First Edition Cycling News for June 24, 2007Edited by Steve Medcroft Schleck tips teammate, still hopes to win
By Shane Stokes in Bern
"Cancellara will win tomorrow – I am sure of that," Frank Schleck said at the finish of stage eight of the Tour de Suisse.
As for himself, he told Cyclingnews that he still thought the overall victory was possible. He will start the TT in fifth place overall, 33" off yellow. "We know that Vladimir Karpets and Kim Kirchen can do good time trials…I am not sure about Efimkin. But when you are leading the general classification you can always do a good one as you are super-motivated. But I am motivated too! So I hope a do a good time trial. It is very open. It has been a very, very hard Tour de Suisse."
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as of stage 4 on Wednesday, June 10, at approximately 15:00 local Europe
time (CEST)/ 23:00 Australian time (CDT)/ 9:00 (USA East). Schleck dominated on the first day in the mountains and many believed that on the basis of that display, he would hold onto the yellow jersey until the end. However he cracked two days later on a stage won by Thomas Dekker (Rabobank).
"I felt tired on the day of Crans Montana," he said. "It wasn’t my day, I don’t know why. Yesterday was okay [to the summit finish at Grimselpass], I showed that I was up there. I had a little incident in the last 400 metres when my chain dropped. That is why I lost a little bit of time. But I was going okay." U.S. Cyclo-cross 2007 World Cup plans on hold
A planned 2007 World Cup stop in Providence, Rhode Island in the United States has been put off for at least one year according to promoters. "We have a great venue, political support, solid staff, and fantastic sponsors in place," said Richard Fries, marketing and communications director. "What we truly need, however, is time to create an event that provides a solid return on the investment being made by our sponsors. We’re not just planning a wedding; we’re planning a marriage between our organization and a Fortune 500 sponsor. We expect to build a lasting, world-class event in Providence with plans of hosting the World Championships at Roger Williams Park." The UCI has made several concession to GSD Event Productions to facilitate the promotion of the first cyclo-cross World Cup ever held in the U.S. GSD had signed a letter of intent to host the event but realized more time would be required to satisfy sponsorship requirements. "We’re moving all the chess pieces on the board as fast as we can," said Lyle Fulkerson, operations director. "Given the scrutiny professional cycling is facing on Madison Avenue, we need additional time to give our sponsors the chance to perform due diligence. We want to deliver for them. Waiting one year on their budget cycle allows them to properly support our initiative." "We were proud of the 2006 nationals that we put on in Rhode Island. We think we put on one of the best nationals ever held. It’s a world class venue," said Tom Stevens, race director. "There is only one way for us to go and that is up to the World Cup level." Present plans call for the promotion of a three-day event with a UCI World Cup being held on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008, followed by two days of racing Oct. 12 and 13. German investigators closing in on Fuentes clientsBy Susan Westemeyer German investigators from four different cities met on Thursday to coordinate their investigations of doping in cycling, announcing an investigation of Jörg Jaksche and apparently getting closer to taking action against Jan Ullrich, according to the Süddeutsche Zeitung. The Bundeskriminalamt (federal police) in Wiesbaden hosted the meeting, which attracted investigators from Freiburg, Göttingen, Ansbach and Bonn. The Freiburg investigators are looking into Drs. Andreas Schmid and Lothar Heinrich, the former Telekom/T-Mobile team doctors who recently admitted to supplying doping products to the team in the 1990s. Göttingen is investigating a doctor who is alleged to have been Fuentes' German contact. The newest investigation is in Ansbach, the hometown of Jörg Jaksche, who lives in Kitzbühel, Austria. The newspaper says that investigators ran across repeated references to Jaksche in the Fuentes documents. Since his former team, Liberty Seguros, was allegedly involved in the doping scheme, he could not be accused of defrauding the team. "So the Ansbachers got the idea that Jaksche could have defrauded race organizers," according to the newspaper. Bonn is investigating both Jan Ullrich on charges of defrauding his former team, T-Mobile, and his former advisor Rudy Pevenage for being an accessory and for violations of drug laws. The newspaper said that the investigators have received documents from Belgium, taken in a search of Pevenage's premises, which show that "Ullrich's helpers, especially Pevenage, had a close contact to Fuentes." In addition, there is supposedly new information out of Switerzland, where Ullrich lives. In the next few weeks, it will be decided whether documents taken from his house there will be sent to Germany, the "Süddeutsche" reported. It further reported that "A Swiss insider, who wished to remain anonymous, said that the documents are supposed to be 'really explosive.' They allegedly show 'very clearly the link between Ullrich and Fuentes." British Cycling refines its Grand Depart experienceBritish Cycling, the internationally recognised governing body of cycling in the UK, has released its final plans for outreach and recreational programs in conjunction with the Tour de France's prologue and first stage. In support of its advocacy of cycling to British youth, British Cycling has deployed Go-Ride Coaches to key London cycling venues and in surrounding schools in 2006 and 2007. Nationally, the organisation’s Go-Ride clubs have been encouraged to put on public sessions, aimed at recruiting new members and connecting with young people inspired by the Tour. In the 4 weeks leading up to the Tour, 35 clubs plan to run sessions of this kind. British Cycling will also support Cyclefest in Maidstone on Friday 6th July, which will combine school and public Go-Ride ‘come-and-try-it’ sessions. The event focuses around cycling as both a sport and mode of transport and has been planned in partnership with Maidstone Borough Council. Other events include a Children’s Day in the centre of Gravesend on Saturday 7th and, as the first Tour de France stage finishes in Canterbury, Go-Ride ‘come-and-try-it’ sessions open to the public as well as a full programme of Circuit racing in Hyde Park on Sunday 8th July in Hyde Park (including events for Youths, Women, Trikes and Disabled cyclists). British Cycling will also provide support for the British stage running of “Opération Cadets-Juniors." Organised by ASO and AG2R, this event takes place over the first and last 20km of each stage of the Tour de France. The riders for the Canterbury stage will be selected from 15-18 year olds in and around London and Canterbury. Riders will complete the first 20km and last 20km of the race route. Two of our Go-Ride clubs, Team Darenth and Sutton CC, have provided riders of a suitable age for this event. The biggest participatory event surrounding the visit by the Tour de France on British soil will come at the hand of the British Cyclosportive; which will include 5000 participants cycling a route based on that of the first Road stage of the Tour on 1 July, one week before the race itself. Astana announces Eindhoven TTT rosterThe Astana pro cycling team announced its roster for the Eindhoven ProTour Tean Time Trial this week. Dutchman Koen De Kort will head the team and be supported by Australian Aaron Kemps and Gennady Mikhailov (RUS) who just finished the Dauphiné Libéré last weekend. Astana for Eindhoven Koen De Kort (NED), Maxim Gourov (KAZ), Benoît Joachim (LUX), Aaron Kemps (AUS), Alexey Kolessov (KAZ), Gennady Mikhailov (RUS), Yevgeny Sladkov (KAZ) and Sergeï Yakovlev (KAZ). Sport Manager: Alexander Shefer. 2007 International Cycling Classic gets new title sponsorOrganizers of the International Cycling Classic, also known as Superweek, announced the signing of Stevens Point Brewery as the title sponsor of the 39th annual National Racing Calendar (NRC) event set for July 13-29, 2007. "Point Premium Root Beer and the Stevens Point Brewery are proud to be the title sponsor of the country's premier international cycling event," said Joe Martino, Operating Partner of the Stevens Point Brewery. "We are fortunate to witness some of the world's finest cyclists who come to Wisconsin and Illinois to compete." 2007 International Cycling Classic Schedule For more information, www.internationalcycling.com. Wells Fargo Criterium joins USA Crits Championship SeriesThe 21st annual Wells Fargo Twilight Criterium finalized its date this week. To be run July 21 from 4 p.m. to approximately 10:30 p.m, the Boise event is part of the newly formed USA Crits™ Championship Series. Sanctioned by the U.S. Cycling Federation, the Wells Fargo Twilight Criterium is a timed criterium that lasts one hour plus 5 laps for the Main Event and 30 to 45 minutes plus 1 lap for the preliminary races. The 1-kilometer course runs through Downtown Boise on Main and Idaho Streets between 6th and 9th Streets. The start/finish line is located near Main St. and Capitol Blvd. Races are scheduled for men licensed with the U.S. Cycling Federation to compete in Pro 1/2; Cat 3/Masters 40+; and Cat 4/5. One women's race, sponsored by PowerBar, is scheduled for licensed competitors in Pro 1/2/3 categories. For more information, visit the promoters website at boisetwilightcriterium.com. Cycling photography on display in San DiegoCyclingnews contributor Mark Johnson has just opened an exhibition of his Tour of California photography in Solana Beach, California. The show includes shots of ATOC winner Levi Leipheimer, Aussies Henk Vogels and Stuart O'Grady, California pros Chris Horner and Freddy Rodriguez, plus World Champs Paulo Bettini and Fabian Cancellera. The show also features actions shots from Redlands, Cascade, and local Southern California races. The exhibition can be seen at the Java Depot, 243 N. Highway 101, Solana Beach. Monday-Saturday, 6:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Sundays 7:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m. The exhibition will stay on display through the fall. Top tips on Fantasy Le TourDr. Do Little shares his secretsFantasy Manager Dr. Do Little from Florida shares his tactics on his prize winning form this year. He won the Grand Prize of a Specialized S-Works Roubaix SL bicycle in Quick Step - Innergetic colors in the Spring Classics game, and won a pair of Tifozi glasses in the Giro d'Italia game Daily Stage competition. To win a Daily Stage prize you just need to get the most cumulative Stage points in the game for that particular stage. There are 21 winners in each Grande Tour game. You can do this without having to pay to play the game in the first 3 stages:
"My 'secret' is to select a team with riders who have scored well so far, and take into account what kind of stage the next stage is (sprint stage, climb stage, etc.). Stage 4 was a climbers' stage, so some who had already scored well were 'bumped' to make way for riders who climb well. I was lucky in my selection, as the riders I selected 'on the come' did well. Daily selection like this helps to finalize your team(s), as you can experiment with different combinations and see how they change day to day. Of course, it also leads to more uncertainty about what to do!" Manager Dr. Do Little If you play the 2007 le Tour game you could win a Cervelo Soloist Carbon bike. The full details of the specifications of this bike will be released shortly. It's free to play the first three stages - you could be our first winner of the great Daily Stage winner prizes from BBB. Registration has already begun. You too can be a professional team manager for the 2007 Le Tour and create your own dream team from any of the real life riders in this year's Tour. In what's set to be the most open Tour in decades, based on the live racing action, you will take up the challenge of using your knowledge and tactical skill as a race team manager to compete with other virtual managers from around the world. Follow the races live and use your skill and knowledge to win some great prizes. Update - Le Tour Fantasy Game Prize List
Prize summary: From one Grand Prize and one First Runner-up to three each Second, Third, and Fourth Runner-up prize packages, there are eleven chances for you to win based on your overall performance in the 2007 Le Tour Fantasy Game. There are also 21 daily prizes for each stage's top performer. All prizes are as listed (substitution requests cannot be honored). The roster of prizes so far is as follows: Grand Prize from Cervelo, Soloist Carbon bike Daily Prize from BBB Parts - 21 pairs of BSG-23 Winner Quick-Step World Champion glasses designed for Tom Boonen. 10x Runners-up Prizes
More prizes will be announced in the coming days. To find out more visit the prizes page.
Play for free in the Fantasy Le Tour 2007 gameRemember you can play for free for the first three stages! Try the game out and see how best to play. It's easy to play the Tour games - all you need to do is pick your dream team of 15 from the riders racing in this year's Le Tour start list. Then each day pick nine riders to race for your fantasy team from these 15. You'll need a good combination of climbers, sprinters, and general classification riders. For more details go to the rules section of the site. There's also some great tips and tricks in the downloads and winners sections of the site. It's a great way to follow Le Tour 2007. (All rights reserved/Copyright Knapp Communications Pty Limited 2007) |
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