Latest Cycling News for April 12, 2005Edited by Hedwig Kröner Training programme corrected for Klöden
Andreas Klöden, last year's Tour de France runner-up, will have his training programme changed, according to T-Mobile's team website. Klöden has been undergoing performance tests at the University Clinic of Freiburg to pinpoint his fitness deficiencies after dropping out of the Vuelta a Pais Vasco. "The test results are not that bad," team doctor Andreas Schmid said. "On that basis we can now design a new training plan for him - the power deficit should be corrected soon." Directeur sportif Mario Kummer, already under pressure because of the lack of results of his squad this early season, feels relieved. "It doesn't look as bad as we had thought," he said. Lately, rumours had been spreading in the German cycling community that Klöden would not be fit enough to perform at the Tour de France this year. Köden's personal trainer, Thomas Schediwie, doesn't think so either. "Now we have the information that we needed to change his training plan. The preparation for the Tour de France will go ahead," he commented. Andreas Klöden will be part of T-Mobile's line-up at the Belgian calssics Fléche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège next week. Hoste through 'Hell' with broken sternumLeif Hoste (Discovery Channel) finished the 'Hell of the North' Paris-Roubaix in Brugge hospital, where a fracture of the sternum was diagnosed, as well as tear of the lung. The teammate of Lance Armstrong crashed badly in the pavé sector of Orchies, where another rider slid right in front of him. Nevertheless, Hoste finished the race in 33rd position. Asked how he managed to ride to the finish, Hoste replied, "That's what I keep asking myself. I was seriously hurt, but I just kept riding." Hoste is now undergoing treatment especially for his lung, in which a small quantity of air is blocked. "The doctors might have to puncture the lung with a tube, in order to get the air out," said directeur sportif Dirk Demol, adding, "He will be out of competition for quite a while, that's for sure." "I can forget about the rest of the Spring season," Hoste said, "and I won't be participating in the Giro neither. In principle, I will be able to get back on a bike in a few days, but it will take about six weeks until I can train properly again, according to the doctors." Peña out for six weeksAnother rider to miss out on competition for the next few weeks is Victor Hugo Peña (Phonak), who crashed in the neutralisation zone of Paris-Roubaix last Sunday, even before the race had really started. The Colombian fell with his right shoulder and chest onto the edge of the pavement, and suffered a fracture of the thoracic vertebrae. Nevertheless, he continued to chase the peloton for another 20 km until the pain became unbearable and he abandoned. It was only after the race had finished in Roubaix that Peña's injury was diagnosed in the local hospital. Peña is the second rider in the Phonak team unable to compete at the moment, after Fabrizio Guidi broke his arm at Gent-Wevelgem, forcing him to take a fairly long break. The Swiss team is therefore re-shuffling its line-ups for the next races, some riders having to be deployed more often than originally planned. "I hope Peña will be back in time to prepare himself for the Tour de France," Phonak manager John Lelangue commented. Davis breaks collarboneLiberty Seguros' Allan Davis has suffered a fracture of his collarbone in Paris-Roubaix. The Australian went down in a crash at km 128, in pavé sector 21, and also hurt his knee and elbow, forcing him to abandon. Coming up: Vuelta a AragonThe 42nd Vuelta a Aragon will start on Wednesday, April 13 in Eastern Spain. The UCI Cat. 2.1 rated race totals 697 km in five stages, including a number of climbs ranging from Cat. 1-3. On the penultimate stage on Saturday, an 1,2 km long mountain time-trial might decide on general classification among the competitors of this race, which will see 13 teams, including seven ProTeams at the start in Alcala de la Selva. The time trial starts at an altitude of 810 metres, winding up to Virgen de la Sierra de Herrera on 1.345 metres. Amongst the teams participating are: T-Mobile, Euskaltel-Euskadi, Illes Balears, Liberty Seguros, Fassa Bortolo, Liquigas-Bianchi and Cofidis. T-Mobile will head to Spain with the following riders: Torsten Hiekmann, Giuseppe Guerini, Daniele Nardello, Jan Schaffrath, Bram Schmitz, Tobias Steinhauser and Jan Ullrich, for which the Vuelta a Aragon will be another step to build up his form for the Tour de France. Italian team Liquigas has announced the following roster: Daniele Colli, Enrico Gasparotto, Marco Milesi, Devis Miorin, Matej Mugerli, Luciano Pagliarini, Charles Wegelius and Marco Zanotti. The stages of the Vuelta a Aragon are the following: Stage 1 - April 13: Alcala de la Selva - Valderrobles, 167.7 km Tour of Britain stages revealedThe Tour of Britain has revealed the 2005 stages in Glasgow's City Chambers today, Tuesday, April 12. After a successful revival of the UK’s only major professional road cycle race in 2004, an extra stage has been added to this year’s race taking it up to six stages beginning in the heart of Glasgow, Scotland on Tuesday, August 30, finishing in Westminster, London on Sunday, September 4, 2005. Sixteen teams will battle it out over five days of rugged riding to achieve overall pole position on the podium in London on Sunday, September 4, including the ProTeams Discovery Channel, T-Mobile, Quick.Step, Phonak and Cofidis. The stages outline as follows:Stage 1 - August 30: Glasgow - Castle Douglas The event is supported by Transport for London, The London Development Agency, Visit London and The Mayor’s of London’s office as Londoners are showing an increasing enthusiasm for cycling, with a 23 percent London-wide increase in cycling last year. Transport for London has increased cycling investment from £12 Million in 2004 to £19.2 Million in 2005/06. Sparta Cycling announces 2005 Tour of ConnecticutBy Tim Maloney, European Editor John Eustice of New York's Sparta Cycling has unveiled the 2005 Tour of Connecticut, a tough three day stage race in Northwest Connecticut from May 20-22. "Sparta is very happy to be able to promote this race again in 2005; I believe that this year's edition will be even tougher than the 2004 race. Presented by the Northwest Connecticut Convention and Visitors Bureau, the '05 Tour of Connecticut has stages in New Haven, Waterbury and Torrington and will be televised nationally on Outdoor Life Networks’s Cyclism Sunday TV series and also be broadcast locally on Connecticut’s WCTX-UPN." Sponsor Jim Whitney, Director of the Northwest Connecticut Convention and Visitors Bureau said: "We are delighted to be the principle sponsor of the 2005 Tour of Connecticut and are committed to the long term growth of this great cycling event. We are certain that it will contribute greatly to raising awareness of the Northwest corner of the state as an outdoor recreational destination." Eustice ran down the three stages for Cyclingnews, explaining "the action gets underway on Friday May 20 at 6pm with a fast criterium around the Green in New Haven. The circuit is an ultra fast 900 meter loop that's almost like a velodrome. The next day, Saturday May 21, is a real change of pace for the Tour of Connecticut peloton. It's the Waterbury Climbers’ Cup, a very hard 62 mile race that one of the most difficult on the NRC circuit. The circuit climbs for 1.5 miles of its 4-mile length in a twisting and turning course that will blow the field to pieces. Plus, the Waterbury race has become a real citywide celebration, with block parties and rock bands that cheer on the racers." As a fitting replacement for his Housatonic Classic, Eustice has come up with another testing, European-style race to cap the Tour of Connecticut's final stage. "This one is a real epic", proudly explained Eustice, a former pro cyclist who is two-time USPRO champ and has competed in the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España. "The final stage of the Tour of Connecticut is a very hard 135 mile race that has an initial 116 mile loop through beautiful Litchfield County, with quaint New England towns and plenty of long, very steep climbs. For the finale, stage three of the Tour of Connecticut re-enters the host city of Torrington for another 20 miles on fast finishing circuits in downtown Torrington." Currently confirmed pro teams for the 2005 Connecticut Tour are Navigators Insurance, Jittery Joe's, Webcor Builders and defending 2004 winners Team Colavita/Sutter Home, with invited amateur teams include TIAA - CREF and Fiordifrutta Cycling Team. Another feature of the final stage of the 2005 Tour of Connecticut, is a 62 mile 'Cyclosportif' public ride on Sunday, May 22 to benefit the Leukaemia and Lymphoma Society of Connecticut. Eustice told us that "Cyclosportif riders will start ten minutes after the pros on Sunday and then chase them over the first thirty-five miles of the race, before heading back to Torrington. Rob Gerowe, Campaign Director of the regional chapter of the Leukaemia and Lymphoma Society is enthusiastic about the new partnership: "We are honoured to be part of an event that will help us in our mission to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and Myeloma, and improve the quality of life of our patients and their families." For more information please go to: www.tourofct.com (All rights reserved/Copyright Knapp Communications Pty Limited 2005) |
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