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Friday's EuroFile: Petacchi wins in Algarve; Freire delighted with Ruta; Ullrich to Volksbank?

Published: Feb. 23, 2007

Petacchi takes win in Algarve
Alessandro Petacchi scored another confidence-boosting win ahead of Milan-San Remo after charging to victory in the third stage of the Tour of the Algarve while Bernard Eisel (T-Mobile) snagged second and moved into the overall lead.

Petacchi held off Eisel, the winner of Thursday’s stage, to claim victory for the second time this year and makes up for a relegation earlier this week for dangerous sprinting. Eisel came through second to take the time bonuses to move into the leader’s jersey while Roman Vaitkus (Discovery Channel) was third.

"Today was finally good," Petacchi reported after his second win of the season. "The race was hard and we have feared not to succeed taking back the breakaway riders until 5km to go. (Marco) Velo started the sprint at 400 meters to go and Eisel was behind him. I was on the wheel of Eisel and with 230 meters to go I started my sprint. Today I felt strong."

The 208km route wound along Portugal’s spectacular Algarve coast and took in Vila do Bispo, the westernmost point of mainland Europe. A 10-man breakaway featuring a healthy Philippe Gilbert (FDJeux) built up a lead of 11 minutes before the sprinters’ teams woke from their Portuguese slumber.

The bumpy course didn’t guarantee a sprint finish, with a short but steep Cat. 2 climb in the Monchique mountains. Seven riders pulled off the front, but were neutralized with a kilometer to go, with T-Mobile and Milram collaborating to reel in the attackers.

Before the start, two riders – Daniel Petrov and Samuel Caldeira, both from the Duja Tavira Portuguese team -- were popped for high hematocrit readings and given a forced two-week rest.

The race continues Saturday with the 187km march from Vila Real de Santo Antonio to Loulé with a bumpy course that includes five Cat. 3 climbs along the way.

In other Milram news, Petacchi will race together with Erik Zabel for the first time this season at the Volta a la Comunidad Valenciana next week in Spain. Last year, Petacchi won two stages in the Spanish five-day tour and from the looks of this year’s profile, only two stages clearly favor a likely sprint finish.

Milram for Comunidad Valenciana, February 26-March 3: Alessandro Petacchi, Erik Zabel, Brett Lancaster, Mirko Celestino, Christian Knees, Elia Rigotto, Enrico Poitschke, Marco Velo

Freire surprised at happy ending
Oscar Freire was as surprised as anyone that he pulled off the overall victory in Thursday’s final stage at the Ruta del Sol.

The Rabobank rider started the day one second behind former mountain biker Dario Cioni (Predictor-Lotto) but shot ahead of the shattered peloton with 400 meters to go to win clear of a chasing group featuring Cioni to grab the win and enough time to bounce into overall victory.

"I didn’t think I could do it, but I had reserves of strength and I felt strong and everything went better than I expected," Freire told the Spanish daily AS. "I feel sorry for Cioni. He and his team worked a lot and they deserved the victory, but in cycling everyone knows that nothing’s decided until the final meter."

The win was Freire’s fourth on the young season (one stage at Mallorca Challenge, two and the overall at Ruta del Sol) and marks his first stage victory since the 2005 Tirreno-Adriatico.

The Rabobank sprinter says he’s finally feeling back in top health after suffering through months of dizziness and head and neck pain following a visit to the chiropractor that went the wrong way.

Freire was forced out of racing last year days after winning the Vattenfall Cyclassics and had to put to an end to his season after an aborted attempt at a comeback ahead of last year’s world championships. The three-time champion says he’s hoping his injuries are behind him.

"I felt good throughout this race, except in the stage to Córdoba. I am better, but now I will go to Amsterdam to see if they can finish with my cure. The most important thing is to repair the injuries, if it’s like that, the results will come," he said.

"My first objective is Milan-San Remo. I will race the Tour and the Vuelta and the world championships, which is my top goal for the season. I hope I don’t have to skip it like I have the past two years."

Rumors link Ullrich to Volksbank
German newspaper Sport-Bild reported Friday that Jan Ullrich is poised to join continental team Volksbank. The 1997 Tour de France champion has scheduled a Monday press conference to make an announcement about his future, with many speculating he’s poised to confirm his retirement.

Volksbank team manager Thomas Kofler was quick to shoot down the rumors, telling the German wire service DPA that although he’s been in contact with the troubled German star, no final accord has been reached.

Ullrich has been struggling to clear his name after he appeared on the infamousOperación Puerto list last July.

Garate injured in fall
Juan Manuel Garate fratured his right arm in a spill during Thursday’s second stage of the Volta ao Algarve in Portugal. The green-jersey winner of the 2006 Giro d’Italia will undergo further exams and will likely miss a few weeks of action, his Quick Step-Innergetic team announced.

Slipstream among CI teams
The U.S.-based Team Slipstream-Chipotle, currently racing in the Tour of California, was among 20 teams selected for the 76th Critérium International in Charleville-Mézières, France.

The two-day, three-stage race, set for March 31-April 1, follows a familiar pattern of a one road stage, one time trial and mountain stage.

Teams for Criterium International
Germany: Gerolsteiner, Team Wiesenhof Felt
Belgium: Landbouwkrediet – Tonissteiner
Denmark: Team CSC
Spain:Caisse d’Epargne, Euskaltel-Euskadi, Karpin Galicia
USA:Team Slipstream- Chipotle
France: AG2R Prévoyance, Bouygues Telecom, Cofidis, Crédit Agricole, Française des Jeux, Agritubel
Great Britain:Barloworld
Ireland: Ceramica Panaria-Navigare
Italy: Lampre-Fondital
Netherlands: Skil-Shimano
Switzerland: Astana, Team LPR

Valverde back in saddle in Valencia
Alejandro Valverde and Mallorca Challenge winner Luis León Sánchez headline Caisse d’Epargne at the Valencia tour next week.

Valverde is continuing his slow winter buildup with an eye toward top form at the Ardennes classics while León Sánchez is aiming to hone his form even more before a run at Paris-Nice next month.

Caisse d’Epargne for Valenciana: Florent Brard, Imanol Erviti, Iván Gutiérrez, Pablo Lastras, Fran Pérez, Vicente Reynes, Luis León Sánchez and Alejandro Valverde