World Road Championships |
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Lisbon, Portugal: October 2001 SPANIARD TAKES SECOND TITLE IN THREE YEARS: (By Shane Stokes Oct 14) 1999 victor Oscar Friere today reclaimed the coveted rainbow jersey of world champion with an explosive finishing sprint at the end of the tough, 254 kilometre Elite men's road race. The Spaniard who, despite a persistent and disruptive back problem has taken many victories since winning gold in Verona, underlined his immense talent when he survived the steep climbs of the 21 lap race and then outsprinted the world's best professionals, leaving Italian Paolo Bettini and Andrej Hauptman of Slovenia to take the minor medals. German Jan Ullrich will rue the missed opportunity to add another gold to the one he won in the elite time trial on Thursday, having failed to capitalize on the fact that he was the strongest rider in the field. Although the Olympic champion launched a number of attacks, they were neither sustained enough nor timed well enough to do the necessary damage, leading him to come home 13th in the 45-rider sprint. Compatriot Erik Zabel also missed out, placing just fifth in a finishing sprint which he might have won had the tough course not taken so much out of his legs. Also disappointed will be the Italian team, who succeeded in taking silver with Bettini, but could have claimed gold had in-fighting not marred their race. Tour of Italy winner Gilberto Simoni launched an impressive attack on the final lap, scorching clear on one of the tougher climbs on the circuit and opening up a decisive lead, but his chance of securing Italy's first gold since Gianni Bugno in 1992 was damned once Paolo Lanfranchi made the inexplicable decision to lead the bunch's pursuit. Instead, the hardest course in years saw one of the biggest finishing groups fight it out for the top prize, leaving Friere with the perfect opportunity. The likeable 25 year old was boxed in last year and missed the chance of taking a second world title; today, however, there would be no mistakes and a devoted, determined Spanish team got their just reward. Gold for Espana, the rainbow jersey for Friere, and once again sorry tales of what-might-have-been for their Latin neighbours. 1, Oscar Freire Gomez (Spa) 254 kilometres in 6 hours 7 mins 21 secs (40.504 km/h); 2, P. Bettini (Ita); 3, A. Hauptman (Slo); 4, E. Dekker (Ned); 5, E. Zabel (Ger); 6, P. Wadecki (Pol) all same time LITHUANIA TAKE GOLD AND SILVER; O'MARA DNF: (By Shane Stokes Oct 13) The Elite women's world championship road race today saw Lithuanian riders take Gold and Silver, with Rasa Polikeviciute and Edita Pucinskaite outsprinting time trial victory Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli for the most important medals. The three were part of a small group which went clear on the second-to-last of ten laps, and while Longo did her best to break clear and ensure her second gold of the championships, the rainbow jersey was decided in a three-up sprint. Grant Thornton - Team Ireland rider Susan O'Mara was one of several riders who did not complete the race, losing contact on the tough circuit. The world championships concludes tomorrow with the Elite Men's road race, a 254 kilometre affair of which over 50 kilometres in total is uphill. Jan Ullrich, Richard Virenque and 1999 champion Oscar Friere are the main favourites for what promises to be a ferociously tough race.
The race was won by Ukrainian rider
Oleksandr Kvachuk, who broke clear with two laps
remaining and overtook a small leading group, soloing in
alone to finish one minute clear of a chasing break of
five riders. Cassidy, meanwhile, had climbed strongly to
remain in the front half of the bunch when it split on
the penultimate lap, and placed 9th in that group's dash
for the line. Indeed he might have placed inside the top
ten in the race had he not been boxed in during the
sprint. Junior manager (and Tim's father) Jim Cassidy was understandably pleased with the result. 'It was a good ride. Over last 2 laps, the Ukrainian clipped off and then the other 5 got clear. The big main group split on the second last lap on the climb - Tim was in the first ten going over the climb and stayed with them until the finish. He was actually boxed in on the sprint to line and probably could have won bunch gallop if that had not happened. Before the race we felt a top-ten placing was possible, and he could have got that if he had a clear run to the line. Both Tim and Philip rode very well today, we were a bit unlucky with Paudi and Nicolas.' Results: 1, Oleksandr Kvachuk (Ukr) 121 kilometres in 2 hours 58 mins 43 secs (40.62 km/h); 2, N. Scheuneman (Ned) at 1 min .07 secs; 3, M. Perget (Fra); 4, S. Nevens (Bel); 5, J. Roy (Fra) all same time; 6, T. Lovkvist (Swe) at 1 min 8 secs; 7, L. Conati (Ita) at 1 min 23 secs; 8, J. Vastaranta (Fin); 9, M. Burghardt (Ger); 10, C. Mechenmoser (Ger) - Other: 15, Tim Cassidy (Grant Thornton-Team Ireland) same time; 62, P. Deignan (Grant Thornton - Team Ireland) at 2 mins 54 secs POPOVYCH WINS UNDER 23 ROAD RACE: (By Shane Stokes Oct 12) Ukrainian rider Yaroslav Popovych has won the under 23 world championship road race in Lisbon, breaking clear with Italian Giampaolo Caruso with 3 laps to go and then forging ahead inside the final kilometers to win by 17 seconds.
'Mark was there until four laps to go, and then the pace proved too much', said Grant Thornton Team Ireland senior manager Declan Byrne. 'He had stopped twice during the race - once because his chain was coming apart, to get a spare bike, and then later on when we had his own bike fixed - and I think that took a bit out of his legs. But that probably didn't make a huge amount of difference in the end, he might have hung on for a lap or two longer.' The Irish campaign ends tomorrow when Tim Cassidy, Philip Deignan, Nicolas Roche and Paudi O'Brien tackle the junior road race and Susan O'Mara competes in the Elite women event. Results: 1 Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) 169 kilometres in 4 hours 2 mins 43 secs (41.876 km/h); 2, G. Caruso (Ita) at 17 secs; 3, R. Gryschenko (Ukr) at 1 min 32 secs; 4, A. Kolobnev (Rus) at 1 min 43 secs; 5, J. Ljungblad (Swe); 6, A. Davis (Aus) Other: 36, Mark Scanlon (Grant Thornton - Team Ireland) at 6 mins 33 secs; 78, Denis Lynch (Grant Thornton - Team Ireland) at 10 mins 17 secs
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CASSIDY
15th IN JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROAD RACE: (By
Shane Stokes Oct 13) Grant Thornton - Team Ireland rider
Tim Cassidy today finished an excellent 15th in the
junior men's road race at the world championships, thus
registering the best performance in the event since Mark
Scanlon's victory three years ago. Cassidy has been one
of the strongest young riders in the country this year,
recording 19 wins, and today showed that strength over a
very tough course.
Philip
Deignan also rode well but tired towards the finish,
ultimately ending the race in 62nd place. Both Paudi
O'Brien and Nicolas Roche were caught in a big crash,
with the latter losing a lot of time as a result.
O'Brien was unable to continue as the neutral service
would not provide a replacement for his damaged bike.
1998 junior world champion Mark Scanlon
performed disappointingly, slipping out of contention
with four laps to go and finishing 36th, 6 minutes and
33 seconds off the winning pace. Denis Lynch was the
only other Irish finisher in 78th place.
McCann
40th in Elite Mens Time Trial: 
NO
JOY FOR IRISH JUNIORS
DISAPPOINTMENT
FOR SCANLON