News for April 4, 1998

Sven Nijs to Rabobank

Sven Nijs has signed a contract for 2 years with Rabobank. He was invited to start immediately as elite rider with contract, but he has indicated that he prefers to remain for the rest of this season with his team in Kapelle-op-den-Bos. From October 1, he will be a teammate of Adri van der Poel and Richard Groenendaal.

Jo Planckaert

Jo Planckaert of the Lotto-Mobistar team will go to hospital for an operation on his knee to remove scar tissue in the sheaf. It will take two weeks for recovery. He will be allowed to resume training again in the second half of April.

Frederic Moncassin

Frederic Moncassin (last year second behind Rolf Sorensen) will be a protected rider in the GAN-team. His helpers are O'grady, Vogels and Vasseur.

No Tom Steels in Mapei team

Johan Museeuw, two times winner of the Ronde van Vlaanderen, is the biggest favourite in the Mapei-Bricobi-team on Sunday. The three non-Belgians are Franco Ballerini, Andrea Tafi and Stefano Zanini. The rest of the team: Leysen, Mattan, Peeters and Vandenbroucke. Reserve: Tom Steels and Pianegonda

Tom Steels fell during the Driedaagse van De Panne reporting multiple abrasions on his back. However, Steels, finished the stage and was taken to the hospital in the afternoon to clean the wounds.

Vitali Kokorine (Saeco-Cannondale) also retired because of a fall during the descent on the Kemmelberg: dislocating his right wrist.

Capiot, Steels, Ballerini, Museeuw and Vandenbroucke all abandoned during the last day of the Driedaagse van De Panne for different reasons. Capiot stopped as a protest against the road surface. He was angry and said before the start of Stage 3: "I don't understand why the organiser lets 180 men ride on such dangerous roads." He stopped during the first part of the last day. The ITT winner, Millar, rode on dry roads during the last stage. Around 75 percent of the riders had to ride in heavy rain.

Environmental Considerations

An environmentally conscious city official in New York has caused a stir, by demanding a tree receive an apology. For over 20 Years a delicatessen owner, in Manhattan has been chaining his bicycle to a tree outside his Second Avenue store. Yesterday he got a nasty shock when he got a ticket for what a city official said was tree abuse. The Parks Commissioner henry Stern says he will let Daniel Melpelly off if he hugs the tree and apologises. Melpelly says he is considering his options, but may have to hug the tree.

Spanish woes

Spanish cycling surprised last year with a bunch of wins in the two first months of the season. At this point last year, Spaniards had won the overall at Valencia, Murcia, Setmana Catalana and the Critérium International, plus some stages. This season, with one more team than last year (Vitalicio Seguros), the highlights have been limited to wins by ONCE at La Vuelta a Andalucía and the only victory in March, by David Etxebarria, a stage at Paris-Nice.

There have been isolated good placings and good work by the Spaniards, but it has been lacking in rewards. Bad luck and the flu have been blamed for the lack of results, especially for Banesto and Kelme, who have seen more than half of their team stopped by the flu. Two other factors which explain the low for the Spaniards is the traffic of cyclists to Vitalicio Seguros, which have done their first races taking it easy, preparing for bigger objectives. Also the entrance of almost 30 neo pro riders, which have weakened teams like Estepona, which has had to trade experienced riders for novices.

Spanish cycling is mostly oriented towards the Major Stage Races. So as the Giro gets closer, it is expected that we will see encouraging results from Kelme & Vitalicio. Starting next week, with la Vuelta al País Vasco, the season enters its phase of greater competition, so the difficulties will be greater. Cyclists like Domínguez, Clavero or Rubiera will have to add their qualities with contrasting figures like Roberto Heras, Mikel Zarrabeitia, Marcelino García & David Etxebarria.

Belgian Tom Steels (Mapei) and German Marcel Wust (Festina) have been the indisputable kings this first three months of competition. Each one with 7 wins so far this season, although there is no doubt that Steels' victories are more prestigious than the German's. The Mapei rider has won two races at la Challenge de Mallorca, two stages at la Vuelta a Andalucía and another two at Paris-Nice, plus a one day race in Belgium. Wust had all his victories at la Vuelta a Chile, where he had less competition.

Ronde van Snowy

Stage 2, Thredbo-Jindabyne, 112 kms:

 1. C Hughes (Can)		     3.20.02
 2. K Kurreck (US) 			s.t.
 3. S Pryde (NX)
 4. R Polikeviciute (Lit)
 5. D Demet (US)
 6. A Wilson (Aus)
 7. E Robbins (US)
 8. P Shuster (US)
 9. B Heeb (Swi)
10. J Wilson (US)

Overall standings:

 1. J Longo-Ciprelli (Fra)	     6.08.04
 2. R Polikeviciute (Lit)		2.09
 3. C Hughes (Can)			2.30
 4. S Pryde (NZ)			2.36
 5. M De Bruijn (Ned) 			2.58
 6. L Tadich (Aus) 			3.36
 7. D Demet (US) 			3.39
 8. T Gaudrey  (Aus)
 9. A Wilson (Aus) 			6.50
10 P Shuster (US)			7.04

Mountain category:

 1. Wilson 				42 points
 2. R Polikeviciute 			32
 3. Shuster 				28
 4. J Polikeviciute			27
 5. K Watt				20
 6. Longo-Ciprelli 			18
 7. Heeb 				 6
 8. Hughes 				 6

Sprint category:

 1. R. Polikeviciute 			14 points
 2. Hughes 				11
 3. Pryde 		 		 7
 4. Longo-Ciprelli 			 5
 5. Kurreck 				 3
 6. Tadich      			 2
 7. De Bruijn 				 1

Stage 3,  Berridale - Cabramurra, 115 kms:

 1. Wilson (Aus)	              3.35.12
 2. Demet (US)
 3. Kurreck (US) 			15.23
 4. Zilioete (Lit)
 5. Watt (Aus)

GC:

 1. Demet 		             9.46.26
 2. Wilson 				4.07
 3. Longo (Fra) 		       12.13
 4. Rasa Polikevitsjoete (Lit)         14.13
 5. Hughes (Can) 		       14.43