‘Best Finishers’ and ‘Best Starters’ are coming…

Feyzi Acikalin

Frankly speaking, I was keeping an eye on Andrei Greipel since the end of the previous race season. Greipel took the stage after the success of his team mate Cavendish at the Tour de France. Greipel whom I watched live for the first time at Tour of Poland in August had won the last stage. Later, he also became the star of La Vuelta which was the last big race of the season. At the world championship at Mendrisio he was again among the bests.

Greipel who was the most notable sprinter of 2009 race season, had made the Team Columbia HTC unquestionably the best team of 2009 with his team mates. In our tour, to bring Greipel to the finish line (!) will be the task of Olympic champion Mark Renshaw. Bert Grabsch who became the world champion with his discipline against time is coming to take the prologue race in Istanbul. Czech champion Rabon Frantisek who won the Tour of Murcia in recent weeks and 22 years old Tejay Van Garderen who is the best hope of Americans for the future will run for general classification leadership…

The second favourite team of Presidential Cycling Tour will be Liquigas… Bennati who was one of the primary favourites of Milan-Sanremo race that was run for the 101st time (!) on March 20, Saturday but contended with being fifth at the last moment, will pose next to Greipel at the finish lines. By the way, let me note that the young Sacha Modolo who beat Bennati at the last moment at Milan-Sanremo, will come to our country with Colnago CSF team… Chicchi who have begun the season with stage wins at Dubai and Oman, will be the second trump of Liquigas. 20 year old Slovak athlete Peter Sagan aroused more interest than the winner of the race Contador with his two stage winner title he won at Paris-Nice which is the first important stage race of the season…

And finally a French team, Cofidis is coming. David Moncoutie who is the champion of climbing general classification of last two La Vuelta is the star of the team. On the other hand, Amael Moinard was the member of Cofidis that has become the best starter of the season by winning stage and the best climber title at Paris-Nice. 23 year old young Estonia Champion Rein Taaramae became 8th in general classification again at Paris-Nice and become to be seen as one of the best stage race racer of the future…

Lampre team which is one of the permanent participants of our race had an eye on stage championships with Angelo Furlan. But I think, they will push for general classification leader title with their 23 year old Slovenian star Simon Spilak who became 5th in the bench of young competitors at the Tour of Tirreno-Adriatica on March… Footon Servetto which is another Pro Tour Team is coming under the leadership of Alberto Benitez who has been participating in our race for three years. They will look to win stages with Michele Merlo…

Navigare which came to our race in previous years has changed its name to Colnago CSF this season. Like the last two years Colnago CSF is again candidate for surprise championships in this Tour especially with their 22 year old athlete Sacha Modolo. Mattia Gavazzi who became 6th at Tirreno-Adriatica is one of most fit athletes of the team. Filippo Savini will be their trump for climbing stages… Another favourite Italian team ISD is one of the popular teams of this year. The most important trump of the team which is recognized within the group with their phosphorous green cycles and jerseys will be Giovanni Visconti who won the UCI Europe Cup championship in 2009. Dieogo Caccia who became 2nd at the king of the mountain classification at Tirreno Adriatica and sprinter Davide Ricci had also come to our country last year…

Carmiooro NGC which is attracting attention with their pitch-black jerseys within the group is again one of the teams that have changed its name this year. Sprinter Ventoso Alberdi looks like the athlete who is closest to make the team’s name… Austrian team Vorarlberg Corratec is coming with a strong team under the leadership of their sprinter Sebastian Siedler… There is Kenny Van Hummel, one of the most successful sprinters of 2009 in Skil-Shimano which is the only team coming from the Benelux countries… The most important trumps of CCC Polsat- Polkowice which is the best team of Poland will be Tomasz Marczynski who began this year in good shape and their sprinter Krzysztof Jezowski…

Xacobeo Galicia team under the leadership of David Garcia Dapena who can easily be declared the most successful athlete of the last two years is coming again. And of course it will broke many hearts again… We will address the staff and form conditions of Turkish National Team for whom even handling with individual successes among giants will be considered as great success in later articles…