Latest News for September 19, 2003

Edited by Chris Henry

Vuelta crosswind carnage

US Postal goes to work
Photo: © AFP

Every year the Vuelta a España tests the peloton with stiff crosswinds in the plains of Spain, and every year it seems unsuspecting team leaders find themselves at the wrong end of the field when the splits occur. This year was no exception, as both Fassa Bortolo team leaders Dario Frigo and Aitor Gonzalez, as well as Kelme's Alejandro Valverde, lost time to the majority of the GC favourites after a split in Stage 12 from Cuenca to Albacete.

As it has been in recent editions of the Vuelta, US Postal Service was ready for the wind and took advantage of the poor position of other teams' leaders by forcing the pace when the field began to split. Directeur sportif Johan Bruyneel, a shrewd tactician, was proud of his team by day's end.

"The team has been sensational," Bruyneel said. "We already said we were going to attack if there was a chance and we did. We improved our positions in the overall and we have a larger margin for tomorrow. The time we win today is going to be very useful at the end of the race."

Unlike the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia, the flat stages of the Vuelta are often quite dangerous for the GC contenders, as Frigo and Gonzalez found out Thursday, losing over a minute to their competition. Kelme director Vicente Belda was none too pleased with Valverde's loss of time, dismayed at his team's riding.

"He made an unforgivable mistake," Belda said of Valverde in Spanish paper AS. "Quite simply, he wasn't where he needed to be. Every year the crosswinds come in the same place, and the riders were perfectly aware of this. Four years ago the same thing happened to us with Roberto Heras. We never learn."

Fassa Bortolo's Stefano Zanatta echoed Belda's frustration with his own team. "I'm very upset with my team, because we knew the terrain and they were not in the right position," he said. "When the race changed direction that was the dangerous point, and they were a bit lost."

Spanish TV audience stable

Television viewers have remained faithful to the Vuelta a España relative to last year's event, with an average daily audience share of 19.6%, or over 1.9 million viewers daily. Michael Rasmussen's Stage 7 victory in Cauterets generated the greatest audience thus far in this year's Vuelta, with 3.2 million viewers tuning in to Spanish television coverage.

Courtesy: lavuelta.com

Jukka Vastaranta out of world's

Finnish neo-pro Jukka Vastaranta, 19, who crashed in the finishing sprint of stage 10 in the Tour de l'Avenir stage race last Saturday, will miss the U-23 World Championships in Canada. The Rabobank TT3-rider, already a winner of nine pro races this season, hit the barriers with just a few hundred meters to go, and broke his collar-bone while hitting the ground.

Vastaranta had steadily been collecting top ten stage finishes during the race, finishing third on the Tour's longest stage. Despite his crash Jukka finished the Tour on 14th place overall, because the time losses inside the last 1 km are not counted. In the junior ranks, Jukka Vastaranta won the road World Cup in 2001 and took silver in world championship road race in 2002.

Courtesy: Juha Reinikainen

Mouris to Axa

Dutch rider Jens Mouris has signed a one year contract with the Axa team for 2004. Mouris, 23, currently rides for the Rabobank TT-3 team. Axa has also added former Dutch U23 champion Arno Wallaard, while at the same time releasing Russel van Hout, Mart Louwers, and Daniël van Elven.

Milaneza-MSS continues

Despite positive doping tests from three of its riders in 2003 (David Bernabeu, Rui Lavarinhas, Francisco Perez), the Milaneza-MSS team has been assured three more years of sponsorship in the professional peloton. The Portuguese Division I team features a 16 man roster and earlier this year had hoped for a wildcard selection for the 2003 Tour de France.

An Italian in Mexico

The Mexican Cycling Federation, headed by Guillermo A. Gutierrez Martinez, has appointed Italian Daniele Zammicheli to the position of technical delegate of the Mexican national team.

Daniele Zammicheli successfully directed an Italian team at the Vuelta de las Américas in March 2003, making a strong impression on the Mexican managers.

The Mexican national team is planning ahead for the world road championships in Verona, Italy in 2004, as well as the Olympic Games in Athens.

Tour de Borneo postponed

The inaugural Tour de Borneo has been forced into postponement at the last minute due to "unforeseen circumstances". The event was due to take place over a seven day period beginning September 21st, and had a UCI 2.5 ranking.

On the team roster were most Southeast Asian national teams and several Asian and European TT3's. Nonetheless, the event is well on schedule, and all arrangements, sponsorship and merchandising are ready to roll, thus the race is expected to take place before the close of this year. The proposed date will run between the SEA Games and Tour of South China Seas, likely from December 16 onwards. Confirmation should come in the next week.

Irish racing around Bike Week

By Tommy Campbell, Irish Independent, Evening Herald, Sunday Independent

With the emphasis this coming week on Bike Week, there is still room for competition. The Paddy Neary Memorial event goes ahead on Saturday at Knockbridge, Dundalk. The event is more or less a prelude to the National Criterium Championships which will be held next Sunday week in Cork. The following day in Spelga, close to Hilltown at the foot of the Mourne Mountains, Co.Down, the Hill Climb Championships will start at eleven o'clock in the morning.

"If 50% of the phone calls I have received enquiring about the promotion turn up, I'll have over 60 in the event," race organiser Don McGreevey said. "Realistically, a maximum of 30 is what I envisage on the day. Sign-on is up at the Spelga Dam from 10'olock."

The climb is just a mile long and the defending champion is Gareth Rodgers from the Banbridge CC. Expected on the start line will be a former winner, Paul Griffin from the Earl of Desmond/Tralee Bicycle Club, just back from the Tour of Hokkaido in Japan.

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