News for January 18, 1998

World Championships Update

For the safety of the riders there shall be 8 obstacles which will be partly or fully removed. For the World Championships there will be traffic prevention measures implemented. The Bemelerweg - the section near the climb of the Bemelerberg - was for the greater part covered with new asphalt. The Springstraat in Margraten has been taken off the circuit.

Yesterday (Friday), the French National Coach, Charly Mottet reacted after seeing the the changes in the circuit. The former profession rider inspected the World Championship parcours with the entire French technical staff. His fellow Coaches, Marc Sergeant (Belgium) and Alfredo Martini (Italy) also were in the inspection team.

Mottet concluded that the race circuit will suit the classic riders. He said: "This is a circuit for the attacking riders. Hard, but not extremely difficult. The climbs are not that long."

Vossem, Belgium, Cyclo Cross, Cat A, January 18, 1998

Third place went to Belgian Mario de Clercq at 38 seconds. Bart Wellens came 4th, and Belgian National Champion Marc Janssens 5th.

 1. Richard Groenendaal (Ned) Rabobank
 2. Adri van der Poel (Ned) Rabobank		s.t.
 3. Mario de Clercq (Bel) Palmans		0.38
 4. Bart Wellens (Bel)
 5. Marc Janssens (Bel)

Pezzo still in trouble

Under the CONI ruling, Pezzo now must go before a disciplinary hearing of the Italian Cycling Federation which can impose a 6 month ban on her.

In an official statement to the press, Ugo Longo the Director of Anti-Doping in CONI, said: "We thought it was necessary to continue with this disciplinary action. We could not accept arguments that the nandrolone could have been produced naturally."

Pezzo reaction which she made to the Italian press was: "I'm sure I'm innocent but at this point I'm beginning to think I'm some sort of scapegoat."

If suspended she will miss the first World Cup races which begin on March 29.

Museeuw will not ride Tour de France

He rode 10 Tours and although he has won two stages he never got close to the podium. In fact, he never finished in the top 50.

Mapei will win less races in 1998

Instead of the many small races, Lefevere will target the larger races. He aims to get his Italian/Belgian team into the top place in the World Cup races and the Tour Stages. This will confirm its status as one of the greatest cycling teams. "Especially, as the greater public have started to complain. One wonders whether we are content. Just as the top boss of Mapei, Mr. Squizi. We have the great riders, but on account of some bad luck and sickness we haven't won the big events."

How different it was in 1996. The team was able to divide up the races between themselves. The high point of this was Paris-Roubaix, when the three Mapei riders ((Museeuw, Tafi and Bortolami) divided the first three places as they went towards the finish. "That was brilliant, although others said it was a shame for racing."

According to Lefevere the logical extension of that was that in the 1997 season, the peloton formed a strategy of "all against Mapei". "But without some luck and given we had some sickness it was difficult to resist this. We are convinced that with our present riders we can nearly always dominate."

Mapei, has replaced its Belgian co-sponsor (GB) with another small Flemish sponsor, Bricobe, feels it is still very strong. Of the 4 riders who have left (Abe, Bomans, Jaskula en Fois), the team has replaced them with 4 young Italian riders, an old Under-23 World Champion Figueras, Frutti and Codol.

"What names should we have extra. We already have the best riders in the team. Only Bartoli would add strength. But then perhaps not all the top riders in the team would agree."

Lefevere says he is a diplomat. There are according to him so many class riders - Museeuw, Ballerini, Tafi, Bugno, Steels, Tonkov, Vandenbroucke and Zanini that there are problems in deciding who to support in any race.

A Minor Correction:

Roger Hughes writes: