Team Talk 12

Amstel Gold Race, the Dutch one-day classic again follows the twisty 257.4 km course through the Limberg hills, with the start in Maastricht and the finish in Valkenberg at the summit of the legendary Cauberg climb. The race is part of the UCI ProTour and former winners include Eddy Merckx , Freddy Maertens, Bernard Hinault, Jan Raas, Johan Museeuw, Bjarne Riis, Erik Zabel, Michele Bartoli, Davide Rebellin and Danilo Di Luca.

The Amstel Gold Race marks the first of the 'Ardennes Trilogy', a total of three classic races in the Dutch-Belgian hills will be held within one week followed on Wednesday by the Flèche Wallonne (April 23) with its feared final climb on the 'Muur van Hoy' and the Classic Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday (April 27).

Liquigas

Sprinter Daniele Bennati has missed out the early season action - "I’m keen to race again and I’ve got the Giro d’Italia in my sights"

Bennati joined the team this year and the sprinter from Arrezzo will finally get the chance to make his first appearance for his new the team on 20th April during the Giro d’Oro. "I'm curious and excited about this debut. My season is only just starting now and I want to make my mark." Bennati was ready to compete in the official races back in February but a slight patellar chondropathy to his left knee, associated with inflammation of the lateral ligament, kept him away from the race scene: "I’m still not one hundred per cent on form and my legs still need to cover a few more miles. But I’m trying to prepare myself in the best way possible for the Giro d’Italia."

Bennati will be joined in the Giro d’Oro and the Giro del Trentino, which takes place from 22nd to 25th April, by Franco Pellizotti and Vincenzo Nibali, who will then fly off to Belgium the following day for the Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Completing the line-up, led by Stefano Zanatta, are Claudio Corioni, Vladimir Miholjevic, Andrea Noè, Alessandro Vanotti and Charles Wegelius.

Amstel Gold Race, Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège
Paris-Roubaix draws the first phase of the great northern classics to a close, and the Liquigas Team is revamping its line-up for the final races in Belgium and Holland.

Leonardo Bertagnolli, fresh from the G.P. Miguel Indurain, will be spearheading the Liquigas assault for all three of the classics. He’ll be joined in the three races by Kjell Carlström, who had a great start to the season by winning the third stage of the Paris-Nice. Roman Kreuziger will be competing in the Amstel Gold Race and the Flèche Wallonne, and Franco Pellizotti and Vincenzo Nibali will be joining the ranks for the Liège-Bastogne-Liège. The Liquigas riders will be led by team manager Dario Mariuzzo.

In addition to Bertagnolli, Kreuziger and Carlström, Valerio Agnoli, Michael Albasini, Dario Cataldo, Matej Mugerli and Frederik Willems are also scheduled to race in the Amstel Gold Race on 20th April.

Then the team are at Flèche Wallonne on 23rd April, and the squad is; Agnoli, Albasini, Bertagnolli, Carlström, Cataldo, Kreuziger, Mugerli and Willems.

The northern adventure ends on 27th April with the Liège-Bastogne-Liège, in which Franco Pellizotti, Vincenzo Nibali and Vladimir Miholjevic will be racing joined by Agnoli, Bertagnolli, Carlström, Cataldo and Mugerli

Team Barloworld

Team Barloworld’s Mauricio Soler has returned from Colombia ready for 40 days of intense racing and training. The Tour de France stage and climber’s jersey winner has trained hard while at home, is in good condition and has excellent moral. The Giro d’Italia is now just three weeks away and Soler knows it will be an important race for both him and Team Barloworld.

Before the start of the Giro d’Italia on May 10 in Palermo, Soler and several other Team Barloworld riders will study the key mountain stages of the Giro. He will also ride the Giro del Trentino stage race in the Italian Dolomites that starts on Tuesday, waiting for the Liege-Bastogne-Liege one-day race in Belgium on Sunday April 27. These two races will be Soler’s key final races before the Giro d’Italia as he enters the peak of his season. Naturally the Tour de France in July will be the Colombian climber’s other major objective after his success in cycling’s biggest race in 2007.

The Giro del Trentino will give Soler a chance to test his climbing form. In this stage race he will have the support of a strong Team Barloworld with Francesco Bellotti, Patrick Calcagni, Stephen Cummings, Enrico Gasparotto, Robert Hunter, Daryl Impey and Geraint Thomas also in the team’s line-up. Diego Caccia and Paolo Longo Borghini are reserves for the race in case of injury or illness.

April 22 - 1st stage - Arco - Riva del Garda (TT) - km 9.68
April 23 - 2nd stage - Torbole sul Garda – Torri del Benaco - km 178,00
April 24 - 3rd stage - Torri del Benaco – Folgaria – km. 173,00
April 25 - 4th stage - Lavarone – Peio Terme - km 178,600

Team Barloworld's spring classics season continues on Sunday with the 43rd edition of the Amstel Gold Race.

The Team Barloworld line-up for the Amstel Gold Race will be based around Moises Duenas, who showed signs of improvement in two recent stage races, Christian Pfannberger, who won the Giro del Capo, and Hugo Sabido. Also riding are John Lee Augustyn, Gianpaolo Cheula, Marco Corti, Christopher Froome e Carlo Scognamiglio.

Quickstep

The Quickstep line uo for Amstel Gold Race are; Ad Engels, Mauro Facci, Leonardo Scarselli, Hubert Schwab, Andrea Tonti, Jurgen Van de Walle, Giovanni Visconti, Maarten Wynants.

Astana

Astana Cycling Team defends its leader’s position in the UCI ProTour Team Ranking.

The Team starts well motivated in the Amstel Gold Race and one day later, another Astana Cycling Team starts in the 6th Tour de Georgia. Levi Leipheimer, earlier this season already winner of the Tour of California, aims to do the same in this eight-day race. Last year Levi Leipheimer was already the best in two stages in the Tour de Georgia. The winner of the first edition of this race was Astana’s Chris Horner (2003).

The team line-up for the next races:
Amstel Gold Race - Thomas Frei, Vladimir Gusev, Maxim Iglinskiy, Sergey Ivanov, Steve Morabito, Dmitriy Muravyev, Sérgio Paulinho and Sergey Yakovlev D.S.: Sean Yates

Tour de Georgia (USA) - Antonio Colom, Chris Horner, Aaron Kemps, Roman Kireyev, Levi Leipheimer, Andrey Mizurov, José Luis Rubiera and Michael Schär D.S.: Viatcheslav Ekimov and Alexandr Shefer

Lampre

The Amstel Gold Race will feature Damiano Cunego and Alessandro Ballan, with them there will be quality youngsters such Spilak and Gavazzi, trusted men such Marzano and Tiralongo and experience riders such Bossoni and Righi.

The same team, with Vila instead of Ballan, will race on Wednesday the 23rd in Flèche Wallonne. In the same week (from 22 to 25), blue-fucsia team will take part in Giro del Trentino with Bindi, Bruseghin, Longo, Lorenzetto, Mori, Pelanek, Santambrogio and Szmyd.
In the team staff there will be doctor Guardascione, mechanics Biron, Pengo and Valli and masseurs Della Torre, Gonzo and Napolitano.
"We have good chances to realize positive performances, sport director Piovani explained, We have climbers and there will be Lorenzetto, who will try to reach a top condition in view of Giro d'Italia".

Milram

"The Amstel Gold Race is a race that Erik Zabel likes,“ said Gerry van Gerwen, the Dutch general manager of the German ProTour team. "We have to be very attentive over the entire challenging course, in order to position Erik well in the finale. So it is surely an advantage for us that Martin Velits knows the region so well, because he lives and trains there.“

Milram will have eight riders in the Amstel Gold Race. In addition to Erik Zabel, who won the race in 2000, and local Dutch rider Niki Terpstra, Directeur Sportif Jochen Hahn will count on the three German riders Christian Knees, Björn Schröder and Enrico Poitschke. The squad will be supported by Ukranian Andrey Grivko, Spanish former World Champion Igor Astarloa and the young Slovakian Martin Velits, who injured his hand in the Ronde van Vlaanderen.

Amstel Gold Race Entry (Provisional)

Gerolsteiner GER
Ersatz De Bonis, Francesco ITA
Ersatz Haussler, Heinrich GER
1 Schumacher, Stefan GER
2 Scholz, Ronny GER
3 Fröhlinger, Johannes GER
4 Moletta, Andrea ITA
5 Rebellin, Davide ITA
6 Wegmann, Fabian GER
7 Zberg, Markus SUI
8 Wrolich, Peter AUT

AG2R La Mondiale FRA
Ersatz Valjavec, Tadej SLO
Ersatz Usov, Alexandre BLR
Ersatz Dupont, Hubert FRA
Ersatz Efimkin, Vladimir RUS
11 Arrieta Lujambio, José Luis SPA
12 Dion, Renaud FRA
13 Elmiger, Martin SUI
14 Krivtsov, Yuri UKR
15 Loubet, Julien FRA
16 Mandri, René EST
17 Nocentini, Rinaldo ITA
18 Pliuschin, Alexandr MDA

Astana LUX
Ersatz Horner, Chris USA
Ersatz Noval Gonzalez, Benjamin SPA
21 Frei, Thomas SUI
22 Gusev, Vladimir RUS
23 Iglinskiy, Maxim KAZ
24 Ivanov, Sergei RUS
25 Morabito, Steve SUI
26 Muravyev, Dimitri KAZ
27 Paulinho, Sérgio POR
28 Yakovlev, Serguei KAZ

Bouygues Telecom FRA
Ersatz Tschopp, Johann SUI
Ersatz Trofimov, Yury RUS
Ersatz Pütsep, Erki EST
31 Florencio Cabré, Xavier SPA
32 Geslin, Anthony FRA
33 Jerome, Vincent FRA
34 Lefevre, Laurent FRA
35 Pineau, Jerome FRA
36 Sprick, Matthieu FRA
37 Voeckler, Thomas FRA
38 Bernaudeau, Giovanni FRA

Caisse d'Epargne SPA
Ersatz Moreno Fernandez, Daniel SPA
Ersatz Gutierrez Palacios, José Ivan SPA
Ersatz Uran, Rigoberto COL
41 Garcia Acosta, José Vicente SPA
42 Lopez Garcia, David SPA
43 Losada Alguacil, Alberto SPA
44 Pereiro Sio, Oscar SPA
45 Rodriguez Oliver, Joaquin SPA
46 Rojas, José Joaquin SPA
47 Sánchez Gil, Luis León SPA
48 Valverde Belmonte, Alejandro SPA

Cofidis FRA
Ersatz Auge, Stéphane FRA
51 Dumouling, Samuel FRA
52 Duque, Leonardo COL
53 Minard, Sébastien FRA
54 Moinard, Amaël FRA
55 Monfort, Maxime BEL
56 Nuyens, Nick BEL
57 Scheirlinckx, Staf BEL
58 Verbrugghe, Rik BEL

Credit Agricole FRA
Ersatz Berthou, Eric FRA
Ersatz Bonnet, William FRA
61 Botcharov, Alexandre RUS
62 Caucchioli, Pietro ITA
63 Gerrans, Simon AUS
64 Hivert, Jonathan FRA
65 Kern, Christophe FRA
66 Konovalovas, Ingnatas LTU
67 Mederel, Maxime FRA
68 Roche, Nicolas IRL
68 Marino, Jean Marc FRA

Euskaltel-Euskadi SPA
Ersatz Txurruka, Amets SPA
71 Aramendia Lorente, Javier SPA
72 Astarloza, Mikel SPA
73 Azanza Soto, Jorge SPA
74 Galdos, Aitor SPA
75 Isasi Flores, Inaki SPA
76 Martinez De Esteban, Egoi SPA
77 Oroz Ugalde, Juan José SPA
78 Perez Moreno, Ruben SPA

Française Des Jeux FRA
Ersatz Gudsell, Timothy NZL
81 Casar, Sandy FRA
82 Gilbert, Phillippe BEL
83 Mengin, Christophe FRA
84 Mourey, Francis FRA
85 Roux, Anthony FRA
86 Stubbe, Tom BEL
87 Vanendert, Jelle BEL
88 Vaugrenard, Benoît FRA

Liquigas ITA
Ersatz Bertagnolli, Leonardo ITA
Ersatz Fischer, Murilo Antonio BRA
91 Agnoli, Valerio ITA
92 Albasini, Michael SUI
93 Carlström, Kjell FIN
94 Cataldo, Dario ITA
95 Kreuziger, Roman CZE
96 Mugerli, Matej SLO
97 Santaromita, Ivan ITA
98 Willems, Frederik 197

Quick Step BEL
Ersatz Rosseler, Sebastien BEL
Ersatz Cretskens, Wilfried BEL
Ersatz Tossato, Matteo ITA
Ersatz Garate, Juan Manuel SPA
101 Engels, Addy NED
102 Facci, Mauro ITA
103 Scarselli, Leonardo ITA
104 Schwab, Hubert SUI
105 Tonti, Andrea ITA
106 Van de Walle, Jurgen BEL
107 Visconti, Giovanni ITA
108 Wynants, Maarten BEL

Rabobank NED
Ersatz Lowik, Gerben NED
Ersatz Martens, Paul GER
Ersatz Eltink, Theo NED
111 Dekker, Thomas NED
112 Flecha Giannoni, Juan Antonio SPA
113 Freire Gomez, Oscar SPA
114 Gesink, Robert NED
115 Langeveld, Sebastian NED
116 Posthuma, Joost NED
117 Tankink, Bram NED
118 Ten Dam, Laurens NED

Saunier Duval-Scott SPA
Ersatz Mori, Manuele ITA
Ersatz Fernandez de la Puebla, Alberto SPA
121 Cobo Acebo, Juan José SPA
122 De La Fuente Rasilla, David SPA
123 Del Nero, Jesus SPA
124 Jufre Pou, Josep SPA
125 Lobato Elvira, Rubén SPA
126 Mejias, Javier SPA
127 Passeron, Aurelien FRA
128 Ricco, Riccardo ITA

Silence-Lotto BEL
Ersatz Roesems, Bert BEL
Ersatz Sentjens, Roy BEL
131 Aerts, Mario BEL
132 Bileka, Volodymyr UKR
133 Brandt, Christophe BEL
134 Hoste, Leif BEL
135 Lloyd, Mathew AUS
136 Tjallingii, Maarten NED
137 Van Avermaet, Greg BEL
138 Van Summeren, Johan BEL

Team CSC DEN
Ersatz Lund, Anders NOR
Ersatz Klostergaard, Kasper DEN
Ersatz Arvesen, Kurt-Asle NOR
Ersatz Gustov, Volodymir UKR
141 Kolobnev, Alexandr RUS
142 Kroon, Karsten NED
143 Larsson, Gustav Erik SWE
144 Ljungqvist, Marcus SWE
145 Schleck, Andy LUX
146 Schleck, Frank LUX
147 Sorensen, Nicki DEN
148 Van Goolen, Jurgen BEL

Team High Road USA
Ersatz Knaven, Servais NED
Ersatz Rabon, Frantisek CZE
151 Barry, Michael CAN
152 Boasson - Hagen, Edvald NOR
153 Ciolek, Gerald GER
154 Hansen, Adam AUS
155 Kirchen, Kim LUX
156 Klier, Andreas GER
157 Martin, Tony GER
158 Pinotti, Marco ITA

Team Lampre ITA
Ersatz Santambrogio, Mauro ITA
Ersatz Ballan, Alessandro ITA
Ersatz Vila Errandonea, Patxi Xabier SPA
161 Bindi, Emanuele ITA
162 Bono, Matteo ITA
163 Bossoni, Paolo ITA
164 Cunego, Damiano ITA
165 Gavazzi, Francesco ITA
166 Marzano, Marco ITA
167 Righi, Daniele ITA
168 Spilak, Simon SLO

Team Milram GER
Ersatz Ghisalberti, Segio ITA
Ersatz Jurco, Matej SVK
Ersatz Roels, Dominik GER
Ersatz Velits, Peter SVK
171 Astarloa, Igor SPA
172 Grivko, Andriy UKR
173 Knees, Christian GER
174 Poitschke, Enrico GER
175 Schröder, Björn GER
176 Terpstra, Niki NED
177 Velits, Martin SVK
178 Zabel, Erik GER

Barloworld GBR
Ersatz Longho Borghini, Paolo ITA
Ersatz Cooke, Baden AUS
181 Augustyn, John-Lee RSA
182 Cheula, Gian Paolo ITA
183 Corti, Marco ITA
184 Dueñas Nevado, Moisés SPA
185 Froome, Christopher KEN
186 Pfannberger, Christian AUT
187 Sabido, Hugo POR
188 Scognamiglio, Carlo ITA

Landbouwkrediet - Tonissteiner BEL
191 Bellemakers, Dirk NED
192 Cappelle, Andy BEL
193 De Waele, Bert BEL
194 Delfosse, Sébastien BEL
195 Gourgue, Benjamin BEL
196 Kleynen, Steven BEL
197 Kuyckx, Jan BEL
198 Sijmens, Nico BEL

Skil-Shimano NED
Ersatz Hupond, Thierry FRA
Ersatz Beppu, Fumiyuki JPN
Ersatz Doi, Yukihiro JPN
Ersatz Wagner, Robert GER
201 Curvers, Roy NED
202 Den Bakker, Maarten NED
203 Deroo, David FRA
204 Goesinnen, Floris NED
205 Lhotellerie, Clement FRA
206 Rooyakkers, Piet NED
207 Timmer, Albert NED
208 Veelers, Tom NED

Slipstream Chipotle USA
Ersatz Dean, Julian NZL
Ersatz Martin, Daniel IRL
211 Backstedt, Magnus SWE
212 Donald, Jason USA
213 Duyn, Huub NED
214 Hesjedal, Ryder CAN
215 Maaskant, Martijn NED
216 McCarty, Jonathan Patrick USA
217 Millar, David GBR
218 Patour, Kilian FRA

Topsport Vlaanderen BEL
Ersatz Neyens, Maarten BEL
Ersatz Verbist, Evert BEL
221 Barbe, Koen BEL
222 Coenen, Johan BEL
223 Gyllebert, Pieter BEL
224 Pauwels, Serge BEL
225 Renders, Sven BEL
226 Van Hecke, Preben BEL
227 Vandewalle, Kristof BEL
228 Veuchelen, Frederik BEL

Team Plowman Craven (By the team)

Team Plowman Craven competed Saturday (12th April) in the Island View Classic Professional Criterium on the Santa Barbara college campus.

The race was held under clear skies and with the temperatures hovering at just over 35 degrees it was always going to be a tough event. The race was however made harder still by the attendance of the strongest teams in America, which made up a field of 120 riders that flashed around the wide 1km circuit with thousands of spectators watching on and enjoying the party atmosphere.

From the second the flag was dropped Team Plowman Craven could be seen riding in the first few riders, their goal to control the race in an effort to deliver Team Captain Tony Gibb to the line in a mass sprint finish. With Simon Richardson repeatedly launching strong attacks in an effort to tire the other teams, and increasing Gibb’s chance of victory. With half an hour to go the race was still together despite aggressive riding from each member of the Plowman Craven team, with constant attacks and a strong presence in every move. As first Gaywood and then Oliphant tested the field, stretching the peloton in to a long single file line with the riders fighting to hold the rear wheel of the competitor in front, thanks to the ferocious pace set by the mass of pink and blue at the head of the field.

With 20 minutes remaining Manager Garry Beckett called Richardson to the front to carry out yet more repeated attacks in an effort to take the sting out of the other lead out trains, as the race entered an exciting finale. With both Team Plowman Craven and the Successful Living Team going to the head of affairs giving the enthralled crowd a spectacular finish as both teams battled for control of the race, with shoulders rubbing and mere centimetres separating the riders.With only three laps to go the pink and blue train was in full flight, as they moved Gibb into position for the final dash to the line, sitting 10 riders back with 500 meters to go World Silver Medallist Gibb used his immense experience in this kind of finish, switching to the wheel of fast finisher Karl Menzies from the Health Net Pro Cycling Team. As the sprinters opened up rising star Cody Oreilly was the first hit out with a long drawn out sprint, Gibb realising that Menzies was not in form stepped out early from behind the American in a bid to close in on Oreilly. With the finish line looming Gibb lunged for the line with neither rider sure which of them had been successful. The judges had a tough job to separating the two in the photo finish, eventually giving the verdict to Oreilly by under a centimetre.

Understandably Team Manager Garry Beckett was full of praise for the team, although a little frustrated with 2nd place. “Today Team Plowman Craven showed the established American Professional scene that they are some of the most skilled criterium riders in the world, with a performance than any Sports Director could be proud of. Every single one of the riders influenced the race greatly and we could have had anyone of them on the top step of the podium. It is a shame after all that hard work for us to come second by such a small margin, but we shall take this confidence forward.”

Tony Gibb added "The team did a fantastic job for me today and they kept me in a great position, inside the last lap I made a decision to go it alone and unfortunately I just ran out of road“.

1st Cody Oreily Successful Living Pro Cycling Team
2nd Tony Gibb Team Plowman Craven
4th Tom Barras Team Plowman Craven
7th Evan Oliphant Team Plowman Craven
10th Simon Gaywood Team Plowman Craven
30th Neil Coleman Team Plowman Craven
32nd James Millard Team Plowman Craven
35th Alex Higham Team Plowman Crave