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The final race in this years World Championships, the 254.1 km Road Race was the chance for a number of riders to stake their claims for next season, and to finish 2001 on a high note. The main aim of many teams seemed to be to cover pre-race favourite Jan Ullrich, and to perhaps unite national teams that are generally divided when wearing the riders teams colours. The Italian team seemed to let themselves down when Paolo Lanfranchi chased down teammate Gilberto Simoni's dramatic last lap solo break. For the full race coverage
Oscar Freire Gomez (Spain) winner Men's Elite Road Race:
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"I am over the moon because all of my hard work and sacrifices to bring myself up to a really competitive standard have paid off. I was quite worried about the course because it had, very rightly so, been one of the most difficult ones in the past few years. As the kilometres passed by I realised that I was riding a very good race. I really want to thank the Spanish team; they were extraordinary. At the moment I want to make the most of this splendid sensation; I'll be wearing the special World Champion Shirt next Saturday at the Tour of the Lombard."
"It is a great joy because the World Championships bring a lot of attention. It reminded me of the Gijon stage finish in the Vuelta, where I was boxed in. But in the end I found a bit of a gap today and I have been able to win."
"Our team's plan was for me to do well, but I never thought there would be a bunch finish on a tough circuit like this. It turned out that the breaks were all caught on the descents."
"At the beginning of the season, I couldn't sit down to eat without being in pain,'' he said. "But I recovered slowly and when I rode the Vuelta, I knew I was back in shape."
"First, I want to be thank the team that has worked and trusted me. This time I have taken the wheel well, I was fortunate as it went near the barriers and was able to win. The sprint always happens in a different way, and today it came to me well. I mainly watched Zabel, he was well placed, but the sprint was left perfect for me".
"The victory in Verona was better, because this is my second victory and in addition (in Verona) I was a stranger in the international team and for that reason it was different. In 1999, I was completely unknown. This time, I was among the favorites, so it was very important to prove myself."
"Long ago, I realised I had the mentality for these types of tests. They are circuits that work for me very well. I dedicate it to all who had faith in me and mainly to my grandmother, who is sick. I hope that health accompanies me and I'm able to obtain some more wins!".
Paolo Bettini (Italian) Second place:
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"I was tired after going away with di Luca. But on the last lap I radioed our manager to say I was strong enough to contest a sprint. Sure I wanted to get up on the podium with this beautiful medal. And all I want to do is throw it!"
"Jokes apart, I believed in our team. Today we have all ridden well, we have listened to Franco Ballerini. He (Franco Ballerini) didn't expect the average speed to be that high in the first laps. This paradoxically changed the whole peloton, because instead of the riders we expected, many held on, and in the end we were nearly all together moving slowly."
"Then, when Di Luca attacked, the moment was perfect."
"As far as the action of Lanfranchi, you don't have to say anything new. He was mistaken, when Simoni attacked, Lanfranchi was behind and he did not see it and jumped in order to bridge, without knowing of Gibo."
"Nardo (Nardello) also missed, but those few meters cost a strategic error to the team.At that point, I spoke with Franc and I said to him that it was going to be for the sprinters, and the orders were for all to work for me."
"If you look at the video, it seems impossible that Freire won it and that I have not found the space. Cursed 15 centimeters! Someone could have given me space, the orders were clear."
"And the dream vanished two meters from the line. Still second isn't garbage!".
"We had neutralized Ullrich, we have controlled the race in order to play all our cards, all was well, but when it came down to a group sprint, it was not easy."
"Also Zabel was not there. He was in the wrong place at the crucial moment and he did not have a chance."
"I said to Oscar, leave it for me, but no!"
"Now I ride the Tour of Lombardy, but I do not have the head to think. The ride appeals to to me, certainly, but I do not know how I will go."
Gilberto Simoni (Italian):
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"I have believed we could attack in the climb but the selection didn't happen that we expected. 40 riders in the pack for one run at a World Championship are many for a hard contest like this."
"The national team is strong, and always races well, it gives credence to all."
"Bettini could do it for us, while Freire has only waited for the sprinters, the moment was decisive. The medal however was deserved."
Alfredo Martini (Italain) on Lanfranchi:
"An error was made, it cannot be denied. The action has closed in part on Simoni, but I don't know if it would have gone differently, if the finish had been different."
Daniele Nardello (Italian):
"My condolences for Bettini, he deserved to win, instead it didn't go well."
"In the final kilometer I was marked by Boogerd (Ned)."
"Lanfranchi? When he understood, he stopped! You say what you want, but the national cosi has not been looked at for a long time. We were in all the breaks, the problem was that we didn't have the strength to make the difference in end."
Italian Manager Franco Ballerini:
"This Italian team is a team who has listened to me. All, all of them, were good."
"It is bad luck for Bettini and the whole team. We deserved the gold. They were all good - Figueras, Simoni, Faresin magnificent. But I could continue with all the other names of the azzurri!"
Giancarlo Ceruti (Head of the Federciclismo, the Italian Cycling Federation):
"I'm very satisfied with what I have seen from the team and the directors."
"Sure if they had been victorious today, the day would be more important and better, but I want to emphasize that unlike other years our team have been protagonists from the beginning until to the end."
"The Italian team has carried out its task, it seems to me. All the orders given from the director have been executed to perfection and this was understood well by the spectators; the direction has been respected."
"The Championship is concluded with a finish like this, with a sprint, I say that the silver is good, that for me has a value."
Rasa Polikeviciute (Lithuanian) winner Women's Elite Road Race:
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"In the past I often had to help four or five team mates who were stronger, but today I felt I had the form to win."
" We didn't really have time for tactics in the final kilometre. We had left the sprinters behind. We understood each other and decided to force the pace to prevent the chasers from catching us."
Edita Pucinskaite (Lithuanian) Second place:
"The course wasn't as hard as we had thought. It was Jeannie who made the difference."
Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli (France) Third place:
"Even the climbers were afraid of attacking as they should have done, so that made the work harder for me. I would have liked other riders to work with me."
"I realised I couldn't win the sprint with about 200 metres to go. It's a risk you take."
"Of course I'm disappointed with the result, but happy for Rasa, who's been a top rider for years."
Retire? "I don't know myself. We have a winter and spring to get through first."
Swiss rider Priska Doppmann (UCI ranking 26 and 10th in the World TT) has decided not extend her contract with the Italian Dream Team Acca due O - HP - Lorena. She is now in contact with several other teams for the season 2002.
By Gerard Knapp
Crisis - what crisis? The US cycling industry responded with an upbeat mood as the 'pavement' bike emerged, lighter in weight but larger in market share. Still on the road, triple chainrings gained momentum while carbon was everywhere, even holding up the back of a Klein. Still, Cyclingnews asks: Where were the track bikes? Read much more about the trends and future of cycling evedinced from this years Interbike show
The UCI has released the 'beta version' of its 2002 calendar, containing the dates of all the major races for the season. The World Cups are in the traditional order, i.e. Milan-San Remo, Ronde Van Vlaanderen, Paris-Roubaix, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Amstel Gold Race in the first half of the season, followed by HEW-Cyclassics, Clasica San Sebastian, Meisterschaft von Zürich, Paris-Tours, and Giro di Lombardia.
The three grand tours are on a very similar timetable as 2001, although the Giro d'Italia is one week earlier (May 11-June 2). The World Road Championships in Zolder, Belgium, are also on at the same time as this year, October 8-13.
A note for German fans: Both the Tour of Germany and the Peace Race have been upgraded to 2.2 next year.
UCI calendar 2002: Major events
Major races in 2002
March 10-17 Paris-Nice March 21 Milan-San Remo (World Cup) March 30-31 Critérium International April 7 Ronde Van Vlaanderen (World Cup) April 10 Gent-Wevelgem April 14 Paris-Roubaix (World Cup) April 17 Flèche Wallonne April 21 Liege-Bastogne-Liege (World Cup) April 28 Amstel Gold Race (World Cup) May 10-18 Peace Race May 11-June 2 Giro d'Italia June 22-26 GP Midi Libre June 3-9 Tour of Germany June 9-16 Critérium du Dauphiné libéré June 18-27 Tour de Suisse June 30 National Championships July 6-28 Tour de France August 4 HEW-Cyclassics, Hamburg (World Cup) August 10 Clasica San Sebastian (World Cup) August 18 Meisterschaft von Zürich (World Cup) September 7-29 Vuelta Espana October 6 Paris-Tours (World Cup) October 8-13 World Road Championships, Zolder, Belgium October 1 Giro di Lombardia (World Cup)
Full provisional 2002 calendar
Better late than never...
Australian Tour de France star, Stuart O'Grady will be appearing on Roy and HG's Australian television show, "The Monday Dump", screening tonight (October 15) at 10:30 pm on Channel Seven.
A large crowd of spectators is expected at next Saturday's (October 20) 39th Snowy Wilson Memorial Criterium cycling event at Heffron Park, Robey Street, Maroubra, starting at 8.30am. The event is part of the Cycling NSW 2001 Programme and is organized by the Randwick Botany Cycling Club.
Over 100 senior men and women riders from all over NSW and the ACT have registered to complete in six races around the tight 2.02 km Heffron Park circuit.
Local cyclists will be well represented by Randwick Botany Cycling Club members keen to compete against visiting club riders on their home track. Late registrations will be accepted on the day from affiliated riders.
The first race of the day will be the D Grade Men/Masters competition where the riders race for 30 minutes then complete 3 additional laps to the finish line. At 9.15am the C Grade Men/Masters race for 45 minutes + 3 laps. At 10.30am it's the Women combined race for 30 minutes + 3 laps. 11.15am will see the U19 Men race for 30 minutes + 3 laps followed at 12 noon with the B Grade Men/Masters race over 45 minutes + 3 laps. The premier A Grade Men/Masters competition starts at 1.00pm and will run for 60 minutes + 3 laps.
A sausage sizzle BBQ and club canteen will be open throughout the day for riders, officials, media, sponsors and spectators.
Several local businesses have sponsored the event, including DS Labels Marrackville, Pedal Pushers cycle shop Randwick, Maroubra Cycles, Australian Cycles Co. Kingsford, Chrissie's Hair and Beauty Salon Maroubra, Bees Knees Salon Kensington, ISIS Health Management Rozelle, Velo-Vita Cycling Accessories Matraville and the Newington Inn Hotel Petersham.
The Subaru cyclo-cross will be held on Sunday, October 21st, 2001 at Monkey Hill, Wilmington. The race promise to bring together some of the top professional riders in an attempt to raise awareness for the Hepatitis C Virus. Hepatitis is a deadly liver disease that affect 3-4 million Americans.
For further information contact Andrew Albright
Major Races and Events
September 7-29, 2002: Vuelta
a España (GT) - Preview, stage list
May 11-June 2, 2002: Giro
d'Italia (GT) - Preview, stage list, photos
July 6-28, 2002: Tour
de France (GT) - Full preview & official route details
December 8: Superprestige
Rd 5 (Cat. 1) - Erwin Vervecken
November 29-December 4: Six
Days of Noumea (6D) - Sassone/Neuville victorious
November 26-December 1: Six
Days of Zurich (6D) - Day
6 - McGrory/Gilmore/Schnider win
December 1: Melbourne
Cup on Wheels (IM) - Scott Moller, Keirin,
Sprint, Support
races
December 2: Cyclo-cross
World Cup #2 (CDM) - Sven Nijs again
November 24-December 3: Juegos
Deportivos Centroamericanos (JR) - Final results
December 8-9: Frankfurter
Rad-Cross (Cat. 2) - Alex Mudroch, UK
National Trophy Series #4 (Cat. 3) - Roger Hammond, Grote
Prijs Industrie Bosduin - Kalmthout (Cat. 1) - Bart Wellens, Int.
Radquer Obergösgen (Cat. 2) - Björn Rondelez, Trofeo
Mamma e Papa Guerciotti (Cat. 3) - Enrico Franzoi, Premio
Egondo (Cat 3) - David Seco, Irish
cyclo-cross championships - Robin Seymour
Results: local racing
Australia - CycleWest
Promotions Omnium Series #2, Eastern
Suburbs Summer Criterium Series, Carnegie
Caulfield Tuesday criterium, Southern
Cross Junior Track Open & Madison Cup, Manly
Warringah CC, George
Town Track Carnival, Carnegie
Caulfield CC, Randwick
Botany CC, Gold
Coast CATS CC, Caesar's
Illawarra CC, Caesar's
Illawarra (track)
Denmark - Danish
cyclo-cross Post Cup #3
Italy - Gran
Premio Città di Bassano
Luxembourg - GP
De Kopstal
New Zealand - Cyco
Criterium series
Spain - Elorrio
cyclo-cross
USA - Georgia
Cross Series Championship, Chimborazo
Grand Prix cyclo-cross, Boulder
Cross Rd 6, New
Mexico State Cyclo-x Champs, Sorrento
Cyclo-x & California State Champ's, Boulder
Cross Rd 5, Verge
New England series, Northampton
CC Cyclo-cross Championships, Chris
Cross International CycloCross
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