Cycling is not as popular in Uruguay as football (soccer) or basketball. Despite this, in Syndey 2000 Milton Wynants won a silver medal in a track competition which is not practiced in the country.
Some talented young cyclists have tried in recent years to cross the ocean and try their luck in Europe. Fabricio Ferrari and Ignacio Maldonado are two of them.
This story is narrated by a young journalist, who tries to popularize this sport, following the best rider of Uruguay... Fabricio Ferrari from the Caja Rural team.
Technical Specifications
Game: Pro Cycling Manager 2010
Version: 1.0.3.0
Database: PCM.daily's Expansion Pack
Game Difficulty: Normal
Sorry for my english, sometimes it's hard to find the specific words.
I travelled to Pamplona, to visit and have my first interview with Fabricio Ferrari, the cyclist who won the last three Basque Amateur Championships (2007, 2008 and 2009). It was really hard to leave Uruguay in summer, but our goal was more important.
Fabricio was waiting me in his house, and we share "mate" (a traditional hot infusion from my country). He was very pleased to have company from Uruguay. Minutes later we started the interview.
Fabricio, how do you feel in the team this season?
I'm feeling great, it's a wonderful team and we are training really hard to achieve our goals this season.
Could you tell us anything about your team?
Sure, Cajar Rural is a small spanish team with lot of young riders who is going to participate in the Continental division. Although our age average is low, we have a big potential and we are working hard to give the best for the team.
Cycling here in Navarra and Basque Country is so much more important than in Uruguay, you are going to have a hard season.
Yes, you are right. People live with so much passion here this sport. This season is going to be my first as professional, and I'm going to have to work really hard. We have planned at least 30 days of racing with the chance to reach 50 or 60 days, depending on our results.
Could you tell us something about your teammates?
We have really good riders, Jose Herrada and Vitor Rodrigues are going to be our main leaders for GC, and Joaquin Sobrino is going to be our main sprinter for stage victories.
The most important thing is we have lot of good riders to help them, and also to try to achieve our goals, like Michal Kwiatkowski, Oleg Chuzhda or Aketza Peña. He is the most experienced rider in our team. We have also a very good rider like Garikoitz Bravo who is followed by a couple of UCI ProTour Teams.
What's coming for the next days?
We are going to Malaysia to achieve a better form to prepare our first races in February. We do not discard any races in January but the team has not tell me anything about that.
Thank you very much and we'll be in touch.
No problem, it's really nice to have someone from my country here with me.
First of all, thanks for all the people who is writing to our newspaper. We have received mails from Canada, Norway and Sweden.
Januray 31st, 2010
After a long month, Fabricio recieved us in his house ready to travel to Italy to participate in the Giro della Calabria. We could make him some questions before his first race of the season.
What can you tell us about this first month?
Well, we've travelled to Malaysia and spent there 10 days of preseason training. It was really important for us, to know each other better and to start improving our fit for the races.
The team participation in the Giro della Calabria was a surprise for you?
No, we knew that we were going to ride before the Vuelta a Mallorca but specifically didn't know where. It's going to be a good preparation for the eight who is going to race in Mallorca.
Could you tell us the names of your teammates who are going to share with you the race in Calabria and Mallorca?
Of course, I'll be running with Chuzda, De la Cruz, Fernandez, Herrada (as team leader), Kwiatkowski, Reig and Rodrigues.
Thank you very much in Italy, hope to see you before the Vuelta a Mallorca.
No, thank you!
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The first UCI ProTour event was taken by Sky rider, Juan Antonio Flecha. After some stages won by sprinters, the argentinian-spaniard took advantage of a long attack and gained the difference to take the overall win.
This is the activity of Fabricio Ferrari and the Caja Rural team for February.
1-4 Giro della Calabria (ff)
7-11 Vuelta a Mallorca * (ff)
17-21 Volta ao Algarve
21-25 Vuelta a Andalucía * (ff)
28 Clasica de Almeria (ff)
* Team objetive
(ff) Participates Fabricio Ferrari
Nocentini wins the Giro della Calabria with Ferrari's team really aggressive.
Rinaldo Nocentini took the Giro della Calabria by winning the last stage, taking the lead from Caja Rural's Oleg Chuzhda (Ferrari's teammate).
The first stage, sprinter profile, was dominated by Lampre in the first kilometers. Ferrari and Chuzhda were the men for Caja Rural to try a long escape. The ukranian took the good one and also the lead in the mountain clasification. Lampre pushed it hard and Petacchi took the first win.
Petacchi rises his arms after winning the first stage from Reggio Calabria to Gioia Tauro.
The second stage was won by Paolo Longo Borghini after a long breakaway, again with Chuzhda in it. The ukranian took the overall lead and ensured the mountain classification. A great day for Ferrari's team.
Oleg Chuzhda was really aggressive and won the mountain classification.
Ferrari and his team didn't want to work hard on third day so they decided to release Michal Kwiatkowski in the breakaway. Lampre had to do all the work and Petacchi took the third stage.
The fourth stage was really a pain for Caja Rural. From the beginning to the end they had to fight against strong attacks. The AG2R team start attacking with John Gadret and after the hilling stage it was italian Rinaldo Nocentini who made the final move to win the stage and the overall classification.
Chuzhda couldn't hold the pace, and Caja Rural came back home with a smile on its face. We asked Fabricio to tell us some words about the race.
"We tried our best, and we were really aggressive all days. The last day we have to control the breakaway, but Gadret did a great job for his teammate. It was really hard to keep the pace and at the final the strongest man took the big price. It was a very good preparation for first goal of the season, try to reach a Top10 in the Vuelta a Mallorca."
Fabricio Ferrari analyzes the stages of the Vuelta a Mallorca
7/2 - Stage 1
Palma - Palma : 113.1 kms
First stage is a perfect opportunity for sprinters to take the lead of the race. We probably will try to put a man in the breakaway or fight with Michal (Kwiatkowski) in a mass sprint.
Another chance here for sprinters to make the difference. It's important for the team to show our sponsors, so we will be fighting for mountain classification as we did in Calabria.
9/2 - Stage 3
Inca - Inca : 147.9 kms
We will have to work really hard this day. Although there are 30 kms after the main climb, the important riders would like to take differences here.
10/2 - Stage 4
Deia - Deia : 136.6 kms
A short stage, but with dangerous final kilometers. We have to be really aware of our rivals for the Top10.
11/2 - Stage 5
Magalluf - Palmanova : 156.0 kms
We probably send our "mountain" rider to fight for that classification, and try to protect our leader to reach the Top10. It would be a crazy stage, with lot of attacks. Probably a selected group would fight for the stage win.
After Fabricio's analysis, these is the startline for Caja Rural first main race of the season.
Colombian Leonardo Duque (Cofidis) took the first stage of the Vuelta a Mallorca. As predicted it was a mass sprint who decided the winner and first leader of the race.
The early breakaway was caught at half stage.
We saw the first breakaway at the first kilometers, including Oleg Chuzhda, who was sent to control the breakaway without relaying. The group of 4 was joinned by a group of 11 minutes later, but the presence of important riders like Christophe Riblon and Ángel Vicioso put the main group aware.
With 50 kms to go, the gap was reduced and another 3 man tried to escape. This time was Fabricio Ferrari with García Acosta (Caisse d'Epargne) and Paul Voss (Team Mirlam).
Very beautiful scenery we saw in Palma de Mallorca
The difference went up to 1'40, but Rabobank and Saxo Bank decided to increase the speed to catch the break. With 15 kms to go, the group was together and the sprint was imminent. Rabobank coudn't make a good train for Freire, and the sprint was leaded by Liquigas... but the close circuit favored Leonardo Luque who anticipated Bennati.
Bad news for RadioShack's Janez Brajkovic, he suffered a puncture when the group accelerated and lost almost 9 minutes in the finish line. RadioShack has taken a strong team to Mallorca, with Armstrong, Leipheimer, Brajkovic, Popovych, Rast, Zubeldia among others.
Célio Souza (Madeinox - Boavista) took the overall lead of the Vuelta a Mallorca after winning the sprint between the 12 men who made today's breakaway.
Cofidis, Rabobank, Astana and Liquigas move their pieces, but the break worked very well and could reach the final kilometer with enough difference to contest the stage win.
Ferrari's teammate, Oleg Chuzhda, took the three mountains sprints and became the KoM leader. Fabricio and all the Caja Rural pack didn't have problems to finish the stage.
We could talk to the uruguaian rider and he told us this after the race:
The team did a perfect job today. Oleg was in the right place and took the breakaway. He didn't have the legs to fight for the victory today, but he won all the mountain's sprints and of course, the team is pleased with that.
Tomorrow is going to be a hard day and we have to protect our leaders to fight for the main goal here.
Really funny 
