Cycling Round Up

Archives: January  - February 2000

POWER MAKES PRO DEBUT, NINTH IN PROLOGUE CRITERIUM JAN 26 - Five years after Sean Kelly hung up his wheels, Irish cycling returned to the professional peloton on Tuesday when Waterford cyclist Ciarán Power made his debut with the Linda McCartney squad in the Tour of Langkawi in Malaysia.  The 23 year old made an encouraging start to his season in the criterium-style prologue of the 13 day Tour. Although the street-circuit race did not count towards the overall classification, 127 riders lined out for the effort and after one hour of high speed racing Power sprinted home in ninth place, seven seconds behind winner Graeme Miller of New Zealand but in the same time as second-placed Jan Koerts. Race proper began with a 9.2 kilometre time trial yesterday and the Irishman placed 52nd of 149 riders in both the stage and the overall classification, conceding one minute and nine seconds to American Floyd Landis. The 1,600 kilometre Tour continues until February 6th when it concludes with a criterium on the streets of Kuala Lumpur.

POWER PLACES 14TH ON SECOND STAGE OF TOUR OF MALAYSIA JAN 27 - New Irish professional Ciarán Power continued his impressive showing in the Tour of Langkawi yesterday, placing 14th in a tough mountainous stage which saw most of the field drop out of contention. The 23 year old from Waterford rode strongly during the 108 mile stage, disputing the sprint for 9th place in a group of 44 riders who came in fourteen seconds behind stage winner Jamie Drew of Australia.  Power now lies 35th overall, one minute and 19 seconds behind new race leader Daniele Contrini of Italy. Having conceded most of this time in Wednesday’s time-trial, the 1998 FBD Milk Rás winner is aiming to improve his overall standing in the forthcoming mountain stages.

POWER TENTH ON THIRD STAGE OF TOUR OF LANGKAWI JAN 28 - MALAYSIA In what is his first race as a professional cyclist, Ciarán Power yesterday provided further proof of his capabilities in the 54 mile third stage of the Tour of Langkawi in Malaysia. At the finish in Sitawan, the 23 year old was tenth in the bunch sprint in the same time as stage winner Damien Nazon of the French BJT Team Bonjour.  There was no change in the overall standings, with Italian Daniele Contrini retaining the yellow jersey of race leader. Power is second placed of the Linda McCartney team, 1 minute 19 seconds behind Contrini in 35th place overall, but will be hoping to improve his position as the race enters the mountains. Today’s stage is probably the biggest test for the Waterford cyclist – the 162.5 kilometre stage to Tanah Rata finishes with a 49 kilometre category one climb which is reputedly the longest ascent in cycle racing.

POWER LOSES TIME AFTER PUNCTURE  JAN 30 - Irish cyclist Ciarán Power slipped down the overall classification to 41st yesterday, after two hard days racing in the Tour of Langkawi in Malaysia. Saturday’s 4th stage finished on a 49 kilometre category one climb, reputed to be the longest in cycle racing, and the length of the ascent proved too much for the 23 year old who dropped back from the leaders in the final kilometres. Power conceded 1 minute 18 seconds to finish 38th on the stage. The new professional crossed the top of the climb on yesterdays 5th stage with the front runners, but a potential high placing was lost on the descent to the finish when he punctured. Power’s misfortune was compounded when the Linda McCartney team vehicle was delayed, and the resulting late wheel change meant that he trailed in 6 minutes and 18 seconds down in 78th place. Power is currently 8 minutes 52 seconds behind race leader Mark Walters of the Canadian National team, but remains upbeat, believing that a stage win is possible before the race finishes next Sunday.

POWER FINISHES IN MAIN BUNCH  JAN 31 - Irish professional Ciarán Power yesterday finished with the main bunch in the 6th stage of the Tour of Langkawi, one minute and three seconds behind American rider Antonio Cruz.  Fellow American Chris Horner finished in the same time as Cruz and took over leadership of the Malaysian race, deposing previous yellow jersey Mark Walters of Canada. 23 year old Power remains in 41st place overall, 9 minutes and 9 seconds behind Horner with six stages left in the event.  The Waterford cyclist’s Linda McCartney squad is currently 4th overall of 25 teams, and stands to gain UCI world ranking points which will be invaluable in their attempts to gain entry into this year’s Tour of Italy.

POWER EIGHTH ON SEVENTH STAGE OF TOUR OF LANGKAWI FEB 1 - Irish neo-professional Ciarán Power yesterday achieved his highest placing yet in the Tour of Langkawi in Malaysia, when he placed eighth in mass bunch sprint at the finish of stage 7. Power and his Linda McCartney team-mates had been instructed to assist designated sprinter David McKenzie in the approach to the line, but when the Australian punctured with two kilometres to go, Power opted to go for a high placing himself.  The stage was won by Ivan Quaranta of the Mobilvetta Design team, who enjoys the distinction of having outsprinted Mario Cipollini on two occasions in last year's Tour of Italy. Power was best placed of the Linda McCartney team in eighth and remains 41st overall, nine minutes and nine seconds behind race leader Christopher Horner of the Mercury squad.  The riders face the longest stage of the Malaysian tour today, a 152 mile race from Mersing to Malacca.

POWER CRASHES IN LAST KILOMETER, BUT LOSES NO TIME OVERALL FEB 2 - Having impressed with an 8th place finish on Tuesday, Ciarán Power yesterday experienced the flipside of bunch sprinting when he was involved in a 30-rider, 40 miles per hour pileup at the end of the 8th stage of the Tour of Langkawi.  Although the 23 year old neo-pro crossed the line almost three minutes behind stage winner Ivan Quaranta (Mobilvetta Design team), Power and fallen team-mate David McKenzie were credited with the same time as the bunch, as the crash occurred in the final kilometre. Suffering only slight grazes, Power remains nine minutes and nine seconds behind overall leader Christopher Horner of the American Mercury squad, but moves up one place to 40th in the general classification.  The riders face one of the hardest stages of the race tomorrow, concluding with the savagely-steep category one climb to the Genting Highlands.

NINE STAGES  FEB 3 -  into what is his first race as a professional, Ciarán Power has illustrated that he is clearly swimming, rather than sinking, as the Tour of Langkawi progresses. The 23 year old shrugged off the effects of a crash at the end of Wednesday’s stage and broke clear early on yesterday’s undulating race, driving a large break towards the finish in the Malasian city of Kajang.  Best placed of those in the break, Power rode hard to gain time and consequently was distanced when the attacks started 10 kilometres from the end of the 115 km stage. The Waterford rider crossed the line in 13th place, one minute 55 seconds behind stage winner Guido Trenti of the USA, but over three and a half minutes ahead of the main bunch containing overall leader Chris Horner.  Power has justifiably earned the praise of his Linda McCartney team during the race, and this latest display moves him up eleven places to 29th overall. Indeed, had he not punctured earlier in the week it is probable that he would be challenging for a place in the top 20. Today’s stage finishes up the ferociously steep climb to Genting and is likely to cause the last real shuffling of the overall classification before the race concludes with a criterium in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.

POWER FINISHES 23RD ON 10TH STAGE OF TOUR OF LANGKAWI FEB 4 - NOW 23rd OVERALL  Yesterday’s stage of the Tour of Langkawi was one of the hardest of the race, finishing at the top of a leg-breaking category one climb in the Genting Highlands. Irish neo-pro Ciarán Power rode strongly as part of a Linda McCartney Team effort which paved the way for Matthew Stephen’s second place on the stage, and the Waterford rider crossed the line himself in 23rd place, 4 minutes and 8 seconds behind winner Julio Alberto Perez of Mexico. Power moved from 29th to 23rd overall, 8 minutes and 21 seconds behind yellow jersey Christopher Horner of the American Mercury team and indeed would be higher in the general classification had he not lost time with a puncture earlier this week. With two stages left in the race, the Linda McCartney squad are now an excellent third in the teams classification, strengthening their bid to get into this year’s Tour of Italy.  The race ends with a criterium around the streets of Kuala Lumpur tomorrow, after which Power’s team roll onwards to contest the Rapport Tour in South Africa from February 11-19th.

POWER FINISHES 23RD OVERALL: FEB 6 - After recording five top-twenty placings on stages, including three top ten finishes, Irish neo-pro Ciarán Power substituted thoughts of personal ambition for some selfless team riding in the last two days of the Tour of Lankawi this weekend. With Power’s  team-mate Matthew Stephens in 4th place overall and the Linda McCartney squad third in the team classification, the 23 year old from Waterford dedicated himself to preserving the status quo until the race ended yesterday with a criterium in Kuala Lumpur.  Ultimately just one of those goals was achieved, with the American Saturn team rider Antonio Cruz gaining enough time to displace Power’s Linda McCartney squad from their place on the podium, but Stephen’s 4th overall was of bigger concern to the British team and they will return from Malaysia satisfied. Power placed 70th in Saturday’s 84 mile stage, which was won by Italian rider Ivan Quaranta, and crossed the line in the bunch yesterday in 58th place, one minute and four seconds behind a small break led home by German rider Jan Bratkowski of the Mercury Cycling Team.  But for a new professional in his first race of the year, the Malaysian tour has been a source of encouragement to Power. Sprinting well – he placed 8th on Tuesday’s stage 7 after team galloper David McKenzie punctured with two kilometres to go, and climbing strongly, the 1998 FBD Milk Rás winner finished a more-than-respectible 23rd overall and was an important element of the Linda McCartney squad’s high placing in the team classification.  Indeed Power would have finished closer to overall winner Christopher Horner of the Mercury team had he not lost over six minutes with a puncture last Sunday.