Evans snatches win in Swiss stage race

In what can only be described as a lack lustre spring for the Lotto-Davitamon team, Australian Cadel Evans certainly ended it in style for the Belgian super-team. In a dramatic last stage turn-around the former World MTB champion. He completely ripped the legs off a quality GC and put minutes into several really good testers, including a certain Jan Ullrich.

This shows that Evans will be a contender for the Giro, let’s just hope he can keep it going for three weeks, especially as he has been in good stage race positions before and his form has deserted him at the crucial moments.

Although way down on the stage and the GC, Jan Ullrich had a quiet few days in the peloton and seems to be progressing well with his fitness. The next test for him is also the Giro, it should be a wide open race with several teams looking for the win. A preview to follow later in the week.

60th Tour de Romandie – ProTour – TT Results

1. Cadel Evans (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto 26.19.87 (46.485 km/h)
2. Leif Hoste (Bel) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 0.22
3. Bobby Julich (USA) Team CSC 0.38
4. Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz) Liberty Seguros-Würth Team 0.44
5. Serguei Gonchar (Ukr) T-Mobile Team 0.49
6. Jorg Jaksche (Ger) Liberty Seguros-Würth Team 0.50
7. Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Liberty Seguros-Würth Team 0.51
8. Christophe Moreau (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance
9. Jurge Van Den Broeck (Bel) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 0.53
10. Dario David Cioni (Ita) Liquigas
69. Jan Ullrich (Ger) T-Mobile Team 2.28
110. Roger Hammond (GBr) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 3.48

Tour de Romandie – Final General Classification

1. Cadel Evans (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto 16.43.08
2. Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Liberty Seguros-Würth Team 0.27
3. Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne-Illes Balears 0.44
4. Jorg Jaksche (Ger) Liberty Seguros-Würth Team 0.54
5. Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz) Liberty Seguros-Würth Team 1.24
6. Dario David Cioni (Ita) Liquigas 1.46
7. Christopher Horner (USA) Davitamon-Lotto 1.50
8. Alexandre Moos (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 1.51
9. Sergio Ghisalberti (Ita) Team Milram 1.55
10. Sylvester Szmyd (Pol) Lampre-Fondital 2.21
112. Roger Hammond (GBr) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 47.04

115. Jan Ullrich (Ger) T-Mobile Team 49.59

Brits at Bretagne

One of the toughest week-long stage races on the second division calendar saw a few respectable results for UK riders last week, including DFL’s Russell Downing and Team U Nantes Atlantique’s Jonathon Dayus, who both ended up in the top ten (well 11!) and a gaggle of recycling.co.uk riders including Kristian House the Girvan winner. Downing was well placed for the overall for much of the race but lost some time on the last day. However a string of top ten placings and a stage win was good work for the British Champion.

Tour de Bretagne Cycliste, Fra (2.2) – Final General classification

1. Dries Devenyns (Bel) Wielergroep Beveren 2000 – Quick Step 24.38.03
2. David Le Lay (Fra) G.S Bretagne Jean Floch 0.32
3. Pavel Brutt (Rus) Tinkoff Restaurants 0.36
4. Peter Velits (Svk) Team Konica Minolta 0.53
5. Andrey Mizurov (Kaz) Cycling Team Capec 0.54
6. Jonathan Dayus (GBr) Team U Nantes Atlantique 1.29

7. Jurgen Roelandts (Bel) Bodysol-Win For Life-Jong Vlaanderen 1.31
8. Alexander Serov (Rus) Tinkoff Restaurants 1.33
9. Nikolay Trussov (Rus) Tinkoff Restaurants 1.39
10. Stéphane Petilleau (Fra) G.S Bretagne Jean Floch 2.09
11. Russell Downing (GBr) DFL-Cyclingnews 2.10
32. Robin Sharman (GBr) recycling.co.uk 4.37
48. Robert Partridge (GBr) recycling.co.uk 6.10
76. Kristian House (GBr) recycling.co.uk 12.45
83. Alex Coutts (GBr) DFL-Cyclingnews 17.48

Garzelli back on flying form at Henninger Turm

After several forays off the front in the final stages of this one day race in Frankfurt, former Giro d’Italia winner Stefano Garzelli (Liquigas) took a scrappy sprint from under the noses of some pretty respectable finishers. This shows he must have some stirling form ahead of the start of the Giro next weekend.

45th Rund um den Henninger Turm – 1.HC – May 1, 2006 – Results – 190 km

1. Stefano Garzelli (Ita) Liquigas 4.34.20
2. Gerald Ciolek (Ger) Team Wiesenhof Akud
3. Danilo Hondo (Ger) Team Lamonta
4. Erik Zabel (Ger) Team Milram
5. Bjorn Leukemans (Bel) Davitamon-Lotto
6. Stefan Schumacher (Ger) Gerolsteiner
7. Luca Ascani (Ita) Naturino-Sapore Di Mare
8. Davide Rebellin (Ita) Gerolsteiner
9. Alexandre Kolobnev (Rus) Rabobank
10. Gonzalez Serrano (Spa) Kaiku