News for October 6, 2002Edited by Jeff Jones and Chris Henry Freire confident for World's despite knee problemsIn the waning days of his second season in the rainbow stripes of world champion, Oscar Freire (Mapei-Quick Step) is once more gearing up for the World's. And once more, Freire is having to contend with injuries. Although he has suffered from persistent back problems for much of his career, trouble with his right knee is the current issue. Freire finished second to Italian Michele Bartoli in the second stage of the Giro di Lucca, but pulled out the next day, fearing a worsening of the pain which had started during the Vuelta a España and resurfaced in Italy. "In (stage 2), when I was in the break and finished second behind the Italian Bartoli, I had already noticed some discomfort in my right knee," Freire told Europa Press. "But it was on Thursday (stage 3) that the pain remained, and I decided to pull out after 40km. The withdrawal was one of precaution, as Freire and his team doctors thought ahead to the more important tests at Paris-Tours and the World's in Zolder, where a sprint finish could once again see the talented Spaniard in contention for a World's win. "It seems that if the treatment is followed along with a little rest," Freire continued, "I will be able to take part in Paris-Tours. Plus, that would give me the confidence necessary for the race in Zolder." Di Luca out of Paris-ToursItalian Danilo Di Luca will not contest Paris-Tours as originally planned. According to Saeco-Longoni Sport, Di Luca has opted to rest and work on final preparations for the World Championships. Saeco's leader for the race will be Igor Astarloa, who has posted strong results in both the HEW Cyclassics and Clasica San Sebastian World Cup races this year. Cyclingnews will provide live coverage of Paris-Tours starting 15:00 CEST/06:00 PDT/09:00 EDT/23:00 Aust. EST. Full Paris
Tours start list Belda comments on Sevilla's statementsKelme director Vicente Belda responded to Oscar Sevilla's comments in the press that he was seeking to leave the team. Sevilla's comments follow the Vuelta victory of teammate Aitor Gonzalez, under what Sevilla might consider less than optimal conditions. Belda told Spanish television, "Everything is heated up because (Oscar) is discouraged and has low morale. Somebody has come along and whispered in his ear that he should change teams." "It is strange to me that he makes these declarations," Belda continued. "I have tried to speak with him but I have not been able, so I can't make any better judgment. We were so happy and I don't know why this comes up now." Belda went on to say that if Sevilla did indeed wish to leave the team, he would be subject to the same buyout clause as Roberto Heras. Heras left Kelme after the 2000 season, at which time the US Postal Service team was required to pay a buyout fee in order to allow him to break his contract with Kelme. Three more years for Cipo?Not long after his return from faux-retirement, Mario Cipollini is now speaking of continuing his career for as many as three more seasons. Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Cipo had words with a friend during the Giro della Provincia di Lucca, indicating that he was considering carrying on for several more years. A victory in Zolder next weekend would certainly inspire at least one more year of competition. Naturally, Cipollini's decision would depend on a number of factors, including the usual form and motivation components. The replacement sponsor for his current Acqua e Sapone team will be of particular concern. Although not yet a done deal, Renault may sign on to sponsor the team for next season. World Championships newsBeginning Monday, October 7, cyclists will have access to the time trial course for training and reconnaissance runs. The time trial will be run between Hasselt and Heusden-Zolder. Monday night will also mark the opening ceremonies for the World's, to be hosted at the Municipal Fashion Museum in Hasselt. After the initial ceremonies, Hein Verbruggen will hoist the UCI flag, along with Flemish Minister for Sports Guy Vanhengel, KBWB Chairman Laurent De Backer, Mrs. Hilde Houben-Bertrand, Governor of the Province of Limburg, Mayor Herman Reynders of the city of Hasselt, Mayor Tony Beerten of Heusden-Zolder and Hugo Leroi, Chairman of the Zolder Circuit. Portuguese team for the World'sTime Trial José Azevedo (ONCE) Road Hugo Sabido (Porta da Ravessa) Hugo Sabido to Barbot TorriePortuguese rider Hugo Sabido (Porta da Ravessa), will race for Barbot Torrie next season. Sabido is also part of the Portuguese World's team. Courtesy of João Cravo 13 for Jean Delatour so farAlthough the 2003 transfer season is still very much in full swing, many teams are approaching their full line ups for next season. French division I squad Jean Delatour has so far confirmed 13 riders for next season: Jérôme Bernard, Mickaël Buffaz (neo-pro), Samuel Dumoulin, Christophe Edaleine, Frédéric Finot, Stéphane Goubert, Patrice Halgand, Yuryi Krivtsov, Christophe Laurent, Laurent Lefèvre, David Lefèvre, Eddy Seigneur, and Bruno Thibout. According to the team, "the other riders should rejoin if the 2003 budget is increased by the arrival of new sponsors." USA National Cyclocross ChampionshipsThe 2002 USA National Cyclocross Championships will be held over the weekend of December 14-15 at Domaine Chandon in California's Napa Valley, hosted by GaleForce Sports Marketing. Sunday, December 15 will feature Elite Women at 1:30 pm and Elite Men at 3 pm. Espoir Men and Women, ages 18-22, will race on Saturday December 14. Amateur racing for men and women of all ages will be staged on both days. Galeforce, which also promotes the Sea Otter Classic, NORBA, and the Telluride 360 Festival, is hoping that this year's national's will be as successful as in 1999, when it hosted them at the Presidio, drawing an estimated crowd of 18,000 spectators over the weekend. "We raised the bar, or the hurdle, with our event in 1999," said Rick Sutton, president of GaleForce "Of all the events we've ever promoted, that event remains the most exciting race I've ever witnessed. We hope to top that at Domaine Chandon." Mountain Bike Hall of Fame Induction CeremonyThe Mountain Bike Hall of Fame will induct six individuals at Interbike, Las Vegas, this Sunday, October 6th. The Induction Ceremony will be held at the Sand's Convention Centre, Rooms 304 & 305 with doors opening at 6:00 pm. Inductees in six categories were chosen by ballot this summer. They include: Michael Kelley, famous for his advocacy work in the San Fran Area, Jacob Heilbron, as the industry representative, Journalism Inductees, East Coasters Maurice and Elaine Tierney, Brian Skinner was chosen in the pioneers category, Laird Knight won the most votes for his work in race promotion and rounding out the group is Vail racer Mike Kloser. Kelley is honoured for his years of dedication to keeping trails open, first with the Bicycle Trails Council of the East Bay (BTCEB), followed up shortly by his help in the creation of the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) an organization in which he served as Vice President for many years. Jacob "Jake the Snake" Heilbron, has been and continues to be an integral part of the Canadian and international bicycle industry. Since introducing the first mountain bikes (Ritchey) to Canada in 1980 from his retail bike shop in Vancouver, West Point Bicycles, and founding Rocky Mountain Bicycles in 1981, Jake's industry presence has been large. In 1988, he partnered with Dan Gerhard to create Kona Bikes. Elaine and Maurice Tierney founded Dirt Rag Magazine in 1989 to promote and document mountain bike culture, following in the footsteps of Charlie Kelly's Fat Tire Flyer. Issue #1 was a 16 page black and white magazine, folded in the centre and passed around to friends and at events. Ninety-something issues later, the magazine is distributed world wide to the hardest of hardcore mountain bikers. The Pioneer category has its own colour commentary in the form of Brian Skinner. Brian's story could take up a page in itself, so lets just say we're covered with this pioneer, from early race promotion and innovation to product development for companies like Shimano, Answer, and Onza. Laird Knight started promoting events in 1984 with one of the sports oldest continuing race series called the "Canaan Mountain Series". Knight is best known for his Granny Gear Production company which has single handedly brought the phenomenon of 24 Hour Mountain Bike racing to the world. Mike Kloser is one of the most versatile, longevity prone, successful racers of our sport. While not a household name, Mike accomplished most of his successes across the pond in the hardest fought arena, the European World Cup. Currently he is a champion in the Adventure Race Series where he has posted many top finishes . His complete biography, as well as all this years inductees and the other 78 individual and group inductees, can be found on the World Wide Web at www.mtnbikehalloffame.com. Taylor breaks 1,000 mile recordLynne Taylor broke her second UK long distance record when she took a massive 8hr 20min off the time for the 1,000 miles record. The first half of the ride had weather conditions that all long distance record aspirants hate, no wind and lots of heavy rain. By the 450 mile point Lynne was 2hr30min down on her schedule. Fortunately, as the second day dawned, the sun came out and at last the hoped for tailwind sprang up. This helped Lynne to gradually get back the deficit on her schedule and by 800 miles she was back in business. From then on she made inroads into the previous record to finish the 1,000 miles with a provisional time of 2 days 16 hours and 40minutes. Full details of the ride, complete with pictures can be found at www.abcc.freeserve.co.uk/taylorl1.html River City Bicycles' Cyclo-Cross Crusade previewThe first stop of the 2002 'Cross Crusade is at the venerable Alpenrose Dairy course in SW Portland on Sunday, October 6th, 2002. The top 'cross racers in the Pacific NW will be on the start line for opening day. Eric Tonkin (Kona-Kenwood) and Rhonda Mazza (Team S&M) will be hoping to defend their 2001 titles and stake an early claim to the 2002 title with a win in round one. Spectators will be looking to Barry "the Hair" Wicks (Kona-Kenwwod), Shannon Skerrit (Bike Gallery/Trek), John "Stompy" Leonard (Bike Gallery/Trek), Derl "Blue Collar" Miller (Bike Gallery/Trek) and Jon "the Mayor" Myers (Team S&M) to challenge for the overall series. The women's field will be deeper than ever with challenges coming from nationally ranked MTB racer Alice Pennington (Bike Gallery/Trek), pro roadie Marjon Marik (River City Bicycles) and the always solid Naomi Gollogly (Bike Gallery/Trek). Adding to our already deep talent base here in Portland will be the top racers from Seattle as they come down to challenge in the first round of the four race "Grail De La Grunge Cup". Expected attendees from the emerald city are Dale Knapp (Kona-Kenwood), Johnny Sundt (K2), Ann Grande (Kona-Kenwood) and Jeanette Nussbaum (Kona-Kenwood), among others. The 2002 'Cross Crusade Series has well over $20,000 of prize money up for grabs and includes eight races, and two UCI sanctioned events. Full Sunday schedule 8:30 - Red Lizard XC Footrace. Affiliate Event, See: www.bigredlizard.com Registration: 8:00 am until 15 minutes before each race. Pre-register online at: www.crosscrusade.com or by sending standard release form and a check made out to Club Vivo to: Brad Ross 4409 SW Dosch Rd, Portland, or 97201
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