First Edition Cycling News for February 5, 2004

Edited by Chris Henry

Zanini ready to lead Boonen's train

Italian Stefano Zanini, reunited with former Mapei director Patrick Lefevere after a stint with Saeco, has resumed his role as a fast finisher and leadout man for the Quick.Step-Davitamon team. With young Belgian star Tom Boonen gaining confidence and improving his sprinting form, Zanini is ready to provide Boonen with the leadout necessary to beat the best in the bunch finishes. Their collaboration came to early fruition in Tuesday's stage 2 of the Tour of Qatar when Boonen took the stage win and leader's jersey ahead of notable sprinters such as Robbie McEwen and Jean-Patrick Nazon.

"I have to admit I didn't really know Tom," Zanini said of his new teammate Boonen in an interview with La Dernière Heure. "But I had seen him on television in the last Tour of Spain, and he was often right there in the stage finishes. I knew right away that he had real talent as a finisher."

Zanini, who himself has notched some noteworthy victories, most recently in the USPRO championships in Philadelphia, knows the value of a good leadout for a sprinter, particularly a rider like Boonen who has talent but is still maturing and developing his skills.

"In the case of me and Tom, it's important that my sprinter has total confidence in me," Zanini explained. "He has to follow each of my moves... Brake when I brake, accelerate when I accelerate, stick his elbows out when I do the same up front."

Back in his days on the powerful Mapei team, Zanini was often the leadout man for sprinter Tom Steels, who coincidentally took his own stage victory Wednesday in the Etoile de Bessèges. For Zanini, the pairing with Steels was perfection on the road.

"He almost knew ahead of time what I was going to do," Zanini said. "He followed me with his eyes closed, with complete confidence in my instincts, before doing his own job in the final 200 metres. I hope the same thing comes with the other Tom!"

Steels cracks top ten

Sixty one for Steels
Photo ©: AFP

With his victory Wednesday in the opening stage of the Etoile de Bessèges stage race, Belgian sprinter Tom Steels joins the list of ten riders currently racing with the most number of professional victories.

The win was Steels' 61st, which puts him on par with Dutch sprinter Jeroen Blijlevens. Former world champion Mario Cipollini remains atop the list with 162 career wins as a professional.

Most victories as a pro:

Mario Cipollini    162 victories
Erik Zabel         140
Jaan Kirsipuu      109
Johan Museeuw       73
Lance Armstrong     70
Jan Svorada         68
Alex Zülle          68
Robbie McEwen       63
Jeroen Blijlevens   61
Tom Steels          61

Pevenage takes a back seat

Rudy Pevenage, who has worked with Jan Ullrich as a team director and mentor throughout the German's career, has indicated that he will not follow his star throughout the 2004 season. Pevenage was not invited back to T-Mobile when Ullrich rejoined the ex-Telekom team after a season with the Coast and Bianchi teams, but continued to work closely with Ullrich through the off-season.

As Ullrich continues his training in Tuscany, Italy, Pevenage seems content to move on, at least following the races from somewhere other than the team car.

"I had planned on Jan's training period and all of the races, but I no longer want to be in the team car," Pevenage said in S/V-Magazine. "I've been doing this for 15 years, and I'll miss it. But on the other hand, I feel more at home now and feel a lot less stress."

Pevenage added that Ullrich's preparation has generally gone well this winter, and the German has not succumbed to his old habits and weight gain. "He has not let himself go this winter, although he's not yet at his racing weight," Pevenage said. "It's going well; he'll be fit for the Tour in July."

Simoni embarks on Giro bid

It may be February but Gilberto Simoni is already thinking of the Giro d'Italia and his bid for a third title in Italy's national tour. In the midst of a training camp with his Saeco team in Terracina, south of Rome, Simoni took several teammates for an excursion to check out the finish of stage 7 in the 2004 Giro. Simoni tested the climb to the Monte Vergine sanctuary along with six teammates.

"This year's Giro route means the favourites are going to have to show their cards early in the race," Simoni explained. "After just three days there is the finish at Corno alle Scale which is very hard. Then after a week there is this finish at Monte Vergine. The overall classification is going be shaken out after just these two stages.

"I remember that [Danilo] Di Luca won here three years ago but the weather was terrible, so I couldn't remember what the climb was like," Simoni added. "It's actually not as hard as I thought but it's definitely longer. Even if it's not steep it's not an easy climb because it goes up to 1,270 metres and lasts 17 kilometres. This will make a difference and be a real test."

Simoni and the team will also contest the Italian season opener on Sunday, the GP Etruschi.

Women's trade teams confirmed

The UCI has released the list of registered women's trade teams for 2004. Sixteen teams from ten different nations will compete in the international calendar.

See the full list in the Cyclingnews teams database.

Locos/Dixons progresses to elite

The Locos/Dixons cycling team returns for its fourth year in 2004. Although the team started as a Category 4/5 team, it has followed its riders through the USCF ranks and has reached the elite ranks for 2004. This year's team is comprised of the same core riders from the last few years with two strong additions: David Guttenplan and Kurt Garin.

Garin rode as a domestique for Jittery Joe's last year and is looking to make his mark in the elite ranks as one of the team's leaders. Guttenplan is coming off his last year as a junior and will look for similar success in the U23 field.

Team goals for the 2004 season include the 'home' race, the Athens Twilight, the Elite National Road Race, Elite Criterium Nationals, and the Espoir and Master's National Championships.

Sponsors include Locos Deli and pub, Dixons Bicycles, Horizon Micro-Environments, Bianchi, Briko, Topolino, Carnac, Speedplay and Maxxis.

Team roster:

Marc Anderson
David Crowe
Kurt Garin
David Guttenplan
Dan Holt
Phil Southerland

Masters:

John Birch
Courtney Davis
Herman Dean
John Dowd
George Drewry

Team Manager: Micah Morlock

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