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RACE REPORTS: WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS 2008: EUROPEAN PRO ROAD TITLES
Tim Maloney-European Editor
June 29, 2008
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Unpleasant Surprise Win In Italy 37-year-old Filippo Simeoni of the tiny Ceramica Flaminia-Bossini Docce team escaped from a late-race break in the Italian National Championships and held off the fast closing bunch to take a surprise and largely unwelcome victory. Simeoni, Lance Armstrong’s former bete noir, is one of the most unpopular riders in the Italian gruppo and his crafty conquest of the Maglia Tricolore was most unwelcome. Just look at Visconti & Pozzato's faces above!
Italian National Championships
Bergamo, Italy, June 29, 2008
Elite Men road race / 254km
1. Filippo Simeoni (Ceramica Flaminia-Bossini Docce)
2. Giovanni Visconti (Quick Step) @ :02”
3. Filippo Pozzato (Liquigas) same time
Valverde Takes First Spanish National Championship
In a close race, Caisse d'Epargne’s Alejandro Valverde took his first career Spanish national championship in Talavera de la Reina, edging Rock Racing’s Oscar Sevilla
Spanish National Championships
Talavera de la Reina, Spain / June 29, 2008
Elite Men Road race / 202.7km
1. Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne)
5h13’13” (38.829 km/hr avg. speed)
2 Oscar Sevilla (Rock Racing) @ :01”
3. Oscar Pereiro (Caisse d'Epargne) @ 1’04”
Vogondy Bis In France
Nicolas Vogondy took his second career French National Championship with a solo win over Caisse d'Epargne’s Arnaud Coyot to make his Agritubel Tour squad.
French National Championships
Semur-en-Auxois, France, June 29, 2008
Elite Men Road race / 239.2 km
1. Nicolas Vogondy (Agritubel) 6’03.04”
2. Arnaud Coyot (Caisse d'Epargne) @ :33”
3. Julien Loubet (AG2R La Mondiale)
Wegmann Does The Deutsche Double
Gerolsteiner’s Fabian Wegmann repeated as German champion with a close win over evergreen sprinter Erik Zabel and young speedster Ciolek.
German National Championships / June 29, 2008
Elite men road race / 210km
1. Fabian Wegmann (Gerolsteiner)
2. Erik Zabel (Team Milram)
3. Gerard Ciolek (Columbia)
Hayles Hammers To UK Title
On a cold, rainy Sunday in North Yorks, left out of the UK Worlds Track Squad for high haematocrit, 35 year old British trackie Rob Hayles found a new lease on life to take the win at the British National Championships ahead of Peter Kennaugh, who won the U23 title.
British National Championships
North Yorkshire, Great Britain, June 29, 2008
Elite mens road race / 203 km
1. Robert Hayles (Halfords / BikeHut)
5’03.55” (40.08km/ hr. avg. speed)
2. Peter Kennaugh (100% ME) @ :04”
3. Dean Downing (Rapha Condor Recycling.co.uk) @ :15”
Sørensen Solos To Win In Denmark
Nicki Sørensen came home solo to win the Danish National Championships, his second career national title.
Danish National Championships
Elite Men road race / 196.8km
1. Nicki Sørensen (Team CSC-Saxo Bank)
4.56.20 (39.847 km/hr. avg. speed)
2. Matti Breschel (Team CSC-Saxo Bank) @ 1’16”
3. Jens-Erik Madsen (Team Designa Køkken)
Pfannberger Doubles Up In Austria
Barloworld climber Christian Pfannberger (Barloworld) took his second consecutive Austrian National Championship on a tough, hilly circuit in Seefeld.
Austrian National Championships
Oberleutasch/Seefeld June 29, 2008
Elite men road race / 150km
1. Christian Pfannberger (Barloworld)
4h14.21” (35.4 km/hr avg. speed)
2. Hans Peter Obwaller (RC ARBÖ Wels Gourmetfein) @ 2’15”
3. Stefan Rucker (Elk Haus-Simplon) @ 2’30”
Roelandts Surprise In Belgium
22-year-old Silence-Lotto neo-pro Jürgen Roelandts took a close sprint over cyclocross specialist Sven Vanthourenhout and 38 year old Niko “Rambo” Eeckhout for the surprise
win in Knokke-Heist.
Belgian National Championships
Knokke-Heist, Belgium, June 29, 2008
Elite Men road race
1. Jürgen Roelandts (Silence-Lotto)
2. Sven Vanthourenhout (Sunweb)
3. Niko Eeckhout (Topsport Vlaanderen)
Boom Goes Bam In Netherlands National Championship
World cyclocross champion & World U23 TT champ added a second Dutch title to his palmares with a solo surge that brought the lanky rider his first Pro Road title.
Netherlands National Championships
The Hague, Netherlands June 29, 2008
Elite men road race
1 Lars Boom (Rabobank Continental)
4h58.01” (40.910 km/hr. avg. speed)
2. Koos Moerenhout (Rabobank) @ :06”
3. Steven De Jongh (Quick Step) @ :31”
Schleck’s Second In Luxembourg
Frank Schleck (Team CSC-Saxo Bank) broke away on the final lap to win his second national road title for the 28-year-old Schleck, who claimed his first Luxembourg title in 2005.
Luxembourg National Championships
1. Frank Schleck (Team CSC-Saxo Bank) / 165.6km
4h11’13”
2. Benoit Joachim @ :22”
3. Christian Poos, @ :45”
Ivanov Times Five In Russia
Sergei Ivanov (Astana) won the Russian national road championship for the fifth time with a strong attack 22km from the finish, winning by more than two minutes. Ivanov’s previous Russian national road championship victories were in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2005.
Russian national road championship
1. Sergey Ivanov (Astana)
2. Alexander Bazhenov (Parkpe) @ 2’04”
3. Roman Klimov (Katyusha), @ 2’06”
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