Finally, finally I've won a race again. During the time trial today I had to really stuggle, and had no idea, how I was doing. I was positively surprised at the end, as I did the third best time. Zenon Jaskula rode the fastest over the 40km and came in second in the overall classification, ca. 30 seconds behind me. It's a really nice feeling, when one finally wins a race again, although I didn't get to ever raise my hands high in the air in victory, which I missed a little.
Wieliczka (Poland), 13 September 97
It was a hard day, but I got through it as leader and got sixth on the day. Tomorrow it'll be the 40km time trial, which I'm looking forward to with mixed feelings. Jaskula is 1:20 minutes behind me, whether thal'll be enough in the time trial? And a rider from Slovenia is only 14 seconds behind me and he's supposed to be a good time trialist. We'll see, I'll simply go all out and give it my best.
Zakopane (Poland), 12 September 97
Unfortunately my hands were a little tied today for the stage win. The other good riders shadowed me pretty closely because of the overall classification, but even so forth on the stage and the leader's jersey!!! It's going better and better, and now I've got super morale. Tomorrow there'll be a somewhat mountainous stage, but most likely less difficult than today. Unfortunately we've only got three team riders left; for them it'll be a lot of work tomorrow!
Cieszyn (Poland), 11 September 97
Actually I wanted to win the stage. But at the beginning of the stage it didn't go so well for me, then at the end somewhat better. On the hard finishing curcuits I could have attacked, but unfortunately I didn't. Still, 9th in the stage and second in the overall. We'll see how it goes tomorrow.
Jastrzebie (Poland), 10 September 97
Ha, I'm beginning to like Poland! In the bunch sprint after 230km I pulled for Jaan until the last 150m of the sprint, so that er easily won again. And in the general classification I'm now in forth place, 9 seconds behind the leader. Tomorrow we'll go in the mountains. By the by, we have a good hotel, admittedly only cold water to shower in after a few rain showers in 10 degrees Celsius, but tomorrow it's supposed to become warmer, who'd have thought.
Translated by David Wear
1. Vladislav Bobrik (Rus, Ross-Mary) 14km in 29.30 2. Filippo Casagrande (Ita, Scrigno-Gaerne) +14 secs 3. Alessandro Baronti (Ita, Asics) +19 4. Gilberto Simoni (MG-Technogym) +36 5. Ricardo Forconi (Ita, Amore e Vita) +37
Historical note: Gastone Nencini won the Tour de France in 1960 (he was King of the Mountains in 1957 and the Giro d'Italia in 1957.
It may always rank behind the 95-year-old Tour de France, but according to its officials their race has overtaken the Giro d'Italia, the other of the big three tours.
``Certainly we are the second biggest. We have grown more than the Giro and now we are ahead,'' said Lucho Gonzalez-Aller Gabriel, the director of communications and international relations for the organisers, Unipublic.
Three years ago the ``Vuelta,'' as it is known, moved from May to September because the world governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale, wanted to open out a February to October calendar choked with races.
There was hardly two weeks between the end of the Vuelta, now in its 52nd year, and the start of the Giro, founded in 1909. Some years they overlapped.
``When the move was offered to the Giro they thought it would be a mistake and now they are sorry,'' said Gonzalez-Aller. ``It is working wonderfully for us. The move has been an important issue in our growth.''
Television viewing is a major pointer to the success. In 1992 the Vuelta was seen throughout the world by seven million daily. That audience is now 500 million in 142 countries, according to marketing specialist Gonzalez-Aller, with plans to extend it to the United States, Canada, Australia, and Japan.
Media chief Fernando Rojos said: ``I don't like to make comparisons, but I have been to the Giro. For organisation, the finishes, and the ambiance we are in front and this year especially for the participants. We have more 'names' and more riders.''
The Giro in its May-June slot did not have any leading riders from this year's world rankings. Number one Laurent Jalabert of France was among several world ranking cyclists in the 198 who lined up for Vuelta's Lisbon start on September 6.
``Ten years ago the media attendance would be five or six Spanish journalists,'' Rojos said. ``Now the foreign media are outnumbering us.
Rojos said it had been a risk to shift dates, ``but when there was just a week between the races it was impossible.
``We could change our slot after 1999, but I don't think it will happen. Everyone in our organisation is happy with our new position in world cycling.''