News for November 4 - First Edition
Boland Bank Tour, South Africa
Stage 4: Wednesday, 1st November
196 km Road Stage: Worcester, Mitchell's Pass, Ceres, Theronsberg Pass, De
Doorns, Worcester
European Pro's Turn the Screws
>From the video...
We start with an interview with the team manager of the Village Cycles
/Western Province Team, Hendrik Lemmer. One of the riders Pierre Henry
Olivier was taken to hospital yesterday with kidney failure after the
extreme heat. Many riders abandoned yesterday. Michael Jones, had to cut
the top of his shoes as his feet had swelled from the heat radiating from
the tarmac. Many riders simply could not drink enough yesterday and only 62
riders finished today. Hendrik feels whilst there is no comparison on paper
to the ONCE squad, "Who have training camps where they don't sleep" :-),
the moral is high in the team and David George and Rudolph Wentzel will be
able to assist the yellow jersey wearer Blayne Wikner.
After 12km there is an lone attack and George Smit (PPK-Queens) takes off
into a headwind. At 33km he is joined by Rodney Green (BMW-Mtel) and Gary
Merkel (Telegames). At this stage they are 4min clear of the bunch.
At 52km, the top of the first pass, Mitchell's Pass is reached. Rodney
Green takes the KOM and carries on the short decent to take the Prime in
Ceres. The break is now 6min 40secs clear. The big climb of the day is
reached, Theronsberg Pass, a long slow 18km 1:14 pass climbing 800m. ONCE
go to the front and turn up the pace. The yellow jersey drops from the
group and is 3min down at the top. The ONCE squad have shredded the field
leaving riders spread over 2km's. The gap to the break is 13min. Within
25km the break is caught with ONCE pacing a group of 14 riders.
Danny Nelissen abandons with a swollen left knee which has been agrivating
for some time.
Telekom bring back Michael Lafis (SWE) to the front group with the sprint
finish in mind. ONCE take a break after successfully dropping the yellow
jersey and Telekom take over the work. The front group is now 25 riders
big. The peleton experience a short hailstorm, which adds to the day's
excitement. Telekom fancy Jurgen Werner's chance in the sprint and are
working hard. Magnus Backstedt (Lanke) breaks in De Doorns to take the
Prime.
As the riders approach the finish in Worcester, ONCE are evident with the
5-man leadout. At 500m Melchor Mauri goes hard and right. He's caught the
rest of the field napping.
Malcolm Lange goes left with the bunch on his tail.
Hendrik Redant comes round Lange and edges past Mauri to take the sprint on
the line. Of course Hendrik's gear was about 2 sprockets bigger than anyone
else's. This is a nice birthday present for Hendrik, as he is awarded the
stage prize (with a big embrace from Amy Kleinhans, a former Miss South
Africa).
Communique 3: 1/11/95
3.17.2.2 Tailgating briefly - Riders: Thomas Bockman (Hameln-Kontok-7),
Jac-Louis van Wyk (Old Mutual), Roger Tanner (Hameln-Kontok-7) = Fine SF30
plus 20 seconds
Hameln-Kontor-7 Team Manager Fine SF100
Old Mutual Team Manager Fine SF100
+===+===+
Stage Result (Final)
1. Hendrik Redant (BEL-TVM) 05:09:21
2. Melchor Mauri (ESP-ONCE) @ st
3. Malcolm Lange (SA-Old Mutual) @ st
4. Thomas Bockman (GER-Hameln-Kontor-7) @ st
5. Arnanoia Garcia (ESP-ONCE) @ st
6. Michael Lafis (GER-Telekom) @ st
7. Pierre Bourquenoud (SWI-Tandem) @ st
8. Christian Selin (FIN-Lanke) @ st
9. Nicholas White (SA-BMW-Mtel) @ st
10.Jurgen Werner (GER-Telekom) @ st
Overall - after stage 4
1. Arnanoia Garcia (ESP-ONCE Grupo Deportivo) 13:20:17
2. Michael Lafis (SWE-Telekom) @ 2 secs
3. Douglas Ryder (SA-Old Mutual) @ 39 secs
4. Blayne Wikner (SA-Village WP Team) @ 11:31
5. Ralf Schouhammer (GER-HAMELN-KONTOK-7) @ 12:09
6. Malcolm Lange (SA-Old Mutual) @ 26:35
7. Magnus Backstedt (SWE-Telekom) @ 26:38
8. Hendrik Redant (BEL-TVM/POLIS DIRECT) @ 26:40
9. Melchor Mauri (ESP-ONCE Grupo Deportivo) @ 26:42
10.Jurgen Werner (GER-HAMELN-KONTOK-7) @ 26:50
KOM
1. Rodney Green (SA-BMW-Mtel) 13 points
2. Johan Bruyneel (BEL-ONCE GRUPO DEPORTIVO) 9 points
2. George Smit (SA-PPK Queens) 9 points
2. Gary Merkel (SA-Telegames) 9 points
5. Louis mdd Otazu (ESP-Once) 8 points
KFM Stereo Points
1. Blayne Wikner (SA-Village Cycles/WP) 8 points
2. Hendrik Redant (BEL-TVM) 6 points
3. Ralf Koldewitz (GER-HAMELN-KONTOK-7) 5 points
4. Thomas Bockmann (GER-HAMELN-KONTOK-7) 4 points
4. Malcolm Lange (GER-HAMELN-KONTOK-7) 4 points
Hotspots
1. Luis M Diaz de Otazu (ESP-ONCE GRUPO DEPORTIVO) 3 points
1. Magnus Backstedt (SWE-Lanke) 3 points
1. Blayne Wikner (SA-Village Cycles/WP) 3 points
1. Rodney Green (SA-BMW/MTel) 3 points
2. Malcolm Lange (SA-Old Mutual) 3 points
Team Event
1. ONCE Grupo Deportivo 40:54:34
2. Telekom @ 10 secs
3. Old Mutual South Africa @ 21
4. Hameln Kontok-7 @ 1:03
5. Village Cycles/WP @ 23:56
6. Lanken Team @ 39:02
7. TVM/Polis Direct @ 39:36
8. Collstrop Lystex-Dia @ 39:56
9. BMW-MTel @ 40:24
10.Tandem Team @ 51:33
+===+===+
Spaniards Start To Show Some Real Class, Bryan Grieve, "The Argus",
2/11/1995, pp. 27, reprinted without permission (RWoP), but full reference
and credit given.
Worcester :When the going gets tough, the tough get going. That, basically
sums up the fourth day of the Boland Bank International road cycling tour.
The ONCE/Grupo Deportivo team, who won the team event in the Tour de
France, must have thought they were back in their homeland - four are
Spanish and the other Belgian - when they saw the start of the tough
Theronsberg Pass on yesterday's fourth day of the Tour.
Armed in the knowledge that the holder of the yellow jersey Blayne Wikner
(Village Cycles/WP) was in difficulty towards the back of the field, all
five of them attacked the mountain, the highest on the tour, with
professionalism seldom witnessed in this country, continually rotating
positions at the head of the peleton as they reeled off the next 110km's.
Nobody else was allowed a look in until the sprint finish, which was won by
Belgian Hendrik Redant (TVM/Polis Direct) who was also celebrating his 33rd
birthday.
There was no question of allowing Redant a free present, as he was taken
all the way to the line by Melchor Mauri (ONCE). Malcolm Lange of the Old
Mutual SA national team was third. All were credited with the same time of
5:09:21 for the 196.6km stage (38.13km/h).
The fine effort by ONCE saw them top the team standings overnight, 10
seconds ahead of the German team Telekom and 21 seconds faster than
third-placed Old Mutual. Village Cycles dropped from first to fifth.
Village were without Pierre Henri Olivier, who is in a Stellenbosch
hospital with kidney damage after the hot stage on Tuesday.
Redant doesn't take the yellow jersey today, that honour belongs to
Spaniard Arnanoia Garcia, who leads Swede Michael Lafis by 2 seconds.
Douglas Ryder, who must rate his chances of winning the tour, is in 3rd
place, three seconds down on the leader.
Stage 5 : Thursday, 2nd November 95
131 km Road Stage: Strand, Sir Lowry's Pass, Botriver, Kleinmond, Gordon's
Bay, Strand
http://www.aztec.co.za/users/dcowie/
there is a link from my sport's page.