News for July 3, 1998

Tour team news

Peter Luttenberger has been deleted from the Tour de France line up by Rabobank on the grounds that he is not in good form. The team selection includes two Australian riders, Patrick Jonker and Robbie McEwen. The other riders are: Maarten den Bakker (Ned), Leon van Bon (Ned), Michael Boogerd (Ned) - the team leader, Erik Dekker (Ned), Koos Moerenhout (Ned), Aart Vierhouten (Ned), and Beat Zberg (Swi). The reserves are Marc Wauters (Bel) and Max van Heeswijk (Ned).

Hooligans and cycling

Martin Bruin (51) from Den Haag (Netherlands) who is now the President of the Tour de France Jury is afraid that there will be increasing violence from hooligans in the world's most important cycling races. In the Giro d'Italia a lot of cars were damaged when "supporters" of the riders walked over the cars to gain a vantage point.

Bruijn said: "Luckily we have not yet seen the violence that hooligans have brought to soccer. But I am afraid that hooliganism is coming to cycling. Compared to the football fans, the cycling public is always an example. But you look back to last year on l'Alpe d'Huez when Marco Pantani stormed up the "Dutch Hill". The thousands and thousands of spectators there raised the risk of serious accidents and that is why, according to the Bruijn, the Alpe d'Huez is not being used this year.

Bruijn said: "It was extremely dangerous with all the spectators. It isn't possible to have fences from the start to the finish of the climb. We don't want to risk accidents."

Last year after a stage of the 4 Days of Dunkirk, a French supporter attacked the Italian Gianluca Bortolami in the upper leg because he refused to give his signature. The fan didn't accept the explanation from Bortalami that he first wanted to get some dry clothes. Bruijn thinks there will also be problems in Junior and Youth cycling. "The ones to blame are the parents. They are more fanatical than the participants themselves. That has the risk of violence."

Even in professional cycling there are problems between the riders. "They are luckily isolated and the riders know the rules." But go back to 1995 during the Tour of Spain when the Venezuelan Roberto Sierra and the Spaniard Gonzalez Arrieta had a stand-up fist fight. Thousands of spectators followed the boxing duel through the TV cameras. And last year, Frederic Moncassin punched German Rolf Aldag during a sprint at the 4 Days of Dunkirk. Aldag had allegedly hindered the Frenchman during the sprint.

Danish National ITT Championships

Team Chicky World's Michael Sandstod repeated his success of last year over 1996 Tour winner Bjarne Riis in the Danish National ITT Championships over 43.5 kms. By the halfway mark, Sandstod had caught Riis, who had started 2 minutes in front of him. Riis clearly indicated that he had no desire to go any harder and use up energy in this event, after he had been caught.

Kim Plesner Fredericksen, our Danish reporter says that Riis indicated later that he simply couldn't believe it when he saw the motorcycles go past him. He thought he had made a good start and when the MC's rode past him he said to himself: "What the f... are they doing here?", and then he discovered that Sandstod was just behind him...

Bo Hamburger confirmed his excellent form coming into the Tour de France next weekend and came in 4th to follow up on his good result in the Vuelta a Catalonya ITT where he was 18th. 

 1. Michael Sandstød (Team Chicky World)		1.00.00 
 2. Peter Meinert (US Postal) 				1.01.16
 3. Michael Steen Nielsen (Team Home Jack and Jones) 	1.02.53
 4. Bo Hamburger (Casino) 				1.02.58
 5. Bjarne Riis (Team Deutsch Telekom) 			1.03.06
 6. Jimmi Madsen (Acceptcard Pro Cycling) 		1.03.32
 7. Claus Michael Møller (TVM-Farm Frites)		1.04.09
 8. Frank Høj (Palmans-Ideal)				1.05.06
 9. Jørgen Bligaard (Team Holstebro) 			1.05.14 
10. Carl Christian Pedersen (Herning Cykle Klub)	1.05.53 

US National Cycling Championships

In virtuoso performances, Marty Nothstein (Team EDS) and an all-star EDS Composite team pursuit squad won national titles at the USA National Cycling Championships at the EDS Superdrome.

Nothstein, the former world champion in the match sprint, won that title by decisively beating teammate Mark Garrett in the final in two rides. Nothstein was barely tested throughout the tournament en route to his 13th senior national title.

"I had to sprint hard," Nothstein said. "But I’m a few steps about the rest of the guys. I want everyone to know that."

Nothstein that his goal for the championships also include wins in the keirin and Olympic sprint.

The team pursuit champion squad included 1996 Olympians Mike McCarthy, Mariano Friedick and Adam Laurent, plus local rider Chris Carlson, who won his first senior national title.

The EDS Composite team only trained together for a few days before the competition, relying on experience and the 11 career national team pursuit titles among them.

"I’m still in shock that the four of us threw ourselves together and rode that well," said Laurent, who won his sixth straight national title in this event. "We had such a good feel from the first ride."

In his final season, McCarthy won his 14th national championship, including junior, senior and professional titles.

"It will be nice to go out with a jersey on my back," McCarthy said.

In the final, the EDS Composite team beat the Ikon-Lexus squad, which rode most of the race with three riders when Ben Sharp fell off the pace early on. The Ikon-Lexus team stayed close for about a couple of laps in the 16-lap event, but quickly fell behind.

In other action, the USABA Blind Mixed Tandem team of Karen Dunne and Matt King claimed their second national championship, winning the match sprint title.

Also, Karen Kurreck (Saturn) and Jane Quigley (PowerBar) moved into the final of the women’s individual pursuit. That final is Friday night.

Action continues Friday with other finals in the keirin, men’s points race and women’s match sprint. 

Men’s Match Sprint

1. Marty Nothstein (Team EDS), Trexlertown, Pa.; 2. Mark Garrett (Team EDS),
Arcadia, Calif.; 3. Marcelo Arrue (Cox Atlanta Velo), Alburtis, Pa.; 4. Jeff
Labauve (Richardson Bike Mart), Dallas, Texas; 5. Trey Gannon (Team EDS),
Plano, Texas; 6. Jeff Solt (unattached), Los Altos, Calif.; 7. Garth Blackburn
(Cox Atlanta Velo), Houston, Texas; 8. Paul Swift (Shaklee), Kenosha, Wis.; 9.
John Bairos (Ikon-Lexus), Redlands, Calif.; 10. Gil Hatton (Team EDS),
Alburtis, Pa.

Team Pursuit

1. EDS Composite Team (Mariano Friedick, Los Angeles, Calif.; Adam Laurent,
Shell Beach, Calif.; Chris Carlson, Dallas, Texas; Mike McCarthy, New York,
N.Y.), four mins, 18.224 secs; 2. Ikon-Lexus (Tommy Mulkey, Winterville, Ga.;
Zach Conrad, Grand Junction, Colo.; Dirk Copeland, San Luis Obispo, Calif.;
Kirk O’Bee, Ada, Mich.; Ben Sharp, Indianapolis, Ind.), 4:24.250; 3. Shaklee
(Jame Carney, Durango, Colo.; Dylan Casey, Mountain View, Calif.; Derek
Bouchard-Hall, Menlo Park, Calif.; Kent Bostick, Corrales, N.M.), 4:19.729
(semifinal time); 4. Cox Atlanta Velo (Adam Payne, Conifer, Colo.; Craig
McLaughlin, Decatur, Ga.; Steve Hogan, Woodstock, Ga.; Chad Rodekohr, Auburn,
Ala.), 4:27.075 (semifinal time); 5. Junior National Team (Ryan Stoner,
Jacksonville, Fla.; Will Frischkorn, Charleston, W.Va.; Ryan Miller, Colorado
Springs, Colo.; Kyle Wamsley, Chadds Ford, Pa.), 4:33.301; 6. Ikon-Lexus
Composite (Derek Witte, Concord, Calif.; Andy Carlson, Indianapolis, Ind.;
Brian Whitcomb, Tenafly, N.J.; Brice Jones, Ft. Smith, Ark.), 4:39.639.

USABA Blind Mixed Tandem Match Sprint

1. Karen Dunne, Colorado Springs, Colo.; and Matt King, Colorado Springs,
Colo.; 2. Scott Evans, Tarzana, Calif., and Cara Dunne, Los Angeles, Calif.;
3. Ryan Crissey, Houston, Texas, and Pam Fernandes, Needham, Mass.; 4. Matt
Veatch, Springfield, Ore., and Karissa Whitesell, Springfield, Ore.

Women’s 3km Individual Pursuit, Semifinals

Karen Kurreck (Saturn), Cupertino, Calif., three mins, 47.219 secs; def. Jen
Evans (Team EDS), Austin, Texas, 3:52.517.
Jane Quigley (PowerBar), Encinitas, Calif., 3:44.922; def. Erin Veenstra (BMC-
WalMart), Colorado Springs, Colo., 3:49.616.

Fitchburg-Longsjo Classic Stage Race, USA, July 2-5

Team Saturn's Brian Walton knocked down the fastest time in the opening stage of the Fitchburg-Longsjo Classic Stage Race.

Elizabeth Emery, racing for Saturn's women's squad and a specialist in taking on the clock, won the women's trial in 29:12.

Walton, second overall in last year's edition, logged a time of 25:32 on a new 12.9-mile time trial course. 1997 champion John Peters (Mercury) blew apart a hub and lost two minutes in a bike change, finishing in 36th place.

In his win, Walton turned a 55x11 top gear - averaging 30.5 mph - in a perfect strategic race.

"I took it easy on the uphills, really, and pushed it on the descents, so I wouldn't overload my legs," Walton said.

Set on a triangular loop traveling across five town lines, the time trial course starting at the Best Western Royal Plaza host hotel was mostly rolling, with a long descent on the back stretch. Smooth pavement and negligible winds under 80-degree temperatures made for ideal race conditions.

"This course suited me perfectly. It wasn't technical, not a lot of turns. I could just put it in my biggest gear and go. It was a surprisingly fast course," Walton said.

Adham Sbeih, the only Nutra-Fig rider at Fitchburg, took second, 17 seconds down, and Clark Sheehan (Colorado Cyclist) was third at 27 seconds. Perennial and hometown favorite Frank McCormack (Saturn) was fifth, 41 seconds back.

Similar time gaps separated the top women's field. Second to Emery was her Saturn teammate Dede Demet, at 27 seconds back, with Anne Samplonius (Hydro Quebec Tour) third at 44 seconds.

Racers tackle the Aubuchon-Glidden Circuit Race on Friday. The race features a 3.1-mile loop, with a difficult stair-step climb to the finish, rising about a 100 feet in elevation in just over a half mile. 

Stage One, 20 kms:

Men

1. Brian Walton (Saturn), N. Delta, B.C., Canada, 25 mins, 32 secs; 2. Adham
Sbeih (Nutra Fig), Sacramento, Calif., 25:49; 3. Clark Sheehan (Colorado
Cyclist), Boulder, Colo., 25:59.

Women

1. Elizabeth Emery (Saturn), New York, N.Y., 29 mins, 12 secs; 2. Dede Demet
(Saturn), Boulder, Colo., 29:39; 3. Anne Samplonius (Hydro Quebec Tour),
Canada, 29:56.