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Dauphiné Libéré
Photo ©: Sirotti

First Edition Cycling News for August 6, 2007

Edited by Steve Medcroft

Millar takes second '07 win at British Championships

Millar was ecstatic
Photo ©: John Pierce
(Click for larger image)

David Millar (Saunier Duval Prodir) took his second win of the 2007 season on Sunday at the British National Road Race Championships by overpowering fellow escapee Daniel Lloyd (DFL-Cyclingnews-Litespeed) on an uphill sprint finish.

"This win is massive for me. It means a huge amount," said Millar. "I have wanted this jersey for the whole of my career. I've had close calls and I have spat the dummy out a couple of times in this race before. I think I have matured with age and managed to control my temper a bit better. I am pretty proud of being British. A week after the Tour I felt bad all day today. I was tired and my legs were bad. Your perception is weird. I was off the front and my legs were hurting but I was going damn fast. I can just keep doing it as well."

Millar and Lloyd had ridden together for the last 80 kilometres in the race held in Abergavenny, Wales. Millar, who recently announced he has signed with trade team Slipstream for 2008, had jumped clear of the peloton in a chase for an early break of 10 riders in the aggressive contest and found a willing workmate in Lloyd.

"I realised when the break had gone that the race was over if I didn't bridge across to it," explained Millar. "I couldn't move without the whole bunch watching me so I put in a big attack and only Daniel [Lloyd] and Russell [Downing] could stay with me and the three of us got across. When we got there I realised that the bunch were racing behind me and I knew what the day was going to be like. So I waited until the bunch got close to us and as soon as guys started coming across, I went again."

Millar, who has signed with the American Professional Continental Team Slipstream squad for 2008, took his first victory of the season at the Paris - Nice prologue.

CSC Extends Blaudzun and Sørensen contracts

Michael Blaudzun and Nicki Sørensen have both had their contracts with Team CSC extended. The two Danish riders have been part of the team for a number of years and both received two-year extensions.

"Nicki and Michael are both important riders, who each in their own way contribute with a lot to this team," said Sports Director Kim Andersen. "They have the experience and they're vital in the work we do with the new talents. They are both among the best and most reliable helpers in the peloton and at the same time they're able to get results on their own, when they get the chance. I'm glad we've extended these contracts, because the team simply wouldn't be the same without these two guys."

T-Mobile's gets 'Satisfaction'

by Susan Westemeyer

Cavendish earlier this season
Photo ©: AFP Photo
(Click for larger image)

T-Mobile Team's young star, Mark Cavendish, won the sprint in the final stage of the Post Danmark Rundt on Sunday on his way to also pick up the points jersey.

Teammate Lorenzo Bernucci finished eighth overall, and the team also had three riders in the top ten of Saturday afternoon's time trial. Directuer Sportif Brain Holm, himself Danish, found a special way to help the team celebrate its succcesses.

Directly after the stage, "we will thoroughly celebrate with a barbecue," he said on t-mobile-team.com. "In the evening we will go togehther to the footbal stadium in Copenhagen and watch the Rolling Stones concert. The guys really earned that today."

Charlotte Criterium crash adds to Toyota-United injury woes

Caleb Manion at the Tour de Toona in July
Photo ©: Mark Zalewski
(Click for larger image)

A crash that took out Caleb Manion less than 15 miles from the finish of Saturday night's Presbyterian Hospital Invitational Criterium dashed the hopes of the Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team. The 26-year-old Australian suffered a fractured right clavicle (collar bone) and will miss the remainder of the season.

"If we don't have that crash with Caleb, it's a different race," Toyota-United Team Director Kirk Willett said. "We were pretty deflated after seeing him go down." Just before his crash, Manion was riding in a breakaway of about 15 riders that included his Toyota-United teammate, Chris Wherry. With about 12 laps remaining in the 40-lap, 50-mile race National Race Calendar and U.S.A. Crits Championship Series event, Manion crashed out on one of the eight turns on the 1.2-mile course through Charlotte City Center. "That was a pretty big blow," Willett said. "We just can't seem to avoid misfortune."

At the time of Manion's crash, Toyota-United was working hard to keep Ivan Dominguez – who won this race in its first running in 2004 – in contention for what was hoped to be a field sprint. But Manion's crash demoralized his teammates, Willett said, and decimated the horsepower necessary to bring back a late-race attack by eventual winner Frank Pipp (Health Net presented by Maxxis). Jesse Anthony (Kodakgallery.com/Sierra Nevada Pro Cycling) second and Yosvany Falcon (AEG-Toshiba-JetNetwork Professional Cycling Team) was third.

Manion's injury is the latest in a long list of maladies that have kept Toyota-United from racing at full strength for much of the season. As well as losing Mark Scanlon to family matters, the following Toyota United riders are on the injured list:

- Heath Blackgrove (leg injury), 11 weeks
- Bobby Lea (leg surgery), eight weeks
- Ivan Dominguez (back, rib injuries), eight weeks
- Chris Wherry (relapse of parasite), six weeks
- Ivan Stevic (knee pain), six weeks
- Sean Sullivan (knee pain), three weeks
- Henk Vogels (broken glenoid), eight weeks
- Caleb Manion (broken clavicle), expected eight weeks

Rain delays Kiwi medal prospects

Unseasonal rain has dampened the progress of New Zealand rider Myron Simpson on the opening day of the UCI Juniors World Championship in Mexico on Saturday. The Manukau rider is in third place after five of six events in the gruelling Omnium before rain brought a premature end to the night's programme at Aguascalientes.

Simpson will return to the track tomorrow to compete in the final one kilo time trial to complete the Omnium, chasing New Zealand's first medal at the world championships. The 17 year old finished sixth in the 200m time trial, third in the 5km scratch race and a superb second in the individual pursuit. He was 10th in the 15km points race to be in third place overall with one event remaining. It was an outstanding performance in tough conditions with riders coping with bthe effects of altitude with the track at 1800m as well as humidity.

"It's the humidity that is the real factor here," manager William Rastrick said. "We have prepared for the altitude but the difference here is that there is also high humidity, up to 40 and event 50 per cent. It means the riders have to really use their heads here. They have to conserve some energy or they can run out of fuel in the final part of their racing."

Earlier in the night New Zealanders Alex Cull and Shane Archbold finished sixth and ninth respectively in the qualifying heats of the individual pursuit. Cull (Auckland) rode a strong 3min 25,24sec to miss out on a place in the medal round by only 1.7s. Archbold (Timaru) was a further two seconds behind, tying up over the final kilometre after going to the world championships with high hopes following his silver medal as part of the team pursuit last year.

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