Boonen to Lance: Stay out of My Way

Henry Chang

ANGERS, France : Belgian sprinter Tom Boonen's maiden
victory on the Tour de France was followed by a warning to
the peloton's powerbrokers, including Lance Armstrong's US
Postal team, to stay out of his way.

Friday's stage was marred by a mass pile-up in the final
kilometre before Boonen went on to dominate a group of
around 30 riders bidding for sprint victory in the 196km
stage between Bonneval and here.

A number of riders suffered cuts and grazes in the pile-up,
with Austrian Rene Haselbacher of the Gerolsteiner team
taken to hospital with a potentially serious hip injury.

Haselbacher, who crashed on the first stage of the Tour last
year, is unlikely to start Saturday's seventh stage.

It is not the first time there have been crashes on this
year's race, or any other edition for that matter.

The Tour de France's status as the biggest race in the world
means that sponsors are keen to have the jersey shown as
much as possible on television.

However, more importantly, at the end of stages which are
prone to end in a mass sprint a number of riders who are not
sprinters often try and keep up at the front, mostly in a
bid to protect their team leaders.

That includes those with the best chances in the overall
standings, including Armstrong, Tyler Hamilton (Phonak),
Roberto Heras (Liberty) and Gilberto Simoni (Saeco).

But Boonen, the 23-year-old Belgian sensation who is being
touted as the heir to recently retired Belgian one-day
classics legend, Johan Museeuw, feels it's time for them to
stay in their place.

"It's very dangerous on the Tour, and there are a lot of
riders up near the front just before the sprint who really
shouldn't be there," Boonen, a former member of Armstrong's
US Postal team said after his first win in the race.

"US Postal do it to try and protect Lance Armstrong and keep
him from getting involved in any of the crashes.

"Now Liberty, Phonak and Saeco are starting to do it as
well. But it's just too dangerous. There isn't enough room
for everybody."

Boonen's first win on the Tour comes in the wake of a series
of prestigious victories, including the Ghent-Wevelgem one-
day classic, the GP de L'Escaut, the Tour of Picardie, and
stage wins from the Tour of Germany and the Tour of Belgium.

He came close to winning stages at the start of the Tour,
but missed out twice due to mechanical problems, mainly
with his chain jumping at vital moments as he forced the
big gears on his bike into making manoeuvres it just
couldn't handle.

Those problems are now apparently solved, and with Italian
duo Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo) and Mario
Cipollini (Domina Vacanze) out of the race following their
retirement before Friday's stage, Boonen said his
confidence is still intact.

"I've been very confident," said Boonen, who admitted
that he was nevertheless wary of the incline finish of
Friday's stage.

"I think the other sprinters had been doubting my ability. I
had those mechanical problems at the start of the Tour and
maybe they were beginning to think I was using that as an
excuse - but without that I would probably have won another
couple of stages.

"When I can do my own sprint and avoid making any mistakes I
can always win. I think I have proved that. When everything
goes right it's very hard to beat me."

- AFP

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stor...ports/view/948-
97/1/.html

-

Henry

Thinking of you, Heather.

Curtis L . Russ

On 9 Jul 2004 23:26:14 -0700, henry_chang_2003@yahoo.com (Henry Chang)
wrote:

>
>"When I can do my own sprint and avoid making any mistakes
>I can always win. I think I have proved that. When
>everything goes right it's very hard to beat me."

Well, that rather is the thing, isn't it? So if he can get
to the finish in position and has no mechanicals and
everyone stays out of his way and off his back and he's
allowed to do his sprint, he can win.

While I never had a sprint, I think I might have won if
all the above had ever happened. I think I would have -
hard to tell...

OK, maybe not, but I would have been closer.

Hey, maybe if EVERYONE goes right, its hard to beat me.
That'd work. Hard on the spectators, though.

Curtis L. Russell Odenton, MD (USA) Just someone on
two wheels...

Michael

"Curtis L. Russell" <curtis@md-bicycling.org> wrote in message
news:0n40f09s9k0e8sggjmal7rn541er6s96p2@4ax.com...
> On 9 Jul 2004 23:26:14 -0700, henry_chang_2003@yahoo.com
> (Henry Chang) wrote:
>
> >
> >"When I can do my own sprint and avoid making any
> >mistakes I can always win. I think I have proved that.
> >When everything goes right it's very hard to beat me."
>
> Well, that rather is the thing, isn't it? So if he can get
> to the finish in position and has no mechanicals and
> everyone stays out of his way and off his back and he's
> allowed to do his sprint, he can win.
>
> While I never had a sprint, I think I might have won if
> all the above had ever happened. I think I would have -
> hard to tell...
>
> OK, maybe not, but I would have been closer.
>
> Hey, maybe if EVERYONE goes right, its hard to beat me.
> That'd work. Hard on the spectators, though.
>
> Curtis L. Russell Odenton, MD (USA) Just someone on two
> wheels...

He's young and brash. Sounds a lot like some other guys who
used to be that way.

Mike

Max Taylor

> That includes those with the best chances in the overall
> standings, including Armstrong, Tyler Hamilton (Phonak),
> Roberto Heras (Liberty) and Gilberto Simoni (Saeco).

Interesting that Simoni is mentioned among those with the
best chances in the overall standings while Ullrich is not.

Richard Adams

Michael wrote:

> "Curtis L. Russell" <curtis@md-bicycling.org> wrote in
> message news:0n40f09s9k0e8sggjmal7rn541er6s96p2@4ax.com...
>
>>On 9 Jul 2004 23:26:14 -0700, henry_chang_2003@yahoo.com
>>(Henry Chang) wrote:
>>
>>
>>>"When I can do my own sprint and avoid making any
>>>mistakes I can always win. I think I have proved that.
>>>When everything goes right it's very hard to beat me."
>>
>>Well, that rather is the thing, isn't it? So if he can get
>>to the finish in position and has no mechanicals and
>>everyone stays out of his way and off his back and he's
>>allowed to do his sprint, he can win.
>>
>>While I never had a sprint, I think I might have won if
>>all the above had ever happened. I think I would have -
>>hard to tell...
>>
>>OK, maybe not, but I would have been closer.
>>
>>Hey, maybe if EVERYONE goes right, its hard to beat me.
>>That'd work. Hard on the spectators, though.
>>
>>Curtis L. Russell Odenton, MD (USA) Just someone on two
>>wheels...
>
>
> He's young and brash. Sounds a lot like some other guys
> who used to be that way.
>
> Mike
>

The stages to La Mongie and Plateau de Beille should sort
out his smart mouth.

Michael

"Richard Adams" <ackthpt@concentric.net> wrote in message news:ccpkag$sus@dispatch.concentric.net...
> Michael wrote:
>
> > "Curtis L. Russell" <curtis@md-bicycling.org> wrote in
> > message
> > news:0n40f09s9k0e8sggjmal7rn541er6s96p2@4ax.com...
> >
> >>On 9 Jul 2004 23:26:14 -0700, henry_chang_2003@yahoo.com
> >>(Henry Chang) wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >>>"When I can do my own sprint and avoid making any
> >>>mistakes I can always win. I think I have proved that.
> >>>When everything goes right it's very hard to beat me."
> >>
> >>Well, that rather is the thing, isn't it? So if he can
> >>get to the finish in position and has no mechanicals and
> >>everyone stays out of his way and off his back and he's
> >>allowed to do his sprint, he can win.
> >>
> >>While I never had a sprint, I think I might have won if
> >>all the above had ever happened. I think I would have -
> >>hard to tell...
> >>
> >>OK, maybe not, but I would have been closer.
> >>
> >>Hey, maybe if EVERYONE goes right, its hard to beat me.
> >>That'd work. Hard on the spectators, though.
> >>
> >>Curtis L. Russell Odenton, MD (USA) Just someone on two
> >>wheels...
> >
> >
> > He's young and brash. Sounds a lot like some other guys
> > who used to be that way.
> >
> > Mike
> >
>
> The stages to La Mongie and Plateau de Beille should sort
> out his smart mouth.

Yeah, I don't think he was even in the top ten today.

M.