BiciRace.com :: News :: April 2006

News :: April 2006

22 April 2006

Lampre-Fondital Take Trentino with Benna and Cunego

Benna takes final stage, photo: Lampre-Fondital

Lampre Fondital made a haul in the 30th Giro del Trentino: Damiano Cunego won stage 2 and took the final overall honors, while Daniele Bennati marked his comeback with the final stage sprint win.

"Before I had bronchopneumonia, and it was 'ciao'. 10 days of antibiotics, 15 days stopped, a month away from racing," recalled Benna after his sprint victory. "The first time that I got back on the bike it felt to me impossible to be a racer. Then, 'piano piano' I found my form."

Cunego Blasts Simoni and takes GC, photo: Lampre-Fondital

"I will not do the Giro d'Italia, which is too bad because for us Italians it is one of the most important and beautiful races. I will race Romandie, Catalunya, Suisse, the Italian championships and the Tour de France," explained the Toscano of his upcoming schedule. "It will be my first Tour, and they have told me it is a fantastic experience, emotional, full of tifosi, sun and also sprints. I have three dreams: win a stage, take the Maillot Vert and arrive in Paris."

For Cunego the success in the Giro del Trentino was a team building experience for the Giro d'Italia, which starts 6 May. Il Veronese knocked-out his former teammate, and current top rival, Gilberto Simoni in the stage sprint to Cles and took the leader's jersey in the process.

"Simoni is rising in form, very competitive," explained Cunego. "I know him well and I know that he will arrive at the Giro d'Italia in top form. For this reason I put him as my number one rival."

"I hope that my Trentino victory is a good omen, in 2004 I won this race for the first time and then success arrived at the Giro," reflected il Veronese. "I hope to do well at the Giro, it is the number one objective of my season. For the moment everything is going very well, I am in good condition and I have a great squadra. The squadra is important because this Giro will be very difficult, with 20 days of hard racing. Whoever wins will be the one that manages their strength the best. We have to be calm and have awareness of the large amount of work that will be required to keep in control. We have constructed a squadra that is very strong in the climbs, but also that can handle the team time trial. It is important to have close teammates. I feel that they believe in me, and for understanding one another it is enough just to give a glance."

Cunego's last race before the Giro is tomorrow's Liège-Bastogne-Liège: "Now I will go to Belgium for a nice test, but without pressure for a victory."

Read:
Trentino to Liège: Cunego, 21 April
Cunego Betters Simoni for Trentino Victory, 20 April

Vino in Top-Form for Liège

Vino Wins 2005 Liège, photo: T-Mobile

Winner of the 2005 Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Alexander Vinokourov, will be back in 2006 to dispute victory on the côtes of Wallonne. Last year, while racing for T-Mobile, Vino scored a huge Classic win in Liège at the hands of German Jens Voigt, but this year his ambitions are tamed due to his July plans. The Kazakh, racing for Liberty Seguros-Würth, is planning on an assault on the Tour's GC, and thus he is racing less frequently and with less intensity in this early spring.

"I believe that I am in good condition for Liège, though my aim is 100% for the Tour of France," explained Vino in regards to Sunday's Liège-Bastogne-Liège. "Here I come to start to take in the ambiance and, besides, we have a good team for these races."

Vino in 2006, photo: BiciRace.com

Vino will be at the start in Ans with another Tour hot-favorite, Ivan Basso (Team CSC), which he will watch closely to get an idea of the Italian's form. The Kazakh's thoughts on Basso's recent comment that Jan Ullrich is way off of form: "Jan always has problems to find his condition, but he is also very motivated."

Yesterday morning Vinokourov reconnoitered the last 100K of the Liège parcours, covering most of the important côtes, especially the Côte de La Vecquée, where the winning was move was made in 2005. He rode alone but was followed by Liberty's Team Manager, Manolo Saiz.

Read:
Vino Demoralizes in 'Pre-Tour Test', 25 March
Vino to Rock Liège-Bastogne-Liège, 24 March
Vino Down with Spanish Crew, 15 December

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

Rodriguez on Sprint - Favorites on Brasstown

Fred Rodriguez Holds to Win, photo: Tour of Georgia

Yesterday in stage 4 of the Tour of Georgia, Fast Fred Rodriguez (Davitamon-Lotto) blasted the bunch with a last minute surge that won him the stage. The stage finish in Dahlonega brought Fast Freddie a bit of luck: it was the second time in his career that he won a stage on the city's streets.

"The team did a great job. They made the pace to bring back the last break. I told them not to take the front of the peloton until the last few kilometers, and then just to make it one aggressive chase to keep the speeds high," explained Freddie.

Early in the stage, starting from Dalton, David Zabriskie (Team CSC) went on the attack for his fellow cyclist, Saul Raisin. "I did it for Saul," said Zabriskie referring to Dalton native Raisin (Crédit Agricole) who is still in France and recovering from a bad crash. "He went through my head today... I had an idea to do that today for him."

At the start in Dalton green adorned much of the partenza and most of the peloton wrapped green tape on their handlebars. Green is the color of Raisin's French squadra, Crédit Agricole. [Please keep Saul in your thoughts.]

Will Zabriskie attack again on today's mammoth Brasstown Bald stage: "I don't think I can attack on Brasstown. That is a hard climb... and I am no 50 kilogram Spanish dude."

Floyd Landis (Phonak), with a four-second lead over Disco Tom Danielson, will come under lots of pressure on today's stage. "I'll just try not to picture what happened last year," explained Landis, who was out-gunned by Discovery Channel on Brasstown's slopes last year. "You know Danielson is an exceptional climber and I'm going to have my work cut out for me."

Stay tuned for Brasstown Bald coverage here on BiciRace.com

2006 Tour of Georgia, 18 - 23 April
Main, Overall Map, Photos

Velo Fractures Collarbone - No Giro

Marco Velo, lead-out master for Alessandro Petacchi, crashed in stage three of the Oddset-Rundfahrt, fracturing his right collarbone and putting an end to his Giro d'Italia ambitions. Il Bresciano (32) was doing his usual thing, leading out the winning sprint for Ale-Jet, when after he pulled off he was tangled up and brought down hard on the pavement.

"I am not too content with this victory because I have lost an important teammate, in top condition, for the Giro d'Italia," explained Alessandro Petacchi after taking the stage win. "I hope to see him back in action soon."

"I launched Ale in the sprint like always, and when he departed there were about 150 meters remaining," explained Velo of Il Treno Milram. "Danilo Hondo passed me with 100 meters to go, I had decided to continue to sprint to achieve a placing. But unfortunately, about with 50 meters to go, they threw me to the ground. I don't know quite how it happened... I am very upset and agitated because of my forced absence from the Giro."

BiciRace.com wishes the best of luck to Velo in his time of recovery.

21 April News ...