* - Several Lotto riders will come to the end of their contracts this year and are in high demand. Jean-Luc Vandenbroucke has been negotiating with Chris Peers and Jo Planckaert this week. However it looks like Peers will join Cofidis and Planckaert has to decide between an offer from Lotto and one from US Postal.
His optimism doesn't come from his win at the Vuelta ao Alentejo. He said: "Alentejo is not a race that can help me measure myself well. But it is not the win that encourages me but the way that I won the time trial and the fact that I had a lot of strength while climbing. I also had good sprinting form."
But Rubiera is "proud to have won la Vuelta al Alentejo" and be able to join "the likes of Garmendia, Mauri and Indurain. In addition this is my first overall win in a stage race". Now he will race on Sunday in Alcobendas before heading to the Giro. Rubiera finished 10th in the 1997 Giro and won a stage and finished 13th in 1998, where he had allergy problems. "My objective is to finish top 10 in the overall and try to win a stage. Kelme is taking a very balanced team. Together with Heras, Chepe and the rest, we will give battle".
Sanromá spoke to Cipollini at the end of that stage. However, it was not to express his admiration for him but to complain to him about his illegal moves during the sprint. Cipollini was fined and put back to 35th place: "I only told him that his tactics are noot the way it's done".
His immediate plans are to rest for a week and then to race at the Tours of Asturias and Cataluña, which will serve as training for the Spanish National Championship. Maybe the encouragement that Sanromá had to win four stages was a promise by his director, Maximino Pérez, who assured him that he would buy him a car when he won five races. "I have already done my part. Now I only have to wait for the car. I like the Volkswagen Golf, the Audi and BMW, but if I had to choose I would select the BMW", concluded Sanromá.
La Gazzetta dello Sport continues to evaluate the teams that will be competing at the Giro. The Brescian team comes into the Giro with great ambitions. Nicola Miceli is aiming for the overall podium and Endrio Leoni is aiming for the sprint competition. Fabio Bordonali, administrator, team manager and sport director for Liquigas-Pata, thinks positive: "In a Giro as tough as this coming edition, an endurance rider like Nicola could be a protagonist. We are one step away from the Giro d’Italia, exactly like we want. The Pink Race is our most important appointment. So we need to arrive at our best. For the last six years since I got off the bike and started managing, my team has always ridden better at the Giro".
Liquigas' season started well with the great success by Endrio Leoni at GP di Donoratico, the first race of the Italian calendar. But then there was no successes until the finish of Settimana Ciclistica Lombarda, where Teteriuk won the great stage at Zogno, while Nicola Miceli finished second in the mountain time trial at Selvino and second in the general classification.
Miceli also confirmed his good form at the recently completed Giro del Trentino. "Nicola will be out captain at the Pink Race. With Teteriuk as the alternative. The rest of the team will be working for them. We have great confidence in Miceli. He could make the podium for us. He is a man of temperament and has exceptional athletic qualities. He has only ridden the Giro twice and he rides with the best. Last year, if he hadn't been taking out of the race, due to a high hematocrit level he would have finished fifth".
Liquigas-Pata does not confine its ambitions to the GC. "We should be able to win at least one stage. That's why we have sprinters of the quality of Leoni and Biagio Conte. Endrio has just had bronchitis but he is doing much better now. He is a pure sprinter, one of those who can fire convincingly, even against Cipollini".
The Koppenberg was taken out of the race in 1987 after an incident involving Jesper Skibby. At the end of a long attack, he came into the berg with a small gap of a chasing group. Half-way up the steep climb he fell. The following car containing the jury president tried to pass the Dane because the peloton was coming up to him strongly. The gap was too small and the car hit the wheel of Skibby's bike. A policeman came to help because the driver of the car panicked. Since that time, the beautiful climb has been excluded from the race. But the city officials in Oudenaarde have indicated that they can lengthen the climb by 18 metres and widen it by half a metre.
He told the Danish Newspaper, BT, that: "After the Giro the last teams for the Tour (de France), which is my big goal, are being selected. Therefore I will do everything I can to make big results during the Giro, so that the Tour directors chooses to let Cantina Tollo ride the Tour."
Final Stage, 123 kms: 1. Josvani Falcon (Cub) Cuban Team 2.50.00 (43.694 km/h) 2. Perez (Cub) Cuban Team 3. Paolini (Ita) Italian A Team 4. Gainitdinov (Rus) 5. Bernucci (Ita) Italian B Team Final GC: 1. Leonardo Giordani (Ita) Italian B Team 20.12.44 2. Basso (Ita) Italian A Team 0.06 3. Gustov (Ukr) 0.07 4. Pizzoferrato (Ita) Italian A Team 0.31 5. Kannemeyer (RSA) 1.18
1. Richard Mulder (Paterswolde) 3.54.54 2. Hermann Sinnigen (Papenburg) 3. Ren’ Kroes (Hattem) 4. Erik Dagelet (Groningen) 0.02 5. Jos Wolfkamp (Raalte) 0.04 6. Edwin Veen (Westerlee) 0.09 7. Richard Rijkens (t' Zandt) 0.12 8. Ben Timmermans (Nieuw Buinen) 0.20 9. Herman Fledderus (Nieuw Amsterdam) 2.13 10. Thomas van de Greft (Hoogkerk) 2.13 11. Henk Tissingh (Groningen) 2.15 12. Allard Engels (Gieten) 2.23 13. Anne van der Veen (Buitenpost) 2.23 14. Marcel Alma (Harskamp) 2.23 15. Dennis Hammink (Dieren) 2.23 16. Barry Porsius (Lelystad) 2.23 17. Bert van der Kaap (Ter Apel) 2.23 18. Jeffrey Leest (Zutphen) 2.23 19. Alfred Schoenmaker (Diever) 2.23 20. Jerry de Bruyn (Harderwijk) 2.23 21. Arjan Elferink (Albergen) 2.23 22. Wout Lammertink (Kampen) 2.23 23. Marco Horden (Ewijk) 2.23 24. Willem Knollema (Schildwolde) 2.23 25. Nico Heekelaar (Velp) 2.23 26. Daniel Oord (Oldemarkt) 2.23 27. Raymond Lubberman (Hoogeveen) 2.23 28. Anno Pedersen (Arnhem) 2.23 29. Erik Koetje (Meeden) 2.23 30. Sent Tissingh (Groningen) 2.23 31. Sjoerd Douma (Drachten) 2.23 32. Milan Nijsse (Deventer) 2.23 33. Andr’ Schrader (Spankeren) 2.23 34. Mark Saathof (Nijverdal) 2.23 35. Harry Witterholt (Grijpskerk) 2.23 36. Wopko Faber (Uitwellingerga) 2.23 37. Martin Henskes (Groningen) 2.23 38. Michiel Slot (Bornebroek) 2.23 39. Gretienus Gommers (Veghel) 2.23 40. Alex van de Vosse (Zwolle) 2.23 41. Folkert de Haan (Groningen) 2.23 42. Erik Cent (Goor) 2.23 43. Emiel Mulder (Hattem) 2.29 44. Harald Slebos (Oldenzaal) 2.33 45. Bernhard Palland (Zwolle) 2.42 46. Johan Wekema (De Wilp) 2.44 47. Wim Spijkerboer (Elspeet) 2.44 48. Aldo Klomp (Apeldoorn) 3.04 49. Bram Bongers (Apeldoorn) 4.35 50. Vincent Persoon (Hardenberg) 4.49 51. Jelle-Coen Bijlsma (Giekerk) 4.49 52. Edward Foppen (Ermelo) 4.49 53. Jan Jonker (Oldebroek) 4.49 54. Maarten Lenferink (Tubbergen) 4.52
1. Emiel van Dijk (Ned) Delta 2. Joost Legtenberg (Ned) P&O-Löwik-Giant 3. Gerben Löwik (Ned) P&O-Löwik-Giant 4. Jan Schilder (Ned) Alcmaria 5. Sandro Bijnen (Ned) Axa Cyclingteam 6. Mark vlijm (Ned) Rabobank 7. Eric van Leijen (Ned) Agu 8. Hans Kopmels (Ned) Jonker-Rabo-Omega 9. Mark ter Schure (Ned) P&O-Löwik-Giant 10. Jeroen Slagter (Ned) Piels-Gazelle Cyclingteam