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Edited by Paul Goldsmith
Under the headline " Coppi murdered " the Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport claims that the cycling legend Fausto Coppi was poisoned because of a vendetta against cycling. Coppi, who died on January 2nd 1960, was presumed to have died from malaria. The claims have Coppi being poisoned in Africa by a local venom because of the death of a cyclist. There is no link made between the cyclists death and Coppi.
Whilst there is understandable skepticism about the new claims, a file has been opened with Italian prosecutors according to the ANSA news agency. The murder claims have been made by Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) administrator Mino Caudullo, who has visited Africa several times and claims to have been told by a monk in Burkina Faso that Coppi was murdered.
The monk told Caudullo that he had received a confession from a man that Coppi was poisoned because of a grudge. "The monk told me 'it is a potion that is well known here because it is derived from local grass. It is a slow-acting poison that leads from small to high fevers to eventual death," Caudullo said. The monk apparently found out about the murder via a confession.
The paper told how Coppi fell ill while training at altitude in the African state before he died in Italy at the age of 40. Mr Caudullo told "Corriere dello Sport" he got this information in 1985 during a trip to Burkina Faso. What isn't explained is why Caudullo has now chosen to release his story.
Coppi's son, also named Fausto said that he was very skeptical about the claims. "It is a rather unbelievable history. There are mysteries things in the life. But why the CONI director waited until today to tell the thing? And why did the monk tell it to it at all? The only thing, which is firmly, is that my father would still live, if he had been properly medically treated ",
French rider Raphael Geminiani, who was with Coppi in Burkina Faso and now lives in Perignat-sur-Allier in the Auvergne region of France, said the murder claims were false, describing them as "all fantasy". "Myself and Fausto were both very ill in Alto Volta (Burkina Faso), it was malaria," said Geminiani, now 77. "I was saved in extremis but for him they got the diagnosis wrong."
Coppi's premature death shocked Italy in 1960. He had made cycling history in 1949 by becoming the first man to win both the Tour of Italy and the Tour de France, a feat he repeated in 1952.
His death was shrouded in mystery and on January 3, 1960 - the day after the rider died - Corriere della Sera's headline was "The mysterious death of Fausto Coppi." In a sport where many riders have died prematurely because of the taking of supplements, legal and illegal, Coppi's early death was by no means an isolated case.
In what has been a closely fought series in all divisions, the Men's overall winner will be decided between Robbie McEwen (Crown Casino) on 30 points and Victorian Hilton Clarke (SBR Swim Bike Run) with 28 points. In the Women's event Rochelle Gilmore holds a 8 point lead over Hayley Rutherford. However with 12 points up for grabs in toady's race, the overall jersey is far from decided.
In B Grade Cody Stevenson with 42 points has dominated the event and is assured of his series win.
The Crown Casino circuit is an L shaped, 800 m, hot-dog circuit with a difference. Raced around the Crown Towers, with great views of the Yarra River and the Crown Complex, it will need a fast but technically sound rider to take this one out.
Last year's winners in the Crown Casino races were Greg Henderson and Anna Wilson.
For Cyclingnews coverage of the Bay Series
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by Rochelle Gilmore (Women's Overall leader)
The circuit was extremely hilly for a criterium circuit, it was only 1km around but more than half of the lap was up hill!
I am not recognised as a hill climber but I handled the course well, I was straight onto every attack. I found myself in a break of 5 girls with 10 laps to go, but because I had the yellow jersey and I am a sprinter, I had no pressure to work with the girls to keep the break away.
I just sat back until the last lap when Tasmania's Naomi Williams launched an attack that I was straight onto, with 300m to the finish Western Australia's Hayley Rutherford caught us and went straight past. I chased her up the finish hill and took over her with only 60m to the line!
There were not many girls finish the race today, not one other of my NSW team mates managed to finish! This is an indication that with one stage of the series left to race the field is feeling tired!
I am in a great frame of mind after today's win, I have held the yellow jersey for the last 2 years going into the last stage - but have lost it due to bad luck! With this years points situation leading into the last day, I feel that only bad luck can beat me, I have trained hard for this event and with the disappointment of the last couple of years, its very important to win the series this year - 3rd time lucky?
Women's Overall General Classification Points (after stage 4)
Rochelle Gilmore (NSW) 42 points
Hayley Rutherford (WA) 34
Alison Wright (ACT) 24
Joanne Kiesanoski (NZ) 19
Kristy Scrymgeour (NSW) 15
The 2002 season for the Saeco Macchine per Caffè-Longoni Sport team kicks off on two fronts in the next few days with riders traveling to Australia and others meeting up near Rome for the first training camp of the new year.
On Sunday eight riders and directuer sportif Guido Bontempi will travel to Adelaide, Australia for the Tour Down Under race from January 15-20. Fabio Sacchi is determined to repeat his great ride of last year when he won a stage and finished second overall in what is the most important stage race in Australia. Along with Sacchi in the Australian race there will also be Biagio Conte, Joerg Ludewig and the four new Saeco - Longoni Sport riders: Oscar Mason, Cristian Pepoli, Austrian Gerrit Glomser and Spaniard Igor Astarloa.
While these riders are getting ready for the Tour Down Under, the rest of the Saeco - Longoni Sport team will meet up on Monday January 7 to train together until January 16 at Terracina, just south of Rome.
The whole Saeco - Longoni Sport team will get together on January 29 for the official team presentation in Milan. This will include new signing for Saeco, Juan Fuentes. Team manager Claudio Corti recently signed Spanish neo-pro Juan Fuentes, increasing the number of the riders in the team to 24. The Catalan climber -who was born in Australia, is not well known outside of Spain. However he won 18 races last year (including the overall classification of four stage races) and rode consistently well all season to also score 43 top five placings. Fuentes is the third neo-pro Saeco - Longoni Sport have signed for 2002. The other names to watch for the future are former Junior world champion Damiano Cunego and Leonardo Bertagnolli. Fuentes will meet his new team mates for the first time at the Terracina training camp.
by Ted Arnold
Austin racers got a special surprise Saturday morning on their regular group ride, World Mountain Bike Champion Alison Dunlap. Dunlap, who was staying with friends was getting in some miles before competing in the GP Temple Cyclo-cross event on January 6th in Temple, Texas which is about an hour north of Austin. The event is put on in as a part of the Texas Bicycle Racing Association and it's Texas Cup Series.
Dunlap who is also scheduled to compete January 19th in the GCCA Off Road Classic in Houston, Texas commented, "I have extra air miles for a free ticket so I thought I would come down and race" Dunlap went on to say she is using the events as preparation for her run at the World Cyclo-cross Championships in Zolder, Belgium. Race information for both the GP Temple and GCCA Off Road Classic can be found at www.txbra.org.
Ten Indonesians nationals posing as cyclists and reporters have been denied visa's to New Zealand after claiming that they were to race in Tour of Wellington cycle race
The New Zealand Immigration Services in Jakarta foiled the attempt by the Indonesians.It seems the Indonesian group even went to the extent of contacting Tour of Wellington organiser, Jorge Sandoval who gave them accreditation. Apparently Mr Sandoval said that the group "didn't seem genuine cyclists."
Mr Sandoval says the Immigration Department in Jakarta called him and told him that the ten applicants provided forged documents for the visa and were denied entry.
Indonesia has been torn with political turmoil for a number of years.
Details of the 2002 World Masters Championships have been announced by the UCI. The Championships are to be held in the St. Johann in the Tirol region of Austria, with the Masters Time Trial events to be held on Wednesday August 28, 2002. The Road events happen on the following days.
World Masters Championships Road Race Schedule
Thursday, 29 August 2002
Class Age-Class Laps Kilometer Age Start
Class 5 1950-1952 2 76 50-52 Years 13:00
Class 9 1938-1940 2 76 62-64 Years 13:10
Class Women 1 1963-1972 1 40 30-39 Years 13:20
Class Women 3 1953-1957 1 40 45-49 Years 13:25
Class Women 4 -1952 1 40 50 Years and older 13:30
Friday, 29 August 2002
Class Age-Class Laps Kilometer Age Start
Class 6 1947-1949 2 76 53-55 Years 13:00
Class 3 1958-1962 3 116 40-44 Years 13:15
Class 7 1944-1946 2 76 56-58 Years 13:25
Class Women 2 1958-1962 1 40 40-44 Years 13:30
Saturday, 31 August 2002
Class Age-Class Laps Kilometer Age Start
Class 4 1953-1957 3 116 45-49 Years 13:00
Class 10 1933-1937 1 40 65-69 Years 13:05
Class 8 1941-1943 2 76 59-61 Years 13:20
Class 70-74 1928-1932 1 40 70-74 Years 13:30
Class -75 -1927 1 40 75 Years and older 13:35
Sunday, 01. September 2002
Class Age-Class Laps Kilometer Age Start
Elite - 5 184 - 8:00
Class 1 1968-1972 3 116 30-34 Years 8:10
Class 2 1963-1967 3 116 35-39 Years 8:25
Women Elite - 2 76 - 8:30
Further information can be found on the official website
The Chilean Cycling Federation has presented the calendar for the coming months. The following events counts in the Ranking Nacional de Ruta Lider:
January 6: Gran Premio Santiago
January 10-13: la Vuelta de La Araucanía
January 19-20: Lider Bike Tour de Viña del Mar
January 26-27: Lider Bike Tour de La Serena
January 30-February 3: Ascensión a las Termas de Chillán
February 9-17: Vuelta Lider-Sur
February 23-24: Torneo Curicó
March 1-3: Tour Amarillo
March 8-10: National Road Championships
March 14-24 Vuelta a Chile
The Lehigh Valley Velodrome will host a Roller Race at the Lehigh Valley Mall, January 18, 2002. the roller races will run from 5pm till 10 pm.
The Roller Race will feature top local and national track cyclists competing on stationary rollers with real track bikes. The event will be timed by Phoenix Sports Technologies.
Olympic Gold Medal Winner Marty Nothstein will also be on hand to meet fans and sign one-of-a-kind T-shirts commemorating his Olympic Gold for the USA. Proceeds from the T-shirt sale will benefit local victims and their families of the September 11 disaster .
The event will also be used to announce upcoming events at Lehigh Valley Velodrome.
Riders confirmed for the Roller Derby include;
Bobby Lea (Jr. World Team Member),
Mike Grabowski (National Champion),
Andy Lakatosh (Jr. National Champion and record holder)
Mike Beers (National Champion)
Becky Quinn (3 Time Morning Call Rider of the Year)
Larry Detris (Jr. World Team Member)
Jon Frederick (Collegiate National Champion)
Anton Quist (Masters World Champion)
Mike Friedman (Under 23 National Champion)
Further information available from Gwen Hoover
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