BiciRace.com

• News
• Races
• Photos
• Interviews
• Inside Scoop
• Gear & Gadgets

15 December 2005

16 December News ...

Vino Down with Spanish Crew

Alexander Vinokourov is Liberty Seguros-Würth's new star signing after having made the switch to the Spanish based squadra from his former German squadra of T-Mobile. The Kazakh (32) has been on vacation and gained a few kilos but now it is back to business as he is with the other Liberty riders at the team's camp.

"I think I have gained some 4 or 5 kilos in weight, more or less, as I do every winter. Quite normal, after having stopped cycling for 6 weeks and having been on holiday. But I have already been training for 4 weeks on the bicycle and I've done approximately 2,000 kilometers," said Vino from the team's camp.

It is day three of Liberty's camp in Puente Viesgo (Cantabria, 13 to 16 December) and Vino is staring to adjust. The Kazakh speaks French fluently, and is now starting to have to grasp the team's language, Spanish. "For the moment it is a bit complicated, but I am studying and, although I do not speak very much, at least I understand about 90% of what they say to me. I hope that in a few months I will not have any problems."

Vino will be Manolo Saiz's main gun for the 2006 Tour de France and thus is altering his pre-Tour racing to be on form. "My main objective is clear, the Tour de France," said Vino, who finished 5th overall and won two stages in 2005. "What will change will be the run-up to the Tour, because I will make my debut in the Vuelta a Murcia [1 - 5 March], and then I will ride in the Milano-Sanremo and the Setmana Catalana."

The aggressive Vino will not be back to light up the côtes of Liège-Bastogne-Liège. He won the 2005 version but will have to avoid the Classics this year to focus on the Tour. "This year I will not be in the Paris-Nice or the Classics, which have always motivated me, but that also meant added stress. On the other hand, I will probably do the Tour of Georgia and, then, the Dauphiné Libéré."

Read:
Liberty Seguros-Würth in Puente Viesgo, 14 December
Vino backed by fellow Kazakh, 30 July
Vinokourov Inks Deal with Liberty Seguros-Würth, 26 July
Vino No Longer Pink, 21 July
Vino Fires Long Range Missile at Disco, 14 July
Vino Victory, 26 April

Saiz Sees Climber's Vuelta

Manolo Saiz took a break from the Liberty Seguros-Würth team camp to travel to the 2006 Vuelta a España presentation in Madrid. The famed team manager thinks the route favors the little riders, and that is much like a route of the old days. "My heart is always with the Vuelta," said Saiz, referring to the recent turmoil his team has gone through because of the Vuelta. "I do not really like the course for 2006 ... It is not modern and favors the climbers too much."

Liberty has been in the spotlight lately due to the dismissal from Roberto Heras from the 2005 Vuelta. Saiz's star rider tested positive for EPO in this year's race and opted not to go to Madrid for the presentation of the 2006 version. "Heras? If he did not come to the presentation it is because he considered better not to," finished Saiz.

Read:
2006 Vuelta a España Uncovered, 14 December
Manuel Piñera Resigns from Liberty, 14 December
Roberto Heras in Trouble for EPO Use, 26 November

CSC's Sastre Satisfied with Vuelta

Team CSC reports that Carlos Sastre is very pleased with the 2006 Vuelta a España course. The 61st Vuelta was unveiled yesterday in Madrid, taking the riders 3,129K in three weeks (26 August - 17 September). The five mountain finishes and 61K of time trialing could be the right mixture for the Spaniard to win his home tour.

"I'm very satisfied with the course," said Sastre. "The Vuelta means a lot to me, and alongside the Tour de France it's my main objective for next season. The course is very tough and there's no doubt you'll need a strong team to be a main contender for the overall win. We did a really good Vuelta this year and I'm looking forward to defending my top result."

Read:
2006 Vuelta a España Uncovered, 14 December
Team CSC and Carlos Sastre Renew, 1 October
Sastre and Mancebo Race At Home, 15 September
Di Luca wins, Sastre Breaks, 5 April

Bronze Bartali to Reappear

The bust of Gino Bartali, that was stolen Saturday night from the Monumento ai campioni del Ciclismo, will return soon. Ivo Bensa, President of CONI for Imperia, has received many telephone calls from the supporters of Bartali who wish to see the bronze portrayal returned. Bensa intends on finding the thieves who stole the bust of il Ginettaccio, or having a replica made. Soon you will be able to climb to the cycling monument on Capo Berta (Liguria) and find Bartali next to his old bronze buddies, Fausto Coppi and Costante Girardengo.

Read:
Gino Bartali Stolen, 13 December
Gino Bartali Shows Saturday, 1 December

Luis León Sánchez back Down Under

Spaniard, Luis León Sánchez, will return to Adelaide in January to defend his Tour Down Under title. The Liberty Seguros-Würth rider (22) took over the race leadership on stage two of the 2005 Tour and also won stage three. On stage 5 the Liberty boys swept the top three places, Sánchez took second.

Sánchez started cycling at the age of four when his father, who was in the Spanish Civil Guard, was injured in a terrorist attack and thus began cycling for rehabilitation. He and his brother would ride with their father and by the time Luis turned 18 he knew he wanted a career in professional cycling.

Liberty Squadra for Tour Down Under:
Luis León Sánchez
Allan Davis
Carlos Barredo
Koen De Kort
Aaron Kemps
José Joaquín Rojas
Ivan Santos
Eladio Sánchez

Read:
Tour Down Under Route Information
Luis León Sánchez Back in the Saddle, 28 April

UCI Knew of Unhappiness Says Zomegnan

Angelo Zomegnan, director of cycling at RCS Sport and head of the Giro d'Italia, is very upset at the recent indications of UPTC (UCI ProTour Council) President, Vittorio Adorni. "It is the UCI that betrayed the ProTour, not us," said Zomegnan. "The UCI [Union Cycliste Internationale] is not able to say they are alarmed by our news, because they have known all along that we were unhappy. In the summer of 2004 the Tour organizers wrote a letter, on the behalf of all the organizers that said we were not in agreement with their [ProTour] proposals."

RCS (Giro d'Italia) along with their French and Spanish counterparts, ASO (Tour de France) and Unipublic (Vuelta a España), have proposed a new Grand Tour Trophy competition that is facing road blocks by the UCI. "We have given guarantees to the teams that they can race in our races until the end of 2008, and it is unacceptable that this is now blocked [by the UCI]," continued the Z-Man. "It is creating a anti-sporting atmosphere. We ask for an open system, without denying the teams the option of racing our races."

Read:
Grand Tour Organizers vs ProTour Update, 13 December
Zomegnan: Grand Tours with UCI, not ProTour, 12 December
Lefevere Blasts Grand Tour Organizers, 11 December
Grand Tour Organizers Say "Ciao" to ProTour, 10 December
Grand Tour Organizers Press Release, 10 December
UPTC says End of Year for Grand Tour Organizers, 15 November

14 December News ...