Jacobs Creek Tour Down Under - 2.3Australia, January 15-20, 2002 |
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News
The JCTDU team presentation
By Karen Forman, Jeff Jones & Gabriella Ekström
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What guest announcer Phil Liggett called "the stars of the Tour Down Under" - the riders - were introduced to the public at a gala function at Adelaide's Hilton Hotel tonight.
Members of the 12 teams - including three based in Australia and riders from more than 20 countries - paraded in front of a crowd of 450 people in their colourful team jerseys and knicks, with Liggett conducting brief interviews with a couple of members from each.
Particularly popular was home-grown defending champion Stuart O'Grady, riding for the France-based Credit Agricole team.
Now in its fourth year, the Tour Down Under for 2002, which gets underway with a criterium in the beachside suburb of Glenelg tomorrow night, takes in 50 South Australian towns and covers 733 km. This year two demanding new stages have been added - Adelaide Hills and Fleurieu Peninsula, adding to the excitement of an event riders say is a fitting, albeit early start to the 2002 road racing season.
"The guys are having to train now for literally 12 months of the year," Liggett told the crowd. "This is going to be a very exciting race. Stuart has the pressure on him, obviously but I think there are four to five riders who might take him on.
"There is Tighello, a late edition, who will lay down the challenge for new Australian champion McEwen and the Mapei rider Nardello, despite falling off his bike before the race, will be one to watch."
Here is what the teams had to say:
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Credit Agricole
Stuart O'Grady: "Hopefully it will be another win. I will definitely give it everything I have got, but no pressure, eh? We will take it day by day, as it comes."
Chris Jenner: "I was fifth last year and my form isn't too bad. I will be there to support Stuart once again."
Jonathan Vaughters: "I think all of us are basically here for Stuart. My intentions are - I don't know, I haven't raced yet. I think for Stuart, this and the Tour de France are the races for the year. I'm in good enough condition to help him out. That was one of my responsibilities of saying that I'd come and do this race."
Vaughters last raced in October in the World Championships. He describes the time in between as a "...reasonable but short off season. You go to World's and then to this, it's not much, maybe two months."
"I've been training at home in Colorado. It's not really warm enough but I can get enough done. High altitude training, right? Honestly it does help out a bit because I can show up to the start of the season with a little bit less form since I've been at altitude all winter."
On O'Grady "He seems to be pretty motivated. He's working up to go for the bonus sprints. He's probably not as good here as he will be in two months but it's only January."
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AG2R-Prevoyance
Jaan Kirsipuu: "It is so early in the season for me. I have done this race before. I enjoy it because the weather is so nice. It is perfect for training and racing."
Ludovic Capelle: "It's early. I came here only to see beautiful girls."
CSC-Tiscali
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Julian Dean: "I am very excited about being part of this team. It is a very forward moving team."
Jakob Piil: "I think all European teams look to have a good start here."
Telekom
Kai Hundertmarck: "I arrived specially earlier this year (for the heat) but will be for sure not over it. But so far, so good. I will know more after the first race."
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Bobby Julich: "A new team, I have to learn another language, which is one of the reasons I came to this team. Instead of wearing green I am now in pink. Will be hard to attack Stuart (O'Grady) instead of helping him. I am still pretty attached to a guy like that, we were close."
Danilo Hondo: "Basically it is about getting lots of kilometres in your legs, but here I'll also get a chance to see where I stand and if there's anything that needs to be done in terms of training."
"Add to that the fact that it is a great feeling if you manage to start your season with a good race, or even a victory. The Aussies will be able to cope with the climate better but I have been here a while and have had some time to acclimatize. Still, this is a very important race for the Aussies and I will have to look out for them in the sprints."
"I'll be heading back home to Germany for the team presentation on the 28th, and then my season starts in France. I do not have any special targets for this season, aside from the Giro d'Italia. I will just look for the sprints and the one-day races."
Mapei-Quick Step
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Cadel Evans: "Maybe you should ask them about what they have planned for me, but I will be doing some of the small tours and learning as I go. I will not be doing the Giro. So far so good with Mapei..."
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Saeco-Longoni Sport
Joerg Ludewig: "The problem was that the race was too early in the season last year. Then I did Malaysia and had nothing left in my legs for two months. I think I will work for Fabio. He has a lot in his legs at the moment...well, for the whole year."
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La Francaise Des Jeux
Matt Wilson: "I hope for a good season."
Baden Cooke: "It is my first race with the team. I hope I can help."
Brad McGee: "I'm still eating to recover from the Tour de France...Been very impressed with the boys out training the last few days. It's early season, but it's the hunger that counts."
Domo Farm Frites
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Henrik Redant (manager): "The team has been out training for the past week, the weather has been good. Servais Knaven won the Paris-Roubaix in 2001. We are trying to do it again."
Servais Knaven: "Oh, no. I don't want you to think I'm a big drinker. This is a present for a friend of mine who has his birthday tomorrow," says Servais Knaven, explaining why he is carrying twice the amount of Jacobs Creek wine than any other of the riders were given by the main sponsor at the presentation.
Jans Koerts: "Oh I'm relaxed - I just played eight holes of golf. You have to be relaxed at the beginning of the season. You always have to see the first races how it goes. I'll probably know in two days."
"I've been here for three months and I've been training pretty well with Robbie McEwen, Jason Phillips and Nick Gates and they were all doing good in the National's so I think I'll have good form."
Jans has previously ridden for Farm Frites, but signed in 2001 for US team Mercury - an experience that he does not wish to repeat. He seems happy with his "old" team now. "Yeah because Mercury didn't pay me," he says. "I hope finally I'll get a year without trouble. Of course we're trying to get our money back from Mercury because we deserve it. We had a good season with a lot of victories. A contract is a contract. We'll see."
Lotto Adecco
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Robbie McEwen: "Two years ago I won here, the last stage. I am happy with my win in the national championships, really pleased. Tomorrow night I will try to go for it. But there are a lot of good bike riders here."
Nico Eeckhout: "In September I had four or five wins...September is a good month for me. This race is important to me...It is very important nowadays that you get some good training in the winter if you have your focus on the first half of the season. I hope to help Robbie win a stage."
AIS
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Michael Rogers: "I won a stage two years ago. We have a very good team this year, a lot of experience."
Scott Sunderland: "I hope to start again here in Australia, my form is not bad. Probably about the same as what it is every year before the European season. There's probably about half a dozen guys this year, probably this year more than any."
Robert Tighello: "I was looking forward to coming back this year after last year. I have a soft spot for Adelaide even though I am from Victoria."
United Water
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Mark Renshaw: "We have a good team here."
Simon Gerrans: "Yes I am the new under 23 Australian champion. I go back to Europe in March...this race is preparation."
UniSA
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Patrick Jonker: "Robbie will be tough to beat. The course is good, suited to a lot of the riders."
Brett Aitken: "We have a couple of fast guys on the team, it is a versatile team. We can do anything. I am coming off a cold which I have had all week."
Luke Roberts: "My form? Well, I will find out tomorrow night. My form is not as good as it was last year".