News for March 26, 2002

Edited by Jeff Jones

UCI rankings: Dekker number one

Arndt holds lead over Melchers

In terms of UCI points, Erik Zabel came off the worst after Saturday's Milan-San Remo where he finished 70th, meaning that he lost 240 points and gained just 5. That means goodbye to the number one UCI ranking for the time being as the other Erik (Dekker) takes over the top spot. Unfortunately, the physical cost to Dekker was far greater after he broke his femur during the race. That effectively puts him out of action for the spring classics, and he will therefore lose around 500 points over the next 5 weeks.

In third place is Gilberto Simoni (Saeco), who will start racing in earnest this week in Setmana Catalana. He is followed by the consistent Paolo Bettini (Mapei) who continues to improve. Lance Armstrong is in 5th, followed by Jan Ullrich and Oscar Sevilla.

Milan-San Remo winner Mario Cipollini (Acqua e Sapone) moved himself up 15 places into 29th position, while last year's Tirreno-Adriatico winner Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner) dropped from 3rd to 8th place. Other movers include Saeco's Danilo Di Luca (11th up to 8th) and Mapei's Oscar Freire (16th up to 13th).

In the women's rankings there were fewer changes, with Judith Arndt (Saturn) holding a comfortable 103 point lead at the top. Primavera Rosa winner Mirjam Melchers is in second spot, with another 84 points down to Swiss cyclist Nicole Brändli (Swi) Acca Due O. Last year's Primavera Rosa winner Susanne Ljungskog (Vlaanderen) dropped a couple of places down to 8th spot.

UCI rankings as of March 24, 2002

Men

1 Erik Dekker (Ned) Rabobank                                  2,339 pts
2 Erik Zabel (Ger) Telekom                                    2,181
3 Gilberto Simoni (Ita) Saeco-Longoni Sport                   1,759
4 Paolo Bettini (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step                        1,749
5 Lance Armstrong (USA) US Postal Service                     1,718
6 Jan Ullrich (Ger) Telekom                                   1,705
7 Oscar Sevilla Ribera (Spa) Kelme                            1,493
8 Davide Rebellin (Ita) Gerolsteiner                          1,471
9 Francesco Casagrande (Ita) Fassa Bortolo                    1,341
10 Laurent Jalabert (Fra) CSC-Tiscali                         1,314
11 Danilo Di Luca (Ita) Saeco-Longoni Sport                   1,243
12 Jaan Kirsipuu (Est) Ag2r-Prevoyance                        1,224
13 Jens Voigt (Ger) Credit Agricole                           1,170
14 Michael Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank                             1,170
15 Joseba Beloki Dorronsoro (Spa) ONCE-Eroski                 1,160
16 Oscar Freire Gomez (Spa) Mapei-Quick Step                  1,127
17 Nico Mattan (Bel) Cofidis                                  1,063
18 Romans Vainsteins (Lat) Domo-Farm Frites                   1,059
19 David Millar (GBr) Cofidis                                 1,032
20 Giuliano Figueras (Ita) Panaria                            1,021

Women

1 Judith Arndt (Ger) Saturn Cycling Team                        762 pts
2 Mirjam Melchers (Ned) Team Farm Frites-Hartol                 659
3 Nicole Brändli (Swi) Acca Due O Pasta Zara Lorena Camicie     575
4 Petra Rossner (Ger) Saturn Cycling Team                       556
5 Edita Pucinskaite (Ltu) Figurella Dream Team                  483
6 Anna Millward (Aus) Saturn Cycling Team                       476
7 Rasa Polikeviciute (Ltu) Acca Due O Pasta Zara Lorena Camicie 435
8 Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) Vlaanderen-T-Interim Ladies Team      427
9 Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli (Fra)                                  390
10 Fabiana Luperini (Ita) Edilsavino                            380
11 Lyne Bessette (Can) Saturn Cycling Team                      348
12 Olga Slioussareva (Rus) Itera Team                           345
13 Diana Ziliute (Ltu) Acca Due O Pasta Zara Lorena Camicie     326
14 Zinaida Stahurskaia (Blr) Usci Chirio                        297
15 Debby Mansveld (Ned) Vlaanderen-T-Interim Ladies Team        260
16 Trixi Worrack (Ger)                                          238
17 Monica Valen (Nor) Team Sponsor Service                      224
18 Alessandra Cappellotto (Ita) Power-Plate-Bik                 205
19 Joane Somarriba Arrola (Spa) Deia-Pragma-Colnago             203
20 Rochelle Gilmore (Aus)                                       202

Dekker operation goes well

Injured Dutch cyclist Erik Dekker is reportedly recovering well in Amersfoort hospital after an operation was performed on his broken leg on Sunday. Dekker broke his left femur in a fall during Milan-San Remo on Saturday, with about 30 kilometres to go in the 287 kilometre classic.

Although his spring classics campaign is effectively over, the question now is when he will be able to resume training. Rabobank doctor Geert Leinders says it will not be until Friday at the earliest before he can estimate when Dekker will be back on the bike. He hopes it will be well before May 11 when the Giro d'Italia starts in Groeningen in the Netherlands.

Ullrich must rest for two weeks

Jan Ullrich's early season problems continue, with his troublesome right knee not improving enough for him to consider racing yet. Team doctor Lothar Heinrich has ordered Ullrich to rest for two weeks to allow it to heal properly. A possible return to racing in the Tour of Aragon at the end of April is therefore in doubt.

Mapei manager comments after San Remo

What happened to the Mapei machine in Milan-San Remo? They were there at the end with Paolo Bettini and Oscar Freire, but didn't manage to pull off a win, or even a podium finish. Some of the articles published in the international press afterwards were critical of Mapei's poor performance, but team manager Alvaro Crespi vigorously denies it was in any way bad.

In addition to Laszlo Bodrogi being part of the day's main breakaway, Paolo Bettini's attack on the Poggio was from a technical point of view, according to Crespi, "definitely the most important moment of the entire race. When he had finished the Poggio section with a 15 second advantage, we really thought he would have won."

But on the descent, Bettini couldn't press home his advantage. "Yes, effectively he mistook a few bends; he is completely aware of this. Psychologically he still thinks about his last fall during the first stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico."

Although Bettini was ultimately caught, Crespi made it clear that the team strategy was two pronged. "During Friday's technical meeting we decided to put an equal emphasis on Bettini and Freire; both of them and their teammates agreed on this. Paolo demonstrated this by putting himself at Oscar's disposition after he had been caught trying to keep up the fast pace of the race and in keeping the group spread out. Unfortunately Lanfranchi blocked Freire during the finale and he lost pace with Cipollini's winning wheel."

Crespi reacted strongly to accusations that Freire was isolated during the race. "This is an unacceptable accusation. Bramati remained alongside Oscar all day and it was Zanini's job to pilot him during the sprint. Unfortunately Stefano, along with Nardello, was caught up in the fall a few kilometres before the Cipressa. It is almost like saying that the Saeco team used the wrong strategy due to Di Luca's fall."

"With regard to Bettini, he had acquired the right to try his action alone. The rest of the team was completely at the disposal of the two leaders and was made up of the most in form riders....They carried out their roles perfectly. The only difference would have been made if Garzelli had been racing; he would have been able to make a tactical difference. If he had been racing we would have been able to think of making the race harder right from the Bric Berton, making the most of his climbing characteristics."

"I am satisfied with how the athletes interpreted the race. I still believe that we were amongst the most important protagonists at Sanremo. With a just a pinch more of luck I'm sure that things would have been different."

The team will aim to perform better in the Tour of Flanders, with Bettini, Freire, Tafi and Nardello the key men.

US Postal comments from San Remo

The US Postal Service team placed George Hincapie 16th and Lance Armstrong - in his first event of the season - 44th in Saturday's Milan-San Remo. The race ended in a bunch sprint won by Mario Cipollini, and Hincapie (together with Alessandro Petacchi) found themselves boxed in in the rush to the line.

Lance Armstrong was upbeat in his comments after the race. "Considering it is a race of nearly 300 kilometres, I felt pretty good. In years past, I didn't make it to the finish with the first group, so it's a good sign."

"The team was solid," Armstrong continued. "We had one plan and that was to protect George and keep him "in" the race. I know George was disappointed with the his finish but he will absolutely be redeemed in Flanders and/or Roubaix. I have a great feeling about him this year."

"I will say that I've missed the race and team atmosphere, it was nice to be back at the races," Armstrong said. Regarding Milan - San Remo, Armstrong added, "I'm disappointed there were so many crashes. We lost a few guys that would have surely been up front, like (Floyd) Landis and (David) Clinger, and the race lost big favourites like (four time winner Erik) Zabel, (Tirreno Adriatico winner and 2002 World Cup champ Erik) Dekker and (Danilo) Di Luca."

The USPS team's next race will be the Criterium International in France this weekend.

Crash takes out World Cup favourite

By Gerard Knapp

One of the names missing among the top finishers in last weekend's Primavera Rosa was Saturn's Petra Rossner, the powerful German sprinter who currently leads the World Cup standings, despite not being able to finish on Saturday.

With only one kilometre to go in a fast and furious Primavera, courtesy of some driving on the front from Leontien Van Moorsel (Farm Frites), a French rider crashed in the middle of the field. It took out several riders, including Rossner, who certainly would have been hard to beat had she made it to the line unscathed. In the first two rounds of the World Cup, Rossner has been unbeatable. Although Rossner wasn't injured in the crash, her front wheel was so badly damaged she could not continue and did not finish the race.

In her race report, Margaret Hemsley (Equip Nürnberger), who finished in 25th place, describes the action from the race, where Van Moorsel put in what she describes as "a 100 kilometre time trial", only easing up to help eventual race winner Mirjam Melchers get back into the field after a crash. Melchers' crash was the opportunity for other teams to attack, and the chase was on.

Marcel Kint dies

Belgian cycling legend Marcel Kint has died in Kortrijk, aged 87. Kint, known as the "Black Eagle" was professional between 1935 and 1951, and became the longest reigning World Champion after winning in Valkenburg in 1938. He held it for eight years until 1946, on account of there being no championships held during the Second World War.

Kint was also the Champion of Belgium in 1939, winning Paris-Brussels in 1940, Paris-Roubaix in 1943, Flèche Wallonne in 1943, 1944 and 1945 and Gent-Wevelgem in 1949. He won six stages of the Tour de France and twice finished 9th in the general classification.

Settimana Ciclistica Internazionale Coppi-Bartali

Starting in Italy with an 8 kilometre team time trial tomorrow (March 26) is the 2nd edition of the Settimana Ciclistica Internazionale Coppi-Bartali, which finishes on Saturday, March 30. The race comprises six stages and will feature several of the top Italian riders including Francesco Casagrande (Fassa Bortolo) and Guiliano Figueras (Panaria).

The stages

• Stage 1a - March 26: Rimini TTT, 8 km
• Stage 1b - March 26: Rimini, 104 km
• Stage 2 - March 27: Riccione-Faenza, 197 km
• Stage 3 - March 28: Circuit de Fucecchio, 120 km
• Stage 4 - March 29: Luca-San Salvatore, 195 km
• Stage 5 - March 30: Casalguidi-Pistoie, 153 km

Fassa Bortolo denies doping substances found

The Fassa Bortolo team has denied reports that doping substances were found in the room of one of its riders, Gorazd Stangelj, during the police raid in Rieti last week. Raids were made on the hotel rooms of six riders: Stefano Casagranda, Davide Casarotto, Endrio Leoni (all Alessio), Fabio Sacchi (Saeco), Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner) and Stangelj. The raids were authorised by Paola Cameran in Padua, one of the magistrates in charge of the Giro d'Italia investigation.

Although products were seized from all rooms, nothing illegal was found. Only Fabio Sacchi (Saeco) fell foul of the authorities after police found the female hormone gonadotropin (used by athletes to boost their levels of testosterone) in a parallel search of his home. Sacchi was suspended by his team, and claimed that the hormones were for his pregnant wife.

Snorrasson out with tendonitis

Australian rider Kristjan Snorrasson has had to forgo the first part of his season due to tendon and ligament damage in both knees. He was scheduled to ride in Portugal with the Matesica-Aboboda team, but is currently back home in Melbourne training 90 minutes per day, two days out of three. He hopes to be fit enough to race in the second half of the year, but will more than likely need to find a new team.

Glud & Marstrand Horsens presentation

By Steen Lyman Hansen, cykel Sport Danmark

Denmark's third top team, Glud & Marstrand Horsens, held its team presentation last Friday evening at Glud & Marstrand A/S i Loesning, Denmark.

Manager Søren Vig said that one of the team's biggest goals is to win the general classification in the Post Cup, and get top results at one of the individual Post Cup races. Another of the team's goals is to be more visible in the Post Danmark Rundt, perhaps taking the most aggressive rider award.

The team is composed of both young talents and more experienced riders. The captain is Dennis Rasmussen who is the most experienced rider and one of the most winning amateur riders in Denmark, spending some time as a professional in Germany. He hopes the team will achieve its goals and perhaps win another of Denmark's top races such as GP Midtbank or the CSC Classic (last year the Grand Prix Århus). For himself, he hopes to compete in the Track World Championships in Denmark later this year.

Jacob Nielsen's goal is also the Post Cup and the two UCI races. He hopes to improve to a bigger contract on a bigger team.

Jan Jespersen is aiming for a top result in four or five races; Stig Dam is looking at the Danish championships; Gøran Jensens goal is the Post Danmark Rundt; Morten Christiansen is aiming for a top 3 result at either the Post Cup or Track World's; Morten Pedersens goal is the Post cup in Horsens; Jannik Pedersen's aim is a victory somewhere in 2002; Brian Larsen's goal is to be at the front in the Post Cup and perform well outside Denmark.

Among the young talents on the team is Hans Henrik Jørgensen, who also rides with the very new Danish team: Team Post Danmark.

Full team roster

Team bn3/SRAM 2002

Team bn3/SRAM has signed Petra Wiltshire, the UCI Masters World Champion for the 2002 season. A well known face on the National and International circuits, Petra will be providing invaluable experience to the team roster.

Toby Frith will make his NPS debut for the team in 2002, after racing the 2001 National Youth DH Championships with special dispensation from British Cycling. Already a BDRA National Championships silver medallist, Toby will be looking to establish himself as a star of the future.

Third rider of the team will be Rhian Atherton. Rhian is the reigning Junior NPS Champion, National DH bronze medallist and DL silver medallist. She will be riding her first season as an elite category rider in 2002 after finishing as the #5 Junior woman in Europe. ,p> SRAM will be the team's title sponsor again, with additional from Sixsixone, Bolle Eyewear, USE, Nokian Tyres, Bigfoot Components,Maintenance & Service Matters Ltd, Remec Bicycles, Marzocchi and management consultants Tandom Services Ltd.

Team bn3/SRAM will contest the National Points Series, National Championships, selected rounds of the Tissot World Cup and regional races. In addition the team will be supporting new and existing sports development schemes. The official season kick-off will be at The Bike Show in Birmingham, March 23-25 where bn3-SRAM will also be taking part in the BSX race. The launch will take place on the Remec/Insane/Xero stand.

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