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7 November 2005

8 November News ...

First Race Win for New World Champion

Tom Boonen (Quick-Step) won the Amstel Curaçao, his first race as World Champion. The race was a criterium held on the Dutch island located in the southern Caribbean Sea that had invited many big stars. The Belgian made his bid for freedom in the final kilometer, finishing off Paolo Savoldelli (Discovery Channel) and Pieter Weening (Rabobank).

A look at the top three finishers indicates that maybe the race was fixed (yes it was). The purpose of the criterium was fun and vacation for the riders, and a chance for the tifosi to catch a glimpse of the cycling stars. It was the first race since Boonen won the Worlds in Madrid, more than a month ago.

Retirement Plans for Boonen

Tom Boonen (25) has announced from the Amstel Curaçao that he does not plan on competing past the age of 30. The Belgian rider for Quick-Step had a monumental 2005 season: Winning the Tour de Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, stages of the Tour de France, and World Championships.

"I won't be able to deal with the stress of having to win for another ten years," said Boonen in Curaçao. "Remember that I was only 23 when I reached the top. Most riders start to win big when they are 28 and ride until they are 35 ... That is only seven years at the top as well. I'm not like Erik Zabel, who is addicted to training and racing. Sometimes I have to force myself to go out and train."

Everyone gathered at the tropical press conference were shocked with the news. The Belgian spoke with confidence but after two or three years he may change his mind. He knows that repeating his successes of 2005 will be very hard to accomplish and for 2006 he has planned diverse goals. On target for the young champion is the Italian spring classic, Milano-Sanremo (18 March), and winning the overall sprint competition of the Tour de France.

Read:
Three Grand Wins ... Tom Boonen è Bravissimo, 26 September
Boonen Fires First Shot, 21 September
Boonen Continues Terror in Tours, 5 July
Boonen is Terrorizing Western France, 4 July
Boonen Wins Overall Tour of Belgium, 30 May
Boonen Is Unbelievable, 11 April
Boonen, The New King, 4 April

Davitamon-Lotto Team Update

One of the two major squadras in Belgium, Davitamon-Lotto, is keeping strong for 2006. The blue and red team is keeping a solid cast of riders: Fred Rodriguez, Leon Van Bon, Peter Van Petegem, Robbie McEwen and Tom Steels. The goal in 2006 will be to try to come home first in one of the spring classics. If that goal fails to materialize the team can always rely on Mc-Jet for sprint wins during the year.

Davitamon-Lotto performed consistently in the overall of the three grand tours. While they did not put a man on the podium in any of the tours, they did finish well: Wim Van Huffel (11th Giro d'Italia), Cadel Evans (8th Tour de France) and Mauricio Ardila Cano (9th Vuelta a España). When you consider that this is typically a team of one-day racers, then the results look even more impressive. Evans rode solid on the French roads to achieve his Tour placing, and the Aussie will hope to move up in 2006. The team and Evans are happy after an early season injury, and two previous years with that pink team.

Davitamon-Lotto welcomes Il Americano, Chris Horner, for 2006. Horner rode well throughout 2005, with the highlight being a mountain stage win in the Tour de Suisse. On the way out of the Belgian team is one big name: Axel Merckx. The son of Eddy will head to the green colors of Phonak for 2006. His market value soared after an impressive solo stage win in the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré. Below we have the current ins and outs of the Belgian Squadra.

Ins:
Chris Horner (from Saunier Duval-Prodir)
Nick Ingels (from Bodysol)
Olivier Kaisen (from R.A.G.T. Semences)
Pieter Mertens (from Chocolade Jacques-T-Interim)

Outs:
Aart Vierhouten (to Skil-Shimano)
Axel Merckx (to Phonak)
Frédéric Amorison (to Landbouwkrediet-Colnago)
Koos Moerenhout (to Phonak)
Serge Baguet (to Quick-Step)

Current Riders:
Bart Dockx
Bert Roesems
Björn Leukemans
Cadel Evans
Christophe Brandt
Fred Rodriguez
Gert Steegmans
Henk Vogels
Jan Kuyckx
Johan Van Summeren
Leon Van Bon
Mario Aerts
Mauricio Ardila Cano
Nick Gates
Nico Mattan
Peter Van Petegem
Preben Van Hecke
Robbie McEwen
Tom Steels
Wim De Vocht
Wim Van Huffel
Wim Vansevenant

Read:
Horner Signs for Davitamon-Lotto, 14 August
Axel Merckx to Phonak, 25 July
Fred Rodriguez Interview, 30 June

5 November News ...