10-10-2008 22:20:15

Team Columbia will be aiming to make their mark in the Paris-Tours Classic in France this Sunday by getting their riders in the breakaways.
“That tactic worked out for us well on Thursday, when Bernhard [Eisel] won Paris-Bourges, so I don’t see why it can’t work on Sunday, too.” observed team sports director Tristan Hoffman.
“On top of that, we won’t have any of our top fastmen there. Gerald Ciolek, who was due to be taking part, is sick and we’ll only start with seven riders.”
“So it makes sense for us to try and get somebody into one of those early moves, rather than gamble it all on a bunch sprint.”
According to Hoffman the weather will play a key role on Sunday in seeing whether those breaks get away.
“If it’s a headwind, the race lasts an hour longer and the bunch tends to stay together. A cross-wind makes everybody suffer and it’s difficult for moves but not impossible, but if it’s a tailwind or calm, then the breaks will go for sure.”
“Getting that win on Thursday has certainly upped the team’s motivation and proved that we’ve got a good chance of success.”
The 252 kilometre race is largely flat, but the succession of tiny climbs close to the the finish make a bunch sprint only one of several possible outcomes.
“It’s one of the hardest races to predict on the calendar.” Hoffman adds.
“Those last climbs near the finish can either kill off a break, or see one go clear or split the peloton.”
“The climbs aren’t hard and the descents from each one aren’t difficult. But coming so late in the race, they change everything round at the last minute.”