Erik Zabel InterviewBjoern Haake sends this Erik Zabel interview which was done in German by Peter Burghardt of the Sueddeutsche Zeitung.Counting victories Erik Zabel was the most successful cycling pro in 1997. He won 27 races, 18 of them UCI sanctioned ones. He won Milan-San Remo and 3 stages of the Tour de France, where he won the green points jersey for a second time. In the cycling community the 4th placed of the Olympic Road Race in 1992 is known for having a dry humour and critical thoughts. Interviewer: In the Team Telekom everybody talks about the weight. How much do you weigh at the moment? Erik: Around 70 kg, almost my racing weight. I have to be going good end of March, my time is the spring. Interviewer: Your colleague Jan Ullrich is taking more time and is overweith by at least 5 kg. Around Christmas it was even 10 kgs. Obviously that's ok for someone who is just interested in the yellow jersey? Erik: In earlier years the 'directeur sportif' would have put his suitcases in front of the door and said: "Come back when you look like a cyclist". Today he is praising you. For Jan it really only starts end of May, before that it's paid training. Interviewer: So the extra pounds put on in the winter are a recipe for success for specialists? Erik: That already started with LeMond. In January, Merckx said the guy looks like a pancake. In May he went fishing, and then he beat 'em all at the Tour. Or Induraín: Miguel and Jan, in the winter they could be brothers. If the three weeks in July are alright, then the year has been good, these are the facts. That's not Jan's fault. Merckx would have problems nowadays, too. Tour, Giro, World Championships, that's not possible anymore. Interviewer: Ullrich's triumph was enough to get media and people into cycling. A boom, created in three weeks? Erik: Too bad, but I can't see the boom. Where is the industry, where are the talents? I even think Jan's successdid hurt cycling. A great team like Oeschelbronn (for years the best amateur team in Germany) had to close down. The cycling boom is a Telekom boom and Jan is very popular, despite that he is a cyclist and not because. Interviewer: How should that be changed? Erik: We need competition like in Holland, more promoters jumping on the bandwagon. Here the organizers of races say: Ullrich or nothing: If cycling, then only the number one. Interviewer: But Ullrich is the number one. Besides being the German sportsman of the year he was voted world best cyclist 1997. Too much honour? Erik: Jan was really great for only 5 weeks, but it's a mockery of the cycling sport to make Jan the cyclist of the year. It's not called "cyclist of July". Some organizers ask themselves if they shouldn't put a car into the ad's caravan in the Tour instead of organizing races in spring. Interviewer: Who would you say is the cyclist of the year? Erik: Laurent Jalabert. He was three years running number one in the UCI ranking, won the Tour of Mallorca in February, and the Giro di Lombardi in October, World champ in the Time Trial, he was 8, 9 months on the highest level, always there... Interviewer: ..except during the Tour, there he didn't do much... Erik: yep, except for three weeks. But everbody is admiring him, he is unbelievable. Jan is also saying that. What Jaja has, you can't buy anywhere. Interviewer: Not even you? You won more races than him. Erik: I don't have those skills yet. Interviewer: But las season has been your best ever, also image wise as defender of the green jersey and member of the team of the year. Erik: In Bonn there were 20,000 people with magenta caps at the City Hall. There I thought: Wow, that is a little different than earlier on. At the selection of the sports people in Nordrhein Westfalen we won in front of Borussia and Schalke (two very successful soccer teams also internationally over the past years), and that in Dortmund (town where Borussia is located)! Interviewer: How is that financial wise? You had multiple offers, but have a contract with Telekom through 1998, do commercials for watches and heart rate monitors. The millions of dollars like in Ullrich's case you probably didn't get? Erik: No comparison to Jan, but I am relaxed about it. I wanted to do my contracts on the value that I am worth. Interviewer: Your biggest success to date, Milan-San Remo hasn't made a big impact, the three Tour stages were more acknowledged. Is it a risk to aim for two highlights when others do with one? Erik: This is a gamble, you always ask yourself: Are you taking too much time of in-between, or too less? If I could vote, I'd vote for Milan-San Remo 1998. Now I have kind of a starting point. Interviewer: And the World Championships? Erik: If it would be earlier, sure. In october, without me. If the UCI would run the winter olympics in Nagano, they would probably happen in July. Pezzo is exoneratedPaulo Pezzo, the Italian World Champion MTB rider who has been under a cloud over a positive steroid finding has been freed from the doping allegations. According to the Anti-doping Commission of the Italian Cycling Federation there is no evidence that the Olympic Champions willingly and knowingly took the forbidden substance. The 20-year old Pezzo was caught during a routine drug test in September when she tested positive for the muscle building compound nadrolone.Seven new riders at RabobankOn Wednesday in the head office of the main sponsor Rabobank in Utrecht, the professional team was unveiled for the new season with 7 new young riders included. Rabobank team manager, Jan Raas made the presentation. Raas has surrouned himself with 21 riders of which 15 are Dutch. That is one more than last year.The new riders are: Beat Zberg, Marc Wauters, Maarten den Bakker, Danny Jonasson and from the amateur team Johan Bruinsma, Mark Lotz and Bert Hiemstra. Seven riders have left: Erik Breukink (retired), Johan Bruyneel (ONCE), Danny Nelissen (Jack and Jones), Michael Blaudzun (Telekom), Arvis Piziks (Jack and Jones) and Marcel Luppes (amateurs). Remaining with the team are: Maarten den Bakker, Leon van Bon, Michael Boogerd, Jan Boven, Johan Bruinsma, Erik Dekker, Richard Groenendaal, Max van Heeswijk, Bert Hiemstra, Jans Koerts, Mark Lotz, Koos Moerenhout, Adri van der Poel en Aart Vierhouten (all Dutch), Danny Jonasson (Den), Patrick Jonker (Australia), Peter Luttenberger (Aut), Robbie McEwen (Australia), Rolf Sörensen (Den), Marc Wauters (Bel) and Beat Zberg (Swi). Note that Patrick Jonker is counted as Dutch by them and Aussie by me. The licence he rides with is irrelevant. World Cyclo Cross in DenmarkFinn Jorrald from Denmark writes that in 10 days his nation will host the World Cyclo Cross Championships. The organisers describe the course as follows: "A 3075m long in a varied terrain with the start and finish on asphalted road. The first 400 metres of the course is rising ground and thereafter the terrain varies with grass areas, woodland tracks and paths and open woods, where there are flat stretches and hills of varrying steepnes and difficulty."It is in Middelfart only 40 minutes drive from Finn's place. So we can expect some neat on-the-spot repors from him as he is going to the racing on both Saturday and Sunday. Breakthrough in EPO TestingIt has been reported that an Italian doctor has developed a test which can detect the presence of the hormone EPO in a sportsperson. EPO, which can be produced in a synthetic from and enhances oxygen delivery in the blood, is now the "flavour of the month" drug among endurance athletes, including cycling.Up until now, there has not been a known anti-body which would allow testers to separate the synthetic from the natural EPO in urine. The import of the Italian breakthrough is that the anti-body has now been discovered. In international reports the head of the Ferrara EPO testing team, Francesco Conconi has said: "In a certain way we have found the right anti-body, but we need to find it in a suitable quantity." The breakthrough will allow testing to proceed. The Chairman of the IOC Medical Commission, Prince Alexandre de Merode was quoted as saying that it: "took nearly two years to find it. Now we can start on a new test." The tests will be based on urine samples and hold out a higher degree of reliability than the blood tests. The EPO will be rapidly isolated in the urine. EPO gained greater notoriety this week with the startling revelations by retired Belgian professional and winner of several great classics, Eddy Planckaert. He said that EPO was fantastic and made him so strong. He also said that he could have made more money if he had taken more of it. The test is not likely to be ready for the coming Winter Olympics in Japan which start in February. Team Riso ScottiItalian Team Riso Scotti will have 18 riders for the 1998 season. They have several neo-pros including Giuseppe Palumbo (two times Junior World Champion), Moreno Di Biase and Michele Rezzani. From Team Batik-Del Monte, Emanuele Bombini has confirmed Nicola Minali, Ermanno Brignoli, Andrea Brognara, Bruno Cenghialta and Alessandro Spezialetti. The new riders are Fabio Baldato (ex MG-Technogym), Russian Vladislav Bobrik (Ros Mary-Minotti Italia), Roberto Caruso (Ros Mary-Minotti Italia), Stefano Casagranda (MG-Technogym), Federico De Beni (Brescialat-Liquigas), Moreno Di Biase (neopro), Riccardo Ferrari (neo), Christian Charrière (Swi, MG-Technogym), Nicola Miceli (Aki-Safi), Giuseppe Palumbo (neo), Roberto Pistore (MG-Technogym), Michele Rezzani (neo), and Danilo Di Luca (neo).The Team manager is Emanuele Bombini. Th sport directors are Bruno Leali and Alberto Volpi. The bicycles are provided by De Rosa. The team leaves today, straight for Castello di San Gaudenzio, for their retreat at Marina di Castagneto Carducci (Livorno). Neiwand starts the road backAustralian former world sprint (1993 and 1996) and keirin (1993) champion Gary Neiwand will begin his season at a Track Meeting in Wanganui, New Zealand billed as the "Night of the Stars" meet. The velodrome is a 250 metre wooden track and was used in December for the Oceania Games. The track known as "Cooks Gardens" was previously tar-sealed and staged the world junior championships in 1983. Neiwand entered international racing at those titles.Neiwand, now 31, is aiming to win the Commonwealth Games sprint gold medal for the third time in Kuala Lumpur (presuming it still exists after all this chaos in financial markets!). Among the other riders racing at the Night of Stars will be Oceania Sprint champion Anthony Peden (Australia), fellow Australian Sean Eadie and the NZ sprinters (Matt Sinton, Jon Radtick and Darren McKenzie). Neiwand was reported in the local press as saying: "One hates to admit it, but when you start to get older you have to use all your experience at times. I have said it before and I still maintain it is the fastest outdoor wooden track in the world. It is just a pity you don't have a roof on it." This is the third time the Night of Stars is being staged at the Wanganui Velodrome. Last year Neiwand was the victor. He is now ranked no 4 sprinter in Australia behind Western Australian Darryn Hill, Newcastle rider Peden and Sean Eadie. Navigators Team for 1998The Navigators Professional Cycling Team announced its athlete roster today, for the 1998 professional road-racing season. Under the direction of Directeur Sportif Edward Beamon, ten professional men will be competing on an international calendar that includes the Tour of America series, the National Racing Calendar and the US PRO Tour events. Raymond Cipollini continues as the team's General Manager.
Engleman, Michael USA 5/20/58 Eyk, Patrick NED 6/06/66 Klasna, Trent USA 12/09/69 Laurent, Adam * USA 7/06/71 Littlehales, Todd USA 3/28/73 Martin, Paul ** USA 9/28/72 Moninger, Scott USA 10/20/66 Spangenburg, Skip USA 10/09/64 Ventura, Robbie USA 5/05/71 Washkevich, Chris USA 8/15/67
*current National Champion: points race, team pursuit, madison, and 1996
Olympian.
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