HIGH ROAD’S KIRCHEN & POSSONI GO ONE-TWO IN BASQUE COUNTRY STAGE 4!

MICHAEL BARRY SAYS TEAM SPIRITS ARE HIGH

(April 10, 2008) Kim Kirchen has sprinted to High Road’s twentieth victory of 2008 in stage four of the Tour of the Basque Country, with team-mate Morris Possoni adding to the celebrations by crossing the line in second place.

After clinching stage two of the Basque Country, Thursday’s win was Kirchen’s second sprint win in three days. Part of a day-long break, Possoni was close to victory himself, but at the last moment Kirchen’s chase group caught and passed the Italian.

“It was clear that Morris group was going to be caught with 250 meters left to go and Kim couldn’t brake and risk another rider going past him.” explained Valerio Piva, High Road’s sports director. We didn’t want that to happen. Even if it’s a shame for Morris, it’s far better than Kim wins than we lose the stage completely.”

“Kim is clearly in flying form,” he added. “Taking one win in a bunch sprint is sometimes written off as a fluke, but if he takes two, particularly in a race as hard as the Tour of the Basque Country then nobody can say that.”

Morale in High Road’s Basque Country line-up is high, but Piva said that despite the run of success, the overall classification was not a major objective.

“We came here hoping for one stage win at most. Taking two is an added bonus, and a sure sign Kim’s on form for the Ardennes Classics. We can go away more than satisfied with what we’ve achieved so far.”

Piva added that Possoni’s near-victory was symptomatic of the strong rides the team’s younger riders are doing.

“Tony Martin, Mark Cavendish and Edvald Boasson Hagen have done great rides so far this year, and Morris has been in two long breaks here in the Basque Country as well.”

“He’s building up for the Tour of Romandie and Giro d’Italia, and these have been good tests for him. A win would have been great, but it just couldn’t happen.”

“Personally, I don’t think any other team has such a strong group of promising new talent. And we’ve got the results to prove it.”

MICHAEL BARRY: “KEEP THE BALL ROLLING AND THE VICTORIES COMING!”
Michael Barry is one of the High Road riders in the Tour of the Basque Country this week. He answered some e-mailed questions from Giant following today’s performance:

Q. At races like this one, when the team does so well, what’s the mood at, say, dinnertime? I’m guessing there are lots of smiles all around, but is there anything different that happens?

A. It seems that on both the good days and bad days the mood is good at the dinner table which is one reason we are winning. We have good morale within the team which takes a team a long way in cycling--especially when the weather is bad and the racing is hard. That said, when we win the spirits are even higher and we are all even more motivated to keep the ball rolling and the victories coming. At dinner we toast the winner, the team, and drink a glass of wine in celebration.

Q. Kirchen has two stage wins now; Possoni was in second today…and Kirchen nipped World Champion Paolo Bettini for the stage 2 win. How cool is that???

A. It is great and I think we are building on the results as we gain confidence.
Possoni did an amazing ride yesterday (in stage 3)—he was in the break all day for 140 km and was caught with 15 to go. He went on the attack again today and was away all day once again--Kim was the only rider to catch him on the line. To do two rides like that back-to-back is impressive and shows he has some great form which means he will be very competitive in the coming races. Astana complimented Morris on his efforts off the front as they had a tough time reeling him in so that Contador would keep the jersey--which is the highest compliment as they are impressively strong.

Kim is one of the fastest guys in this peloton-- his current form and confidence is just what he needs going into the Ardennes Classics in a week.

Q. You are in the thick of all the sprint finishes in this race. How are you feeling about your own fitness and performance level?

A. I am getting better everyday and am gaining confidence. The first day I struggled in the cold weather but my legs are now getting stronger and I am confident I will reach a good level by the time we get to up to the Amstel Gold Race in a week.

TEUTENBERG LEADS HIGH ROAD WOMEN TO VICTORY IN HOLLAND!

(April 10, 2008) Coming back from a small bout of sickness, Ina-Yoko Teutenberg held off rival sprinters in today in the Netherlands to win Drentse 8 van Dwingeloo. Teutenberg finished off the work of the High Road Team who had chased hard to reel in a 3’40” break, coming around Nürngerber’s Regina Schleicher to take her first victory in Europe for the season.

“We are very happy,” said Team High Road Director Sportif Ronny Lauke. Winning is always something special but it was especially great to see Ina have such a good race after being sick last week.” “We have a very good feeling in the team right now,” he added. “The girls worked really hard and I hope we can have another great race on Saturday,” at the fourth round of the Women’s World Cup.

High Road missed the break that went up the road early in the race. A group of six riders escaped to a significant lead and still had 3’40” with 40km remaining in the race. High Road’s Kate Bates and Alex Rhodes followed a later attack but called it off due to the presence of Menkini’s sprinter Rochelle Gilmore.

“The group wasn’t right for us so we decided to pull out of it,” explained Teutenberg, “and we waited for the right time to chase. The girls worked really hard and we caught the group with about 10km to go. I didn’t have to do anything until the finish. I’m really happy I pulled it off after all that work. It’s a great race to win.”

Team High Road will line up on Saturday for the Drenthe World Cup.

Photos and details of Team High Road’s victories can be found at:
http://highroadsports.com/news

All the riders for Team High Road ride the prototype Giant TCR Advanced SL bicycle.