Tinkoff set to rule LTdL 2008
28/1/2008
KUALA LUMPUR – A team with strong
Russian flavour, registered in Italy and sponsored by a cycling-mad
Russian millionaire, Tinkoff Credit Systems will make their return
to the 13th edition of Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) from February
9 to 17, this time looking to be among the frontrunners for the
overall crown.
Having finished an impressive seventh overall
last year, young Russian climber Pavel Brutt returns with a squad
that looks likely to be tucked firmly in battle in every stage
of this year's Tour, with Tinkoff lining up six men that can easily
cause the biggest sensations in this year's race.
Many will remember that it was Brutt who
delivered Tinkoff Credit Systems' historic first win in Stage
Nine of the LTdL from Putrajaya to Seremban on
February 10 last year.
“It was a dream start of the year.
The victory, my first one for the new team and actually the very
first one of the team on the whole, was naturally a great inspiration.
The race gave a good basis to dwell on, and had a very positive
effect on the first half of the season, including the Giro,"
said Brutt.
"All in all, it goes well with my physique
to start racing early on, in exotic locations on top of that.
In my junior years I regularly raced in winter somewhere as far
as Latin America.”
The team returns to LTdL with an even bigger
appetite - their line-up featuring LTdL's record five stage winner
Alberto Loddo, who was signed from the Serramenti Diquigiovanni-Androni
Giocattoli team in the off-season.
Joining Loddo in the double swoop by Tinkoff
is Colombian climber Walter Pedraza, who will likely be among
the top contenders for the overall title in this year's edition.
The pint-sized Pedraza finished third overall
in LTdL last year, behind overall winner Anthony Charteau of Credit
Agricole and the then team mate Jose Serpa of the Diquigiovanni
team.
Italian sprinter Loddo will be backed this
time around by a promising 22-year old Russian sprinter Nikolai
Trusov, who also rode last year's edition of LTdL.
In fact four of the Tinkof Credit Systems'
six riders this time have competed in LTdL at some stage.
The newcomers to LTdL in Tinkoff's line-up
will be Belarussian Yauhen Sobal and Russian climber Sergey Klimov,
both 27-years old.
And Tinkoff's trail of early season surprises,
capped by an explosive showing in their Giro d'Italia debut last
year began in LTdL, so the team are hoping their efforts in Asia's
biggest race will trigger the same if not better this season.
“The race was excellently organised
and it was top level in every respect. Not a single detail got
overlooked. Suffice to say, we were given a week to get adapted
to heat and a new time zone. The Tour de Langkawi left the sensation
of great discovery, fantastic days spent in a country so different
from all I had visited before," said the 25-year old Brutt.
Having made their maiden appearance in the Giro d'Italia thanks
to their impressive showing in LTdL last year, Tinkoff will be
fired up again this year, as they chase an entry into the world's
biggest race - the Tour de France, which is their next target.
“Tour de France is a dream of a lifetime
for our team boss Oleg Tinkov, the dream shared by all the riders
and staff members. But at the same time it’s a strategic
goal which takes a serious foundation to base on. At the moment
we are in the process of building this foundation,” said
Brutt.
TINKOFF’S PROVISIONAL LINE UP FOR
LTDL: Pavel Brutt, Sergey Klimov, Nikolai Trusov (Russia), Yauhen
Sobal (Belarus), Walter Pedraza (Colombian), Alberto Loddo (Italy).
Team Manager : Claudio Erminio
Cozzi
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