Cycling photography for February - Part I

The Local East Coast Australian Time is plus 30 minutes

Mallorca Challenge
Etoile de Bessèges
Giro presentation to European parliament
Lotto-Adecco presentation
GP d'Ouverture La Marseillaise
Wildside MTB
Saturn training camp
Cage Magliere team presentation
Vlaanderen-T-Interim team presentation
iBanesto.com team presentation
BigMat Auber 93 presentation
GP Costa degli Etruschi
Western Australia Hillclimb Championships 2002

Copyright notice: The photo's that appear here are all subject to copyright, and may not be reproduced in any form anywhere else without the owner's permission. Copies, either print or electronic, of the photographs can be requested by contacting the photographer in most cases, as email or website addresses are usually provided with the images. The exceptions are AFP photo's, which are not available for individual sale.

Etoile de Bessèges

• Robbie McEwen (Lotto) - a long way in front of his rivals in the sprint
• Robbie McEwen - gets the customary treatment for a stage winner
• Robbie McEwen - in the leader's jersey
• Andrea Ferrigato (Alessio) raises up his arms as he crosses the finish line in Saine-Tulle to win the second stage of the Etoile de Bessèges
• Andrea Ferrigato grins from the podium after his win
• Glenn d'Hollander (Lotto) - just manages to hold off the peloton to win stage 3
• Glenn d'Hollander - on the podium with his trophy after stage 3
• Jaan Kirsipuu (Ag2r) - wins his first race of the year, the fourth stage of the Etoile de Besseges
• Jaan Kirsipuu - congratulated on the podium after winning stage 4
• The stage 5 sprint - Kirsipuu won in front of McEwen and Steffen Radochla
• Jaan Kirsipuu - wins the fifth and final stage
• Australian champion Robbie McEwen - salutes the crowd from the podium
• Robbie McEwen - with the overall winners trophy from the Etoile de Besseges

Giro presentation to European parliament

• A laptop computer - shows the map of the Giro d'Italia during its presentation at the European Parliament in Strasbourg
• Italian cycling legend Felice Gimondi - studies the parcours of the 2002 Giro d'Italia
• Eddy Merckx and Italian Felippe Gimondi - applaud during the presentation of the Giro
• Eddy Merckx - studies the map of the 2002 Giro d'Italia

Lotto-Adecco presentation

• Kurt Van De Wouwer and Rik Verbrugghe - surround Director Sportif Claude Criquelion
• Lotto boys
• Peter Van Petegem - Andrei Tchmil, Rik Verbrugghe and Robbie McEwen looking quite spiffy.
• Rik Verbrugghe - is very popular with the press
• Niko Eeckhout - with young guns Stive Vermaut, Wesley Van Speybroeck and Gorik Gardeyn

GP d'Ouverture La Marseillaise

• Laurent Jalabert (CSC-Tiscali) - signs an autograph before the start
• Eddy Seigneur (Jean Delatour) - and Olivier Trastour (ag2r) at the start
• Riders start - the GP Marseillaise, from Allauch to Aubagne
• Xavier Jan (Big Mat Auber 93) - clenches his fists in triumph as he wins "La Marseillaise"
• Xavier Jan - crosses the line to win the GP d'Ouverture La Marseillaise
• The podium - Alexandre Botcharov (2nd), Xavier Jan (1st) and Cyril Dessel (Jean Delatour)

Wildside MTB

These shots of the inaugural Wildside MTB race in Tasmania were taken by Ricky Eaves (0419 391 379). Some spectacular scenery and racing in the Australian wilderness.

• Jai Crawford, one of Taberlay's hottest rivals, gets the jump at the start of the first competitive stage near Cradle Mountain.
• Rob Matthews decides hiking it might save some broken bones on the treacherous Stirling Valley stage through temperate rainforest.
• A rider treads gingerly along the suspension bridge at Montezuma Falls... the falls can be glimpsed through the trees.
• A happy Mary Grigson, Australia's best female rider.
• Mary Grigson leads a string of male riders along the massive Ocean Beach as the background dunes dwarf a trailing string of riders, in the final stage of Wildside 2002.
• A mud-splattered Mary Grigson leads the women's field.
• The field winds its way through Trial Harbour.
• And they're off! The inaugural Wildside event got off to a fast start.
• National MTB coach, Damian Grundy (Vic) vying for supremacy in the Masters division.
• It's downhill all the way for a competitor on a very muddy stage two.
• Julian Fox - streaks around a corner and off into a pine forest section on the last competitive stage.
• Mary Grigson - leads the men along Ocean Beach.
• Sid Taberlay - the winner.

Saturn training camp

Jonathan Devich/Thefastrack.com took these photo's from the Saturn training camp.

• New bikes are adjusted and readjusted for that right fit.
• Director of Operations, Andy Lee, has an on the road chat with general manager Tom Schuler.
• Trent Klasna looking forward to another spectacular season.
• Two Saturn riders prepare for the climbs of the season
• A little early season motor pacing never hurt.
• The new team issue full titanium Lemonds.
• New Saturn team rider Jay Sweet, from Australia
• The stuff of which dreams are made . . .

Cage Magliere team presentation

• Team manager Fabio Bordonali (left) Hernan Buenahora Gutierrez, Crescenzo D'Amore and Senore Giusti.
• Jan Bratkowski and Markus Knopfle show off the new team Olmo bike.
• Hernan Buenahora Gutierrez and Crescenzo D'amore.
• Ready to ride: Hernan Buenahora Gutierrez and Gianluca Tonetti ready for a new season.
• The bright green Cage Maglierie vehicle is easily identified.
• Team Cage Maglierie with manager Fabio Bordonali and the jersey-matching team vehicle.

Vlaanderen-T-Interim team presentation

Photo's of the Vlaanderen-T-Interim launch sent in by team webmaster Erik Van Breugel.

• The Vlaanderen-T-Interim team - on the podium
• The Vlaanderen-T-Interim team - pose for photo's outside
• Manager Fons Leroy - with South African rider Rudolph Wentzel
• The shiny team car

iBanesto.com team presentation

Some photos of the Spanish team launch courtesy of Alfonso Galilea, team director, and AFP.

• The team - looking very sharp in their suits
• The iBanesto.com team - presented in Madrid
• The iBanesto.com team - in their official team kit.
• The team's two new arrivals - Jose Ivan Gutierrez and Juan Antonio Flecha
• Jose Ivan Gutierrez - the reigning Spanish road champion

BigMat Auber 93 presentation

Pictures courtesy of Daniel Schamps.

• BigMat Auber 2002 - the full team
• The team's Spanish contingent - Aitor Kintana and Felix Garcia Casas

GP Costa degli Etruschi

Pictures of the opening race of the Italian season by Fotoreporter Sirotti and Roberto Bettini

• First year pro Yaroslav Popovych (Landbouqkrediet-Colnago) ... out of the placings here but one of the most promising young riders in the peleton.
• Fabrizio Guidi of Team Coast with Iven Quaranta of Index Alexia.
• Rising young star Yaroslav Popovych (left) and assistant team manager Olivano Locatelli with Landbouqkrediet-Colnago's winning rider, Yuriy Metluschenko (Ukr) .
• Fabrizio Guidi of Team Coast . . . all smiles despite being out of the placings.
• Bo Hamburger (left) and Iven Quaranta (Index Alexia) at the finish.
• A smile for the camera from Team Colpack - Astro Denis 's Lunghi.
• Iven Quaranta (Index Alexia) is a picture of concentration.
• Team Index Alexia controls the bunch.
• Head down, pedals pumping . . . Ag2r on the attack.
• Michele Colleoni attacks for Team Colpack - Astro.
• Yurj Metlushenko out-sprints the field
• Yurj Metlushenko looks utterly delighted as he realises he's won
• Yurj Metlushenko raises his arms in celebration as he crosses the line.
• Yurj Metlushenko accepts a congratulatory kiss on the podium
• The top three: Trenti, Metlushenko, Manzoni

Western Australia Hillclimb Championships 2002

Photos courtesy Ideal Cycles

• The fluid style of Steven Evans - on his way to fourth place.
• Mark LeFlohic - follows the "three wheels are better than two" theory.
• Leon Vogels - heading for a strong win.
• Ian Longville - pushes for first place, but takes home a well won second.
• A more relaxed Leon - enjoys his medal and trophy.

Want some more?

For more cycling photography, with events such as La Francaise des Jeux team presentation, RONA training camp, Colnago-Landbouwkredit training, Saeco- Longoni Sport team launch, Telekom team launch, Cyclo-cross World Cup #6, Heerlen, AG2R Prévoyance team launch, Team COAST launch, Alessio team launch, More Mapei team presentation, Acqua&Sapone team launch, Mapei team presentation, Crédit Agricole team presentation please consult our monthly archives