BiciRace.com :: News :: August 2005

News :: August 2005

7 August 2005

Ballerini Thinks about Squadra Azzurra

Petacchi and Boonen, photo: Capture-The -Peloton.com

Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo) is not having a great start to the second half of 2005. A crash in the HEW-Cyclassics put him further back, and his hand in bandages. At the request of race organizers, Ale-Jet started in the Eneco Tour to add his big name to the list of riders. But the wet and precarious racing in the North, coupled with pains in his hand, was too much for the Italian speedster.

Italian national coach, Franco Ballerini, knows the Worlds in Madrid are not that far off. He sees that Petacchi is not showing the same form that saw him win the Milano-Sanremo in the spring. After two race abandons by Ale-Jet, Ballerini worries that the Italian team's chances of gold in Madrid may be slipping.

Ballerini was at the Giro del Lazio, and witnessed Filippo Pozzato win in grand style. Perhaps if Ale-Jet does not show a return of form, Ballerini may opt to build a team based on the style of Quick-Step: Aggressive. Luca Paolini, Filippo Pozzato and Paolo Bettini have demonstrated that they are capable of working together for victories. Stay tuned for more details.

Filippo Pozzato Takes Lazio

Pozzato, photo: Capture-The -Peloton.com

Filippo Pozzato (Quick-Step) took an impressive win yesterday in the Giro del Lazio. The race was run on roads west of Roma, 210K. Pippo's team did grand work to help bring back an early move containing Stefano Garzelli (Liquigas-Bianchi). Pozzato owed much of his win to super-teammate, Paolo Bettini. The Olympic champion was doing hard work in the closing kilometers for the in-form Pippo.

It has been a magnificent week for the young Pozzato. Last weekend it was HEW-Cyclassics, and this weekend it was the Giro del Lazio. Pippo now has two wins in 2005, and what big wins they are. Now the Quick-Step rider heads to the Clásica de San Sebastián, before the Deutschland Tour and the Tour de Pologne. From those races Pippo hopes to earn a spot on the Squadra Azzurra for the Worlds in Madrid.

Basso Wins 4 in 4 Days

Ivan Basso (Team CSC) took his fourth victory in four days in the Tour of Denmark. Yesterday he won the 13.8K TT on the streets of Nyborg. It was a CSC 1-2-3, Basso was joined by Jens Voigt and Kurt-Asle Arvesen on the podium, they finished 2nd and 3rd.

"I did a super time trial, and right from the beginning I was flying," explained Basso via CSC. "I'm not particularly used to winning, especially not in time trials, but at the moment it seems like everything is possible ... and that's a good feeling." The Italian winning machine was 24 seconds faster than Voigt. That is impressive, Voigt is usually considered a favorite in such a short TT.

It was not quite four wins in a row for Basso. In the morning, before the TT, there was a 90K road stage. Fellow Italian, Paride Grillo, won the stage from a bunch sprint. The stage, from Assens and Odense, was a great win for Grillo and his team Panaria-Navigare. "I am happy there was good weather, because the first few days were wind and rain," said Grillo.

Davis With Deserved Win

Early Season Win, photo: Liberty Seguros-Würth

Allan Davis (Liberty Seguros - Würth) scored a spectacular victory in the rain-soaked stage 3 of the Eneco Tour. Davis ditched his two break companions, Hoste and Blaudzun, with 3K to go and soloed home. The Australian achieved his fourth, and most prestigious, victory of the season. This win helps erase the bad memories of the recent HEW-Cyclassics, where he finished third.

"I had to give everything to get this win," said Davis, "I'm very satisfied ... This is a fantastic win. Of course I had a lot of support with me, but just before we were caught I wanted to give everything because I felt I had a bit of power left. ... I was lucky enough that we had two from our team in the [initial] break. We just played our cards as the day went on. I dedicate this to my teammate René Andrle, who was in the break, and I want to thank all my Liberty Seguros-Würth teammates as well. We've been trying to get a win since the start of the tour." (For more information, read the BiciRace.com interview with Allan Davis.)

Eneco Tour, 3 - 10 August
Main, Startlist, Map, Photos

Mancebo Fortifies Ag2R Prévoyance

The Spanish cyclist Francisco Mancebo, and his current teammate, and David Navas, signed a two year contract with Ag2R Prévoyance. Mancebo, who finished fourth in the Tour de France, will help strengthen the French squad for 2006 and 2007. This Ag2R signing follows the recent signing of Christophe Moreau. The Frenchman was signed over from Crédit Agricole (read: Moreau to Ag2R Prévoyance, 30 July). The signing of Mancebo and Moreau will certainly help Ag2R Prévoyance's bid for a ProTour spot in 2006. This was surely the hope of Mancebo and Navas when signing to a Non-ProTour team.

6 August News ...