News for February 12, 1998

Sad Death

A bit of sad news I'm afraid. Ex-international rider, Peter Longbottom, was killed whilst out training on Tuesday 10th feb. A car hit him from behind killing him instantly.

Pete started racing internationaly in 1977 at the junior world champs. During his long career, he rode 10 Milk Races, Olympic Games, World Championships, and Commonwealth Games. He gained Commonwealth medals at the TTT in 1990 and 1994. Domestically, he was '25' mile record holder, straight out '50' mile record holder, 1990 100 mile champion. He accumulated 44 National Gold Medals throught his career, which ended in 1996.

He was 38, lived in Malton (North Yorkshire) and leaves a wife called Lyn.

From Paul Curran

The Big Winners

Although US-based Italian Roberto Gaggioli claims the largest number of pro victories -- 180 -- of riders still active, it is often pointed out that almost all of these were races in the USA and not all races of the highest quality. Of the European peloton (for want of a better phrase) the top five biggest winners are Mario Cipollini (104 wins), Laurent Jalabert (96), Johan Museeuw (67), Adri Van Der Poel (67) and Marcel Wust (62). This ranking excludes criteriums, competitions such as the Tour green jersey and overalls unrecognised by the UCI such as that for the Majorca Trophy series.

Abdu To Appeal Against Drugs Ban

Former Lotto rider Djamolidine Abdoujaparov intends to lodge an appeal with the UCI against the suspension imposed on him after several drug infractions last season including one during the Tour de France. Abdoujaparov has hired a French lawyer who specializes in such matters to take on his case. The ban on Abdoujaparov was effective from the 1997 Tour de France and runs to the end of July 1998 thus precluding his taking part in the 1998 Tour. Since the ban, Abdoujaparov has been laid off by the Lotto team and there has been no conclusion to approaches he has made to other teams, including Claudio Chiappucci's squad, Ros Mary. If the ban is not reduced in length Abdoujaparov will have to make haste to find a new team since without it his Italian visa is likely to be revoked and he will be forced to leave the country.

Jean-Jacques Henry Retires

BigMat Auber 93 is looking for a neo-pro after Jean-Jacques Henry annnounced his retirement. Henry (31), who previously rode for Festina and Force Sud, concluded that he would not be able to regain full race fitness following a serious accident in the Grand Prix Solidanorsc in Poland last year. Henry will became a second assistant directeur sportif with the BigMat team, with one of his responsibilities the development of a Web site for the team in which co-sponsor IBM will be involved.

Andrei Tchmil To Retire .... After Sydney 2000

Lotto rider Andrei Tchmil, the winner of the 1994 Paris--Roubaix and the 1997 Paris--Tours classics, has said that he will retire immediately after the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000 -- he will then be 37. Tchmil became a Belgian citizen recently but is still riding -- not apparently because he wants to -- on a Ukrainian licence. The Ukrainian federation seems unwilling to relinquish Tchmil but he would like a rapid resolution of the situation in such a way that he would become a Belgian licence holder. "The Belgian cycling federation has promised me that the situation will be resolved in the next few weeks," Tchmil said. "I want to be once and for all tranquil on this matter to avoid the administrative vexations that I've known since I came to western Europe in 1989 or even a forced return to the Ukraine." Tchmil, who has been living in Italy recently, continued: "Italy offers a special visa for sportspeople from the East but this would be withdrawn at the end of my career and they would no longer be able to shelter me. I can't wait passively for the end of my career before I take matters in hand." Tchmil is consequently in the course of moving back to Belgium with his family, which is where he will take up residence when he retires.