First Edition Cycling News for August 30, 2005Edited by John Stevenson Vuelta stage 3: Petacchi back to the fore
On another scorching hot day in southern Spain, Alessandro Petacchi turned on the jets to win the third stage of the Vuelta between Cordoba and Puertollano. But Petacchi's winning sprint was not as impressive as his team, which clicked into gear with four kilometres to go to lead out their man to perfection. Petacchi came off Marco Velo's wheel at 180m out and held off Erik Zabel (T-Mobile) and Tom Boonen (Quick.Step) to the line. The race lead remained with Bradley McGee (Francaise des Jeux), who capitalised on his sprint to take another 10 seconds in intermediate bonuses today, and increase his lead to 32 seconds over Leonardo Bertagnolli (Cofidis) and 39 over Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Fassa Bortolo). The stage was ridden at a hard pace, given the temperature and the fact that it contained a fair degree of uphill. Javier Pascual Rodriguez (Comunidad Valenciana) escaped after 70 km, built up a lead of 3'44, but couldn't resist the power of the bunch and was caught with 25 km to go. Thomas Ziegler (Gerolsteiner) had a go at 17 km out, and managed to gain 30 seconds before he came back at 4 km to go, just in time for Fassa to hit top speed for the bunch sprint. Also see:Stage 3 full results,
report & photos Liberty Seguros watches & waitsLiberty Seguros team manager Manolo Saiz says the heat will be the biggest factor in the Vuelta a España over the next few days, and his squad will be content to lie in wait in the peloton until the race's first major test, stage 6's 217km ride from Cuenca to Valdelinares with its cat 1 climb to a finish at 1400m. "This heat will greatly tire the rider", said Saiz in a team statement. "This heat is equally bad for everyone, but clearly, we Spanish tolerate it better than foreigners." "I am satisfied with my team," Saiz added. "Now we try to pass unnoticed until the stage to Valdelinares, see what happens then and what damage the heat has done to that point." UCI responds to L'EquipeThe UCI says it is examining the allegations about use of EPO by Lance Armstrong in the 1999 Tour de France published by French newspaper L'Equipe last week, and will announce its conclusions in the next ten days. Seemingly stung into action by the paper's accusation of "deafening silence", the UCI issued a terse press release yesterday evening, saying, "The UCI confirms that it is pursuing its global assessment of the situation." The organisation expressed its regret at the "breach of confidentiality" that led to L'Equipe's story, which alleged that retrospective analysis of urine samples from the 1999 Tour de France showed that 12 were positive for EPO and six of those could be traced to Lance Armstrong. Armstrong has strenuously denied the accusation. Strong lineup for 2005 Tour of BritainBy Shane Stokes
Following the reintroduction of the Tour of Britain last year, top class racing returns once again to the roads of Great Britain this week with the running of the second edition of the event. Although the field has been affected somewhat by the new ProTour, a good lineup will nevertheless line up in the six day race, which begins on Tuesday in Glasgow and concludes on Sunday on the streets of London. Star attraction is world time trial champion Mick Rogers, who is aiming to build back up from a disappointing Tour de France with a good ride here. Rogers has the chance to go for his third straight world TT title in Madrid towards the end of September and is in the process of honing his form. He feels he is in with a shot of taking the final victory. "I think I have a good chance in this race," he said. "That is simply because I know I have a great team behind me but also because I am really motivated. It is extremely important to be confident. There are some great riders in this year's Tour but I feel good and strong. My preparation has been tough and I am looking forward to the start in Glasgow." Also see: Full preview, Stages & results, Map, Start List Wesemann leads T-Mobile in BritainSteffen Wesemann will lead the T-mobile team at the Tour of Britain which starts today in Glasgow. The team says it's a chance for Wesemann to build on the good form he showed at the Tour of Germany. He will be accompanied by Tobias Steinhauser, Sergey Ivanov, Eric Baumann, Bram Schmitz and Bas Giling. "The race, with its rolling profile, will suit good all-rounders. Steffen Wesemann has shown that he has good climbing legs at the moment. And in Eric Baumann, we have a rider on board, who can have a say in the outcome of stage sprint finishes," says directeur sportif Brian Holm. Landbouwkrediet-Colnago for Tour of BritainThe Landbouwkrediet-Colnago team has announced its line up for the Tour of Britain (August 30 - September 4). Under directeur sportif Claudy Criquieilion, the team will field Bert De Waele, Tony Bracke, Jurgen Van De Walle, James Van Landschoot, Jean-Claude Lebeaux, and Thierry Degroote. "Giro" makes up San Fran doubleThe day after Sunday September 4's Barclays Global Investors San Francisco Grand Prix comes one of the longest-standing races on the San Francisco area's calendar, the Giro di San Francisco at Levi Strauss Plaza at Battery and Union Streets. The Monday, September 5 race program runs from 8:00am to 4:00pm and is sponsored by McGuire Cycling; Lombardi Sports; Velo Promo; and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. "The Giro di San Francisco is a special race because of its 31-year legacy; the tight and fast, six-corner course; the amazing feeling from racing on the streets of our great city; and the ambiance of the crowd that turns out to cheer," said Bruce Johnson, McGuire Cycling team co-manager. "The Giro's greater than $10,000 prize list will create quite fierce competition. We expect to draw from racers in the S.F. Grand Prix, which is now on the same weekend as the Giro for the first time." Past winners of the Giro di San Francisco include triple Tour de France winner Greg LeMond who won the inaugural event in 1979; former world champion, Karen Brems; two-time Olympian, Eric Wohlberg; two-time Olympian, Kent Bostick; and national champion, Helene Drumm. For more information see www.velopromo.com. San Fran kids' rideAlongside the Barclays Global Investors Grand Prix, Sunday September 4, comes an event for rather smaller riders, the Peloton Project Kids' Ride 2005 for children under 12. A fund-raiser for the lance Armstrong Foundation, the ride will follow the same course as the pro race and starts at the Marina Middle School at Chestnut and Fillmore Streets. Registration opens at 11:00am and the ride starts at approximately 1:15pm. Every kid receives a prize - the first 200 to Check-in receive a free goodie bag. For more information, see www.sanfranciscomerchants.com Bernucci to T-MobileFassa Bortolo rider Lorenzo Bernucci has signed a two-year deal with T-Mobile, the team has announced. "Lorenzo Bernucci is a young rider with huge potential," said T-Mobile team manager Olaf Ludwig in the announcement. Describing the 25-year-old Italian as a good team worker able to "be a strong factor" in both the classics and the grand tours, Ludwig said, "Lorenzo has what it takes to race for victory at the demanding Belgian classics. He will get his chance." Bernucci's biggest pro success to date was his victory in stage six of the Tour de France in Nancy, where he edged out T-Mobile's Alexandre Vinokourov to take the win. And while he now wants to "build on this success", Bernucci says he is also happy to fulfill the role of a team worker. "To me, assisting the top riders and carrying the water bottles for them, is a fun thing - and it's my job," he said. Liquigas-Bianchi for Trofeo MelindaThe Liquigas-Bianchi team is relying on its stars Stefano Garzelli and Franco Pellizotti at Thursday September 1's Trofeo Melinda in Malè (Trento), Italy. Under directeur sportif Roberto Damiani the pair will be accompanied by Dario Andriotto, Kjell Carlström, Dario David Cioni, Vladimir Miholjevic, Andrea Noè, and stagiaire Mauro Da Dalto from Liquigas satellite team Marchiol-Ima-Famila. Damiani said, "The route suits Garzelli's qualities. He will try to give an encore about a fortnight after his victory in the Tre Valli Varesine. We can also count on Pellizotti who has proved to be capable of constant performances. The team will also feature some riders of great expertise like Noè, Cioni and Andriotto who will help the two captains." T-Mobile for Hessen RundfahrtAfter a prolonged break due to injury, T-Mobile rider Olaf Pollack will return to racing as part of the team's six-man squad for the Hessen Rundfahrt, August 31-September 4. He will be accompanied by Christian Werner, Torsten Hiekmann, Tomas Konecny and Sergey Yakovlev, plus stagiaire Robert Bengsch. The 31-year-old Pollack has been on the bench since undergoing surgery on his femoral artery in July.
Win a Giant in Fantasy Vuelta Game!Giant has confirmed that this year's grand prize for the Vuelta Fantasy game will be the same bike as raced by Jan Ullrich and Alexandre Vinokourov. The Giant TCR Advanced T-Mobile '05 Tour de France Team Issue bicycle on offer is valued at $8000 and is not currently available to the public. Exclusively to Cyclingnews, you can only get one by winning the 2005 Vuelta a España Fantasy Game! To find out more go to the prizes section of the fantasy site. Breaking News: Upland Sports has confirmed prizes of three pairs of DMT Shoes. Other goodies to be won in the Vuelta Fantasy game include equipment from Speedplay, Spiuk, Campagnolo, and fizik. More details to come soon. There's still time to join in this year's Fantasy Vuelta Game at Cyclingnews. There is no tactical disadvantage in joining after stage 1 has begun. You can join until stage 6 begins on Thursday, September 1 at 10:00 GMT (03:59 Eastern time). Be a professional team manager, with many opportunities to win prizes in this year's game. You will take up the challenge of using your knowledge and tactical skill as a race team manager to compete with managers from around the world. For more info go to fantasy.cyclingnews.com. How to playYou can begin creating your team now. You can play the first five stages for FREE! There is no disadvantage in joining after stage 1 has begun. The Tour games are easy to play, all you need to do to manage your own team is select 15 riders from the live start list then select 9 of these riders to race each day throughout the Vuelta. You score points according to how well each of the riders place each day in the Vuelta. So try your team today and see if it's for you. It's a great way to follow the Vuelta. Create your teams now at fantasy.cyclingnews.com. Good luck! WADA appoints Latin American headThe World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has announced the appointment of Diego Torres Villegas as director of WADA's Latin America Regional Office to be located in Montevideo, Uruguay. Torres has worked for the Colombian Institute of Sports (Coldeportes) as manager of its International Affairs office and is fluent in several languages including Spanish and English. Fixies against histiocytosisCyclist Joe "Mojo" Cosgrove is organizing an unusual ride to raise funds for research into a rare and unusual disease. From June 17, 2006 to July 14, 2006 Cosgrove and associates will ride across the USA on fixed-wheel bikes to raise funds for research into histiocytosis, a rare blood disease that is caused by an excess of white blood cells called histiocytes. Cosgrove's daughter Dakota suffers from the disease, which affects about 1 in 200,000 children each year in the USA, making it sufficiently uncommon that it is considered an "orphan disease," that affects too few people to generate government-supported research. Dakota is now in remission, and Cosgrove is looking for sponsors and co-riders for all or part of the ride that aims to help 'fix histiocytosis.' For more details see www.fixhistio.org
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