News briefs: Tirreno-Adriatico resumes; Hincapie succumbs to bug

Italian cyclist Massimiliano Mori of the Formaggi Pinzolo team was thrown out of the Tirreno-Adriatico cycling race on Monday for violating anti-doping regulations.

Miro was caught trying to pass off a urine sample of the team doctor as his own when called for testing by the race’s medical inspectors.

Monday’s fifth stage goes from Monte San Giusto to Rapagnano over a distance of 181 kilometers.

Icy conditions forced the cancellation of Sunday’s fourth stage.

Illness will force Hincapie to skip the classics
An ongoing viral infection has forced the U.S. Postal team’s George Hincapie to re-think his season and shelve plans to race the Spring Classics.

Hincapie, disgnated as his team’s leader for the one-day Classics, will not compete in the month of April in order to prepare himself for the Tour de France, World Championships and other events later in the cycling season.

“He is suffering from a viral infection that does not have a clear definition as to what it is, but we have determined the only therapy is rest,” said Postal director Johan Bruyneel. “The fact that he has been training and racing with this has caused him great fatigue where the only solution is to rest until his body recovers. If he was to go on, it would be like a vicious cycle. So for him, this means no Classics and probably no races until the end of April or the beginning of May.”

Hincapie has had turned in strong performances in the early season events in the past. He has had four top-six finishes at Paris-Roubaix in four tries and he became the first American to win Gent-Wevelgem in 2001.

But this year, Hincapie has been plagued with a virus that has left him sluggish and unable to recover from long training rides. Hincapie said that in races so far this season, he has lacked endurance and also admitted to waking up constantly feverish. “It’s hard to ride your bike feeling like that,” he said.

“It’s going to be tough, to be honest,” Hincapie said about sitting out the spring Classics. “As soon as I get better, I will have amazing motivation to train and get back as quick as possible. But, to sit around and watch the Classics….It will be pretty tough for me.”

FILED UNDER: Uncategorized TAGS: Tirreno-Adriatico