Zabel
says goodye with a bang
09.10.2005
- Things
came full circle for Erik Zabel on Sunday: He triumphed
at the race he had won 11 years earlier in 1994 when his career
took off. After 253,5 km the magenta veteran edged out Italian
Daniele Bennati (Lampre) to win the autumn classic Paris-Tours
in his last performance for the T-Mobile Team. It was Zabel’s
third triumph in Tours after 1994 and 2003.
There
were no changes in the top positions of the ProTour ranking.
Speedy
ride through the Loire valley
Even though the course led over mostly pancake-flat terrain, even
the French organisers marvelled at how fast the 192-rider peloton
raced through the Loire valley. They had calculated the top average
speed to be 44 km/h. Apparently, this wasn’t fast enough
fort he riders, who after a long season perhaps longed to be back
with their family as quick as possible. One hour into the race,
already 51,2 km were behind them!
This
was also due to numerous attacks of those trying to escape the
peloton with its strong sprinters. At 82 km Joost Posthuma
(Netherlands/Rabobank) and the Spaniard Jose Ivan Guttierez
(Illes Balears) managed to jumped clear, soon to be joined by
local hero Stephane Berges (Agritubel). It was only now
that the race calmed down a little.
Sprint
teams controlled the race
At km 105 the breakaways built up their lead to a maximum of 8’20.
This still left the sprint teams Crédit Agricole (Thor
Hushovd), Davitamon-Lotto (Robbie McEwen), Discovery Channel
(Max van Heeswijk) and T-Mobile Team (Erik Zabel) a chance to
turn the tables. They were assisted by Illes Balears, which pushed
the pace for World’s runner-up Alejandro Valverde.
And
the helpers of the sprinters once more proved to have everything
uner control: 42 km to the finish the three escapees had reached
their limits, as the peloton charged to the finish in Tours. The
German teams of Gerolsteiner and T-Mobile entered
the final phase in a weakened state, each having lost one rider
of their eight-man squad: Sebastian Lang and Daniele
Nardello both dropped out at km 150.
A
Belgian alliance led by Discovery Channel’s Stijn Devolder
and Fd.jeux pro Philipe Gilbert tried to avoid a mass sprint
by one last attack 25 km to the finish. But the duo was reeled
in just in time on the finishing straight. On the Avenue de Grammont
it boiled down to the expected bunch sprint, which Erik Zabel
took ahead of Daniele Bennati. (mf)
Parigi-Tours:
Bennati è secondo!
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La
splendida volata ingaggiata tra Bennati e Zabel
al termine della Parigi Tours
©_bettiniphoto.net
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Daniele
Bennati ha concluso oggi la prestigiosa Parigi-Tours,
penultima prova del calendario Pro Tour, in seconda posizione
dietro a Erik Zabel, anticipando sul traguardo tutti gli
altri velocisti.
Daniele
Bennati ha dichiarato: “Ho rischiato.
Sono partito lungo per non rimanere chiuso, e solo un grande Zabel
mi ha passato negli ultimi 20 metri. Sono un po’ deluso,
avrei preferito concludere la stagione con una vittoria di grande
prestigio. E’ comunque un bel piazzamento tenuto conto che
sono fresco reduce da un’influenza e che ancora stamattina
la tosse mi disturbava. Il caldo mi è stato di aiuto e
nel finale ho ritrovato buone sensazioni. E’ il miglior risultato
mai ottenuto in una classica di un giorno e lo devo anche ai miei
compagni Commesso e Ballan che mi sono sempre stati
vicini, soprattutto nel finale. Spero che questo risultato sia
di buon auspicio per il futuro!”
Paris-Tours:
Bennati is second!
Daniele
Bennati finished
second today of Paris-Tours, the prestigious Pro Tour race.
Only Zabel passed him on the line and he beat all the other
big sprinters.
Daniele
Bennati said: “I took risks
starting from far to not be closed but only a great Zabel
did it to pass me in the last 20 metres. I’m a bit disappointed,
I would have liked to finish the season with a prestigious win.
But it is also a good result thinking about the flu I had in the
last week, this morning I was still coughing a lot. Fortunately
the good weather helped me today and I found back good sensations
in the final. It is the best result I have ever had in a one day
Pro Tour race. It is also thanks to my team mates Ballan
and Commesso who always stayed with me during the race
to help me. I hope this result is a good sign for the future!”
Starkes
Finale der Gerolsteiner - René Haselbacher auf Platz acht
Als
die Entscheidung nahte, rückten die Rennfahrer aus dem Team
Gerolsteiner immer mehr in den Vordergrund. Erst waren es
Peter Wrolich und Frank Hoj, die im Finale der 99.
Auflage des Klassikers Paris-Tours am Sonntag Attacken
starteten. Dann war es René Haselbacher, der mit
seinem achten Platz beim Erfolg von Erik Zabel (Unna/T-Mobile)
im Massensprint die Farben der Eifel-Equipe in der Spitze präsentierte.
Entsprechend bilanzierte der Sportliche Leiter Christian Henn
nach den 253,3 Kilometern des vorletzten ProTour-Rennens der Saison:
"Das war ein starkes und erfreuliches
Finale von uns. Wir haben eben noch einmal alles versucht. Und
mit der Topten-Platzierung von René können wir auch
zufrieden sein."
Bei dem schnellen Rennen - Henn: "Am
Anfang gab es Attacke auf Attacke und einen Schnitt von 51 km/h"
- dauerte es bis Rennkilometer 92, bis sich eine erste
Spitzengruppe langfristig absetzen konnte. Das Trio Stephane
Berges (Frankreich/Ag2r), Jose-Ivan Gutierez (Spanien/Illes
Balears) und Joost Posthuma (Niederlande/Rabobank) blieb
mit seiner Flucht aber ebenso ohne Erfolg, wie das belgische Tandem
Stijn Devolder (Discovery Channel) und Philippe Gilbert
(Francaise des Jeux) im Finale des Rennens.
Im Peloton hatten sich die Sprinterteams an der Spitze formiert.
Und vor allem die Attacken der Gerolsteiner erhöhten
das Tempo, so dass das belgische Duo auf den letzten Metern von
der jagenden Meute um Haselbacher und Sieger Zabel wieder
eingeholt wurde. "Wir waren absolut
im Bilde", meinte daher Christian Henn.
So wirkten sich die Arbeit und die offensive Fahrweise der Rennfahrer
aus der Eifel-Equipe auch in der Mannschaftswertung aus.
Nachdem die Gerolsteiner zuletzt bei der Züri-Metzgete die
Teamwertung gewonnen hatten, belegten sie bei Paris-Tours
den dritten Platz. Damit stockten sie ihr Konto auf 289 Zähler
auf, der siebte Platz im Schlussklassement der ProTour-Mannschaftswertung
2005 ist dem Team somit sicher. Bei der Lombardei-Rundfahrt,
dem Saisonabschluss der ProTour am kommenden Samstag, können
sich die Gerolsteiner sogar noch auf den sechsten Platz verbessern.
