Barloworld gears for Tour de France
11 June 2008
Having just completed their first Giro d'Italia, South African-sponsored Team Barloworld's attention has shifted to the Tour de France, and the "Reds" are deep into their preparations for cycling's biggest race.
The 2007 Tour de France King of the Mountains winner Mauricio Soler won't be in action in competitive action. He is recovering from a wrist injury he sustained in a fall during the Giro.
Soler tried to soldier on, but team manager Claudio Corti said it was decided to withdraw him from the race because of the potentially devastating impact continuing could have had on Soler's defence of the Tour de France's polka dot jersey.
The Colombian has returned home and is training with the aid of a special wrist brace.
Demanding races
Meanwhile,the rest of the Team Barloworld team face two demanding races in the build up to the Tour de France: The CCT Correios in Portugal and the Euster Elektrotoer in the Netherlands.
The upcoming races carry extra importance for all the team's cyclists. They know strong performances will put them in the running for team selection for every cyclist's dream race, the Tour de France.
Chris Fisher, Barloworld's head of corporate marketing, said: "The team have been planning and working towards the Tour de France for a long time now, and the team's management have an idea and strategy in mind of who they are likely to select for the race.
"These two races however, give our cyclists the opportunity to prove their form and mental strength, two traits which all tour cyclists need and which could set them apart from the rest when it comes to the final squads selection for this year's Tour de France."
Race selections
For the Portuguese race, which takes place between the 12 June and 15 June, team manager Claudio Corti has selected the formidable sprinting duo of Baden Cooke and Robert Hunter, along with Portuguese cyclist Hugo Sabido. The rest of the line-up consists of the two Italians Diego Caccia and Gianpaolo Cheula, Moises Duenas, Kenyan Chris Froome and South African Daryl Impey.
The Dutch Euster Elektrotoer, being raced from the 17 June to 21 June, will see Cooke and Hunter in action again. Cooke previously won the sprinters' green jersey in the 2003 Tour de France, while Hunter finished second in the 2007 sprinters' competition. It seems, from their selection for both mid-June races, that they will definitely be in the Tour de France line-up.
Joining the two fast men for the Dutch race will be South African John Lee Augustyn, Gianpaolo Cheula, Paolo Longo Borghini, Enrico Gasparotto and Geraint Thomas.
SAinfo reporter
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