Het is wat ambetant om dit topic zo maar te laten verzanden in buitentopic-echtelijk gewauwneuzel, jongens. Hou daar toch eens mee op!
De aller-allermooiste koers? Lombardia 2001.
Hoop dat de foto's het doen, want ze komen van cyclingnews die ook dit verslag erov er schreven (eerste waar ik op stuitte):
As for todays final round of the World Cup, the usually sunny Northern Italian weather didn't smile on the peloton as they headed out from Varese in a cold, wet fog. The real racing started on the Berbenno climb; as the couse headed for San the Pellegrino Terme, local lad Wladimiro Belli (Fassa Bortolo) led the forcing up front with Virenque. However the chasers behind were too determined and there was a large group still together when lanky Swede and ex-Mercury man Niklaas Axelsson (Alessio), went solo with 25km to race.
Axelsson was caught in the final kilometer of last last year's Lombardia and certainly had the bit in his teeth today with an excellent move on the cold, rainy fog approaching Villa d'Alme. Behind the Swede, Boogerd (Rabobank) bridged up and this looked liked THE move of the day, but the unlucky Swede crashed and Boogerd was left alone in the lead.
The Dutchman didn't lack for company for too long; the ubiquitous Virenque, Danilo Di Luca and a raging Giuliano Figueras (Panaria) soon joined Boogerd. Beat Zberg was chasing at 40 seconds, the Dekker & Bartoli group were at 1 minute 10 with a cold, peloton at 5 minutes, and out of the race.
In the atrocious conditions, the quartet powered through the suburbs of Bergamo towards the final climb up the Colle Aperto to the Citta Alta', then down for the final sprint on Corso Matteotti. With 7km, Figueras and Di Luca looked the freshest, with a cagy Boogerd following wheels and Virenque looking cooked from his earlier efforts. Figueras was first through Porto Garibaldi into the Citta Alta' and on to the small, slippery and irregular cobblestones.
His first effort dropped Virenque, then a fast-pedaling Di Luca attacked. He got a 30, then 50 meter gap as Figueras slipped on the pave'. As Di Luca flew through the Porta Pantano after 1100 meters of cobbles, he had 5 second gap. A determined Figueras chased all the way down from the walled Citta' Alta into Bergamo with Boogerd clinging to his wheel, finally pulling back Di Luca at the 1km to go kite.
Figueras, ‘96 U23 World champ from Naples had a great Worlds last week in Lisbon with strong climbing and a solid 7th place. He had beaten Di Luca in a tight sprint in the Giro del Veneto last month and was looking for his biggest win yet in Bergamo. Boogerd made a counter move with 800m to go but Figureas pulled him back and as the trio made the 90 degree right onto Corso Matteotti, Figueras was again right on Di Luca's wheel.
But once again, the rain complicated things in the 95th Giro di Lombardia. As Figueras made his move on the right side of Di Luca, his powerful jump coincided with a stretch of slippery paving stones along the Corso. His rear wheel slipped once, twice and it was only his great balance that kept Figueras from crashing. But the slips and slides cost Figueras his momentum and the Neopolitan had to coast over the line as a delirious Di Luca fell into the arms of his friend and manager Johnny Carrera. Himself a runner-up in '99, Di Luca finally took the Lombardia victory, and his first World Cup victory for the talented Abruzzese rider, who will move to Saeco next season.
Doorzoek het forum
Zoeken met Startpagina
Startpagina Thema's
