News for August 14, 2002

Edited by Jeff Jones

Rumsas' urine tests also negative

An independent doping test of Lithuanian Raimondas Rumsas, who finished third in the Tour de France, has proved negative, the Latvian anti-doping commission reported on Tuesday. The urinary analysis was carried out at the Swedish Huddinge University Hospital, after Rumsas submitted himself for both blood and urine tests last week with the aim of showing that he competed in the Tour de France as a clean rider.

Another urine sample was taken to the Kreisch Institute in Germany for analysis. The results of this are not yet known, but Rima Berloviene, head specialist of the Physical Culture and Sports Department's anti-doping program, said to Lithuanian newsagency ELTA that the possibility that results from Germany would be different were equal to zero.

Earlier it was reported that his blood test showed no signs of abnormalities - his hematocrit was 44.6 percent and his haemoglobin was 14.9 g/dl. By way of comparison, his hematocrit at the start of the Tour in Luxembourg was 46, and on the second rest day in Vaison-la-Romaine it was 47.8, which he put down to dehydration from the Mont Ventoux stage. All other tests taken during the Tour were also negative.

However, on the last day of the Tour de France his wife Edita was stopped by customs officers in Chamonix (French Alps) and arrested under suspicion of drug trafficking, when officers found 40 different drugs in her car, allegedly including testosterone, EPO, growth hormone and anabolic and cortico steroids, all of which are banned performance enhancers in cycling.

Edita is still in Bonneville prison, after a French magistrate rejected her appeal to be released.

Ullrich fined for amphetamine use

Jan Ullrich has been fined "a five figure sum" by a Bavarian court for admitting he took amphetamines in a night club in June. A court in Miesbach fined him approximately 40 days salary, which represents about 11 percent of his annual income. Ullrich is serving a six month ban from cycling for the offence, handed out by the German Cycling Federation, and will not be paid by his Telekom team for the duration of the ban. He also lost his contract with clothing company Adidas as a result.

In an separate incident earlier this year, he was fined 70 days salary for causing and leaving the scene of an accident while under the influence of alcohol. That resulted in a loss of his driving licence for a year.

Ullrich is uncertain whether he can come back to be a top cyclist again, with much depending on the condition of his knee, which has been injured for most of the season, and his mental condition.

Vandenbroucke's disqualification confirmed in Flanders

A disciplinary commission of the Flemish Government has confirmed the disqualification of Franck Vandenbroucke for six months that was made on July 4, 2002 and due to take effect on September 1, 2002. The sanction only applies to races in Flanders, meaning that Vandenbroucke is free to race anywhere else. He is currently competing in the Tour de l'Ain in France, but the sanction means that he will not be able to contest the World Championships in Zolder on October 13.

The disciplinary commission rejected Vandenbroucke's appeal today. In addition, VDB has a good behaviour bond of 12 months along with his six month suspension. In June, Vandenbroucke and the Court of Arbitration for Sport managed to successfully overturn the Belgian Cycling Federation's decision to suspend him from racing anywhere for six months.

The suspension(s) were given to him after the discovery of several banned performance enhancing drugs in his home on February 28, following a police search.

Millar DNS in Tour of Denmark

Tour de France stage winner David Millar and defending champion of the Tour of Denmark chose not to start in the five day race, which had its first stage today. Millar is suffering from health problems following the Tour. According to his website, itsmillartime.com, he was sick in the Karlsruhe GP and only managed to ride 130km of the Clasica San Sebastian. His condition isn't serious and has been attributed to the combination of fatigue and an ongoing chest problem.

He aims to recover in time to ride the Vuelta España, which starts on September 7 and is one of his big objectives for the season.

Fornaciari to Saeco

Mapei's Paolo Fornaciari has found a team for next year, having signed a one year contract with Saeco-Longoni Sport. The 31 year old said that he is "happy to find a familiar environment under the guidance of Claudio Corti, a director who I know well."

Van Moorsel to start in Dutch TT championships

Leontien Zijlaard-Van Moorsel has entered the Dutch national time trial championships, which will be held on Wednesday, August 14 in Zaltbommel. Van Moorsel would normally have missed them as she was competing in La Grande Boucle, however she abandoned that race on Stage 7 last Saturday. The organisers of LGBF agreed with her team Farm Frites-Hartol that she be allowed to start in the championships, as did the Dutch Cycling Federation. According to the rules, the LGBF organisers could have prevented her from racing in another event.

Women's 500m time trial record broken

Chinese cyclist Yonghua Jiang has broken the World Record for the standing start 500 metre time trial. On the second day of the Kunming round of the World Cup on Saturday, August 10, Jiang did a time of 34 seconds flat. This shaved 0.01 seconds off Felicia Ballanger's 1998 record of 34.010, and represents an average speed of 52.94 km/h.

Millward out for the rest of the season

Australian cyclist and former world number one UCI-ranked rider Anna Millward (Saturn) has decided to cut short her 2002 season after continuing to experience leg problems that have plagued her since the beginning of the year. After racing in the Commonwealth Games, where she won a silver medal in the time trial, Millward headed to the Netherlands for the start of La Grande Boucle Feménine in 's-Hertogenbosch. She almost survived the first week, but called it a day (and a year) after the second tough mountain stage on Sunday.

"My injury is the same [as before]," she told Cyclingnews. "Not as bad as it was in January but still locking up my right leg in the races." (Millward describes the problem in detail in this diary entry from earlier this year.)

"I haven't had any more tests done since the MRI which revealed the tear in my tendon. I have spoken with our team doctor and with the team doctor for the Australian team at Commonwealth Games. I am going to go home and see more doctors and physios and maybe get another MRI done. I will see what advice I get when I return."

According to Millward, the problems have been persisting all year "to varying degrees. When I began racing in May I definitely had to use caution in the races and wasn't at all confident to sprint right up until July. In the week before the Commonwealth Games began I felt the best that I had all year, and was finally feeling confident to put full power into the pedals. However, that feeling only lasted a couple of weeks and I guess with the long kms and especially the long climbs of the Tour de France, my leg has once again packed it in. So, I have had enough of fighting it and of racing day after day, worrying whether my leg will stand up to it or not. I don't want to approach Worlds in that way."

"It's time to try another approach and rest for a few months. I might need an extended break from the bike and maybe some gym work or other exercise to get things right. I'm not exactly sure right now but I think if I can go home and have regular appointments with physios and doctors at home I might be able to make better progress than I have so far."

"I have looked forward to Zolder (the location of the 2002 World Road Racing Championships in Belgium, where the course was expected to suit the rider) since the beginning of the year and it is an awful feeling to have to pull out now. But it hasn't been a great feeling racing below my potential all year either and so I have decided that I am not going to do that any more. If I can't come back at full strength then I don't want to come back."

Millward intends to return home to Australia for her husband Dave's birthday on August 27. "He hasn't had a birthday at home for 5 years so he would like that!"

O'Loughlin out with broken collarbone

By Shane Stokes, Irishcycling.com

Irish professional David O’Loughlin was forced to pull out of the national team for this week’s Eagle Tour of Malaysia after crashing and breaking his collarbone during a race on the US circuit. The Ofoto-Lombardi Sports pro incurred the injury when he fell during the recent Tour de 'Toona (The International), but hopes to be back racing in time to contest the San Francisco Grand Prix in September. "It is a big pity as I had good form and was fourth on the first stage of the race," he said.

The six man Team Ireland squad for the 2.6 race is Paul Griffin, Tommy Evans, Philip Deignan, Denis Lynch, Thomas Hogan and Brian Ahern. The Tour of Malaysia starts tomorrow, Wednesday 14th and runs until this Sunday.

McQuaid happy with Gamuda Eagle Tour

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

Gamuda Eagle Tour of Malaysia race director Pat McQuaid, a member of the UCI Management Committee and president of the UCI Road Commission which has responsibility for races such as this is very happy with this new event, which kicks off on August 14.

"It falls very much into the UCI's mission of developing cycling worldwide," said McQuaid. "It is wonderful to see well presented teams from practically every country in Asia taking part. It is a credit to Datuk Wan Lokman and his local organisation team for putting together all the elements required to mount a race such as this. The UCI is delighted to see new, well organised events such as the Gamuda Eagle Tour in continents other than Europe apply for a position on the UCI International calendar."

USA NRC standings

The US National Racing Calendar (NRC) standings have been updated up to and including the Saturn Cycling Classic and the Manhattan Beach GP. The men's and women's rankings are still being led by Chris Horner (Prime Alliance) and Kim Bruckner (Saturn) respectively, with the women's rankings quite close at the top. The teams rankings are the opposite, with a close battle between Prime Alliance and Mercury in the men's teams, but a complete domination by Saturn in the women's teams.

Upcoming NRC events:

Aug 19 - USPRO Criterium Championships 1.3 (M)
Aug 19 - USCF Criterium Championships 1.4 (M&W)
Aug 25 - Chris Thater Memorial Criterium 1.5 (M&W)

Rankings as of August 11, 2002

Men Individual

1 Chris Horner (USA) Prime Alliance            1238 pts
2 Danny Pate (USA) Prime Alliance               992
3 Chris Wherry (USA) Mercury                    769
4 Gord Fraser (Can) Mercury                     730
5 John Lieswyn (USA) 7UP/NutraFig               697
6 Henk Vogels (Aus) Mercury                     527
7 Mark Walters (USA) Navigators                 496
8 Charles Dionne (Can) 7UP/NutraFig             426
9 Plamen Stoyanov (Bul) Mercury                 425
10 Soren Peterson (Den) Saturn Cycling Team     354

Women Individual

1 Kimberly Bruckner (USA) Saturn Cycling Team   973 pts
2 Judith Arndt (Ger) Saturn Cycling Team        965
3 Lyne Bessette (Can) Canadian National Team    956
4 Geneviève Jeanson (Can) Rona Cycling Team     804
5 Tina Mayolo-Pic (USA) Diet Rite               774
6 Laura VanGilder (USA) Trek PLUS               706
7 Heather Albert (USA) Goldy's                  572
8 Petra Rossner (Ger) Saturn Cycling Team       495
9 Jessica Phillips (USA) Saturn Cycling Team    485
10 Nicole Freedman (USA) Rona Cycling Team      405

Men Teams

1 Prime Alliance                               2956 pts
2 Mercury                                      2790
3 7UP/NutraFig                                 1609
4 Navigators                                   1556
5 Saturn Cycling Team                          1526

Women Teams

1 Saturn Cycling Team                          3283 pts
2 Rona Cycling Team                            1772
3 Diet Rite                                    1290
4 Talgo America                                1115
5 T - Mobile USA                               1068

Woman jailed for Harrop death

41 year old Sandra Jaye Wilde has been sentenced to two years and four months in jail after pleading guilty to the charge of dangerous driving causing the death of Australian triathlete Luke Harrop. According the The Age newspaper, Wilde also pleaded guilty of "negligent driving causing bodily harm and unlawful use of a motor vehicle."

She will also serve a three year sentence for separate charges involving receiving stolen goods, stealing, burglary and a breach of suspended sentence.

24 year old Harrop was killed by a car driven by Wilde in January while training on the Gold Coast.

NZ MTB Championships

The New Zealand Downhill MTB Championships will be held in Blenheim from October 18-20, 2002. The format is intended to be similar to that of a National Series Round with the emphasis on a fun, two day extravaganza.

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