News for July 22, 2002

Edited by Jeff Jones

Quick Step to announce team details on Monday

The details of Frans De Cock's new division I team Quick Step will be announced on Monday at a press conference in Avignon, during the rest day of the Tour de France. The co-sponsor of the team will be named, and some other details revealed.

What is known at the moment is that Domo-Farm Frites manager Patrick Lefevere will be joining the team as part of the management, possibly taking Johan Museeuw and Axel Merckx with him, although this is only rumour at the moment. The team's budget is said to be 8 million euros per year for the next three years, which will put it up there with the top division I teams in terms of funding, but based on past experience it will probably take at least a year for the team to gel and start producing consistently good results.

The identity of the co-sponsor is still speculative. Possibilities include a Spanish company in order to keep Oscar Freire, and perhaps even Dottore Giorgio Squinzi may retain some involvement via Mapei, as there are a few synergies between the two companies Mapei and Quick Step.

The Belgian press are happy of course, because with the Lotto-Domo fusion there will be at least two division I teams in Belgium, not to mention Noel Demeulemaere's squad, which will be co-sponsored by ABX Logistics.

Bartoli back on July 26

Michele Bartoli (Fassa Bortolo), who broke his pelvis in a crash during the Giro d'Italia, will return to racing this week. The Italian winner of this year's Amstel Gold Race will compete in the three day Brixia Tour (July 26-28), which will take place in the region of Lombardy in Italy.

Kelme has to pay Requejo

The Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Catalunya has ruled that Kelme must pay 2,712.96 euros to Eligio Requejo, for not letting him know in time that they would not be renewing his contract. Requejo signed a two year contract with the Spanish team in 1998, who notified him verbally on December 19, 2000 that they would not be renewing it. A clause in Requejo's contract decreed that the team had to notify him at least a month before the end of the season, which they did not do.

The court ruled that Kelme therefore had to pay him an amount equivalent to the number of days salary he would have received in that time.

Family Mountain Bike Festival Returns to Western Massachusetts

The Pedro's Mountain Bike Festival returns for its eighth year to the quiet hills surrounding Noppet Hill Farm in Lanesborough Massachusetts. The festival is North America's largest non-competitive mountain bike gathering, and takes place between August 9-11, 2002.

Group rides for participants of all abilities leave from the center of camp each day (and night). "Our group rides provide the mountain bikers with a guide to the trails and the enjoyment of riding with a group of the same abilities," said Paul Salvucci, event director.

For those not riding, there is still plenty to do, with a trade show with more than 80 bicycle industry companies exhibiting their wares, many of them allowing bicycles to be taken out on the trails for a spin.

Clinics and demonstrations will also take place throughout the day, while under the bigtop tent there are bands performing at night. The headline act for Saturday evening will once again be The Mudhens, and new this year will be local band Plum Crazy on Friday evening. If rock 'n' roll is not your fancy, there's even a "bike-in" movie theater where folks can watch classic comedies on the big screen, under the stars.

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