First Edition News for September 3, 2003

Edited by John Stevenson

Mayo likely to leave Euskaltel

Iban Mayo in the 2003 Tour TT
Photo: © Jeff Tse

Discussions between 2003 Alpe d'Huez winner Iban Mayo and his Euskaltel-Euskadi team appear to have broken down, according to a report on the website of the Deia newspaper. The stumbling block is not just one of salary, although both Rabobank and Saeco are reported to be interested in Mayo and willing to come up with a larger salary than Julian Gorospe and Miguel Madariaga's Basques in orange can afford.

Mayo reportedly stands to earn 250,000 Euro less over three years if he stays with Euskaltel, but the bigger problem is that Mayo wants to target the Tour de France in 2004, which will mean a reduced schedule in the first half of the year, while the team is more interested in a strong showing in the Tour of the Basque Country, its 'national' tour. Mayo allegedly also feels that the team has not assisted him to the same extent as it has looked after riders such as Samuel Sanchez or Haimar Zubeldia.

Euskaltel's most recent offer to Mayo, which included an increased salary package, was rejected by the rider and his agent Sabino Angoitia yesterday. Team manager Miguel Madariaga told Deia, "It is our last offer. We cannot afford to offer him more money. We have done everything we can."

No replacement for Domina Vacanze

Vuelta a España organisers Unipublic have confirmed the exclusion of Mario Cipollini's Domina Vacanze team from the Spanish national tour because of the absence of Cipo himself from the team, and added that the race will simply be reduced to 21 teams instead of 22.

Pointing out that "it's Cipollini who has left them in the stockade," Unipublic director general Enrique Franco reiterated that Domina Vacanze's participation had been conditional on Cipollini's attendence. "Domina asked to take part in the Vuelta and we said that they could do so as long as Cipollini came. We only had room for 22 teams and we had to exclude others so that they could come," Franco told the Europa Press.

Saeco for the Vuelta

The Saeco team has announced the line-up that will roll into the start-house in Gijon or the 30km time trial that starts this year's Vuelta a España.

Saeco team manager Claudio Corti describes the squad as "a young team but [one] from which we expect a good performance both as a presence in the race and if possible with results. There are several experienced riders in the line-up such as Igor Astarloa and Ivan Quaranta who can definitely show themselves."

The riders are: Igor Astarloa, Giosuè Bonomi, Antonio Bucciero, Juan Fuentes, Nicola Gavazzi, Gerrit Glomser, Cristian Pepoli, Igor Pugaci and Ivan Quaranta. The team will be directed by Flavio Miozzo and Bruno Vicino.

Di Luca confirms with Saeco

Saeco rider Danilo Di Luca will stay with the red-clad Italian coffee-machine squad for 2004, Saeco sources confirmed yesterday. Di Luca was reported to be in talks with Cofidis, but according to Saeco, the team "has decided to keep Di Luca as a team leader along with Giro winner Gilberto Simoni, sure that he has huge potential and big objectives in one-day races."

MTB World's continues with women's junior XC & team relay

By Kristy Scrymgeour in Lugano, Switzerland

After a couple of days' respite following Sunday's Marathon, the world mountain bike championships continues in Lugano, Switzerland today with the team relay and junior women's cross-country events.

Junior women

This year's cross-country course is 6.2km long and said to be challenging, suiting those with good technical skills. MTB household name Thomas Frischknecht helped design the course which has been described as a "winding, quick and committing track which requires constant attention."

The course starts and finishes at the base of Monte Tamaro, near Lugano at 471m above sea level. It gradually climbs to a peak of 561m where it plateaus out for 1km before dropping back down to the finish line. Junior women will complete four laps for a total of 24.8 km on Wednesday morning.

Last year's junior winner Lisa Mathison (Australia) is back year to her title for her final year in the junior ranks and arrives here after a successful year to date. After winning last year's title she was offered a UCI scholarship and has spent most of 2003 training and racing in Aigle, Switzerland which is only 40km from the UCI center. She has been competing in the World Cups this year against the senior women and is currently ranked 68th, an impressive standing for a junior. She has also enjoyed top five placings in four of the five Swisspower Cup races during the year. She will be looking forward to a repeat of last year's result on a technical course that suits her style of riding.

Mathison is rejoined by both of last year's runners-up, silver medalist Elizabeth Osl of Austria and bronze medallist, Petra Bublova (Czech Republic).

Team USA's Sabra Davison, who will be competing in her second world championships, likes the course and has her sights set on a podium spot. "I love the course, it's just like home," Davison said in reference to the 'East Coast' characteristics she noticed after previewing the course. "It's definitely a power course, a lot like Mount St. Anne which is my favorite course. I'm really into those. My goal is to be on the podium."

The history of this women's event has seen many of its victors move on to become major players in the elite ranks on both the road and the dirt. Women's Junior mountain biking's most famous graduate is current road World Cup leader, Nicole Cooke who won this event in 2001 and took the bronze medal in 2000. Another success story is that of Poland's Maja Wlosczowska, second in both 2001 and 2003 and has come back this year to win the first ever Marathon World Championship Title on Sunday.

Team Relay

Following the junior women's cross country on Wednesday is the team relay, an event which has been in existence since 1999 and dominated for the past two years by the Canadian team.

In the relay, four riders from each country ride a lap each of the cross country course, for a total of 24.8km. Teams must consist of one elite man, one elite woman, an under-23 and a junior rider.

Typically, according to Team USA manager Matt Cramer, teams will send their strongest rider off first. "With a mass start on a course like this, the start is critical," says Cramer. "Most teams will follow the strategy of sending their strongest rider off first, unlike an anchor leg in track where the best sprinters are saved for last."

The US has already selected its team for the relay and will field Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski, Shonny Vanlandingham, Barry Wicks, and John Devine.

Last year's winning Canadian team was made up of Roland Green (Trek Volkswagen), Maximilian Plaxton, Ryder Hesjedal (Gary Fisher) and Alison Sydor (Trek Volkswagen), and Canada is still the hot tip, along with Australia, France and Spain. However, Hesjedel has moved into the senior ranks this year so he Canadian team will have to make the difficult choice of Green or Hesjedel. Despite Green's 2003 season being marred with injury and sickness, he has still managed to win three of the five NORBA events in the US and place well in the World Cup events. Hesjedal won the first and last of this year's NORBA races, taking the series overall. Meanwhile Sydor won the final short track event at NORBA, is enjoying fine form for this year's World Championship event, and looks like a likely pick.

Full MTB World's coverage

Strong US field for Tour de l'Avenir; UK's Wiggins hopeful

The USA looks set to field perhaps its strongest national team ever for the Tour de l'Avenir, which starts tomorrow. According to a source close to the team, the squad will consist of Tom Danielson, Danny Pate, Phil Zajicek, Will Frischkorn, Michael Creed, and Jonathan McCarty.

Despite its nominally low UCI 2.5 grade, the ten-day tour, promoted by Tour de France owners ASO, is an important race for young riders. Unlike that other French race, only one rider from the US has won Tour de l'Avenir: Greg LeMond in 1982.

The UK's Brad Wiggins (Fdjeux.com) is also looking forward to Avenir, after finishing fifth in the Tour du Poitou Charentes last week. Wiggins says he wants to improve on his second place in the prologue last year, and perhaps to win a stage in one of his last races for Fdjeux.com.

"I really want to ride well for the team as well as myself," said Wiggins. "It's been so good riding for them. It would be good to produce some more good performances for them before the road season ends. My condition feels very good but the lack of racing on the road could be a disadvantage in a 10-day tour."

Previous News    Next News

(All rights reserved/Copyright Knapp Communications Pty Limited 2003)