News for August 21, 2002Edited by Jeff Jones Armstrong and Ekimov to ride GP Eddy MerckxFour time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong and Olympic Time Trial champion Viatcheslav Ekimov will form one of the teams for this Sunday's prestigious GP Eddy Merckx two man time trial, held in Brussels around the Koning Boudewijnstadion. It will be one of Armstrong's last races of the year, as he finishes with the San Francisco GP on September 15. Favourites for the event include two time winners Marc Wauters and Erik Dekker (Rabobank), who will start last. There is also Mapei's powerful duo of Michael Rogers and Cadel Evans, Fassa Bortolo's Serguei Gontchar and Marco Velo, and Gerolsteiner's Uwe Peschel and Michael Rich. The racing will get under way at 13:00 with a 24 km team time trial for young beginners. The professionals will start their 41 km event at 15:00, with the last team expected to finish around 16:30. The start list 15.00: Bart Voskamp/Jan Van Velzen (Bankgiroloterij) Ullrich helps flood victimsTelekom's Jan Ullrich has donated 25,000 euros in cash to help victims of the recent flood crisis in East Germany. Ullrich made the donation at the farewell race for two of his friends, Mike and Dirk Baldinger, in Merdingen where he was the official starter. The money was delivered to a charity set up to help flood victims. "The pictures that I saw from the floods were terrible," said Ullrich. "I would also like to contribute to help the people affected in a way as fast and as simply as possible." UCI not happy with Pantani let offThe UCI have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to try and get Marco Pantani's eight month suspension for doping reinstated. Pantani was suspended by the Italian Cycling Federation in June after a being implicated in the 2001 Giro d'Italia investigation. It was alleged that a syringe containing insulin was found in his hotel room, although Pantani claimed the hotel room wasn't his, therefore it couldn't be proven that the insulin belonged to him. The FCI's disciplinary commission did not believe him, and decided to suspend him for eight months. Pantani took his case to the CAS, which overturned it in July on the grounds that the room where the syringe was found was in fact not his hotel room, and no witness to the drug raid saw Pantani enter or exit that room - therefore there is no certainty that he was in possession of illegal substances. The UCI has in turn decided to appeal to the CAS, issuing a statement today requesting the "annulment of the decision of the acquittal". Casero signs for two more years2001 Vuelta España winner Angel Casero (Team Coast) has extended his contract with the German team for another two years, according to the Spanish Marca newspaper. Casero is hoping to avoid what happened last year, when he reached the end of the season with a victory in a grand tour, but no one willing to sign him due to the economic climate. The deal is reportedly worth 450,000 euros per season, plus bonuses for victories. "Angel is very happy in Team Coast, with Juan Fernández as director, and this has encouraged us to continue with him," said Casero's wife and manager Ana. Sunderland out for two weeks with tendonitisAn early casualty in the GP Stad Zottegem today was local resident Scott Sunderland (EDS-fakta), who had to pull out due to tendonitis in his right leg. The luckless Sunderland was riding in his first race back since spending another week off the bike due to a stomach virus (for the third time this season!). However, the pain was too much and he was taken to the local hospital, where the doctor ordered him to stay off the bike for another two weeks. The one advantage of this is that he should be at home to see the birth of his second child, which is due any day now. Mercury will not renew for 2003The Mercury Division of Ford Motors has announced that it will not renew the US team's sponsorship for 2003. "We wish to express our sincere appreciation for all the devotion and passion demonstrated by the outstanding cyclists who are now or have been part of the Mercury Cycling Team," read a statement from Mercury management. In recent years, the team has been one of the most successful US based cycling teams in terms of results, and has seen the likes of Baden Cooke, Floyd Landis, Levi Leipheimer, Chris Horner, Jonathan Vaughters, and David Clinger pass through its ranks. However, the team's bid for major European success failed last year when it bought riders with the necessary points for division I, but couldn't pay them, due in part to the collapse of co-sponsor Viatel. That and the non-selection for the Tour de France effectively ended Mercury's division I dreams, and a several former Mercury riders are still owed money from non-payment of salaries. Undeterred, this year the team continued with Mercury again as the main sponsor, dramatically scaling down its roster and riding a completely US based program. The team won the Saturn Road Classic, Manhattan Beach Grand Prix, and the USPRO Criterium National Championship to name a few. The team is looking at finding a replacement sponsor for next year. "We thank Mercury and their dealers for all of their support these past few years. We are currently talking with other potential corporate sponsors who would like to be associated with the sport and this winning program," said a team statement. Javier Ramirez Abeja gets stagiaire ride with CSC-TiscaliPromising young Spanish rider Javier Ramirez Abeja will ride for CSC-Tiscali as a stagiaire (an apprentice) from September 1. The 24 year old is the leading rider on the Spanish amateur scene, and several teams have shown interest in him. "We will probably let him start in a small stage race and in a couple of the tough Italian one-day races during the autumn," said CSC team director Johnny Weltz. U.S. National Track Cycling Championships scheduleThe Lehigh Valley Velodrome has announced the detailed schedule of events for next week's U.S. National Track Cycling Championships, which is as follows. Tuesday, Aug. 27 - 9:00 am 1 Men Pursuit Qualification 2 Women Pursuit Qualification 3 Paralympic Pursuit Finals (All Classes) Tuesday, Aug. 27 - 7:00 pm Awards - Paralympic Pursuit 4 Women Pursuit Semi Final 5 Men Pursuit Semi Final 6 Men Keirin Heats 7 Women Sprint Qualifying - 200m 8 Men Keirin Semi Final 9 Women Sprint Round #1 10 Women Pursuit Finals 11 Men Pursuit Finals 12 Women Sprint Repechage 13 Men Keirin Finals Awards - Pursuits and Keirin Wednesday, Aug. 28 - 9:00 am 14 Paralympic Flying 200m (Blind Tandem) 15 Women Sprint ¼ Final - Ride #1 16 Women Sprint 9th-12th Final 17 Paralympic Sprint (Blind Tandem) Semi Final - Ride #1 18 Women Sprint ¼ Final - Ride #2 19 Paralympic Sprint (Blind Tandem) Semi Final - Ride #2 20 Women Sprint ¼ Final - Ride #3 21 Paralympic Sprint (Blind Tandem) Sprint Semi Final - Ride #3 22 Team Pursuit Qualification Wednesday, Aug. 28 - 7:00 pm 23 Women Sprint Semi Final - Ride #1 24 Women Sprint 5th-8th Final 25 Women Sprint Semi Final - Ride #2 26 Team Pursuit Final 27 Women Sprint Semi Final - Ride #3 28 Paralympic Sprint (Blind Tandem) Final - Ride #1 Awards - Team Pursuit 29 Men Kilometer TT Final 30 Women Sprint Final - Ride #1 Awards - Kilometer 31 Paralympic Sprint (Blind Tandem) Final - Ride #2 32 Women Sprint Final - Ride #2 33 Paralympic Sprint (Blind Tandem) Final - Ride #3 34 Women Sprint Final Ride #3 Awards - Sprints Thursday, Aug. 29 - 9:00 am 35 Men Sprint Qualification 36 Men Sprint Round #1 37 Men Sprint Repechage 38 Men Points Race Heats 39 Paralympic Kilometer TT Final (LC & CP) Thursday, Aug. 29 - 7:00 pm 40 Men Sprint 1/8th Final Awards - Paralympic Kilometer 41 Men Sprint Repechage 42 Women 500m TT Final 43 Men Sprint ¼ Final - Ride #1 Awards - 500m TT 44 Men Sprint ¼ Final - Ride #2 45 Men Sprint 9th-12th Final 46 Men Sprint ¼ Final - Ride #3 47 Men Points Race Final Awards - Points Race Friday, Aug. 30 - 9:00 am 48 Madison Heats 49 Paralympic Kilometer TT Final (Blind Tandem) Friday, Aug. 30 - 7:00 pm Awards - Paralympic Kilometer (Blind Tandem) 50 Women Keirin Heats 51 Men Sprint Semi Final - Ride #1 52 Men Sprint 5th-8th Final 53 Paralympic 200m TT Final (LC & CP) 54 Men Sprint Semi Final - Ride #2 55 Women Keirin Final 56 Men Sprint Semi Final - Ride #3 Awards - Paralympic Awards & Keirin 57 Madison Final 58 Men Sprint Final - Ride #1 Awards - Madison 59 Men Sprint Final - Ride #2 60 Women 5 Mile Final 61 Men Sprint Final - Ride #3 Awards - Sprints & Scratch Saturday, Aug. 31 - 9:00 am 62 Team Sprint Qualification 63 Tandem Sprint Qualification 64 Men Scratch Heats Saturday, Aug. 31 - 7:00 pm 65 Tandem Sprint Semi Final - Ride #1 66 Team Sprint Final 67 Tandem Sprint Semi Final - Ride #2 Awards - Team Sprint 68 Tandem Sprint Semi Final - Ride #3 69 Women Points Race Final 70 Tandem Sprint Final - Ride #1 Awards - Points Race 71 Tandem Sprint Final - Ride #2 72 Men 10 Mile Final 73 Tandem Sprint Final - Ride #3 Awards - Tandem Sprint & Men Scratch Trust House Cycle Classic 2003The date and race route has been set for New Zealand's International Trust House Cycle Classic. The race will take place from February 5-9 2003 and for the first time in the 15th year history of the event, the race won't go to Wellington (Note: the race was formerly known as the Tour of Wellington). "It's unfortunate that Totally Wellington don't want to support the event but there are lots of other local authorities from and outside the region who want the event to visit their area," said race director Jorge Sandoval. "Trust House, a long time supporter of cycling in the region deserves to own the naming rights of this prestigious event, and because of their support over the years, the race will stay an extra day in the Wairarapa." A new 125 km stage has been included in the Wairarapa with a mountaintop finish on Admiral Hill near Masterton. Riders will climb to 560 meters above sea level over the last 12 kilometers of racing. The race will finish with a criterium in Petone Jackson St on Sunday 9th February. A top line up of national and international riders are expected to take place in the tour, the field will be announced over the next few months. The stages
SuperCup postponed againFor the second time in two years, the Kiron Group, Inc. has announced the postponement of the SuperCup Cyclocross Series, the USA's biggest winter series of its type. The SuperCup only went ahead in 2001 after a late sponsorship agreement rescued it, but this year the prospects don't seem good. "We wanted to raise the bar of competition; we wanted to improve the production value; we wanted to get the sport of cyclocross into the psyche of American cycling. We did that. Unfortunately sponsorship and event revenues have not kept pace with the expenses," said Kiron Group president Lyle Fulkerson in an official statement. "We have worked extremely hard to bring the fans and riders the highest caliber events," he added. "The SuperCup Series and the last four National Championships have reflected our philosophy to provide the greatest show in cycling. We will use this one-year hiatus to focus on securing the necessary partners to continue to push cyclocross forward and maintain the quality and integrity of each SuperCup event. We look forward to bringing the SuperCup Series back in 2003."
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