The Cycliste Moderne, April 22, 2005

Liège-Bastogne-Liège Preview

Liège-Bastogne-Liège is the oldest of the classics and is known as “La Doyenne”. It was initially contested from 1892 until 1894 but took a fourteen-year hiatus before returning in 1908. It was raced intermittently over the next few years and only returned to a regular schedule in 1919 after World War I. A roughly out and back course, it is in the final third that the real effort begins.

Of the spring classics, climbers have had the most success in Liège-Bastogne-Liège due to the fact that the climbs are longer than those encountered during either the Ronde van Vlaanderen or Flèche Wallonne.

Last year Davide Rebellin of Gerolsteiner became the first man to sweep the Amstel Gold Race, Flèche Wallone and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Danilo Di Luca of Liquigas-Bianchi has a chance to become the second. Di Luca is on an impressive streak as he has managed to ride away from Rebellin and large groups during the week's prior two races. Both men have to be favorites this weekend.

The favorites for Sunday’s final spring classic are all Italians. Besides Di Luca and Rebellin, Paolo Betini of Quick.Step could have a strong race. Betini has had a quiet spring but this is a race that he won in both 2000 and 2002.


Tour of Georgia Update

Today was the third stage of the Tour of Georgia, the 29.9 km time trial that was run over a rolling course made more difficult by rain. Former U.S.Postal Service teammates Floyd Landis (Phonak) and David Zabriske (CSC) finished first and second respectively to move into the top two spots on the GC. Americans Bobby Julich (CSC) finished fourth and Levi Leipheimer (Gerolsteiner) was sixth with both finishing within a minute of Landis.

Lance Armstrong had a disappointing day finishing ninth and losing 1:45 to Landis. Afterwards Armstrong conceded that he does not currently have the fitness that he hoped to have and that he will need in order to win a seventh Tour de France.

The climbs have yet to start at the Tour of Georgia. The next two days in the Appalachian Mountains will decide the final GC. However, it is safe to assume that this year’s Tour of Georgia will be won by an American other than Armstrong. That is not a bad thing. Americans need to see other Americans winning American races. Americans have been spoiled by the fact that since the first American raced in the Tour de France in 1981, Americans have finished on the podium twelve times with Armstrong winning six times, LeMond winning three times, finishing second and third, and Julich finishing third.

The current group of leading American professionals are not getting younger. There are emerging talents like Tom Danielson, David Zabriske, Tyler Farrar and Saul Rasin. But it is time for them to step up and show that they can perform at the highest level consistently.