Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 26, 1995 TAG: 9504270017
SECTION: TOUR DUPONT PAGE: TD-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ANDREA KUHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Early in the race, the premier cycling event in the United States, familiar riders such as two-time winner Raul Alcala and British sensation Malcolm Elliott dominated the big screen by battling for the leader's yellow jersey.
But then, the more than 100 cyclists descended on the Roanoke Valley and a 28-year-old Russian entered the picture by winning the tough time trial and taking over the race lead.
And that was it.
Viatcheslav Ekimov never relinquished the yellow jersey en route to his first Tour DuPont victory, beating Lance Armstrong by 1 minute, 24 seconds. The American finished as the overall runner-up for the second consecutive year.
As a result, representatives of Medalist Sports, Inc., the Richmond-based company that organizes the 12-stage race that begins today in Wilmington, Del., have made several modifications this year to the overall course. Couple those changes with the addition of some top teams from Europe, and the 1995 Tour DuPont should provide plenty of entertainment.
``The purpose [of the changes] is to get more people wearing the yellow jersey, fighting back and forth,'' said Jim Birrell, Medalist Sports' technical director and course designer. ``When you look at the overall format this year, it will mirror the great stage races of the world as far as going into the mountains, coming out, and then going back in.''
Last year, cyclists tackled four flat stages at the start of the race before entering the Roanoke Valley for the first mountain time trial in the six-year history of the Tour. Three more killer mountain road races followed, beginning with a stage from Lynchburg to Blacksburg that featured five severe climbs.
``After the finish [in '94], a lot of riders commented that the course was more like the Tour de France in terms of length and with the mountains at the end,'' Birrell said. ``That is the greatest race in the world, and when you have compliments like that, they come well-received.
``But one of the things we learned last year is that the Roanoke Valley time trial is definitely where the race was won. So we went back to the drawing board to see how we could improve.''
The result was a decision to flip-flop the Roanoke Valley and Blacksburg stages to give riders a break from the long mountain road stages and create more excitement by forcing changes in team tactics.
The Stage 4 race from Lynchburg to Blacksburg features a category 1 climb - the toughest classification - up Salt Pond Mountain to Mountain Lake after 117 miles of the 141-mile stage.
``I think you might see riders attack up to Mountain Lake differently because they know the time trial is the next day,'' Birrell said. ``They may try to reserve some of their energy.''
Rich Carlson, the editor of Winning cycling magazine, said in the past, the emphasis on continuous mountain stages made the course extremely punishing. He said it's still tough this year, but that the changes provide more opportunities to shake up the standings.
``Because it was so difficult, there was a tendency for teams not to make bold moves because they were afraid it would catch up with them the next day,'' Carlson said. ``But I think [the changes] will open it up.''
Mike Plant, the president of Medalist Sports, said he hoped to have 12 solid days of competitive racing.
``We've tried to create a mini-Tour de France, with the potential of having four or five riders wearing the yellow jersey,'' said Plant, acknowledging that a number of cyclists wearing the leader's jersey provides increased exposure for sponsors whose logos adorn apparel and equipment.
``We split up the four consecutive days of climbing, which allows the sprinters to shine and wear the yellow jersey, not only in the beginning of the race but in the two flat stages later in the race,'' Plant said.
Cyclists who specialize in sprinting will have the advantage in the Tour DuPont's opening stages, which are short and flat and designed to help acclimate riders to the weather and terrain. Stage 1 on Thursday is a 68-mile trek from Dover, Del., to Wilmington. Riders then are transported to Fredericksburg on Friday for the start of Stage 2, an 88-mile course to Richmond.
A 133-mile rolling course from Richmond to Lynchburg precedes two days in the mountains: the Stage 5 Roanoke Valley time trial (23 miles) and the Stage 6 road race from Lynchburg to Blacksburg.
Cyclists then will compete in two relatively flat stages from Galax to Charlotte, N.C. (139 miles), and from Concord, N.C., to Greenville, S.C. (148 miles), before heading back to North Carolina for stages 8 and 9 - two more trips into the mountains.
Stage 10 is a 110-mile flat road race from North Wilkesboro, N.C., to Winston-Salem. Stage 11 is the final time trial, a 30-mile jaunt from Burlington, N.C., to Greensboro, after which the overall winner will be crowned.
Another change this year that will alter the atmosphere of the Tour DuPont is the addition of more of the top cycling teams from Europe. Squads such as Italy's Mapei-GB, ranked No.1 in the world, and Castorama, France's top team, are touring the United State this year for several reasons.
One is the continued growth of the Tour, which is the top-ranked non-European cycling race. It's $250,000 purse, up from $200,000 last year, makes it the third-richest race in the world behind only the Tour de France and the Tour of Italy. It will be televised in 137 countries this year.
The race also has received a boost from a scheduling change on the international cycling calendar. The Tour of Spain, a major event that previously coincided with the Tour DuPont, has been moved to the fall.
``In the past, we were fortunate to be able to have four or five teams really competitive,'' Plant said. ``This year, we were able to bring in about eight teams that can really contend for the title.
``I think the atmosphere will change in that I don't think you're going to see any one person dominating the race from Roanoke on.''
Motorola, the top-ranked team in the nation, won the team competition last year with its only real challenge coming from the Italian Polti team. But this year, Plant said, things will be different.
``Motorola ... was really able to maintain the lead throughout the race because there was really only two or three teams at their level. It's going to be much more difficult to cover, maintain the yellow jersey this year because there will be seven or eight strong teams,'' Plant said.
Among the other top teams in the race: Novell (formerly WordPerfect) from Holland, Chevrolet-LA Sheriff of the United States, Chazal of France, Collstrop of Belgium and AKI-Gippimme of Monaco.
But not all of the European teams will be bringing their best riders. Top-ranked cyclists such as Miguel Indurain and Tony Rominger have opted to remain in Europe to train for the Tour de France in July.
by CNB