August 17/99 8:03 am - Letter from Italy, Rider Wanted, Euro Results

Posted by Editor on 08/17/99
 

Letter From Italy

Salve everyone!

This weekend was Fer-Agosto in Italy -a three day weekend in which there is no way to purchase food (as Christen and I found out, after subsisting on potatoes, pasta and porridge the whole time!), and during which all Italians head to the beach or mountains, and in some cases, bike races. I'll keep things short and to the point this time as it is already 10:30pm Tuesday night and this boy needs his rest!

GP CAPODARCO
Monday Aug. 16, 1999. Capodarco, Ita
UCI Cat.: 1/6 Distance: 178km Avg.Speed: 42 km/h Participants: 199 (30 finished)
Spectators: 15,000!!

Milan Kadlec from the Czech Republic won this event in commanding style, over breakaway companions Domenico Romano and Francesco Magni. I finished 5th after attacking with 1.5 km to go on the final climb, and then getting caught on a steep cobble section 300m from the line. Kadlec was by far the strongest rider on this day, and surely deserved the win, though I had hoped to catch him off guard with a long-shot.

This classic event has been held in the memory of Fabio Casartelli for the past 4 years, and each of 8 passages over the 3km finishing climb offered riders hill points that contributed towards the final 400$ cash prize and Trophy offered in Casartelli's name. Damiano Giannini won the prize (and finished 7th overall) after much work in the later stages of the event, and Ceruti, president of the Italian Cycling federation, and Fabio's parents were on hand to award the medals.

GP FELINO
Tuesday, Aug. 17th. Felino, Ita
UCI Cat. 1/12 Participants: 178 (34 finished)
Distance: 144km Avg. Speed: 46km/h

Another tough day of racing...with only five hours sleep since Capodarco. Sorice from the Mapei-Grassi team outsprinted 10 breakaway companions to take the top prize in this demanding event. 100km of warp-speed circuit racing on a 3km flat loop ensured an average speed that would take it's toll on riders who had raced hard the day before. 3 laps on the 15km finishing loop took the competitors up and over a 6km hill, which separated out those who had come to compete, and those who had come simply to collect their start money and go for a bike ride. The main players were those seen in the weeks preceding: Ratti, Luongo, Sorice, and I was up there a fair bit too. The last lap over the hill, I led a hard pace, and drew clear with 10 other riders. At the summit, there was 9km remaining, through which the attacks and counterattacks flew incessant. 2km to go, I tried to break clear with a Spanish rider, but we were caught in the last 400m. I held on for 9th. A bit of a disappointment, but not a bad result nonetheless.

Paul Kelly


Attention Mountain Bike Racers

Looking for one good rider to race on a 24 hour bike team at the largest mountain bike race in the world

Race the Hardwood Hills 24 hrs. of Adrenalin Aug 21/22 with a 5 person team. Entry fees paid by sponsor. Pit crew, support staff, and accommodations provided. Must be in top physical condition. Male or female racers between the ages of 16 to 30 to be considered. Must try out to get the position. If you are interested contact:

Peter Street
519-335-6277
pkstreet@wcl.on.ca


Tour of Burgos, Spain

Stage 1 - Milagros to Aranda de Duero ITT 9.8 km

1. Abraham Olano (Esp) ONCE-Deutsche Bank 10:38
2. Angel Casero (Esp) Vitalicio Seguros at 0:17
3. Rik Verbrugghe (Bel) Lotto-Mobistar 0:19
4. Dario Frigo (Ita) Saeco-Cannondale 0:21
5. David Plaza (Esp) Sport Lisboa Benfica 0:22

Stage 2 - Burgos to Medina de Pomar 168 km

1. Miguel Angel Martin Perdiguero (Esp) ONCE-Deutsche Bank 3:59:53
2. Markus Zberg (Swi) Rabobank
3. Mario Traversoni (Ita) Saeco-Cannondale
4. Servais Knaven (Ned) TVM
5. Paolo Bossoni (Ita) Cantina Tollo all s.t.

GC

1. Abraham Olano (Esp) ONCE-Deutsche Bank 4:10:29
2. Angel Casero (Esp) Vitalicio Seguros at 0:17
3. Rik Verbrugghe (Bel) Lotto-Mobistar 0:19
4. Dario Frigo (Ita) Saeco-Cannondale 0:21
5. David Plaza (Esp) Sport Lisboa Benfica 0:22