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ONCE's Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano won the fastest ever stage in the Vuelta, crossing the finish line alone after covering the wind assisted 179.2 kilometres from Logroño to Zaragoza in 3:14:52, an average speed of 55.176 km/h. He smashed Marcel Wüst's average speed of 51.14 km/h in stage 14 of the 1998 Vuelta, as well as breaking the fastest average speed record in a Tour de France stage (55.152 km/h by Chris Boardman in the 1994 prologue). Only Rik Verbrugghe has ridden faster in a stage of a major tour: 58.895 km/h in the prologue of the 2001 Giro d'Italia.
Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano (ONCE, 1st stage)
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"After Los Lagos and the time trial in Torrelavega, I thought that the Vuelta had finished for me. But I quickly forgot about it and gave a good account of myself, there are many opportunities left."
"The objective is that Joseba Beloki wins the Vuelta. I had a great day and I rode a great stage in aid of Beloki. I felt good and I saw yesterday that I was improving in form."
"It is necessary to proceed with caution. We have to defend the leader in the Pyrenees, since if we manage to survive Arcalis we will have great possibilities to arrive in Madrid as leaders.
Angel Casero (Festina, 3rd GC)
"There is a group of favourites and anyone can still surprise. The important thing is that I'm feeling good and I avoid any mishaps. I stay consistent and that is important in the grand tours."
The mountain time trial in Arcalis "is going to be the key, although I can benefit from the last time trial. I am well and the day of judgment will come for me in the Pyrenees, where I hope not to lose too much time."
*NB: Today (Monday, September 17) is a rest day.
David Plaza (Festina) lost 43 important seconds on today's windy stage, after he missed the split that occurred with 120 kilometres to go. Plaza was lying in fourth position before today, but dropped to seventh as a result of his time loss.
"Today I am tremendously disappointed with the stage," said Plaza after the finish. "In this terrain you had to be in front, but I was not able to. It was a pity. I endured a couple of days in great pain and I was not focussed on this race."
He remained positive, saying that today was "just another day, and I should not forget that the Vuelta is 21 days."
"I am extremely disappointed. On this terrain, I had to be in front and I could not."
That was also Marco Pantani's assessment of today's 6'43 time loss, which has him now at 123rd overall, over 50 minutes down on GC. But according to a Unipublic source, unless Il Pirata pulls his finger out in the coming mountain stages, then he and his Mercatone Uno entourage will not be invited back next year.
The source told AFP that they were "surprised" by Pantani's attitude, as well as his teammates. "It could be said that they are riding with him to ensure that they have their contracts renewed next year."
Pantani readily admits that he's not here to win, after a combination of team politics, court cases, and illness has left him without good condition for most of the year. He has also said that he is thinking of next season, where he and his Pantani managed Mercatone Uno squad will reform, even stronger than before.
However, by riding to the finish each day accompanied by four or five yellow-clad Mercatone Uno teammates and the broom wagon, he is not instilling confidence into the organisers of major tours next season.
Before the start of the ninth stage, 41 riders were blood tested between 7:05 and 8:40 by the UCI. The teams of Kelme, Team Coast, Rabobank, ibanesto.com and Saeco were subject to the controls, with no rider being declared unfit to start.
Spanish television station TVE, responsible for broadcasting and relaying images of the Vuelta, was also a victim of the strong winds today that blew the riders home at over 55 km/h. The wind took out the 45 metre high repeating station that was installed on top of the University of Zaragoza, after technicians decided not to risk the apparatus falling near the finish line. No-one else nearby wanted to install the equipment on their rooftops, and the only images that could be seen live were from the fixed cameras at 500m to go and on the finish line.
Stage 8 winner Jose Maria Jimenez made a strange sign when he crossed the finish line, kissing a bracelet on his left hand and pointing towards the sky. He said that the bracelet was a gift from a girlfriend, while the sign was intended for Maria Luisa Echarte, the recently deceased mother of masseur Manolo Arizkorreta, who helped Jimenez, Carlos Sastre, José-Luis Rubiera and Angel Casero when they were young amateur riders.
Spanish radio commentator Anselmo Fuerte had previously said that Jimenez wouldn't win a stage this year, and if he did, then Fuerte would walk down the climb that Jimenez won on. He proved true to his word on Saturday, as he set off down the Alto Cruz de la Demanda on foot after the stage, although he didn't make it all the way to the bottom.
Mapei's Andrea Noè wasn't able to take part in stage nine due following his fall yesterday, 75 kilometres from the finish of the eighth stage. The results of the x-rays show that he has broken the radial stiloid of his left wrist, and he now has his wrist in plaster. Noè will be returning to Italy tomorrow where he will have further exams and medical checks.
"I really am very sorry because I felt I was in good form and was sure that I would have done well in one of the Pyrenees stages," said Noè. "Having broken my wrist means that I will not have the chance to be amongst the protagonists in this final part of the season."
Gianluca Bortolami (Tacconi Sport) came off second best at the finish of the GP de Fourmies today, won by Scott Sunderland. The Italian winner of the Ronde van Vlaanderen this year fell during the bunch sprint for sixth place, along with Swiss rider Roger Beuchat (Phonak). Both riders went to hospital in Fourmies, where Bortolami was diagnosed with a broken left collarbone, meaning that his season is finished. Beuchat suffered from contusions but was able to leave hospital.
Russian cyclist Denis Bondarenko will make the transition to the professional ranks next year, scoring a two year contract with Mobilvetta-Formaggi Trentini. Bondarenko finished third in this year's Giro d'Italia for Elite and U26 riders, as well as winning the Guri del Veneto.
The 50th anniversary of the Herald Sun Tour will be held from October 18 to 28, and this year's edition has been beefed up with AU$115,000 prize money, and a field of top Australian pro's hungry for the win. The last Australian to triumph in the tour was Neil Stephens in 1986, and since then a succession of Australian champions, including Stuart O'Grady, Stephen Hodge, Robbie McEwen, Scott McGrory, Henk Vogels, Scott Sunderland and Bradley McGee have tried and failed to break the deadlock.
Already Sunderland, McGee, McEwen, Vogels and Commonwealth Games road champion Jay Sweet have signified their intention to contest the tour, which will start with a lunch-time criterium in Melbourne's central business district on Thursday, October 18.
The 11 day, 15 stage race will be contested by 90 riders from 20 countries, racing in 18 five-man teams. Newly-crowned national champions David McCann (Ireland), Marcus Ljungqvist (Sweden), Jeremy Hunt (Great Britain), Steve Williams (Australia) and Commonwealth Games time trial gold medallist Eric Wohlberg (Canada) will add further lustre to the classy field.
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The very much in-form Sunderland will be riding with his Fakta teammates as captain of the Malaysia Airlines team. He finished second in the 1991 Herald Sun Tour and is determined to break the Aussie blockade. "Winning the 50th Herald Sun Tour would be a dream," he said. "I'm bringing a tremendously strong European team with me and I reckon I can do it."
Besides the prestigious Vicroads yellow jersey for the overall winner, other competitions the Sprint Champion, East Gippsland Shire King of the Mountains, the A H Plant Most Aggressive Rider and the Australia Post Criterium Champion. Local riders will also do battle for the Herald Sun Australian based rider's jersey, incorporating the Casey-Patterson Cup. Prize money in this category has increased to $5000, acknowledging the prestige this award now commands and the competition it generates.
The Regional Challenge Cup will again be contested, with highly-competitive teams from the Latrobe, Southern Grampians, Ballarat and Echuca regions, plus the City of Melbourne, vying for $2000 prize money and the teams trophy.
Rural centres hosting an overnight stop-over of the tour include Morwell, Lakes Entrance, Mount Hotham, Echuca-Moama, Bendigo, Daylesford, Ballarat, Hamilton, Colac and Geelong. The tour will also make a much-anticipated return to Maffra on Saturday, October 20, the home of inaugural winner Keith Rowley in 1952. Other lunch-time stops and stage starts will be in Gembrook, Yarrawonga, Maryborough and Warrnambool.
Highlights include a gruelling 180km stage which finishes up Mount Hotham, a 28km evening criterium in central Bendigo and a testing teams time trial over 31 km from Dunkeld to Hamilton on Friday, October 26. The tour will conclude with a 44 km criterium on Geelong's scenic waterfront on Sunday, October 28.
Total kilometres: 1349.9 km
Total number of sprints: 168
Total number of hill climbs: 25
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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