* Team home Jack and Jones: The Danish team is going to be enlarged for 1999. It will have 14 riders. 10 have been retained - Jesper Skibby (Den), Arvis Piziks (Lat), Juris Silovs (Lat), Danny Nelissen (Ned), Mikael Kyneb (Den), Marc Strange Jacobsen (Den), Rene Jřrgensen (Den), Michael Rosborg (Den), Michael Steen Nielsen (Den), and Christian Andersen (Den). The 4 new riders for 1999 include Michael Blaudzun (Den) from Team Deutsche Telekom and Marc Streel (Bel) from Casino. They have signed two year contracts.
The other two riders will probably be known after the World Champs. One of them is likely to be Danish rider Nicolai Bo Larsen of the TVM-team
For 1999 Team home Jack & Jones will have 1600-1700 UCI points, which at the present ranking places the team at about 24. The team hopes to participate in more World Cup races next year (only four in 1998) and it hopes to participate in one "Grand Tour", either the Giro d'Italia or the Vuelta Espană. The goal for the year 2000 has always been and still is the Tour de France.
* Laurent Brochard will not ride for Casino next year according to good sources. The manager of the team Vincent Lavenu has also denied having talked to Brochard about riding for Casino.
* Collstrop: Tom Desmet resigned, while the neo's Dimitri Fofonov (Kaz) and Bart Everaert (Bel) have been given contracts.
* Lampre: Ludo Dierickxsens and his present manager Jean-Luc Vandenbroucke have been discusing Ludo's contract at Lotto. He has also been linked to Lampre. The other names mentioned are - Ballerini, Missaglia, Serpellini, De Paoli, Codol, Bertoletti, Frutti, Pinotti, Algeri, Svorada, Camenzind, Spruch, Padrnos, Belohvosciks, Hunter and Verstrepen.
Pavel Tonkov, previously lined to Lampre will now stay with Mapei.
* Tönissteiner: Paul Herijgers will go to Spar-RDM, Hans de Meester and Eddy Torrekens will also leave the team, while Juan Carlos Rodriguez (Spa) joins.
* TVM: Servais Knaven has signed for another 2 years.
* Pascal Richard has now indicated he will ride for the Italian team, Mobilvetta-Northwave next year.
Elite Men's Road Race: Tim Christopher (ACT) Jonathon Hall (NSW) Henk Vogels (WA) Bradley McGee (NSW).
Elite Men's Time Trial: Jonathan Hall (NSW) Bradley McGee (NSW).
Women's Road Race: Juanita Feldhahn (Qld) Tracey Gaudrey (ACT) Elizabeth Tadich (Vic) Katherine Watt (Vic) Anna Wilson (Vic).
Women's Time Trial: Katherine Watt (Vic) Anna Wilson (Vic) Tracey Gaudrey (ACT).
U23 Men's Road Race: Baden Cooke (Vic) Cadel Evans (Vic) Mathew Hayman (ACT) Sean Sullivan (Tas) Danielle Trinnie (WA).
U23 Time Trial: Cadel Evans (Vic) Mathew Hayman (ACT).
Junior Men's Road Race: David Collins (Vic) Brad Davidson (Vic) Alan Davis (Qld) Ben Goodridge (WA) Caleb Manion (Tas).
Junior Men's Time Trial: Ben Goodridge (WA) Brad Davidson (Vic) Caleb Manion (Tas).
Junior Women's Road Race: Natalie Bates (NSW) Sara Carrigan (Qld) Rochelle Gilmore (NSW) Naomi Williams (Tas).
Junior Time Trial: Natalie Bates (NSW) Toireasa Ryan (NSW) Naomi Williams (Tas).
German Team
Elite Road Race: Rolf Aldag (Deutsche Telekom), Udo Bolts (Telekom), Bert Dietz (Telekom), Sascha Henrix (Gerolsteiner), Kai Hundertmarck (Telekom), Danielo Hondo (Agro Adler), Andre Korff (Festina), Thomas Liese (Leipzig), Grischa Niermann (Continentale), Uwe Peschel (Estepona), Jan Schaffrath (Telekom), Torsten Schmidt (Chicky World), Jens Voigt (Crédit Agricole)
Elite Time Trial: Grischa Niermann, Thomas Liese, Uwe Peschel.
Women's Road Race: Arndt, Brabenetz, Kupfernagel, Missbach, Rossner, Scheitle.
Women's Time Trial: Arndt, Kupfernagel, Brabenetz.
USA Team
Bobby Julich, Lance Armstrong, Dede Demet, and Mari Holden highlight the squad that USA Cycling will send to the 1998 World Road Cycling Championships, October 6-11, in Valkenburg, The Netherlands. Julich earned third place accolades at this year's Tour de France, the best finish by American since Greg LeMond won the title in 1990. Now on his fourth world championship squad, Julich is excited about the upcoming worlds.
He said: "This has been a great year for me, especially with my performance at the Tour de France, and I am looking forward to represent USA Cycling and the United States at the world championships."
Armstrong, a member of the 1992 and 1996 Olympic squads, won the pro road race world crown in 1993 and making his first world championship appearance since finishing seventh in the pro road race four years ago. The five-time world championship cyclist was diagnosed with testicular cancer on October 2, 1996, stands in ninth place at the Tour of Spain, which concludes on September 27.
Demet has won two medals in her previous five time world championship appearance, and currently leads the National Racing Calendar points standings. Among her top accomplishments in 1998 are her national championship in the criterium. Holden finished seventh in the individual time trial at the '97 World Championships in San Sebastian, Spain, and 11th two years ago. She won the U.S. national title in the time trial.
In the latest UCI rankings, the American women are ranked fifth in the world, while the US men are 10th.
Elite Men's Road Race: Lance Armstrong (US Postal), Bart Bowen (Saturn), Dylan Casey (Shaklee), David Clinger (Mercury), Tyler Hamilton (US Postal), George Hincapie (US Postal), Chris Horner (La Francaise des Jeux), Marty Jemison (US Postal), Chann McRae (Saturn), Christian Vande Velde (US Postal), Jonathan Vaughters (US Postal)
Men's Time Trial (3 to ride): Lance, Tyler Hamilton, Jonathan Vaughters Chris Horner
Women's Road Race (7 to ride): Dede Demet (Saturn), Alison Dunlap (GT), Elizabeth Emery (Saturn), Mari Holden (Greenery Hawk), Karen Kurreck (Saturn), Karen Bliss Livingston (Saturn), Emily Robbins (Celestial Seasonings), Giana Roberge (Saeco-Timex), Pam Schuster (Saeco-Timex), Kendra Wenzel (Saeco-Timex), Julie Young (Shaklee).
Women's Time Trial (3 to ride): Dede Demet (Saturn), Alison Dunlap (GT), Elizabeth Emery (Saturn), Mari Holden (Greenery Hawk)
Men's Under-23: Brent Aucutt, Steve Cate, Tom Davis, Danny Pate, Seth Pelusi, Justin Spinelli, David Zabriske.
Junior Men: Mike Creed, Lewis Elliot, Will Frischkorn, Matt Kelly, Ryan Miller.
Junior Women: Jessica Haddock, Rebecca McClintock, Michelle Orem, Cecilia Potts, Leah Toffolon, Janine Verstraeten.
Bobby Julich is out
Bobby Julich, 3rd overall in the Tour, will not ride the road race at Valkenburg next week. He says he does not have the form. He said that: "The season was very long, and I don't think I can be at 100 per cent for the Worlds. He joins a long list of top riders who are not going to race. Pantani, Ullrich, Riis, and Jalabert to name a few.
Well Cycling Australia have done it again - they have cleared Neil Stephens of any wrongdoing in the Festina drugs scandal the same day that the Swiss Cycling Federation suspended Alex Zulle, Laurent Dufaux and Armen Meier for 8 months. The UCI have taken a different slant on Stephens and have banned him from competing at the World Championships next week. Within the rules, that is as much as the UCI can do. The jurisdiction for dealing with drug cheats lies with the National Federations.
Ray Godkin, President of Cycling Australia said the reason for the decision lay in whether the rider had admitted to using EPO or not. Fine line here. The Swiss riders, when presented with overwhelming evidence that the EPO usage was a systematic practice in the team, admitted that they were part of it. Neil Stephens, allegedly admitted it but then said (from the outset) that he thought he was being administered vitamin supplements.
That is what Godkin is referring to when he told the press: "There is no difference with Neil. We still have nothing which proves he is guilty of wrongdoing in this matter. The Swiss admitted their guilt - that's the difference here. Neil won't ride the worlds, as is the case with all the Festina riders, but for any recourse the riders will have to go to the UCI - that was not done by us."
The matter will not rest here.
Scott lapped the field in Athens with John Lieswyn (Go-Mart), Eric Wohlberg (Shaklee), Olin Bakke (Shaklee) and Graham Miller (Torelli) in this 50 kms event. With the help of teammates Paul Martin and Todd Littlehales he was able to distance himself from the field for a second time to take the solo win.
Todd Littlehales notched another win at the season finale of National Racing Calendar events by taking the Burlington Downtown Criterium held in Burlington, North Carolina on September 12th. Todd took the sprint from breakaway partners Juan Pineda (GS Mengoni), Rich Hincapie and teammate Scott Moninger. Scott finished third ensuring a Navigators presence on two steps of the podium. Todd added another win on September 19th by taking the top spot at his hometown race, the 38th annual Mt. Tabor Criterium in Portland, Oregon.
Other recent victories by the Navigators’ include a dominating ride by Scott and Todd as they took first and third respectively in the Dixie Cup Criterium in Winston/Salem, NC on September 11th. The good people of Greensboro, North Carolina had the fortune to witness another display of Navigators’ dominance on September 13th as Scott took the win, Paul Martin placed third and Todd rounded out the top five in that 64 kms race.