Tour of Romandie - Switzerland

Preview to Stage 3

Preview
Prologue
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
Stage 4 to Finish

50th Tour de Romandie 6 - 12 May (Cat. 2.1)

Tour de Romandie in Switzerland is traditionally the start for the summer stage racing season. It is also an important build-up race for the Giro d'Italia. Thirteen teams with eight riders each will take part this year. Pre-race favourites are Eugeni Berzin, Pascal Richard, Francesco Casagrande, reigning world champion Abraham Olano, Pavel Tonkov, Piotr Ugrumov, Claudio Chiappucci and Mauro Gianetti.

Principal teams and riders:

GEWISS-PLAYBUS: Berzin, Gotti, Colombo, Bobrik
MG-TECHNOGYM: Richard
TEAM POLTI: Gianetti, D. Rebellin
CARRERA: Chiappucci, B. Zberg
ROSLOTTO-ZG: Ugrumov, Lino
GAN: Heulot, Rous
TVM: Roux
SAECO: F. Casagrande, Cipollini
MAPEI-GB: Olano, Museeuw, Vandenbroucke

The stages:

Monday    6 May Prologue Basel                          4,3 km
Tuesday   7 May Stage 1  Basel - La Vue-des-Alpes       155 km
Wednesday 8 May Stage 2  La Chaux-de-Fonds - Bulle      187 km
Thursday  9 May Stage 3  Bulle - Martigny               177 km
Friday   10 May Stage 4  Martigny - Les Diablerets      160 km
Saturday 11 May Stage 5a Les Diablerets - Orbe          106 km
                Stage 5b Individual time trial in Orbe   29 km
Sunday   12 May Stage 6  Orbe - Geneva                  174 km

There is one day in the big mountains, stage 4, with Col de la Croix, Col
du Pillon and Col des Mosses to be climbed before the finish at altitude in
the ski station of Les Diablerets.

Previous winners (1976-1995):

1995: Tony Rominger (Sch)
1994: Pascal Richard (Sch)
1993: Pascal Richard (Sch)
1992: Andy Hampsten (USA)
1991: Tony Rominger (Sch)
1990: Charly Mottet (Fra)
1989: Phil Anderson (Aus)
1988: Gerald Veldscholten (Ned)
1987: Stephen Roche (Irl)
1986: Claude Criquielion (Bel)
1985: Muller (Sch)
1984: Stephen Roche (Irl)
1983: Stephen Roche (Irl)
1982: Jostein Willmann (Nor)
1981: Tommy Prim (Swe)
1980: Bernard Hinault (Fra)
1979: Giuseppe Saronni (Ita)
1978: Johan van der Velde (Ned)
1977: Gianbattista Baronchelli (Ita)
1976: Johan de Muynck (Bel)

Prologue Basel, 4,3 km:

 1. Abraham Olano (Spa) Mapei-GB               5.05,67 (50,643 km/h)
 2. Vjatjeslav Djavanian (Rus) Roslotto-ZG      + 0.03
 3. Davide Rebellin (Ita) Team Polti              s.t.
 4. Alexander Gontchenkov (Rus) Roslotto-ZG     + 0.06
 5. Sylvain Golay (Sch) MG-Technogym            + 0.07
 6. Pascal Richard (Sch) MG-Technogym           + 0.08
 7. Beat Zberg (Sch) Carrera                      s.t.
 8. Stephane Heulot (Fra) Gan                     s.t.
 9. Gianluca Bortolami (Ita) Mapei-GB           + 0.09
10. Francois Simon (Fra) Gan                      s.t.
11. Vasili Davidenko (Rus) Roslotto-ZG          + 0.10
12. Fabrizio Guidi (Ita) Scrigno                  s.t.
13. Giuseppe Di Grande (Ita) Mapei-GB             s.t.
14. Mauro Gianetti (Ita) Team Polti             + 0.11
15. Giuseppe Guerini (Ita) Team Polti           + 0.12
-----------
21. Eugeni Berzin (Rus) Gewiss                  + 0.14
-----------
24. Claudio Chiappucci (Ita) Carrera            + 0.16
-----------
33. Pavel Tonkov (Rus) Panaria-Vinavil          + 0.19
-----------
46. Piotr Ugrumov (Rus) Roslotto-ZG             + 0.23
-----------
69. Francesco Casagrande (Ita) Saeco            + 0.29

Report from Prologue

Abraham Olano (or his sponsor!) insisted on his wearing his Mapei-GB jersey rather than his world champion's arc-en-ciel strip. The result, a fine of 2,500 Swiss francs (approx US$2,030). Now the poor guy has to wear the leader's jersey for at least a day.

"I won't defend the jersey at any price," he said. "But if I get through tomorrow's stage [ie today's] in the lead -- the stage has a sumit finish - I'll think again about trying for the overall."

Stage 1: Basel - La Vue-des-Alpes, 156 km

 1. Pavel Tonkov (Rus) Panaria-Vinavil         4.10.03 (37,385 km/h)
 2. Pascal Richard (Sch) MG-Technogym             s.t.
 3. Giuseppe Guerini (Ita) Team Polti           + 0.09
 4. Francesco Casagrande (Ita) Saeco            + 0.20
 5. Davide Rebellin (Ita) Team Polti              s.t.
 6. Mauro Gianetti (Sch) Team Polti               s.t.
 7. Eugeni Berzin (Rus) Gewiss                    s.t.
 8. Abraham Olano (Spa) Mapei-GB                + 0.24
 9. Beat Zberg (Sch) Carrera
10. Alexander Gontchenkov (Rus) Roslotto-ZG
11. Stephane Heulot (Fra) Gan
12. Michele Coppolillo (Ita) MG-Technogym
13. Claudio Chiappucci (Ita) Carrera
14. Manuel Beltran Martinez (Spa) Mapei-GB
15. Ivan Gotti (Ita) Gewiss                  
16. Andrea Noe (Ita) Mapei-GB
17. Roberto Conti (Ita) Panaria-Vinavil        all s.t.
18. Massimo Donati (Ita) Saeco                  + 1.05

Overall:

 1. Pascal Richard (Sch) MG-Technogym          4.15.10
 2. Pavel Tonkov (Rus) Panaria-Vinavi           + 0.07
 3. Giuseppe Guerini (Ita) Team Polti           + 0.15
 4. Davide Rebellin (Ita) Team Polti            + 0.21
 5. Abraham Olano (Spa) Mapei-GB                + 0.22
 6. Mauro Gianetti (Sch) Team Polti             + 0.29
 7. Beat Zberg (Sch) Carrera                    + 0.30
 8. Eugeni Berzin (Rus) Gewiss                  + 0.32
 9. Francesco Casagrande (Ita) Saeco            + 0.47
10. Alexander Gontchenkov (Rus) Roslotto-ZG     + 0.58
11. Stephane Heulot (Fra) Gan                   + 1.00
12. Andrea Noe (Ita) Mapei-GB                   + 1.04
13. Michele Coppolillo (Ita) MG-Technogym       + 1.06
14. Claudio Chiappucci (Ita) Carrera            + 1.08
15. Manuel Beltran Martinez (Spa) Mapei-GB      + 1.17
16. Alexander Chefer (Kaz) Scrigno              + 1.24
17. Ivan Gotti (Ita) Gewiss                     + 1.26
18. Piotr Ugrumov (Rus) Roslotto-ZG             + 1.26

Tomorrow's stage 2 takes the riders 142.7km between La Vue des Alpes 
and La Chaux-de-Fonds.

Race Report

On the 12km climb up to the summit finish, Pascal Richard and Pavel Tonkov shook off Olano, Casagrande, Berzin, Gianetti, Zberg and Gontchenkov and then Richard made his offer. "If you work with me," he told Tonkov, "I'll let you have the stage." The objective was to put as much time as possible into the chasers. Tonkov agreed but nearly screwed up at the end having not taken note of the change to the finish in the race handbook. Richard couldn't understand why Tonkov was sitting on his back wheel for so long. They were only 10m from the line when Tonkov woke up and realised they were near the line. (It's great to see Pascal Richard keeping up the great pro racing traditions. Just as well Lance "I don't hold with guile" Armstrong wasn't there. Only joking...)

Stage 2 La Vue-des-Alpes/La Chaux-de-Fonds - Bulle 187,6 km:

 1. Mario Manzoni (Ita) Roslotto-ZG            4.52.43 (38,454 km/h)
 2. Gianluca Bortolami (Ita) Mapei-GB
 3. Fabrizio Guidi (Ita) Scrigno
 4. Vjatjeslav Djavanian (Rus) Roslotto-ZG
 5. Beat Zberg (Sch) Carrera
 6. Alexander Gontchenkov (Rus) Roslotto-ZG
 7. Francois Simon (Fra) Gan
 8. Pascal Richard (Sch) MG-Technogym
 9. Stephane Heulot (Fra) Gan
10. Mauro Gianetti (Sch) Team Polti
11. Eugeni Berzin (Rus) Gewiss
12. Marco Saligari (Ita) MG-Technogym
13. Abraham Olano (Spa) Mapei-GB
14. Giuseppe di Grande Mapei-GB
15. Davide Rebellin (Ita) Team Polti            all s.t.

Overall:

 1. Pascal Richard (Sch) MG-Technogym          9.07.53
 2. Pavel Tonkov (Rus) Panaria-Vinavi           + 0.07
 3. Giuseppe Guerini (Ita) Team Polti           + 0.15
 4. Davide Rebellin (Ita) Team Polti            + 0.21
 5. Abraham Olano (Spa) Mapei-GB                + 0.22
 6. Mauro Gianetti (Sch) Team Polti             + 0.29
 7. Beat Zberg (Sch) Carrera                    + 0.30
 8. Eugeni Berzin (Rus) Gewiss                  + 0.32
 9. Francesco Casagrande (Ita) Saeco            + 0.47
10. Alexander Gontchenkov (Rus) Roslotto-ZG     + 0.58
11. Stephane Heulot (Fra) Gan                   + 1.00
12. Andrea Noe (Ita) Mapei-GB                   + 1.04
13. Michele Coppolillo (Ita) MG-Technogym       + 1.06
14. Claudio Chiappucci (Ita) Carrera            + 1.08
15. Manuel Beltran Martinez (Spa) Mapei-GB      + 1.17

Stage 2 Report

The stage was dominated by a long lone break by Gontchenkov who was caught with 14km to the finish. Then the sprinters' teams hustled the peloton along at 60kph -- Saeco for Cipollini, Mapei for Bortololami and Polti for Lombardi. Manzoni, described by L'Equipe as like a squirrel -- small, quick, jerky, and wicked -- took the finish by a twitch of his whiskers (hang on Roger, you're taking this squirrel metaphor too far) -- it took the commissaires half-an-hour to sort out the five who crossed the line almost together on the photo-finish picture.

Stage 3, Bulle--Martigny

 1. Mario Cipollini (It, Saeco) 	180.3km  in 4.32.23 (10 secs bonif)
 2. Jan Svorada (Czech, Ceramica Panaria-Vinavil) 	    (6 secs bonif)
 3. Mario Traversoni (It, Carrera) 			    (4 secs bonif)
 4. Giovanni Lombardi (It, team Polti)
 5. Fabrizio Guidi (It, Scrigno-Blue Storm)
 6. Endrio Leoni (It, San Marco Group)
 7. Gianluca Bortolami (It, Mapei-GB)
 8. Manuel Scopsi (It, San Marco Group)
 9. Viatcheslav Djavanian (Rus, Roslotto-ZG Mobili)
10. Mario Manzoni (It, Roslotto-ZG Mobili)
11. Beat Zberg (Swi, Carrera)
also
51. Francesco Casagrande (it, Saeco)
52. Pavel Tonkov (Rus, Ceramica Panaria-Vinavil)
....
56. Evgeni Berzin (Rus, Gewiss-Playbus)       		all s.t.

95 classified
Abandons: Lino, Skibby, De Jongh, Bottaro, Luna

Overall after Stage 3

 1. Pascal Richard (Swi, MG Technogym) 		     13.40.16
 2. Giuseppe Guerini (It, Team Polti) 			+0.15 secs
 3. Davide Rebellin (It, Team Polti) 			+0.21
 4. Abraham Olano (Sp, Mapei-GB) 		 	+0.22
 5. Mauro Gianetti (Swi, Team Polti) 			+0.29
 6. Beat Zberg (Swi, Carrera) 				+0.30
 7. Pavel Tonkov (Rus, Ceramica Panaria-Vinavil) 	 s.t.
 8. Evgeni Berzin (Rus, Gewiss-Playbus) 		+0.55
 9. Andrea Noe (It, Mapei-GB) 				+1.04
10. Michele Coppolillo (It, MG-Technogym)  		+1.06

Race Report - Stage 3

Mario Cipollini not only won the final peloton sprint on a rain-soaked day but also joined Swiss rider Niki Aebersold (PMU-Romand-Bepsa) in an early escape. Cipollini didn't persist long in this early venture; Aebersold stayed away for 112km, building a maximum lead of 11 minutes at the halfway stage.