Paris-Nice was Boogerd's 16th Professional Victory. This year the 26-year old rider from Hagenaar has won a stage in the Tour of Valencia. His career summary:
The Benfica cyclist is proud to be the oldest Spanish cyclist in the peloton: "I'm happy with that, 32 years is a good age for cycling and I don't consider myself old, but a veteran. I'm signed for this year and next year and I think that I'm going to perform well". Mauri talked about his main goals for the season, pointing towards la Vuelta a Portugal and then la Vuelta a España, although the Spanish race was made for climbers.
On Sunday, Banesto manager Eusebio Unzué travelled by car to Gran Sasso, a 2,130 meter mountain with 30 kms of climbing which will be the finish of stage 8 of the Giro d'Italia. Unzue was able to verify that there was a meter of snow at 15 kms from the top and it was impossible to go up. He said: "I wasn't able to see the toughest part, the most important. I covered 60 kms of this stage, which is going to be important, not only because of its toughness, but because of the length (250 km). And obviously, it's impossible to bring Jiménez to see it personally".
Jiménez will only be able to see the route of the 31 km individual time trial of Ancona. They have also decided against going to see the two northwest alpine stages. Unzué said: "We've been told that the climb of Fauniera (2,511 meters) of the previous stage to Oropa, is also closed. We will have to come back a week before the Tour of Romandie." Unzué plans to travel to Italy at the end of April with Jiménez, Italian Piepoli, Polish Baranowski and Peña, key components of the Giro team. They plan to inspect not only the climbs of Oropa and Fauniera, but also the Dolomite climbs of Mortirolo, Gavia and company.
Unzué said: "But I doubt that we will be able to to make it all the way down to the Gran Sasso."
He told the press: "I hopefully will be able to decide at the last moment whether I will be riding these races. The first major aim of the season will be the Henninger Turm on May 1."
1. Frédéric Mainguenaud (Vendée-U) 4.13.50 2. Eric Drubay (CC Etupes) 0.01 3. Bruno Thibout (23-La Creuse) 0.02 4. Loïc Lamouller (CM Aubervilliers) 0.03 5. Michel Lallouët (VC Rouen-76) 6. Vincent Moreels (VC Roubaix) 7. Freddy Ravaleu (Jean-Floc'h) 8. Jérôme Bonnace (23-La Creuse) 0.12 9. Lenaïc Olivier (Jean-Floc'h) 1.15 10. Aïtor Silloniz (Banaka) 1.16
Teams:
1. CM Aubervilliers 35 points 2. Vendée-U 34 3. 23-La Creuse 32 4. CC Etupes 27 5. Jean-Floc'h 26Thanks to Nicolas Tavares from France
Netherlands, Noordwijk, Ronde van Zuid-Holland, Top Competition, Round 1: 1. Claessens 168 kms in 3.47.34, 2. Olijve, 3. Van Elven 0.02, 4. Legtenberg, 5. Kiviet. Netherlands, Grongingen. Ronde van Groningen, Club Competition: 1. Fledderus (Nieuw-Amsterdam) 140 kms in 3.32.10, 2. Van Dam (Leeuwarden), 3. Veen (Westerlee) 0.08, 4. Mulder (Paterswolde), 5. Alma (Harskamp). Netherlands, Rucphen. Omloop van Rucphen, Elite:L 1. Van der Tang (Voorhout) 140 kms in 3.30.01, 2. Den Braber (Rotterdam), 3. Olijven (Neede), 4. Van Dijk (Honselersdijk), 5. Wijnen (Budel). Netherlands, Berlicum, MTB race: Men: 1. Brentjens (Schaijk), 2. Henk Dekker (Doetinchem), 3. Van Schalen (Helmond), 4. De Knegt (Tilburg), 5. Smeets (Elsloo). Women: 1. Van den Brand (Zeeland), 2. Zu Pullitz (Ger), 3. Rotteveel (Doetinchem). Belgium, Poesele, GP Rudy Dhaenens: 1. Van Dijck (Bel) 170 kms in 4.08, 2. Kemna (Ned), 3. De Buyst (Bel) 0.18, 4. Vos (Ned), 5. Renders (Bel) 0.25, 6. De Clercq (Bel), 7. Boven (Ned), 8. Petersen (Den), 9. Vandromme (Bel) 0.57, 10. Van der Wolf (Ned). Belgium, Kemzeke, Omloop van het Waasland: 1. Omloop (Bel) 170 kms in 3.12.00, 2. Eeckhout (Bel) 0.10, 3. Heirewegh (Bel), 4. Talen, 7. Hoedemakers, 9. Ypenburg, 14. Cornelisse, 16. Reinerink, 17. Van Velzen
Day 1: 9 laps and two very hard hills per lap. Only about 4km of flat per lap. Today was always going to be a tough day and it was! As usual the other team (Mercury) had 12 guys ready to rumble so it was Team Shaklee's plan to cover them as much as we could with our 8 man squad. But it was the course that was to demand our respect today. The first laps were rolled at a good pace but the group was dwindling each lap. With 4 to go the gas went on up the longer of the two climbs splitting the field down to 15. It regrouped just at the bottom of the second climb but the gas went on again and give or take a few we had a break of 15-20 for good this time. The other team was trying to launch a solo rider for the win in doing so they shot Frazer out on one of the climbs so then the ball was in our court to try and make sure he didn't return to the front ..... this is where after a lap he reappeared up with us and it was until after the race that we found out that he was seem doing a little motor pacing .... Good on you Gord! Anyway, 1 lap to go still 15 in the group attacks going everywhere. Finally 3 escaped Willet, Wolfberg and another Mercury rider. That is how it finished. Not a bad day for us. I was 7th.
Day 2 Criterium: This was also a course that demanded your respect. It was very fast and tight and hard to improve you place in the field.There were many attacks and little groups taking primes but no one was to escape the feild. So with one lap to go it was all together and it was getting very rough. Shaklee to front please... I ended up leading it out for the last half lap (it was nuts out there) going into the last turn I had a little peep behind to see Gord tucked in tight. Yea you guessed it second for Gman Gagg was third. No win for Shaklee but still a good result.
Mark and Frank McCormack, after using the Tour of Mexico and Redlands respectively to prepare for the more important NCC SpringSeries, arrived in top form for the event, and showed everyone they meant business from the start. After the first, relatively tame lap, Frankie decided it was time to start training, and began stringing the field out at over 30 mph. "The average speed was dropping below 32 km/h on the first lap," he said after the race in his usual, jovial manner. "If we're racing, we've got to go above 32, know what I mean?"
Before that lap had ended, brother Mark had jumped away from the already suffering field with Northampton CC rider Steve Roszko in tow. They were quickly joined by former IME professional Peter Vollers, now riding for Sons of Italy, Kyle Gates (BBC/Community Bicycle Center) and another Northampton CC rider (and the day's race promoter), Adam Hodges Myerson. The five put the hammer down, and stayed away for the lap.
The field was still close, though, and through the finish stretch on the third lap, Curt Davis (WheelWorks/Cannondale) made an impressive solo bridge. A half lap later, using the one small hill on the mostly flat, windy circuit, Frank McCormack began his bridge, taking Kevin Monahan (Breakaway Courier Systems), last week's winner Tom Stevens (Gearworks), Junior World Cyclocross Championship participant Bill Skinner (HotTubes), and perpetual Yalie Luke Rice (Sons of Italy) along with him. With half the race to go, the group was 11 riders strong, and would not be seen by the field again.
The group worked smoothly and evenly until one and one half laps to go. On the same small hill he launched his bridge attempt, Frankie let loose again. His move was quickly covered by the group, but Mark's inevitable counterattack was not. Like clockwork, Mark sped away, with only Curt Davis responding, albeit belatedly. Myerson reacted even later that Davis, and while Davis went across to McCormack, Myerson went back to the break.
With Frankie sitting on in defense of his brother's expanding gap, the break continued to roll through and remain cohesive. On the last lap, Monahan opened the attacking again, mirroring Frank's attack the lap earlier. This one stuck, and Monahan held on to a 5 second gave for the next kilometer. One by one, Vollers, Stevens, and finally Frank McCormack bridged to Monahan, and second group was finalized.
At the finish, Mark McCormackhandled Curt Davis easily in the sprint. Davis was pleased with his result, though, noting that this was his first race of the season. Vollers took the sprint for third from the second group, perhaps avenging his loss to Stevens the week before. Frank McCormack did not contest the sprint, and rolled in ten seconds behind the group. Kyle Gates came around Myerson and Skinner to claim 7th place, and the honors of the third group. Justin Kasunik (Cyclonauts), finding his racing legs again after a near-death run it with a car two years ago, took the field sprint for 12th.
1. Mark McCormack (Saturn) 1.55.14 2. Curt Davis (Wheelworks) 0.05 3. Peter Vollers (Sons of Italy) 0.45 4. Kevin Monahan (Breakaway) 5. Tom Stevens (Gearworks) 6. Frank McCormack (Saturn) 0.52 7. Kyle Gates (BBC/Community) 1.11 8. Adam Myerson (Northampton CC) 1.13 9. Bill Skinner (Hot Tubes) 1.17 10. Luke Rice (Sons of Italy) 1.22 11. Steve Roszko (Northampton CC) 2.42 12. Justin Kasunik (Cyclonauts) 4.12 13. William Kirousis (Team Horst) 14. Brett Collin (Capitol Velo) 15. Keith Berger (SLCC) 16. Chris Ramadon (NECSA) 17. Theo Padnos (DreamBikes) 18. Steve Lombardo (SLCC) 19. Kris Hedges (NECSA) 20. Justin Manville (Shoreline CC) s.t.
B Grade Race, 60 kms:
Sixteen-year-old local rider Matt Wilson (NECSA) broke away from the field with two laps to go to win the B race. He was joined on the last lap by another sixteen-year-old. mountain bike racer Matt Hawkins (SOBE/Headshok). The two drag raced to the finish, with Wilson narrowly taking the sprint. Fourteen-year-old junior Oliver Stiler-Cote (Grimace) snuck away from the field before the finish to take third. The large number of juniors in the field (who only paid $5 to race) was encouraging, and is hopefully a sign of things to come.
1. Matt Wilson (NECSA) 1.36.05 2. Matt Hawkins (SOBE/Headshok) 3. Oliver Stiler-Cote (Grimace) 0.19 4. David Rusnak (Union Velo) 5. Doug Gowen (Cyclonauts) 0.22 6. Ross Fleichman (Harvard) 7. Chris Jordan (Arc-En-Ciel) 8. Mason Chen (unattached) 9. Nicolay Ferrari (CycleLoft) 10. Tom Scotto (BBC/Community) 11. Michael Parr (NEBC) 12. Ian Baker (BBC/Community) s.t.
In a repeat of the past two weeks a small group of eight took a lap in the first 40 min of the B grade race. All bar a six person chase group were withdrawn, the sprint contest won with a strong throw.
A Grade: 1. Leigh Egan 2. Robert Tighello 3. Brad Davidson 4. Murray Fenwick Started: 43 B Grade: 1. D Coltis 2. J Hogan 3. M Lawless 4. K Wood Started: 38 C Grade: 1. M Kinzett 2. L DiMartino 3. C Hawke 4. L Brown Started: 45 D Grade: 1. A Palm 2. H Forrest 3. D Lenzan 4. D Pierce