Abraham Olano, Manuel Beltran, Jose-Vicente Garcia Acosta, Jon Odriozola (Banesto), Fernando Escartin, Roberto Heras, José-Luis Rubiera (Kelme), David Etxebarria, Melchor Mauri (ONCE), Oscar Freire (Vitalicio), Alvaro Galdeano (Euskatel), David Plaza (Cofidis).
Reserves: Angel Edo (Kelme), José Uriarte (Festina).
ITT: Olano en Mauri.
Blijlevens
Jeroen Blijlevens was operated on Monday and a cyst was removed from his backside. He will not be out for several weeks and will obviously miss the World Championships.
Swiss Team:
Road: Niki Aebersold, Oskar Camenzind, Mauro Gianetti, Franz Hotz, Rolf Huser, Rolf Järmann, Roland Meier, Felice Puttini, Pascal Richard, Daniel Schnider, Beat Zberg and Markus Zberg.
ITT: Roland Meier and Beat Zberg
Dutch Team:
Men road: Michael Boogerd, Leon van Bon, Maarten den Bakker, Aart Vierhouten, Koos Moerenhout, Max van Heeswijk and Marc Lotz (Rabobank), Tristan Hoffman, Bart Voskamp, Servais Knaven and Steven de Jongh (TVM) and Danny Nelissen (Jack and Jones).
ITT: Erik Dekker (Rabobank) and Servais Knaven (TVM).
Women road: Leontien van Moorsel, Yvonne Brunen, Elsbeth Vink, Nicole Vermast, Chantal Beltman, Mirjam Melchers.
ITT: Van Moorsel and Melchers.
Budget estimates (expressed in current Australian dollars - exchange rate adjusted) are:
Road * Track Off-Road $ $ $ Germany 850,000 600,000 500,000 Switzerland 300,000 100,000 300,000 Netherlands 1,000,000 80,000 150,000 Australia 700,000 1,200,000 200,000* men and women
When you think how many World Records our track riders have actually set and how many medals they have actually won, the 1.2 million seems to be very high relative to the other nations for which I can get data.
More data on the comparison between the Track performance before and after Charlie Walsh became national coach is coming. You will be surprised how little progress has actually been made for the money that has been spent. Stay tuned.
Dr. Joost De Maeseneer, who heads the medical unit in the Belgian Sport's Federation, has claimed that at least 66 per cent of cycling associated doctors administer illegal drugs to the riders under their care.
He told the press: "I'm afraid we're talking about two out of three. There are too many people operating in bad faith and they drag down the others. We have to make sure we can start turning things around. We were in a relatively quiet period until five years ago. Then came the excesses. The rise of EPO certainly played its role, and so did the increased pressure of sponsors."
The UCI will meet in Maastricht next week to plan how they will deal with the proliferation of drugs in cycling.
Meanwhile, the BWB (Belgian Cycling Federation) has issued a formal complaint against Festina doctor, Eric Ryckaert.
Lotto now implicated
It has now been revealed that the Belgian police found a large quantity of banned drugs on December 3 last year during a search of a house where riders with the Lotto team lived. The story has been broken by the daily newspaper Het Volk on Tuesday. The search was carried out in a house in Doornik. According to the Belgian newspaper it was the home of team leader Jean-Luc Vandenbroucke, the riders Peter Farazijn and Sébastien Demarbaix, a number of soigneurs and a chemist. They found banned chemicals. The laboratory has taken 9 months to analyse the substances. It was also claimed that they found 14 EPO ampules in the house of Peter Farazijn's family.
No, la Vuelta hasn't left me with any bitter taste. We have won individually and as a team. The work has been sensational and the public's response has been great. The fans have been excited by the spectacle.
- In this your first victory in a major stage race. Have you answered some of the doubts that you had?
I don't know. The fans have had their doubts, I don't know why. At the Giro where I finished third there was only one individual time trial and very tough mountains. This Vuelta had a lot of mountains and not much time trialling and I have been able to be ahead. At the 1996 Tour I was second behind Riis with three stages to go and I lost it in a bad day. I've always known that I'm not a climber, but also that I can ride with the best up there.
- Does that mean that you have overcome your problems in the mountains?
I have overcome the mountains, but there is still a lot of work to be done. I'm never satisfied even if my performance was good, I look forward and look for a progression. I think that I still can improve in the mountains, but I will have to work hard. Things just don't happen by themselves.
- Have you made any mistakes?
There have been no mistakes in the work of the team. The team has ridden well and has worn out the rivals. Kelme tried their luck with attacks and for us it was safer to control the escapes from a distance instead of obsessing over every escape.
- If Jiménez had have been in another team, would you have won la Vuelta?
I think that if Jimenez would have been with another team, I would have won la Vuelta just the same. I don't even think that he would have been where he was. I'm not criticizing him, because we all know what a great rider he is. He has shown that he knows how to be in the right place. His job has been to slow down the others, but we have seen other great riders like Heras, Escartín, great climbers, that had to attack. If Jiménez wouldn't have been riding for Banesto, he would have had to do the same thing and would have probably paid for it.
- Were you uncomfortable with the tactical decision of his (Jimenez) attack in Neila?
He attacked a little earlier than what most of us from the team would have wanted. That is passed, it was a disagreement and nothing else.
- Explain. How is your relationship with Jiménez?
It's the same relationship as before la Vuelta. We are in the same team and we are teammates.
- There are many ways of being a teammate. Is Jimemez a friend with which you would have dinner?
I've never gone to dinner with him. I have gone out with Beltrán, Ginés or Peña because our relationship has gone that way. With everybody else, I'm pretty much keep to myself. But I have no problem. I could surely go out to dinner with him.
- Jiménez is the one that makes us fall in love and you are the one that offers results. Do you agree?
I don't think that this Vuelta has been like that. I was wearing the Yellow Jersey and very few times have I seen an attacking leader. I have acted defensively because it was what I had to do. That's the way racing is. I have felt the backup from the people.
- A leader that has suffered a lot. is this another way to conquer people?
I know that I make it hard for my faithful fans. I have lost races by one second, like at the time trial of Fuenlabrada or that one at the Giro.
- A Spanish podium, does it mean that there wasn't enough competition or that Spanish cycling is going well?
The level has been good. The fact that Ullrich and Pantani were missing doesn't mean that there wasn't good cycling.
- Do you look at the Tour differently with this win?
I have the same aspirations. The biggest thing is the Tour, but it is not the only thing. There are two other grand races, like la Vuelta and the Giro. I have been on the podium in both and I got close at the Tour.
- Is your future with Banesto next to Jiménez?
If I'm with Banesto I will ride with Jiménez. The Vuelta has ended and now is the time to talk. There is no concrete date.
- If you leave for ONCE, you would meet with Laurent Jalabert.
In a team there is no rivalry. We are teammates and we all know at every moment what we should do and who the leader is. Then it is the director the one that sets things in their place and if there are doubts he should resolve them.
- If Jiménez wasn't with Banesto, would you have less doubts about renewing?
It has nothing to do with that. When I signed with Induráin was still with the team and everyone thought that he would continue. I have always been a mate to my teammates and it doesn't bother me if I have to work for another. In my renewal the most important part is the sporting aspect: objectives, season, team...
- How did your wife react? Has she been happier than you, if that is possible?
We both know what this victory means, the circumstances that we have lived in the last week and I'm especially happy for the little one.