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6th Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under - 2.3
Australia, January 20-25, 2004
News for January 22, 2004
By Karen Forman in Adelaide
Eisel puts his feet on ice
They say you should never don a brand new pair of shoes on the day of an important event, but someone must have forgotten to tell Bernard Eisel. The Austrian was limping terribly after finishing stage three at Victor Harbour yesterday and apparently, it was all because he had sore feet from a new pair of cycling shoes.
While the brand shall remain nameless (mainly because we weren't game to ask!) we do know that the FdJeux.com rider, who won the Century 21 Most Aggressive Rider Jersey for the stage, had to soak his feet in ice in the tent behind the presentation area before he could walk onto the stage.
And even then, he was limping badly. Interpreter Brian Stephens said Eisel had told him that he had sore feet from his new shoes, which had been giving him trouble throughout the day.
Cyclists take note! As any bride-to-be knows, you should wear those new shoes around the house for at least three weeks before the big day to avoid having to put your feet on ice!
Not that the pain could wipe the smile of Eisel's face. He was delighted with his jersey.
Gilbert achieves his first goal for the season
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Most of us make New Year's resolutions, but find we either don't keep them or they don't come true. But FdJeux.com rider Philippe Gilbert is already 100 per cent of the way to achieving his goals for 2004, following his (pleasantly) surprising stage three win on the Goolwa to Victor Harbour stage of the Jacobs Creek Tour Down Under today.
The Belgian, who had a stunning 2003 with a win in the ninth stage, second in the third stage, third in the second stage and fourth overall in the Tour de l'Avenir in France last June, had a set stage win in the Tour Down Under or the Tour Mediterraneen as his goal for 2004.
Today he sorted one of them. "I was working for Baden [Cooke] a lot through the day," he told Cyclingnews. "I had to ride a lot on the front, especially in the mountains.
"I was in the first breakaway and Bernard Eisel was there as well. We were waiting for Baden to come up."
He said he was very happy with his surprise win, given that it was Cooke who had been set for the sprint finish and the stage win. The move in the straight had been made by Gene Bates (UniSA), but Gilbert jumped with him in his effort to protect Cooke, who was in the middle of the breakaway of 16 riders.
Bates was UniSA's chosen stage winner, aiding yesterday's third placegetter, Patrick Jonker, to clinch the leader's jersey after being second overall after stage two. His team manager, Michele Primaro, had advised him to attack with about four kilometres to go, but Gilbert was quick to jump onto his wheel.
In the lightning fast sprint to the line, it was Gilbert who crossed the finish line first in 3.28.50, tailed by Bates and Robbie McEwen (Lotto-Domo).
Gilbert's win puts him into second place behind Jonker on the general classification. "I am happy for Gene, too, because he was second. I think I will be happy with today."
The second year pro was one of the few riders today to enjoy the 10km stretch of dirt road which forced up clouds of dust, a change of pace and was responsible for a number of flat tyres. "I loved it," he said. "I have been in lots of races like that and I love them."
Australian-based Italian Primaro, meanwhile, described the road as being "just like the Paris-Roubaix!"
Puncture spells disaster for Day
An untimely puncture (but then again, what puncture ISN'T untimely!) prematurely ended Queenslander Ben Day's campaign to help keep Australian National Team team-mate and race leader David McPartland in the leader's jersey today.
The 2003 Australian time trial champion finished a disappointing 28th in today's stage (and McPartland 23rd in the stage and 13th overall) after suffering a flat tyre on the 10km dirt stretch, which also adversely affected many other riders.
He had been riding in the breakaway group but after puncturing found it difficult to get back on: "With Dave in the yellow jersey we just had to sit on and take in the main group," he said.
Australia struggles with a diminished national team
The Australian National team is not one, but two riders down after Stephen Wooldridge and Ashley Hutchinson were both forced out of the Jacobs Creek Tour Down Under after they failed to finish stage two on Wednesday.
A.I.S. Women aiming up
By John-Michael Flynn in Adelaide
Expect an improved performance from the 2004 A.I.S. Women's Road Team in Friday's second race of The Advertiser Women's Criterium Series at Echunga, South Australia. Run in conjunction with the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under, the new series has brought together a first class lineup of Australia's elite women's cyclists, headlined by the A.I.S. squad which is presently in a team training camp in Adelaide.
In-form rider and dual National Champion Oenone Wood believes the opportunity to get the team together in Adelaide will be an important first step, with some major races just around the corner. "Yeah it's good because this'll be the first time that this particular group has raced together," Wood told Cyclingnews. "It will give us a bit of time to see how we're all going leading into the Geelong Tour at the end of next month and the World Cup."
The A.I.S. lineup for the Adelaide Criteriums also includes last year's National Road Champion Olivia Gollan, Lorian Graham and Natalie Bates. Amy Safe, who almost stole the national road race title last weekend in a bold breakaway, is attending the training camp, however with a wedding planned at the weekend will be resisting the urge to race.
Track stars doing it tough
By John-Michael Flynn in Adelaide
The A.I.S. track team is well represented at The Advertiser Women's Criterium Series, but Rochelle Gilmore, who picked up the silver medal in Wednesday's National Criterium Championship, warns not to expect too much. Along with Katie Mactier, Kate Bates and Alison Wright, Gilmore has commenced a gruelling block training program under the direction of A.I.S. coach Ian McKenzie.
"I started off with five 5K efforts and then yesterday I had four 3K efforts and just couldn't walk afterwards," she told Cyclingnews. "Yesterday we had 100k's plus the track so it was a big day and we couldn't even go in to watch the men's race, the four of us were so tired."
Gilmore is yet to decide if she'll line up in Friday's second race of The Advertiser Criterium Series. A final decision on that will depend upon how the track athletes recover from their intense training efforts.
"We're only going to get slower from here on in," Gilmore warned.
Barring future disasters, Vogels is itching to go
A restless spectator at the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under is Navigators' hard-man, Henk Vogels, still recuperating from an untimely spill in the second round of the Be Active Cycle Instead Criterium Series in his hometown of Perth, Western Australia.
While still not 100 percent fit after his horrendous crash in the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic in June last year, Vogels was tempted back to racing in a street criterium series earlier this month, until the handlebars on his personal bike snapped as the powerful rider got out of the saddle to chase down the bunch. The result was another heavy fall and broken ribs (see full story) among other injuries.
However, Vogels is itching to get out and race again, and would like to join his teammates in the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under, this time on his Navigators' supplied Colnago.
