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13 July 2006

14 July News ...

Garzelli Ready for Pyrenees

2000 Giro d'Italia winner, Stefano Garzelli of Liquigas, is ready for the mountains of the Tour de France to arrive. Stage 10 and 11 initiate the suffering for the peloton and Garzelli wants to taste the pain.

"I am ready for today and tomorrow," said the Italian from Varese on Wednesday morning before stage 10 to Pau. "I will see how the legs feel in today's stage [10] and then wait for the next day's mountain top finish."

Who are the dangerous guys for you and the team? "Well, I will want to watch the obvious riders, like Landis and Evans, and then I would like to a have a go."

Garzelli's squadra is a diversified bunch; the team spent the first week working for Backstedt and Paolini and now will focus on Garzelli's chances in the mountains. But Garzelli thinks that maybe the team is too weighted too much to the side of the flat-landers. Il Varesino added, "Our team is mostly for the flats without Di Luca."

Liquigas lost Danilo Di Luca in the first week due to illness but still should have enough men to keep Garzelli in position. Stage 11 to Pla-de-Beret will tell us if Garzelli can challenge for GC or simply fight for stagers.

Evans Gives No Secrets

"There are some secrets but I am not giving them away." These were the words of Cadel Evans (Davitamon-Lotto) before the start of Tour de France stage 11 regarding the secrets to surviving the Pyrenees. The Aussie finished 7'23" back with the main peloton and now is 5'37" on the classification board. But what worries the 29 year-old Aussie is the stage to Pla-de-Beret, on tap for Thursday 13 July.

"Tomorrow will make the real difference. I will try to make my move up in the GC... We will se what happens."

The mountains loom on Evans' horizon and the pressure is showing. He looked nervous, but he should be, these are important days. Stay tuned.

Ballan Relaxes and Wants to Escape

One of our favorite riders to chat with every morning in the Tour de France village is Alessandro Ballan of Lampre-Fondital. The Italian is always in good spirits, even if the first week did not bring his team a win.

"The sprint yesterday was messed up," explained Ballan regarding the stage 9 sprint into Dax. "It was our last chance at a sprint and we did not get it right. I think the winds played a part, also the final three kilometers were tricky. I was too much in the rear to be of use."

Ballan can relax, the sprint stages are over but now the climbing begins. "I still hope to have a chance in an escape, maybe today or tomorrow," said the 26 year-old. "Now the Tour gets really tough. I am ready... Cunego is ready."

Who are you rooming with for the Tour? "Bennati. Every night we usually relax by watching a film on TV."

Cunego in Pau

Il Piccolo Principe, Damiano Cunego, crossed the line in Pau with the other favorites, to complete Tour de France stage 10, the first mountain stage. Stage 10, covering the hors catégorie Col de Soudet midway through the parcours, was an appetizer Wednesday's mountain finish to Pla-de-Beret.

"Tomorrow I hope the form is like it was in today's stage," said Cunego of Lampre-Fondital. "I am here at the Tour, my first Tour, to learn. The goal is to get a sense of how the Tour is raced and receive feedback on my form. For my first time, I continue to be a little nervous but I am trying to remain tranquil."

Do you think you will go for the overall? "I really don't know. I would like to but there is still another really long time trial that will not be in my favor. We will see."

Lampre-Fondital haa been trying hard to come up with a win in this Tour; Employing Daniele Bennati in the first week for the flat stages, now the attention will turn over to Il Piccolo Principe. The team hopes to come up with a win, Cunego confirms, "Yes, the team is trying hard to produce a win. Bennati and Ballan were good in the first week and now it is up to me to do something. We will see."

Dessel Doubles in Pau

Frenchman Cyril Dessel (Ag2R Prévoyance) lived out a dream in Pau. Just north of Spain, Dessel rode to the finish of a long day to capture the Maillot Jaune and Maillot Blanc à Pois Rouges in Tour de France stage 10. The French rider of Ag2R was part of an early day escape that was whittled down over the Col de Soudet; leaving only Dessel and Juan Miguel Mercado (Agritubel) dueling into Pau, where Dessel finished second.

"At 20 kilometers to the finish my team manager told me over the radio that I had enough time to take the yellow jersey," explained 31 year-old Dessel after the stage. "I kept concentrating on the stage because I really wanted a stage win. Mercado cooperated well with me and he helped us stay clear. He did talk to me about giving away the stage but I said no way because it is a unique experience at the Tour, and I wanted to go for the win."

The strategy was talked about in the team meeting Wednesday morning. Ag2R has options with Moreau for the classification but Dessel was given his opportunity at an escape...

"Yes this morning we decided that a rider from the team had to be in each break over five or six. Astarloza and I had to be in the escapes with riders of 12 or more. I did what my team manager requested; in fact I was one of the last to join the break. Moreau's objective was to watch Landis and the other favorites. So we had the opportunity for the stage but then the yellow jersey became a possibility. It worked out really well for the team."

It is only your 2nd time in the Tour. IN the past you were not able to take part in because- of crashes or illness. "It is my seventh year as professional but only my second year to ride the Tour," explained Dessel, who earlier this year took the overall of the Tour Méditerranéen. "In the past I had problems with health and crashes that kept me out of the Tour. This year I felt really good in Catalunya and the other early races. I knew I would be able to ride so I made sure to prepare well. My secret hope was to win a stage and tonight I am here with the yellow jersey, so that is the best."

The confidence and Maillot Jaune have not overtaken Dessel, he knows that his duties remain with team leader Christophe Moreau. "My ambitions do not change. I will fight to keep the yellow in tomorrow's stage but I will see what happens. The team's ambitions will remain the same and as soon as I lose the jersey I will be fully for Moreau again."

One bit of unlucky news for Dessel was that he signed a new two-year contract with Ag2R only the day before he took the Maillot Jaune... "Sure I have some regrets today but I am confident the team will be open to talk about some better options."

Dessel will have his day but expect him to get spat out the back tomorrow when the big guns throw down the hammer.

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

12 July News ...