Cycling News Today 17 March 2006
Lance at Indy? Michael Boogerd Injury, Caisse d' Epargne Roster MSR, Pinarello
Carbon FP Debut Photos, T-mobile Roster Coppi e Bartali, OLN Expands TV
Schedule, Isle of Man,
Lance Armstrong to drive Indy Pace Car
Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong will be the pace car
driver for this year's Indianapolis 500, TV station WRTV reported Tuesday,
citing no sources.
No official announcement regarding the pace car driver for this year's race has
been made.
Then again, who better to put the "pedal to the metal" than Lance
The Indy 500 is scheduled to take place May 28.
Michael Boogerd Injury
Michael Boogerd fractured a bone in his foot this week while playing with his
son Michal. Boogerd will be off the bike until Tuesday when he can start riding
again and is scheduled to return to racing at Amstel Gold. Michael has shown
strong form in the early season finishing 5th in Tirreno Adriatico :46 down from
Thomas Dekker his Rabobank team mate who won the race. Fans can send emails to
Michael for a quick recovery at his website
www.michaelboogerd.nl or directly
here.
97th Milano - San Remo
Caisse d' Epargne/Illes Balears Team Roster
Pinarello Paris Carbon FP Makes its debut with Allejandro Valverde
It’s the first time for a carbon signed Pinarello bike to challenge la
Classicissima di Primavera, Milano-Sanremo. In the last ten years no other
bicycle brand can equal the record of Pinarello, with four wins by Erik Zabel on
Pinarello alluminium, and last year dramatic win by Alessandro Petacchi on
Pinarello Dogma FP magnesium.
The Spanish champion Alejandro Valverde, recent winner of one stage to the
Vuelta a Murcia and his teammates of Caisse d' Epargne-Illes Balears will ride
Saturday to Milan-Sanremo with Pinarello Paris Carbon FP bikes.
"It’s the first time, in the last ten years with five wins, that our riders
will use a carbon fiber frame at Milano-Sanremo" explains Fausto Pinarello.
"It’s a great bike and we are proud to have a Pinarello name on it: it’s a
lively light carbon fiber frame and its stability is equal to a magnesium frame
but lighter. The Pinarello Paris Carbon FP frame features the innovative MOST
bottom bracket which offers less friction for more pedaling efficiency. It also
features a Pinarello’s unique Onda FP full carbon fork with its special “S”
reverse. The Pinarello Paris Carbon FP offers great performance on the twisty
turning at the Milano-Sanremo race course”.
The Pinarello Paris Carbon FP photos courtesy Pinarello
The Caisse d’Epargne- Illes Balears
97th Milano-Sanremo Team Roster:
Alejandro Valverde
Vladimir Efimkin
Imanol Erviti
Mark Fertonani
Ivan Gutierrez
Pablo Lastras
Vicente Reynes
Constantino Zaballa
Milano, Italy, march 17th 2006
T-Mobile for Settimana
Ciclista Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali
Kessler to make season debut
Reigning time trial World Champion Michael Rogers spearheads the T-Mobile squad
at the five-day stage-race ”Settimana Ciclista Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali",
which starts on Tuesday, 21 March, in hilly terrain on the Adriatic coast.
Lining up alongside the 26-year old Aussie will be four more riders from
T-Mobile’s Tour de France core squad: Giuseppe Guerini, Serhiy Honchar, Matthias
Kessler and Oscar Sevilla.
While Rogers & co. travel to Italy’s Adriatic coast fresh off a training
period following their first races, Kessler makes his season debut.
"For us it’s important to have our prime Tour candidates racing together
already. This way they can work on developing good team work in a race
situation“, says Rudy Pevenage, who is directing team affairs. Rounding out the
eight-man squad are the sprinters Olaf Pollack and André Korff, and the Aussie
climber Scott Davis.
The race kicks off Tuesday for the 200 riders from 25 teams with two
semi-stages in and around the holiday resort of Riccione: A 95,2 km circuit race
in the morning is followed by a 11,8 km team time trial in the afternoon. The
only flat stage in the UCI category 2.1 race is Friday’s 184,3 trek from Carpi
to Emilia.
The T-Mobile Team roster:
Scott Davis (26/Australia)
Giuseppe Guerini (36/Italy)
Serhiy Honchar (35/Ukraine)
Matthias Kessler (26)
André Korff (32)
Olaf Pollack (32)
Michael Rogers (26/Australia)
Oscar Sevilla (29/Spain)
Sporting director: Rudy Pevenage (51/Belgium)
The stages:
21.03 – 1st semi-stage: Riccione - Riccione, 95.2 km
21.03 – 2nd semi-stage: Misano - Misano, 11.8 km, (TTT)
22.03 Stage 2: Cervia - Faenza, 199.3 km
23.03 Stage 3: Scandiano – Fiorano Modenese, 165.6 km
24.03 Stage 4: Carpi – Finale Emilia, 184.4 km
25.03 Stage 5: Castellarano – Sassuolo, 163.6 km
Total: 820 km
Cunego Ready for Milan - San Remo
Great success yesterday afternoon for Cunego's presence at Lampre's stand in
Fiera di Bologna.
The Italian racer, with Giuseppe Saronni and Giuseppe Martinelli, was guest
of Galbusera family and met many fans, signing autographs and taking pictures
with them.
Damiano also talked about his first
participation in Milano-San Remo: "This debut is important to me for two
reasons: it will be good to feel the race atmosphere after some weeks have
passed since my last race and training alone; but it is also important for me to
compete in the race several times, keeping in sight the goal of gaining in
experience in the race with possible future ambitions of victory".
Also the Juniors squad of under the Lampre name has begun its season in
best of the ways: the riders of the Cycling Team Vangi Di Nardo Lampre have done
well in competition in the first junior race for their group: 15th Trophy Machi
Battista, with the victory of Davie Apollonio, second Matteo Belli, the third
place with Enrico Maggazini and fifth with Mirko Piccioni.
Grande entusiasmo ieri pomeriggio per la presenza di Damiano Cunego presso lo
stand della Lampre alla Fiera di Bologna. Il corridore veronese, accompagnato da
Giuseppe Saronni e Giuseppe Martinelli, è stato ospite della famiglia Galbusera
e ha incontrato i numerosi tifosi accorsi, firmando loro autografi e facendosi
ritrarre con loro in foto.
Damiano ha colto l'occasione per parlare della sua imminente prima
partecipazione alla Milano-Sanremo: " Questo esordio ha due scopi, uno legato al
presente e uno in chiave futura. Per il presente, partecipare alla Sanremo mi
servirà per riassaporare l'atmosfera della corsa dopo alcune settimane di soli
allenamenti. Inoltre potrò provare per la prima volta questa corsa particolare,
in maniera tale da cominciare a fare esperienza in vista di possibili ambizioni
di vittoria nei prossimi anni".
Anche la squadra Juniores che porta il nome Lampre ha iniziato nel migliore
dei modi la sua stagione: i corridori del Cycling Team Vangi Di Nardo Lampre
hanno sbaragliato la concorrenza nella prima uscita stagionale al 15° Trofeo
Marchi Battista, conquistando la vittoria con Davie Apollonio, la seconda piazza
con Matteo Belli, il terzo posto con Enrico Magazzini e il quinto con Mirko
Piccioni.
Già un altro appuntamento di prestigio attende il Cycling Team Vangi Di Nardo
Lampre: si tratta del 62° Gp d'Apertura "Sulle strade della Sanremo" che si
correrà in concomitanza con la Milano-Sanremo.
OLN Adds Four Cycling Events to the 2006 Schedule:
Cyclysm Sundays to Feature More Spring Races Leading up to The Tour de France
STAMFORD, CT (March 17, 2006) – OLN®, the home of professional cycling, today
announced the addition of four new events to its weekly Sunday line-up of major
cycling races, including the Tour of Flanders, the Ford Tour of Georgia,
Dauphine Libere and Tour de Suisse. Cyclysm Sundays, the network’s weekly show
dedicated to the sport’s top races, athletes and teams, kicked-off Sunday, March
5 at 5 p.m. ET with the Paris-Nice. OLN’s cycling coverage is hosted by its
seasoned team of cycling experts – Phil Liggett, Paul Sherwen and Bob Roll.
With seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong absent from
competition, the biggest and most prolific cycling race of 2006 is anybody’s
game, and many of the world’s top cyclists will look to get a pedal up on the
competition with events such as the Paris-Roubaix and the Giro D’Italia in
preparation for the Tour.
Who will be Lance’s successor at the Tour de France and the Discovery Channel
Pro Cycling Team’s key player? Will an American make it from the peloton to the
podium? Cycling enthusiasts remain unclear, but keep their eyes on several
riders, including Team Phonak’s Floyd Landis, coming off his recent win at the
Paris-Nice and Discovery’s George Hincapie, Stage 15 winner in last year’s Tour
as possible American successors to Armstrong. The U.S. still has high hopes
knowing the Discovery Team will continue under Armstrong’s guidance, expertise
and coaching.
As the cycling season gets underway, viewers can turn to OLN for race-to-race
updates on training efforts, race results, and Discovery Channel Team news, as
well as coverage of the National Racing Calendar, a U.S.-based cycling series in
which the top domestic cyclist is crowned at the end of each season. The Sunday
race schedule for Cyclysm Sundays follows, with new additions in bold (same-day
unless indicated; subject to change):
March 19 Milan San Remo/Tirreno-Adriatico (Italy) 5 p.m. ET
March 26 Criterium International (France) 5 p.m. ET Same-Day Delay
April 2 Tour of Flanders ` 5 p.m. ET Same-Day Delay
April 9 Paris-Roubaix (France) 5 p.m. ET
April 23 Liege-Bastogne-Liege/La Fleche Wallone (Belgium) 5 p.m. ET
April 30 Ford Tour of Georgia 5 p.m. ET
May 7 & 14 Giro D’Italia (Italy) 5 p.m. ET
May 21 & 28 Giro D’Italia (Italy) 5 p.m. ET
June 4 & 11 Dauphine Libere (France) 5 p.m. ET Same-Day Delay
June 18 Tour de Suisse 5 p.m. ET Same-Day Delay
July 1 – 23 Tour de France TBA
In addition, OLNTV.com will be a key component of the network’s cycling coverage
this season, with more on-demand video highlights than ever before, including an
exclusive option to view streaming, live world feed of Monday through Saturday
stages of the Giro D’Italia. Access and pricing information will be released as
details become available.
OLN is the leader in competitive and adrenaline-charged content.
Now in more than 63 million homes, OLN is the cable home of the National Hockey
League and best-in-class events like The Tour de France, The America’s Cup,
Professional Bull Riders (PBR), the Boston Marathon and USSA Skiing. The network
offers unique programming in four primary areas: Action Sports, Field Sports,
Bulls & Rodeo and Awe-Inspiring Series, and is the exclusive home of Survivor in
syndication. OLN, a wholly owned company of Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA,
CMCSK), is distributed via cable systems and satellite operators throughout the
United States.
Wednesday Coaching Chats:
The popular Weekly Coaching Chats return to the Daily
Peloton Chat Room.
Bring your training questions and join in with Ryan and other cyclists in the
chat about training and racing.
Ryan Barrett USA Certified Coach
Where: Daily Peloton Chat Room:
http://www.dailypeloton.com/chat.asp
When: Wednesdays 11 am Pacific Time, 9 pm UK, 10 pm CET, Please adjust to
your local time.
Log into the Daily Peloton Chat, no registration necessary... choose a name and
log in and join us.
Velo Bios launches website:
Start-up company produces new service in professional cycling! Velobios.com
fills the information void for professional cycling teams and their athletes
throughout North America. This is the ultimate website for fans, journalists,
team managers, and event organizers. Velobios.com combines information for the
UCI North American Men's teams in a central location.
Visitors will be able to access information about athletes, peruse services
or merchandise offered by the various teams, listen to rider audio files, print
out trading cards, and compare teams and riders--all without ever having to
leave the website. Wanna' know how Gord Fraser (HealthNet/Maxxis) did in this
year's McLane Pacific Downtown Criterium? Or maybe what his results were for the
McLane Crit in 2002? See it here plus listen to a 2005 interview with Fraser
from the audio files of race announcer, Dave Towle:
www.velobios.com/riders.healthnet.fraser.htm
"Velobios.com will be the most efficient tool for anyone seeking detailed,
current information about North American pro racers," said Chris Spaeth, creator
and developer for VELOBIOS.com. "For example, someone writing a news article on
deadline will be able to get a quantity of biographical facts quickly and can
then produce a sharper story with greater integrity. VELOBIOS.com will help
revolutionize the flow of information for North American pro cycling."
About VELOBIOS.com
Chris Spaeth, creator and innovator of VELOBIOS.com, spent over 17 years in
cycling as both a competitor and then as an event coordinator for the Pro
Cycling Tour from 1999-2005. During his time with the Pro Tour, Spaeth found an
often frustrating lack of information available to the general public for North
American cycling teams. The idea for VELOBIOS.com grew from his desire to fill
an obvious information void for North American professional cycling teams and
their athletes. As a result, VELOBIOS.com was created to become "America's
number one cycling reference guide." VELOBIOS.com strives to produce reliable,
accurate, and up-to-date information on more than 236 athletes. VELOBIOS.com
serves the most current information available in addition to tracking rider
palmiers, team transfers, and results dating back five years. For more
information visit www.velobios.com
Race News:
Isle of Man International Jr. Tour
Famous sports clothing brand Le Coq Sportif confirmed that they will sponsor the
Points Competitions of the Tour by providing the leaders/winners jerseys. The
company whose rich heritage includes supplying leaders jerseys for the Tour de
France will have a presence at the event with their UK & Ireland distributors
Hedgehog Sports.
With over 100 entries received to date and a little under a month to go until
the closing date, the Isle of Man International Youth & Junior Tour is set to be
a real classic event.
Organisers of the Tour are also in talks regarding possible TV coverage of the
event which takes place 28 - 30 April. Its hoped a local firm will film the Tour
with it being screened later in the year on TV.
For special travel and accommodation rates for competitors and their
supporters along with entry forms go to
www.youthtour.co.uk
The Tour is sponsored by Sleepwell Hotels, Isle of Man Department of Tourism
& Leisure, Le Coq Sportif & Clerical Medical International.
Entries close April 9.
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