Weekly Rap - October 28, 2008
By Rick ScottWelcome back to The Weekly Rap. Off-season or not, we’ve got the beat and the flow from the pro cycling world for you, including some end of season racing action and more news of what’s in store for next year.
The Beat
Ivan Basso returned to racing with Team Liquigas last weekend at the Japan Cup and delivered an impressive performance certain to boost the 30-year-old’s confidence heading into next season. The Italian launched the decisive move on a climb with a couple kilometers left in the 151-km race. He went to the line with fellow countrymen Giovanni Visconti (Quick Step-Innergetic) and Damiano Cunego (Lampe), the latter of whom celebrated victory at the Giro di Lombardia the week prior. Cunego’s rapid finishing speed sealed the deal and Basso was satisfied with the third step on the podium. The Japan Cup has been won by an Italian a dozen times in the race’s 17-year history and it was Cunego’s second win there (2005).
Ukrainian national time trial champion Andriy Grivko won the final race of the season in the discipline at Fierze-Pistoia in Italy. The Milram rider completed the 30-km course 10 seconds ahead of Team Columbia’s Marco Pinotti and 36 seconds ahead of Silence-Lotto’s Dario Cioni. Speaking of Cioni, his contract was not renewed so he’ll be moving to the new ISD Danieli team next season.
Always an interesting race to watch in terms of culture, the 22nd Tour du Faso is presently underway in Africa. It’s run by the organization that owns and operates the Tour de France. Belgian National Team member Guy Smet is in yellow after 5 stages with a 42-second advantage over Sadrak Teguimaha (Cameroon National Team). The race concludes November 2nd.
Kelly Benefits Strategies closed the season with an aggressive performance by Reid Mumford in last week’s Criterium de Lavallois outside of Paris. Mumford won the Most Aggressive jersey and finished top 10…
Recently retired road icons Paolo Bettini and Erik Zabel are still racing, but at the velodrome competing in six-day track events in Amsterdam and Milan.
The UCI Track Cycling World Cup season gets underway October 31 in Manchester, England.
The Flow
The 2009 Tour de France route was unveiled last week at a media event attended by winners of the past three editions: Carlos Sastre, Alberto Contador and Oscar Pereiro. Like this year, there will not be any time bonuses available on the road or for stage placings thus your time is your actual finishing time. Beginning July 4th with a 15-km time trial on the glitzy streets of Monaco, the 21-stage race is being hailed by top riders, directors and experts as “interesting and innovative.” The always exciting team time trial returns to the Tour in stage 4. The only other time trial is stage 18, which is a 40-km race against the clock in Annecy. Instead of the finale coming down to a battle between time trialists, the climbers will likely settle the overall with a monster stage 20 that culminates at the summit of Mont Ventoux, a menacing climb that has not been included in the French race since 2002. There will be three mountaintop finishes, but Mont Ventoux will prove to be the crown jewel in the diamond necklace draped clockwise around the country...
This year’s Giro d’Italia champion Contador announced that he will forgo a title defense at the centennial edition to focus on his second Tour de France title. That move frees up the Astana squad to back Lance Armstrong 100% in the Italian tour…
Team Columbia’s Mark Cavendish, who split his focus this season between road and track cycling goals yet still managed 17 road wins, will singularly focus on the road next season. The young Brit with the most explosive 200 meters in cycling will be gunning to win the green sprint points jersey at the Tour de France. Look for Cav in Sacramento come Valentine’s Day…
The fur was flying in Belgium with the announcement of the Best Belgian Rider of the Year. Amgen Tour of California stage winner Tom Boonen? Guess again. Belgian National Champion who won cycling monument the Tour of Flanders Stijn Devolder? Nope. Greg Van Avermaet, who won the sprint points jersey at the Vuelta a Espana. Congrats, brother.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Amgen Tour of California yellow jersey wearer Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Chipotle), whose father was struck by a car while riding in Washington State last week. Ed Farrar remains hospitalized in serious condition with a serious spinal injury…
Continuing a trend set by former Tour de France protagonists, 1987 winner Irishman Stephen Roche will try his hand…er…his legs…by running the New York City Marathon on November 2nd to support the cancer foundation of former Euro soccer player Geoff Thomas…
German team Gerolsteiner has exited the building after being unable to attract a new title sponsor. They did what any of us would do before closing shop: they held a garage sale to get rid of all their bikes, equipment and clothing…
Georgia-based pro cycling team Jittery Joe’s is stepping down to the amateur level due to the lack of sponsorship dollars…
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
