BiciRace.com :: News :: August 2006

News :: August 2006

2 August 2006

Two Chinese in Italian Races

Beppe Martinelli, photo: Bicirace.com

This Thursday two Chinese riders will make their debut in the ProTour ranks. Wu Kin San and Xu Gang will line up with the greats, like Paolo Bettini, in Italy's GP Camaiore.

The two riders signed an agreement with Lampre-Fondital in April which will see them take part in their first races this week. Arriving from China, Kin San (21) and Gang (22) will race in the GP Camaiore tomorrow, riding side-by-side with team captain Damiano Cunego, and the 72nd Giro del Lazio on Saturday.

Giro del Lazio, 196K from Zagarolo to Rocca Priora, with a slight uphill finish, should suit the riding style of Kin San. The rider from Hong Kong, 1.80m and 64Kg, has won five races this year, before arriving Saturday in Italy, where he has been training near Brescia.

The idea to sign the two Chinese riders came about in February thanks to Wilier Triestina (frame supplier of Lampre-Fondital). Kin San and Gang were signed to ride as a stagiaire, from this week to the end of September.

Beppe Martinelli, Lampre-Fondital Team DS, explains: "After the Giro del Lazio, they will certainly race the Due Giorni Marchigiana [8 - 9 August]. Then they will likely participate in some other races of the Trittico Lombardo [Tre Valli Varesine (15 August), Coppa Agostoni (16) and Coppa Bernocchi (17)], but it is clear that it will depend on how they ride in these first races."

Good luck to our new Chinese friends in your first Italian races.

Grand Départ in Firenze

Cunego, Prudhomme, Landis, Leblanc & Rasmussen, photo: Makoto.Ayano/ CyclingTime.com

The Tour de France may start from Firenze. According to the director of la Grand Boucle, Christian Prudhomme, the Toscana city is in the mix along with a handful of other cities to host the Tour's start in the future.

"There are eight foreign cities that we are considering to host the start of the Tour in the upcoming years," said Prudhomme at the Deutschland Tour. "Düsseldorf, Utrecht, Rotterdam, two Belgian cities, Lugano, Monaco and Firenze. But there is not yet a precise date on when this would happen."

London will host the 2007 Grand Départ and if Firenze is selected BiciRace.com guesses it would be for the 2009 Tour. Stay tuned.

Gusev Leads Deutschland Tour

Third-year professional, Russian Vladimir Gusev of Discovery Channel, topped Germans Gerdemann and Lang to win the Deutschland Tour prologue. The 24 year-old covered the 5.5K parcours with a time of 6'42". Defending overall champion, Levi Leipheimer (Gerolsteiner), had to contend with rain; finishing 40" of the pace of Gusev.

The prologue, a short affair, displayed Gusev's force. He scored his second career win, adding last year's Russian crono championship win when riding for Team CSC, proving to be a wise signing by Discovery Team Manager, Johann Bruyneel.

Today expect to see a smiley Russian leading the peloton in the yellow GC jersey on a relatively flat stage out of Düsseldorf. The peloton will ride 198 kilometers, finishing in Bielefeld.

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

Basso Not in Denmark

Italian Ivan Basso, who was banned from starting the 2006 Tour de France based on a link to Operación Puerto, will not return to Denmark to defend his 2006 Tour of Denmark crown.

"Basso has been suspended from the CSC team until further notice," said Brian Nygaard, Team CSC Press Manager, yesterday. "That means until we get some kind of clarification. So he is not competing in Denmark."

Il Varesino, who rocked the Giro d'Italia house in May, was among nine riders axed from the Tour de France. Their names had turned up in the Spanish investigation, dubbed Operación Puerto, during the month of June. The FCI (Federazione Ciclistica Italiana) is waiting for further details from their Spanish colleagues before making a decision Basso's ability to race.

Basso dominated the Tour of Denmark (or Post Danmark Rundt) last year, taking four of the six stages along his way to the overall title. Il Varesino's name was not on the CSC lineup for the six-stage race in Denmark, which starts Wednesday in northern Denmark.

Vuelta Announces Riders

Unipublic, organizers of the Vuelta a España have announced a partial line up of riders who will start in the 61st running of their race. The Vuelta, staring 26 August and finishing 17 September, will be headed by returning champion, Russian Denis Menchov of Rabobank, who will don the number 1. Backing Menchov will be winner of the Tour de France climbing classification, Michael Rasmussen.

The home country will be well represented with Spaniard Oscar Pereiro, Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears), Iban Mayo, Samuel Sánchez, Haimar Zubeldia (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Oscar Freire (Rabobank), Miguel Angel Perdiguero (Phonak), José Angel Gomez Marchante (Saunier Duval-Prodir) and Koldo Gil (Saunier Duval-Prodir). Carlos Sastre (Team CSC), finishing second last year, is still an unknown; his team has yet to indicate if he will participate in his third Grand Tour for 2006.

Astaná, who were not allowed to start in the Tour de France due to some of their riders being connected to Operación Puerto, will be allowed to race the Vuelta. Unipublic has given the green light to the Kazakh-powered team, deferring any judgment to the contrary to the UCI.

Read:
Vuelta a España Uncovered, 14 December 2005

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

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