First Edition Cycling News for February 25, 2004

Edited by John Stevenson

Fan club plans Pantani museum

Members of Marco Pantani's fan club, the Club Magico Pantani, are planning to create a museum to his memory in Pantani's home town of Cesenatico, according to Italian press agency ANSA. The club, which had 3,000 members at its peak in 1998, but now has just 300, is seeking approval from Pantani's family before approaching the town authorities.

Hoy: "Track cycling is clean"

Top Scottish track sprinter Chris Hoy yesterday responded to the doping stories and allegations that are once swirling around cycling in the wake of the Gaumont case and the death of Marco Pantani. According to the Scotsman, Hoy said, "Some people don't just suspect we might be on drugs, they assume we are.

"Road and track cycling are like two separate sports and we don't have the same problems," he added. "I can put my hand on my heart and say I've never taken drugs."

Simoni visits Pantani's grave

Gilberto Simoni
Photo: © Sirotti

Saeco rider Gilberto Simoni, winner of last year's Giro d'Italia, yesterday visited Marco Pantani's grave along with his team-mates, to pay his respects to the 1998 winner.

Simoni was in the area as part of his preparation for this year's Giro and spent the morning reconnoitering the route of the eleventh stage from Porto Sant' Elpidio to Cesena.

The stage is not exceptionally hard, but Simoni said, "last year the stage to Faenza was very similar and was an important day for the overall result of the Giro. It's a nervous route and so knowing it in detail will be useful."

Simoni and team-mates Cunego, Sabaliauskas and Bertagnolli rode the 95km of the stage route as part of a 145km training ride, and encountered fog and snow in the hills near San Marino. "As well as the difficult weather conditions, as I imagined the stage is definitely a tough one and so could cause a few surprises."

Pevenage praises Ullrich

Rudy Pevanage is impressed with Jan Ullrich's early-season form, according to German news agency sid. The Belgian has no official role within team T-Mobile, but recently supervised Ullrich during a three-week training session in Tuscany, after which he said, "I believe Jan is in the same condition as last year, even though he trained for an extra month last year. However, last year there were many doubts about his knee and that is now really 100 percent okay."

Ullrich will start racing at the Clasica de Almeria in Spain on February 29, then the Vuelta Ciclista a Murcia, March 3-7. Pevanage said he doesn't expect top results from Ullrich yet. "Of course, Jan won't be up with the best riders at at Almeria and Murcia," he said. "He is not an early starter. You can't expect big results of him there; he certainly needs some kilometers on the bike."

Team Illes Balears - Banesto on line & multi-lingual

The Illes Balears - Banesto team now has an official online presence at www.illesbalears-banesto.com. The site includes the latest information about the team, its riders, technical staff, schedule and results, sponsors, activities developed during the season, news and official press notes.

The website is available in five languages: Spanish, Catalan, English, French and German.

Heath Net for McLane Pacific

Health Net sprinter Gord fraser will be attempting to defend his 2002 and 2003 titles at this year's McLane Pacific Downtown Grand Prix on March 13 and 14. After his victory in the sprint classification at the Tour de Langkawi, Fraser will be supported by perhaps the strongest team since his stint with Mercury, including lead-out man Mike Sayers, a veteran of ten of the eleven previous editions of the McLane Pacific.

Health Net for the 2004 McLane Pacific: Gord Fraser, Walker Ferguson, Mike Jones, Jason Lokkesmoe, John Lieswyn, Jason McCartney, Danny Pate, Chris Wherry, Mike Sayers.

Subaru renews IMBA support

Subaru of America has renewed its support of the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew through 2006. Launched in 1997, the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew program has led more than 1,000 trail projects, trained more than 35,000 people in sustainable trailbuilding techniques and logged half a million miles of coast-to-coast travel in its official Subaru vehicles, according to an announcement from IMBA.

The program includes two full-time, professional teams of trail experts who travel North America year-round, leading IMBA Trailbuilding Schools, meeting with government officials and land managers, and working with IMBA-affiliated groups to improve mountain biking opportunities.

"Thanks to Subaru of America's renewed support, IMBA's Trail Care Crews will continue to work their magic to improve trails for mountain bikers and other trail users," said IMBA executive director Tim Blumenthal. "This long-term partnership continues to reap huge benefits for our sport."

Symmetrics feathers nest

British Columbia, Canada's Symmmetrics Cycling Team has announced the acquisition of a particularly comfortable sponsorship - from luxury bedding manufacturer Northern Feather DreamMakers. As always, there's a cycling fan in the company that's putting in the dollars - in this case, it's CEO and founder Ted Nilsson, who said, "Road cycling is a popular and prominent sport in Europe and something I followed closely in my native Denmark. Northern Feather DreamMakers is proud to sponsor Symmetrics Cycling, a team which reflects the type of commitment to quality we are known for."

Symmetrics program includes considerable amounts of charity work, raising funds for B.C. Special Olympics to help provide opportunities for individuals with mental disabilities to take part in sport. Ted Nilsson's Northern Feathers DreamMakers was a major donor in the 2003 Symmetrics Cycling charity campaign, which raised over $50,000.00 for the BC Special Olympics.

Great Dane Velo Club announces 2004 roster

Madison, Wisconsin's Great Dane Velo Club has announced its 2004 elite team roster. The team will focus on the Wisconsin Cup competition and the NRC International Cycling Classic but will also compete nationally at select events. In 2003 the team won both the Masters 30+ and the Pro/1/2 category of the Wisconsin Cup.

Full announcement & roster

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