Paris-Bruxelles 2003: Kim Kirchen
Frank Schleck at the
September 30, 2003 - October 03, 2003
03.10.2003 Giro della Provincia di Lucca (4th stage)
3rd at 0" of Vainsteins / GC: 5th at 18" of Freire
Very pleasant end of this race with a 3rd place. Despite of attacks of riders such as Marco Velo, Max Sciandri or Michele Bartoli amongst others, 40 riders arrive together at the finish line. Frank Schleck is good enough to beat confirmed sprinters like Zanini or Gutierrez in ther favorite exercise, and he is only 10 centimeters away from the stage victory. The Luxembourgish rider finishes 5th in the overall classification and in the points classification.
More: summary and results on www.cyclingnews.com special pages of the Gazzetto dello Sport Bjarne Rijs' comment on the team-CSC website
02.10.2003 Giro della Provincia di Lucca (3rd stage)
7th at 4" of Caucchioli / GC: 6th at 22" of Freire
Frank Schleck was once more present at the front in the final kilometers of the stage. Francesco Casagrande started the battle with an attack on the very steep last climb of the day. But soon, the Lampre rider saw 12 riders come back on him, among them Bartoli, Freire and Schleck. The Luxemburgish rider then tried a solo attack, but without success. On the very last kilometers, Pietro Caucchioli managed to get away from this group to win the stage. After this very good performance, our CSC-rider moves up to 6th place in the overall classification.
More: summary and results on www.cyclingnews.com special pages of the Gazzetto dello Sport Bjarne Rijs' comment on the team-CSC website 01.10.2003 Giro della Provincia di Lucca (2nd stage)
18th at 0" of Freire / GC: 15th at 22" of Freire
Another good ride for Frank who finishes in the first group of nearly 50 riders.
More: summary and results on www.cyclingnews.com special pages of the Gazzetto dello Sport Bjarne Rijs' comment on the team-CSC website 30.09.2003 Giro della Provincia di Lucca (1st stage)
15th at 2" of Freire / GC: 15th at 12" of Freire
Frank Schleck has forgotten his problems of the Vuelta, because he signs a really good 15th place on a hilly course where the favourites for the world championships have marked the race. He does not miss the group of 50 riders that splits from the rest of the field at mid-race, and is still present with Bartoli, Freire and Casagrande in the group of 19 riders that takes the lead near the finish.
More: summary and results on www.cyclingnews.com special pages of the Gazzetto dello Sport Bjarne Rijs' comment on the team-CSC website 21.09.2003 Gala Tour de France
Kim Kirchen in third position
14.09.2003 Grand-Prix des Fourmies
In the main bunch
Kim Kirchen finishes the race in 70th position in the peloton, 3 seconds behind the winner Baden Cooke.
More: summary and results on www.cyclingnews.com the official homepage of the Grand-Prix des Fourmies 13.09.2003 Paris-Bruxelles
Kim Kirchen winner of Paris-Bruxelles
He has realised a perfect race, both from the physical and the tactical point of view: in spite of a mechanical problem at the beginning of the race, he was in the good break and already in the wheel of Bettini when the favorite no 1 attacked in the côte du Mont-St-Roch, with 50 kilometers to go. Later, he made the effort in the côte de la rue de Hal to join a group that had just attacked: "with my teammate Basso, we had good chances in that group". He had the good intuitution to join the riders of Brioches la Boulangère, Renier and Hary, and attack the favorites Bettini and Freire twenty kilometers away from the finish. He also knew that the former world champion Freire, who joined the leading group in the Keperenberg, was a big danger, and again bridged up to Maryan Hary, still him, with a few kilometers to go. Finally, when Laszlo Bodrogi came back to the two riders, Kim "stayed calm and counted on his sprint". A sprint which he won in a convincing manner to take "a victory in a big one-day race that I was long waiting for" and "the biggest win until now in my career" .
More: summary and results on www.cyclingnews.com the official site of Paris-Bruxelles other articles: www.cyclingnews.com, la dernière heure - les sports, REUTERS release on www.yahoo.fr, vélo 101.com
Frank Schleck at the
06 septembre 2003 - 28 septembre 2003
13.09.2003 Vuelta à Espana (8th stage)
arrived to late
The good news come from Brussels and the bad form Spain: Due to illness, Frank Schleck has arrived at the finish of the second stage in the Pyrenees more than 40 minutes later than the winner and has to retire from the race.
More: Summary and results on www.cyclingnews.com the official Homepage of the Vuelta Frank Schleck's results on the official site 12.09.2003 Vuelta à Espana (7th étape)
78th at 27'27" of Rasmussen / CG: 81th at 38'04" of Nozal
First real mountain stage: Frank Schleck finishes in the first of the two "grupettos".
More: Summary and results on www.cyclingnews.com the official Homepage of the Vuelta Frank Schleck's results on the official site 11.09.2003 Vuelta à Espana (6th stage)
119th at 7'01" of Nozal / GK: 69th at 13'23" of Nozal
Heavy stage today for Frank Schleck on his first long time trial in one of the major Tours. He is 7 Minutes slower than the surprising winner Isidro Nozal, but stays among the first half of the riders in the general classification.
More: Summary and results on www.cyclingnews.com the official Homepage of the Vuelta Frank Schleck's results on the official site 10.09.2003 Vuelta à Espana (5th stage)
41st at 0" of Petacchi / GK: 69th at 6'22" of Nozal
Second massive sprint, second win for "Petacchi the magnificient". Frank in the main bunch
More: Summary and results on www.cyclingnews.com the official Homepage of the Vuelta Frank Schleck's results on the official site 09.09.2003 Vuelta à Espana (4th stage)
37th at 1'34" of Etxebarria / GK: 76th at 6'22" of Nozal
Schleck finishes the stage in the peloton, one Minute and a half behind a breadaway of 7 riders.
More: Summary and results on www.cyclingnews.com the official Homepage of the Vuelta Frank Schleck's results on the official site 08.09.2003 Vuelta à Espana (3rd stage)
80th at 0" of Petacchi / GK: 80th at 5'32" of Rodriguez
First massive sprint, first win for the Fassa Bortolo rider. Frank Schleck in the main bunch.
More: Summary and results on www.cyclingnews.com the official Homepage of the Vuelta Frank Schleck's results on the official site 07.09.2003 Vuelta à Espana (2nd stage)
79th at 4'19" of Perez / GK: 85th at 5'32" of Rodriguez
In the first stage, the mountains already split the peloton into pieces. Fine result for Frank who finishes in a 5th group, several Minutes before the peloton.
More: Summary and results on www.cyclingnews.com the official Homepage of the Vuelta Frank Schleck's results on the official site 06.09.2003 Vuelta à Espana (1st stage)
122nd at 1'27" of Gonzalez De Galdeano / GK: 122nd at 1'27" of Gonzalez De Galdeano
Mannschaftszeitfahren zum Auftakt der Spanienrundfahrt: das CSC-Team bringt eine eher mittelmässige Leitung auf dem 16. Platz mit 1'27" Rückstand auf die ONCE-Fahrer.
More: Summary and results on www.cyclingnews.com the official Homepage of the Vuelta Frank Schleck's results on the official site
Picture: www.cyclingnews.com
Pictures: www.cyclingnews.com
