First Edition Cycling News for April 30, 2004

Edited by Chris Henry

Time trial opens 2005 Tour

The 2005 Tour de France will begin with a 19 kilometre individual time trial rather than a traditional short prologue. The Tour's Grand Départ will be staged in the Vendée region of France, with the time trial organised between Fromentine and the Ile de Noirmoutier on July 2, 2005. Tour director Jean-Marie Leblanc signed an agreement Thursday with Bruno Retailleau, vice president of the Conseil Général of the Vendée region.

Following the 19km time trial, the first road stage will cover 185 kilometres between Challans and Les Essarts. The following day, stage 3, will begin at La Châtaigneraie, though the finishing town has yet to be determined.

The Ile Noirmoutier start is the third Tour start in the Vendée in recent years, after prologues were held in 1993 and 1999 at Puy-du-Fou.

Month of recovery for Di Luca

Saeco's Danilo Di Luca left the Clinica Villa Pina in Chieti, Italy Thursday, following two days of tests for a urinary infection that forced his withdrawal from last Sunday's Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Di Luca could be back on the bike in training in a week, but undergoing a course of antibiotics anti-inflammatories, Saeco team doctors don't expect the Italian to be at his best for about a month. Di Luca was diagnosed with mixed acute prostatitis (both inflammatory and bacterial).

Clarke breaks collarbone

Australian cyclist Hilton Clarke (Team Cyclingnews.com) has broken his collarbone after crashing in the finale of the Ronde van Noord Holland last Sunday. The accident happened when a spectator leaned over the barriers to take a photo of the sprint and was clipped by Jans Koerts (Chocolade Jacques). The resulting crash brought down a number of riders, including Clarke who fell heavily on his right side and broke his collarbone.

Incredibly, Clarke managed to cross the line in 16th place, although as teammate Cody Stevenson wrote in his Team Cyclingnews Diary, he may not have been pedaling at the time...

Valenciana reconsiders

The Generalitat Valenciana, principal sponsor of the Comunidad Valenciana-Kelme team, is expected to revisit its objectives with the team following the continued fallout from Jesus Manzano's extensive allegations of systematic doping within Kelme. This week Giro d'Italia organisers informed the team it would not be invited to the race, while the Tour de France already made its position clear to the same effect. The negative press has made the search for an additional sponsor increasingly difficult.

According to a Europa Press report, the Valenciana government is not threatening a premature end to its sponsorship, however after having already bailed the Kelme team out of financial difficulty at the end of 2003, the first in a series of setbacks came as the team was dropped to the UCI's second division. It is expected that the Valenciana government's continuation will be based largely on the arrival of a supporting cosponsor.

Phonak for Henninger Turm and Giro

The Phonak Hearing Systems team has announced its rosters for the Rund um den Henninger Turm, which takes place in Germany on Saturday, May 1, along with the Giro d'Italia from May 8-30.

Rund um den Henninger Turm:

Michael Albasini, Bert Grabsch, Gregory Rast, Alexandre Usov, Daniele Bennati, Uros Murn, Johann Tschopp

Giro d'Italia:

Michael Albasini, Niki Aebersold, Daniele Bennati, Marco Fertonani, Alexandre Moos, Uros Murn, Daniel Schnider, Alexandre Usov, Tadej Valjavec

Oktos signs Boucher

Division III team Oktos-Saint Quentin has signed 24 year old David Boucher, winner of the Monday's prologue at the Ruban Granitier Breton. Boucher is currently riding for Team Deschacht-Eddy Merckx, but has been enlisted by Oktos-Saint Quentin as a key rider for the Tour de l'Avenir later this year.

Minard to RAGT

Another French team looking ahead to the Tour de l'Avenir is RAGT Semences-MG Rover, which will take on Sébastien Minard as a stagiaire in time for the September stage race. Minard, 22, rides for CC Nogent-sur-Oise and will likely join the team full-time beginning in 2005.

VIPs to Verona

Cunego and Ballerini
Photo ©: Olympia

Giro del Trentino winner Damiano Cunego (Saeco) was one of a number of VIPs to pay a visit to Verona Thursday and ride the circuit to be used at the 2004 World Championships this October. Cunego was joined by Filippo Pozzato (Fassa Bortolo) and Pietro Caucchioli (Alessio-Bianchi), as well as national selector Franco Ballerini and Francesco Moser. Riding with the current and former professionals were 18 recipients of organ transplants, riding on behalf of an organ transplant society (FITO).

The riders took in the climb of the Torricelle, one of the principal difficulties of the Verona parcours. The 1999 World's were held in Verona, however this year the circuit has been shortened to force more climbs of the Torricelle with the goal of creating a more selective race.

O'Loughlin favourite for Tour of Ulster

By Tommy Campbell, Irish Independent, Evening Herald, Sunday Independent

David O'Loughlin now of Total Cycling-Lite Speed and the recent winner of the Murphy & Gunn Elliott Memorial has been installed as race favourite for the 47th edition of the Tour of Ulster, which starts Saturday with a 70-mile stage from Emyvale to Enniskillen.

O'Loughlin, a former professional with the American based Ofoto-Lombardi Sports team, will have the support of a very professional outfit which includes Tommy Evans, a former winner of the event in 1998.

The Cong-based cyclist admitted last Sunday that getting those UCI ranking points in the 'Elliott' was a real bonus. It has also give him a window of opportunity of representing Ireland in the Olympic Games in Athens. He goes to the Ulster event with hopes of adding to his two wins already achieved this season in the Credit Union Ras Mumhan in Killorglin over the Easter weekend.

O'Loughlin also avoided a whitewash of the Irish participants in Munster where 'The Recycling.Co.Uk/MG XPower' was all the conquering force where he won the time trial. Included in the Tour of Ulster's four stages is a time trial on Sunday, which should suit O'Loughlin, as his ability against the clock is one of his strong points.

The outcome of the three-day event may also be decided by the strength of the various squads. The Carrick Cidona outfit will likely come to the fore. With Rory Wyley and Timmy Barry, the team has two candidates who will not be found wanting when the chips are down.

Barry is a twice winner of the event in 2001 and last year. This season he has tasted success in the Mick Cahill Memorial and Bill Hyland in Clonmel. However his form has deserted him following several crashes that must have hampered his confidence. He has the miles in his legs, and the experience of being in Malaysia for the Tour of Langkawi in February will also boost his hopes of competing a unique treble.

Up to last Sunday, Conor Murphy was regarded as a safe pair of hands for the title in the U23 award, but the emergence of Mark Cassidy from the Cycleways Lee Strand team has shifted the favouritism to Mark who has just gone into the senior ranks. Sean Lacey from the Earl of Desmond Tralee Bicycle Club will certainly be in the top half of the draw for the generous U23 prize list.

With €5,000 on offer, thanks to the support of Omagh Sports Trust, Enniskillen District Council, Modern Tyre Services and Cookstown Credit Union, competition should be of the highest quality and with the FBD Milk Ras only three weeks away, many of the probable starters will be laying down markers.

Stages:

Saturday-Stage 1: Emyvale/Enniskillen, 70 miles
Sunday-Stage 2: Enniskillen/Omagh, 75 miles
Sunday-Stage 3: Individual time trial
Monday-Stage 4: Omagh/Emyvale, 76 miles

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