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Monday's EuroFile: Hushovd to head Down Under; Giro biggies; Maggy's hour

Published: Oct. 31, 2005
Hushovd took a stage at the Vuelta this year, too.
Hushovd took a stage at the Vuelta this year, too.
Photo: AFP-File photo

Add Thor Hushovd to the name of stars making an early season trip to Australia for the 2006 Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under.

The winner of the green points jersey at this year’s Tour de France will join Crédit Agricole teammates Laszlo Bodrogi, Estonian Jaan Kirsipuu and Frenchman Patrice Halgand for the season opener.

It is the first time the Norwegian sprinter has raced in Australia's premier road event and ensures the sprints will be hotly contested in 2006. Hushovd, who pipped Australians Stuart O'Grady and Robbie McEwen, for the prestigious green jersey in July, also claimed five wins during the season including victory in stage five of the Vuelta a España in September.

Bodrogi, the five time Hungarian time trial champion, claimed overall honors in this year's Tour of Luxembourg while Tour de France stage winner Kirsipuu is returning for the eighth time.

Russian Alexandre Botcharov, second overall in the 2002 Jacob’s Creek Tour Down Under behind Michael Rogers, will also line up. Bathhurst cyclist and Athens Olympian, Mark Renshaw, will make his debut in the Crédit Agricole green and white after his transfer from the Francaise des Jeux team. The final two members of the team are New Zealand's Julian Dean, who finished ninth in the road race at this year's World Championships in Spain, and Norwegian Mads Kaggestad.

Crédit Agricole for Tour Down Under (Jan. 17-22)
Thor Hushovd (Nor)
Lazslo Bodrogi (Hun)
Alexandre Botcharov (Rus)
Julian Dean (NZ)
Patrice Halgand (F)
Mads Kaggestad (N)
Jaan Kirsipuu (Est)
Mark Renshaw (Aus)

Giro draws top names
The Giro d’Italia is already looking to be capturing some top names for the 2006 edition.

Heras will be at the Giro next year
Heras will be at the Giro next year
Photo: AFP-File photo

American star Floyd Landis (Phonak) and four-time Vuelta a España champion Roberto Heras (Liberty Seguros) have already committed to racing the 2006 Giro. Third-place finisher José Rujano (Colombia-Selle Italia) will be back to make a run for the overall.

While Tour de France contender Ivan Basso (CSC) has already decided to skip the Giro to focus on the Tour, top Italian stars Gilberto Simoni (Saunier Duval for 2006), Damiano Cunego (Lampre-Caffita) and 2005 champ Paolo Savoldelli (Discovery Channel) will provide a good base for the three-week Italian grand tour.

“Not racing the Giro is a sacrifice, but I want to invest everything in the Tour,” Basso told Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport. “I know there is only one acceptable result and it will not be easy.

Taking Basso’s spot as team leader for CSC could be Americans Christian Vande Velde and Bobby Julich as well as rising star Frank Schleck.

The presentation ceremony for the 2006 Giro d’Italia will be held next month in Milan.

Bäckstedt may try again
Magnus Bäckstedt fell short in his attempt to break the paced hour record on Saturday in Newport, Wales. The 2004 Paris-Roubaix champion missed the 66.114km mark held by Matthé Pronk set in November 2004 by nearly eight kilometers.

Bäckstedt said he wouldn’t rule out another attack on the record.

Konecny leaving T-Mobile
Czech rider Tomas Konecny is leaving the T-Mobile Team to ride for Wiesenhof-Akud in the coming season.

Konecny
Konecny
Photo: AFP-File photo

The 32-year-old climbing specialist, who joined T-Mobile in 2004, missed most of last season while recovering from a seriously broken leg suffered in an ice hockey game last November.

Professional Continental team Wiesenhof-Akud has also signed ex-Gerolsteiner Torsten Schmidt for next season and extended Gerhard Trampusch’s contract.

Team Wiesenhof-Akud 2006
Gerald Ciolek
Artur Gajek
Tim Klinger
Tomas Konecny
Christian Leben
Felix Odebrecht
Steffen Radochla
Robert Retschke
Torsten Schmidt
Marcel Sieberg
Corey Sweet
Lubor Tesar
Gerhard Trampusch
Lars Wackernagel
Carlo Westphal.

León Sánchez loses brother to accident
Luis León Sánchez, the promising young rider on Liberty Seguros, lost his brother this weekend after dying from head injuries an accident involving a “quad” off-road vehicle.

According to a report on the Spanish wire service EFE, León Sánchez’ brother was riding with another friend who was driving the quad near the family’s home in Murcia in southern Spain. Neither were wearing a helmet. The brother was taken to a local hospital with serious head injuries and later died. He was 23.

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