News for December 16, 1998

Contracts and Transfers

Jacky Durand from the Casino team will now certainly transfer to the Belgian Lotto team managed by Jean-Luc Vandenbroucke. At the same time Thierry Laurent, who had to leave Festina, will also ride for Lotto.

US Postal News

Jon Jay Neufeld, who keeps me updated with Danish news writes that Johnny Weltz, assistant sports director for US Postal Service in the 1999 season, has expressed great expectations for the coming season for the reigning Danish champion, Frank Høj, who has been riding for Palmans and Colstrup the past few seasons. "I am confident that Frank will be an asset for USPS in a number of the bigger events in the season to come. I don't merely regard him to be an asset for us in the Classics. I am also certain that he is a man who can be of significance for the team in the Tour de France. If it's up to me, he'll be in our Tour-team as long as his season unfolds more or less as expected. He has both the age and the experience for it."

Weltz is quick to draw attention to the fact that in light of the signing of Johan Bruyneel as sports director for USPS, his opinion is not necessarily decisive in this regard. Weltz indicates that it is his impression that Lance Armstrong has a great deal of influence on USPS's approach to the challenges brought by the season to come. Weltz is quoted as saying, "It can be difficult to determine what is going on, but it would seem as though the team management is listening very carefully to what Lance is saying. For that reason it can be likely that it can be Armstrong who plays a predominant role in determining who is to be supporting him in the Tour."

In other matters, Weltz also reports that he has been trying to do what he can to help Vjatjeslav Ekimov get a contract for the 1999 season, after he somewhat surprisingly did not have his contract renewed. "I had contact to two Italian teams for Ekimov, but he has stated that he will not ride in Italy, so I don't know what is going to happen with him."

"Here in Spain there is a rumour circulating that it is not impossible that Richard Virenque might be riding in 1999 for the team that Unipublic is supporting"

USPS are gathering in California for a training camp from 14. to 28. January.

Switzerland, Obergösgen, International Cyclocross, December 13

 1. Wim De Vos (Ned) 					       57.31
 2. Paul Herijgers (Bel) 					0.18
 3. Kamil Ausbuher (Cze) 					0.29
 4. Roland Schätti (Swi) GS Romers Hausbäckerei-Mephisto 	1.38
 5. Dominique Arnould (Fra) 					2.02
 6. Thomas Frischknecht (Swi) Team Ritchey 			2.13
 7. David Willemsens (Bel) 					2.19
 8. Peter Novy (Cze) 						2.23
 9. Dieter Runkel (Swi) GS Saeco-Wheeler 			3.16
10. Ales Mudroch (Cze) 						3.25
11. Peter Willemsens (Bel) 					3.30
12. Beat Blum (Swi) GS Saeco-Gerber-Pneuhaus Frank 		3.41
13. Miguel Martinez (Fra) 					4.00
14. Dietmar Stari(Aut) 						4.18
15. Chris Wouters (Bel) 					4.27
16. Thomas Steiger (Swi) GS Flatera-RV Uster 			4.53
17. Beat Morf (Swi) GS MTB-Cycletech-SAP-VC Hittnau 		5.16
18. Jan Ramsauer (Swi) GS Saeco-Wetzikon 			5.16
19. Nico Hendericks (Bel) 					5.29
20. Radek Tychi (Cze) 						5.29
21. Alexandre Moos (Swi) GS Saeco 				5.36
22. David Chassot (Swi) GS Tesag-Cilo 				5.58
23. Pascal Triebel (Lux) 					6.11
24. Thomas Clark (USA) 						6.36
25. Fabrizio Margon (Ita) 					6.43
26. Marco Zingg (Swi) GS Zingg Zweiradsport 			7.09
27. Samuel Steffen (Swi) GS Velolade Scheider-VC Bützberg 	7.17
28. Matthias Kern (Swi) GS Fumo-Velo-Weidmann 			7.34
29. Christian Trafelet (Swi) GS Cilo-Bassano/RV Wetzikon 	7.44
30. Johannes Müller (Aut) 				    at 1 lap

Thanks to Stefan Girschweiler who runs the excellent cross site http://www.radquer.ch/

Spain, 12th Cyclocross CP de Igorre, December 13

talian Daniele Pontoni won the XXII Ziklo Kross de Igorre, the most important race of this discipline in Spain. Pontoni built his win after the first two laps.

 1. Daniele Pontoni (Ita) Elite		       58.49
 2. Jiri Pospisil (Cze)  Elite			1.00
 3. Petr Dlask (Cze)  Elite			2.19
 4. Peter Van der Abeele (Bel) Elite		2.49
 5. Vaclav Jezek (Cze) U-23			3.13
 6. Danni De Bie (Bel) Elite			3.26
 7. Pawel Prosek (Cze)  Elite			4.07
 8. Patrice Halgand (Fra) Elite			4.54
 9. Igor Beristain (Spa) Elite			5.02
10. David Derepas (Fra) U-23			5.30

Australia wastes ridiculous amounts on chasing medals

A research report from academics at the University of South Australia has concluded that each Olympic gold medal that Australia wins costs the Australian taxpayers more than $A50 million. The research report compared the growth of government spending on our elite athlets and looked at what it had achieved over the last 5 Olympic Games. We one 25 gold medals over that period and this worked out at $A51.8 million each.

A member of the research team said: And Australians being Australians, and by and large sports mad if you like, it's probably best left up to the individual to say whether it's money well-spent or not."

Well, I am an Australian and sports mad too. But what a disgrace. Meanwhile the ACF are spending or sanctioning the expenditure of money on fancy bikes that have not gone faster than the older track bikes, junkets for officials, and EPO-simulations in Mexico. And our public health and education systems are reeling from Government cutbacks.

Tour of Germany details

German team Telekom with Jan Ullrich leading, will race the inaugural Tour of Germany from May 28-June 3 next year. The president of the German Cycling Federation, Manfred Bohmer announced this at a press conference during the 6-Day race in Leipzig. He said: "In reality we wanted to start the German Tour in 2000, but we found so much support that we're starting it next year."

The Tour of Germany will have seven stages that will take the competitors from Berlin to Bonn and be staged with a budget of 10 million Marks ($US5.8 million). Bohmer feels that it will be an ideal preparation for teams who will be racing the Tour de France around 4 weeks later. He said: "It will be a demanding competition, but not too tough". Twenty teams will be participating, with eight riders each, including the seven current German professional teams.

Final result - Tour de Faso

Jacques Castan from France won the 12th edition of Tour du Faso, the most important cycling race on the African continent, ahead of Amadou Pafadnam from Burkina Faso. 72 riders from 6 countries, Belgium, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Mali, Switzerland and France participated in this 1422 km long stage race.

VDB to miss the Tour in 1999

Frank Vandenbroucke who is the great cycling hope for the Cofidis team in 1999 will miss the Tour de France next year because they feel they are strong enough with American Bobby Julich and climbing star of the 1998 Tour, French rider Christophe Rinero. VDB will instead concentrate on the Vuelta a España and the World Championships in Verona, Italy. He is planning to ride a similar schedule to the one he followed at the start of 1998 before he ended his year will illness after Stage 1 of the Vuelta. He will begin in earnest in 1999 with Het Volk, Paris-Nice, Milano-San Remo, the Critérium international, the Three Day of La Panne and all the April classics up to Amstel Gold Race.

Melbourne Cup on Wheels, Northcote Velodrome, December 12

Mark Chadwick has sent me this report from the big track racing night in Melbourne last weekend. He writes that the predicted cool change arrived at Northcote mid-afternoon to the relief of all involved. The temperature fell from 41C at 13.00 to a more bearable 32.5 by 13.28. Although the humidity increased, the conditions were vastly improved. The program of 23 events ran smoothly, with only one fall of note in the C grade scratch race where a spill occurred entering the last turn amidst the hurly-burly of the sprint.

The main event - the Melbourne Cup on Wheels - a handicap event over 2000 metres was run as event 16, mid-program after 7 heats to establish the final field of 21. The first 3 placegetters of each heat advanced to the final to race for the $A3700 prize list.

The field was:

Rider			Mark
J. Kersten		 20 metres
M. Allen		 40
H. Clarke Jnr		 85
G. White		 90
B. Woods		105
G. Mueller		110
T. Decker		115
M. Roach		115
L. Gilmore		120
C. McCormack		120
C. Kypriotis		140
A. Mason		150
B. McIntosh		150
M. Heath		150
A. Carter		155
B. Edmunds		160
J. Fitzgerald		165
D. Bradbury		165
R. Edge			170
L. Dougherty		195
L. Godfrey		215

The outmarkers had the good fortune to take advantage of their handicaps in the heats, excluding the 3 scratchmen (Troy Clarke, America's Jame Carney and 1997 winner Stephen Pate). This left the final to be fought out by what became three bunches on the track. In a thrilling sprint finish, where the riders entered the last bend five abreast, Blackburn's Barry Woods led the field home from Tasmanian Luc Gilmore (brother of Matt) and Gavin White third, Hilton Clarke Jnr (who rode the 1998 Commonwealth Bank Classic for Carravelo) was fourth.

A notable support event saw 1998 World pursuit champion Lucy Tyler-Sharman defeat Anna Wilson in a 2000M pursuit in a time of 2:24:19. Commonwealth Games medallist Wilson never appeared comfortable and Tyler-Sharman's victory was assured by the 3rd of 6 laps.

Other A grade results:

Elimination:

 1. Stephen Pate (Vic)
 2. T. Clarke (Vic)
 3. Jame Carney (USA)

Keirin:

 1. T. Clarke (Vic)
 2. Ben Kersten (Vic)
 3. B. McCaig (Vic)

25 lap Scratch Race:

 1. B. McCaig (Vic)
 2. Baden Cooke (Vic)
 3. Hilton Clarke Jnr. (Vic)

Super Mario in Australia?

I have been asked several times whether the information contained in advertisements for a race in South Australia in January claiming that Super Mario will be a star attraction are true. I have checked several sources at Saeco and Mario Cipollini will not be racing in Australia in January.

Sorry, but it is a case of false advertising.

I have also been asked whether I will covering the event. The answer is no.