Cycling Round Up

Feature: By Shane Stokes

McEWEN FOR SAN REMO HONOURS?

Confidence boosted by two stage wins in Paris-Nice, in-form Lotto rider Robbie McEwen is relishing the thoughts of a bunch finish at the end of the Milan San Remo Classic. ‘The Italians have all been promising to blow the race apart early on and so prevent a big group reaching San Remo’, he said last Sunday, ‘but they say the same thing each year and it hasn’t worked out that way yet. I am looking forward to the race’.

Still the highest ranking rider in 2002, the Australian national champion must be considered a real threat to Erik Zabel’s ambition of taking a fifth win in La Primavera. Despite a touch of bronchitis, McEwen was in impressive form during Paris-Nice, easily distancing Alessandro Petacchi at the end of stage 2 and then denying Tom Steels on the Promenade Des Anglais last Sunday. In all the 30 year old has taken 10 UCI victories in the first three months of 2002, and by the sound of things, more are on the way.

‘I felt really good today’, he said, after the finish in Nice. ‘I had bronchitis during the week and was on antibiotics for a few days. I got it hard on the hills and considered pulling out of the race, but then started to come around again on Saturday’s stage (to Col d’Eze). Today I felt really good, I was turning the gear nicely and had no problem going with the attacks on the first climb, then felt really strong in the final sprint.

Baden Cooke came by me as I was just about to go, but I was able to pull back until he lost his momentum, then kick again. My legs were really good – I could accelerate, decelerate, and then go once more – pretty much do what I liked. I am sprinting very well right now.’

McEwen is planning to wind down later this month and allow his form to dip, before building back up again for the Giro and the Tour. But before then there is Milan San Remo, the first of the World Cup races and an event that every sprinter dreams of winning.

‘I am looking forward to having a go at it’, he says. ‘I have only ridden it once or twice – I finished 50th once, in the second group, and that was with much less form than I have now. Hopefully I will get myself over the climbs with the front group and see if they have another big bunch finish this year’.

‘If it does end that way, it should be between Zabel, Petacchi, myself, Tom Steels – he has been going very well lately – Freire and Cipollini. Another couple of guys may get up there, but that is the main list if it comes down to a bunch finish.’

McEwen is planning an easy week before tackling the Italian classic. ‘I will take it handy for most of the week, maybe do one training session behind the motorbike, but that will be all’, he says. ‘I want to make sure I am fresh for the race’.

EVANS IMPRESSES

While La Francaise des Jeux rider Sandy Casar was undoubtedly the biggest revelation of the 2002 Paris-Nice event, finishing second overall, former MTB star Cadel Evans was another who was generating big headlines with his strong performances during the week.

The Mapei rider may only be starting his first full season of road racing but on the evidence of the summit finishes at Mont Faron and Col d’Eze, the future is going to be a very bright one indeed. Evans recorded the fastest ascent up Mont Faron at the end of stage 4, taking time back on stage winner Alexandre Vinokourov, and may well have scooped the honours himself were it not for the fact that he missed a crucial split and started the climb three minutes back.

Two days later, the 25 year old rode impressively on the Col d’Eze, breaking away on the lower slopes and chasing last year’s overall winner Dario Frigo all the way to the line. Evans finished the stage 15 seconds back in second place, and ended the race 10th overall. He was also second to Casar in the best young rider classification.

‘I am happy with how the race went, even though some of the stages didn’t work out as well (tactically) as they might have’, he said afterwards. ‘But in terms of how I was going on the climbs and in the bunch, I am pretty satisfied. The team are very happy too. The race ended up going a bit better than I expected beforehand and that is encouraging.’

For a rider who has limited road race experience, at least on a professional level, it has been a surprise to see just how fast Evans has settled in to the peloton. He did ride some races last year with Saeco – the Australian took five wins on the road, including the post-Tour A Travers de Lausanne hillclimb (beating, among others, Lance Armstrong) – but readily admits that he has a bit to learn. ‘It is taking a bit of time to get to know how the team, and other teams, work in terms of tactics. I am also finding it a bit of a disadvantage not knowing the courses and the other riders – that is going to improve with experience but of course that takes time’.

For 2002, he has decided to target short stage races and also will ride for Stefano Garzelli in the Tour of Italy. Evans stresses that he is not aiming for a high placing in the overall classification of the three week tour (even though some analysts have suggested a top five placing is possible), but says that in the future his career will be targeted towards that type of goal.

‘All indicators are pointing towards the big Tours. The longer, steeper climbs should suit me pretty well, but I really don’t know what to expect of myself in terms of the overall classification. That is all unknown territory for me, we will have to wait and see how things work out’, he said.