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Dauphiné Libéré
Photo ©: Sirotti

Latest Cycling News for October 4, 2004

Edited by Jeff Jones

Another second for Zabel

Erik Zabel (Germany)
Photo ©: AFP
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The most consistent rider in cycling, Erik Zabel (Germany), once again had to settle for a second place as he was beaten by Oscar Freire in the final sprint of the Elite Men's Road Race in Verona yesterday. It was Zabel's best result in a World Championship, but his 18th second place of the year, a statistic that he actually bettered five years ago. "18 second places, yeah it's true!" said Zabel to T-Mobile's website. "It still doesn't beat my record from 1999. I had 21 second places that year. I have only one or two races left this season, so it looks like that record is safe for another year!"

Although he was in tears shortly after the finish, in the end Zabel was happy with the silver. "I am extremely pleased with how things went for me here today," he said. "I had a good day...The silver medal is a great result for us. Maybe also it will return me to the number one spot on the UCI world rankings."

Zabel had three teammates in the final selection: Steffen Wesemann, Matthias Kessler and Danilo Hondo. Although Hondo is also a good sprinter, the pair agreed that he would ride for Zabel. "Before the race I had a good discussion with Danilo and he had already agreed to ride for me, if the race unfolded like it did. So I am very thankful to him and the rest of the team."

Zabel was agonisingly close to the rainbow jersey again, but had to admit that "an exceptional rider in Oscar Freire beat me on the day. I am very happy with a silver medal. Second is my best ever placing at a World Championships or Olympic Games. If I had missed out on a top three placing, then I would have been disappointed. But the whole team put in such good work that this silver was well deserved. Every one of us fought tooth and nail for that silver medal."

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Bettini's bad day

Paolo Bettini (Italy)
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Olympic champion Paolo Bettini didn't have the best of days during the World Championships and was forced to abandon with three laps to go. The Italian, who was to be the spearhead of the Squadra Azzurra, experienced problems with his cyclo-computer at the start and then had two punctures during the race. Although these in themselves were handicaps, the real problems started after the second change when he missed getting his foot in the pedal and banged his knee hard against door of the Italian team car.

"It was a stupid accident, but it definitely cost me any chance of a rainbow jersey," Bettini was quoted in Het Nieuwsblad. "Luckily my friend Paolini still took the bronze."

Plan B doesn't quite work for Ballerini

Franco Ballerini
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The Italian team's chances at the World's suffered a big setback when Paolo Bettini injured his knee and abandoned. Although the Squadra Azzurra rode well as a team, the best it could do was a bronze medal for Luca Paolini after the Spanish and German teams put a stranglehold on the lead group in the finale. "Unfortunately what happened to Bettini was a chance in a thousand," said national coach Franco Ballerini to Datasport. "The blow to his knee forced him to retire and we all had to change our tactics. In this sense, the guys were capable of reassessing the situation and were ready to react. We were unlucky but at the same time we were united. There are a lot of regrets over what could and couldn't have happened, but the third place of Paolini is a result of excellent work."

Ballerini concluded, saying that, "Freire was strong, but I think that Bettini in good condition could have gained a great placing in that final sprint."

Boogerd plays a role

Dutchman Michael Boogerd had to be satisfied with seventh place in the World Championships, even though he was one of the better climbers in the lead group. On the last ascent of the Torricelle, Boogerd countered a move by his trade teammate Michael Rasmussen, taking Freire, Valverde, O'Grady, Basso and Cunego with him over the top. But a concerted effort by the German team in the group behind pulled them back on the descent, and Boogerd had no chance in the finale.

"For our team it's very nice that Oscar won the rainbow jersey here, but of course I would have preferred to have won myself," Boogerd told Trouw after the race. The Dutch rider also questioned the tactics of the Italians, especially Cunego and Basso, who it seems didn't put their climbing skills to best use. "I didn't understand why they didn't try from the foot of the Torricelle," added Boogerd.

In summing up, Boogerd was satisfied that he could play a role in Verona. "I am already happy that I was there in the finale. I've had a difficult week after the crash last week in the Giro dell'Emilia. I was back in Italy from Tuesday, but because I didn't feel good, I got a sore throat from all the anxiety. My wife actually pulled me through it. I was good today, but with this type of race it's usually hard for me."

Brilliant trip to Verona for Aussie junior women

By Tim Maloney, European Editor in Verona

Aussie juniors
Photo ©: CN
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Cyclingnews spotted Australian Junior Women's team members Natasha Mapley, Amanda Sprat and Hannah Banks enjoying a mid-morning snack in that well-known Scottish restaurant McDonald's on Sunday, and had a quick chat and chew with the speedy trio. "We've been here five weeks and it's been brilliant, an absolutely fantastic experience for us," enthused Banks, who finished 30th in Friday's Junior Women's Road Race. "We've had some ups and downs, but it's mostly been great."

Sprat, from Springwood, NSW won a world title on the track in June in Los Angeles, said that for her, the racing trip to Italy with coach Liz Hepple had been "a huge learning experience. They have a very different approach to racing here." Spratt crashed hard on lap 3, but came back to the peloton to finish eighth in the bunch sprint behind Italian champ Bastianelli.

Tasmanian rider Mapley also felt that she would profit from her experience and placed just ahead of Banks. With role models like Olympic champ Sara Carrigan and World Cup champ Oenone Wood, the next generation of Australian women's cycling is already to go...as soon as they finish their burgers!

World's team size to be reduced

The UCI has decided to reduce the maximum size of the men's teams in the World Championships from 12 to 9 riders next year. Cycling's governing body made its decision in Verona with a view to broadening the peloton by bringing in more countries, as well as making the World's a more open race. The reigning champion's country will still be allowed to start its champion, which means that Spain will be allowed 10 riders (including Freire) at the start in Madrid next year.

T-Mobile MTB team stops

German mobile telecommunications company T-Mobile will pull out of sponsoring its mountain bike team at the end of this season. T-Mobile has sponsored the squad since 2001 with the 2004 Olympics as the long term goal. With the Games now over, there will be no more Team T-Mobile Mountainbike in 2005.

T-Mobile said it will continue to sponsor professional road racing as well as promoting recreational cycling. "In this sense, T-Mobile will continue to support bike festivals and thus maintain its links with the sport of mountain biking," it said in a statement.

This year, the team included Bart Brentjens, current world number one, Olympic bronze medalist and Dutch champion; Lado Fumic, five time German champion and European championship silver medalist; Manuel Fumic, World, European and German U23 Champion; Jochen Käß, German national league champion; Stefan Sahm, silver medalist in the European championship team relay; and Marc Gölz, winner of the final stage of the Steiermark Trophy.

More Dutch velodromes?

Buoyed by the success of its track riders at the World Championships and Olympic Games, the Dutch cycling federation plans to build more velodromes in the Netherlands. "For the last one and a half to two years, track cycling has been on the rise," said the Dutch federation's Hans van Beek to ANP. "The success of the past World's and the Games has led to more interest. Therefore we need more tracks in the Netherlands. We will now sit down and discuss it with interested municipalities. We hope that we can increase the number of velodromes by five or six so that riders in all regions will have access."

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