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Results in Australia - ClarificationIn the recent Newscycle, the official magazine of Cycling Australia which is posted to all licenced riders, it is stated that Cycling Australia is to join the WEB. In the short article it mentions my name and service as if it is part of this venture by Cycling Australia.It should be made perfectly clear that my service has nothing at all to do with Cycling Australia and that the use of my name and service in that piece was misrepresentation. Further, I have received a lot of emails asking about the "advertisement" that has appeared in Newscycle advertising my service. Please be clear that I did not place this advertisement nor did I approve it. It was put in their by Cycling Australia. I have no problems with it except that it advertises my old WWW address which has not been in use for 5.5 months now. Things move slowly. Finally, I have been asked about the Women's Tour in the Snowy Mountains. Cycling Australia nor the promoter have sent me any results of this international race. I do not have the time to scrabble through newspapers to get the top 3 when I know the official results are available electronically. I discovered this week that Cycling Australia and the Australian Sports Commission have their own internal email list and they were receiving daily updates throughout the day for each of the stages. They did not see fit to release these details to us so that their enjoyment could be shared by all of us via my service. So while I am sorry for not being able to cover this important race you can understand and share my frustration. Young riders in BelgiumFrom July, 8 year olds will be able to race in Belgium. Up until now the Belgian Cycling Federation (BWB) has allowed licences to 12 year old riders although official races have only been permitted for riders above 15 years. Now the Minister for Public Health Wivina Demeester has indicated that the way might be open for the change.Fons Leroy, Public Relations officer for the Vlaanderen-2002 in conjunction with the BWB has been lobbying the Government for the change and if the politicians agree there will be an experimental period for two years. Hopefully we can get the 8 year olds in from July. A special commission has evaluated our proposal. Each province will develop 3 or 4 special centres where specific skills and support will be given. The cycling clibs have their own part to play. We will lead the way with specific instructional sessions to follow." said Leroy. Jan Ullrich and his condition"I already know the first question: why am I so fat? I have a few extra kilos, but I trust my preparation and I know that I will reach the Tour like last year". Jan Ullrich starts that way in all of his (rare) interviews. The Spanish press have once again complained about the way he treated them during the Catalan week. He didn't show up for a set appointment because was filming a commercial for a big foodstuff multinational.But his overweight is not a requirement of Nestlé, but probably of his physical trainer, Peter Becker. All his rivals wonder why he's been riding jersey which is one size too small. Eusebio Unzue, sport director for Banesto, seems to have found the answer. "I'm certain that it isn't carelesness, that his excess weight is programmed. Just the same as those riders who trained with a back pack full of rocks, Ullrich's trainers want him to ride now loaded with fat. That way when he loses weight he'll be lighter. Let nobody doubt it. He will be perfect for the start of the Tour." His hypothesis gains credibility when one considers Peter Becker's statements last December when Ullrich was dragging 85 kilograms, 12 more than the 73 with which he started the 1997 Tour. "He's a lot better than last year. In one year he has developed his muscles and suffers less from his excess weight". Ullrich has looked bad at la Setmana Catalana. But his rivals are not happy. "From what my riders tell me, he controls himself, he's not as bad as he looks. He has almost 4 months to lose weight for the Tour", comments Álvaro Pino, director for Kelme. Claude Criquielion talks about Frank VandenbrouckeFrank Vandenbroucke, the rider of the moment both inside and outside of Belgium, finishes the contract with Team Mapei-Bricobi, at the end of this year. "I have offers from many teams and I'm going to study them seriosuly", affirms the 23 year old. But according to Claude Criquielion, Mapei Public Relations officer and former star Belgium rider: "There's only one team that can offer Frank more than Mapei in the sporting aspect and that team is ONCE. ONCE can offer Vandenbroucke more than Mapei in the major stage races.""But given that VDB's major dream is the Ronde van Vlaanderen there is no better team than Mapei. I don't want to start any controversy on this, but it is clear that Vandenbroucke wouldn't have been able to win at París-Nice with Team Lotto and I think that he has more possibilities of winning at la Vuelta and Tour with ONCE that with Mapei". Going from París-Nice to the Tour de France is a gigantic step, which Vandenbroucke admits: "I'm only 23 years old and even though I'm in the middle of developing. I'm still lacking strangth". Criquielion is partly in agreement with young Vandenbroucke: "The Tour is something major, but at the last París-Nice he has confirmed his progress. He will be able to confirm that progress in the Tour. His debut last year was positive in general, and he especially appeared to be stronger towards the end than at the beginning. It is still too early to draw any conclusions about Vandenbroucke as a "Tour rider". Even Miguel Indurain had to wait until he was 27 to win his first one and Frank hasn't turned 24". Claude Criquielion, World Champion at Montjuïc in 1984, knows Frank Vandenbroucke well. Even though to take over Johan Museeuw's position as national hero, he still needs a few more important victories in his already notable palmarés. "When Frank wasn't even 14 he came with us to the World Championships in Chambery with his father who was the mechanic of the Belgian National team. He didn't have the racing license at that stage, but came along with us in training over the Col du Chat. Many of the Belgian professionals that had to ride in the Worlds on the following Sunday couldn't keep up with young Frank Vandenbroucke". Mapei's PR man says that Vandenbroucke's strong point is his character. He's an ambitious man who knows what he wants. But his temperament betrays him during races once in a awhile. He has a big mouth and that is not liked by the veterans in the peloton or the team leaders. After his victory at París-Nice, young Frank demanded that his compatriot Nico Mattan ride with him at Milano-San Remo, but the manager, Giuseppe Saronni, preferred Polish Zbigniew Spruch. Kelme-Costa BlancaEligio Requejo is a new elite UCI rider with Kelme-Costa Blanca-Eurosport. Requejo replaces Ignacio García Camacho, who has retired due to problems with his arm since last year.Requejo was born in Denia (Alicante) on February 18, 1975. Last year was a member of Spanish Under-23 team in the world cycling championiships (San Sebastián). This year won Trofeo Diputación Alicante with his elite team Gres de Nules. Capiot out of RVVBo Larsen will replace Johan Capiott in the TVM-Farm Frites team in the Ronde van Vlaanderen. Capiot felt some problems in his knee during the first stage of the Driedaagse van De Panne.Team leader Cees Priem said: "Of course we will miss him. He is our road captain and he has shown that he is in good shape over the last weeks. I hope he is avaiable for Gent-Wevelgem. Our strongest weapon is our collective. Our tactics is to attack. We expect a lot of Peter van Petegem and Lars Michaelsen, while hope Servais Knaven and Tristan Hoffman can show their colors in the finale." Frank Corvers in hospitalFrank Corvers is at intensive care of the hospital in Gent. After the first stage in the Driedaagse van De Panne he became unwell on the massagetable. He had a fever attack. Because there is no futher diagnosis, Corvers will stay in the hospital.EDS Track Cup, Olympic Velodrome, California, Round 1, April 3-5Though her training has been different, the results were the same as Nicole Reihart (Shaklee) powered to victory in the opening event of the EDS Track Cup ’98 at the Olympic Velodrome at Cal-State Dominguez Hills.Reinhart, of Portland, Ore., won the women’s 500 meters in 37.441 seconds. She is the current U.S. national champion in that event and the match sprint. With her new Shaklee squad, Reinhart had been racing primarily on the road this spring, earning a pair of victories, including a win in the Redlands Bicycle Classic prologue. She did switch over to the track for the Sea Otter Classic, but her track training has been minimal. "This is the first time I’ve done so much road racing," Reinhart said. "I had no expectations. I haven’t prepared for this." Becky Quinn (Tri State Velo), Quakertown, Pa., was second in 37.918 seconds, followed by Jennie Reed (Ikon-Lexus), Issaquah, Wash., in 37.865 seconds. A total of 40 women competed in the event during the first of three days of action at the site of the 1984 Olympic Games. In other action, national champion Marty Nothstein (Team EDS), Trexlertown, Pa., led the qualifying for the men’s match sprint and easily moved into the second round. Three of his Team EDS teammates joined in the round of 12, which will be contested tonight. Rain delayed qualifying for the men’s individual pursuit, which included 46 riders. The EDS Track Cup ’98 is a five-event national track racing series designed to enhance track cycling in the United States.
Women’s 500 Meters - Final 1. Nicole Reinhart 37.441 secs 2. Becky Quinn 37.622 3. Jennie Reed 37.865 4. Missy Thompson 37.918 5. Amber Holt 38.269 6. Tanya Lindenmuth 38.709 7. Aleka Skouras 38.845 8. Ryan Kelly 38.958 9. Shan Rayray 39.494 10. Kelley Herndon 39.550 Men’s Match Sprint, First Round Marty Nothstein def. James Wong Mark Garrett def. Garth Blackburn Bill Clay def. Roger Farrell Jason Garner def. Nathan Rogut Trey Gannon def. Don Scales Jame Carney def. Jonas Carney Stephen Alfred def. Sam Baker Gil Hatton def. Jeff Solt Paul Swift def. Johnny Bairos First Round Repechage Jo. Carney def. Wong and Bairos Scales def. Blackburn and Baker Farrell def. Rogut and Solt. Session 2 Shaklee’s Nicole Reinhart and Dylan Casey earned victories along with Sky Christopherson (Cox Atlanta Velo) as the EDS Track Cup ’98 concluded its first day of action with a marathon session that lasted nearly until midnight. Intermittent rain showers delayed action throughout the day, but it didn’t hamper Casey, of Mountain View, Calif., who won in his first individual pursuit ever. Casey’s time of four minutes, 40.600 seconds topped a field which included his teammate, Steve Hegg, who won an Olympic gold medal on the same track in 1984. "I didn’t know what to expect," Casey said. "They pointed me in the right direction and said, ‘Pedal fast.’" He won the event by over eight seconds over Brit Shaun Wallace. Hegg was fourth. Reinhart earned her second win of the competition by winning the last two sprints in the women’s points race, which didn’t finish until eight minutes before midnight. The Macungie, Pa., native, who placed sixth in the event at last year’s World Championships, had won the 500 meters earlier in the day. Erin Veenstra (BMC-WalMart), Colorado Springs, Colo., was second with Becky Quinn (Tri State Velo), Quakertown, Pa., third. Reinhart will try to win a third event as qualifying for the women’s match sprint starts Friday morning. Christopherson, the 1995 national kilometer time trial champion, won that event in one minute, 7.031 seconds, topping Jason Garner (Ikon-Lexus), Newport Beach, Calif., who finished with a time of 1:08.010 seconds. In other action, national champion Marty Nothstein (Team EDS), Trexlertown, Pa., moved into the quarterfinals of the men’s match sprint, where he will face his 1996 Olympic teammate, Bill Clay (Ikon-Lexus), Gurnee, Ill.
Women’s Points Race, 18km 1. Nicole Reinhart 25 pts (3 sprint wins) 2. Erin 18 (2) 3. Becky Quinn 15 (1) 4. Jennifer Evans 11 (1) 5. Karen Dunne 8 (0) 6. Ryan Kelly 7 (1) 7. Kelley Herndon 6 (0) 8. Laura Suditu 5 (1) 9. Nicole Freedman 4 (0) 10. Brenda Brashears 3 (0) Men’s Kilometer Time Trial 1. Sky Christopherson 1:7.0310 secs 2. Jason Garner 1:08.010 3. Adam Payne 1:08.708 4. Nathan Rogut 1:10.032 5. Basil Milsal 1:10.215 6. Michael Phillips 1:11.026 7. Peter Selby 1:11.532 8. Jeff Solt 1:12.103 9. Dave Bailey 1:12.470 10. Jason Orowitz 1:13.107 Men’s 4km Individual Pursuit 1. Dylan Casey 4:40.600 secs 2. Shaun Wallace 4:49.205 3. Chris Carlson 4:54.984 4. Steve Hegg 4:57.143 5. Mike Tillman 4:57.752 6. Ryan Stoner 5:02.497 7. Ben Sharp 5:02.673 8. Jame Carney 5:04.510 9. Ian Bettinger 5:04.538 Men’s Match Sprint, 2nd Round Marty Nothstein def. Roger Farrell Mark Garrett def. Don Scales Jonas Carney def. Bill Clay Paul Swift def. Jason Garner Trey Gannon def. Gil Hatton Jame Carney def. Stephen Alfred 2nd Round Repechage Alfred def. Farrell and Garner Clay def. Scales and Hatton Quarterfinal Pairings Nothstein vs. Clay Garrett vs. Alfred Jo. Carney vs. Ja. Carney Swift vs. Gannon. |