News for December 13, 2002

Edited by Chris Henry

Reminder: Cyclingnews 2002 readers' poll

Remember to vote in the annual Cyclingnews readers' poll. Voting ends on December 17 and results will appear daily starting December 24, culminating with the Rider of the Year award on New Year's Eve.

One vote per customer, please.

Names released in 2001 Giro indictments

Long after the police raids that descended upon the 2001 Giro d'Italia, the list of riders officially indicted by Italian authorities has been made public. Some 200 police officers searched the teams' hotel rooms during the 2001 race, seizing a variety of medications, syringes, vials, etc. More than 80 cyclists were originally cited following the raids, though the final count of those indicted stands at 53.

Now, a year and a half later, the names of the riders indicted have been announced publicly. They include Davide Rebellin, former Giro winner Ivan Gotti, Gianni Faresin, Sergei Gonchar, Alberto Elli, Endrio Leoni, Ellis Rastelli, and Marco Villa, among others. The trial is scheduled to begin in Padova in January, 2003.

Source: Eurosport

Andreu: "Some of the best races of my life with US Postal"

Former US Postal Service team directeur sportif Frankie Andreu has issued the following statement on his resignation from the USPS squad, as reported in yesterday's news.

"Although I am disappointed to leave the Postal Service this team has opened many, many doors for me. Looking back on the five years I was with the US Postal Service I realize that I had some of the best races of my life on and off the bike. I can remember the 1999 Tour like it was yesterday. All the newspapers said that it couldn't be done. All the other teams believed we would crack, and the French just did not know who Lance was. That was their disadvantage, because we knew who Lance was. The final day in Paris was monumental, not only in that Lance had won the Tour de France but that I was part of the winning team. Something that I never imagined would happen.

"I also remember coming to tears after George Hincapie won the US PRO Championships in Philly. We had to ride on the front the entire race and the last three laps we didn't know what the outcome would be. A large group remained and as I rode as hard as I could with three other teammates, to keep the peloton together, I only hoped George would be able to have faster legs than the rest. I never did get to see the finish, I only saw everyone hugging George after he crossed the line. It was an incredibly long day with an incredible ending.

"After I retired I was given the opportunity to return to the US Postal Service but this time as a director. I realized then that directing the team was in a way harder then racing. This was because as a rider I always knew what was happening and I knew I tried my utmost best to try and win the race. As a director I couldn't see what was happening half the time and I hated trying to figure out why we didn't win. As much as there was an adjustment period my riders made the job easier. There was more pressure to do well, lots of pressure to win, but I usually had some of the best riders in the race. I've always said that if you have great riders then great things can happen. For instance when George Hincapie won the San Francisco Grand Prix in 2001. I've been criticized for tactics in the 2002 race when George attacked thirty miles from the finish. When you have riders like Lance, Ekimov, McRae, and Clinger all in a group of ten right behind and I figured that was pretty good odds. In the end another team outgunned us - but I guess that's bike racing.

"I also got the biggest kick out of driving the car and hearing my name yelled out as though I was still racing. Sometimes it felt like I was getting more cheering than the riders and for sure I was getting more cheers than when I rode. Maybe I just never heard all the noise. For all the noise that everyone has made over the years I thank you. I may not return to the Postal Service in 2003 but I will look to stay in cycling. I'm excited for the future and I believe I'm now in a position like I was in my first Tour. Ready to conquer all."

Frankie Andreu

Conditional suspension for Barbosa

Portuguese cyclist Candido Barbosa (LA-Pecol) has received a conditional suspension of six months. Relegated for irregular sprinting in the Tour of Portugal, Barbosa adding insult to his own injury by calling the race jury incompetent and saying that they stole his victory. The suspension is in effect a suspended sentence, although it will become a full suspension if Barbosa has any more infractions within the next 15 months.

Jiménez ready to return, iBanesto not sure

After personal troubles derailed his 2002 season, José Maria Jiménez appears ready to rejoin the peloton in 2003, although his position within the iBanesto.com team remains uncertain. Jiménez recently met with team manager José Miguel Echavarri to discuss the situation, prepared to seek last minute negotiations with other teams if necessary. Although Jiménez is confident of a return to top form, team director Eusebio Unzué remains a bit more cautious, telling Spanish Eurosport that "first it is important for him to recover, then we will speak more."

Andorra stage finish for 2003 Vuelta

Enric Pujal, Andorra's Minister of Tourism, has confirmed that the 2003 Vuelta a España will visit the small principality in the Pyrénées. Speaking with Enrique Franco, director of Vuelta organizer Unipublic, Pujal announced that Andorra will host a stage finish for 2003. The full Vuelta route will be presented in Madrid on December 17.

World-class sprint duel in Tasmania

Australia’s world champion sprinter Sean Eadie will go head-to-head against American Jeff Labauve at this month’s Telstra Country Wide Tasmanian Christmas Carnival Series.

Eadie, 33, won the World Sprint Championship in Denmark this year, while 23 year old Labauve clocked a sizzling 10.062 seconds for 200m in a round of this year’s World Cup in Moscow, eclipsing Marty Nothstein's American record of 10.092, set last year. Labauve has also unseated Nothstein as America’s Sprint King.

Both Eadie and Labauve are sprint specialists, and each of the four SCAT clubs, Latrobe, Launceston, Devonport and Burnie, will host a special sprint series for the two talented cyclists.

2002-03 Telstra Country Wide Carnival Series dates:

December 26 - Latrobe Carnival, 10am start
December 27 - Launceston Criterium, 6:45pm start
December 28 - Launceston Carnival, midday start
December 29-30 - Devonport Carnival, 5pm start
January 1 - Burnie Carnival, 11am start

For more information contact Rod Morris, SCAT Secretary, at +61 3 6424 7838 (international)/(03) 6424 7838 (within Australia), +61 3 6423 2224/(03) 6423 2224, or +61 401 760912/0401 760912. E-mail: mapley@southcom.com.au

Courtesy of Rod Morris

2003 Festival of Speed

The 2003 editions of Central Florida's premier National Racing Calendar (NRC) events promise to be the best ever. The Festival of Speed returns to Orlando on March 8-9, 2003. Both races are NRC events with $15,000 on the line in the men's professional races. Not to mention 70 degree temperatures in early March.

The 2002 races were won by Prime Alliance's Danny Pate, who took the win in Saturday's Lake Eola Criterium, and Saturn's Chris Fisher, winner of the Lake Nona Circuit Race on Sunday. The 2003 Festival of Speed is sponsored by the City of Orlando, the Central Florida Sports Commission, FloridaRacing.net and Orlando Utilities Commission. For more information check out www.festivalofspeed.org.

Inaugural Tour de Fauquier

Mountain's Edge Event Promotions (MEEP), working with the Mountain's Edge Cycling Team and Warrenton Cycling, has announced the inaugural Tour De Fauquier. The event will be held on Saturday and Sunday, July 26-27, 2003 in the town of Warrenton and County of Fauquier, Virginia. Fauquier County is located in about 50 miles southwest of Washington, DC.

Saturday's event will be held on a challenging 3 mile circuit along Main street and through historic Warrenton. Sunday's event will be a 100+ mile point to point road race for USCF senior men 1,2,3 and a 50+ miles point to point road race for USCF Category 4,5, women and juniors. The rolling courses are contain dozens of short steep climbs and several longer climbs, including a long uphill back into town for the finish.

More information can be found after January 1, 2003 at www.rideva.com and www.warrentoncycling.com.

Malaria killed Coppi

The court of Tortona, Italy confirmed today that Italian cycling legend Fausto Coppi died of malaria, reports the Belga news agency. Coppi died January 2, 1960, at the age of 40. This year theories had emerged, put forth by Italian Olympic committee (CONI) member Mino Caudullo, claiming Coppi was in fact murdered by a jealous party. However, recent investigation and medical analyses appear to put to rest the notion of any foul play.

Arthur Metcalfe succumbs to cancer

Arthur Metcalfe, a top British rider in the 1960s, died of cancer December 11th at his home in England. Metcalfe won the Milk Race in 1964 and, in the same year, had back-to-back stage wins in Canada's classic Tour du St. Laurent. Two years later he won both the National Road Race championships and the Best All-Rounder competition in the time trial. In 1967 and 1968 he raced in the Tour de France, once winner the combativity prize after one of his signature long, solo breakaways.

In 1972, after retiring from racing, he founded a frame building business with another road star of the day, Wesley Mason. Metcalfe and Mason- the two M's in MKM- produced their frames from Chapel Works in Harrogate, so named because it was a former chapel. The building was owned by Ron Kitching, the 'K' in MKM. The business operated until the late 1970s.

Metcalfe remained a roadie and was often to be seen on his bike in the Yorkshire countryside he loved. He was a supporter of Michael Breckon's National Byway.

Source: www.bikebiz.co.uk

Baloh gets his records

Following acceptance by the Ultra Marathon Cycling Association (UMCA) of his 12 hour time trial and fastest 200 mile ride, Marko Baloh of Slovenia can claim additional notoriety. His 12 hour time trial was accepted by the Guinness World Records. Baloh is already looking forward to the coming year, and the Race Across America (RAAM).

Bray Wheelers Gentlemen's Grand Prix

By Tommy Campbell, Irish Independent, Evening Herald, Sunday Independent

Cyclists with a worldwide appeal in their day, Bernard Hinault, Laurent Fignon, Roger de Vlaeminck, Eddie Merckx and Stephen Roche were amongst a crowd of over 1,200 including professionals, amateurs and leisure cyclists who turned up at the annual Hamper Race in Carrick-on-Suir, Co. Tipperary to mark Sean Kelly's retirement in 1994. The event had been on the go long before Sean became a household name on these shores. It is all of 30 years since the Hamper was started and the magic that Kelly brought to it in his halcyon days still has fond memories for many individuals far and wide.

Unfortunately, like a lot of things in Ireland today, there is change and for the first time in its long and distinguished history the roads around Carrick, a fortnight before Christmas, will be silent. The Hamper Race is no more; it simply fizzled out.

The Bray Wheelers, on the other hand, have defied all comers by retaining the Gentleman’s Grand Prix, which is now in its 31st year. It’s a unique operation, where the competitors post a time with the time keepers for the 10-mile test against the clock. Not once has anybody posted his exact time, but a number of years ago, two relatively unknown Sorrento CC cyclists got within one second of their estimated times.

The race prospered for years and at one stage attracted 95 teams, but that was before Mr. Kelly hit the headlines. Still the "Wheelers" stuck to their tried and tested event and each year held centre stage with the Carrick event, but as Sean’s notoriety increased, the decline was evident with the Bray race.

Now they are centre stage again, but, as race organiser Herbie Monks explains, "it's sad that the Carrick race will not be on this year. It truly was a great event and attracted the crème de la crème of the cycling world. Even our own members participated, just more or less to say that they cycled with the 'King'."

Start time for this year's event in Bray this Sunday is 11am from the clubhouse. Why not add to the event by coming along in 'fancy dress' and possibly claiming a prize. A final word from Herbie: "refreshments will be served for those who brave the December winds on the Wicklow Road."

(All rights reserved/Copyright Knapp Communications Pty Limited 2002)