* The new Dutch team Batavus-BankGiroloterij (which is stepping up from being an Elite without Contract club team) has signed Renger Yepenburg (31) and Rudie Kemna (26) for one year as full professionals. The two riders spent last year with Top Competition club Giant. At present the Batavus-BankGiroloterij team has signed 8 professionals for 1999. They will ride under the direction of team leaders Arend Scheppink and Piet Hoekstra.
* A new conflict has surfaced in Spanish cycling. Kelme-Costa Blanca has registered Colombian Victor Hugo Peña with the UCI for 1999. But at the same time Vitalicio Seguros announced him as a new signing for 1999. Joan Mas, Kelme's lawyer has assured the press that there is a signed contract deposited with the Colombian Cycling Federation for four years, of which he has only fulfilled two. The contract, however, is not directly with Kelme, but with their branch team: Colombian Avianca-Telecom. The contract has a clause which makes Peña's services available whenever required by Kelme. And for next season they have indicated that they require him in the main team. The UCI will have to resolve the double contract issue.
* Italian cycling has a major uncertainty left to resolve for 1999. Where will Michele Bartoli ride. He has not formally announced that he will leave Asics-CGA and go to Mapei. However, there have been some significant changes already announced. World Champion Oscar Camenzind, will follow Saronni and Pietro Algeri to the new Team Lampre-Daikin. The former winner of the Giro, Ivan Gotti, who had a poor 1998 season, will go to Stanga and Vittorio Algeri's Team Polti. Saeco has also been chasing Markus Zberg, but he went with his friend Niki Aebersold to Rabobank. Richard Virenque has apparently offered his services to an indifferent Mapei. He is intent on going to Italy. Giuseppe Guerini will ride for the next three years for German Team Telekom along with another new Italian arrival - Alberto Elli. The moves have doubled the Italian contingent with Telekom (Giovanni Lombardi and Francesco Frattini are also riding with Telekom). Leonardo Piepoli will leave Italy, going from Saeco-Cannondale to Banesto. Coming back to Italy will be Francesco Casagrande, after two seasons at Cofidis. He will ride with Vini Caldirola after his drug suspension is over.
* Spanish cycling has also seen a number of changes. At Banesto, four riders have left and some others have joined but the changes are quite significant when you consider that Abraham Olano has departed and Alex Zülle will be riding in his place. Two other riders who have signed are potential team leaders - Baranowski and Piepoli. José María Chaba Jiménez is also the natural leader of the team. The main change is really that Banesto is more international in composition now and has more diverse leadership potential. Continuing to work for the team will be Manuel Beltrán and Chente García, along with Odriozola, Garmendia, Aitor Osa and Peña. And some young riders like Unai Osa, Mancebo and Lastras will continue to be developed.
At ONCE, they have indicated that they are seeking to revitalise the team's prospects. The best Spanish rider at present has signed - Abraham Olano. This is the first time in many years that Banesto has not had the the best Spanish rider. Together with Laurent Jalabert, Olano could form a spectacular pair. But the new strength is not confined to the signing of Olano. Marcos Serrano and Austrian Peter Luttenberger are two first line reinforcements. They are also bolstered by the arrival of Italian Andrea Perón, Santos González and José Luis Rebollo. These riders will fill the gap left by the retirement of veterans Herminio Díaz Zabala, Alberto Leanizbarrutia and Francisco Javier Mauleón. Of-course, Melcior Mauri will be leaving ONCE to ride for the Portuguese Team Benfica, where he will be the team leader.
Vitalicio Seguros has not made any spectacular signings. However, they have strengthened the team.The brothers Álvaro and Igor González de Galdeano will add depth as will the arrival of Paco Cerezo and Colombian Víctor Hugo Peña. The base of the team will continue to be the same. Departing riders include Aparicio, Rincón, Ferrigato and Steinhauser, four riders that couldn't contribute for various reasons, what was expected of them. And staying at the head of the team are Casero, Domínguez, Clavero, Buenahora and Santi Blanco, from whom more will be expected. The real revelation of 1998 for the team was Russian Zintchenko, who remains for 1999.
Kelme-Costa Blanca, Fernando Escartín's team, loses more than it gains. The losses are not significant though. They retain Roberto Heras and Chechu Rubiera. The riders they were unable to keep include Santos González and Serrano, and Arsenio González, José Rodríguez and García Camacho are retiring. The vacancies will be filled by young riders like Eligio Requejo, Aitor González and Toni Tauler.
Euskaltel-Euskadi, the Basque team has lost two of its best riders - González de Galdeano brothers, who have left for Vitalicio. In their place there won't be any distinguish signings, even though a surprising attempt was made for Abraham Olano. But Euskaltel has some riders who have great potential, like, Joseba Beloki (a fine Tour d'Avenir), Txema del Olmo, Haimar Zubeldia and Igor Flores. Together with Unai Etxebarria, the team will still be competitive next year.
The sporting group, Deportpublic is still trying to secure a sponsor - they are trying to persuade large concerns like Estepona, Fuenlabrada and Toscaf to continue. Currently, the option with the most potential is with Fuenlabrada. They are expected to remain sponsoring a team for the next three years and want to work with young Spanish riders from Madrid. They will most likely sign Pedro Jiménez, Eleuterio Anguita and Juan Carlos Vicario.
Detec is a new team started by Juan Hortelano and directed by Pedro Muñoz. There is however uncertainty about it. There is a question mark about the depth or existence of sponsorship for 1999. The Detec Competición group is saying that they have a contract signed with a sponsor but will not reveal its name. They have signed 14 riders amongst them veterans like Llaneras, Aiarzagüena and Kiko García.
* There are rumours circulating around Denmark that Richard Virenque would be riding for Rabobank next year. A call to the director sportif, Theo de Rooy of Rabobank elicited spontaneous laughter. He said: "We don't deal with fairytales. You should know that. Of-course we are not negotiating with Virenque. If he was to ride for us it would be the best fairytale since Snowwhite and the seven dwarves."
The rumour may have been triggered by the fact that Rolf Sørensen of Rabobank have been talking (not negotiating!) with the Danish team Acceptcard Pro Cycling about riding for them in the future. Rolf has told the Danish press that he is interested in going to Acceptcard but that he does not think that it will be possible by 1999. Maybe - just maybe - it is possible from 2000.
The future is now clear for Philippe Gaumont (Cofidis), who was given the benefit of doubt yesterday by the French Cycling Federation. They said they were not proceeding with any penalties against Gaumont, who had risked a suspension from two to five years. For the 25-year old Gaumont, the nightmare started after a drug test on May 19 at the end of the first stage of the GP Midi-Libre. The analysis revealed the presence of nandrolone, The winner of Ghent-Wevelgem in 1997 was then facing a heavy suspension because he had been tested positive for the same substance in 1996.
The Gaumont case, however, illustrates the differences in interpretation between the French law and the rules of the UCI in relation to drug use. payment of the Union international cyclist (UCI) as regards doping. In comparison with the rules of the UCI, Gaumont could not be regarded as "benefitting from illegal drug use". The FCF has told the UCI that although the tests show that the rider was using nandrolone, the amount detected was below the allowed limit by the UCI. But, the French legislation, based on the rules of the International Olympic Committee are more severe as regards allowable levels of of nandrolone. Gaumont appeared before a disciplinary committee last week. The committee released a statement: "After having heard the interested party at the time of his meeting of October 28, 1998, the Federal Appeal Council of the FCF decided, on the basis of benefit of doubt, to release Philippe Gaumont from any disciplinary continuation against him".