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This Week in Pro Cycling – April 22, 2008

by VeloNews.com

• April 22, 2008
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Dear Readers,

Welcome to the latest edition of The Prologue, the weekly summary of news from the world of competitive cycling by your friends at VeloNews.com.

The spring racing season continued to gain momentum this past week, with Sunday’s Holland’s Amstel Gold Race kicking off the Ardennes Classics in Europe and the Tour de Georgia here in the U.S.

Damiano Cunego (Lampre) scored an impressive Amstel win in Valkenburg, Holland. Cunego managed to beat an old rival, CSC’s Franck Schleck, in the final push up the famed Cauberg climb. While some may view the win as a surprise, Cunego has had a solid spring campaign and has to be considered among the favorites for a strong ride in Wednesday’s edition of Flèche Wallonne.

Wile Cunego has shown great promise as a classics rider, the 2004 Giro d’Italia champion insists he hasn’t lost his edge in three-week tours, and hopes to prove that this summer in the Tour de France.

Here in the U.S., riders who remember being battered by the elements in February’s Tour of California got a treat Monday with the ideal conditions present for the start of the Tour de Georgia.

Warm weather and a steady ocean breeze sent the peloton from Tybee Island to downtown Savannah on a short 70-mile jaunt that ended as predicted: with a field sprint dominated by the fast-twitch crowd. With solid sprinters like Fred Rodriguez (Rock Racing) and Gerolsteiner’s Robert Forster in the mix, just who would win was not a foregone conclusion, but Ivan Dominguez’s win was not unexpected. The Toyota-United rider was in fine form, edging out some of the sport’s best in that sprint. They call the guy “The Cuban Missile” for a reason, after all.

While the sprinters may be tearing up the roads for individual stages, the overall is likely to come down to this year’s team time trial and then to be settled on the slopes of Brasstown Bald on Saturday. Be sure to tune in throughout the Tour de Georgia for Live up-to-the-minute coverage of the Tour de Georgia, here on VeloNews.com.

Meanwhile, if you get the chance, take a pass on sitting in front of your computer and get out and put in a few miles yourself. If you have to keep tabs on events, just bring a mobile device along and check in with mobile.velonews.com.

Have a good week,

Charles Pelkey

Senior Editor, VeloNews.com

CPelkey@insideinc.com