News for September 16, 1998

Contracts and Transfers

* Jeroen Blijlevens has signed to ride with TVM for another year. He had earlier indicated that he may wish to leave the team. Also signing with TVM for 1999 is Davide Casarotto (Ita) currently with the Italian Scrigno team.

* Mercury Cycling Team is pleased to announce that Scott Moninger and Derrick Bouchard-Hall have signed to ride for the 1999 Mercury Cycling Team.

Scott Moninger, who won 2 stages at the recent Killington Stage Race, has signed to add more stage race power for 1999. "We are very pleased to have the chance to have Scott with us for the next 2 years. He has been among the best riders year in and year out. It will be great to team him up with Mat Anand and David Clinger, states Team Director John Wordin."

Derrick Bouchard-Hall comes to Mercury from Shaklee. The 1998 National and World's Team Member is a bona fide probable Olympic Team member. Derrick is the 2nd straight rider to come from Shaklee and if he is anywhere as good as the last (Julian Dean) Mercury will be faster than in 1998. Watch out for more Mercury Speed in 1999.

* It was reported earlier that Bjarne Riis would be signing with Team Telekom next year. He is now not sure. He is angry because team manager Walter Godefroot told the press he needs Riis only for to help Ullrich and Zabel. He also said that Riis should take a salary cut. This doesn't sit well with Bjarne's ego. It was also considered possible that the 34-year old would return to ride for Team Home Jack and Jones. He has a 50 per cent ownership of that team.

World's News

Jan Ullrich has announced that he will not ride in the World Championships in Valkenburg in October. The team doctor for Telekom team Lothar Heinrich indicated the Ullrich had inflamed achilles tendons and would need total rest. Ullrich also did not ride the 1997 Worlds.

Norwegian rider dies

Last Saturday, the Norwegian rider Bjorn Stenersen (Team Bjorgvin) died during the road-cup final in Trondheim, Norway. Stenersen (28) was in an attack with four other riders, when he suddenly fell off his bike and died.

The reason for Stenersen's death has not yet been announced.

Olano Interview

Abraham Olano, who is now leading the Vuelta a España, has indicated that he wants people to consider him a potential winner of all the major national tours. He had previously been held out as such a rider but in the last two years his form has been poor, mainly he says, due to health problems. He told the Spanish press that: "During that period I couldn't perform like I can due to a series of health problems, like infections and falls, but at the 1995 Vuelta and 1996 Giro, where I made the podium I showed that I can match some of the climbers. Now if I'm lucky, I will show that I am again the one from before".

He continued: "It was expected that I would win. To win the stage and to become overall leader was within what was possible, but the most important thing was to feel good, to face it with optimism the rest of the Vuelta".

As they go into the mountains, Olano knows that the pressure will be on and that it will be his ultimate test. He said: "The race changes starting now, but I still have many good riders very close in the overall. They are still a lot of mouths for such tasty morsel. But the good thing about this situation is that now they are the ones that have to make the move. My first objective is not to lose seconds in the first mountain stages. José María Jiménez and Manuel Beltrán are there to help me and they are both in great form and with them it will be easier to conserve the yellow jersey".

German Tour

The first edition of the Tour of Germany will begin on May 28, 1999 and will run until June 3. Olaf Ludwig, former professional and now Vice President of the German CYcling Federation announced the details of the Tour and said that Telekom has assured the organisers that they will be there with Jan Ullrich and Erik Zabel. The Tour starts in Berlin. The finish has yet to be decided.

Pan American Cycling Championships

Our Brazilian reporter, Rodrigo Gini sends us an update on the Championships that begun last Sunday (September 13) and will endon September 20. The competition is being staged in Americana, a little town 80 kms far from Sao Paulo, and site of our only world class velodrome. The Brazilian Cycling Federation does not even have a telephone line into the velodrome but with the help of fellow journalists from Sao Paulo I can bring you the results.

The USA brought its best track team with Mariano Friedick, Erin Hartwell, Tommy Mulkey, Marcelo Arrue, Chris Witty and Nicole Reinhart. The best classified athletes are automatically classified to Panamerican Games (Winnipeg 1999). 

Mens Elite Time-Trial, 40 kms:

1. Ruben Pegorin (Arg)			49.05.059
2. Duban Ramirez (Col)
3. Marcio May (Bra)

Women 200m sprint:

1. Jenny Reed (Eua)		     	  12.109
2. Chris Witty (Eua)		 	  12.291
3. Yumari Gonzalez (Cub)	 	  12.317

Men 200m sprint:

1. Marcelo Arrue (Chi)		 	  10.979
2. Luciano Ardana (Arg)		 	  11.066
3. Sebastian Alexandre (Arg) 		  11.153

Men Individual Pursuit:

1. Mariano Friedick (Eua)	      	4.37.264
2. Edgardo Simon (Arg)		      	4.46.048
3. Tommy Mulkey (Eua)		      	4.48.435

Men 1km Time Trial:

1. Erin Hartwell (Eua)		  	1.05.511
2. Marcelo Amendola (Arg)		1.07.854
3. Jason Garner (Eua)			1.08.018

Women 500m Time Trial:

1. Chris Witty (Eua)		  	  36.414
2. Nicole Reinhart (Eua)	 	  36.922
3. Yumari Gonzalez (Cub)	  	  37.046

Men Under-23 Time Trial:

1. Elivelton Pedro (Bra)	 	  50.49.107