Pontoni's lawyer begsThe lawyer for the cyclo cross race Daniele Pontoni has made an urgent appeal to the UCI and the Italian Cycling Federation to allow him to start in the World Championship in Denmark on Sunday. According to the adviser the small amount of cocaine found in the his urine had no influence on the performance of Pontoni. At a control during the Italian Championships Pontoni was detected with a small amount of cocaine. Currently there is a two year suspension hanging over Pontoni's head. The adviser has said that Pontoni is willing to take any test that will show that he has taken no forbidden, performance-enhancing substances. At the SuperPrestige race in Wetzikon on Sunday, he was allowed to start, and the Italian claimed he was going to take a hair test to resolve his innocence.Ullrich begins the new season full of confidence1997 Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich begins the new cycle racing season, with some kilos still to lose, but full of self-confidence. "I am going for the general classification in the Tour again." said the 24-year old German during the presentation of the Telekom team in Bonn.How will this confidence effect Bjarne Riis in terms of who is the team leader: "I will work out who has the best form", said the 33-year old Dane, who would love to repeat his 1996 Tour triumph. "It is a two up struggle between the two strongest." Ullrich goes along with the words of Riis: "During the Tour we shall see who the best rider is. Once that is determined then the other will not work against him." Team leader Walter Godefroot said that challenge for this year would be to equal the performances of last season: "We have a dream season behind us. But I think that it is possible to do even better." In 1998, Telekom will compete in 77 races. The Giro will not be on their program. On February 8, Ullrich begins the season at the Ronde van Mallorca. He hopes to diet and lose the extra winter kilos. "I must still train hard to get rid of the winter excesses." Groenendaal and Van der Poel - 8 times 1 and 2Richard Groenendaal and Adri van der Poel go into Sunday as the great favourites for the World Championships in Denmark. Looking at the results of this season there is a great chance that both riders will take the first two places on the podium in Middelfart. In the World Cup competition, won by overall by Groenendaal, the SuperPrestige Trophy and the National Championship races, the two cyclo cross riders have taken the first two places on 8 occasions.
World Cup: Essenbach, October 26 1. Groenendaal 2. Van der Poel 3. Beat Wabel (Swi) Koksijde, December 21 1. Groenendaal 2. Van der Poel 3. Marc Janssens (Bel) Heerlen, January 18 1. Groenendaal 2. Van der Poel 3. Mario De Clercq (Bel) Superprestige Trophy: Gieten, November 30 1. Groenendaal 2. Van der Poel 3. Bart Wellens (Bel) Overijse, December 14 1. Groenendaal 2. Van der Poel 3. Sven Nijs (Bel) Diegem, December 28 1. Van der Poel 2. Groenendaal 3. Daniele Pontoni (Ita) Wetzikon, January 25 1. Groenendaal 2. Van der Poel 3. Mario De Clercq (Bel) Dutch Championships, January 11 1. Groenendaal 2. Van der Poel 3. Wim De Vos (Ned) But then came Wetzikon....Will Adri van der Poel win the Worlds Next Weekend? The SuperPrestige race at Wetzikon, Switzerland precedes the World Championship race by a weekend. Dick Soepenberg has provided some data which might be used to predict next Sunday's winner. If past history is anything to go by Adri van der Poel can hang up his bike now - he won't be winning in Denmark on Sunday. Here is how we reach that conclusion.
Wetzikon Winner Worlds Winner Wetzikon Winner at the Worlds 1998 Adri van der Poel ? ? 1997 Luca Bramati Daniele Pontoni Bramati 3rd 1996 Luca Bramati Adri van der Poel Bramati 3rd 1995 Richard Groenendaal Dieter Runkel Groenendaal 2nd 1994 Thomas Frischknecht Paul Herijgers Frischkencht 7th 1993 Daniele Pontoni Dominique Arnould Pontoni 3rd 1992 Thomas Frischknecht Mike Kluge Frischknecht 3rd 1991 Beat Wabel Radomier Simunek Beat Wabel 8th 1990 Beat Breu Henk Baars Beat Breu 9th 1989 Hennie Stamsnijder Danny de Bie 1988 Roland Liboton Pascal Richard Tour of Germany for 1999The German Cycling Federation will organise their own Tour of Germany from next year. This has been confirmed by the vice president Olaf Ludwig. The tour must find a calendar slot in June or in September 1999. June the the most likely, because the sponsors of the event want it to take place before the Tour de France. The German Federation will begin to make plans in February. They shall ask the UCI to place the race in the 1999 calendar.Death of Louis ThietardFrench pro star of the 1930s and 1940s Louis Thietard has died aged 86. His funeral took place on January 23 at Soullans in the Vendee region of north western France. Born in Anzin in the northern French region of Pas-de-Calais on May 5 1910, Thietard rode seven Tours de France, his best performance being ninth place overall in 1948 (he was 36th in 1935, 13th in 1936 and 17th in 1939). His pro wins included Paris-Dieppe (1932), Paris-Camembert (1934), La Polymultiplee (1937), Paris-Caen (1939, 1945) and GP de l'Auto (1942). He also won three stages of the Vuelta a Espana in 1942 and a stage of the Tour de Suisse in 1946.Short of finishing speed, Thietard logged up some distinguished places including numerous second places - he was dubbed "the eternal second" before Raymond Poulidor took over this title. He was three times third in Paris-Roubaix (1943, 1944, 1947); second in the Ronde van Vlaanderen (1946), second (1939) and third (1936) in the French National Championships; and second in Bordeaux-Paris (1937) and the Criterium National 1942. Other notable places included third in Paris-Tours 1944 (sixth in 1945), fourth in Liege-Bastogne-Liege 1947 and fifth in the Giro di Lombardia 1947. Tour du Haut-Var Preview, February 21, 1998The first real one day event in France is at the end of February, the Tour du Haut-Var (South of France, the Var is well-known for St Tropez, St Raphaël, the Gorges du Verdon, the esterel red-stoned massif) will be raced on the 21st of February between Draguignan and Draguignan.25 teams in the field with all the big hitters racing. Teams currently racing are Mapei (Bugno), ONCE, Telekom (Riis), Festina (Virenque), Rabobank, Francaise des Jeux, TVM, GAN, Lotto (Tchmil), Brescialat, Ros Mary, Polti, Cofidis, Cantina Tollo, BigMat, Vlaanderen 2002, Mutuelle de Seien-et-marne, Vitalicio, Riso Scotti, Amore e Vita, Mobilvetta-Northwave, Vini Caldirola, Post Swiss, Jack and Jones, and Casino (with last year's winner Rodolfo Massi who beat Virenque and Jalabert). 1997-98 Dutch Cyclo Cross Season in Summary, Elite, Espoirs, Women:October 11 Harderwijk Elite Adri van der Poel Women Marieke Haverdings October 18 Noord Bergum Elite Wout Lammertik Espoir Maarten Nijland Women Marieke Haverdings November 1 Erp Women Inge Velthuis November 2 Wierden Elite Maarten Nijland Women Inge Velthuis November 15 Tilburg Espoir Maarten Nijland November 16 Etten-Leur Elite Wilfred Veldkamp November 22 Woerden Elite Wilfred Vedkamp Espoir Bram Schmitz Women Corrine Dorland November 23 St Michielsgestel Elite Richard Groenendaal Women Inge Velthuis November 30 Gieten Elite Richard Groenendaal Women Daphne van de Brand December 13 Amersfoort Elite Marcel Gerritsen Women Corinne Dorland December 14 Berlicum Elite Richard Coehorst December 20 Amersfoort Elite Maarten Nijland Women Inge Velthuis December 21 Boxtel Elite Bram Schmitz Women Reza Ravenstein December 28 Reusel Elite Gerben de Knegt Espior Pascal van Bussel Women Daphne van de Brand December 29 Zeddam Elite Adri van der Poel Women Hanka Kupfernagel January 2 Surhuisterveen Elite Adri van der Poel January 2 N.K. Surhuisterveen U-19 Freddy Eilander Master Jan Steensma Cyclo Martin Schuttert January 4 Moergestel Elite Maarten Nijland Women Daphne van de Brand January 11 N.K. Woerden Elite Richard Groenendaal Espoir Maarten Nijland Women Daphne van de Brand Junior Thijs Verhagen January 18 Heerlen CdM Elite Richard Groenendaal Women Daphne van de Brand January 24 Rijswijk Elite Maarten Nijland Women Reza Ravenstein January 25 Groesbeek Elite Maarten Nijland Women Daphne van de Brand From Dick Soepenberg |