Weekly Rap - October 20, 2008
By Rick ScottWelcome back to The Weekly Rap. In this issue, we’ll put a ribbon on the 2008 season as well as gaze up the road into next year. We’re holding nothing back as the off-season has officially arrived.
The Beat
LPR Brakes’ Danilo Di Luca closed out his season with a victory at the Giro dell’Emilia in Italy by conquering the final climb ahead of Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner) and Alexandr Kolobnev (CSC-Saxo Bank).
The next day, rising Belgian star Philippe Gilbert (Francaise des Jeux) won “the sprinter’s classic” at Paris-Tours to notch his first classic’s win. The always aggressive 26-year-old moves to the talented Belgian squad Silence-Lotto next season, a move that is guaranteed to make them one of the best one-day classics teams in the peloton.
Days later in Italy, Daniele Bennati sprinted to glory at the Giro del Piemonte to end his up & down season on a high note. The Liquigas luminary won three stages and the sprint points jersey at the Giro d’Italia yet had to miss the Tour de France due to knee trouble.
Nothing like winning on home soil and Australian Stuart O’Grady did just that last week at the six-stage Herald Sun Tour. Supported by only two CSC-Saxo Bank teammates in the race - both of whom had spent time in the yellow leader’s jersey at some point during the race – O’Grady won two stages, including the individual time trial, en route to earning the overall victory. Good on ya, mate.
Diminutive Italian Damiano Cunego closed out the season like a giant with an audacious win at the Giro di Lombardia after 242 kilometers around and near Lake Como in Italy. It was his third victory in the season-ending curtain dropper known as “the race of the falling leaves.” Cunego won with panache by breaking free on a technical descent and soloing the final 15 kms to finish 24 seconds ahead of Janez Brajkovic (Astana) and Rigoberto Uran (Caisse d’Epargne).
For the second time in three seasons, Alejandro Valverde won the ProTour individual season title while his Spanish powerhouse team, Caisse d’Epargne, collected ProTour top team honors for 2008.
The Flow
One regret Lance Armstrong had during his unprecedented career was never racing the Giro d’Italia. Next May, Italy will be celebrating the centennial edition of the Grand Tour and the American will be at the start. In fact, it appears that the Giro will be Armstrong’s only three-week stage race next season, which bodes to keep the peace at Team Astana. Armstrong’s teammate, Alberto Contador, who is on a bit of a roll after winning the last three Grand Tours that he started, will be making the Tour de France his only major goal for next season…
Speaking of Le Tour, the 2009 route will be announced in France this week…
The wheels of a world champion…to celebrate recently becoming the World Road Race Champion, Alessandro Ballan did what any Italian would do: he bought himself a Ferrari. The Lampre rider is cruising around in a charcoal gray F430 with red leather interior priced at over $188,000. No, the car does not have rainbow stripes…
Former Italian great Ivan Basso joins Team Liquigas this week and returns to racing after a two-year benching. Basso will race the Japan Cup October 26th where he’ll do battle against the flying Cunego. In a recent interview, Basso said he’ll be taking the start at the Amgen Tour of California on Valentine’s Day…
Also starting next February in Cali will be more women’s races. After an inaugural one-day criterium was staged for the women at the Amgen Tour of California this year, they will compete in a three-day Amgen Tour of California February 14-16…
Not starting at all next year is the Tour of Germany, which lost key sponsors and crucial television coverage. This year’s edition was won by German star of the future Linus Gerdemann (Team Columbia), who recovered from a serious early season crash…
USA Cycling announced the 13th National Racing Calendar for 2009. Men and women professional and elite amateur cyclists will clash in 34 events in 21 states from February through September with $1.3 million in prize money up for grabs…
Rick Scott is president of Great Scott P.R.oductions, an entertainment and sports public relations, marketing and management boutique. He can be contacted through www.greatscottpr.com.
