10 stage race, and as predicted by my friend, DFL - Cyclingnews - Litespeed are here, and they’ve brought along Jose Rujano as team leader. Ouch, that’s going to be hard to beat him, but I’m determined to. Team Leaders: Evgeny Popov and Aritz Moyano Aim: Top 3 in GC
Stage 1
I was in Qatar during this stage, but Kasper covered for me. It was very infuriating, as take a guess at which team the rider who won rides for. That’s right, DFL –Cyclingnews – Litespeed. Although I do take consolation in that it was a Brit who won in this sprint finish: Mark Cavendish. Evgeny Popov was our best rider in 16th
Stage 2
With the tough mountain stage up the Kg Raja tomorrow, I told the riders to relax today, so our best finisher was Thomas Oredsson in 19th. William Bonnet of Credit Agricole outsprinted Mark Cavendish for the win, but Mark holds on to the lead.
Stage 3
Ending in the Cameron Highlands today, the early suicide breaks had five minutes heading into the Kg Raja. As sson as we got there, I sent pur promising Spaniard Moyano onto the attack, and he pulled away well. He worked hard, made his way up to the top group, and loved every second of it, grinning manically as he went up the 9% gradient. He recovered for a few minutes, composed himself, then left the front group of early escapees, as the pack, led by Panaria chased hard.
Rujano then suddenly attacked as the pack of 26 split in two, and Popov was really slow to react, and couldn’t get near him.
Over the top, and Moyanp picked up full mountain points, 1’44 ahead of Jose Rujano, who was being caught up by Fabio Duarte of Team LPR.
With 10 km left, Duarte and Rujano were snapping at the heels of Aritz Moyano. Did he falter? No! The two chasers managed to get hold of him for a second, then he upped the pace, grinning broadly as his two rivals floundered behind him. He held them off for his first professional win, grinning, happy as larry. I congratulated him on the line, and he adored the press attention. I wouldn’t say I gloated much to the DFL boys and Jef De Bilde. Its not like I paid someone to go outside their team bus for an hour and shout out Team GLS are the greatest. Nor did I erect a giant banner outside their hotel saying my gran could ride better than the DFL team. Nope, I’d never do that. Never.
Close, but not close enough Results:
1. Aritz Moyano TEAM GLS 4h07’03
2. Fabio Duarte TEAM LPR + 19
3. Jose Rujano DFL – CYCLINGNEWS – LITESPEED s.t.
4. Francesco Belloti CREDIT AGRICOLE + 1’35
5. Nacor Burges RELAX – GAM s.t.
6. Evegeny Popov TEAM GLS s.t.
Aritz also holds the U25 and climber’s jersey, and we lead the team competition as well
Stage 4
The only rest day in between the mountain stages, William Bonnet took his second stage win, as well as the points jersey. Evgeny Popov came ninth for us
Edited by Crommy on 24-06-2007 16:51
. Russian, I might be struggling with that
