BiciRace.com :: News :: April 2006

News :: April 2006

18 April 2006

Basso in Belgium Racing and Reconnoitering

Basso in Belgium, photo: Capture-The -Peloton.com

Ivan Basso has flown from Italy to join his CSC squadra in Belgium for racing in the Ardennes and to preview the first stages of the Giro d'Italia. Il Varesino will start in la Flèche Wallonne on Wednesday and Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday, but today he will view the opener of the Giro, which kicks-off 6 May.

This afternoon Basso will be in Seraing to ride the 6.2K time trial prologue of the Giro, which, along with the Tour de France, is one of the two main objectives for the Italian this year. The prologue has a serious rise in the parcours, through La Boverie and leading to Place des Houilleurs, which could suit the style of Basso.

Thursday, following Wednesday's Flèche, Basso will preview the last kilometers of stage 1 of the Giro. The first road stage will take the riders from Mons to Charleroi, and cover 197K. The CSC captain may cross paths with Danilo Di Luca (Liquigas), who will also be in the area and previewing the Giro's Belgian stages.

Don't discount Basso for the two Belgian Ardennes Classics, in 2001 he finished second in Flèche and in 2002 he place third in Liège. Il Varesino, who is right on target for the start of the Giro, could snatch his first classic win before la Corsa Rosa.

Read:
Ivan Basso on Saltara, 17 March
Basso Previews Saltara and Piacenza TTT, 15 March
Basso Checks Passo Lanciano after Tirreno Stage 3, 11 March
Basso Scouts Giro TT in Pontedera, 5 January

Quick-Step Fights Supremacy of CSC with Bettini

Bettini in Holland, photo: Quick-Step

Paolo Bettini has transferred to Lanaken in the Wallonne region of Belgium for the start of Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Sunday he placed eighth in the Amstel Gold Race and proved his form is hot for this week's Belgian races.

Il Grillo and his Quick-Step squadra were out-maneuvered in Holland's Classic by the Danish Team CSC. The Belgian squadra may have scored the first two big Classics of the year with Pozzato and Boonen, but now the CSC squadra is in control. "With the addition of Ivan Basso and Carlos Sastre to Schleck and Voigt, without a doubt the team will be the strongest," said Bettini.

Quick-Step will do their best to regain supremacy, backing Bettini for Flèche and Liège will be Serge Baguet, Kevin De Weert, Addy Engels, José Antonio Garrido, Juan Manuel Gárate, Bram Tankink, and Cédric Vasseur, with Serge Parsani driving the team car as DS.

Read:
Quick-Step Takes the Classics, 4 April

La Flèche Wallonne, 19 April, 202K, The Mur de Huy Classic
Main Page, Overall Map, Zoom, Profile, Startlist
Report and Results, Photos
2005 Results

Liège-Bastogne-Liège, 23 April, 262K, The Ardennes Classic
Main Page, Overall Map, Profile, Startlist
Report and Results, Photos
2005 Results

Cunego vs. Simoni in Trentino

The 30th Giro del Trentino kicks-off today and will be an indicator of who is hot for the Giro d'Italia starting two weeks later. In the past, riders who have won Trentino have gone on to glory in la Corsa Rosa. Recently that honor has gone to Damiano Cunego, who in 2004 won Trentino and then blasted the Giro competition.

Cunego (Lampre-Fondital) and his old teammate, Gilberto Simoni (Saunier Duval-Prodir), will be the two big names on the startlist. There is a strong tension between the two that has been building since their 2005 break-up. Gibo, racing on home roads, will want to pound il Piccolo Principe into the ground, but will have his work cut out for him since il Veronese seems to be on superb form, as witnessed by his Giro d'Oro win on 16 April.

Simoni will have to battle Cunego's strong Lampre-Fondital squadra, "Before there were Szmyd, Stangelj, Vila and Fornaciari, who helped form the soul of the team," explained the 2004 Trentino winner. "Now we have Tiralongo and Bruseghin, who I specifically wanted in the team. They are all expert riders that know what they have to do, and do their work without any hassle. ... My victories all are born from their work.

Read:
Golden Damiano Cunego at Giro d'Oro, 17 April
Cunego for Oro and Trentino, 15 April
Coppi e Bartali: First Win of 2006 for Cunego, 24 March

Ballan Keeps Truckin' to Liège

Alessandro Ballan will keep on truckin' to the most beautiful of the Ardennes Classics, Liège-Bastogne-Liège. The confirmation of the 26 year-old Lampre-Fondital for La Doyenne means a slight elongation of program, but a chance at ProTour points. Ballan hopes to gain more points in order to capture the ProTour jersey from Tom Boonen (Quick-Step), who is already on vacation after an equally demanding spring program.

Ballan, who barely missed out on points in the Amstel Gold Race, has 105 points to Boonen's 129 points. The Italian from Castelfranco Veneto will have to finish in the top ten to receive any points, and place fifth or above to take the white ProTour jersey.

"We honestly expected something more in Amstel. But on the côtes of Liège Alessandro will make the value of his characteristics known," said Fabrizio Bontempi, Team DS. Bontempi confirmed that after Liège, Ballan will finally get that much needed rest, not participating in the Giro d'Italia and focusing on the Tour de France.

Read:
Ballan Builds ProTour Points in Amstel, 15 April

17 April News ...