First Edition Cycling News for May 11, 2007Edited by Laura Weislo New case against Basso, Lefevere wants Puerto docs
2006 Giro d'Italia champion Ivan Basso's legal problems were compounded today after news that his home town will be opening an investigation into his admitted involvement in the Operación Puerto doping case. According to AFP, a magistrate of Basso's home town of Busto Arsizio in Northern Italy said that a criminal investigation into whether Basso violated Italy's antidoping laws was opened on Thursday. Moreover, Basso spent a further three hours being interviewed by the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI). Earlier this week, Basso admitted his involvement with the clinic of Eufemiano Fuentes in front of CONI, but later stated that he used the services of Fuentes only with the intention of doping for the 2006 Tour de France, but after being named in the affair, he was excluded from that race. No details of Thursday's meeting were released. Meanwhile, the Association of Professional Cycling Teams (IPCT) is hoping to gain access to the 6000 page Puerto dossier. The organisation won an appeal to be considered a civil group, which opens the door for the organisation to examine the documents. "When the matter is reopened, the IPCT will obtain the dossier, but we will also seek to get them in the coming days," said president Patrick Lefevere. Lefevere met with UCI president Pat McQuaid and Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme last week after learning of the new, larger Puerto dossier which allegedly contains 49 new names in addition to the 58 riders already named. The original case was shelved earlier this year when the judge in charge of the case ruled that the actions were not in violation of Spanish law, but the new dossier surfaced earlier this month, leading to speculation that the case will be reopened. Cyclingnews' recent coverage of 'Operación Puerto' May 18, 2009 - Valverde to start Catalunya Cyclingnews' complete coverage of Operación Puerto Haedo on form for Giro
Argentinean Sprinter Juan Jose 'JJ' Haedo made a name for himself by winning two stages of the Tour of California and one in the Tour de Georgia while riding for the domestic Toyota United Pro squad. His finishing kick caught the eye of Bjarne Riis, and a year later, the 26 year-old is preparing to start his first Grand Tour for Team CSC. While he has had an excellent spring campaign, Haedo knows that the Grand Tours will be an entirely different scene. Cyclingnews' Hernan Alvarez spoke with Haedo about his expectations for the Giro d'Italia. JJ Haedo is heading into the Giro d'Italia after a tremendous spring campaign which saw him take five stage victories in just 46 days. The speedy Argentinean won two stages in the Tour of California, one stage in the Tour of Georgia, and the Colliers Classic in Aarhus (Denmark). But perhaps his most important win was in the Rund um Köln in Germany, where he took on both Graeme Brown and Alessandro Petacchi and came out on top. Haedo's form is clearly reaching a high point as he heads into his first ever Grand Tour, the prestigious Giro d'Italia. While he has taken on ProTour sprinters and won, battling the likes of Alessandro Petacchi (Team Milram), Norway's Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole) or Australia's Robbie McEwen (Predictor-Lotto) all at once will be a much more complicated task. Cyclingnews caught up with the Argentinean rider while he was hurriedly packing his bags in Gerona in preparation for his flight to Italy - or rather, flights. The distance between the two countries is not vast, yet he will fly from Gerona to Barcelona, Barcelona to Rome and then on another flight to the island of Sardinia where the Giro kicks off with a stage one team time trial on Saturday. Haedo's recent triumph in Aarhus shows was a good confirmation that he is on track for the 'big show'. "The race in Denmark wasn't one of the biggest races, but it was very important for the team, and important to know that I am in a good condition for next week," stated the Argentinean. Mayo looking toward third week of GiroBy Antonio J. Salmerón Saunier Duval's Iban Mayo will be coming into the Giro d'Italia "a little bit short of form," but ready to work for his Italian team-mate Gilberto Simoni, a two-time winner of the event (2001, 2003). "I will not arrive as good as I would like, but I hope about average during the first week of the race and then be on better form the last week, which will be the hardest week, and better for me," the Spaniard climber said. Mayo's preparation for the Giro was delayed after a crash in Paris-Nice and an abandon from the Vuelta al País Vasco, which is why he doesn't expect great results in the first week of the Giro. "Surely, I will not show my best form in the fourth stage, where the first mountains appear. I am realistic, and I am going to go calmer, trying to reach an opportunity. "We have very strong squad, and I think that the two first weeks we will be a powerful force," Mayo said. Nevertheless, Mayo was more concerned with the last week, when the team would face the decisive mountain stages. "I have to be where Simoni is. The idea is to finish the Giro strong," Mayo added. He admitted that stage 17 will demand some "extreme measures for the Zoncolan climb," and said that "it might be necessary to use a 36 x 28, something that I have only used in the Angliru climb [in the Vuelta a España - ed.]." Gerolsteiner for the GiroRobert Förster and Davide Rebellin will lead a young Gerolsteiner team on the trip around Italy this year. Five of the riders are 24 years old or younger, and three are making their Grand Tour debut. Förster, who won the prestigious final stage in Milan last year, "is clearly our man for the sprint finishes," said director sportif Christian Henn. Rebellin, riding his 11th Giro, will be captain of the team in his homeland. "Davide has surely picked out a stage or two. It is very special for him to start this race in Italy as the lead rider in the ProTour," according to Henn. The team's man for the overall GC could be Swiss rider Oliver Zaugg, a climbing specialist. Gerolsteiner for the Giro: Robert Förster, Davide Rebellin, Thomas Fothen, Oscar Gatto, Tim Klinger, Volker Ordowski, Matthias Russ, Sven Krauss, and Oliver Zaugg. Valverde to Clásica de AlcobendasBy Antonio J. Salmerón In the shadow of the Giro d'Italia, the Clásica de Alcobendas, will take place this weekend in the region outside of Madrid, and headlining the show for Caisse d'Epargne will be Alejandro Valverde. Along with Caisse d'Epargne, the ProTour teams Euskaltel-Euskadi and Saunier Duval will take part in the event, along with the Spanish Professional Continental teams Fuerteventura Canarias, Andalucia-Cayasur, Karpin Galicia and Relax GAM, as well as Grupo Nicolás Mateos, Orbea and the Spanish national team. Foreign teams Selle Italia (Italy), Benfica (Portugal), Team Agritubel (France) and Barloworld (Italy) are also scheduled to participate. The race consists of three stages - two road stages and one time trial - and will features some of the famous climbs of the Vuelta a España. On stage one from Alcobendas to Puerto de Navacerrada (170 kms) on Saturday, the peloton will confront the Paradilla and the Robledondo climbs, both third category, and the Puerto de Santa Maria de la Alameda, a second category climb, before finishing at the top of the Navacerrada climb (more than 1,800 metres). On Sunday, there will be two stages. In the morning, the second stage will be a circuit around Collado Villalba (79 kms), followed by a time trial in Alcobendas of 9.7 kilometres. The last edition was won by Jan Hruska, with Vladimir Karpets and Spaniard Daniel Moreno (now on Relax GAM) were second and third. Equipe Nürnberger for weekend racesEquipe Nürnberger Versicherungsgruppe is getting ready to take on two important races this weekend. Saturday afternoon is the German mountain championship in Berchtesgaden, followed by the World Cup race Internationalen Berner Rundfahrt in Bern, Switzerland, on Sunday. The mountain title (Bergmeisterschaften) will be contested for the team by German road champion Claudia Häusler and Claudia Stumpf. They will be supported by six young riders from Nürnberger's amateur team. Trixi Worrack will lead the team in the World Cup race the next day. She is currently fifth in the World Cup rankings. "This weekend's race offers important points in the World Cup and we hope to finally get on the podium," said team manager Jens Zemke. "The team is in best form and we will go to the start highly motivated." Nürnberger for the Bergmeisterschaften: Claudia Häusler, Claudia Stumpf, and amateurs Marlen Jöhrend, Lisa Brennauer, Sabine Fischer, Romy Kasper, Denise Zuckermandel und Fabienne Sandig. Nürnberger for Bern: Charlotte Becker, Andrea Graus, Eva Lutz, Edita Pucinskaite, Regina Schleicher und Trixi Worrack. Barloworld hopes to pedal itself into the TourTeam Barloworld is hitting three races in Europe in the next few weeks, and hopes to do well enough to win itself a wildcard invitation to this year's Tour de France. The action starts off with the Clasica Alcobendas in Spain (May 12-13), a two-day, three stage race. The next race is the GP Paredes Rota dos Moveis in Portugal, from May 17 to 20. The most important race for the team however, will be the Tour de Picardie in France from May 18 to 20. Team Manager Claudio Corti will accompany the team to this race, which is organised by ASO, which also organises the Tour de France. "Team Barloworld hope that a good result in France (and the leadership of UCI 'Europe Tour' rankings) will increase their chances of getting a wild card invitation to this year's Tour," the team's press release read. Clasica Alcobendas: Pedro Arreitunandia, John Lee Augustyn, Félix Rafael Cárdenas, Giampaolo Cheula, Hugo Sabido, Ryan Cox, Robert Hunter and James Perry. GP Paredes Rota des Moveis: Pedro Arreitunandia, John Lee Augustyn, Félix Rafael Cárdenas, Giampaolo Cheula, Hugo Sabido, and Ryan Cox. Tour de Picardie: Robert Hunter, James Perry, Giosuè Bonomi, Enrico Degano, Alex Efimkin, Fabrizio Guidi, Paolo Longo Borghini and Geraint Thomas. USA Cycling names twoUSA Cycling has announced the hiring of Dieter Drake as its Northeast Road and Track Regional Co-ordinator, and Jess Schwartzkopf as Director of Sponsorship and Business Development this week. According the the USA Cycling press release, Schwartzkopf's duties will consist mainly of fundraising, with a focus on developing sponsor, supplier and partner relationships, and to "lead USA Cycling’s effort to execute all necessary research, due diligence, business development plans, negotiations and agreements and implement business development strategies." Schwartzkopf comes from a business background, having been marketing manager for a satellite television provider. As the Northeast Road and Track Regional Co-ordinator, Dieter Drake will be responsible for maintaining relationships with local promoters, clubs, associations and members within his assigned region. A past New York state time trial champion, Drake has experience serving as director of the Farm Team Cycling club, and also acted as race promoter and local association director. Hours to Fantasy Giro game!
Register your teams now! There are only hours to go until the Giro game kicks off this Saturday, May 12 with the 24km team time trial from Caprera to La Maddalena. We've updated the start list with the latest riders in this year's Giro. You can play for free for the first five stages! Try the game out and see how best to play. It's easy to play the Grande Tour games - all you need to do is pick your dream team of 15 from the riders racing in this year's Giro 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. It's a great way to follow the Giro. Tifosi Optics for Daily Stage Prize
The Tifosi Optics "Forza" glasses feature High Speed Red Fototec lenses. These shades are a favourite of Toyota-United sprinter Ivan Dominguez. The lenses turn from the red colour pictured here to a deep red,nearly smoke when in contact with UV rays. Red lenses are key for increasing contrast on the road pavement. The Forza is constructed with a durable Grilamid TR-90 frame and impact-resistant polycarbonate lenses for the ultimate in race performance.
- Grande Prize Wilier Triestina Izoard Lampre-Fondital team replica bicycle There's plenty time to join in the fun at this year's Fantasy Giro game at Cyclingnews. You can join until stage 6 begins on Friday May 18 and you can compete equally with players that have joined earlier in the tour. To register your teams for the game go to fantasy.cyclingnews.com Good luck! The Fantasy Cyclingnews Team (All rights reserved/Copyright Knapp Communications Pty Limited 2007) |
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