|
14.10.2006 Mendrisio - Como (245 km)
The rainbow shines bright in Lombardy
Results:
| 
|
Paolo Bettini
|
|
| |
|
7th at 46"
|
|
| |
|
DNF
|
| | | |
If it is undoubtfull that Paolo Bettini was the Best today beteween Mendriso and Como, it is also very clear that Frank Schleck was very strong in what is the 100th edition of the Tour of Lombardy. In the Madonna del Ghisallo, with around 50 km to go, when Bettini became impatient, the Luxemburgish rider was alway among the promptest to react on the multiple accelerations of the world champion. In his very fluid style, he made a big impression and was part of the small group that broke away from the peloton, behind the two remaining riders of the early break, Totschnig and Pagato. In this group, there were Bettini, Rebellin, Schleck, Boogerd and Di Luca, but on the descent from the Ghisallo, the five riders were joined by another group containing Sanchez, Ricco, Wegmann, Moreni and Carrara. Together with Totschnig and Pagato, we had twelve riders in the lead before the penultimate climb. But on the Civiglio, Paolo Bettini showed his strengh by attacking and riding away from the others, even if Fabian Wegmann was able to join him again after a tremendous downhill performance. The two riders had 30 seconds of advance on a chasing group containing Frank Schleck, who was very disappointed of not being able to follow Bettini in the Civiglio. The World Champion managed without problems to get rid of Wegmann in the San Fermo di Battaglin and finished in tears in Como, dedicating his victory to his recently deceased brother Sauro. Behind him, Samuel Sanchez had left the Schleck group and chased down Wegmann who he beat in the sprint for second place. The Luxemburgish CSC rider passed the finish line in 7th position at 46 seconds, in a small group together with Rebellin, Carrara and Boogerd. After this new fantastic performance, Frank Schleck remounts in third place again in the UCI Pro-Tour rankings behind Valverde and Sanchez. Having had good results through the whole season from March (5th in Paris-Nice) to October, he is now officially confirmed as the third best rider of the season in the World!!! On the T-Mobile side, the team had decided to play the card of Daniele Nardello in the Giro di Lombardia, because the Italian was the most in-form rider. So Kim Kirchen has done his job as team-helper in the first part of the event, before retiring from the race a little demotivated. He will have to forget rapidly about his bad 2006 season and find new motivation to prepare the year 2007 where he could play a very interesting role in a new-structured team T-Mobile without real designated leader.
12.10.2006 Asti - Alba (173 km)
Bennati wins massive sprint
Results:
|
|
Daniele Bennati
|
|
| |
|
DNF
|
|
| |
|
109th at 6'34"
|
| | | |
Italian rider Danile Bennati has taken his ninth success for this year by winning the Giro del Piemonti in a bunch sprint, in front of Gregory Rast and Gene Bates. But his Lampre-team had to work very hard to achieve this sucess because after around 60 km already, Alejandro Valverde himself attacked strongly. On the slopes of the Camo-climb, the very first difficulty of the day, the overall winner of the Pro-Tour rankings 2006 broke away together with Nardello, Ratti and Rodriguez Oliver who would be dropped later. After several kilometers of chase, the other three riders joined Monard and Agnoli in the lead, the two riders of the early break. The five riders had up to two minutes of advantage on the main field where the sprinter teams, mostly Lampre of Bennati and Panaria of Paride Grillo, worked very hard to bring back the peloton with about 20 km to go. There were several more attacks after that (Sella, Moreni, Leukemans, Gustov, Peron, Missaglia and others ...), but nobody managed to get away and the massive sprint as well as the victory of Bennati were unavoidable. Kim Kirchen was dropped in the final kilometers of the event, but he insisted to finish the race, which he did in a small group of around 10 riders. He crossed the line in 106th position, six and a half minutes down on the winner. Frank Schleck quit the race after around 100 kilometers as he wanted to save his strength for the Giro di Lombardia where he aims for a podium spot.
|
October 8, 2006: Gran Premio Beghelli
|
| |
08.10.2006 Monteveglio - Monteveglio (200 km)
Schleck attacked once again
Results:
|
|
Sergio Marinangeli
|
|
| |
|
48th at 0"
|
| | |
After his offensive race at the Giro dell'Emilia on the day before, Frank Schleck has once again attacked during the 10th edition of the Gran Premio Bruno Beghelli in Monteveglio. But this time, he has waited until the end of the race, whereas the first hours were dominated by a big break containing Schleck's team-mate Pedersen, but also Baguet, Murgeli, Frohlinger, Wegmann, De Maar, Walker, Ratti, Perez Cuapio, Bertuola, Varini, Caneschi, Traficante, Degano and Blank. The break decreased more and more during the race and Eddi Ratti proved to be the strongest of the group on the finishing local circuit. But he was also caught again with only four kilometers to go. Frank Schleck tried to break away for a solo win during the final kilometers, but he only got a few seconds of advantage on his around 50 chasers and was swallowed up a little bit later. Finally, it was Sergio Marinangeli who surprised the sprinters by attacking 500 meters from the finish line and keeping up a small margin on Marzoli and Ricco to celebrate the biggest win in his career so far. Frank Schleck finished a little bit further back in 48th position.
|
October 07, 2006: 89th Giro dell'Emilia
|
| |
07.10.2006 Cento - San Luca (197 km)
Rebellin wins, Schleck in the lead for a while
Results:
|
|
Davide Rebellin
|
|
| |
|
17th at 1'18"
|
| | |
The Giro dell'Emilia is a very tough race with 7 climbs, among them 4 times the terrible Santuario di San Luca. A very selective course indeed and Frank Schleck likes those courses. He didn't hesitate to make the race even tougher by attacking in the early part of the race. On the climb of Monzuno, the first of the difficulties, Schleck raised the speed and managed to form a break with 6 other riders: Alexandr Arekeev, Cédric Vasseur, Volodimyr Gustov, Emanuele Sella, Gabriele Missaglia and Raivis Belohvosciks. But the CSC-rider is reknowned now in the peloton and the favourites didn't want to let him much advantage, even more because with Gustov, he had a team-mate with him up front. The group never got more than one minute and a half of gap, but Schleck insisted in the lead. One by one, he dropped the riders in the break on the following climbs and the only one being able to stay with him was Alexandr Areekev. On the first local circuit, the Aqua & Sapone rider was also dropped, but the chasers led by Rebellin, Di Luca, Celestino, Gadret were only a few seconds behind. With 20 km to go, everything was back together again at the front and the decision had to fall on the very last ascent to the sanctuary. On the 18 % slopes of the climb, Rebellin proved to be the strongest by beating Di Luca in San Luca, as well as Di Grande. The following riders arrived one by one and Frank Schleck dropped in 1'18" after Rebelllin, in 17th position. The Luxemburgish rider was exhausted by the efforts made and his early attack is likely to have cost him a podium place, but he surely was very pleased with a performance that should place him on the right track for his last big goal of the season: the Giro di Lombardia next week.
01.10.2006 Zürich - Zürich (241 km)
Sanchez strongest
Results:
|
|
Samuel Sanchez
|
|
| |
|
24th at 1'32"
|
|
| |
|
DNF
|
| | | |
Spanish rider Samuel Sanchez showed out to be the strongest under the rain at the Zurich championships by breaking away in irresistible manner on the last ascent of the Pfannenstiel and then holding off the chasers Cancellara, O'Grady, Bogeerd and Rebellin until the finish line. A big effort by the rider from Euskatel who managed to get into the good break with about 30 kilometers to go before dropping the other riders to take a superb solo victory. Team CSC was well represented in the break with O'Grady and a very impressive Cancellara, constantly on the attack in the last 100 kilometers.
Frank Schleck wasn't far behind in a chasing group, but with the strong presence of his team-mates in the lead, it was clear that he couldn't do anything but staying in the wheels and so he finished the race in the first bigger group of around 15 men, together with riders like Paolini, Evans or Ballan. Before the peloton exploded completely in the last lap, the race has been dominated for a long time by three riders, Roy, Beppu and Gobbi, who were in the lead for almost 150 kilometers. After that, another group took over at the front, led by Philippe Gilbert, Cancellara and Di Lucca. But on the penultimate lap, everything came together again, befort Sanchez and the decisive break got away at the end. Kim Kirchen wasn't among the 60 riders that finished the tough race under very bad weather conditions.
Note: "This site contains links to other Internet pages, on which content and presentation we don't have any influence. These refences are indicated merely for your information and and we can't be made reliable for any of the content of any of the Internet pages our links may take you to."
|
Schleck
Schleck
Kirchen
Picture: acc contern
