News for January 26, 1998

Australia Day

Today we celebrate Australia Day - January 26. It is an exclusionary celebration because it does not recognise that the Aboriginal people were here 30,000 years ago and the European colonists who took their land and tried to destroy the Aboriginal culture have only been here a bit over 200 years. The celebration is of the landing of the Europeans. We have a lot to learn about being a nation in Australia. I ignore the day in sympathy for and recognition of the Aboriginal cause.

WWW pages for Danish riders

I forgot to include the best site of them all yesterday - Rolf Sorensen. So here they all are again with Rolf's URL added.

  1. Rolf Sorensen
  2. Bo Hamburger
  3. Brian Holm
  4. Jens Veggerby

Etoile de Bessèges, France, February 4 - 8, 1998

Stage 1 - La Ciotat-Aubagne, 127 km
Stage 2 - Nimes-La Grand-Combe, 138 km
Stage 3 - St Florent- Les Fumades, 143 km
Stage 4 - Aramon-Aramon, 139 km
Stage 5 - Molières-sur-Cèze-Bessèges, 135 km

Tour Mediterranéen, France, February 11 - 15, 1998

Stage 1 - Antibes-Toulon (Mont Faron), 146 km
Stage 2 - La Londe-les-Maures-Gréoux-les-bains, 115 km *
Stage 3 - Trets-Rognac, 99 km, Morning
Stage 4 - Velaux- Berre, 18.5 km, TTT, Afternoon
Stage 5 - Arles-Béziers, 145 km
Stage 6 - Le Grau du Roi- Marseille, 135 km

Formerly the home town of Richard Virenque

Charleroi Team 1998

As reported yesterday, Didier Paindaveine has found a new sponsor 'Home Market' to replace 'Cedico' for the 1998 season. The team has currently 10 riders,but will expand to 14.

Already signed: 

Marc Bouillon (Cedico)
Jean-Pierre Heynderickx (Cedico)
Roméo Hernandez (Cedico)
Sebastien Demarbaix (Lotto)
Ludovic Capelle (neo)
Jurgen Debuysschere (neo)
Ronny Assez (RDM-Asfra)
Filip Meirhaeghe (Espace Card)
Bart Brentjens (Nedl) (neo) - Olympic MTB Champion 1996
Gregory Schoelens (Tonnisteiner)
There will be two French riders added to the team.

Collstrop 1998

Tim Lenaers (Collstrop)
Danny Bayens (Collstrop)
Steven De Neef (Collstrop)
Eric De Clercq (Collstrop)
Tom De Smet (Collstrop)
Koen De Schuytter (Collstrop)
Marc Chanoine (neo)
Philippe Vereecke (neo)
Danny Daelman (Palmans)
Christ Hendryckx (Palmans)
Lorenzo Lapage (Ipso)
Tony Bracke (Ipso)

Team Asic-CGA, Italy

Remaining: Enrico Bonetti; Alessio Bongioni; Carlo Marino Bianchi; Federico Colonna; Diego Ferrari; Andrea Noé; Oscar Pozzi; Fabio Roscioli; Samuele Schiavina; Alex Shefer (Kaz); Filippo Simeoni; Alain Turicchia.

New: Michele Bartoli; Paolo Bettini; Christian Bianchini (Neo); Michele Coppolillo; Fabio Malberti (Neo); Luca Scinto and David Tani

Team Manager: Davide Boifava;

Sport Directors: Serge Parsani and Pietro Turchetti

Bikes: Carrera

Ros Mary - Amica Chips Team 1998

Under the direction of Sandro Quintarelli and Paolo Dotti, 17 riders will travel to Mallorca to start their first races in the beginning of February.

These 17 riders are: Francesco Arazzi; Fabrizio Bontempi; Simone Campagnari; Claudio Chiappucci; Daniele De Paoli; Stefano Della Santa; Fausto Dotti; Stefano Finesso; Luca Gelfi; Zenon Jaskula (ex-Mapei); Maurizio Molinari; Felice Puttini; Marco Saleri; Toni Tauler; José Gonzales Uria; Alessandro Varocchi; Andrea Zatti.

Wim van Rossum, our resident statistician comments:

The fact that Zenon Jaskula will ride for Ros Mary gives an important change in my Preliminary Team Rankings for 1998.

Claudio Chiappucci's team now has a total of 1584 UCI-points (counting the 8 best riders) which brings the team into 22nd place which could be sufficient to start in the World Cup races. The "critical zone" of the team ranking for the best 8 riders consists of (given the uncertainty with teams still): 

20. Cantino Tollo - Alexia Al.   	2127 points.
21. Ballan                       	1833
22. Ros Mary - Amica Chips       	1584
23. Brescialat - Liquigas        	1567
24. Scrigno - Gaerne            	1547
25. Riso Scotti - MG            	1310
26. Big Mat - Auber'93           	1190
27. Mroz                         	1023

Wanganui International Night of the Stars track cycling, NZ, January 24, 1998

Oceania champion Anthony Peden became the third Australian to win the sprint title at the annual Wanganui International Night of the Stars track cycling meeting here tonight.

Peden, ranked No 2 in Australia, won the Oceania title on the same track last month and followed that up with a close victory over countryman Sean Eadie, the third ranked Australian sprinter.

New Zealand sprint title holder Darren McKenzie-Potter, of Auckland, provided a surprise by taking third-place, upsetting defending champion and former world title holder Gary Neiwand (Australia) in the process. The Aucklander just held on to beat 31-year-old Neiwand, who was shooting for a third successive Commonwealth title later this year. McKenzie Potter's time was 13.593sec.

New Zealand elite squad rider Greg Henderson (NZ) won the Open 3000m scratch race in a sprint finish in 3.28.24sec. and national women's sprint champion Fiona Ramage (NZ) won a close 500m scratch race.

The big surprise was the defeat of the Australian sprint team in the Olympic Sprint event. Last year's winners Gary Neiwand, Anthony Peden and Sean Eadie were eliminated in the qualifiers by the Auckland team of Jarrod Scott, Theo Chapple and David Fitzsimmons.

The Official NZ squad of John Rastrick, Matt Sinton and Darren McKenzie-Potter rode the quickest qualifier (49.250 secs) and then beat the Auckland team for the title (time 49.574). 

International sprints Heat 1:

 1. Gary Neiwand (Australia)		11.91 secs
 2. Jarrod Scott (NZ)
 3. David Fitzsimmons (NZ)

International sprints Heat 2:

 1. Anthony Peden (Australia)		11.574 secs
 2. Matthew Anderson (NZ)

International sprints Heat 3:

 1. Darren McKenzie-Potter (NZ)		11.935 secs
 2. Theo Chapple (NZ)
 3. John Rastrick (NZ)

International sprints Heat 4:

 1. Sean Eadie (Australia) 		11.817 secs
 2. Matt Sinton (NZ)

Semi-finals:

Race 1: Eadie beat Neiwand		13.35
Race 2: Peden beat McKenzie-Potter 	11.95

Final: Peden beat Eadie 2		12.40

3rd place: Neiwand beat McKenzie-Potter	13.593

Open 3000m scratch:

 1. Greg Henderson (NZ)			3.28.24
 2. Tod Wilksch (Australia)
 3. Tim Carswell (NZ)

Women's 500m scratch race:

 1. Fiona Ramage (NZ)			4.39.26
 2. Symeko Johinke (Australia)
 3. Rawea Greenwood (NZ)

Gabicce Mare, Italy, Cyclo Cross, Cat 3, January 24, 1998

 1. Luca Bramati (Ita)
 2. P. Vedge (Can)
 3. A. Iori (Ita) 
 4. F. Dall'Oste (Ita)
 5. D. Stari (Aut)

Adelaide Superdrome Interstate Team Challenge, January 24-25, 1998

The "Interstate Team Challenge" was a huge success once again. Run over Saturday Night and Sunday Afternoon at the Adelaide Superdrome, riders put together teams to compete in Open Men, Open Women and Under 17 categories. Riders gained invaluable experience from a wide variety of common and new-format racing.

The winning teams were: 

Open Men (12 teams of 3 riders) 

 1. SASI (Jobie Dajka, Gene Bates, Kane Selin)			 61.5 points. 
 2. Wheels in Motion (Ben Lindsay, Jamie Cranage, Michael Heath) 30.0
 3. Vortex (Ben Kelly, Darcy Bates, John Katakasi)		 20.0 
 4. Tasmania (Jason Colquhoun, Caleb Manion, Jade Clarke)	 18.0 

Open Women (9 teams of 3 riders) 

 1. Victoria (Karen Barrow, Narelle Peterson, Rahna DeMarte)	56 points 
 2. SASI (Joanne Robinson, Alayna Burns, Katie Parker)		33
 3. Coz I Can Promo (Kerin Bates, Chelsey Zucker, Ros Hubbard)	25 
 4. ACT-Vic (Alison Wright, Rebecca Ellis, Lyndel Higginson)	22

Open Junior U/17

 1. Tasmania (Michael Skeggs, Dean James, Aaron Brown)		52 points
 2. Rutherglen (A. Cane, M. Dowling, J. Walker, B. Saint)	47 
 3. JT Cycles (T. Dajka, N. Graham, C. Polley, Krystal Bryant)	45