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1 August 2006

2 August News ...

2006 Deutschland Tour

Miss the smaller tours, like Tour de Suisse and Dauphiné Libéré? After a long July, breaking for the grandest of Grand Tours, the Tour de France, August is here and it brings with it the Deutschland Tour.

The Deutschland Tour (AKA Tour of Germany or D-Tour) kicks off on 1 August with a prologue, followed by eight more days of racing. It presents a creditable parcours for those riders who under performed or simply missed the Tour de France.

The ProTour event starts with a 5.5K time trial prologue in Düsseldorf. The prologue will help sort out the GC standings for the following three sprinters' stages; taking the riders in an easterly direction. After the flat-landers have their chance to shine; the organizers directed the riders to more vertically inclined roads.

Stage five, in southern Germany, kicks in the climbing with a vengeance. From Bad Tölz to Seefeld (Austria), the queen stage will put the riders to their limits; covering the D-Tour's Cima Coppi, if you will, with Mount Kühtai. Kühtai, the highest point of the German tour tops out at 2017 meters. After the hors catégorie beast the riders will have 60 more kilometers, including the race's first summit finish up Möser to the finish in Seefeld.

Stage six will keep the pain level in the red zone. The 180K stage will take the riders over two Alpine passes, the second one being the summit finish on the Arlberg Pass. The mountain goats will want to score as much time as possible in stage six because the next day will be the decider.

If there is any energy left in the tank after two leg-zapping days, the stage seven 38.2K time trial will be the day to shine. Any riders with hopes on the GC title will have to perform well over the mostly flat crono parcours. Like last year, where American Levi Leipheimer barely saved his overall lead, the TT will prove dramatic.

Speaking of Levi, he will want to win the race after a lack-luster Tour for two reasons: to satisfy his German squadra Gerolsteiner in their home tour and to please his new, 2007 employers, Discovery Channel. But beware, Milram and T-Mobile will be out for blood. These German squadras will be revved-up on their home soil and be a force to reckon with for any outsiders.

Past Winners:
2005 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Gerolsteiner
2004 Patrik Sinkewitz (Ger) Quick-Step
2003 Michael Rogers (Aus) Quick-Step
2002 Igor González de Galdeano (Spa) ONCE-Eroski
2001 Alexander Vinokourov (Kaz) Telekom
2000 David Plaza (Spa) Festina
1999 Jens Heppner (Ger) Telekom

2006 Deutschland Tour, 4 - 11 June
Main, Overall Map, Photos, Startlist

D-Tour Representations

The Deutschland Tour starts today with a 5.5K Prologue in Düsseldorf. The 19th event of the ProTour calendar, running from 1 to 9 August, will attract a solid field.

The USA will be well represented with defending champion Levi Leipheimer (Gerolsteiner). Other riders from the States starting in Germany will be Bobby Julich, David Zabriskie (Team CSC), Patrick McCarty (Phonak), Jason McCartney (Discovery Channel) and Tyler Farrar (Cofidis).

Despite claims to the contrary, Astaná will be starting in the D-Tour. The heavy hitter on the team, Kazakh Alexander Vinokourov, will be joined by compatriots Assan Bazayev, Andrey Kashechkin and Serguei Yakovlev. Expect the Astaná boys to strike stage gold to help wash away a bad July.

The Italians will be numerous in the 2006 D-Tour. Saunier Duval-Prodir's Leonardo Piepoli, who ripped-up the Giro d'Italia in May, will be joined by Marco Pinotti and Manuele Mori.

Gerolsteiner's Tin-Tin Rebellin and Andrea Moletta will be forced to ride for American caption, Leipheimer. Both of the bubbly water boys were active in Sunday's Hamburg Cyclassics, so don't be surprised to see them in the action in the first four stages.

T-Mobile will start the D-Tour with the 2004 Champion, Patrik Sinkewitz, in their line up. The pink posse will start with an espresso flavor; three Italians, Nardello, Mazzoleni and Bernucci, will rep the German squadra in the nine-day affair. If Sinkewitz fails, look for Mazzoleni, 27th overall in the Tour de France, to receive team support for the overall.

The Italian Crono Champion, Marzio Bruseghin, 20th in the Tour's final GC, will lead Italian-based Lampre-Fondital. Backing Bruseghin will be Paolo Fornaciari, Matteo Carrara, Claudio Corioni and sprinter Danilo Napolitano, who finished ninth in Hamburg.

Franco Pellizotti, winner of the Peschici stage in the Giro d'Italia, and Dario Cioni will head Liquigas-Bianchi in Germany. For both of the Italians, the course will be a warm-up in view of a possible participation in the Vuelta a España at the side of Danilo Di Luca. La Squadra Milanese will be completed by Dario Andriotto, Francesco Failli, Marco Milesi, Andrea Noè, Stefano Zanini and Charles Wegelius. All riders are Italian, except for Wegelius, who is practically Italian with his base in Varese.

Di Luca Returns in GP Camaiore

While Liquigas is kickin' it in the D-Tour, Danilo Di Luca, winner of the 2005 ProTour, will make his return it racing with the GP Camaiore. The Italian is returning after a month of no racing due to a prostitis that forced him to abandon in the second stage of the Tour de France.

After Camaiore (3 August), Di Luca will race the Giro del Lazio, pointing towards the Vuelta a España and the World Championships. A solid ride in the three-week Spanish race should be enough to earn a spot on the Squadra Azzurra for the World Championships.

"I am interested only in the Giro and the Worlds, all of the rest of the races are secondary and will function to serve these two objectives," said a determined Di Luca earlier this year, in March. It has to bee seen if The Killer has the power to vie for team leadership. Paolo Bettini, like in most years, will want to captain the Squadra Azzurra in Salzburg but it will be up to Italian National DS, Franco Ballerini, to make the final decision.

93rd Tour de France - presented by , 1 - 23 July

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