First Edition News for August 21, 2003

Edited by John Stevenson & Jeff Jones

Hamilton, Van Bondt and Wilson crash out of Tour of Holland

Stage 2 of the ENECO Ronde van Nederland (Tour of Holland) was not a good one for the CSC team, as both Geert Van Bondt and Tyler Hamilton were involved in serious crashes towards the end of the stage. Van Bondt broke his collarbone and did not finish the stage. Hamilton - who is just recovering from a cracked collarbone - suffered a deep wound to his finger. Neither will be able to start tomorrow's third stage.

In stage 1, Matthew Wilson (FdJeux.com) crashed and did not finish. He was taken to hospital but was found not to have broken anything.

Jeremy Roy to begin his pro career in Plouay

By Jean-François Quénet

Jeremy Roy
Photo ©: J-F Quenet

Runner up to Italian Giovanni Visconti at the European championships last Sunday in Athens, 20 year old Frenchman Jeremy Roy will begin his pro career with Fdjeux.com next Sunday at the Grand Prix Ouest-France in Plouay. In the eyes of his new directeur sportif Marc Madiot, he's so special that it's a sign of good luck that he starts as a pro in an hors categorie race. He actually replaces Baden Cooke who came second last year in the Breton event and is currently racing the Tour of Holland, but doesn't feel strong enough to do well in Plouay.

Roy hails from Tours in the Loire valley and signed his contract with Fdjeux.com at the end of last year, but stayed for a few more months with his local club UC St-Cyr-sur-Loire. He's also an engineering student in Grenoble and will go back to school in September after taking part in the Tour du Poitou-Charentes and the Tour de l'Avenir. "We have a long term project with him, Madiot says. "Next year he'll race on weekends when he'll be free from school. We know he's got a huge talent but we don't want to burn him. We'll take time for his development."

Roy was fifth in the junior World Championships in Lisbon, 2001. In 2002 he won the famous classic Nantes-Segré near Madiot's house. His best result this year before the European's was a win in the mountainous stage race Tour de Béarn. Climbing, time trialling, sprinting: Roy can do anything on the bike. The public will get to know him in Plouay.

South African cyclists arrested after shoot-out

Two South African cyclists were arrested on Sunday after a shoot-out in which they attempted to defend themselves against armed men who they claimed were trying to steal their bikes. According to reports on South African websites one of the attackers later died from gunshot wounds.

According to SAPA reports, Captain Tshisikhawe Ndou of the South African police said the two told police they were cycling along Boundary Road in Honeydew north of Johannesburg around 8am when six men armed with handguns ran into the road and tried to steal their bicycles. The two riders were carrying their own guns and in the ensuing confrontation one of the alleged robbers was shot twice in the face. His five companions ran away while he was later taken to hospital.

Ndou said police opened an attempted murder docket as a matter of procedure and the pair would spend the night in custody. They were due to appear in the Randburg Magistrates Court on Monday when the public prosecutor would take a decision on whether to pursue the case.

Klier: It's a boy

After skipping out of stage 1 of the Tour of Holland Monday because his wife Kirsten had gone into labour, Telekom's Andreas Klier became a father for the first time at 00:30 Wednesday morning with the arrival into the world of Lasse, a 3.8kg (8.4lb) boy.

RONA heads to France - but without Jeanson

Canada's RONA/Esker women's cycling team will compete outside North America for the first time this weekend when it lines up for the GP Plouay round of the women's world cup in France on August 23. The team will also take part in the Trophée d'Or, August 27-31.

However, RONA's star rider Geneviève Jeanson will not be traveling to France with the team which will instead consist of French riders Magali Le Floc'h and Catherine Marsal, Canadians Andrea Hannos and Erinne Willock, Germany's Karen Bockel and New Zealander Melissa Holt.

Explaining Jeanson's omission, RONA coach André Aubut said in a statement, "I had some tough choices to make. A women's cycling team is limited to six riders and I had constraints. For our first races in France, Catherine (Marsal) and Magali (Le Floc'h) were inevitable choices, obviously. As for the four others, they absolutely had to ride in these races, either because I had already committed myself when I negotiated their contract this year, or else because they have to maximize their chances of gaining an entry into the Worlds. As Canadian champion, Geneviève is automatically guaranteed a spot on the Canadian team, but other girls on the team have a good chance of being chosen by their respective national cycling formations. I owe them this opportunity to stand out in these races where they can really demonstrate their potential."

While her team-mates are in France, Jeanson will ride the Green mountain Stage Race in Vermont, August 29 to September 2

Fire in Café Reveil Matin

The Café Reveil Matin in Paris has been severely damaged by fire, and police suspect arson according to a report in L'Equipe. The Café has historical importance for cycling as it marked the start of the first ever Tour de France in 1903. This year, the Centenary Tour visited the café for the start of stage 1.

Cyclist inducted to Malaysian sport Hall of Fame

Malaysian cyclist M. Kumaresan was inducted into the country's SportExcel Hall of Fame at the Royal Selangor Club in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, according to a report in the New Straits Times.

"The SportExcel Hall of Fame is restricted to those athletes who have been in receipt of SportExcel funding and who have consistently achieved excellence at Asian or World level while being good role models," said SportExcel president Tunku Imran Tuanku Ja'afar after welcoming Kumaresan and hurdler Nur Herman Majid to the Hall of Fame.

Kumaresan was a household name in Malaysian cycling in the 80s, and was voted the country's Sportsman of the Year in 1987. He wanted to represent Malaysia in sport from the age of 10 and tried various sports along the way. "Some might say that at 10, one does not have an ambition yet. But for me, I had a burning desire to represent the country," said Kumaresan. "But in the end, I found my niche in cycling and it has given me great joy over the years by winning medals for the country."

Kumarasan won nine gold medals at the Sea Games and three silvers and a bronze in the Asian games.

Air Products Developmental Finals at Lehigh

The Lehigh Valley Velodrome will be hosting the final event of its regular season, The Air Products Developmental Finals and The Morning Call Rider of the Year on Friday, August 22, before the USCF National Track Cycling Championships commence on August 26. The Air Products Developmental Finals is to introduce tomorrow's stars while The Morning Call Rider of the Year will showcase potential Olympians for the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Now celebrating its 27th year, the Air Products Developmental Cycling Program is a free, introductory track cycling program for anyone 5 years of age or older. The program has graduated over 13,000 children and adults and garnered nearly a thousand junior national, elite national and international competition medals. Graduates of the program include Olympians Marty Nothstein, Tanya Lindenmuth and Junior World Champion Sarah Uhl.

Friday's Air Products finals allow this year's graduates the opportunity to race in front of the big Friday Night crowd at the Lehigh Valley Velodrome. The finals will include races in eight categories for boys and girls ages, 9-10, 11-12, 13-15, and 16-18. In addition, adult racing includes women aged 19-plus, men 19-39, 40-plus men and 60+ men. The top three in each category are awarded medals and the overall winner receives a championship jersey. During the intermissions there will be an exhibition of the Pee Wee Pedalers, the youngest age group of cyclists in the program, ages 5-8.

Professional racing for the evening will result in the crowning of the 2003 Morning Call men and women's Rider of the Year. The Valley Preferred Enduro Series and the Finish Line Running Store Sprint Series combine to form The Morning Call Rider of the Year. By combining both endurance and sprint based events the most versatile riders are rewarded with the overall title.

Jame Carney holds an insurmountable lead in the men's contest but the race for second place is very tight separating current second place Kyle Wamsley of T.E.A.M. Fuji from 2000 Olympic Gold Medallist Marty Nothstein by only four points.

On the women's side Becky Conzelman holds a fourteen point lead over 2000 Junior World Medallist Ashley Kimmet. Following Kimmet closely is last year's female Rider of the Year and 2001 Junior World Champion Sarah Uhl.

Team Basis at Downer's Grove

Editor's note: And finally, as they say on the TV news before the cuddly animal story, presented verbatim for your amusement is this 'press release' from Nicole Freedman, one of the US women's scene's more, ah, colourful characters.

For Immediate Release to the New York Times, London Times, Wall Street Urinal and all major national and international publications including MountainBikeSouthEastWichitaFalls.com

Team Basis Wins Timex International, Takes Third at Criterium National Championships in Downer's Grove, Illinois

Ms Nicole Freedman and Ms Lauren Gaffney recently returned from a successful expedition to Downer's Grove, Illinois. Ms Freedman was victorious in Saturday's opening criterium, the Timex International, in a stacked field including Tina Mayolo, her roughly 5,437 Diet Rite teammates, Laura Van Gilder, her 4,785 Saturn teammates and Dolly Parton. "I felt confident with Ms Gaffney there as my sole support person. She was dangling that slice of pizza for me at the finish and I could see the mushroom about to slide off the slice."

Nicole commented after the race, "I felt a surge of adrenalin, being one of the chosen stars called to the start line. I was raring to go after hearing the announcer, 'and hailing from the antique store mecca of Wellesley, Ma, is seasoned professional Nicole Freedman wearing, hmmm number 08, or more correctly, number 80 for those of you standing on your heads.'"

The following morning, Ms Gaffney and Ms Freedman competed in the weekend's feature event: the Criterium National Championships. Ms Freedman finished third behind winner Tina Mayolo and Laura Van Gilder. "I knew I had one victory in me for the weekend; I astutely chose Saturday - the race with 1/3 the prize money and no prestige."

Team Basis is thrilled to announce the launch of our new team website: www.basiscycling.com. Please inundate volunteer webmaster and teammate, Ms Kate Maher with any suggestions for time-consuming improvements. Ms Maher has recently resigned from her PhD program in Earth Sciences to dedicate herself full time to the Team Basis website. "My parents are so thrilled that I have given up 20 years of schooling and defaulted on hundreds of thousands of dollars of loan payments to pursue my new volunteer profession."

Team Basis is also thrilled to announce that we picked up two new racers a few months ago: Ms Chrissy Ruiter and Stephanie Hannos, but forgot to announce it. They both have impressive race resumes. Ms Hannos is fluent in pig Latin.

Special congratulations are due to Ms Heather Albert, winner of last weeks Wild and Zany International Calculus and Advanced Physics Competition. Ms Albert solved the challenging question "How many Genisoy bars do you need to pack for a two week trip to Europe for World Cup races if all your calories will be derived from Genisoy bars?"

Answer: A helicopter full of bars minus a postage stamp-sized space for Ms Freedman who is being airlifted to the hospital with a broken back after lifting Ms Albert's bag.

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