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Sunday's EuroFile: Basso takes Criterium International; Friere repeats at Brabantse Pijl

Published: Mar. 26, 2006
Basso's showing good form.
Basso's showing good form.
Photo: Graham Watson

Ivan Basso (CSC) grabbed his first victories of the 2006 season with an impressive display in this weekend’s Criterium International, winning Sunday’s morning road race and sewing up the overall title with a strong afternoon time trial.

Only Alberto Martinez (Agritubel) could best Basso in the 8.3km time trial to conclude the three-stage, two-day test under cloudy skies in northern France.

For Basso, one of the favorites for July’s Tour de France, the victory is a positive shot of morale going into larger goals coming this season.

“I know that I’m in good shape and it’s very important for my preparation before the Giro and the Tour,” Basso told reporters. “But I believe that I’m not quite ready enough to win the Giro. But it’s important to have won today.”

Basso made things tough on Dekker in the morning
Basso made things tough on Dekker in the morning
Photo: Graham Watson

The win also marked the third straight year Team CSC has won Criterium International. In 2004, Jens Voigt took bragging honors while last year Bobby Julich snagged the title on the heels of winning at Paris-Nice.

Overnight leader Erik Dekker (Rabobank), a winner of a three-up sprint in Saturday’s stage, couldn’t quite answer when Basso and Alexandre Botcharov (Credit Agricole) jumped away in the morning 101km road race.

Juan Carlos Dominguez (Unibet.com) reeled in the leading pair on the final kilometer of the summit finish, but Basso showed his superior strength to win the stage and take the leader’s jersey. Dekker came through 15 seconds in arrears.

In the afternoon time trial, Andrey Kashechkin (Liberty Seguros) set an early time only to be bested by Martinez. The diminutive Spanish rider – a winner of Criterium International in 2002 – was fast enough to hold off Basso by less than two seconds.

Dekker, the only rider within shot of Basso going into the race against the clock, couldn’t match the pace set by the Italian and settled for second overall at 27 seconds back. Ukraine hope Andriy Grivko (Milram) finished third at 1:08 back.Results - Stage 2
1. Ivan Basso (I), CSC
2. Alexandre Botcharov (Rus), Credit Agricole, 00:00
3. Carlos Juan Carlos (Sp), UNI, 00:00
4. Erik Dekker (Nl), Rabobank, 00:15
5. Alexandre Moos (Swi), Phonak, 01:02
6. Pineau Jérôme (F), Bouygues Telecom, 01:02
7. Frank Schleck (Lux), CSC, 01:02
8. Gutierrez José Ivan (Sp), Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears, 01:02
9. Pieter Weening (Nl), Rabobank, 01:02
10. Joly Sébastien (F), Francaise des Jeux, 01:02
FullResults
Overall, after Stage 2
1. Ivan Basso (I), CSC
2. Erik Dekker (Nl), Rabobank, 00:11
3. Andriy Grivko (Ukr), Milram, 01:06
4. Igor Astarloa (Sp), BAR, 01:08
5. Constantino Zaballa (Sp), Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears, 01:14
6. Gutierrez José Ivan (Sp), Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears, 01:18
7. Pieter Weening (Nl), Rabobank, 01:18
8. Ronny Scholz (G), Gerolsteiner, 01:18
9. Carlos Juan Carlos (Sp), UNI, 01:39
10. Alexandre Botcharov (Rus), Credit Agricole, 01:39
FullResultsResults – Stage 3
1. Martinez José Alberto (Sp), Agritubel
2. Ivan Basso (I), CSC, 00:01
3. Andriy Grivko (Ukr), Milram, 00:04
4. Gutierrez José Ivan (Sp), Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears, 00:06
5. Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz), Liberty Seguros, 00:09
6. Jens Voigt (G), CSC, 00:10
7. Frank Schleck (Lux), CSC, 00:13
8. Alberto Contador (Sp), Liberty Seguros, 00:14
9. Ronny Scholz (G), Gerolsteiner, 00:15
10. Pineau Jérôme (F), Bouygues Telecom, 00:16
FullResults
Final Overall
1. Ivan Basso (I), CSC
2. Erik Dekker (Nl), Rabobank, 00:27
3. Andriy Grivko (Ukr), Milram, 01:08
4. Gutierrez José Ivan (Sp), Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears, 01:22
5. Ronny Scholz (G), Gerolsteiner, 01:31
6. Igor Astarloa (Sp), BAR, 01:32
7. Constantino Zaballa (Sp), Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears, 01:53
8. Pieter Weening (Nl), Rabobank, 01:58
9. Carlos Juan Carlos (Sp), UNI, 02:04
10. Alexandre Botcharov (Rus), Credit Agricole, 02:19
FullResults

Freire repeats, but no Flanders
Oscar Freire (Rabobank) took an impressive victory in Sunday’s Brabantse Pijl for the second year in a row, but he’ll skip next week’s Tour of Flanders.

Despite the spate of good form which also included a comeback stage-win at Tirreno-Adriatico earlier this month, Freire doesn’t want to risk aggravating his rising form on the punishing cobbles and distance at Flanders.

Rabobank manager Erik Breukink said Freire's inherent fear of riding on cobblestones, sections of which feature at Flanders and Paris-Roubaix a week later, has effectively ruled him out.

"Oscar isn't too comfortable on the cobblestones. I would say he is even scared of them," said Breukink. "There's no point in sending him out to a race as difficult as the Tour of Flanders."

Freire missed the second half of last season, including the 2005 world championships in Madrid, trying to recover from surgery to remove a cyst on his seat bone and he’s cautious about going too deep too soon.

Instead, Freire will take aim at the Vuelta a Pais Vasco in early April on more familiar roads in Spain’s Basque Country.

His impressive win Sunday on the 190km circuit course, however, reveals the three-time world champion is on the rise.

“This win is very important for my morale,” Freire told reporters. “I am in good shape, but it’s the work of my teammates that made this win possible.”

With less than 10km to go, Nick Nuyens (Quick Step) and Kasten Kroon (CSC) jumped away from a breakaway when Rabobank’s Juan Antonio Flecha helped tow Freire up to the lead group.

From there, Freire was able to turn on the turbos to win in 4 hours, 20 minutes and 51 seconds.

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