World Championships news for October 16, 2000Vainsteins' comments
After his powerhouse sprinting performance in yesterday's elite men's road race, Latvian Romans Vainsteins saw his preparatory work of the last few weeks pay off in spades, as he left Zbigniew Spruch and Oscar Freire in his wake. He survived all of the attacks made by the Italians and Belgians on the climbs, and hung on for an somewhat unexpected bunch finish. Not according to Vainsteins though. "I had one teammate remaining, Arvis Piziks, who worked well for me especially near the beginning when I had mechanical problems. I didn't have a choice: it was necessary me to model my race on other teams. I chose the teams of Italy, Belgium and France which seemed most dangerous to me," he told AFP in an interview afterwards. Vainsteins had selected Tchmil, Freire and Bartoli as the ones to watch, but after the attacks went no-stop in the closing laps, he just tried to stay with the best riders. "It became clear to me that on this fast course, no escape would make it to the finish." He managed to stay in contact and win the sprint - a perfect example of playing Poker to perfection. The near future? "I intend to enjoy this victory - it's not everyday you become World Champion. Then I will return to Brussels to sign with Domo-Farm Frites." Romans Vainsteins - a brief bioBorn: March 3, 1973
in Kuldiga (near Riga) Professional teams: Kross-Selle Italia (1998), Vini Caldirola (1999-2000), Domo-Farm Frites (2001) Major results 1997 World Military Champion 1998 1st, GP Larciano 1999 1st, GP Canton
Aargau 2000 1 stage, Tirreno-Adriatico Some post-race quotesZbigniew Spruch (Pol, 2nd): "The Polish team started chasing as soon as we realized that all the strong nations were represented in front. I dedicate this medal to my team". Oscar Freire (Spa, 3rd): "The team worked very well. My comrades worked so much that they did not have any more strength in the end, but that was understandable. It was up to me to look after myself." "I was not well placed on the sprint. Also, I made an error when Bartoli touched my rear wheel. I slowed down and I had to start again. I didn't want to take anyone's wheel because I didn't know who was the freshest." Michele Bartoli (Ita, 4th): "Something did not click in the team. I tried three times to attack. But when I saw that it was impossible, I decided to wait for the sprint. If I had been helped more, it could have been another scenario. Treason? I don't want to comment".
Scott Sunderland (Aus, 7th): "I felt so strong today. I tried to get into a better position in the final, on Vainsteins' wheel, but there were so many Italians and Belgians there in the last kilometers...It was impossible to get into the right spot for the sprint" "I am happy, being the first Australian finishing this high up in the World Championships - I think Alan (Peiper) got a 9th once...But I think I could have been on the podium today if the strong Italian and Belgian 'front' wasn't there...Vainsteins was so strong in those last meters, incredible." "The boys (Jay, Tom, etc) were all great to work with today, it was really a lot of fun doing this one...I didn't hurt once; that makes me feel confident for preparation during the 'winter'-break and for the coming season." Andrei Tchmil (Bel, 19th): "I put everything into an attack on the last lap. When I attacked the second time, I believed that it was possible to win. It is a very hard blow". Laurent Jalabert (Fra, abandon): " At the beginning I was not feeling too bad but as soon as it got harder, I was on the rubber band. It is the law of the sport - one does not always do as well as one wants." "I am sorry for the public and I am disappointed with these excuses. On a circuit like that, there is no place for weak people". Goussev's bikeFour centimetres - that's how much young Russian Vladimir Goussev was beaten by in Saturday's junior men's road race. However, it was not the gap between him and New Zealand's Jeremy Yates, although Goussev did take second in the sprint behind the Kiwi. Four centimetres was the amount that the bottom chainstays on his black and gold carbon fibre Basso exceeded the official UCI regulations. 12 cm was the thickness, but 8 cm the maximum allowed. It was a cruel way of depriving Goussev of his silver medal, that he had certainly earned with his attacks on the last two laps. Ironically, he had actually changed bikes on the fifth lap to the thicker tubed model. Clearly, the bike wasn't aesthetic enough for the UCI. |
