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30 June 2005

1 July News ...

Raisin Rolls with Merckx and Armstrong

You may have heard about the Lance Armstrong crash in Nice last week, but life goes on. For the 6X Tour de France champion it was back to normal the following Monday. Our Inside Scoop writer, Saul Raisin (Crédit Agricole), was rolling with roughed-up Armstrong and Axel Merckx on a six hour romp in southern France. It was a ride that covered the very rough Col de Turini. Raisin was in some good company with Merckx and Armstrong as he prepares for the Tour of Austria.

Talking with USA Fast-Man, Fast Freddie

Fast Freddie is a champion, both in the United States and also on Italian roads. The tifosi are accustomed to seeing Fred Rodriguez blaze a path of stars and stripes while sprinting at high speeds. From Saturn, Mapei, and on to Davitamon-Lotto, Fred has proved his strength through well-deserved victories. BiciRace.com caught up with Fast Freddie to ask him about his preparations for the upcoming Tour de France. Read on to find out all about the Tour, Italian bikes and caffè.

BiciRace.com:  Is there any motor-pacing coming up before the Tour?
Fred Rodriguez:  Probably a little bit of speed work coming up. Just to get behind the motor and get some high speed. Getting behind the motorcycle - and getting used to the intensity of the high season and the Tour de France.
BR:  Who's doing your motor-pacing?
FR:  My father's here, so he's helping me out. He comes out once in a while to spend some time here with me in Girona.
Read more of the BiciRace.com interview with Fred Rodriguez.

Saunier Duval - Prodir Change the Jersey Design for the Tour

Many teams over the years have shown up with special jersey designs for the Tour de France. In recent years it has been the famous ONCE squad, changing their yellow kits to pink. This was done out of respect for the Tour organization and the TV viewers. The thought was to not have too much yellow in the peloton, so the GC leader in the Maillot Jaune could be easily recognized.

This year Saunier Duval - Prodir continues with that tradition. Though the Spanish/Swiss squad did not opt for a pink styled kit, they did change the upper half of their kits to include more white. It is a more subtle change, reminiscent of Brioches La Boulangère in 2004. BiciRace.com has obtained these exclusive images for our readers, have a look. (Front Side, Back Side)

Illes Balears by the Numbers

Ever wonder what it takes to ensure that a top team like Illes Balears runs smoothly at the Tour de France? Well here you go. Dazzle your cycling fan friends with all these useless factoids at the next cocktail party you go to.

Human Staff: (23 Employees)
9 riders
1 manager
2 directors
1 public relations person
1 press agent
1 doctor
5 masseurs
3 mechanics

Technical Supplies:
1 Truck
2 Buses
4 Cars
20 time trial bikes
30 regular bikes
18 time trial wheels
100 regular wheels

If that wasn't enough, the BiciRace.com staff has been busy crunching all the vital statistics. Here's how it breaks down. The average age is 28.1 years. The average height is 1.8 meters or 5'9". The average weight is 69.6Kg or 153.2 lbs. Of the nine riders, 7 are Spanish, 1 is German and 1 is Russian. On average each rider will have had 30 days of competition under his belt prior to beginning the Tour.
- Paco

Tour de France: Stage 1, Fromentine - Noirmoutier-en-l'Ile TT

Get your wine out and prepare for a festival. Saturday is the start of the 92nd Tour de France and it is ignited with a 19K TT. The riders will be in western France, La Vendée region, traveling north from Fromentine to Noirmoutier-en-l'Ile. The course is straight forward, with wide and open roads (Stage Profile). The main difficulty will be the wind coming in off of the Atlantic coast. Look for the bigger TT specialists to excel in the winds. The rider who wins this stage will also take the Maillot Jaune, so expect all the guns to fire.

Dave Zabriskie Will Put the Hammer Down

Team CSC is made up of men who can smash the clock when it comes to racing TT's. The top name in the squad for the TT is Dave Zabriskie. The Americano set the TT courses on fire in May at the Giro d'Italia. So, look out for Zabriskie in Saturday's Tour de France TT of 19K in western France.

We checked in with Team CSC, and Zabriskie had this to add: "I aim for a place in the top 10, but winning the stage would obviously be the best. ... I'm not nervous, but of course I'm excited about doing the Tour. Basically I just want to get going, get in the rhythm of the race, instead of doing all these other things."

The schedule for a top-gun like Zabriskie is hectic, who has been training in Italy with Ivan Basso and Giovanni Lombardi. Zabriskie avoided the inconvenient travel back to the USA to defend his TT Champion status. "It would have been much too stressful to do the US championship, flying back and forth in the middle of my Tour preparations," added the CSC man. Now it is three days to the tour and all the preparations will be finished. If Zabriskie is to pull off the TT win, then it would mean a huge stage win, and a Yellow Jersey. VAI Dave!

New Girl For Axel And Jodie Merckx

Two days before the start of the 92nd Tour the France, Axel and Jodie Merckx, announced a new baby girl, Athina Grace. This is the second daughter for the family Merckx. Congratulations from the BiciRace.com crew.

92nd Tour de France:
Startlist, Classifications, Tour Challengers, Discovery Channel Profile
Key Stages, Key Stage Descriptions, Stages and Maps, Overall Map

29 June News ...