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29 April 2006

1 May News ...

Disco for Giro

Discovery Channel will have l'Americano, Tom Danielson, and the long-haired Viatcheslav Ekimov as henchmen for Paolo Savoldelli in his drive for a third win in the Giro d'Italia. Also included in the Disco line-up are climbing-aces, Rubiera and Beltrán, to help il Falco over the vertical parcours.

It will be very interesting to see America's favorite mountain man, Durango Danielson, tackle the Passo del Mortirolo and the Plan de Corones. He has proven himself to be a champion when the road goes upwards, giving the Italian tifosi hope that they will see the next Hampsten on their roads. Only seven days remaining until the Giro!

Disco for Giro: Benoît Joachim, Matthew White, Manuel Beltrán, Tom Danielson, Paolo Savoldelli, Jason McCartney, Viatcheslav Ekimov, Pavel Padrnos and José Luis Rubiera.

 
 

Pantani Returns to il Passo del Mortirolo

Marco Pantani will make a return to il Passo del Mortirolo: Tuesday 2 May there will be the inauguration of a Pantani statue by the ACCPI (Association of Italian professional riders). The project was a collaboration between Bianchi, who was a bike sponsor for Pantani, and the ACCPI. The ceremony will be at 15.00 in the town of Piaz de l’Acqua (near Mazzo di Valtellina, in Lombardia), which is near the eighth kilometer into the famed climb of the Mortirolo.

In the 1994 Giro d'Italia Pantani used this climb as a launch pad to win on the following climb to Aprica. The same feared stage will appear again in this year's Giro d'Italia on the penultimate day, 27 May.

Viva Pantani!

Read:
Pantani Monument on Mortirolo, 24 January
1000 Euro for Last Pantani Jersey, 23 January
Pantani and the Piadina, 10 June

Contador New Romandie Leader

Alberto Contador won the toughest stage of the Tour de Romandie yesterday, stage 3 to Leysin. The 23 year-old Spaniard gained enough time to move into the GC lead, taking the jersey from Chris Horner, and will seek to defend over the coming two stages.

"From the beginning of the day I had good sensations and I was waiting for the final climb," said Contador after the win. "I had my opportunity with four kilometers to go, I attacked and it went well. ... I saw Valverde as the biggest threat, so I kept watch on him. It was complicated to win with him in the group, but we did it."

Contador faces today's road stage, with three categorized climbs, and then tomorrow's TT before he can claim the overall in the 60th Tour de Romandie. "I do not know, the stage of tomorrow [today], will be very, very hard. It is necessary to overcome it and then, on Sunday, in the time trial it will be a question of turning the pedals fast."

"In Vuelta al País Vasco I was not so lucky or I just lacked the power to win, and the Classics are not really my area," said Contador, reflecting on his early season. "Romandie was the last opportunity to win before starting to prepare for the Tour de France, and now I am more relaxed."

Today, stage 4, starting and finishing in Sion, should be a day for an opportunist escape to battle over the three Cat. 1 passes. The GC men, like Contador, will want to save their energy for the following day's finale, a 20.4K TT in Lausanne.

Astarloa for Rund um den Henninger Turm

After the spring Classics in Belgium, France and Holland, Igor Astarloa (Barloworld) is ready to race Monday's Rund um den Henninger Turm. The Spaniard will try to relive his early-season glory in Milano-Torino by wining on the German streets.

Barloworld's Direttore Sportivo, Valerio Tebaldi, will manage a competitive red squadra for Astarloa's quest. For the German Classic, the Basque will be supported by Giosuè Bonomi, Mauro Facci, Rodney Green, Jeremy Maartens, James Perry, Diego Caccia and Alexander Efimkin.

How Does The Intergiro Competition Work?

Ah, you are still confused about the Maglia Azzurra (or blu)? You are among many, but do not worry. Here is the BiciRace.com explanation: There is a designated "Intergiro" point for each stage, marked by an "110" on the stage maps. At the Intergiro point the time is marked for the first six riders. The Intergiro (blue) jersey is awarded after each stage to the rider who has the lowest Intergiro cumulative time. So, in a sense, it is a half-way Giro, a race to the half-way point.

It is hard to determine the winner of this competition. It could be a rider who likes to go in breaks, but does not typically have the strength to win a stage. A true GC rider, mountain-man, or sprint-gun won't waste their efforts on the Intergiro classification, however it is a prize that is worthy of fighting for.

28 April News ...