BiciRace.com :: News :: September 2005

News :: September 2005

27 September 2005

Saunier and David Millar in 2006

David Millar (28) is ready to sign a contract to ride with Saunier Duval-Prodir starting in 2006. The British rider is currently serving a suspension for EPO use, but will be able to ride at the end of June. This time will be crucial for the Spanish-Swiss squadra, who can utilize Millar's fast TT skills in the Tour de France.

Lost Worlds for Paolo Bettini

Paolo Bettini is missing the World Championships in his impressive palmarès. Over the past years he has given the race his best, but has always missed the rainbow jersey. Il Grillo says that he will try again next year, but for now he is focusing on the remainder of 2005: Züri Metzgete (2 October) and Giro di Lombardia (15 October).

Il Grillo was fuming after Sunday's Worlds and needed some time to cool-out. Later that evening he sat down with Alessandro Petacchi to discuss what went wrong in the race. "Sunday night I talked with Petacchi at the hotel restaurant and we had a clarification," explained the Olympic champion. "I hope that he [Petacchi] only understood at the end of the race that he was not going well, because if he knew earlier then it was a huge missed opportunity. I have yet to swallow the angriness of having wasted another Worlds."

For the Italian captain of Quick-Step it is better that he looks ahead to the next races. "I will first contest Zurich, where I arrived 2nd last year, and then to Lombardia. This year I am not in the running for the ProTour and I will race only to win. The new [Lombardia] course has a finish that suits my capabilities, and if I defend on the Ghisallo then I can show at the finish."

The King and Boonen Meet

Boonen Wins Worlds, photo: Quick-Step

Today in Belgium there is a huge festival planned in honor of the new World Champion, Tom Boonen. The Belgian will start the day with a meeting in Bruxelles with King Alberto II, who is a huge fan of cycling. Tomorrow, after a day of partying and press conferences, Boonen will have to check into the hospital. He is undergoing a planned surgery on his intestines. After his surgery he is then jetting to Monte Carlo, where he is searching for a new home to buy. His move to the south had been for some time, mainly for better weather conditions.

Some Explanation from Ballerini

Non Va Bene, photo: FCI

Poor Franco Ballerini, the Italian DS is getting all sorts of heat regarding the World Championships. Ballerini has been DS of the national squadra since 2001, along the way he has secured a world title with Cipollini and a Olympic gold with Bettini. But last Sunday's Worlds did not go so well for the Squadra Azzurra.

"I continue to believe that the course was a good course for Petacchi," said Ballerini. "The Petacchi of the Vuelta would only get dropped on the climbs when there was a large group. We were secure that we would be in the Boonen group, and be able to contest the sprint. But the men are not machines, and Ale was on an off-day." Ballerini then talked about the team's other option: "I am sorry that we were not able to bear fruit with Bettini, who is in great condition. We made an error: when there was that group of 11 we only had one Italian, when we needed two. And for this reason I had Bettini hold back, we did not have an alternative."

The Italian DS will now try to reconstruct what went wrong in the race. "I want to review the course, we will have a discussion to understand what went wrong with Alessandro in the finale ... It is normal when a sprinter does not feel good that you are let down. Nevertheless, I am convinced that if Petacchi would have insisted in showing his intentions of reentering, then Boonen would have noticed and not had put his men on the front in the final kilometers. The Belgians put an end to Bettini's small group, and took the victory from our hands."

Read: Petacchi and Bettini ... What Happened?, 26 September

Dmytro Grabovskyy: U23 World Champ to Saunier

Saunier Duval-Prodir has snatched up the young Ukraine, Dmytro Grabovskyy (19). Grabovskyy, who has just won the U23 World championships in Madrid, will make his professional debut on the yellow Spanish-Swiss team. The Ukraine has been in contact with Saunier for some time, in fact he rode the World Championships on Andrea Tafi's Scott USA bike.

26 September News ...