News for October 31, 1998

Transfers and Contracts

* Melchior Mauri has signed a contract to ride for Sport Lisboa e Benfica for the next two years. He came second in the World ITT Championships recently. The better known riders who will ride for the Portuguese team are David Plaza, Uriarte, Melchior Mauri, Quintino Rodrigues, Paulo Ferreira. (Thanks to Carlos!)

Driedaagse van de Panne 1999

Stefan Degryse, who does the indispensable www.cyclingteams.com site, says that the Driedaagse van De Panne, Belgium's most important stage race (23th edition) will start next year in Mouscron instead of Harelbeke. The move to Mouscron has to be seen in the light of an expansion of the race.

The organising club Panne Sportief sees capacity to grow and achieve a higher level of international recognition. This year the event had a 2.2 UCI label but the organisation wants to move up to 2.1 in the future, and they would like it to be so next season. Another element for the move to Mouscron is that they like to have an additional day so instead of three days they want to expand to four days. In the light of the position of the race and the riders who start in it this all seems very well founded.

The organisation of the 'Driedaagse van De Panne' already filled an application to the KBWB (Belgian Cycling Federation) but they are still waiting for an answer.

The objective is to start the day after the 'Brabantse Pijl' with a short stage. That way it would be possible to keep Harelbeke as a starting or finishing place since the E-3 Prijs at Harelbeke takes place two days earlier.

Next year the first stage will be held from Mouscron to Zottegem followed the next day with a stage to Oostduinkerke and on the final day there will be two stages; a short stage starting and finishing in De Panne and a time-trial to finish it all. Three days later there is the big clash in the Ronde van Vlaanderen.

Zo, de Vierdaagse van de Panne!

Matthew Gilmore

Ben Dobson (Matt's brother-in-law) wrote to fatnick (www.fatnick.com) and told him that the the operation on Matt's back went well, and the doctorss are currently optimistic.

Vasseur injured

French rider Cedric Vasseur has broken a wrist while out training on his MTB in Lille, France. The Credit Agricole rider has had an operation to repair the break. Vasseur, who held the yellow jersey in the Tour last year, will have to remain inactive for 2 weeks.

Belgian U-23 hopes

The U-23 rider Luc De Duytsche (the multi-Belgian title holder on the track for 1998) and Sven Spoormakers will ride in the points score race in the 6-Day at Dortmund. They are also aiming for the European Championships for U-23's which will be staged at Gent on November 11.

Something worth helping...

I received a letter from a police officer from America. Okay, helping the cops is not usually the brief of these pages. After all they are usually ordering us bike riders around in races to stay over the white line and the like. But this is a case where help is needed. If anyone can help please direct your assistance to the addresses shown below. I will forgive him for confusing a MTB with a bike!

Here is the letter:

I am a police officer in NJ and I have started a program of teen intervention. Help with suicide, depression, drug abuse in our Jr high (7 and 8) So far the program is working great. One kid has come forward and asked for help with teen depression. In the spring I am going to run the USCF kids on bikes program to teach kids how to race. It will also include mountain bike racing. My favorite. I am calling it Off Drugs and on Bikes. In the spring before I start I am going to run an essay contest to see how the program has effected their lives. I am working with no budget and need prizes to give out. I am hoping I could even get a couple of lower end bikes to give out or other bike gear. Any help that you could give me would be a great help and I know the kids would love it. Right now from the introduction of this program and putting out feelers about the bike program I can see that I am going to have 150 to 200 kids sign up. Thank you again for any help you can give or direction you can point me in.

Respectfully
Officer Paul Long

Belleville Police
152 Washington Avenue
Belleville NJ 07109
973-450-3333

Home:
24 Patterson Ct
Shrewsbury, NJ 07702
732-530-7370

offpaul@aol.com
pdspike136@aol.com

Spain goes to New York

New York City may host the first stage of the Vuelta a Espana in the year 2000. The race organiser Enrico Franco said that the first reactions to the proposal have not been at all negative. "It will be a great adventure and good publicity for the Vuelta. And we have had a start in Portugal, so why not in New York"?

The logic of Enrico escapes me a bit but Central Park get ready.

Vuelta de la Juventud Antioqueña, Colombia, National Event, Youth (18-19) and U- 23

Stage 1, La Unión-Sonsón, 110 kms:

 1. Arles Castro (Col) Brandy Don Juan		     3.03.44
 2. Gerardo Rodríguez (Col) Ron Santafé			0.04
 3. Felipe Laverde (Col) Brandy Don Juan
 4. Giovanni Chacón (Col) Tapa Roja-Tolima		0.11
 5. Alexis Castro (Col) Brandy Don Juan			0.15
 6. Ezequiel Soto (Col) Brandy Don Juan			0.40
 7. Diego Pérez (Col) Oriente Antioqueño		0.42
 8. Yuberney Ospina (Col) Brandy Don Juan		0.42
 9. Mauricio Ortega (Col) Brandy Don Juan		0.45
10. Delvi Ibáñez (Col) Ron Santafé			1.15

86 starters

Stage 2, Sonsón-San Antonio de Pereira, 90 kms

 1. Luis Felipe Laverde (Col) Brandy Don Juan	     2.14.23
 2. Arles A. Castro (Col) Brandy Don Juan		2.37
 3. Leonardo F. Duque (Col) Coomeva
 4. Gerardo Rodríguez (Col) Ron Añejo Santafé
 5. Robert Montoya (Col) Ciclo Wander-Caldas
 6. Alexis Castro (Col) Brandy Don Juan
 7. Yuberney Ospina (Col) Brandy Don Juan
 8. Jorge Arbeláez (Col) Oriente Antioqueño
 9. Ezequiel Soto (Col) Ron Añejo Santafé

GC after Stage 2

 1. Luis Felipe Laverde (Col) Brandy Don Juan	     5.18.13
 2. Arles A. Castro (Col) Brandy Don Juan		2.01
 3. Gerardo Rodríguez (Col) Ron Añejo Santafé		2.09
 4. Alexis Castro (Col) Brandy Don Juan			2.20
 5. Ezequiel Soto (Col) Oriente Antioqueño		3.45
 6. Yuberney Ospina (Col) Brandy Don Juan		3.47
 7. Mauricio Ortega (Col) Brandy Don Juan		3.50
 8. John Garzón (Col) Ron Santafé			4.20
 9. Andrés Hernández (Col) Club Wander-Caldas		4.35
10. Delvi Ibáñez (Col) Ron Santafé			5.10

Intermediate sprints.:
 1. Leonardo F. Duque (Col) Coomeva			18

Mountains:

 1. Luis F. Laverde (Col) Brandy Don Juan		28

Points:

 1. Arles A. Castro (Col) Brandy Don Juan		45

Teams:

 1. Brandy Juan-Loti Ya-Antioquia

Stage 3, La Ceja-Rionegro-El Carmen de Viboral, 26 kms ITT

Chinese Champion killed

Wang Zexiu, the so-called Queen of Asian MTB racing was killed while training for the upcoming Asian Games (December) after being hit by an out of control bus. It occurred near the city of Nanjing (in the east) where the Chinese national team were training. The bus driver accelerated away and has not yet been found.