Official thread: 2009 Tour of Austria

[Alpe d'Huez]

Thanks for the links guys. Appreciate.

The next Tour of Switzerland IMO.

Maybe. I can see it moving up to ProTour status. It's a scenic country with a lot of spectacular scenery and big mountains. Why not? I mean, if the Tour of California can be run the same time as the Giro, why not have Austria be a PT race the same time as the Tour?

Stage 3 looks interesting. Double peaks like that always cause something to happen. Though there's a lot of real estate to cover until the finish. Almost looks prime for a break, and another set of attacks at the Cat 2 climb up Virgen near the finish:

 

[craig1985]

There was talk a few years ago about Austria being a PT race, it has a quality field and the racing is pretty hard. As for the next Tour of Switzerland comment, sorry I was a bit vague in that will turn out to be a Columbia benefit race like Switzerland was.

 

[laurentiu46]

This is the classical queen stage of the austrian race in recent years.
The Grossglocker Hochalpenstrasse's double peaks should provide attacking ground,but the uphill finish suits Albasini again.
How about a double from the swiss,outsprinting a small group of favourites?
I was waiting more from Kessiakoff and Cobo yesterday.

 

[delgado]

There was talk a few years ago about Austria being a PT race, it has a quality field and the racing is pretty hard.

alas they all but cancelled this year's edition, following the Kohl/Pfannberger/Hempel stories (Austria still smarting from the Torino olympic fiasco, politics are picking up on the doping issue in a big way now)... so to say the least, the prospects of the race are precarious.

Also, the slot in the season, around TdF time, means the A-Tour will always be confined to pick up the crumbs, so to speak. Of course you could conceive a race in this country that equals or tops TourDeSuisse, but somehow the layout seems to recur to the same venues over and over. Yawn.

TV coverage has always been abysmal, and I figure all it will take is a bust or two this year to seriously endanger next year's or further editions. It's that close.

 

[DJ Sprtsch]

Kessiakoff is in the break today.
You can follow it live here.

 

[craig1985]

alas they all but cancelled this year's edition, following the Kohl/Pfannberger/Hempel stories (Austria still smarting from the Torino olympic fiasco, politics are picking up on the doping issue in a big way now)... so to say the least, the prospects of the race are precarious.

Also, the slot in the season, around TdF time, means the A-Tour will always be confined to pick up the crumbs, so to speak. Of course you could conceive a race in this country that equals or tops TourDeSuisse, but somehow the layout seems to recur to the same venues over and over. Yawn.

TV coverage has always been abysmal, and I figure all it will take is a bust or two this year to seriously endanger next year's or further editions. It's that close.

So in Austria the attitudes to cycling and doping are very similar (somewhat hypocritically I should add, but I will not discuss it in this thread or forum) to Germany where so many quality races have gone under?

 

[delgado]

So in Austria the attitudes to cycling and doping are very similar (somewhat hypocritically I should add, but I will not discuss it in this thread or forum) to Germany where so many quality races have gone under?

it's similar, minus the Ullrich legacy. A Luttenberger fluke like in 1996 (won Switzerland, 5th at the Tour) is generously swept under the rug today.
Tour of Austria's marketing attempts at internationalization and UCI rating have stalled for years now, and last year hasn't been helpful.

 

[ak-zaaf]

weening takes the stage!

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Cool. Pieter has his own site, for those who'd like to know more. A lot of people may remember him outsprinting I think Kloden in the 2005 Tour for a stage win.

Yes, Kohl may have really been a final nail for Austria, but if the sport can get cleaner, there's hope, because there's a lot of people that love the sport and Austria has the terrain.

Perhaps moving the event to August to compete with the boring Eneco Tour, or to September opposite the Vuelta would help?

 

[ak-zaaf]

Cool. Pieter has his own site, for those who'd like to know more.

hehehe, always good to have fans do your website :


"Peter has now finally completed a period of bad luck and shows that he indeed had earned a spot in the tour of the Rabobank team."

 

[Bala Verde]

I read Moerenhout was showing good form today as well. He must be feeling quite energetic with that new jersey of his

 

[39*23t]

tomorrows stage loooks quite interesting with a third cat climb at about 20 km to go a bit of downhill and a 10 km or so run in to the finish. Will probably be a sprintout with a small group

 

[Pot Belgique]

Kevin Seeldrayers 4th overall. Not bad after a great Giro

Up to 3rd now after stage 3.....loving your work Kevin

 

[craig1985]

Jan Barta of KTM Junkers wins stage 4 and now has his first win as a professional.

 

[ak-zaaf]

and dries deveneyns takes todays stage

 

[Andre.J]

and dries deveneyns takes todays stage

Do you know where Seeldrayers finished today?

 

[Andre.J]

OK, here it is from the Quickstep forum:

Re: Ronde van Oostenrijk (5 tot 12 Juli 2009)
« Antwoord #53 Gepost op: Vandaag om 05:20:59 » Citaat

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 12 BEL19830722 DEVENYNS, Dries QST 03:23:15 00.00.00 -17
2 81 GBR19740312 HUNT, Jeremy CTT 03:23:31 00.16.00 -6
3 127 RUS19850109 BELKOV, Maxim ISD 03:23:37 00.22.00 -11
4 161 CZE19841207 BARTA, Jan KTM 03:23:40 00.25.00
5 21 NED19741218 DE GROOT, Bram RAB 03:23:44 00.29.00 -4
6 86 GER19870614 REIMER, Martin CTT 03:24:58 01.43.00
7 75 CAN19770509 TUFT, Svein GRM 03:24:58 01.43.00
8 158 SVK19730819 VALACH, Jan ELK 03:24:58 01.43.00
9 137 ESP19821120 TERUEL ROVIRA, Eloy MCO 03:24:58 01.43.00
10 48 GBR19871105 SWIFT, Ben KAT 03:25:00 01.45.00

De Stand

1 61 SUI19801220 ALBASINI, Michael THR 21:35:10
2 113 ITA19800815 CARUSO, Gianpaolo FLM 21:35:21 00.00.11
3 13 BEL19860912 SEELDRAEYERS, Kevin QST 21:36:09 00.00.59
4 123 UKR19770725 PIDGORNYY, Ruslan ISD 21:36:10 00.01.00
5 14 ITA19821119 REDA, Francesco QST 21:36:30 00.01.20
6 15 BLR19850525 SAMOILAV, Stanislau QST 21:36:41 00.01.31
7 28 NED19810405 WEENING, Pieter RAB 21:37:12 00.02.02
8 152 AUT19870920 DENIFL, Stefan ELK 21:37:21 00.02.11
9 72 USA19861224 PETERSON, Thomas GRM 21:38:53 00.03.43
10 57 CRO19860809 KISERLOVSKI, Robert FUJ 21:38:55 00.03.45
11 38 BEL19850219 VANENDERT, Jelle SIL 21:39:20 00.04.10
12 73 USA19821114 DUGGAN, Timothy GRM 21:40:25 00.05.15
13 27 NED19781203 TANKINK, Bram RAB 21:41:07 00.05.57
14 151 AUT19891207 BRÄNDLE, Matthias ELK 21:41:39 00.06.29
15 12 BEL19830722 DEVENYNS, Dries QST 21:42:26 00.07.16

 

[afpm90]

Do you know where Seeldrayers finished today?

Safely in the pack in 36th.

 

[jaylew]

Greipel wins another one.

 

[Susan Westemeyer]

Koos Moernhout of Rabobank wins today's time trial. Albasini finished fifth and cemented his overall lead.

Susan

 

[Bala Verde]

Good showing for Koos. He really does that jersey proud. He could have been RAB's good luck charm in France, but they chose to send him to Austria instead.

 

[craig1985]

Will take some getting used to seeing Laszlo Bodrogi ride for France instead of Hungary.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

The Albasini and Greipel show.

 

[craig1985]

The Albasini and Greipel show.

Like in Switzerland when only Columbia and Saxo Bank turned up.