First Edition Cycling News for January 18, 2006Edited by John Stevenson McEwen win kicks off Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under
The first highly-ranked stage race of the year, Australia's 2.HC-category Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under, kicked off in Adelaide yesterday evening with a 50km criterium 'prologue' won by Robbie McEwen (Davitamon-Lotto). McEwen beat Italians Daniele Colli (Liquigas-Bianchi) and Simone Cadamuro (Milram) to the line in a bunch sprint finale to the Jacob's Creek Down Under Classic. It was McEwen's fourth stage win in Adelaide. "It's fantastic," he said. "I wasn't sure how it was going to be, but I felt when I went out this morning that it wasn't too bad; in the warm up before the race I felt good and even had a go early in the race." Securing the win meant a last-minute battle with eventual fifth-place finisher Allan Davis (Liberty Seguros-Würth). "It was the Italian from Milram, Cadamuro who's a very fast guy who took over the lead from the Credit Agricole boys," said McEwen. "You saw (Thor) Hushovd pulling the sprint from Mark Renshaw and I was in a bit of a battle with Allan Davis for the wheel of Cadamuro because we could see that was the place to be. "I was able to out-manoeuvre Alby to get on the wheel then I waited for the moment and down the finish straight, slightly downhill, no wind, you just get up to enormous speeds down there," he said. "I had a look behind and no-one caught my slipstream and I could just enjoy those last 25 metres." See also: Full results,
report & photos, Live
report, MacPherson grabs women's crit series opener
A couple of hours before the men's event, the first round of the three-race Advertiser Women's Criterium Series opened the racing in Adelaide with a victory by last year's series winner Jenny MacPherson (Carnegie Caufield/VIS). A photo was needed to separate MacPherson from Kate Bates (NSW) with Bridget Evans (Fast-Practice Bicycle.com) third. It was a high-speed, attacking race. "There was so many attacks during the race; I knew it was draining everyone's legs, so that's why I just tried to keep in the seat as long as I could," said the 28 year-old from South Yarra, Victoria. "Whether it was won by one centimetre or ten, it didn't matter!" See also: Full
results, report & photos, Back for more - An interview with Luis Leon Sanchez
After his success at last year's Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under, Liberty Seguros-Wurth's rising star, Luis Leon Sanchez, enjoyed mixed fortunes during the remainder of 2005. Back in Australia for another crack at Australia's premier stage race, Cyclingnews' Les Clarke spoke with Sanchez and Australian cycling's Spanish guru, Neil Stephens. Cyclingnews: After the success of last year, are you aiming for a repeat performance this year?
Luis Sanchez: I've prepared well this year, but I'll continue to say what I said last year - the objective of our team for this race is to do well as a team. I'm not the only rider here - Allan Davis is here, and he's motivated as he's in his home country - we'll just try and do the best we can as a team. CN: After the win last year, did it give you a good a strong start to the season you could build on? LS: It [the win] was unexpected; it was in my second year as a professional, and it was a very important step in my career. It kept me motivated and working towards improving myself as a rider. Click here for the full interview. Tour of California stage details, teams revealedSixteen international and domestic teams have confirmed participation in the first ever Amgen Tour of California, scheduled to begin February 19 in San Francisco. Team CSC, the world's number-one ranked cycling team, the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team, T-Mobile, Davitamon-Lotto and Health Net presented by Maxxis, winners of the USPRO road, criterium and NRC championships in 2005 will headline a field that includes eight ProTour teams. "The Amgen Tour of California is an event that attracts our style of racing -- we like to ride aggressively and show some spectacular cycling," CSC's Bjarne Riis said in statement. "The organizers have put together a really challenging route that suits the riders we will bring. Naturally, we have very high ambitions for this race we have always enjoyed racing in the States and we look forward to a great week in California in February." AEG, the organizers of the event, also released more detailed route descriptions for the eight days, beginning with a prologue time trial in San Francisco, and including an individual time trial and a 130 mile hilly epic from Monterey to San Luis Obispo. "We designed the inaugural course with both racers and spectators in mind," said Bob Colarossi, managing director of AEG Cycling, LLC. "It offers the world's best cyclists some of the most challenging terrain that California has to offer. We've designed a beautiful course and we look forward to bringing a beautiful sporting event to the doorsteps of California communities." TeamsTeam CSC (Den) Stage detailsPrologue - Sunday, February 19: San Francisco ITT, 3km At 11:00 a.m., riders will open the competition with a short, intense prologue through the streets of San Francisco. Starting by the Ferry Building at Pier 1, the 1.9-mile/3km course will run along the Embarcardero until making the sharp left onto Bay Street that will bring the riders up the tight and steep climb through Telegraph Hill to the finish at Coit Tower. Stage 1 - Monday, February 20: Sausalito - Santa Rosa, 134km With the start on the Marin side of the San Francisco Bay, stage one will cover roughly 84 miles/134km from Sausalito to Santa Rosa. On its way up Highway 1, the course will run through the Marin Headlands, flanked on both sides by national parkland, before leaving the Point Reyes National Seashore for the race's first sprint competition line in Point Reyes. After crossing into Sonoma, the field completes three laps of a technical finishing circuit in downtown Santa Rosa. Stage 2 - Tuesday, February 21: San Jose The race will next turn south toward two decisive days in San Jose. After neutral parade laps in the start city of Martinez, the stage is a hilly ride through the East Bay that will bring the race over its first significant climb. Coming 22 miles before the finish line in downtown San Jose, the Sierra Road climb east of the city center will be the first Category One ascent in the King of the Mountains competition. Stage 3 - Wednesday, February 22: San Jose ITT, 27km A 17-mile/27km individual time trial on the outskirts of San Jose will test the cyclists on an undulating course along the Chesbro and Calero Reservoirs. Stage 4 - Thursday, February 23: Monterey - San Luis Obispo, 208km The "Queen Stage" of this year's race begins in Monterey and follows scenic Highway 1 where the mountains run into the Pacific Ocean. At 130 miles/208km, this is the longest stage of the 2006 race and will test the riders on consistently hilly and technical terrain. The six-hour day will see the athletes go through the community of Big Sur and by Hearst Castle before shifting inland toward the finish in San Luis Obispo. Stage 5 - Friday, February 24: San Luis Obispo - Santa Barbara Starting in Mission Plaza in San Luis Obispo, Stage Five to Santa Barbara will follow the central coast until the sprint city of Guadalupe, where the field will leave the flatlands and head east to the Santa Ynez Mountains via the Solvang area. The riders will then face the four-mile Category One climb to San Marcos Pass before descending to a beachfront finish in Santa Barbara. Stage 6: Saturday, February 25: Santa Barbara - Thousand Oaks, 142km This shorter stage with a hilly profile from Santa Barbara to Thousand Oaks features four KOM climbs in the 80 miles that precede three laps of a three-mile circuit in Thousand Oaks that will cover the stage's final ten miles before finishing at title sponsor Amgen's corporate campus. Stage 7: Saturday, February 26: Redondo Beach, 122km The race will culminate with a circuit race in Redondo Beach. The stage will be active as the riders compete on ten laps of a 7.65 mile/12.2km circuit along the Redondo Beach Esplanade and through an intermediate sprint line in Riviera Village before returning to the start/finish line on Harbor Street. Season over for RisiThe 2005/2006 track season is at an end for Swiss six day specialist Bruno Risi, after he fell on the first night of the Bremen Six. Risi tore a tendon in his left shoulder, which will require an operation and will put him out for the remainder of the season. Paris court denies Simeoni case against ArmstrongLawsuit to rumble on in ItalyBy Tim Maloney, European Editor A Paris court has absolved Lance Armstrong of defamation charges brought by Italian racer Filippo Simeoni over Armstrong's comments in an interview with Le Monde on April 17, 2003. Armstrong called Simeoni a liar in the interview when he described the Italian's testimony against the seven time Tour winner's friend and training adviser, Dr. Michele Ferrari. A Bologna, Italy court found Ferrari guilty of sporting fraud and abuse of prescribing medicine, with Simeoni providing the key testimony against Ferrari. Armstrong's French attorneys alleged in their defamation defense that Simeoni had received preferential treatment from the court for his own guilty sentence on EPO doping charges in exchange for his testimony against Ferrari. The judge in the Paris civil court decided not to go forward with Simeoni's case, saying Monday that the statute of limitations had already expired in the case against Armstrong and that Simeoni's lawyers had misinterpreted French law. Armstrong and Simeoni will now square off March 7 in a court in Latina, Italy on other defamation charges related to Armstrong pursuing the Italian during a stage of the '04 Tour de France and allegedly threatening Simeoni for testifying about doping in a trial of Ferrari. Last day tradition out the window for FBD RasBy Tommy Campbell, Irish Independent/Evening Herald/Sunday Independent Dermot Dignam, organiser of the Ireland's premier stage race, the FBD Insurance Ras (May 21-28) is planning to shake up this year's event with a major change to the format of the last couple of days. In past years, the 'Ras' finished on a short circuit race in places like the Phoenix Park and O'Connell Street. These finals days were visual treats for the fans, but tended to have little effect on the overall classification. This year, Dignam plans a tough finale on the road to Skerries. According to Dignam, "those competitors who will have a major say in the destination of this year's race will have be wide awake to what faces them on the final stage to Skerries. Heretofore, the penultimate stage was the talk of the race for many days because of the severity of the course." "Now with the selection of Skerries as the venue for the grand finale and the inclusion of two tough laps bringing the riders through the town on three occasions the race will go right down to the wire. Following seven tough stages around Ireland, the riders will line out in Clara, county Offaly on Sunday May 28 with 155 kilometres still to be covered. The route will take them over twisting, undulating roads and through towns such as Kinnegad, Trim, Dunshaughlin, The Naul and Balrothery, before the peloton arrives in Skerries and begins two laps of the 13.8 kilometre circuit," said Dermot. Mary Monroe to be new executive director of Trails 2000By Tim Maloney, European Editor
Experienced cycling industry executive Mary Monroe of Boulder, Colorado has been selected to head Trails 2000 of Durango, Colorado, known as the Four Corners' area top trails advocacy group. Monroe spent 10 years as a member of IMBA's board of directors, and is a former vice-president of the pioneering MTB trail access organization. Monroe was instrumental in IMBA gaining trail access in the Grand Canyon. She also served on the Bicycle Colorado board of directors and various Wisconsin trail organization boards. "I have had the pleasure of working with a variety of land advocacy groups across the country and I am most impressed with what the community of Durango and (former director) Bill Manning have accomplished with Trails 2000. I am enthusiastically looking forward to working with the board, the members and the community to listen to their thoughts and ideas and to work on a long-term plan to continue and expand this great work," Monroe said. Monroe began her outdoor career at Trek Bicycles where she was the sports marketing director for Trek, Fisher, Klein, Bontrager and LeMond. She was responsible for the Trek/VW mountain bike partnership and also signed US Postal Team and Lance Armstrong to ride Trek bikes. After leaving Trek, Monroe went on to focus on non-profit management, serving as the chief marketing officer for USA Cycling and consulting with a variety of non-profits in the outdoor industry including the American Birkebeiner cross-country ski race and the Women's Wilderness Institute in Boulder, a leadership organization focused on backpacking and other outdoor activities. She is married to Travis Brown, former Olympian and mountain bike champion and son of Dr. Forest Dean Brown and Sandy Brown. Mary, Travis and their 2-year old daughter Rose have relocated to Durango. (All rights reserved/Copyright Knapp Communications Pty Limited 2006) |
|
January 2009 |
Recently on Cyclingnews.com |
 Mont Ventoux Photo ©: Sirotti |
