Ive got a question for your team signings - are Mikhail Ignatiev or Marcel Kittel still unsigned? As if you havent changed the database at all - they both were unsigned riders with 8 potential.
Mikhail Ignatiev has been signed by Comunidad Valenciana, although his contract runs out this year, so thanks for the tip off
Marcel Kittel is still unsigned, but is only 19, so I'll wait a while, I've got enough youngsters at the moment
Stage 3
The first hilly stage really opened my eyes today on just how good our competition is. There were three climbs, and the last one was decisive, as a small pack was blown apart by four riders (Schumacher, Gutierrez, Sanchez and Chavanel), who gained a significant gap up the last hill then held it all the way even with T-Mobile pulling the pack along at a really quick speed on the flat leading up to the finish. The sprint was a really exciting affair, with Sanchez blowing up and riding in solo for 4th, 39” behind the three riders, who jostled all the way and were separated by mere inches, as Schumacher had to settle for 2nd behind Gutierrez and Chavanel languishing in 3rd. The pack arrived 1’10 later. We were probably the biggest losers today, as Floyd slipped to 5th and Vincenzo slipped a place to 9th.
The finish straight provided a great backdrop
Stage 4
Today was a really exciting race, with three tough climbs. Matthieu Sprick got away early, and held his lead for over 150km, but was caught by a pack of just 29 at the base of the last hill with 60km left. The attacks then began, but I sent Floyd Landis off to early as the peloton was still at full speed having only just caught Matthieu, so he was left battling to stay in the pack having wasted a lot of energy for nothing. Then the real attacks began, and it was absolutely chaotic going up the hill, with riders everywhere and no clearly defined groups. Once over the hill though, two groups formed, with a group of 6 (Sanchez, Gutierrez, Dekker, Chavanel, Schumacher and Nibali) being chased by a group of 23. The 6 man break held out all the way though, and a tough sprint gave Schumacher the win and the yellow, with Gutierrez 4th and falling to 2nd in the GC, Nibali 3rd and moving up to 6th overall and Sanchez 2nd to go 4th. Floyd came in with the pack a minute down but is 7th overall
Stage 5
Today had a gigantic mountain towards the end, and real time could be made here. Many attacks came going up the slope, and I tried to get Floyd and Vincenzo up at the front, but only Floyd had the strength to go all the way, with Benat supporting him. Going over the top, a group of 3 riders (Garate, Piepoli and Jimenez) had 2’05 over the next group of 4 including Floyd, who were only a minute in front of the other riders. The descent allowed Robert Gesink to catch up with Floyd, but the gap held. I watched as the riders crossed the finish line, with Jimenez winning it for Phonak, and just 2’01 later, Robert Gesink led in Oscar Sevilla, Floyd Landis and Patxi Vila to a very good top 10 finish. 3’54 later the pack came in, and now the GC is really tight, with 59” between the top 6. Floyd is now sitting pretty in 5th, 37” behind Schumacher who now leads by just 18” from today’s winner Jimenez. Vincenzo could still do well, only being 1’16 off the front in 9th.
Edited by Crommy on 23-05-2007 22:29
Stage 6
Today’s race was the day where Floyd decided to go for it, and he attacked early, 55 km in, up the second slope of the day (Col Notre-Dame des Abeilles). He got a 1’37 gap over the top from the pack, and began focusing on catching the early escapees. He did this, but the pack was being pulled along by Gerolsteiner and T-Mobile, and Floyd was caught on the descent. If only he’d managed to reach the next climb solo, he would have extended his lead. As it was, he’d killed himself trying to stay away, and I knew and he knew his GC chances weren’t looking good, so I told him to just hang on in.
The penultimate slope was the big decider, as I sent Vincenzo off the front as he was feeling fantastic. He got a good gap by the top, and hadn’t slowed down at any point whilst ascending. His lead was 1’12 over a pack who had just caught Schumacher Gutierrez who just couldn’t stay with Nibali. With the final portion of the race over flat, Vincenzo had to work really hard, and I was trying to motivate him the whole way. With about 5 km to go, he looked like he was really hurting, and the pack was only a minute behind. But he gritted his teeth and sprinted in for the stage win, with the peloton just 45” behind. He was grinning like a Chesire cat at the end, but you could see it’s taken a lot out of him. He is the only major GC change, moving up to 4th, 25” off Schumacher, as well as looking menancing to Schumacher by moving 2nd in the points. Can he do it? He’s got a lot of determination, and he’ll push Schumacher all the way.
Stage 7
The final hill stage had a series of short climbs, but we all knew that it was the last climb at 7.1% (Le Grand Duc) that would sort the men from the boys, so I told the lads to just sit in and take it easy. This they did, and at the foot of the climb, they were ready to make their move, but Schumacher set off immediately, and everybody tried to follow. Only Vincenzo could, and they worked together up the hill, whilst all the other riders tried to sort themselves out. The twosome worked really hard, and actually worked well together (note to self, look at Schumacher as a transfer target), and were actually enjoying their little sprint finish, which Schumacher just won as Vincenzo set out too early, knowing he’d need to outsmart Stefan. A nice 1’06 later, Chavanel came in, followed by Casar 10 seconds afterwards, and Samuel Sanchez 20 seconds back. Joaquin Rodriguez was next in 2’07 off of Stefan, then two big groups, but still no Floyd! I was getting kind of worried, and he appeared in 37th, all alone looking absolutely shattered. He almost collapsed into me at the finish, and thought he’d drifted miles down the GC. However, he was now in 10th, 5’18 behind Schumacher, which lifted his spirits.
The GC has had a major shake up, with Stefan still leading, but Vincenzo just 27” behind in 2nd, and Chavanel now 3rd at 1’31. Tomorrow’s time trial won’t change the ranks much, as gaps are just too big, so we’ll just be trying to get the stage win with Floyd, and hopefully get Vincenzo an aim at the top spot, although his TT skills aren’t great.
Stage 8
After Floyd’s fairly poor ride yesterday, I had a really good talk to him this morning, and he’s now really fired up. He was like a man possessed, really motoring up the climb, and he easily took the stage win, 10” in front of anyone else in a really short time trial, and somehow managed to overtake Oscar Sevilla for 9th, who finished 18th, 44 seconds behind. The big one though was Vincenzo, and he gave it 110%, and even came 2nd, but Schumacher was his match, coming in 5th to take the Race to the Sun and the first ProTour victory proper. Final GC:
1. Stefan Schumacher GEROLSTEINER 29h54’56
2. Vincenzo Nibali TEAM CYCLING24 – 2012 + 20”
3. Sylvain Chavanel COFIDIS, LE CREDIT PAR TELEPHONE + 1’39
4. Samuel Sanchez EUSKALTEL – EUSKADI + 2’39
5. Sandy Casar FRANCAISE DES JEUX + 4’10
6. Robert Gesink FRANCAISE DES JEUX + 4’21
7. Jose Ivan Gutierrez CAISSE D’EPARGNE – ILLES BALEARS + 4’27
8. Leonardo Piepoli SAUNIER DUVAL – PRODIR + 4’30
9. Floyd Landis TEAM CYCLING24 – 2012 + 5’01
10. Oscar Sevilla T-MOBILE TEAM + 5’04
Points Classfication:
1. Stefan Schumacher - 130
2. Vincenzo Nibali - 123
3. Jose Ivan Gutierrez - 89
Mountains Classfication:
1. Jose Ivan Gutierrez - 39
2. Samuel Sanchez - 33
3. Mathieu Sprick – 32
Edited by Crommy on 23-05-2007 22:33
To: From: Subject:Giro del Capo
Hola boss! All about Alfredo down in South Africa, he was our best rider, he took two stage wins and came in 11th overall. Stage 1 he came 2nd in the sprint to Nauduzs of Panaria, then won stage 2 and held all the jerseys apart form KOM. Stage 3 was one we were never going to win, but Alfredo came in 19th, 1’43 after winner Klinger, and is 15th in GC. He still wears the points jersey.
Stage 4 saw an ITT, which Graham Taylor surprised us all with by coming 2nd by just 1 second. Alfredo was 6th at 6 seconds, and bumps up 2 places. The final stage got Alfredo another 2 places in the GC, as he sprinted to a good win and the points jersey. He’s really happy!
Tirreno-Adriatico
I arrived here from France having heard absolutely nothing from my assistant Jef de Bilde. Quite frankly, I can see why as the results don’t make good reading. I know that we haven’t really got an in form team leader here, but still. Here are the results: Stage 1
A sprint finish won by Enrico Gasparotto Stage 2
The first of many hilly stages, Michael Boogerd took this in an excellent victory from break away chums Paolo Bettini (2nd) and Pieter Weening (3rd). About the only really good thing for us is the good ride from Victor Sassier, who was our second rider home when he’s least experienced rider here. Here are our results:
21. Bradley McGee + 2’38
36. Victor Sassier + 4’28
48. Daniele Bennati + 5’29
67. Michael Rogers + 7’29
91. Jose Rujano + 8’41
92. Ryan Keels + 8’41
98. Brad Viera + 9’19
112. Mark Cavendish + 11’08 Stage 3
Another sprint today which Paolo Bettini took from team mate Tom Boonen. Bradley McGee managed a very good 7th. Stage 4
Another sprint, and this time Tom Boonen went one better and took the victory from Astana rider Allan Davis. Mark Cavendish was our best rider in 10th. Stage 5 (ITT)
Finally some good news. Michael Rogers did something good in a poor tour for him, with a good stage win. Mark Cavendish was also a surprise for us in fifth.
This is the general classification as I join the squad:
1. Alessandro Ballan LAMPRE-FONDITAL 18h15’24
2. Pieter Weening DAVITAMON-LOTTO + 23”
3. Juan Antonio Flecha RABOBANK + 45”
4. Michael Boogerd RABOBANK + 47”
5. Paolo Bettini QUICKSTEP-INNERGETIC + 57”
17. Bradley McGee TEAM CYCLING24 – 2012 + 3’01
Edited by Crommy on 18-05-2007 13:38
Stage 6
Today I joined the team, and I was determined for them to improve. Brad McGee was made team captain as he was the only rider anywhere near GC contention, and Brad Viera was asked to go for the stage win. He duly obliged.
Right at the start he set off, along with 6 other riders including Ryan Hesjedal. They quickly built up a lead of 7’06 at the top of the second climb, with 114 km left. At the base of the penultimate climb, at the only sprint, the lead was beginning to be cut at 6’58. Up the long climb, many riders tried to escape, and the peloton started to go at a ferocious pace with many riders dropped. Eventually at the top of the climb, the group of 7 led a group of 8 including Gerdemann, Rasmussen, Arroyo and Parra by 4’02, with the peloton of just 54 riders 1’20 off the pace. The lead was cut on the descent to the final climb which went on at about 5%, and at the base, Brad Viera prepared himself and attacked. Some tried to follow, most couldn’t. Over halfway up, with 5 km to go, he led two of his break mates by 40”, and his lead was increasing. Back in the peloton, attacks were coming thick and fast, and with 2.5 km left, Brad was solo by 1’06 from a rapidly emerging Frank Schleck, who had broken from a group of 13 including Weening, Rogers(!) and Hincapie. The peloton of 43 was another 37” behind, but included race leader Ballan, 3rd place Flecha, fourth placed Boogerd and Bettini who was 5th. In the end, Brad Viera held on to his lead, cheered on by a travelling group of Americans all the way to the line. Frank Schleck was caught at the line by Marco Fertonani, just 22 seconds back. A group of 8 followed including Weening who took the overall lead. Our next rider came in the next group of 5, 1’40 back, along with Boogerd. Brad McGee was 29th 2’52 back, and he fell to 18th. Weening now leads the GC, with Schleck 2nd, and Boogerd 3rd.
Stage 7
The final stage saw a win by a group of 7, who led the peloton by 1’14. Here’s the final results: Final GC:
1. Pieter Weening DAVITAMON-LOTTO 26h59’25
2. Frank Schleck TEAM CSC + 36
3. Michael Boogerd RABOBANK + 1’07
4. Xavier Zandio CAISSE D’EPARGNE-ILLES BALEARS + 1’19
5. Leonardo Bertagnolli QUICKSTEP-INNERGETIC + 1’40
Points Classification:
1. Paolo Bettini QUICKSTEP-INNERGETIC 40
2. Tom Boonen QUICKSTEP-INNERGETIC 37
3. Enrico Gasparotto LIQUIGAS 20
Mountains Classification:
1. Tom Boonen QUICKSTEP-INNERGETIC 9
2. Enrico Gasparotto LIQUIGAS 5
3. Jacob Moe Rasmussen COMUNIDAD VALENCIANA 5
Nokere-Koerse
This classic was just the first warm up race for Philippe Gilbert, and he had Dominique Cornu for support. This was one of my first cobbles races, and I mucked up big time. I broke far too early, and when Cornu and Gilbert were caught, Philippe held on and Dominique fell straight out the back. In the sprint, Philippe came at the back of the 5 man lead group having killed himself staying on, and the winner was Tom Steels. Dominique Cornu arrived in 1’30 later in 6th, with Bennati 10th riding solo.
Edited by Crommy on 24-05-2007 08:06
Milan-Sanremo (294.5 km)
This 294.5 km long classic looked set to end in a sprint, with the favourite being Tom Boonen to win a sprint. We however took Nibali as our team leader to try and get a break in the final hills, and he was really motivated to win having come off a hill training camp to get him up to speed for this race. Here are the race highlights:
270 km to go: The early break sets off as a group of 4 (Velo, Detilloux, Van Bon and De la Fuente), and they begin to rapidly create a gap
200 km: The break is now at 10 minutes from the pack as the Passo di Turchino begins to appear on the horizon
156.8 km: At the top of the Passo di Turchino, the peloton has woken up and began to put on some speed, reducing the break to 6’37. This pace has already dropped quite a few riders
130 km: The break has now lasted for 140 km, but is at 3’05, with a pink peloton chasing them down
100 km: Now this is totally unexpected. Some really good riders have attacked and are beginning to create a gap. The new group consists of Gutierrez, Fedrigo, Voigt, Sanchez and Nuyens
98 km: Some teams aren’t happy, and have sent their own riders out on an attack (Carrara, Iglinskiy, Mori, Wegmann and Van Petegem). This is strange, and Team Cycling24 have joined T-Mobile up front.
96 km: Weening, Verbrugghe, Rodriguez, Moletta and Dekker attack. This is one serious set of riders leaving the pack, and the groups are beginning to join up. The peloton is pulling its finger out, with Cycling24 and T-Mobile working their riders really hard, but the gap is holding
90 km: The escapees have now joined into one group of 19, 1’19 in front of the peloton which is really motoring
50 km: This is ridiculous. The peloton is working full out, with riders like Landis up front, but the break is now at 1’48, although only 15 riders remain
40 km: The break has now reached the 2 minute mark, and Team Cycling24 is now off front, with riders heading towards the back. No other team seems willing to help out apart from T-Mobile who are beginning to struggle
30 km: The break is still at 2’00. Realising this break will hold, Vincenzo Nibali attacks up the slopes, and begins working really hard to bridge the gap. Cancellara tries to follows, but cannot even get away from the peloton
20 km: With only one climb left, the group of 14 at the front are being chased down. Nibali rides solo 41” behind, then Verbrugghe who has blown up rides just behind him all alone. The peloton is 51” off Verbrugghe, and is now down to 27 riders, although Boonen and Zabel are still up there
15 km: Dekker attacks and gets off the front, whilst Nibali catches up the 13 man group as they chase Dekker
12 km: That was suicide, Dekker is easily caught and is struggling to hold on
Finish: Dekker is dropped near the line and is caught up by the chasing peloton. The sprint begins, and a group of 3 get out in front, whilst Nibali gets boxed in right at the back. Italian rider Matteo Carrara spurts ahead and holds on to take this years first classic, with Moletta 2nd and Mori 3rd. The peloton come in 1’06 down led by Tom Boonen
Final Standings:
1. Matteo Carrara LAMPRE-FONDITAL – 7h09’53
2. Andrea Moletta GEROLSTEINER – s.t.
3. Manuele Mori SAUNIER DUVAL-PRODIR – s.t.
4. Joaquin Rodriguez CAISSE D’EPARGNE-ILLES BALEARS – s.t.
5. Fabian Wegmann GEROLSTEINER – s.t. 6. Vincenzo Nibali TEAM CYCLING24-2012 – s.t.
7. Pierrick Fedrigo BOUYGES TELECOM – s.t.
8. Jens Voigt TEAM CSC – s.t.
9. Samuel Sanchez EUSKALTEL-EUSKADI – s.t.
10. Peter Van Petegem DAVITAMON-LOTTO – s.t.
Well it was a really interesting race, and I’m proud of Vincenzo for coming sixth. He did amazing to make up the gap alone, and sprinted well for sixth even though he was boxed in completely. He wanted to win, but he shouldn’t feel to downhearted. Our other notable rider was Philippe Gilbert, who came in 28th with the peloton and worked well for Vincenzo.
Edited by Crommy on 24-05-2007 08:08
Great result, but try spacing out the text a bit more - it got a bit hard too work out which bit I was reading. I was wondering if you were even gonan bother getting into the break at one point
Dwars door Vlaanderen
My second cobbles classic of the season showed off my inexperience again, when I sent off Philippe Gilbert AND Dominique Cornu too early AGAIN, and they were dead at the finish line. Philippe managed to hold on for 10th, whilst Matti Breschel took the honours from the group of 9 up front
E3 Prijs Vlaanderen – Harelbeke
My final cobble warm up before the real thing went better. I just told Phillipe to follow Tom Boonen, which he did. Unfortunately, Hushovd, Ballan and Weseman all got away, and beat the next group by 45”, with Thor taking the victory. Philippe took it easy in the second group to come in 16th. QUARTERLY UPDATE To: [i]Chris Boardman, Cycling Team Liaison, Cycling24 – 2012 Board
From: Allan Smile, Team Cycling24 – 2012 Team Director
Date: March 31st 2007
Subject: Quarterly Update[/i]
Hi Chris. It’s been a fairly good quarter for the team, but there has been some expenses involved to bring our success, including numerous training camps. Here’s a break down of the budget:
Income:
--Sponsor Revenues: €19,500
--Race Bonuses: €1,224,900
Expenditure:
--Salaries: €1,845,015
--Training Camps: €25,734
Total Balance: -€626349 New March 2007 Budget: €5,888,296
Predicted End of Season Budget: €499,501
More will be discussed about use of this profit at the next quarterly update CYCLING24 – 2012 MONTHLY ROUNDUP
Posted online at Cycling UK Online and the Team Cycling24 – 2012 website direct from Allan Smile
The ProTour has started and we have got off to a great start. Vincenzo Nibali was our total star when he came 2nd in the Paris-Nice and he leads the ProTour, but it was a fantastic result when Brad Viera won a superb stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico. Elsewhere, we’ve been preparing for the upcoming Northern Classics, and Tom Boonen better watch out for our star Philippe Gilbert. It’s just a shame Bernhard Eisel is still injured, he would have been great this season. Results:
--Paris-Nice: Vincenzo Nibali 2nd plus 3 podium positions, 2nd in points classification and U25 classification, Floyd Landis 9th plus two stage wins
--Giro del Capo: Alfredo Balloni 11th plus two stage wins and points jersey
--Tirreno-Adriatico: Bradley McGee 18th, Michael Rogers stage 5 win, Brad Viera stage 7 win
--Nokere-Koerse: Philippe Gilbert 5th, Dominique Cornu 6th
--Milan-Sanremo: Nibali 6th, Gilbert 28th
-- Dwars door Vlaanderen: Gilbert 10th
-- E3 Prijs Vlaanderen – Harelbeke: Gilbert 16th Rankings:
ProTour Individual Rankings:
1. Vincenzo Nibali TEAM CYCLING24 – 2012 – 68
2. Stefan Schumacher GEROLSTEINER – 58
3. Pieter Weening DAVITAMON-LOTTO – 51
4. Matteo Carrara LAMPRE-FONDITAL – 50
5. Frank Schleck TEAM CSC – 41
23. Floyd Landis TEAM CYCLING24 – 2012 – 11
28. Brad Viera – 3
30. Michael Rogers – 3 ProTour Team Rankings:
1. Gerolsteiner – 127
2. Caisse D’Epargne-Illes Balears – 100
3. Team Cycling24 – 2012 – 85
4. Lampre-Fondital – 56
5. Team CSC - 55 Doctor’s Report: Angelo Lecchi has no new injuries, but is still treating Eisel and Tynyanov for their cobble caused injuries Wiggle.co.uk Rider of the Month: Vincenzo Nibali
How could it be anyone else? A truly awesome rider in the Paris-Nice netted him a second place, and his sixth place at the Milan-Sanremo was truly amazing, as he crossed a two minute gap in 15 km, and still comes out fighting at the end. Will he win it next year? There’s no doubting it Best Under 25 Rider of the Month: Brad Viera
Brad was a truly memorable highlight this month, producing the performance of the season so far. He managed to stay away from Frank Schleck who was fighting tooth and nail to catch up to him for the biggest result of his career Next Month:
We continue focusing on the ProTour, with the important Amstel Gold Race. However, all our eyes are on the Northern Classics, especially the Paris-Roubaix
Hel van het Mergelland
Victor Sassier took his first ever win in this race with a superb sprint out of a front group of 8 which included Kirk O’Bee who came 5th.
RondeVanVlaanderen
Brave Ballan takes the win as Gilbert fades
The first cobble classic of the season saw rivals Cancellara and Boonen touted as favourites, although Ballan was another rider who could compete with those two.
117 km to go: We join the action at the start of the climbs, with a group of 5 up front including Cycling24 rider Kirk O’Bee having a 4’54 lead which won’t last that much longer
95 km: The break is down to 2’30, and some riders are finding the going tough, including first faller Jimmy Engoulvent
87.4 km: Up a very tough climb, the peloton has split! Knaven now rides solo 40” behind the lead group, with the next group of 20 including Hincapie and Ballan over a minute behind. Boonen and Cancellara are getting their teams up front to catch the dangerous group from within the peloton, a full minute behind
78.7 km: How quickly it can change on the cobbles! Thor Hushovd is now riding solo in a daring move, 24” in front of the Ballan and Gilbert group that’s dropped Hincapie! 8 riders lie 50” down including Cancellara and Flecha, whilst Boonen is still in the peloton, another 30” behind, although he’s whipping those Quickstep boys along at a ferocious pace
69.8 km: Hushovd has now caught up with the front group, but doesn’t look like he’ll stick around for long, whilst 2’10 behind, Ballan has a group of 7 including Boogerd that is frantically working to hold off a group of 24 just 40” down including all the favourites: Boonen, Cancellara, Gilbert and Flecha. But what’s this! Hoste, Breschel, Hincapie, Hammond and O’Grady are nowhere to be seen, there already way out of contention. In fact, O’Grady’s apparently had a puncture!
59.4 km: Hushovd is now solo, with a healthy lead of 1’07 over Knaven, who is 1’47 ahead of a group of 6 which has dropped Cancellara! Boonen, Gilbert, Ballan and Flecha are still there, and here comes Cancellara in a group of 14 54” down
49.4 km: Hushovd now has a commanding 2’31 lead, but a four man group consisting of Flecha, Ballan, Boonen and Gilbert is thundering on at a tremendous rate. Cancellara is doing better. He joins Gusev in an 8 man group 51” behind the foursome
39.4 km: Gusev has made his move! Hushovd still maintains a two minute advantage, but now Gusev rides solo, just under a minute in front of an 8 man group with Boonen and Cancellara in there now
26.5 km: Boy this is fun to watch. Ballan has now crossed over to Thor and Gusev who are now setting a great pace as a threesome. Just 41” behind, a group of 6, no wait, 4 ride. Cancellara has been dropped with Kroon! Boonen, Gilbert, Flecha and Devolder make up the four
13.8 km: It could be Ballan’s day! He now rides solo and he is looking good up the final climb, with a healthy minute lead over Boonen, Gusev, Flecha, Cancellara and Gilbert, who are forgoing rivalry as they try to catch up with Alessandro!
6km: Just 6km left, Ballan is going to make it! But he’s hurting himself, if the chasing group of 5 get their act together, this could go all the way. Hang on! Gilbert has totally blown up! He’s ridden so well, can he hang on for 6th? Devolder’s chasing hard, but is over a minute back
Finish: Ballan is riding in to the finish, and he’s almost collapsing out there. He looks over his shoulder and there’s Tom Boonen riding frantically up front. Just 100m to go, and Tom Boonen is right next to Ballan. Come on Alessandro! YES! What a great win and what a finish. How did Ballan find that little bit left? He takes the win after 7 hours of hard riding, with Cancellara just sprinting in for third. Gilbert crosses the line in 6th, looking completely wasted, having held off Devolder.
Punctures: 10, Falls: 4
What a great race, and what a win for Ballan!
Ballan holds off the Boonen charge
Results:
1. Alessandro Ballan LAMPRE-FONDITAL – 7h16’26
2. Tom Boonen QUICKSTEP-INNERGETIC – s.t.
3. Fabian Cancellara TEAM CSC – s.t.
4. Vladimir Gusev TEAM CSC – s.t.
5. Juan Antonio Flecha RABOBAK - +1’21
6. Philippe Gilbert TEAM CYCLING24 – 2012 - +2’23
7. Stijn Devolder DISCOVERY CHANNEL - +3’07
8. Karsten Kroon TEAM CSC - +3’51
9. Thor Hushovd CREDIT AGRICOLE – s.t.
10. Peter Van Petegem DAVITAMON-LOTTO - +5’23
What an awesome race. I’ve got nothing but respect for Tom Boonen’s never say die attitude, but Ballan was something else today. On our front, Gilbert was really good today, staying up with riders who should be far better than him. Still, if only the race had been 7 km shorter. If only…
Edited by Crommy on 24-05-2007 08:09
I've managed to redo all the screens so that they appear full size. Enjoy!!!
VueltaalPais Vasco Sanchez surges forward Stage 1
Samuel Sanchez and Frank Schleck get away up the climb, but Sanchez is far too strong, winning solo by 1’03 over Frank Schleck. The 24 man peloton arrives in at 2’01, with Schumacher 3rd and Nibali 4th
Stage 2
Today had multiple climbs, and a two man break got away and easily took the win. Sanchez, Nibali and Schleck attacked up the final climb, but Sanchez was dropped on the descent Markus Zberg took the win, Laurent Brochard second, then 34” later, Schleck outsprints Nibali for 3rd. The peloton finished 1’27, but Sanchez still leads by 10 seconds from Schleck
Stage 3
The break was caught at the base of the uphill finish, and Nibali came out up front in a really close and disorganised finish, and wins, from Leonardo Bertagnolli and Patrik Sinkewitz and Nibali takes hold of the points jersey! No time bonus though, so no GC change
Edited by Crommy on 24-05-2007 08:16
Gent-Wevelgem Cobbles prove too tough for Cycling24
Our team was today based on getting Bennati into a sprint, although if he didn’t make it through the cobbles in good shape, Gilbert would have to take over.
With Ballan’s superb win in the Tour of Flanders, he was made the dark horse again to go and take a solo win, but Tom Boonen remained race favourite in what should come down to a sprint
50. 6 km: The early break of 7 has had its lead cut to 1’19 after the first two cobble sections, and the 35 rider chase group is going to catch them on the flat before the next two cobbled climbs
33.7 km: The cobbles are over, and the front group now consists of 26 riders. This should come down to a sprint, you’ve got to feel Boonen will win this, he’s easily the strongest sprinter out there!
14.9 km: only 17 riders remain up front, and it’s just a question of who will be dropped before the sprint.
8.8 km: The riders are positioning themselves for the sprint, although Bennati is going backwards! Hang on, some attacks are coming!
5 km: Four riders have broken and now have a significant gap. I’m just getting confirmation…the escapees are Cancellara, Flecha, Hincapie and Weseman. Oh dear, Tom Boonen’s plans are in ruin, as he lies a minute down
Finish: The sprint gets under way, and immediately Cancellara leads out Flecha. The other two are in no mood to sprint, their totally wasted and are looking behind them anxiously at the Belgian champion jersey. Just 1000m left, and Flecha still sits in Fabian’s wheel, and now he makes his move! It’s neck and neck, their matching each other peddle for peddle, and its Flecha for the win! That was won by mere inches! Steffen Wesemanm rides in for the third podium place, whilst Boonen leads the sprint 1’03 behind. He does NOT look happy Results:
1. Juan Antonio Flecha RABOBANK – 5h33’34
2. Fabian Cancellara TEAM CSC s.t.
3. Steffen Wesemann T-MOBILE TEAM s.t.
4. George Hincapie DISCOVERY CHANNEL s.t.
5. Tom Boonen QUICKSTEP-INNERGETIC +1’03
A fairly strange race, it was a disappointing race for the team. Daniele Bennati let me down big time by not staying near the front, coming in 21st at the back of the 4th group home. Philippe Gilbert also disappointed, as he blew up at the end to finish only 14th, second from last in the chasing group.
Oh well, there’s always the Paris-Roubaix, and we’ve still got the Vuelta al Pais Vasco where things are slightly rosier.
Edited by Crommy on 24-05-2007 14:55
VueltaalPais Vasco Stage 4
I’m back in Spain to hopefully keep Vincenzo’s hopes alive.
Today was one of the most challenging stages of the tour, with 4 fairly long climbs. The early break included some very dangerous riders, such as Lovkvist, Evans and Perdiguero, and was fairly big. I asked for volunteers to lead the chase, and Dario Cataldo sacrificed himself by working full steam at the from of the pack for about one third of the race, a phenomenal achievement that put the break close enough for Euskaltel to reel in once Dario could no longer go. Only Miguel Ángel Martín Perdiguero remained solo off the front, and he continued to maintain a farily small gap.
Over the final climb, Samuel Sanchez set off in the yellow jersey. Weening and Nibali decided to follow, but Sanchez got solo off the front, with only Perdiguero in front, looking set for the stage win. As the pack chased down the second group of 8, Nibali attacked to try and make in roads on Sanchez, and got clear.
At the finish, Perdiguero completed an impressive solo win by 23 seconds from Sancez who extended his lead. Nibali sprinted in 3rd, but was given the sane time as the peloton even though there was a clear gap! We staged a protest, but it was rejected, so Vincenzo did all that work to get the same time as Schleck and stay the same time behind. Nibali still holds the points and U25 jersey, which he should be able to keep: the overall jersey is looking a little unrealistic, but second…well, it could happen. He’s only 58 seconds behind.
Stage 5
Today was a day of recovery for Vincenzo, and it seemed everybody was preparing for tomorrow’s crucial time trial, as it came down to a pack sprint. Schumacher won, with Kirchen second.
Stage 6
Vincenzo needed 58” today, which was possible, but would be hard in this time trial. But he was determined and focused, as was the whole of the team.
First off for us was Dario Cataldo, who rode well and came in 4th after about 50 riders had been.
Then it was the turn of Joost Posthuma, who went into the first split with a 16 second lead. He carried this on to the second split, and he took a huge 32” lead over the finish line, coming in at 34’37. Benat Intxausti shortly followed, and he was impressive throughout, coming in the line at 4th, far better than someone of his ability should be able to do. Intxausti was a big surprise
By the time Vincenzo set off, he was totally psyched up: he was in the zone. He immediately set off at a great pace, and was the fastest rider at the first split. I kept on updating him about the gap, and he was slowly getting to that precious minute mark. He led at the second split, but still needed about 20” to get into second, at which point he really began to push it. With 2.5 km to go, he was just about at the time he needed, but was really hurting. He tried as hard as he could, and came over the line in the lead at 33’30. Nibali gave it all
We waited. 40 seconds later, Frank Schleck came into view, looking exhausted, and I counted down the seconds. He crossed the line 1’16 down. Vincenzo had done it! Samuel Sanchez rode home in style to take the overall win, although Vincenzo took this final stage win, and grabbed all the headlines after his amazing performance, with two jerseys, two stage wins plus 2nd in the GC!
He’s really happy, and I’m absolutely thrilled, he’s been looking good, and if he gets his climbing sorted out this year, he could be looking at a podium spot in a Grand Tour next season. Final GC:
1. Samuel Sanchez EUSKALTEL-EUSKADI – 20h13’14
2. Vincenzo Nibali TEAM CYCLING24 – 2012 + 1’23
3. Frank Schleck TEAM CSC + 1’41
4. Thomas Dekker RABOBANK + 2’35
5. Jose Ivan Gutierrez CAISSE D’EPARGNE-ILLES BALEARS + 2’41
16. Emanuele Sella TEAM CYCLING24 – 2012 + 4’30 Points Jersey: Vincenzo Nibali 93 Mountain Jersey: Ivan Santaromita QUICKSTEP-INNERGETIC 23
Paris-Roubaix Great battle gives Boonen a stunning victory
The most famous classic in the world saw a Tom Boonen in tip-top condition, with other riders such as Fabian Cancellara set to struggle in the surprisingly dry conditions.
210 km to go: The suicidal breaks begin, with Lecellier going off all alone for the Cycling24 team, although the pack is letting him slowly gain a lead
205 km: Quickstep’s Hulsman sets off after the break and quickly begins to make headway
201.5 km: A slow pack speed has set Patrick’s lead to a healthy 3 minutes, with Hulsman leading the peloton by a single minute
176.1 km: We enter the cobbles as the two escapees join up, with a lead of 4’33, although the peloton won’t let this lead continue for long across the cobbles Bracing for the cobbles
150 km: After 5 cobble sections, the lead has been cut to 2’46, and Lecellier is just sitting in waiting to be caught, although Hulsman is still working hard
117. 6 km: The peloton of 81 catches the two escapees, and looks set to continue a fairly fast pace
114.2 km: Well this is unlucky. Stijn Devolder has got his second puncture in 10 km, and is now working hard to catch the pack again
76. 1 km: It’s been a fairly inactive race so far, with no crashes and only a few punctures. The front group still remains at 83, with Devolder now being forced to pace set for a Quickstep team who are pulling hard
56 km: Now the pace is getting hot! The pack is down to 48, and there are a lot of riders who will struggle to hold on. Tom Boonen’s got his Quickstep boys decimating the field
50 km: 8 more have dropped off, and there’s still a lot of cobbles to go
44.3 km: The leading group is down to 33, and the Disco team has taken over the pace setting
37. 9 km: Attack! And a poorly timed drinks break has taken Tom Boonen totally off guard, it looks like the favourites were just watching for something like this. Ballan, Hincapie, Flecha and Cancellara are a dangerous group, whilst Boonen sits with Gilbert as Quickstep begin the chase
28. 5 km: The lead has stabilised at 30 seconds, but the break is killing itself whilst Tom Boonen leads the chasing group of 20
20.6 km: Boonen is no longer at the front, and the lead is now over a minyte, if they can just hold it for the last two cobble sections, Tom could be disappointed for the third time this month!
15.6 km: The lead is beginning to come down, but there remains only one short cobble section before we enter the Velodrome
10. 6 km: A number of riders have fallen off the chasing group due to the frantic pace set on the last batch of cobbles. To come this far and fall at the last hurdle is agonising, but for Gilbert, Hammond, O’Grady and Klier amongst others, its just a matter of racing for pride and getting across the finish line
4.3 km: As the lead group enters the velodrome, their lead is at just 20 seconds from Hoste and Boonen, this is going to be an exciting finish A great site for the front group, but Boonen is coming
Finish: The sprint begins and Tom Boonen is like a man on fire! With 1. 5km he’s at the back of the leader group, but then just pulls away on the last turn to take a great victory! He’s finally got it all together, as he wins quite easily from Ballan, then Hincapie, who are looking on in awe at Boonen. How did he pull that sprint out having pulled along a group for 35 km at a ridiculous speed!
Results:
1. Tom Boonen QUICKSTEP-INNERGETIC – 7h26’48
2. Alessandro Ballan LAMPRE-FONDITAL s.t.
3. George Hincapie DISCOVERY CHANNEL s.t.
4. Juan Antonio Flecha RABOBANK s.t.
5. Fabian Cancellara TEAM CSC s.t.
6. Leif Hoste DISCOVERY CHANNEL s.t.
7. Thor Hushovd CREDIT AGRICOLE + 1’21
8. Vladimir Gusev TEAM CSC s.t.
9. Matti Breschel TEAM CSC s.t.
10. Steffen Wesemann T-MOBILE TEAM s.t.
That was a good Paris-Roubaix. Unusual in the few number of punctures and falls we got, but a great finish and a well deserved win for Boonen. Philippe Gilbert let me down a bit again, as he just couldn’t last over the last section of cobbles. He should be able to, he just seems to go to pieces in the actual race. He finished at the back of group 5 in 23rd. The big hero of the day though was Stijn Devolder: two punctures and he still gets a top 20 performance!
GP de Denain Pont du Hainaut
Daniele Bennati had been feeling a bit down recently, and was demotivated over his lack of wins so far, so this was just an easy race that we controlled so he could sprint for the win. Easy. Not quite. He won, but he wants a ProTour win, so the Giro could be the big boost he needs. Gilbert and Nibali came 4th and 5th just to keep them race fit for the Amstel Gold Race. Balloni was 3rd.
AmstelGoldRace Nibali Triumphs
The sponsors want a top 5 performance here, but we want to win. Nibali’s good form so far makes him team leader and race favourite, and he’s got good support in Gilbert, Sella and McGee. He’ll be up against Frank Schleck and the Vuelta al Pais Vasco winner Samuel Sanchez.
12. 5 km to go: We’ve had a really boring race so far. No breaks worth mentioning, just many riders dropping off the front, so we’re left with a 15 strong front group with 2 climbs left. But finally, Frank Schleck is off and he’s left alone, no one’s going with him. But that’s because the chase catches him immediately. Oh well, nice try Frank. Oh dear, he’s going backwards, and now he’s out of there!
1.5 km: It’s the start of the final climb, and Sanchez is away, he’s got a couple of bike lengths over the rest of the group
Finish: Sanchez has set off to early, and quickly is overtaken by Vincenzo Nibali who is powering up that final hill. Sanchez fights hard to stay at the front, but Vincenzo is the man of the moment, as he takes a win with a time gap of 16”! He’s finally got that elusive win! The race for second is close though, but Bettini just overtakes Sanchez on the line. Nibali triumphs in wet Valkenburg!
We’ve finally done it! My first ProTour win proper, and it feels fantastic. Vincenzo has been knocking on the door for the past few races, and this time he was unstoppable! The sponsors are happy, I’m happy, the team is happy, but most importantly, the fans are delighted! My e-mails overloaded with congratulatory messages from the fans, as is Vincenzos
La Fleche Wallone Surprise Finish
Welcome to the gloriously sunny day we have here. Today’s race features multiple climbs including a tough 15% climb at the end that should test the riders too their limit. Hot favourites today are the three riders who came home first in the Amstel Gold Race, although Frank Schleck is looking to make up for his dismal performance.
150 km to go: Alex Holder goes off! It’s a suicidal break, but we haven’t really seen him this year, so he’s got everything to prove.
143 km: We enter the Mur de Huy, a tough 14% climb, and Holder’s beginning to increase his lead, taking it up to a minute
108.3 km: An attack from the peloton, and some good riders are their. Now this could be exciting. Holder leads by 2’30, but he’s got some dangerous competition from Chavanel, Gesink, Jaksche and Gutierrez, who already have a good minute gap
100 km: The peloton has started to try to bring the break down. The foursome have passed Holder, but Gutierrez stuck himself with the young Brit and seems happy to let the three others to go. What is he doing? He can’t be tired, he’s the best rider there!
70.6 km: The pace has been hot, and many have been dropped from the peloton and face a tough day ahead. Holder decided to slow down and rejoin the peloton, so Gutierrez now riders solo two minutes up the road, a minute down on the dangerous three
52.1 km: Gesink has been dropped. The other two have really started to go, and Gesink just doesn’t have the fitness yet. The gaps have all dropped by a minute
41.2 km: This is exciting stuff to watch. Up a short hill Sanchez and Mori are attacking, just as Gutierrez is caught and the break subsides to 1’43
40 km: Chavanel drops Jaksche, who is very close to being caught by Gesink
33.2 km: All hell’s broken loose over the last two climbs, the favourites have begun to position themselves: here’s how it stands: Chavanel still leads Jaksche by 20”, but now a group of 2 are catching up with the German. Gesink has hung on to Vansummeren who’s looking very strong for Davitamon. A group of 6 is 30” behind, containing all the top riders (Sanchez, Bettini, Schleck, Sinkewitz, Mori and Nibali), with Emmanuelle Sella riding solo 20” between the group of 6 and the peloton which includes Boogerd.
26.3 km: Now those who will challenge at the finish have got out front. Chavanel is grimly holding onto his lead but is struggling just 16” in front of Nibali, Vansummeren and Schleck, whilst the group of 6 now has Gesink, 35” behind. The peloton is now way off, and its just a question of whether this 3 man break can survive it for two gruelling climbs
23.2 km: This race is topsy-turvy. In 3 km, a new group of 4 has been formed up front, with Chavanel being caught by Sinkewitz, Schleck and Vansummeren, , whilst Bettini is just behind trying to bridge the gap and Nibali has been dropped! Behind him lies Mori, Sanchez and Jaksche, who could drag him along down this long descent
10.3 km: The penultimate climb, and Vansummeren pace set all the way up and got off the front, taking an 18” lead over Sinkewitz over the top. That rider is looking exceptionally strong today. Then follows a bunch of soloists over the next two minutes, in this order: Schleck, Bettini, Chavanel and Nibali, and the Sanchez group remains, closing the gap down slowly in preparation for the last climb.
Finish: By the base of the long, steep climb to Huy, four riders lead (Vansummeren, Sinkewitz, Bettini and Schleck, whilst Nibali, Mori and Sanchez follow about a minute behind. The impressive Vansummeren, who had highlighted today as his big race set off at 1.5 km and nether looked back, taking the win from Paolo Bettini. Schleck blew up before the line, and was caught by Sanchez (3rd), and Sinkewitz blew up mere metres from the line and was pipped for 4th by Nibali, a minute down.
Results:
1. Johan Vansummeren DAVITAMON-LOTTO 5h29’04
2. Paolo Bettini QUICKSTEP-INNERGETIC + 23”
3. Samuel Sanchez EUSKALTEL-EUSKADI + 40”
4. Vincenzo Nibali TEAM CYCLING24-2012 + 1’12
5. Patrik Sinkewitz T-MOBILE TEAM + 1’31
Another good race for the team, and far more exciting than the Amstel Gold Race. Nibali came on really strong at the finish, which is something I’ve wanted to get into my riders, but the star today I have to admit was Johan Vansummeren. He was so strong throughout the race, and completely destroyed the best hill riders in the world at the end. Other notable performances was a good 12th by Philippe Gilbert, and Dario Cataldo is starting to look good for the Giro as he finished comfortably in 39th without really pushing himself.
Liege-Bastogne-Liege Sinkewitz show
Welcome to Liege for this years famous classic seeing the riders take a tough course over 200 km and several tough climbs. Today’s favourite is Vincenzo Nibali, although he’s laboured performance in La Fleche Wallone gives riders like Schleck and Schumacher a good chance. Outside favourite is Michael Boogerd, who’s been unimpressive and very quiet so far, so this could be his target.
249.8 km to go: The first break of the day has already gone and got a minute leave after two easy climbs. It contains 3 riders, Osa, Guerini and Garrido
199.4 km: With just under 200 km left, the break now has 6 minutes, and this is increasing rapidly
179.9 km: The first big climb leaves the break 8 minutes whilst some riders struggle in the peloton, although the pace is very slow
134.1 km: Up the Cote de St-Roch, and the break now has just six minutes, as T-Mobile hit the front
133.9 km: Attack! And it’s a dangerous one! Miguel Perdiguero powers off the front, and Andy Schleck follows. His brother Frank doesn’t seem to mind though, and just sits in near the front
130. 9 km: That break lasted just 3 km, but its got the pack to start moving, as the front group lose another minute
108.9 km: With the break now down to 4 minutes, Rodriguez attacks for Caisse-IB! The pack is moving quickly though, so this is a fairly pointless thing to do
100 km: The break has now stabilised at just under 4 minutes after the capture of Rodriguez
96.4 km: Chavanel attacks! This is dangerous, and a few riders are following. Who’s that? It’s Rodriguez again, looks like he didn’t really commit on the first attack. The break is roughly at three minutes now
90.2 km: Up the Cote de Wanne and Rodriguez tries to leave Chavanel and get up to the front. He could do it, but the peloton will surely catch him
84.9 km: Rodriguez has caught up to the front, but now only a minute behind is Chavanel who’s going to be shortly caught by the pack
81.5 km: This show’s you how much I know about cycling. Chavanel has now joined the front group as they climb the Cote de la Haute-Levee, and the gap has increased to 1’33!
79 km: Rodriguez now rides solo up front, but Ivan Basso has attacked! The Giro favourite is off, but its just a waste of energy, he can’t get a gap, but the peloton is working harder
75.1 km: Now its starting to get tough. Rodriguez still leads the group of 3, but the peloton is now down to just 40 riders
68.5 km: Guerini, Osa and Garrido have now all been caught, and its only a matter of time before Chavanel follows
65.9 km: That’s the end for Chavanel, he’s back with the bunch, who don’t relent on their quest for Rodriguez a minute down the road
55.2 km: Up the Cote de la Vecquee and Rodirguez still holds the minute, but two riders are back on the attack and have a gap. Somehow, Chavanel has followed Perdiguero up this 6% climb. And now the attacks are coming. We’re over the top, and now Bettini is solo in front of a group of 5 by 20 seconds (Nibali, Sanchez, Schleck, Sinkewitz and Leukemans), with a group of 10 anopther 30” behind containing Boogerd and Schumacher. Boogerd can’t fail like this again can he?
40.5 km: Rodriguez has been caught along with Bettini, so the front group totals seven and is moving away from Schumacher and Boogerd in the group behind.
30.7 km: Up the Cote de la Redoute, and Sinkewitz is off the front! He takes a 41” lead over a trailing group of 16, which Boogerd and Schumacher have now reached
28.4 km: The German’s lead is expanding, its now 53”, whilst two riders are dropped from the chasers
17.1 km: Can he make it? Two climbs left, and the T-Mobile rider leads the second group by 35”. But now it’s a move by Schleck, and Nibali follows up the Cote de Sart-Tilman, but they’ve been caught on the descent
6.6 km: This’ll be great if he makes it, what a ride by Sinkewitz. He’s flat out up the Cote de St-Nicholas, and he’s hurting, but he still has a gap on the group of 14 behind
5.5 km: Sinkewitz is caught, and now Schleck has made his move. And Nibali follows, whilst Boogerd rides with Sinkewitz and they’re spurring each other on. Bettini and Schumacher follow in the nig group. I think Nibali is struggling! Yes, he’s just blown up completely, he’s got to hang on. This is not good for the AGR winner
3.2 km: What an exciting conclusion! Boogerd and Schleck are winding it up whilst Sinkewitz is still in with a shout just seconds behind. Nibali has been caught but stays at the front of the group
Finish: Schleck blows up, he’s struggled, and Sinkewitz goes round him easily and locks onto Boogerd’s wheel., and just slingshots round him on the final bend to take a superb win. Boogerd is comfortably second, whilst Schleck somehow holds on for third. Bettini leads the bunch sprint for 4th, but they just quite don’t make the final podium spot.
What a ride by Patrik, the crowd loved his ride today. The Giro looks like it could be good this year. More please!
1. Patrik Sinkewitz T-MOBILE TEAM 7h10’38
2. Michael Boogerd RABOBANK + 9
3. Frank Schleck TEAM CSC + 51
4. Paolo Bettini QUICKSTEP-INNERGETIC + 58
5. Johan Vansummeren DAVITAMON-LOTTO s.t.
6. Stefan Schumacher GEROLSTEINER s.t.
7. Kim Kirchen T-MOBILE TEAM s.t.
8. Pieter Weening DAVITAMON-LOTTO s.t.
9. Vincenzo Nibali TEAM CYCLING24-2012 s.t.
10. Mauele Mori SAUNIER DUVAL-PRODIR s.t.
Edited by Crommy on 01-06-2007 13:40
