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14 September 2006

15 September News ...

Ullrich Vows to Return Soon

German Jan Ullrich, notwithstanding the current doping allegations and investigations, vows to return to cycling very soon. Banned from starting the 2006 Tour de France as part of the ongoing Operación Puerto and dropped from his squadra, T-Mobile, the German announced yesterday that he has many offers on his table from cycling teams.

"I have the desire of competition," said Ullrich. "I have not decided which offer is best for me. I have received a lot of offers. I am certain that soon all of the truth will arrive. What has happened to me is a tremendous injustice; I am innocent. I have never doped."

While Ulle wants to return to racing there is a huge pending doping case in his path. Yesterday, led by investigators in Bonn, raids were carried out in several locations throughout Germany, including casa Ullrich in Scherzingen, Switzerland. We would imagine that the very same "table" where Ullrich's offers were resting was overturned in a search for doping evidence.

Ullrich was not home to witness the redecoration of his house as the newlywed was on honeymoon. Searches were also carried out on the homes of Oscar Sevilla and Rudy Pevenage.

Read:
Ullrich Faces Life, 28 August
A Damning Fuentes Fax, 18 August
Bam! Tour Shaken and Basso Gone, 30 June
Basso, Ullrich and Others Asked to Leave Tour, 30 June

Americano Danielson Wins Big

If you were not watching Vuelta a España stage 17 yesterday then you missed a good one. Americano Tom Danielson (Discovery Channel) raided Granada; coming up with his biggest win to date.

Durango Danielson, 28 years-old, escaped his break-away companions on the stiff slopes of Alto de Monachil in an attempt to ride solo to Granada. Behind the Disco rider, a GC battle was brewing; Alexander Vinokourov (Astaná) escaped the other GC favorites to join Danielson on the downhill run to Granada.

At first it looked doomed for Durango Danielson, but then he began swapping pulls with Vino, realizing that the experienced Kazakh would understand his gesture and perhaps let the American take the stage. It worked. Capping off an exciting run to Granada, Vino took the golden leader's jersey and Danielson the stage

"Today was an amazing day for me," said Danielson after the stage. "I got away in the early breakaway and worked really hard to make the break work. I began to tire on the final climb but focused on just turning the pedals over and on trying to win the stage. This is the biggest win of my career."

Danielson started the Vuelta with GC ambitions, and now, after his Granada success, sits 6'07" back in sixth. It is unlikely that he will win this Vuelta, but a podium spot may be possible.

"With one more climbing stage and one time trial remaining, I think we can possibly have a few guys move up a little higher on general classification," added Team DS Johan Bruyneel. "But, regardless of what happens I am very satisfied with what we have done so far. To have had Brajkovic in the yellow jersey and win two stages is fantastic. If we can maintain our lead in the team classification into Madrid, the Vuelta will have been a major success."

Golden Vino in Granada

Alexander Vinokourov (Astaná), after conquering two stages, took the leaders maillot oro in Vuelta a España stage 17. The Kazakh rider pulled off a brilliant coup; with the aid of teammate Andrey Kashechkin, Vino masterminded an assault on former race leader Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears). Isolated, Valverde did not have the strength to respond to the Kash-Vino bombardment.

Vino, needing more time on the GC, was not satisfied to stay with teammate Kash. "...When I saw that Valverde was approaching I decided to attack alone, and from there it was a question of force. ... Today [stage 17] I had good legs and I knew that I could make the difference in the last 15 kilometers."

It worked. By the end of the stage, Vino turned Tuesday's 1'42" deficit to Valverde into a 9" advantage.

"Now I have to try to keep the maillot. I hope that the team continues well, because it will not be easy.... Today I gave everything, and want to thank my team and especially Kashechkin. It has been very hard and it will remain like this in the next days."

There are two more seriously decisive stages; Today will be the last mountain stage, with the finale of the Sierra de la Pandera, and on Saturday a 27.5K time trial. Vino, who pulled on the leader's jersey for the first time in a grand tour, will be forced to control and even add time on Valverde if he wants to take his maillot oro to the finish in Madrid.

"It is the first time to have this [leader's jersey in a grand tour] and it is exciting, but I hope that it will be even more exciting if I arrive like this in Madrid."

61st Vuelta a España, 26 August - 17 September
Main, Startlist
Stages and Maps, Key Stages, Overall Map
Photos, The Dust Devil's Daily Wrap
2005 Results

Season Ends for Astarloa - Operation

Igor Astarloa's 2006 season is finished. The 2003 World Champion went under the knife yesterday in Barcelona to repair tendons in his right thumb. The operation was needed due to a crash that he suffered last year in France (resulting in a fractured wrist).

The 30 year-old Basque was aware of the tendon problem at the beginning of this season but wanted to continue racing; and he is probably happy that he did so, after winning the Milano-Torino in a most emphatic style.

In the last week, Astarloa started feeling sharp pains and, with the agreement of Barloworld staff, he decided it was time to stop racing and have corrective surgery. The surgery means the end of racing with Barloworld, after a positive two years; in 2007 Astarloa will race in the blue colors of Milram.

Read:
Igor Astarloa Goes ProTour - To Milram, 7 September

World Championships: Germany and Switzerland

Only three days after the German federation announced their nine-man World Championship squadra, there have been major changes. Four riders will no longer appear on the road squadra: David Kopp (Gerolsteiner), Jens Voigt (Team CSC), Matthias Kessler (T-Mobile) and Andreas Klöden (T-Mobile). Kopp crashed while training, Voigt is calling quits to a long successful season and Klöden, who was set to serve double duty, only wants to focus on the Worlds crono event.

The German Federation announced that reserves Christian Knees (Milram), Ronny Scholz (Gerolsteiner), Stephan Schreck (T-Mobile) and Marcel Sieberg (Wiesenhof-Akud) will fill the vacant spots, adding to the previously selected five riders, Linus Gerdemann, Stefan Schumacher, Patrik Sinkewitz, Fabian Wegmann and Erik Zabel.

Yesterday, Swiss Cycling confirmed their nominations for the road and crono events.

Road Race: Fabian Cancellara (Team CSC), Michael Albasini (Liquigas), Steffen Wesemann (T-Mobile), Oliver Zaugg (Saunier Duval-Prodir), Aurélien Clerc (Phonak), Martin Elmiger (Phonak), David Loosli (Lampre-Fondital), Gregory Rast (Phonak) and Beat Zberg (Gerolsteiner).
Reserves: Alexandre Moos (Phonak), Johann Tschopp (Phonak), Pascal Hungerbühler (Vorarlberg) and Steve Zampieri (Phonak)

Time Trial: Cancellara and Michael Schär (Phonak)

Read:
Kopp out of the Worlds, 13 September
World Championships: Germany, USA and Belgium, 12 September

World Championships, Salzburg (Austria), 24 & 24 September
Worlds Preview
Time Trial, Profile, Overall Map, TT Startlist
Road Race, Profile, Overall Map, RR Startlist

25 Teams for the 100th Paris-Tour

The Paris-Tours is synonymous with the autumn and the end of the season. This year, Sunday, 8 October, the Classic will be celebrating its hundredth edition, and will welcome 25 teams. The ProTour classified event will consist of all 20 ProTour teams, plus five additional Professional Continental Teams.

The peloton will depart from the town of St-Arnoult-en-Yvelines (close to Paris), heading south for 254.5 kilometers, before arriving on the famed l'Avenue de Grammont in Tours.

The teams (ProTour followed by five non-ProTour): Ag2R Prévoyance (FRA), Bouygues Telecom (FRA), Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears (ESP), Cofidis (FRA), Crédit Agricole (FRA), Davitamon-Lotto (BEL), Discovery Channel (USA), Euskaltel-Euskadi (ESP), Française des Jeux (FRA), Gerolsteiner (Ger), Lampre-Fondital (ITA), Liquigas (ITA), Phonak (SUI), Quick-Step (BEL), Rabobank (HOL), Saunier Duval-Prodir (ESP), T-Mobile (Ger), Team CSC (DAN), Milram (ITA), Astaná (ESP), Agritubel (FRA), Chocolade Jacques-Topsport Vlaanderen (BEL), Landbouwkrediet-Colnago (BEL), Skil-Shimano (HOL) and Unibet.com (BEL).

13 September News ...