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3 June 2006

5 June News ...

Cunego: Tour or Worlds

Il Piccolo Principe, Damiano Cunego, is on the post-Giro d'Italia circuit, yesterday competing in Mottarone. The Lampre-Fondital rider is taking the unofficial races with ease, leading into a non-racing period, excluding his presence from the Italian Championships.

In the following weeks Cunego will decide the remainder of his 2006 program: "I might race the Tour de France without worrying myself for the classification, but with the objective of familiarizing myself, studying and learning from the race," said Cunego, who plans on making a decision before 15 June. If he does not go to the Tour? "Then it would be two weeks at the Vuelta to prepare for a season grand finale, with the Worlds and Lombardia."

Cunego, winner of the Giro d'Italia in 2004, could only manage a fourth place in this year's Corsa Rosa. The little Veronese found the Pontedera time trial difficult, especially against he likes of crono-man Ivan Basso. The last week offered a glimpse of the rider that the Italian tifosi have come to know and love. Cunego rose up the classification in stage 17 to Passo di Furcia and stage 20 over the Passo del Mortirolo.

"Slow in time trials and lacking in the climbs," commented Cunego on his Giro start. "Then I reacted. I started to recover in the classification... Entering the top five. And the last day in the mountains I overtook Savoldelli. Here, this is why the forth place gives me some satisfaction."

"I am still young and I have a long career ahead of me," reflected the 24 year-old. "I will have time to take victories. ... A racer is at his best at 28 to 29, and I am only 25."

Read:
Kid Cunego on Rise, 25 May

Pozzato Wins Memorial Annette

Signor Sanremo, Filippo Pozzato (Quick-Step), won the 4th Memorial Denis Zanette, dedicated to the racer from Sacile (Friuli-Venezia Giulia) who died in 2003 from a heart attack. Pozzato took his win in the unofficial race ahead of Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner) and Angelo Furlan (Selle Italia-Serramenti Diquigiovanni).

Pozzato, 24 years-old, briefly got to know Zanette during their time at Fassa Bortolo. Pozzato, after the two were roommates during a team training camp, became friends with Zanette. "I had only a small time to get to know him, but it was beautiful," remembered Pozzato.

Today the Milano-Sanremo champion will race the Memorial Marco Pantani, starting in Cesenatico and ending in Cesena: home of la Piadina and il Pirata. Parcours: 176K in length and the climb of Monte Vecchio.

Basso Betters Mottarone Record

Ivan Basso, winner of the 89th Giro d'Italia, keeps bashing Gilberto Simoni (Saunier Duval-Prodir). Three stages wins and a Maglia Rosa were not enough for il Varesino, now he has smashed record for the 14.5K climb of Mottarone, which was previously held by, you guessed it, Simoni.

Yesterday in the mountain time trial of Mottarone (14.5K, 11K of actual climbing), Ivan Basso of CSC beat the competition with a time of 37'49", 1'24" ahead of Damiano Cunego (Lampre-Fondital) in second. The previous record for this climb, 39'03" in 2004, was held by Simoni, who finished third in this year's Giro.

"All is very good," said Basso after the event in Piemonte. "The circuit ends for me on Sunday, when I will depart for a mini-camp in the Alps."

From the mountain time trial, most of the riders went on to compete in "Parata dell Stelle" at the Velodromo di San Francesco al Campo in Torino. Ivan Basso battled and won against Paolo Savoldelli (Discovery Channel) in a 4K match; Simoni beat Cunego in a 2000 meter run; Paolo Bettini (Quick-Step) won the elimination and Danilo Napolitano (Lampre-Fondital) took the scratch event.

Rujano with Quick-Step

José Rujano, after a half season with Selle Italia-Serramenti Diquigiovanni, which ended in abandoning the Giro d'Italia in stage 13 to La Thuile, is now with his new team, Quick-Step. The little (50Kg) Venezuelan has spent the past days at a Quick-Step Tour de France training camp in Alps, riding along side some huge Belgian riders, like Tom Boonen.

After the camp Tom Boonen will take part in the Tour de Suisse (10 - 18 June) and little Rujano will travel back to his home in South America. Rujano will use the high altitudes to better his form, returning one week prior to the Tour de France.

Read:
Rujano Strangely Out of Giro, 21 May
Giro for Rujano, 11 April
Rujano Back in Italia, 4 April

Gutierrez and Botero Stopped by Phonak

The Swiss-based ProTour squadra, Phonak, has taken action in regards to Operation Puerto. Two of their rides, Santiago Botero and José Enrique Gutierrez, both involved in the Spanish investigation, will not to be selected by the team for any races until the further information is known.

"Botero and Gutierrez are neither dismissed nor suspended," clarified Team Manager, John Lelangue. "In the interests of the team and to ensure calm for all team members for the coming races, we have decided to take this step. ... If further investigations show that the riders have used methods that are not permitted, they will of course be dismissed immediately."

José Enrique Gutierrez, second to Ivan Basso in the 2006 Giro d'Italia, has had his name drawn into the Spanish doping affair, the same affair that put an end to the sponsorship of Liberty Seguros. Many riders are suspected to be on the list obtained by Spanish officials when raiding the home of Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes but full details are cloudy at best.

Operation Puerto News:
Kazakhstan to the Rescue, 2 June
Würth Takes Liberty Seguros, 30 May
Fuentes Spends Night in Jail, Others Free, 27 May
Liberty Saga Continues, 26 May
Liberty Revokes Sponsorship, 25 May
Saiz Free After Doping Interrogation, 24 May

2 June News ...