On Saturday, Ullrich finished the Amstel with Tafi's group at 9.20, but the race was decided and the chasers finished softly. Guerini said: "Jan only needs to race now. Before the Vuelta a Aragon, we trained together for a couple of days, which also reinforced our friendship. We spoke a little bit in English and a little bit in German. By now I have become used to the team. Ullrich had a high morale and was laughing and joking - a different person than the one we saw in difficulty at Setmana Catalana. In Aragon he launched the sprints for Zabel, worked on the flat and in the climbs went up with the second group, almost with the best and wasn't easily dropped. I'm convinced that he will ride a great Tour".
Giuliani and Chioccioli's team has 22 riders and it won't be easy to choose the nine for the Giro d’Italia. The team manager said recently that: "It is certain the participation of Richard, Spezialetti, Strazzer, Quaranta, Valoti, Gualdi, Slovenian and Stangelj. Bertolini should have recovered from his fall in Tirreno-Adriatico. For the ninth place we expected Faustini, who is recovering from injury, but we also have Della Valle, Recinella, Lelekin and Manzoni as possibilities. The definite team will be chosen after Romandie".
Giuliani & Chioccioli are aiming for a team that will hunt for stages. "I spoke with the team clearly: there is only one Pantani and only one Cipollin. So then? Then we need to attack starting every morning until the finish until we win a stage. We would also like at least one day with the Pink Jersey. We will go to the race with a competitive team - says the manager -. We have good sprinters like Strazzer and Quaranta and promissing young riders like Spezialetti and Stangelj and a rider of great class like Richard, who can always come up with a super day and grab a great stage".
Amica Chips-Costa de Almeria
"We will arrive at the Giro d'Italia with a certainty and a hope. The certainty is that Daniele De Paoli will be one of the best in the Alpine stages and the hope is that Eugenio Berzin will come back to be a protagonist". Words of Sandro Quintarelli, sport director of Team Amica Chips-Costa de Almeria. In 1994, Eugenio Berzin won the Giro d'Italia dominating Miguel Indurain against the clock and holding back the fury of Marco Pantani in the mountains. In Milano, Berzin finished one place ahead of the Pirate and two ahead of Miguel.
Daniele De Paoli was a good amateur rider and nothing more, but for the Giro he has already risen above his usual standard. He was a revelation in the mountains two years ago and confirmed last year his rise to the higher ranks with an 8th place in the overall GC. Quintarelli explains: "If he hadn't thrown away all those minutes on the stage to Lecce he would have arrived fifth. De Paoli is a perfect rider for the stage races because he recovers well. I believe in this young rider and I'm convinced that he will finish in the top 5 at this Giro. Daniele is a diesel - the longer and tougher the stages the better".
1. Michele Bartoli (Ita) 2,722 points 2. Davide Rebellin (Ita) 2,199 3. Marco Pantani (Ita) 2,156 4. Michael Boogerd (Ned) 2,154 5. Abraham Olano (Spa) 2,049 6. Laurent Jalabert (Fra) 2,007 7. Frank Vandenbroucke (Bel) 1,628 8. Oscar Camenzind (Swi) 1,583 9. Andrea Tafi (Ita) 1,524 10. Peter Van Petegem (Bel) 1,325
What’s in that chicken?
In the course of the spring our attention is usually focused on the beauty of the Belgian classics, the World Cup, and the week-long stages such as Tirreno Adriatico and Paris-Nice. Which is all well and good except for the fact that there is also drama playing out in some of the lesser races that has a tendency to go unnoticed.
One of these stories of interest has to be that of Team Chicky World, a Danish squad that is embarking on their second year as a team and their first with UCI-Div.2 status. The team is small, burdened with a ridiculous name (manufacturer of frozen processed chicken products) and a meagre budget, but it would seem they know how to ride as a team at the stage races, where they just can’t seem to lose.
The Chicky boys, an interesting collection of riders from Nordic nations, have thus far contested 3 stage races and won them all. The season began with victory at Vuelta a la Argentina (UCI cat. 2.5) to Martin Rittsel (Sweden) after 10 days in the leader’s jersey, which was followed up by Steffen Kjaergaard’s (Norway) victory in Tour de Normandie (UCI cat. 2.5) (6 days in leader’s jersey), and finally the most beautiful piece of meat in the Chicky bucket thus far, Kjærgaard’s win at Circuit de la Sarthe (UCI cat. 2.4), over names such as Armstrong, Boardman, Voigt and Vasseur.
And they would seem to be on the way to making it 4-for-4, as the Chicky boys presently hold down the top 2 spots in the GC at Niedersachsen Rundfart. Kjærgaard held the leader’s jersey for 3 days after winning the prologue, only to lose it after a crash at the end of stage 3, at which time Torsten Schmidt (Germany) picked up the jersey and insured that it remain on a Chicky back ever since. With Rittsel on 2nd spot close behind.
Led by directeur sportif Kim Andersen, whose claim to fame as a Danish rider was that he had the best GC showing for a Dane at the Tour de France before a certain Mr. Riis came along, the team has also won a few times in single day contests, including Torsten Schmidt at Route de Adelie (UCI 1.4) and Allan Johansen (Denmark) at Rund om Düren (1.5). All-in-all the team has 8 triumphs so far this season, as well as some 17 days in leader’s jerseys.
Who knows how high those chickens can fly?
Dear Bill
How are you? I made no contact for some days, but it was for a good
reason. I was trying to prepare to the Prova Ciclistica da Inconfidencia,
the most important cycling race in the town of Belo Horizonte, and also
the sixth round of Brazilian rankings. To be honest, with the legs I have now, I
thought I could not race against people like Caloi´s Marcio May (second
overall in Vuelta a Chile, fourth in Vuelta a Uruguay). But, I decided to
race in the 92 kms road race that would decide the event on Sunday (for
Saturday's criterium I just sat and watched the action). With no
Intermediate category, I had to race in the Elite (there were also categories
for Under-23, Masters and Juniors).
When we were called to the start in the historical town of Ouro Preto, I lined up next tp May. He is a quiet and good guy and joked with everybody. We had the opportunity to chat a little. Before the real action there was a symbolical start with a climb up cobbles which gave everybody problems until we reached the open road. By the first five or ten kilometers, the group remained intact, and I stayed protected inside of it, and not far from Caloi boys.
But they decided to attack in a place with fast ups-and-downs and not many people followed their move. I tried to stay in a third bunch, grouped with other seven cyclists. We understood ourselves very well and, in the flat places, the group had no problem to keep a pace of 50/55 kph, reaching 75/80kph on the descents. We caught some guys and some others in turn came back to us. So we had a group of 15 before the biggest difficulty of the day - the 8.5 km climb of "Serra de Itabirito" with a 13% grade in some places.
I thought I wouldn´t have the strength to make it but, surprisingly, I managed to keep a good pace. Four cyclists of our group went out but I stayed with another three, and we left behind the biggest part of the bunch. When I came to the car to get some water and food the guys that were with me went clear and I had didn't have the legs to catch them, So I needed to ride the last 20 kms alone, against the wind, and suffering a little. But I ended the race, and received the praise from a lot of more experienced riders. My final time was something about 2h35min or 2h38min (my Cateye decided not to work in the middle of the race). That gave me an average of almost 35 kp/h which is not bad given the difficulty of the course. When compared to the winner´s time in 1998 (2h27min) it would be a great time but for this year the Caloi boys decided to fly as a part of their training for the Pan-American Games in Winnipeg. Daniel Rogelin crossed the line in 2.09.37, a stunning average of 42.5 kp/h. Hernandes Quadri was second, followed by former Volta a Portugal winner Cassio Freitas and Marcio May, who clinched overall GC due to his win in the Criterium the day before.
I ended the race with the 20th position in Elite and now I have one point in National Rankings. As I am also a journalist, soon after I parked my bike, I begun the coverage of the event, while drinking a Gatorade and trying to recover.
Saturday, April 17, Criterium: Elite 1. Marcio May (Caloi) 2. Glaucio Fontenelli (Kalu Imports-Hugo Boss) 3. Elivelton Pedro (Fundesport) Under-23 1. Leandro Salim (Kalu Imports-Hugo Boss) 2. Andre Audi (Frannel) 3. Helder Fernandes (Frannel) Women 1. Janildes Silva (Alfa) 2. Jacqueline Mourão (Scott/Mercedes-Benz/Bell Helmets) 3. Rosane Minervino (Kalu Imports-Hugo Boss) Masters 1. Ubirajara Macedo (Kalu Imports-Hugo Boss) 2. William Carvalho (Rio Sport Center) 3. Alexandre Santos (unattached) Sunday, April 18, Road Race, 92 kms: Elite 1. Daniel Rogelin (Caloi) 2.09.37 (42.5 kph) 2. Hernandes Quadri (Caloi) 0.02 3. Cassio Freitas (Caloi) 0.02 4. Marcio May (Caloi) 0.02 .. 20. Rodrigo Gini (Team Internet) Under-23 1. Clayton Timm (Frannel) 2. Andre Audi (Frannel) 3. Marcelo Ianini (Kalu Imports-Hugo Boss) Juniors 1. Jonathan Consuli (Frannel) 2. Deivisson Bisi (Frannel) 3. Avelino Nascimento (Frannel) Masters 1. Ubirajara Macedo (Kalu Imports-Hugo Boss) 2. Marcos Gianetti (Stamina) 3. Roberto Márcio (Acorge) Final G.C: Elite 1. Marcio May (Caloi) 2. Hernandes Quadri (Caloi) 3. Daniel Rogelin (Caloi) 4. Elivelton Pedro (Fundesport) 5. Glaucio Fontinelli (Kalu Imports-Hugo Boss) .. 7. Cassio Freitas (Caloi) Under-23 1. Andre Audi (Frannel) 2. Clayton Timm (Frannel) 3. Marcelo Ianini (Kalu Imports-Hugo Boss) Juniors 1. Jonathan Consuli (Frannel) 2. Deivisson Bisi (Frannel) 3. Avelino Nascimento (Frannel) Masters 1. Ubirajara Macedo (Kalu Imports-Hugo Boss) 2. Marcos Gianetti (Stamina) 3. William Carvalho (Rio Sport Center)
Saturday April 24, GP Nic Frantz, 151 kms, Elite 2 Cat 1.6: 1. Nico Strynckx (Bel) 3.37.42 2. Andrei Dolguikh (Rus) 3. Kevin Degezelle (Bel) 0.06 4. René Post (Ned) 0.12 5. Danny Swinnen (Bel) 0.12 6. Steve Van Aken (Bel) 0.12 7. Thomas Voeckler (Fra) 0.12 8. Bram Tankink (Ned) 0.12 9. Samuel Rouyer (Fra) 1.35 10. Dominique Hennebert (Bel) 1.35 11. Mike Guilliams (Bel) 1.35 12. Stéphane Houillon (Fra) 1.35 13. Sandy Casar (Fra) 1.35 14. Ruud Verbaakel (Bel) 1.50 15. Seb.Vanden Abeele (Bel) 1.50 16. Andrea Zatti (Ita) 1.50 17. Vincenzo Centrone (Lux) 1.50 18. Raphael Ruffinoni (Fra) 1.50 19. Enzo Mezzapesa (Lux) 1.50 20. Nicky Vermeersch (Bel) 4.33 21. Arjan de Heer (Ned) 4.33 22. Adrei Tcherviakov (Rus) 4.33 23. Xander Schelfhout (Ned) 4.33 24. Frank Schleck (Lux) 4.33 25. Saul Pasque (Aut) 5.13 Started: 134 Finished: 88 Sunday April 25, GP Ostfenster, 153 kms, Elite 2 Cat 1.6: 1. Kim Kirchen (Lux) 3.36.36 2. Régis L'Huillier (Fra) 3. Sébastien Van den Abbele (Bel) 4. Andrei Dolguikh (Rus) 5. Danny Swinnen (Bel) 6. Thomas Voeckler (Fra) 7. Steve Fogen (Lux) 8. Philippe Koehler (Fra) 9. Steve Van Aken (Ned) 10. Arjan De Heer (Ned) 11. Vincenzo Centrone (Lux) 12. Bram Tankink (Ned) 13. Lex Nederlof (Ned) 14. Dominique Hennebert (Bel) 15. Dimitri Sedoun (Rus) 16. Edwin Dunning (Ned) 17. Enzo Mezzapesa (Lux) 18. Frank Schleck (Lux) 19. Kirk O'Bee (USA) 20. Sammy Cazar (Fra) 0.06 Started: 135 Finished: 63Thanks to our Luxembourg reporter, Gérard Schiltz
1. Thor Hushovd (Ringerike) 5.10.07 2. Frode Flesjå (Sandnes) 1.08 3. Erlend Engelsvoll (Sandne) 1.15 4. Rune Jogert (Ringerike) 1.36 5. Gisle Vikøyr (Ringerike) 2.10 6. Kenneth Flesjå (Sandnes) 2.18 7. Morten Hegreberg (Sandnes) 2.40 8. Øyvind Karlbom (Sandnes) 7.46 9. Øyvind Lillehagen (Vestfold Elite) 8.19 10. Roy Sønsterud (Ringerike) 11.34Thanks to Arild Reidarsen from Norway
A Grade: 1. Bill Mitchell 2. Andrew Torney 3. Robert Wilson B Grade: 1. Phil Tehan