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News for September 25, 2002

Edited by Jeff Jones and Chris Henry

Gianni Bugno has faith in Cipollini

Gianni Bugno, the last Italian to win the World Championships (1991 and 1992) has said that Mario Cipollini has all but won the World's in Zolder. "How is anything else possible?," queried Bugno. "The parcours is made for Cipollini, the team is for Cipollini, everything is prepared for Cipollini. It's true that there are always mistakes and bad luck, but to go wrong it's necessary to go and seek it yourself."

When asked about Cipollini's 'retirement' earlier this year, Bugno replied that "When I learned the news I regretted it. The thing that hit me most was that I saw the possibility of winning the World's vanish. That he stops now or tomorrow doesn't change anything, because for everyone there is a time to retire. When he decides to stop he will surely leave a great void. His character will be missed by the public and missed by cycling."

Broken cheek bone for Tafi

Andrea Tafi has been injured in a crash during the GP Industria & Commercio di Prato, won by Ukrainian Vladimir Duma (Panaria) in a bunch sprint. Tafi came down with three others after just 11 km of racing, and was taken to hospital in Empoli before being transferred to the Facial-Jaw Surgery Unit of Florence for further examination. He was diagnosed with a broken left cheek bone, and received 10 stitches to his chin. Tafi will be out of racing for at least 30 days, which means his season is over.

Boonen to wait longer before deciding team

Tom Boonen will wait until after this weekend's Circuit Franco Belge before making a decision about which team to ride with next season. The US Postal rider is contracted for another year with Bruyneel's team, but he has considered switching teams to Quick Step, where he could ride with Johan Museeuw. However that would mean he has to buy his way out of his contract at USPS, which means an offer from Quick Step would have to be quite attractive financially.

Brochard facing unemployment

As a result of budget reductions in the Jean Delatour team, former world champion Laurent Brochard now finds himself without a contract for next year. French daily l'Equipe reports that Brochard's predicament is in part due to his compatriot Patrice Halgand's quicker decision to resign with the French team. After Halgand's signature was in place, budget cuts were announced, likely leaving Brochard out of options with his current employer.

Brochard had reportedly held discussions with Cofidis, however that appears an unlikely option at this point. As a result, the pony-tailed man from Mayenne may be forced to look outside his native France for his next employer.

Capelle and Verbrugghe certain for the Worlds

Belgian selector Jose De Cauwer has added two more names to the Belgian World Championships squad: Ludovic Capelle (Ag2r) and Rik Verbrugghe (Lotto-Adecco). The pair will join Museeuw, Van Petegem, Boonen, Dierckxsens, Wauters and Planckaert who were selected earlier. With the team having a maximum of 12 riders, that leaves four more spots. De Cauwer will make his final selection after this weekend.

Mapei-Quick Step for upcoming races

Circuit Franco-Belge (September 26-29):

Laszlo Bodrogi, Aurelien Clerc, Fabien De Waele, Kevin Hulsmans, Patrik Sinkewitz, Tom Steels, Fredrik Willems. Directeur sportif: Eric Vanderaerden.

Paris-Corrèze (September 27-29):

Gian Paolo Cheula, Allan Davis, Bernhard Eisel, Graziano Gasparre, Leonardo Zanotti, Pavel Zerzan. Directeur sportif: Valerio Piva.

CSC-Tiscali for upcoming races

Coppa Sabatini:

Javier Ramirez, Olivier Asmaker, Francisco Cerezo, Manuel Calvente, Marcelino Garcia, Laurent Jalabert, Andrea Peron, Michael Rasmussen, Martin Rittsel, Nicki Sørensen, Danny Jonasson (reserve), Bjarke Nielsen (reserve)

Circuit Franco-Belge:

Geert van Bondt, Julian Dean, Tristan Hoffman, Paul van Hyfte, Nicolas Jalabert, Jakob Piil, Arvis Pizik, Frank Schleck (reserve), Thomas Bruun Eriksen (reserve).

Giro d'Emilia:

Milano-Vignola:

Team Phonak for Paris-Corrèze

Roger Beuchat, Christian Charriere, Martin Elmiger, Fabrice Gougot KUPFERNAGEL Stefan Kupfernagel, Alexandre Moos, Alexandre Usov, Lukas Zumsteg. Directeur Sportif: René Savary.

Panaria Fiordo for Giro dell'Emilia and Trofeo Beghelli

Roberto Reverberi has selected the team for the upcoming Giro dell'Emilia and Trofeo Beghelli (Milano-Vignola) on September 28 and 29.

Julio Alberto Perez Cuapio, Volodymyr Duma, Claudio Bartoli, Nathan O'Neill, Yaugeny Seniushkine, Stefano Guerrini, D.S. Roberto Reverberi .

The same team, with the inclusion of Graeme Brown, will ride the Giro Della Provincia Di Lucca from October 1-4.

U.S. Pro Cycling Tour wraps up in Miami

The Miami Cycling Classic, final round of the Pro Cycling Tour, will take place this Sunday, September 29, in Coconut Grove, Florida. The men's race will compete for a $20,000 purse, and overall honors in the PCT series, currently led by Mercury's Henk Vogels. The women's field includes current PCT points leader Laura Van Gilder (Trek Plus), and will be competing for $10,000 in prize money. US Postal's Hincapie and McRae will be on the starting line, as will Vassili Davidenko and Marty Nothstein (Navigators), Ivan Dominguez (Saturn), and Vogels' Mercury teammate Gord Fraser.

Redlands Classic for 2003

The Redlands Bicycle Classic will be shifted two weeks later in the schedule next year, running April 1-6, 2003. The race will consist of six stages and will continue to serve as the season opener for the top U.S. domestic scene.

The scheduling change is in response to, and in conjunction with, a later date set for the Sea Otter Classic.

Team Bolla takes shape, adds Colavita

USA based division III team sponsored by Bolla Wines has started to take shape, confirming the signatures of four riders and adding a new sponsor in Colavita USA. The riders include Steve Ward, the 2002 NJ Elite Criterium Champion and winner of nine races in 2002, Sebastian Alexandre, winner of nine national titles in Argentina, Gustavo Artacho, a member of Argentina’s cycling team in the 1996 and 2000 Olympics, and Juan Jose Haedo, Pan American Games 2000 champion. The remainder of the team's roster is likely to be confirmed by the end of September at the conclusion of the US professional cycling season.

The team has added Colavita USA as a co-sponsor. Colavita are marketers of pasta and olive oil, and as such fit into the team's Italian theme. In addition to sponsoring the Colavita-Bolla Professional Cycling Team, Colavita will continue to support the New Jersey based amateur club it launched two years ago.

The team's website is at: www.colavitabolla.com.

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