- HOT TOPICS:
- The new VeloNews.com (BETA)
Sunday's Eurofile: Brochard wraps up Criterium International
Melchers takes Spanish World Cup
Frenchman Laurent Brochard (Ag2R) dominated Sunday’s double-stage finale to win this weekend’s Criterium International.
Brochard won the morning sector Sunday to take the race lead and finished third-fastest in the afternoon time trial to win for the first time this season and give his team’s a big boost at earning an at-large bid for July’s Tour de France.
Brochard’s win is the first by a Frenchman at Criterium International since Laurent Jalabert won eight years ago.
“It is important to win after Laurent, I hope I can go on this way,” Brochard said. “Today, the final victory was very important to me, since I was able to control the race.”
German Jens Voigt (Crédit Agricole) repeated his victory from last year in the 8.3km time trial with a time of 10 minutes, 14 seconds while American Tyler Hamilton (CSC) was eight seconds slower to take fifth. Hamilton finished sixth overall in just his second race this year.
In the morning 98.5km stage, Brochard won in 2 hours, 28 minutes, 34 seconds, finishing 10 seconds ahead of Milaneza-MSS rider Francisco Perez Sanchez and 13 seconds of Cofidis’ David Moncoutie.
Moncoutie went down in a crash with Cofidis’ teammate David Millar and about another half-dozen riders when a motorbike following the race apparently clipped Moncoutie, who fell into Millar. Moncoutie recovered to finish third in the stage but Millar suffered cuts and bruises to his right shoulder and elbow and finished more than 10 minutes back.
Voigt set an early fastest time that no one could match and bounced into second overall at 22 seconds back thanks to the effort. German Andreas Kloden (Telekom) was second fastest in the race against and finished fourth overall. Moncoutie finished third overall while French rising star Sylvain Chavanel (Brioches La Boulangere) rode to fifth overall.
The Criterium International is often called the “mini Tour de France.” The two-day, three-stage race includes a flat road stage that typically favors the sprinters and then the finale features a climbing stage and an individual time trial.
This is the third year race organizers – ASO, the same company that runs the “real” Tour – have held the race in the French Ardennes. Last year, four-time Tour winner Lance Armstrong just missed victory here, but raced at the Setmana Catalana last week in Spain instead. Defending champion Alberto Martinez (Euskaltel) flatted his back tire in the final kilometer of the time trial to fall out contention.
Damien Nazon (La Boulangere) won Saturday’s first stage in a mass gallop after came off Jimmy Casper’s wheel for the easy win.Click results link below for full results from Stages 2 and 3 and final overall standings
Melchers takes Spanish World Cup stop
Dutch rider Mirjam Melchers (Farm Frites) won Sunday’s GP Castilla y Leon in Spain and jumped into second overall in the World Cup standings. Melchers won the third stop of the World Cup series, finishing two seconds ahead of Anita Valen (Bik Powerplate) to claim the victory.
Australian Sara Carrigan (Bik Powerplate) retained the overall lead after finishing third in the 107km circuit race in northern Spain. Twenty-six riders were clear off the front and Melchers jumped away in the finale to grab the win. Defending champion Regina Schleicher finished seventh.
Zoulfia Zabirova (Prato) has been on a tear, winning the Primavera Rosa last weekend and then taking the three-day Vuelta a Castilla y Leon on Thursday, but the 1996 Olympic time trial champion didn’t figure in the top-10.
GP Castilla y Leon
1. Mirjam Melchors (Ned), Farm Frites, 107km in 2:53:48
2. Anita Valen (N), Bik Powerplate, at 2 seconds
3. Sara Carrigan (Aus), Bik Powerplate
4. Alison Wright (Aus), Australian team
5. Virginie Moinard (F), French team – all same time.Overall World Cup standings after three races
1. Sara Carrigan, 118 points
2. Mirjam Melchers, 85
3. Regina Schleicher, 82
4. Anita Valen, 77
5. Zoulfia Zabirova, 75.
Ivanov takes finale, Celestino overall at Coppi & Bartali
Ruslan Ivanov won his second race of the 2003 season to win the final stage of the Coppi & Bartali on Sunday in Italy. Ivanov held off none other than Marco Pantani to take a frenetic charge to the finish line that held the balance of the overall victor to finish.
Saeco’s Mirko Celestino finished third Sunday to claim the five-day race after taking second-place in last weekend’s Milan-San Remo World Cup race.
The Coppi & Bartali marked the return of Pantani, who served a six-month suspension for his role in the 2001 Giro d’Italia “San Remo” raids. Pantani got huge cheers from the still-loyal ,i>tifosi and rode a solid race to finish 10th overall, his first since abandoning the 2002 Giro.
Stage 5, Castellarano to Sassuolo
1. Ruslan Ivanov (Mol), Alessio, 161km in 4:06:07
2. Marco Pantani (I), Mercatone Uno
3. Mirko Celestino (I), Saeco
4. Yaroslav Popovich (Ukr), Landbouwkrediet
5. Franco Pelizzoti (I), Alessio – all same timeSettimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali, final overall classification
1. Mirko Celestino (I), Saeco, 20:59:01
2. Francesco Casagrande (I), Lampre, at 5 seconds
3. Franco Pelizzotti (I), Alessio, at 13 seconds
4. Alexander Kolobnev (Rus), Domina Vacanze, a 18 seconds
5. Yaroslav Popovich (Ukr), Landbouwkrediet, at 19 seconds10. Marco Pantani (I), Mercatone Uno, at 1:01
Boogerd, Freire 1-2 at Fleche Brabanconne
Dutch rider Michael Boogerd won Sunday’s 43rd Fleche Brabanconne in Belgium while Rabobank teammate Oscar Freire came across second at 8 seconds back.
Boogerd and Freire worked in unison to control the race in the home stretch of the 197km race. Boogerd attacked on the final climb at Alsenberg to open a gap he held into the finish. Freire won a three-up sprint ahead of Luca Paolini (Quick Step) to take second while former world champion Romans Vainsteins won the bunch sprint at 2:08 back.
The Three Days of De Panne (April 1-3) is up next for riders honing their form for the kick-off of the northern classics.
Fleche Brabanconne
1 Michael Boogerd (Ned), Rabobank, 197km in 4:31:54
2. Oscar Freire (Sp), Rabobank, at 8 seconds
3. Luca Paolini (I), Quick.Step-Davitamon
4. Dave Bruylandts (B), Marlux – all same time
5. Romans Vainsteins (Lat), Caldirola-Sidermec, at 2:08
