|
Tayeb Up There Again in Switzerland
A great week at the Tour of Romandie for the Linda McCartney Foods Cycling
Team drew to a close with Tayeb Braikia getting amongst the world's top
sprinters again. He finished fourth, with only a couple of yards separating
him from Mario Cipollini.
"I thought I'd caught Markus Zberg on the line, but the photo finish must
have proved it was just past it," said Tayeb. Zberg was third, with Latvian
Champion Romans Vainsteins pushing the Lion King all the way for his second
win this week, and the 151st of his illustrious career.
Paolo Savoldelli of Saeco managed to protect the green leader's jersey he
recovered from the young Festina rider Joseb Beloki. He lost it temporarily
after Friday's time-trial, but regained it with some great riding in the
mountains. Savoldelli, second in last year's Giro d'Italia, will certainly be
a man to watch in this year's event.
Linda McCartney riders were well to the fore again in the final stage, with
Bjornar Vestol and Matt Stephens delivering some crucial work to pull back a
break late in the day, setting up Tayeb for the sprint. Then it was Max
Sciandri who took up the reins, using all his experience to guide the Dane up
the through the field at high speed, then launching him at the line in the
final 300 metres.
Tayeb once again showed that he has genuine speed, and enough firepower to
trouble the fastest men in the world. He has clocked up a third place and two
fourths in a race not renowned for being a happy hunting ground for
sprinters. The first week of the Giro d'Italia is a well-known sprinters
paradise, and the team's supporters cannot help but feel a shiver of
excitement about the prospect of seeing one of their men getting in amongst
it.
"I think that this week's performances will have done Tayeb's confidence a
power of good, and maybe that was all he needed," said Sean Yates afterwards.
Sean, interviewed live on Eurosport three times this week, was happy with the
whole team's showing. "I think that's probably the best we've ridden all
season. I didn't want anybody to ride themselves into the ground with the
Giro starting next Saturday, but they contributed to the racing every day,
and we were a constant threat." Indeed, with Tayeb's sprinting, brilliant
lead-out work from David McKenzie and Bjornar Vestol, tireless chasing and
break infiltration by Matt Stephens, Maurizio De Pasquale and Ben Brooks, and
the constant threat of Olympic Champion Pascal Richard and top Briton Max
Sciandri lurking, things are looking good for that Tour of Italy. Throw Irish
prodigy Ciaran Power in off the back of his intensive Pyrenean Pursuits
mountain training camp, and you have a team that is firing on all cylinders
and revved up for Rome next Saturday.
Report by John Deering |
