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Saturday's EuroFile: Chicchi wins "farcical" stage in Britain; Jan v. Rumor Mill
QuickStep's Francesco Chicchi won a farcical fifth stage of the Tour of Britain from Rochester to Canterbury on Saturday.
Italian rider Chicchi edged T-Mobile's Mark Cavendish into second place, while Aart Vierhouten of Skil-Shimano finished third. But it was the chaotic start to the Kent stage that dominated the day as the entire peloton was accidentally sent in the wrong direction during the neutral zone.
It is thought the police escort leading the riders had taken the wrong route and the stage was halted for 20 minutes while riders and race officials tried to determine the correct course. In protest at the blunder every rider went on a go-slow for the majority of the stage, with the race taking around an hour longer than expected as a result.
Road race world champion Tom Boonen was one of several riders who refused to contest the sprint finish as the stage finally gathered momentum in the closing minutes.
CSC's Martin Pedersen retained the leader's yellow jersey and holds a 51-second overall lead ahead of Spaniard Luis Pasamontes going into the final stage in London on Sunday.
Ullrich lashes out against rumor mill
Jan Ullrich on Saturday denounced what he termed the incessant rumors that have appeared in the press since he was ditched by his team over his links with the Spanish drug scandal.
The former Tour de France champion was barred from competing in this year's race and sacked by T-Mobile after a Spanish police investigation alleged that he was given EPO and other banned substances by Madrid-based sports doctor, Eufemiano Fuentes.
"Not a day goes by without the media coming up with constant rumors about me," he wrote on his personal website in what is his first public statement on the affair. "As you know I've made a decision never to comment on the articles about me - if I did I'd have to spend the majority of my days correcting all the inaccuracies and falsehoods."
"It's sometimes difficult to put up with," added the 32-year-old. "When for example I read that the Spanish doctor had moved his operation to Hamburg and that my name was also mentioned I can only shake my head in frustration."
Ullrich was making reference there to a report on German television channel ARD on Friday that colleagues of Fuentes had set up shop in Hamburg and had been dishing out drugs to cyclists there between May and June.
According to ARD Spanish investigators uncovered a calendar with a coded note - "N.1, taking and transfusing" - allegedly referring to Ullrich and written beside the date June 20.
Ullrich denies the doping allegations but has reportedly decided not to go to court for financial compensation. The disgraced cyclist, who earns a reported 2.5 million euros a year and who was contracted with T-Mobile until the end of the season, urged his fans to ignore the rumors.
"A rumor doesn’t become fact simply because it's constantly repeated," he said.
