The meeting, which was classified by both sides as "constructive", also helped to reopen the relationship between Leblanc and Saiz, which was damaged after the events of the last Tour. From now on they plan to have regular meetings.
Leblanc said: "We are both in agreement that it is better to stop the Franco-Spanish war, which both Saiz and me consider excessive and without a reasonable basis. I have found a responsible Saiz, very committed to the problems of cycling and the doping matters and at the same time, committed to the proposals of his colleagues, the teams."
One point of conflict was the signing of a Letter of Ethics by the teams - a prerequisite for participation. According to the Tour: "The AIGP has declared that it is willing to sign a letter of sporting morality which will commit the teams to stop all doping practices and to respect the fundamental principles of the sport".
The letter, which has not been signed by the teams yet is being prepared. The letter will demand the commitment of all teams in the fight against doping, without the need for concrete measures like the ejection of riders. Another point of disagreement was the admission of biological analysis, which will be performed by the Tour and the French Ministry of Youth and Sport. Saiz accepted the measure as long as it is common to all the rest of the large sporting events in France.
"Bill, just to let you know. Both Oscar Camenzind and his girlfriend Angela came into the shop today to rent bikes. I wondered why as we had some bad Santa Ana-type winds which bring about hot, dusty air from the desert. In other words, a bad day for riding. Well, they went up north towards Ventura and then came back, a short trip this time as they are leaving for Switzerland tomorrow. I did manage to ask some more questions as per your suggestion and was able to get a few more answers. Here they are:
- Will you take a couple more weeks off or will you start back up with your training?
- I will be starting back up immediately with my program.
- You stated earlier that one of your goals will be the Giro. Any others?
- Yes, Lampre will start with Milan-San Remo though it will be for training purposes (at least on my part). I will have two peak periods, those being the Giro and the Vuelta/Worlds for 1999. I will begin to peak with a defininite ride in Leige-Bastogne-Leige, the Tour of Switzerland, possibly the Tour de Romandie, though the Giro is my goal. Afterwards I will be taking the summer off (no Tour de France). After which I will begin to rebuild my form for the fall and the Vuelta and the Worlds.
- With regards to your teammates on Mapei, who would you consider your best friend?
- My best teammate on Mapei would be Gianni Farazine who I also roomed with. Good person to hang around with. He is also a good support rider who will give his all for you."
- Who was the best leader on the team?
- The best leader for the team is Johan Museeuw. He has a great presence about him and yet is aware of his surroundings. He is not afraid to help another rider out with problems. A great rider.
- Any other riders in the team which helped you?
- Yes, Gianni Bugno. In front of the camera he can seem a bit emotionless and tight but amongst the peloton and on training rides he is a great guy. A definite personality off the bike.
- Any one rider who you were unable to get close to as a teammate?
- Yes, Frank Vandenbroucke. He is definitely a cocky rider with a big ego. Perhaps that is due to the Belgium press who have dubbed him the next "Eddy Merckx", or his family cycing heritage, but he definitely does not generate great friendship within the peloton. He could go a long way to improving his personality.
We also spoke of the Internet of which Oscar professed to not being savvy about. I did run off copies of some of your recent European dispatches concerning contracts, especially the Lampre team. He was caught unawares of the proposed merger deal with Asics and a bit concerned (not good, not bad, just concerned). He spoke highly of Ludo Diercksens, the Belgium rider from Lotto, who was just signed. He spoke of him as an extremely strong rider. Anway, he was keenly interested in the cycling news via your site.
Finally, he spoke of liking his stay in California and that perhaps he would come back in the fall of 1999. I proposed that he come over for a couple of weeks in July but he wouldn't commit.
Elite Men's Championship, 170 kms: 1. Glen Mitchell (Nelson/Marlborough) 4.17.20 2. David Lee (Auckland) 2.04 3. Jon Hume (Waikato) 3.09 4. Neil Cleghorn (Southland) 3.10 5. Scott Guyton (Waikato) 3.26 6. Greg Scott (Canterbury) 3.41 7. Darren Murray (Auckland) 4.03 8. Anton Berry (Waikato) 4.23 9. Murray Spencer (Auckland) 5.17 10. David Herman (Auckland) 43.36 Started: 31 Finished: 10 Elite Women's Championship, 70 kms: 1. Susy Pryde (Auckland) 1.58.35 2. Marguerite Ritchie (Waikato) 0.35 3. Kirsty Robb (Auckland) 1.29 4. Tracy Clark (Canterbury) 1.45 5. Annallisa Farrell (Canterbury) 1.51 6. Rosalind Reekie-May (Waikato) 2.05 7. Evelyn Williamson (Wellington) 2.05 8. Vanessa Cheatley (Auckland) 2.05 9. Janet Oddy (Waikato) 2.05 10. Chantelle Robertson (Waikato) 8.26 11. Margaret Tyson (West Coast N.I.) 11.50 12 Eleanor Liggins (Auckland) 12.25 13. Tania Duff-Miller (Auckland) 13.40 14. Natalie Beeston (Auckland) 14.40 15. Erin Criglington (Southland) 14.40 16. Toni Wildermorth (canterbury) 14.45 Started: 17Thanks to John Cardwell for the results