News for September 20, 2002

Edited by Jeff Jones & Chris Henry

Botero doubtful for World's

Colombian Santiago Botero is considering not participating in the upcoming World's in Zolder. The Kelme rider, winner of two stages in this year's Tour de France, has had a lacklustre Vuelta thus far. Citing exhaustion as the primary cause, Botero may be doubtful, but is not making a decision just yet.

"I will make my decision (to participate in the World's) on the final day of the Vuelta, at the time trial in Madrid," Botero told Spanish daily Marca. At last year's world championships in Lisbon, Botero rode to a bronze medal in the individual time trial.

Team Coast interested in Ullrich

Team Coast manager Marcel Wüst has been in contact with Jan Ullrich's manager Wolfgang Strohband, discussing possible interest in the rider for next season. "I have had conversations with Wolfgang Strohband," Wüst confirmed, "and I called Ullrich on the phone after his return from the United States.

"An Ullrich in good health and mentally strong, at 100 percent, is always interesting to any team," Wüst added. "Particularly if the team is German."

The Coast manager indicated as well that it was not his intention to interfere with the negotiation process between Ullrich and Telekom.

Petersen skips GP des Nations

Team EDS-fakta's Jørgen Bo Petersen has decided not to start in the GP des Nations, the most prestigious TT event on the calendar.

"Jørgen is in excellent form right now but suffers from pains in his Achilles tendon and we have decided not to take any chances before the World Championships in two weeks time. I assume that he can't resume his special training for the World's after the weekend without the problems developing into an injury," says his sports director Kim Andersen.

The organizers, the Sociètè du Tour de France, have accepted Petersen's teammate Norwegian Kurt-Asle Arvesen as his replacement. Arvesen is among the top 60 on the UCI ranking list and has been Norwegian TT and Road Champion as well as U23 road race World Champion in 1997. Thus team EDS-fakta will have two riders in the GP des Nations, the other being Swede Marcus Ljungqvist.

Rising star: Philip Deignan

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

Simone Mori from Tuscany, Italy and the recent winner of the Tour of Hokkaido in Japan during the week and last month's win the inaugural Gamuda Eagle Tour of Malaysia has given a fillip to the career of Philip Deignan from Letterkenny, Co. Donegal.

Deignan competed against Mori in Malaysia and proved to be the find of the event as a result of his performance on stage three, up the final 13km of the Gunung Riya climb. He finished fourth on the stage behind the Italian but Philip's performance marked him as one to watch.

After that stage I spoke to Philip and asked him about the future:

"I have to make up my mind as to where my future lies. I have a place at University but this showing has catapulted me out of obscurity. After all I am the youngest competitor in this inaugural event, which is being organised to the highest standards. I'll talk to my parents and take it from there," said the Philip who became interested in cycling by way of a notice in a shop window a couple of years ago about a cycle from Enniskillen to Sligo. Perhaps that sign might ultimately lead to the birth of a star?

Alice Sherratt, organiser of the Dunboyne Three-Day, said that "I became aware of his talent a couple of years ago and it does not surprise me that he has the talent and the capabilities to do well. No doubt from my observations that Philip will go to University. He has the ability to mix sport and studies."

Last week he did go to University in Liverpool to do a degree in quantity surveying. The previous day he finished fourth in the final premier event in Buxton, England, the 60th Tour of the Peak and collected the U-23 award just as he did in Malaysia last month.

Hopefully his final event of the season will be the World's Under-23 Championship in Belgium next month. He will probably be there, but he would relish a few climbs.

Philip has come off the pace and maybe in two or three years time could be a professional along with his degree from Liverpool's John Moores University.

68th Giro del Lazio

This Saturday marks the 68th running of the Giro del Lazio, a UCI 1.HC race covering 196km in the Lazio region of Italy. The challenging course begins in Rieti, takes in the climbs of the Palestrina, Rocca Priora and Rocca di Papa, offering primes at the top of each climb. The race finishes with three laps of a 4.6km circuit in Nettuno.

Last year's winner, Massimo Donati, will face off against fellow Italians Michele Bartoli, Davide Rebellin, Paolo Bettini, national champion Salvatore Commesso, and three time winner Andrea Tafi.

The following teams will contest the race:

Tacconi Sport
Fassa Bortolo
Mapei-Quick Step
Saeco-Longoni Sport
Acqua e Sapone-Cantina Tollo
Gerolsteiner
Alessio
Index-Alexia
Lampre-Daikin
Amore Vita-Beretta
Cage Maglierie
Ceramiche Panaria-Fiordo
Colombia-Selle Italia
De Nardi-Pasta Montegrappa
Formaggi Trentini
Landbouwkrediet-Colnago
Mercatone Uno
Team Colpack-Astro

Saeco for Giro del Lazio and GP Industria e Commercio in Prato

Mirko Celestino and Italian champion Salvatore Commesso will be the team leaders for the Saeco-Longoni Sport team at the Giro del Lazio on Saturday September 21. Directeur sportif Flavio Miozzo will also have Biagio Conte, Nicola Gavazzi, German Joerg Ludewig, Christian Pepoli, Moldavian Igor Pugaci and Lithuanian Marius Sabaliauskas. The same team will ride the G.P. Industria e Commercio on Tuesday September 24 in Prato. The only change involves Nicola Gavazzi, who leaves his place in the Tuscany race to young New Zealand rider Kashi Leuchs.

Lampre-Daikin for Giro Del Lazio and GP Des Nations

The Lampre Daikin team will compete in both the Saturday races Giro del Lazio and GP des Nations. Rubens Bertogliati will represent the team in the latter, along with Latvian Raivis Belohvosciks. Both of them are going in order to prepare for the World Championships.

In the Giro del Lazio, Pietro Algeri has selected a team led by Gabriele Missaglia and Maximilian Sciandri. Sergio Barbero will be there too. The rider from Biella and Sciandri are in the list of honour of the classic race of Latium: they won respectively in 1999 and in 2000.

Here is the complete team: Sergio Barbero, Alessandro Cortinovis Alberto Loddo, Gabriele Missaglia, Luciano Pagliarini, Marco Pinotti, Maximilian Sciandri, Marco Serpellini

Mapei-Quick Step for Giro Del Lazio and GP Des Nations

Team manager Alvaro Crespi has selected the Mapei riders for the Saturday's Giro del Lazio in Italy and GP des Nations in France.

September 21: 68th Giro del Lazio, Italy

Riders: Paolo Bettini, Cadel Evans, Daniele Nardello, Luca Paolini, Eddy Ratti, Luca Scinto, Andrea Tafi, Trampusch Gerhard DS: Fabbri Fabrizio

September 21: GP des Nations, France

Riders: Laszlo Bodrogi, Fabian Cancellara, Michael Rogers

DS: Luca Guercilena, Roberto Damiani, Valerio Piva

Argentinean team for the World's

The Argentinean teams for both the World Track and World Road Championships have been selected. They are as follows.

World Road Championships

Elite Time Trial: Edgardo Simon, Martín Garrido

U23 Road Race: Alejandro Borrajo

Junior Road Race: Aníbal Borrajo, Sebastián Haedo

Elite Women Road Race: Valeria Pintos.

World Track Championships

Madison: Juan Curuchet, Edgardo Simon

Points race: Juan Curuchet

Scratch: Edgardo Simon or Rubén Bongiorno

Courtesy of Emilio Guindon

Heppner to Wiesenhof

German Jens Heppner has signed a one year contract with the Wiesenhof team from Leipzig. The 37 year old's contract with Telekom was not renewed for next season, despite an excellent showing in Giro d'Italia, where he held the maglia rosa for nine days. With Wiesenhof he will ride mainly one day races, as well as a few tours such as the Peace Race and the Tour of Germany.

Van Agtmaal to Axa-VvZ

20 year old Dutchman Peter van Agtmaal has signed a two year contract with Axa-VvZ, under new director John den Braber. Van Agtmaal rode for Bert Story-Piels this year, and becomes the third youngster to join Axa after Peter Möhlmann and Mart Louwers

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