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17 July 2006

17 July News ...

Calcagni on Bestiale Days

"Today will be like yesterday, bestial," said 29 year-old Patrick Calcagni before the start of Tour de France stage 14 in Montélimar. The Liquigas rider suffered through stage 13 with the rest of his coworkers, with temperatures touching the 40s on the longest stage of this year's Tour.

"It was so hot out there," Calcagni continued. Letting Pereiro's escape get thirty minutes, was it a slow day for the peloton? "No. It was not slow, it was perfect. It is better that way, on such a long day and with the temperatures so high. Today [Sunday stage 14] I hope an escape goes early. It will be tough with the two category two climbs."

Calcagni is rooming with Italian Stefano Garzelli and has a good sense of the Italian's form. "Stefano is feeling good, much better than last week. I think the next days will be good for him," said the Swiss with a wink of his eye.

Garzelli Turns 33

"It seems like just yesterday when I was 23 and turning professional," said birthday-boy Stefano Garzelli (Liquigas) before the start of Tour de France stage 14.

Happy Birthday. "Thanks!"

Patrick [Calcagni] says you are feeling ready for an attack today. "Yes. I would like to give myself a good gift. I will try to go in an escape or be there in the final."

Garzelli had his Liquigas boys lined out in the finale to bring back the escape duo but the time ran out. The roads, sticky and quite dangerous, did not allow the chase to really punch it on the descent into gap. Garzelli, on the day of his birthday, finished sixth at 7.

Fédrigo: France 3, Bouygues 1

Pierrick Fédrigo put the third win on the boards for France in their home tour and the first ever Tour de France win for 27-year Bouygues Telecom. On Stage 14 to Gap, the Frenchman out-smarted Salvatore Commesso in the two-up final, forcing the Italian to lead out the sprint and saving enough energy to win.

The win, the first for Pierrick and his French squadra, will be reason to let the bubbly flow tonight. The team will be able to recoup for Tuesday's mountain stage, Monday is the second to two rest days in this year's Tour.

What does this win mean to you and your squadra? "It was really important," continued the Bouygues rider. "We came to this tour to try to win a stage because we have no one for the classification. We always try to go in the breaks and today it worked. ... At the moment you don't realize the importance of your win but now I can say that it was truly a success for the team. We thought, 'why are we not winning stages', asking ourselves these types of questions. I can say that today that we were very motivated, and we want to stay this way to the end of the Tour."

Fédrigo, whose great-grandparents came to France from Italy, is a very shy guy. Often the Frenchman is criticized for not taking the initiative in starting escapes. The stage winner explains: "True, maybe because I come from a family in the south. All of my family is like that. It is important to remain humble in racing... There are always so many escapes that don't make it to the finish, although today it worked out for me. ... When you start a race you have to think it is always possible for you to win. It [stage 14] was a very fast start, with a break in the first kilometer. Then there was a counter-escape and I was able to go with them."

The escape of Fédrigo was narrowed down from six to three when a spectacular crash occurred at 141K. Rik Verbrugghe and David Cañada ended their Tour in an ambulance, while Kessler was forced to rejoin the chasing peloton.

Did you see the crash of Verbrugghe and the others? "When the crashed happened I was in Verbrugghe's wheel. I think it was a problem with the heat and the asphalt. Luckily I was able to avoid the crash. It reminded me of Beloki's crash, when they arrived here in Gap. It is too bad and I don't know their condition. Luckily we were still able to stay clear and arrive for the win."

Fédrigo and Commesso dropped the third-wheel, Aerts, before the descent into Gap. The tifosi that were watching the stage selected the Italian, twice a stage winner in the Tour, to come home with the win. Fédrigo raced smart; when Commesso launched the initial attack at 900 meters, Fédrigo stuck to the Italian's wheel and then went for the line at 150 meters.

When your arrived with a rider like Commesso, where you afraid? "Yes, that is the reason I attacked in the last kilometer of the climb. Commesso went with me, and then we had to keep going because we did not have much time. I think he [Commesso] made a mistake in leading out by so far... maybe he felt strong. We did not have much time and I know that he was feeling the pressure. I was able to come by in the sprint and beat a champion.

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

16 July News ...