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6th Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under - 2.3
Australia, January 20-25, 2004
News for January 23, 2004
By Karen Forman in Adelaide
Remorseful Kirsipuu pipped on the post
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They say that the best form of payback is not to get angry or upset - but just to do better. Estonian rider Jaan Kirsipuu tried hard to do just that in today's fourth stage of the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under, but unfortunately fell just 400 metres short.
The 34 year old, who lives in France, decided to give the stage everything he had after he noticed that his team manager wasn't talking to him this morning because his team Ag2R Prevoyance had performed badly the previous day. As he told Cyclingnews: "We did badly. We lost the race. The director was really angry and didn't talk to us in the morning, so I said, okay, we had better do it today."
The director should have been impressed. Kirsipuu, a three time Tour de France stage winner, five time Estonian time trial champion, three time Estonian road champion and winner the of Driedaagse van West Vlaanderen and the Tour of Denmark in 2003, worked hard all day. He made sure he was in the first breakaway of seven riders and then continued to go with any attack that followed.
Kirsipuu was up there in one lead group of six and there again when a new break formed of 13 riders, 53km into the event. Later, the lead group split and five riders got away. Kirsipuu got caught in the chase group but was instrumental in the inevitable rejoining. And then came his piece de resistance: He attacked off the front with 11 km to go and established a solo breakaway, which lasted until he was just 400 metres from the finish line. By all accounts, it was going to be Jaan Kirsipuu's race.
But then, with almost no warning, came the main peloton - which had eaten up the kilometres in extremely speedy fashion to gobble both the chase group and Kirsipuu up in the finishing straight. It made for a very exciting finish for the huge crowd of spectators, was great for stage winner Robbie McEwen, but very disappointing for the Estonian, who finished 77th in the stage, is 51st in the general classification and didn't figure at all in the KOM or the sprints classifications
"With three to four kilometres to go I thought I could make it. I though I might have been the winner. But then I slowed on a little climb and I was so tired and then the bunch was coming and I knew I couldn't make it," he said.
Maybe tomorrow. This has been Kirsipuu's sixth Tour Down Under. He comes, he says, "because I enjoy it. Compared to the European racing it is very nice."
Kirsipuu said he had been disappointed that he had not performed better so far on this tour. "I feel fitter than in previous years."
He returns to France next week to embark on his realising his goal for the year: "To win races. Any kind. World Cups or Olympics." Kirsipuu doesn't know yet whether he will be selected for the Olympics, but says it is likely. "Normally if I do my results, I should be okay. We have four professionals, so if we have four places, then I will be there."
Older than most of the other riders in the TDU, he says he will keep riding at least this year and probably next. "I hope to come back to Australia," he said.
Clarke misses his chance for stage win
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Handy Australian sprinter Hilton Clarke came close to a stage win in the 2004 Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under today, but as so often happens, lost the opportunity by missing a vital attack. Clarke, 24, who is quite well known in Australia for his tactical, attacking and sprinting ability, appeared on track for the podium after he came third in the king of the mountain sprint and then made it into a breakaway group of 13 riders, which went at the 53km mark.
Appearing quite well recovered from the severe facial abrasions and concussion he suffered in a crash during the recent Jayco Bay Classic criterium series in Victoria, Clarke had his Team Australia manager Dave Sanders all excited when it appeared he was the most capable sprinter in the breakaway.
"There are a few kickers out there, but they'll underestimate Hilton, nobody knows who he is," Sanders said. But then the front group split into two and Clarke fell back. He was "doing the business," chasing hard, but Sanders wasn't happy. "That was a bad mistake. He should have committed to it," he said. "He should have ridden across and worried about it later. You've got to win stages. No one will give them to you. That was Hilton's chance to win a stage. He is the fastest sprinter."
The two groups closed together and things looked good again for Clarke, but then Jaan Kirsipuu attacked off the front - and Clarke didn't go with him.
"It was an opportunistic day," Clarke told Cyclingnews. "I thought that break might have stayed away. I was making sure I stuck with Kirsipuu all day but then he got away and then the bunch came up pretty quickly with 5km to go.
"My regret is that I didn't go with him. I thought I was in with a chance. But when he attacked I just hesitated. If I had gone with him maybe the two of us could have stayed away and got to the line before the bunch caught up." He finished 71st.
Australian Tour de France team is viable, says Sanders
Australian endurance coach Dave Sanders believes Australia is one of only two countries in the world which could furnish an all-Australian Tour de France winning team within the next couple of years - if only it had enough money.
Sanders, on the road with the national team at the 2004 Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under this week, told
Cyclingnews he was convinced that with its current line up of talent, Australia could put together a team that could be leading the world.
"We've got GC riders and we could guarantee at least two stage wins and two in green at the Tour de France," he said. "With riders like Michael Rogers and Cadel Evans, we could have a Tour leader within several years, on the podium. I don't believe there is any other country in the world that could do that. Well, maybe Italy. The US doesn't have the sprinters we do."
What's stopping them, then? "Well, I personally think we would need a minimum of $5 million, $10 million to do it properly," he said. "There are moves afoot to try to attract this kind of money and get a national professional team on the road.
Rex disqualified for hanging on
UniSA rider Matthew Rex was disqualified from the TDU tonight after being found guilty of riding holding onto a vehicle.
The 18 year old, in his first year as an under 23, was also fined 130 Swiss francs. His team manager, Michele Primaro, was also fined and the car was relegated to last position in the convoy for the fifth stage tomorrow.
