Barloworld hot for Giro, Argus
Brad Morgan
3 March 2008
South Africa's Team Barloworld, after a hugely successful debut at last year's Tour de France, has been invited to contest the Giro d'Italia 2008. Before tackling Europe's biggest events, however, Barloworld is looking to take care of business at home.
Following a strong start to the 2008 season, which included two wins by star sprinter and team captain Robbie Hunter in the Intaka Tech World's View Challenge, Barloworld's sights have turned to the Giro del Capo and the Cape Argus Pick 'n Pay Cycle Tour.
2007 domination
In 2007, the Giro, which precedes the Argus, was all about Barloworld as the team filled four of the top five places in the overall classification. Alexander Efimkin took the honours, with Felix Cardenas in second, Hugo Sabido in fourth and the late Ryan Cox in fifth.
SA's David George, then of CSC Marcello but now with MTN Energade, finished third.
Victory in the Argus went to Hunter, who
held off 2006 winner Steffen Radochla in a sprint finish.
The six men chosen to represent Barloworld both events in 2008 are, according to Chris Fisher, the Head of Corporate Marketing at Barloworld, "the ideal team to race in the 'Mother City'".
Ideally suited
He reckons they stood out as ideally suited for the Giro del Capo and were carefully selected to ensure they fully complemented the other members of the team.
"They are the fast-paced Robert Hunter," said Fisher, "versatile Christian Pfannberger, 2007 podium placed Hugo Sabido, 2007 stage winner Daryl Impey, climber Christopher Froome and 2007 stage winner Felix Cardenas, who together make a formidable team."
Pfannberger, Impey, and Froome are newcomers to Team Barloworld, but they bring an excellent pedigree to the ambitious outfit.
Austrian national champion
Pfannberger is the Austrian national champion and has been a professional
cyclist since 2006. He is expected to provide strong support for Tour de France King of the Mountains' winner Mauricio Soler later in the season.
At the recent World's View Challenge, Pfannberger claimed a podium finish and the points' jersey.
Daryl Impey really impressed Barloworld in the Giro in 2007. He began the event by winning the prologue and later captured a stage victory too.
Strong climber
Christopher Froome is, like Impey, only 22 years of age. He is a strong climber who recently won the King of the Mountains jersey on day three of the World's View Challenge.
The Kenyan, who lives in South Africa, won the Tour de Maurice in 2006, a stage in the 2007 Giro delle Regioni, a stage in the Tour of Japan, and a silver medal in the time trial at the 'B' World Championships.
Hugo Sabido, who enjoyed a solid showing at the World's View Challenge and excelled at the Giro in 2007, will be back again, hoping to add to his
four victories.
Oldest team member
Felix Cardenas, at 35 the oldest member of the Barloworld line-up, will seek to emulate his Giro success of last year when he won a stage, one of 21 victories in his career.
Lastly, 31-year-old Robbie Hunter, a professional since 1998, will captain Team Barloworld. He is the team's sprint ace and has 33 career wins to his name, including two in the World's View Challenge earlier this month, and South Africa's first ever victory in the Tour de France last year.
MTN, already the sponsor of one of South Africa's top teams, MTN Energade, have taken on the sponsorship of the Giro del Capo as well.
MTN Energade
They will certainly be hoping for a first-class performance from MTN Energade, who showed up very well in the World's View Challenge where, apart from Barloworld, they faced two Pro Tour powerhouses, Team Milram and Team Liquigas.
Nicholas White won the
King of the Mountains, while also gaining a place on the podium in the first day's racing. David George also appeared on the podium in the second race.
MTN Energade, among the local teams, is the team that could challenge Barloworld for the honours, although it would be a huge surprise if the defending champions are knocked off their perch.
Giro del Capo
The Giro, which was first contested in 1992, takes place for the 17th time and is a key event on the UCI Africa Tour calendar.
It starts in Wellington in the Boland on Tuesday, 4 March, and finishes with a tough climb in the fifth stage up Signal Hill in Cape Town on 8 March.
On Sunday, 9 March, the Cape Argus Pick 'n Pay Cycle Tour, the world's largest individually-timed cycle race, takes place.
Sprinting for victory
Team Barloworld will be the team to beat, but in a race of the nature of the Argus, over 109 kilometres, the most likely
conclusion will be a sprint finish and anything can happen in those.
If Robbie Hunter is well supported by his team, however, he would be a solid bet to repeat his victory of 2007.
Additional reporting: Team Barloworld
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