News for November 3, 1998

Transfers and Contracts

* The Belgian rider Sébastien Demarbaix has signed a contract for one year with TVM. The rider from the Home Market-Ville de Charleroi has a further option for another year. He has been a professional since 1996 having begun with the Lotto team. While at Lotto he was implicated in a doping scandal along with teammate Peter Farazijn. The police searched them for the banned substances bramatan and clenbuterol. The teammate Djamalodin Abdoesjaparov was trapped using the banned substances but the police found nothing on Farazijn and Demarbaix.

TVM will give the Belgian a new chance at the big time.

More claims of misreporting

After the National Championships at the weekend where I said that Kathy Watt was Australia's Number 1 woman rider I was besieged with many emails today from hostile Australian readers claiming that I was one-eyed, biased, and obviously just saying that for political reasons. Hmmm. Most of these complainants stated categorically that Anna Wilson was Australia's top rider and listed several of her performances this year. Others just complained presumably because they have bought some official line that Kathy is some sort of has-been or disgrace.

Anyway, perhaps the claim should be informed by the facts. I would have thought that the UCI world rankings upon which I based my opinion were a reasonable indicator of the relative standings of the two Australian women in world competition.

The last time I looked the final UCI world rankings for 1998 had the following entries:

 1. Diana Ziliute (Lit)				589
 2. Hanka Kupfernagel (Ger)			468
 3. Leontien Van Moorsel (Ned)			280
 4. Alessandra  Cappellotto (Ita)       	277
 5. Edita Pucinskaite (Lit)			274
 6. Rasa Polikeviciute (Lit)			256
 7. Fabiana Luperini (Ita)              	241
 8. Zoulfia Zabirova (Rus)              	216
 9. Kathryn Watt (Aus)                  	205
10. Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli (Fra)        	161
11. Deirdre Demet (USA)                 	160
12. Linda Jackson (Can)                 	159
13. Catherine Marsal (Fra)              	143
14. Anna Wilson (Aus)                   	130

Okay!

Switzerland, Zürich-Waid, International Cyclo Cross, Cat 1, November 1

 1. Richard Groenendaal (Ned)             1.02.23
 2. Beat Wabel (Swi)                         0.58
 3. Erwin Vervecken (Be)                     1.34
 4. Daniele Pontoni (Ita)                    1.47
 5. Mario Clercq (Bel)                       2.10
 6. Adri Van der Poel (Ned)                  2.34
 7. Jiri Pospisil (Cze)                      2.26
 8. Dieter Runkel (Swi)                      3.48
 9. Peter Van Sandvliet                      4.15
10. Roland Schätti (Swi)                     5.45
11. Andy Büsser (Swi)                        7.00
12. Stefan Bünter (Swi)                      7.22
13. Lefèbre (Fra)                            7.52
14. Patrick Blum (Swi)                       7.54
15. Jan Ramsauer (Swi)                       8.21

Thanks to Theo Muller

France, Dijon International Cyclo Cross, Cat 3, November 1

 1. Sven Nijs (Bel) Rabobank               1.01.43
 2. Patrice Halgand (Fra) Festina             0.01
 3. Miguel Martinez (Fra) UC Châteauroux      1.20
 4. Perrin (Fra) JEC Saint-Dié                2.30
 5. David Derepas (Fra) VS Dijon              3.40
 6. Jean-Yves Duzellier (Fra) ASPTT Mulhouse  4.04
 7. Paul Heijgers (Bel) Tonisteiner           4.39
 8. Cyrille Bonnand (Fra) CSM Persan          6.10
 9. François Simon (Fra) Crédit Agricole
10. Eric Salvetat (Fra) ASPTT Nancy

Thanks to Theo Muller