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12 July 2006

13 July News ...

Dutch Day to Dax

Before the start of the ninth stage of the Tour de France from Bordeaux, Magnus Backstedt (Liquigas) was nice enough to explain the possibilities for the stage. "It will be like a Dutch day of racing, with lots of wind that will suit the strong riders."

Maybe Magnus hit the nail on the head, the Dutch team of Rabobank won with their top sprint gun, Oscar Freire (a Spaniard). "Anything can happen on this stage, a sprint or an escape. There are some tough sections through the forest, even though it is completely flat. The GC was sorted out with the time trial so now escapes have a better chance of succeeding."

What will you try? "All I can say is that I will be there at the end." Sprint or an escape for you? "I don't known but I will be there."

The Swede was there, he was with his Liquigas mates, leading out for Luca Paolini in the sprint finale. The Italian finished eighth in the sprint thanks to the handy work of Magnus. The next couple of days will be some days of suffering for the giant Swede, where he will be forced to lug his body over the tough Pyreneen passes.

Peña Protects Landis

Victor Hugo Peña explained his role in the Swiss-based Phonak squadra before the start of stage 9 in Bordeaux. The Colombian is on the same team with the race favorite, Floyd Landis, and is going to pull out all the stops to make sure il Americano arrives to Paris in yellow. So what will Peña be doing?

"I will be riding right along side Floyd," explained the 32 year-old. "There may be some stages where I will have my chances; it just depends on how the stage develops and if I find myself up the road. But really I am here to protect Landis. ... All the mountain stages will be hard, with the stage to Pla-de-Beret [stage 11] being the one I fear the most."

Peña has ridden for the best, in his past team he road for Sig. Tour de France, Lance Armstrong. Now he is pulling around France for another American, one who seems a lot more relaxed and cool in the head.

How is Landis as a team leader? "He is a good leader who is still developing into the leadership role. I don't know how to really compare him with Lance. Landis is doing a great job within the team."

Over the rest day Landis confirmed that he has serious hip problems and he will be forced to have a hip replacement surgery. The news of the hip problem does not worry the Colombian, seeing his teammate as the same rider who stormed to victory in the prestigious Paris-Nice.

"His hip will be no problem. We have a rider who is capable of winning the overall. We will all be behind him in his quest to win this Tour."

Flecha and Freire Win

We spoke with Juan Antonio Flecha moments after he crossed the line in Tour de France stage 9 to Dax, where his teammate, Oscar Freire, won the day. Flecha did the final muscle work to ensure his compatriot was well positioned leading to the final kilometer; resulting in the second stage win of this year's Tour.

"I knew it was going to be a strange and tricky finale," said Flecha still dripping in sweat from the day's effort. "I made sure Oscar was there on the Liquigas train. I was guiding him through all those turns in the final, from 3K to 1K to go. After that ... well, it worked out nice."

Flecha is very content with his new Holland-based team and working in the service of fellow Spaniard, Freire. Flecha and Freire are two of the best riders out of Spain and today, so close to the border of their country, they put their strength on display. Bravo.

Oscar Doubles in Dax

Oscar Freire of Rabobank, an all-around nice guy, doubled-up in Dax; winning Tour de France stage 9, starting from Bordeaux. The Spaniard worked off the train of Liquigas and Quick-step and then launched to hold off the last second surge of Robbie McEwen (Davitamon-Lotto).

"When going for the line I did not know if I had won or not," explained Freire after the stage. "I have experiences like this in the past: when I won the Milano-Sanremo, it was a close call with Erik Zabel, who celebrated early; and just this year when I was beaten by Valverde. I thought I had won but after the stage they gave the win to Valverde."

Freire is not the typical type of sprinter; usually he wins on stages with small finishing climbs and not these dead-flat affairs. Oscar was not surprised by his two "flat" wins.

"I have won a lot on these types of stages," the Spaniard continued. "I do better when there are some small climbs during the stage but I can win on all-flat stages. I am happy with this win, the next days are going to be tough with the mountains, and then after are the transition stages, which don't work because escapes typically stay clear. My goal coming into this Tour was to win a stage in the first 'flat' week."

Oscar's win provided a nice gift for his pregnant wife, who is at home and expecting the couple's first child next week. "I would like to be there for the birth. The date is next Wednesday and will be our first child but I knew it was going to be this way before the start of the Tour. At least it is better that I am here winning stages versus not winning anything at all."

The sprint stages in this Tour de France have all been pretty chaotic, with no clear sprint train taking control in the last ten kilometers. "Yes, everyone is fighting to win. In this Tour there is no respect given for anyone. A train would actually be better for me; I am able to jump on the train and take it to the line."

Cipollini Returns to Tour

Super Mario Cipollini is back at the Tour de France helping his former Liquigas squadra in the stages. In stage 9, from Bordeaux to Dax, Cipollini met with the team riders before the stage, giving advice, and then joined in the team car for the duration of the stage. After the stage we talked with the retired Italian who not so long ago would have dominated every sprint on offer.

Cipollini said, "I was not able to see the finish. How did it go?" We explained McEwen was coming on fast but Freire was able to hold him off for a close win. "McEwen goes so fast and has been doing well in this Tour, but you can never count out Oscar."

Former World Champion, Mario Cipollini (39), spent last Christmas in the Lucca hospital. The day before Christmas the Lucchese was out on the ski slopes of Abetone (Toscana) with his cousin when he collided with a tree during a fast downhill run.

Is your knee feeling better? "It is feeling a lot better these days, thanks. I hope to have it back to 100% soon."

Cipollini will enjoy France for a while longer... "I will be here for the next two or three days, through these first mountains and then I will head home."

93rd Tour de France - presented by , 1 - 23 July
Main, Startlist, Classifications, Tour Favorites, Team CSC versus T-Mobile
Stages and Maps, Key Stages, Overall Map
Photos, The Dust Devil's Daily Wrap
Simoni and Saunier Duval-Prodir Updates
2005 Results

11 July News ...