Monday, April 03, 2006
Valverde and Friere Announce Their Return
Preparations for the post-Boonen season started up in Spain today with the usually unheralded Tour of the Basque Country. (VeloNews in contrast with most other cycling new sites actually has a pretty good write-up of the first stage here.) Good news for the Spanish as the race shows a good return to form of Oscar Friere – skipping the cobbled classics for fear of re-tweaking his always sketchy back – and Alejandro Valverde. The former has to be pleased with being able to contest the sprint after making it over the Jaizkibel, and the latter at being able to just pip – by a single centimeter – the former world champion.
The race is usually an important barometer of who will come to the fore when the cycling calendar enters the real meat of the calendar, beginning with La Doyenne Liege-Bastogne-Liege and carrying straight through to the Tour de France. Valverde in particular has to be happy with the result, as he tries to confirm the promise he showed last year with an inspired Tour de France ride before being forced to withdraw with injuries. Targeting Liege and the Tour, there were questions regarding his form, given his lack of early season success this season – those should be put to rest now. He has already stated his intention to carry the leader’s jersey all the way through the final time trial, and an attacking ride through one of the mountainous stages will probably be in keeping not only with that ambition, but his larger season goals as well.
Friere’s ride is impressive for his being able to adjust to terrain not terribly suited to him, especially in comparison with the flatter profiles of Ghent-Wevelgem and Paris-Roubaix. Of course, neither of those races have room for riders afraid of cobbles. But Friere does send a signal that the hills of the Ardennes – especially the slightly more forgiving hills of the Amstel Gold – should not be a formidable obstacle to the three-time winner of the rainbow jersey. And depending on where he rides, Friere is also likely to be able to throw down with the inevitable Boonen-Pettachi duels playing out in the opening stages of the national tours this year as well. Provided his back is up to the strain, an attempt at the green jersey in Paris might also be in the cards.
Not a completely happy day for Spanish cycling, though – nothing of note from the Euskadi team. Under a lot of pressure for their lack of great results the past few seasons, the squad is feeling the pinch from sponsors, but also probably a bit too the prospect of not receiving a new ProTour license, once the whole debacle on the race series is resolved. The squad was looking to make an impression in their “home” race. Probably did not go down well being overshadowed by the more prominent faces of Spanish cycling today – which just means they should be in a position to animate tomorrow’s stage as well.
The race is usually an important barometer of who will come to the fore when the cycling calendar enters the real meat of the calendar, beginning with La Doyenne Liege-Bastogne-Liege and carrying straight through to the Tour de France. Valverde in particular has to be happy with the result, as he tries to confirm the promise he showed last year with an inspired Tour de France ride before being forced to withdraw with injuries. Targeting Liege and the Tour, there were questions regarding his form, given his lack of early season success this season – those should be put to rest now. He has already stated his intention to carry the leader’s jersey all the way through the final time trial, and an attacking ride through one of the mountainous stages will probably be in keeping not only with that ambition, but his larger season goals as well.
Friere’s ride is impressive for his being able to adjust to terrain not terribly suited to him, especially in comparison with the flatter profiles of Ghent-Wevelgem and Paris-Roubaix. Of course, neither of those races have room for riders afraid of cobbles. But Friere does send a signal that the hills of the Ardennes – especially the slightly more forgiving hills of the Amstel Gold – should not be a formidable obstacle to the three-time winner of the rainbow jersey. And depending on where he rides, Friere is also likely to be able to throw down with the inevitable Boonen-Pettachi duels playing out in the opening stages of the national tours this year as well. Provided his back is up to the strain, an attempt at the green jersey in Paris might also be in the cards.
Not a completely happy day for Spanish cycling, though – nothing of note from the Euskadi team. Under a lot of pressure for their lack of great results the past few seasons, the squad is feeling the pinch from sponsors, but also probably a bit too the prospect of not receiving a new ProTour license, once the whole debacle on the race series is resolved. The squad was looking to make an impression in their “home” race. Probably did not go down well being overshadowed by the more prominent faces of Spanish cycling today – which just means they should be in a position to animate tomorrow’s stage as well.
