Second Edition News for November 15, 2002

Edited by Jeff Jones

Teams announced for 2003 Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under

The 12 teams to compete in next year's Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under were announced today in Adelaide by race director Mike Turtur. The race, which takes place over six days between January 21-26, 2003, is the first opportunity for Division I teams to test their legs before the long season ahead, and South Australia has thus become an increasingly popular early season destination.

"We're thrilled to be welcoming two new teams for 2003 to make up a total of 12 teams, more European based than in 2002" said Mike Turtur. "Riders and teams we are announcing are testament to the success and ever growing status of the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under, now in its fifth year."

"The leading Spanish team, ONCE Eroski, who competed in our inaugural event in 1999 and Panaria Fiordo from Italy, will both be present in 2003," added Turtur.

The teams are as follows:

Credit Agricole (with local hero Stuart O'Grady)
Quick Step-Davitamon (with defending champion Michael Rogers)
Saeco-Longoni Sport (with Fabio Sacchi, 2002 JCTDU Yellow Jersey wearer)
Lotto-Domo (with Robbie McEwen, Australia's top cyclist)
Telekom (with Cadel Evans, 2002 JCTDU stage winner)
AG2r (with Jaan Kirsipuu, Tour de France stage winner)
ONCE Eroski (with Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano, yellow jersey wearer in the Tour de France)
Panaria Fiordo (Graeme Brown, with dual Commonwealth Games gold medallist)
CSC (with Andrea Tafi, winner of the 2002 Tour of Flanders)
FDjeux.com (with Bradley McGee, stage winner in 2002 Tour de France and World and Commonwealth Games individual pursuit champion)
Uni SA (with Patrick Jonker, third place getter in the 2002 JCTDU)
United Water (the National U23 team, riders TBA)

The 2003 Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under will cover 735km over six stages and pass through 55 towns, with two stages in Adelaide City and North Adelaide. Stages travel through regions as diverse as the Barossa Valley, coastal Fleurieu Peninsula and popular tourist suburbs of Glenelg and Unley.

For 2003, Australian Major Events has also put in place a number of tourism initiatives to further involve the public, including 'Club Tour', a member-based club, 'Break-Away Tour' for people to ride the route and the 'South Australia's Classic Veteran's Race Series."

For more, see the official tour website at www.tourdownunder.com.au.

iteamNova.com and Flanders merge for 2003

Australian squad iteamNova has signed an agreement with the Belgian Flanders team to form the Flanders-iteamNova Division II team for 2003. The combined team will be managed by Susan Stewart (iteamNova) and Frans Assez (Flanders) with the directeur sportifs being Frans Assez and Franky Van Haesebroucke. The team will ride Shimano equipped Flanders bikes.

The team currently has 15 riders under contract: Ronny Assez (Bel), Bjorn Cornelissen (Ned), Joeri Deliens (Bel), Jamie Drew (Aus), Geoffrey Gremelpont (Bel), Scott Guyton (NZl), Allan Iacuone (Aus), Jurgen Landrie (Bel), Gordon McCauley (NZl), David McKenzie (Aus), Dominique Perras (Can), Bert Scheirlinckx (Bel), Staf Scheirlinckx (Bel), Trent Wilson (Aus), and Jerome Le Pron (Fra, neo-pro), with negotiations underway with another rider.

The team's early season racing will include the Australian National Championships, Tour of Langkawi (pending) before the riders return to base in Belgium to contest the classics.

iteamnova's novel membership concept will continue play a large part of the team, with the new website and the 2003 packages being announced in mid-December.

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