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Max and Pascal Show Their Class
Max Sciandri and Pascal Richard finished 8th and 13th respectively as
Tirreno-Adriatico turned the screw on the best field yet seen in 2000. The
Linda McCartney duo rode brilliantly to secure the team's first top 10
placing of the race against a background of media excitement surrounding the
team. There was also a fantastic performance by Waterford's Ciaran Power,
turning in by far his best ride in the McCartney colours to date.
The 6th stage took in a large circuit based on the hilltop towns of
Montegranaro and Monte San Giusto, with a vicious 2km kick up to the
finishing line. It was a brutal day of attacking, the tone set by Andrea
Tafi, the Mapei star launching the first wave when he shot up the rode as
soon as the field ducked under the 0km banner. Things weren't looking too
bright for McCartney: Tayeb Braikia's cold had meant that he wasn't fit
enough to take the start line, and Matt Stephens was struggling from the off,
not yet fully recovered from his brilliant rides in Australia and Malaysia.
"I didn't want Matt to dig too deeply and ruin the next few weeks, so we
agreed that he should abandon," explained Sean Yates.
However, Max Sciandri and Pascal Richard were still accompanied by Ciaran
Power and Maurizio De Pasquale in the select group that was chasing down the
day's early break. On the continual up and down course, the likes of
Jalabert, Olano and Boogerd drove the pace up to seemingly impossible
heights, but Max and Pascal hung in to contest the uphill sprint, won by
World Champion Oscar Freire, his second victory in the race. Max's 8th was an
excellent result in such lauded company, and Pascal proved that he is
approaching his very best form. It is surely only a matter of time before the
Olympic Champion takes a big victory.
Ciaran rode his heart out to keep them in position and was only 43 seconds
behind, alongside Mapei's Michele Bartoli and Johan Museeuw. "I was very glad to see that line!" Ciaran laughed
as he recovered.
Today's stage promises to decide the whole event, with some proper mountains
to climb and a real test for Once and their desire to keep Abraham Olano in
the leader's jersey. The Linda McCartney boys are very keyed up, and have
been looking forward to Tuesday as the race's "etape reine", and perhaps
their best opportunity to shine. It will be a hard day for everyone.
The day had started well for the team, when they woke in their hotel in San
Benedetto Del Tronto to see their own faces smiling back from the pages of
Rome's big daily, "Il Messaggero". Chief cycling writer Lilo Pietropaoli, the
former organiser of Tirreno-Adriatico, wrote a major piece describing the
team's inception and development to become an emerging force in world
cycling. Focusing on Linda's vision and Paul's involvement, it went on to yet
again raise the question of the team's participation in this May's Giro
d'Italia, a very popular topic at the moment. Max Sciandri was quizzed in a
live national radio interview broadcast across the country, when the Giro was
discussed and also the ever popular "are-you-really-a-vegetarian" angle. Mrs
Sciandri reported that whilst switching the channels in her car, she heard
the radio station's major competitor talking about exactly the same things -
very Italian!
Report by John Deering
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