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Road News and Results – April 24, 2009

April 24th, 2009 by Ron Callahan No Comment

Here’s today’s cycling news. Lance Armstrong will not race before Giro, Filippo Simeoni still incredulous about Giro snub, Alejandro Valverde hopes for sunny weather and more….

Results:

South African Robert Hunter (Barloworld) won the third stage of the Tour of Trentino, which ended Friday at Innervillgraten in Austria at the end of 160 km. Janez Brajkovic (Astana) retained control of the overall standings.

DL:

Daniele Bennati (Liquigas) is still fighting a muscle injury and will more than likely miss the Giro.
Perrig Quemeneur (Bbox Bouygues Telecom), a victim of a fall Wednesday at the Flèche Wallonne, will not participate in the Tour of Italy. Quemeneur, who will celebrate his 25th birthday on Sunday, has received a dozen stitches in his knee and will observe 15 days of rest.
After months on the bench after breaking his leg in September, Laszlo Bodrogi will make his comeback at the Four days of Dunkirk in May. He is now riding for the Katusha team.

Law and Order: UCI

Dario Frigo, arrested in July 2005 in Courchevel in a doping case while participating in the Tour de France, was sentenced to three months suspended prison sentence by the Court of Appeals of Chambery. The court, which made its deliberations Friday, did not follow the suggestion of a March 5th hearing with the Advocate General, which sought a year’s imprisonment. The rider’s wife, Susanna, was also sentenced to three months prison sentence.
The Court of Turnhout has convicted ex-cyclist Dave Bruylandts for possession of hormonal drugs, but gave him a suspended sentence. Ex-rider Peter Van Santvliet was acquitted.

Liege-Bastogne-Liege:

Skil-Shimano: Jonathan Hivert, Thierry Hupond, Koen de Kort, Piet Rooijakkers, Albert Timmer, Theo Eltink, Yukihiro Doi, and Simon Geschke.
Silence-Lotto: Cadel Evans, Philippe Gilbert, Thomas Dekker, Christophe Brandt, Francis de Greef, Jelle Vanendert, Pieter Jacobs and Jurgen Vandenbroeck.
Alejandro Valverde thinks that he can defend his title at the race “if the weather is nice.”

News:

Gazetta dello Sport reported that Lance Armstrong would race in the Tour of Gila (April 29th to May 3rd in New Mexico) before heading to Europe to contest the Giro. Several other news outlets picked up the news, but Astana released a statement later in the day saying that no definitive decisions have been made.
Despite calls from Ceramica Flaminia – Bossini team management to explain their exclusion from the race, Giro organizer Angelo Zomegnan is saying little. “This is not a negative but non-invitation. I do not go there on to explain, I do not provoke controversy.”
“It’s a scandal,” Filippo Simeoni told the Italian wire service, ANSA. “I don’t exclude some sort of protest action before the start of the race. Only in Italy is the national champion not respected.”
Davide Rebellin (Diquigiovanni) made a reconnaissance of the last 90 kilometers of the route of Liège with his team yesterday morning. After victory at the Fleche Wallone, he is not putting any particular pressure on himself to win.
Venezuelan climber José Rujano could possibly race at the Giro d’Italia in ISD colors. Rubano, who is currently in military training, finished third in the 2005 Giro and also won the green jersey. He is hoping to be released from his military obligations in time to make the race.
The BMX tracks at the World Cycling Centre (WCC) in Aigle, Switzerland, have been renovated and modified to optimize training conditions for visiting athletes. The main track, which was renovated a year ago in order to resemble that of the Olympic Games in Beijing, has been resurfaced for the new season, with changes to a jump in the first straight. The UCI’s BMX Coordinator Johan Lindström explains that the track will continually evolve to meet the demands of athletes.
Skil-Shimano are set to take part in the Arno Wallaard Memorial in Meerkerk this Saturday. The race is named in honour of Arno Wallaard, who tragically died on 28 February 2006 in his debut year as a professional cyclist at Skil-Shimano. Kenny van Hummel, Wallaard’s team-mate in 2006, is desperate to get a good result. “This is not just another race for me.”