First Edition Cycling News for June 7, 2007Edited by Sue George with assistance from Susan Westemeyer Meares in league of her ownBy Nisa Schebella
Meares arrived at the party in Adelaide, thinking that it was just another team event. The unsuspecting star of Australian track cycling was instead surprised to discover that the function was in her honour, and was brought to tears when her parents and former coach Kenrick (Reggie) Tucker arrived unannounced, direct from Rockhampton. The younger of a pair of track star sisters, Anna, the sister of Kerrie, is currently riding high on her outstanding achievements and plotting out the next chapter of her life. At just 23 years of age, the Beijing and London Olympic Games are still in her sights for the Sprint event, but Meares is also hopeful that her favourite event, the 500m time trial, will be brought back onto the Olympic program by 2012. Smashing her own World Record in the 500 to 33.588 seconds at the World Championships in Majorca in March this year, Meares has seemed to achieve all the big goals she has set out to do since she started track cycling at the age of fourteen. Or has she?
Cyclingnews will cover the 60th edition of
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time (CEST)/ 23:00 Australian time (CDT)/ 9:00 (USA East). "I had quit the sport, but Kerrie was still cycling and every week Reggie was in my ear," she told Cyclingnews. Tucker succeeded, and he was instrumental in laying the foundation for Meares' success during her teenage years. "He laid down a lot of the laws and morals that still effect my cycling today." To read the complete feature, click here. Aldag and Zabel meet with German Olympic committee
Aldag and former teammate Erik Zabel will "actively work with" the German Olympic Committee (DOSB) to help combat doping in sports. Zabel has already renounced his participation in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In addition, Aldag's public appearances for T-Mobile Team will be "noticeably reduced." T-Mobile spokesman Christian Frommert confirmed to Cyclingnews that the former rider will play a less public role in the future. Zabel and former German decathlete Frank Busemann will appear at sports schools and camps "to inform young athletes about the dangers of doping." Aldag and Zabel will also work with the national and world anti-doping agencies on suggestions for improvements in the anti-doping control system. To aid the anti-doping battle, T-Mobile will "markedly increase" its annual donation of €200,000 to the German anti-doping agency. "That is the right signal also for the other sponsors," said Michael Vesper, the DOSB's general director. "Whoever supports sport, should participate in the financing of the anti-doping campaign. We hope the others will take note of this and also participate financially." Thomas Bach, director of the DOSB, praised T-Mobile for continuing its sponsorship. "That show that T-Mobile is standing up to its responsibilities. It is difficult, but it is the right way." "With these agreed-upon measures, Rolf Aldag and Erik Zabel make clear that they recognize the severity of their acts and aren't going to simply pass over them. They show regret and will be active in the fight against doping in the future," Bach said. Uncertain future for GoncharT-Mobile Team has put itself at the forefront of the anti-doping battle, and its most prominent victim this season has been veteran Serguei Gonchar. The Urkainian rider, who last year helped save the Tour de France for the team when he won both time trials and wore the leader's jersey for three days, was ordered in May to take a 30-day racing break following irregularities in his blood tests. Now, team manager Bob Stapleton says that the 36-year-old's days with the team are numbered. Gonchar had been scheduled to ride the Giro d'Italia but his name was withdrawn at the last minute. The team emphasized that the blood test results were all within UCI limits and that no doping violation had taken place. "The blood tests and blood volume test gave us a definite picture four weeks ago that something wasn't right," Stapleton told the sid news agency. "We will now look at his actual test results and decide whether he will ride for us again or not. He hadn't been planned for the Tour de France anyway, and I assume that this will be his last year with us." Klöden boycotts press
Andreas Klöden has decided to boycott the press in an effort to lessen the pressure of being a Tour de France favorite and to avoid doping discussions. "Andreas won't speak with anyone from the press before the Tour. He wants to totally concentrate," Astana spokeswoman Corinne Druey told the dpa press agency. At the recent Bayern Rundfahrt, Klöden told journalists that he was tired of always being asked about doping. More Gerolsteiner injuriesOnly days after saying that Oliver Zaugg would have knee surgery the end of the season, Team Gerolsteiner has moved the date of his operation up to next week. Zaugg had to drop out of the Giro d'Italia due to problems with sitting on his saddle, but he also had pain in his left knee, caused by an inflamed bursa. "I probably sat on my bike differently the last few stages," Zaugg, 26, said, causing an old injury to inflame the bursa. "The doctors say that the scar of the old injury are responsible for the bursitis, and advise me to have the operation." The small Swiss climber will go under the knife Monday at the orthopaedic clinic in Cravesano, by Lugano. He will have a three to four week break. "When I have the operation now, then hopefully I will be fit again for the second half of the season," Zaugg said. His teammate Tim Klinger, 22, will also have to sit out a couple of weeks with an irritated tendon in his thigh, a problem he has had for years. His doctor has ordered him to take a four-week break, complete with physical therapy and special strength training. "It is bitter, but this is only chance, if I want to ride pain-free this year," Klinger said. "In any case, I don't want to carry this problem with me the whole year." T-Mobile plans for TdF
The T-Mobile Team is checking out the Pyrenean mountain stages for the upcoming Tour de France. Sport Director Rolf Aldag is in France with Patrik Sinkewitz, Linus Gerdemann, Markus Burghardt, Michael Rogers, and Kim Kirchen. "We are riding some of the Tour passes. We will name our nine-man Tour team during or after the Tour de Suisse, which begins on June 16," Aldag told the dpa press agency. 14 or 15 riders are on T-Mobile's "short list" for the Tour squad. Rogers, who is expected to be captain, Gerdemann and Sinkewitz are set for the team. According to Aldag, young sprinters Gerald Ciolek and Mark Cavendish, who already has five season victories, also have chances to be nominated. Rogers, Gerdemann, Cavendish and Roger Hammond were in London last week, to check out the Tour prologue route. Tour de l'Avenir course unveiled
Wednesday morning, organisers of the Tour de l'Avenir unveiled the course of the 44th edition schedule for September 6-15. In the presence of Daniel Gilles, vice-president in charge of sports in the Brittany area, sporting director Jean-François Pescheux detailed the new stages of the event that will once again be contested by national teams. As part of the return to this approach, which was abandoned in 1980, the countries will be selected based on the results claimed in the Nations Cup, in which the Tour de l'Avenir will be a sort of grand finale. Elite Under 23 riders will be invited for a prestigious start on the island of Bell-Ile-en-Mer, just like the 2007 Tour de France. 21 teams of six riders each will start the first stage on the island before returning to the continent for a total of 1436.5km throughout the race. Schedule Gerolsteiner for weekend & Dauphiné LibéréTeam Gerolsteiner will move to southern Germany and Switzerland over the weekend for two one-day races. Stefan Schumacher, fresh from his victory in the Bayern Rundfahrt, will lead the team in the GP Triberg-Schwarzwald on Saturday. That race features six rounds of a course for a total of 139.2 km, with 537 climbing meters on each round. The next day the team will take on the GP Kanton Argau in Switzerland, led by Beat Zberg, who won the race last year. The race runs 196 km and has its start and finish in Gippingen. The team starts its serious preparations for the Tour de France this weekend in the Dauphiné Libéré. The squad will be led by Marcus Fothen and Bernhard Kohl, who finished third in the race last year. Also on the roster is Fabian Wegmann, who won the first stage of the race in 2006. Gerolsteiner for GP Triberg-Schwarzwald: Johannes Fröhlinger, Sven Krauss, Volker Ordowski, Mattias Russ, Stefan Schumacher, Marcel Strauss, Carlo Westphal, and Markus Zberg. Gerolsteiner for GP Kanton Argau: Johannes Fröhlinger, Oscar Gatto, Volker Ordowski, Matthias Russ, Marcel Strauss, Carlo Westphal, Beat Zberg, and Markus Zberg. Gerolsteiner for Dauphiné Libéré: Markus Fothen, Heinrich Haussler, Torsten Hiekmann, Bernhard Kohl, Ronny Scholz, Tom Stamsnijder, Fabian Wegmann and Peter Wrolich. Colavita / Sutter Home for PhillyThe Colavita/Sutter Men's cycling team presented by Cooking Light announced its roster for the 156 mile Philadelphia International Championship, the third and final leg of the Commerce Bank Trip Crown of Cycling on Sunday, June 10. "It's been a great season to date, with victories and podiums at home and abroad," said Director Sportif Tom Schuler said. "The Commerce Bank Triple Crown of Cycling is one of our top goals of the season and our team is ready to light it up on Sunday." "We've got the depth of talent to succeed on a challenging course like the Philadelphia International Championship," said Schuler. "Anthony Colby, for example, has been climbing exceptionally well. Based on his performance this year at races like the Redlands Bicycle Classic and New Mexico's Tour of the Gila, he's definitely got what it takes to scale the legendary Manayunk Wall." "We're also pleased to have Philadelphia native Tyler Wren riding in Colavita/Sutter Home colors. Tyler grew up less than a mile from the start/finish line and this race inspired him to pursue a career in cycling." Colavita / Sutter presented by Cooking Light for Philadelphia: Alejandro Acton, Gustavo Artacho, Adam Bergman, Anthony Colby, Charles Dionne, Davide Frattini, David McCann, and Tyler Wren. Euskaltel-Euskadi for the Euskal BizikletaBy Monika Prell Euskaltel-Euskadi will compete in the Euskal Bizikleta, the home race of the orange-clad riders, with the hope of winning the race June 8-10. The team will participate with the following eight riders: Samuel Sánchez, Unai Etxebarria, Jon Bru, Amets Txurruka, Beñat Albizuri, Iban Iriondo, Lander Aperribay, and Iban Mayoz. Xabier Carbayeda will serve as director. Samuel Sánchez will be the leader after his stage wins in the Vuelta al País Vasco and the Volta a Catalunya. He described the goals of the team. "Our intention and our objective is the victory. Primarily will be acting like a team. I have the impression that this will be a crazy race with distinctive intervals. I feel quite good before this race, in the Volta [a Catalunya] I was always struggling and I got a stage win. I want to be prudent. I am in a good competition form, but in a race like this, with four so-complicated and nervous stages, many things can happen, and many will have their fingers in the pie," said the Asturian. Rasmussen College to host women's cycling summitTuesday, June 19, cyclists from across the country will gather at the Rasmussen College Women's Cycling Summit, the first event of the 2007 Great River Energy Bicycle Festival, held in conjunction with the Nature Valley Grand Prix. The women's summits, which began in 2003, provide a forum for the discussion of the challenges and opportunities facing women's cycling. This edition of the Summit will include the presentation of the Ryan Collegiate All Stars Team, an overview of Cycling Made Real by one of its national leaders, and a panel discussion on developing major sponsorships for teams and events. The conference will be chaired by Rebecca Anderson, an advocacy project manager at Trek Bicycles. Given that collegiate cycling has proved a major entry point for women into the sport, the Nature Valley Grand Prix will showcase collegiate cycling by hosting the first-ever Ryan Collegiate Women's All Stars Teams. Six elite racers from colleges across the country were selected at the USA Cycling National Collegiate Cycling Championships in May. Christina Dekraay, a national leader of Cycling Made Real, will be the keynote speaker. The Cycling Made Real started in 1995 and organizes women's clinics and entry-level racing series to remove barriers and make the sport more welcoming to women. Minnesota Cycling Made Real participants will be invited to join in a "town hall meeting" following Dekraay's address. The final session features a panel discussion on how programs and events can recruit and retain corporate sponsors. Panelists Dan Stangler (Wheaties), Stephanie Scott (Jelly Belly Candy Company), and David Kutoff (Materials Processing Corporation) will offer unique insider views of the goals of corporate sponsors and how their decisions are made. Tom Schuler (Team Sports) and Michael Aisner (promoter of the fabled Coors Classic stage race), two of cycling's most successful sponsorship hunters, will share their expertise and offer invaluable tips. The panel will field questions from the audience in an open forum. For more info, visit www.womencyclists.com. Manhattan Beach Grand Prix set for July 1
The 46th Annual Manhattan Beach Grand Prix is set for July 1. Thousands of fans will watch two main events: t he women's pro race beginning at 11:00 am and the men's pro race at 1 pm. This year, the even will also crown the Women's Cycling Challenge Champion, the winner of a series of women's races in Southern California and Nevada. All total, over 1,000 racers will compete for US $25,000 in prize money. "We can expect an action-packed day of world-class racing," said Rod Spackman, Policy, Government and Public Affairs Manager for Chevron, the event's title sponsor for the past 16 years. "The Grand Prix has helped cultivate a new generation of cycling enthusiast in Southern California. Professional bicycle racing is exploding in popularity, and we are honored that the South Bay and this event continue to serve as its base of support." The race's paperclip shaped 1.4 mile criterium course is challenging and technical with two long straight-aways and two sweeping 180-degree turns. Riders face a headwind on the downward slope, which hinders breakaways. Team tactics are a must and setting up for the final turn is essential to win the event. Some of the teams returning this year include Toyota United Cycling, Health Net, and Navigators. Last year's event was won by Juan Haedo (Toyota- United Pro Cycling Team) and Nicky Wangsgard (Colorado Premier Training-Colnago Womens). For more information, visit mbgp.com. (All rights reserved/Copyright Knapp Communications Pty Limited 2007) |
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