Latest News for August 25, 2003Edited by Jeff Jones Bianchi wants Bartoli
Team Bianchi has expressed interest in signing Fassa Bortolo's Michele Bartoli, according to reports in the Belgian press. Bartoli is at the end of his contract with Fassa, and would be an ideal man for Bianchi's classics team. On the other hand, Fassa Bortolo is in deep negotiations with Spanish rider Juan Antonio Flecha, who won a stage in the Tour de France this year. Muravyev to Credit AgricoleKazakh rider Dmitri Muravyev (Quick.Step-Davitamon) will follow his compatriot Andrei Kashechkin to Credit Agricole next season. Muravyev was in the picture for Patrick Lefevere's division II Bodysol-Brustor squad, but decided to take the French option. "No more former Eastern bloc riders for me," an angry Patrick Lefevere was quoted in Het Nieuwsblad. "I can't stomach any more of them. Why do I invest so much in youth cycling?" In addition to the two Kazakhs, Lefevere lost another one of his development riders, Belgian Jurgen Van Den Broeck, to US Postal-Berry Floor for next season. Dierckxsens crashes in Belgian TT champsLudo Dierckxsens (Landbouwkrediet-Colnago) didn't have a good day at the Belgian Time Trial Championships in Wachtebeke on Sunday. The 38 year old crashed and injured his hip, and he may have to miss tomorrow's Duivenkoers in Overijse. "My head tube collapsed after a corner," Dierckxsens told Het Nieuwsblad. "I hope that everything will be ok for the GP Eddy Merckx [two man time trial], where I'll ride with Marc Streel." Eneco Tour a week laterNext year's Eneco Tour (Tour of Holland) will begin a week later, due to the proximity of the Olympic Games in Athens. The start will be in Oudenbosch on August 24, and will probably finish in Landgraaf on August 28. The organisers, who are looking for a more European aspect to promote the race, are thinking of starting the fifth stage in Düsseldorf, Germany. Russia and Australia top medals at Junior World'sHost nation Russia and last year's champions Australia have topped the medal tally at the Junior World Track Championships, which were held in Moscow last week. Both countries finished with three gold, two silver and three bronze medals for a total of eight. France was third with two gold, three silver and one bronze medal. During the meet, the Russian 4000m team pursuit squad clocked a time of 4:07.715 to knock 2.388 seconds off the long standing previous World Record set by Australia (Luke Roberts, Luke Kuss, Matthew Meaney, Tim Lyons) in Adelaide in 1995. Junior World's medal tallyGold Silver Bronze Total Russia 3 2 3 8 Australia 3 2 3 8 France 2 3 1 6 China 2 DSQ 0 2 Japan 2 0 0 2 Germany 1 3 2 6 Czech Republic 1 0 0 1 USA 1 0 0 1 Lithuania 0 2 0 2 Poland 0 1 1 2 Korea 0 1 1 2 Netherlands 0 0 2 2 Latvia 0 0 1 1 Ukraine 0 0 1 1 Stagiaires for Landbouwkrediet and VlaanderenLandbouwkrediet-Colnago has signed three stagiaires to ride out the rest of the season: Stefan Wijnands, Ludovic Draux and Maxime Monfort. Vlaanderen-T Interim will have Steven Caethoven and Frederick Veuchelen in its ranks as stagiaires as well. Tour of Hope riders selected26 cyclists have been selected by the cancer community to join Lance Armstrong in the Bristol-Myers Squibb Tour of Hope. Nearly 1,000 people applied for the week long cycling journey across America which aims to educate the public about cancer research. The team is comprised of researchers, nurses and physicians who care for people with cancer, family members who have been touched by the disease and - like Lance Armstrong - cancer survivors. Armstrong will lead the cyclists on a send off ride in Los Angeles on Saturday, October 11 and will join them at points along the way before leading them to Washington, DC for a finale celebration on Saturday, October 18. Team members will ride in a relay day and night, making stops at cancer centres along the way, encouraging people to make the Cancer Promise, a personal commitment to learn about cancer and the importance of cancer research. The route will take the team through California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. "The route is longer than the Tour de France, and we are covering the distance in only one week," said Lance Armstrong. "By accepting to train for and complete this demanding ride, the selected team members have shown that they are driven to help those touched by cancer, and like me, they love a challenge." To learn more about the Tour of Hope, visit www.tourofhope.org. Team Members Chris Brewer, 40; Shalimar, FL; testicular cancer survivor. Dutch Ride for the Roses raises €222,000The sixth edition of the Dutch Ride for the Roses has raised €222,000 for cancer research in the Netherlands, according to an ANP report. The ride attracted 6,500 starters, well over the target of 5,000 that the organisers hoped for. The starters included Erik Dekker, Servais Knaven, ex-pro Joop Zoetemelk, and ex-footballer Youri Mulder. The participants could choose from three routes (25, 50 or 100 km) in Noord-Brabant, starting and finishing outside the RKC football stadium in Waalwijk. Backwards cycling record attempt failsAn attempt to break the World Record for riding backwards [sitting on the stem] for an hour has failed. 52 Dutchman Pieter de Hart attempted the feat on Monday in Millbrook, Great Britain, however he was only able to cover 27.1 kilometres. This was better than his previous mark of 26.95 kilometres (set in 2002), but not enough to beat the current record. De Hart blamed the strength of the wind for his failure, and doesn't know whether he'll try again in the near future.
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