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Wednesday's EuroFile: Victims of the ProTour effect; Gusev joins a top club
The Vuelta Ciclista a Castilla y León starts Wednesday in northern Spain, but don’t expect to see any big names among the 15 starting teams.
Without ProTour status, the relatively minor stage race is verging toward extinction after being excluded from cycling’s new super-league. Like so many other smaller races left out of the 20-team series, event organizers are finding it difficult to keep the race above water.
“We are facing a dark future for many of the races not in the ProTour,” said Gregorio Morena, president of the Spanish races association. “Without the ProTour, the races can’t guarantee the top riders. Without them, it’s hard to attract television and sponsorship money.”
The only Spanish races included in the ProTour schedule are the Vuelta a España, the Vuelta a Pais Vasco, the Volta a Cataluyna and Clasica San Sebastian.
Thus far, Spain hasn’t lost any of its smaller stage races to the “ProTour effect,” a malaise that’s caused other European races such as the GP de Nations to pull the plug.
While such races as the Vuelta a Murcia and the Tour of Aragon have attracted top fields, including the likes of Jan Ullrich and Alessandro Petacchi, last week’s Vuelta a Rioja saw T-Mobile as the only ProTour team in the mix.
Just a year ago, the Castilla y León tour’s start list included Joseba Beloki, Alejandro Valverde, Vladimir Karpets and Allan Davis. The race boasts an illustrious list of former winners, including Francisco Mancebo, Angel Casero, Andrea Peron, Leonardo Piepoli and Santi Blanco. Miguel Indurain even won it in 1993 en route to another Tour de France victory.
Spanish national television is committed to broadcasting the race live, at least for this year.
Teams starting in Astorga include Comunidad Valenciana, Kaiku, Spiuk, Relax-Fuenlabrada, Catalunya-Angel Mir, Andalucía-Paul Versan, Orbea, the Spanish national team, Ag2r Prevoyance, Team Barloworld-Valsir, Tenax-Nobili Rubinetterie, Barbot-Pascoal, La Aluminios-Liberty Seguros, Milaneza-Maia, and Lokomotiv.
Vuelta Ciclista a Castilla y León
Stage 1, April 27: Astorga-Astorga, 142.2km
Stage 2, April 28: Astorga to Zamora, 168.2km
Stage 3, April 29: Zamora to Toro (ITT), 45.4km
Stage 4, April 30: Zamora to Salamanca, 181.2km
Stage 5, May 1: Salamanca to Alto de La Covatilla, 144.7km
No new races for ProTour
The ProTour racing schedule of 27 events from March to October is set in stone – at least for now.
The ProTour management committee met last week to discuss several items, including the option to expand or include new races in the ProTour schedule.
Any notion of change was shot down as the committee decided not to meddle with the racing schedule over the short-term.
Under the current schedule, there are 157 race days on the 2005 racing calendar, a number that officials felt cannot be exceeded if teams stay with 25 to 28 riders each.
The ruling means that there will be no new races introduced into the ProTour series for as long as perhaps 2008. Several races in Belgium, England, Scandinavia and Central Europe have asked to be part of the ProTour schedule.
That also means no U.S. based races – such as Philly week, the Tour de Georgia or the planned Tour of California – will be part of cycling’s top tier any time soon.
Gusev sets distinction in classics
Little-known Russian rider Vladimir Gusev set a unique mark of distinction after finishing rather anonymously in 66th in Sunday’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
By coming across the line at the “Doyenne,” the 22-year-old Team CSC rider becomes the fourth-youngest rider in cycling history to finish all seven one-day spring classics. Gusev is only topped by such legendary riders as Eddy Merckx, Freddy Maertens and Dietrich Thurau.
Not bad company to be in for a rider that Team CSC boss Bjarne Riis believes will be making more definitive headlines in the coming years.
“Vladimir is very young, but he's already proven he can do the classics and he's shown his quality,” said Team CSC manager Bjarne Riis. “He's one of the riders everyone will be writing stories about in 10 years. Maybe sooner with him.”
Gusev finished 10th and 12th respectively in Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, even though he crashed twice in Paris-Roubaix.
“I love racing on the cobblestones. It's very difficult and very demanding. It requires concentration at all times. You cannot be out of position and miss the move,” Gusev said. “One day I will win Paris-Roubaix.”
Infostrada Sports published this list of the youngest riders to finish in all seven spring classics (Milano-Sanremo, Tour of Flanders, Gent-Wevelgem, Paris-Roubaix, Amstel Gold Race, Fléche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège):
1. Eddy Merckx, 21 years and 10 months
2. Freddy Maertens, 22 years and 2 months
3. Dietrich Thurau, 22 years and 5 months
4. Vladimir Gusev, 22 years and 9 months
5. Adrie van der Poel, 23 years and 10 months
Sella dreams of more
Damiano Cunego shot to fame last year with an absolutely amazing season that included Giro d’Italia and Giro di Lombardia victories and ended with him ranked No. 1 in the world.
But there’s another young gun making waves in the Italian peloton. His name is Emanuele Sella, and although he doesn’t boast the same pedigree as Cunego, he’s a young rider shooting for the stars.
Last year in his rookie season, he won a Giro stage in Cesena in a solo break, heady stuff for a 23-year-old.
He’ll race his second Giro as a protected rider for Panaria-Navigare and hopes to secure another stage victory and shine in the GC.
“I will be looking for stages to begin with,” Sella told Velo magazine. “I’d like to win one, so why not a few? The overall GC interests me as well. I learned a lot last year. I can play both.”
