News - January 20, 2002

Mapei takes teams prize

DS says JCTDU takes prize for organisation

By Karen forman in Adelaide

The winning team
Photo: © Tom Balks/CN

Mapei Quick-Step won the Most Successful Team award on the final day of the 2002 Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under today, delighting director Roberto Damiani, who said he couldn't have been more pleased with its performance during the six-day event and would be back for another go next year.

The team, which included Italian champion Daniele Nardello, Andrea Tafi (Italy), Luca Paolini (Italy), Laszlo Bodrogi (Hun), Stefano Zanini (Italy), Cadel Evans (Australian), Kevin Hulsmans (Belgium) and Fabian De Aaele (Belgium), made its presence felt in every stage, masterminding attacks, toughing it out in breakaways and picking up sprint and king of the mountain points.

Not a day went by that other riders, speaking before the start, didn't name somebody from Mapei as a possible major player in the stage to come. Topping the team's results was Australian newcomer Cadel Evans' magnificent stage win at Tanunda yesterday, making a splash in his first race with his new team. He also took the overall King of the Mountains classification and was fourth in the overall classification. Damiani said today he was extremely happy with the 24 year old Melbourne rider's performance on his first outing with his team, and heralded great things for him, "if he keeps going like this".

Other Mapei Quick Step results, which contributed to the team's, win with 50.05.41 over Australian Institute of Sport (4.44) and Ag2R Prevoyance (12.02) included:
* Overall classification: Nardello fifth and Tafi eighth;
* Overall sprints classification: Nardello eighth, Paolini ninth, Evans tenth, Tafi eleventh, and Hulsmans twelfth; and
* King of the Mountain classification, Evans was first, Nardello fifth.

Rider performances during the Tour included:
* Stage one - Glenelg criterium - Nardello eleventh;
* Stage two - Hahndorf - Strathalbyn - Tafi was third, Nardello ninth;
* Stage three - Willunga to Willunga - Paolini was second, de Waele seventh, Hulsmans ninth;
* Stage four - Unley to Victor Harbour - Tafi was fifth and Paolini sixth;
* Stage five -Gawler to Tanunda - Evans first, Nardello third, Tafi eleventh; and
* Stage six - Adelaide street circuit - Zanini fourth

Damiani, who remarked that racing in Australia was a great cultural experience after accepting a didgeridoo and boomerangs on behalf of his champion team, said Mapei Quick Step had come to the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under with the aim to win.

"Mapei never goes on a race for training," he said. Although he said the team's top hopes had been on Nardello, Evans, Tafi and Zanini, he suggested: "It is the race that makes the results." Still, he couldn't help but show pleasure at Evans' results.

"I am very happy with him. He is a very good one on the team, a very good rider and racer. I think it's possible to see Cadel in important races in Europe."

When prompted, the director said it was possible Evans could be placed into the Giro d'Italia this season. "For the big races he will work with the team," he said. And the Tour de France, which Evans has made no secret of the fact he would like to contest?

"I don't know," said Daninari. "It is up to Cadel and his riding. But I think in this year he would be better at the Giro d'Italia." This was the second time Mapei has been in the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under and after this year's success, you can bet it will not be its last.

Daninari is very impressed with the event, saying it has one of the best organisations of any event he has seen in his work. "It is very professional, and there are big people (crowds) which is very very important for the sport of cycling."

He said although very warm, particularly yesterday during the Barossa stage, the weather had not been as hot this year as last year. "It was very good that we had one week of training and then one week of the race. We have a 10-hour time difference, but we had no problem this time with jetlag."

Mapei's' riders will head out of Adelaide in two different directions. One team, which includes Tafi, heads to Malaysia for the Tour de Langkawi (Daninari is preparing Tafi for the Paris-Roubaix), while the other will go to Majorca to start its European season.

Despite Tafi telling Cyclingnews earlier this week that he was considering retirement within the year because at 35 he considered himself "too old", Daninari is confident he will hold onto the top rider for a while yet. "He has 35 years but he is young," he said. "He likes his work and he is good at it. All the riders are."

Other photos of Mapei riders:
Prior to the start: Daniele Nardello got up close and impersonal with an Adelaide road
Stage 1: Andrea Tafi and Cadel Evans show the colours
Stage 5: Cadel Evans wins stage five