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News :: June 2005

17 June 2005

Horner is Back and Rogers is now GC Man

Horner Wins, photo: Graham Watson, Saunier Duval

Yesterday in stage 6 of the Tour de Suisse, American Chris Horner (Saunier Duval - Prodir) stormed to victory. The beautiful Swiss slopes of Arosa provided a stunning mountains back-drop that marked Horner's European comeback victory. The US rider launched just as the 30K climb to Arosa kicked in. He joined forces with Vincenzo Nibali and making a mean pace. Then, with 7K remaining, Horner put in an attack that blasted Nibali out the back door. The Saunier man was on his way to victory and securing a 2005 Tour de France spot.

A great day for Chris Horner and his half-Swiss squad, Saunier Duval - Prodir. Horner proved his worth on the European circuit after suffering in a early-season injury in the Tirreno-Adriatico. Horner adding, "I feel so great! It's crazy; I broke my leg a few weeks ago and have only done 3 races this year ... but this week, each day, I was feeling better and better and I realized that I could do it!"

Mick Rogers is now dressed in yellow and it will take a strong Quick-Step squad to defend his lead from the German and Swiss teams. It may have been a planned move by the T-Mobile boys, not wanting to defend the jersey, rather take it at the last minute. Ullrich added, "The loss of the yellow jersey is no problem form me - it takes off the pressure from my team. Okays, now I'm looking forward to my massage..." The word around the BiciRace.com office is that Jan will want this win. He would add to his early season victory advantage on Lance Armstrong. Stay Tuned!

Tour de Suisse Weekend

Rogers, Current Leader, photo: Tour de Suisse

The overall Tour de Suisse winner will be decided this weekend. Two tough stages are in store, stages 8 and 9. Stage 8 (see profile) will surely be the death-blow, providing all sorts of fireworks on the final slopes, testing Rogers and Ullrich. From Lenk to Verbie there are two serious climbs, the famed Col du Pillon and then the mountain-top finish to Verbie. Many questions will be answered on the Cat 2 finish and a champion will start to emerge.

Stage 9 (see profile) is going to put the team of the GC-Leader to the test. Overall victory will depend on the strength of the leader's team defending the jersey. The stage covers 3 feared passed in only 100K. From Ulrichen and back to Ulrichen, the riders will take in the Nufernen Pass, the Gotthard Pass and the Furka Pass ... all Hors Category. From the Furka Pass to the finish is a downhill run of 25K. Some 'unknown' could go on a hard attack on the Furka, put the GC leader into the red and swoop down to final overall glory in Ulrichen. Stay tuned this weekend to see just how it all unfolds.

Tour de Suisse: Overall Map, Startlist, Main Page

Eddy Merckx is 60

The BiciRace.com squadra wishes Eddy Merckx a happy birthday, he turned 60 today. There is no fair comparison between Merckx and any other cyclist, Merckx is the best. To think that from 1961 to 1978 Eddy Merckx disputed 1800 races and won 525 is amazing. Merckx admits that a lot of this was because he had to race more days to make more money. Even still, he was a Cannibal and would knock out his opponents if he was racing 1 day or 150 days.

Many Italians remember the day Merckx came on the scene, the 1966 Milan-Sanremo, at age 20. He won that race and went on to win it six more times. The world took note with his five Tour de France victories, but he also won the Giro d'Italia five times and the Vuelta a España once. Making a total of eleven Grand Tour victories for the Belgian.

If you look down the past winners of any race, you are sure to see the name "Eddy Merckx". He was not only limited to Grand Tours, he won each of cycling's five monuments (Milan-Sanremo, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Giro di Lombardia) more than twice each. Also setting the hour record that held for many years, and is still the bench-mark for comparisons.

Today Eddy is a special guest at many functions held in his honor. Belgians, and the world, admire Merckx for his achievements. Buon Compleanno Eddy!

Tour de France Classifications: Maillot Vert (Sprinter's Jersey)

The 92nd Tour de France starts on 2 July and BiciRace.com is thinking about the Maillot Vert (green jersey). It is awarded for being a sprinting mad-man. With the news of Zabel, Freire and Petacchi out, this competition is slightly more open. It will still be a true battle, and at the end of each stage there are points given out for the top finishers, the higher you place, the more points. Flat stages typically award the most points and mountain stages the fewest. Therefore, is is a tough man of speed that will excel and wear the green jersey. Note, there are also intermediate sprint points available on the flat stages to keep the racing fast. You will see the green jersey awarded by some lovely ladies at the end of every stage.

Want to know more? Read the complete Tour de France classification break-down.

Magnus Backstedt Captains in TTT

The UCI ProTour Eindhoven Team Time Trial takes place in Holland next Sunday, 19 June. The Liquigas-Bianchi team will field a team captained by Swedish Magnus Backstedt and including his fellow Swede Ljungqvist and Italians Gerosa, Miorin, Righetto, and Sironi. Backstedt added, "I'm not yet at the top of my condition, but I think that on Sunday our team will be competitive." He knows a thing or two about team TT's, "it's not enough to have strong riders: it's also important to get on well together and that's exactly what we do." We wish the team luck against such giants as Team CSC.

Big Backstedt is known for his 2004 Paris-Roubaix triumph, and he also packs a big sprint. Look for the Swede to shine later in July. He will be with the Liquigas-Bianchi squadra when they line up for the 2005 Tour de France. If all goes well, Backstedt will be putting his bike over the line first and maybe snatching the green jersey.

Check out the Eindhoven Team Time Trial course map, startlist and complete preview for more race details. Stay tuned for complete race coverage on June 19th at BiciRace.com.

16 June News ...