THIS WEEK IN PRO CYCLING
Monday's EuroFile: Danilo Tranquilo; More deals inked
You couldn’t tell that Danilo Di Luca has been the subject of a drugs inquiry since winning the Giro d’Italia in early June.
Just as it looked like Di Luca was going to be cleared of links to the so-called “Oil for Drugs” doping investigation in Italy, Italy’s Olympic Committee (CONI) said late last week on its web page it will need more time to review evidence over links to alleged illicit practices.
Di Luca, however, showed no signs of tension after racing at this weekend’s Clásica San Sebastián.
“I am tranquilo,” Di Luca said after finishing 80th. “I have nothing to worry about. I haven’t been able to enjoy my (Giro) victory as I would have liked, but the most important thing is that I have nothing to do with these matters.”
Di Luca has been dogged by the “Oil for Drugs” affair, a revived inquiry brought back to life earlier this year that involves alleged links between the Giro champion and Italian doctor Carlo Santuccione.
Whether Di Luca’s name will be cleared yet again will have to wait. Italian investigators at CONI are on vacation until early September.
In the meantime, Di Luca promises to keep racing and build his form for his next major goals of the 2007 season.
Di Luca is in the driver’s seat to protect his ProTour lead and could win his second white jersey in three years if he defends his lead through the fall. He’ll skip the Vuelta a España and instead race the Tour of Poland ahead of the world championships and the fall classics.
Di Luca finished out of the ProTour points in Saturday’s Clásica San Sebastián, but said he was satisfied “with only riding at 60 percent” with 80th at more than 12 minutes behind winner and Liquigas teammate Leonardo Bertagnolli.
Defending ProTour champion Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d’Epargne) slotted into third in the series standings, with 190 points to Di Luca’s 207.
Valverde seems Di Luca’s only real rival as second-place rider Alberto Contador (Discovery Channel) will have a reduced racing schedule for the remainder of the 2007 season.
Valverde, meanwhile, will decide this week on his racing schedule between now and the world championships. Valverde came out of the Tour de France strong and is mulling a run at the Vuelta, where he finished second overall last year.
ProTour standings through Clásica
1. Danilo Di Luca (I), Liquigas 207 points
2. Alberto Contador (Sp), Discovery Channel 191
3. Alejandro Valverde (Sp), Caisse d’Epargne 190
4. Cadel Evans (Aus), Predictor-Lotto 174
5. Davide Rebellin (I), Gerolsteiner 157
6. Kim Kirchen (Lx), T-Mobile 129
7. Vladimir Karpets (Rus), Caisse d’Epargne 115
8. Damiano Cunego (I), Lampre-Fondital 112
9. Oscar Freire (Sp), Rabobank 95
10. Christophe Moreau (F), Ag2r 88
Marchante takes Urkiola
Spanish climber José Ángel Gómez Marchante rode away with Sunday’s Subida a Urkiola in northern Spain after his Saunier Duval-Prodir team did fine work to soften up the bunch.
The 161.5km course tails up the famous climb in Spain’s Basque Country and comes a day after the Clásica San Sebastián.
David López (Caisse d’Epargne) came through second at 40 seconds back with Tour of the Basque Country champ Juanjo Cobo (Saunier Duval-Prodir) third at 43 seconds off the pace.
Evans to ride Beijing test event
Australian Tour de France runnerup Cadel Evans will contest an Olympic cycling test event in Beijing later this month, Cycling Australia said Monday, Agence France Presse reported.
Evans, who last month became the first Australian to finish on the podium of the Tour de France, will take part in the Good Luck Beijing Road events on the 2008 Olympic road race and road time trial courses on August 18-19.
Joining Evans will be Australian road professional Matt White, 2004 Olympic teams pursuit gold medalist Peter Dawson, Australian pursuit champion Phil Thuaux and three-time junior 2006 world champion Cameron Meyer.
Athens Olympic road race champion Sara Carrigan and two-time World Cup series winner Oenone Wood will also make the trip for reconnaissance purposes as only men's races are scheduled for the test event.
“I’m looking forward to getting together with the Aussie team and going to a new place,” Evans said in a CA statement. “It’s good to have a mental picture of the course before you go into the race.”
Evans represented Australia at the 1996 Atlanta and 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, but as a cross-country mountain bike competitor.
The Beijing Olympic men's road race will be staged 13 days after the 2008 Tour de France on August 9 with the women's road race slated for August 10. The road time trials for both men and women will take place on August 13.
“I think the timing will work pretty well because there's enough time to fit in a little bit of recovery and still keep the Tour de France form," Evans said. “I'm interested in how polluted it is (in Beijing), what the climb and descent are like on the time trial and what gearing is going to work best.”
- By Agence France Presse
Beltrán extends, CSC keeps two
Veteran Spanish climber Manuel Beltrán will now be one of the oldest riders in the peloton after extending his career by one season. The 37-year-old penned a one-year contract extension with Liquigas to keep him in the peloton through 2008.
Beltrán turned pro in 1995 and was part of Lance Armstrong’s final three Tour-winning campaigns. He joined Liquigas for the 2007 season and finished 18th at the 2007 Tour.
“I will be 37 and it’s a gesture of confidence on the part of the management at Liquigas and they’ve demonstrated their satisfaction with how I’ve performed during the season,” Beltrán said.
Two more experienced veterans will stay with Team CSC as Michael Blaudzun and Nicki Sørensen have signed contract extensions. Blaudzun, 34, will ride for one more season while Sørensen, 32, has signed on for two more campaigns.
“Nicki and Michael are both important riders, who each in their own way contribute with a lot to this team. They have the experience and they're vital in the work we do with the new talents,” said CSC sport director Kim Andersen on the team’s web page. “They are both among the best and most reliable helpers in the peloton and at the same time they're able to get results on their own when they get the chance. I'm glad we've extended these contracts, because the team simply wouldn't be the same without these two guys.”
