News for April 3, 1999

Scott Sunderland Report

Scott has starting riding his bike again a week ago after 7 weeks of complete rest. The inflammation in his foot was a lot more serious than the doctors had first thought. An MRI scan showed them that in both the tendon and bone was inflamed. They told him to do nothing which involved using his right foot until the inflammation had completely gone. It took 7 weeks. The team at the University Hospital in Gent made special inner soles for his racing shoes so that Scott will not place any incorrect pressure on his feet. The problem began because he was compensating for the bad back pain that he still experiences and he was thus sitting differently on his bike.

Since last Friday he has resumed his gym program trying to build up his leg muscles that have atrophied with the inactivity. His legs do not look like those of a pro any more!

The future will bring the answers to so many questions we now have. The doctors think that, if all stays well and no other complications pop up, Scott will be ready to get back into competition by end of July or early August. They don't want him to do anything more than what they tell him to. It is frustrating for Scott but it is the safest way to avoid any further problems. Some people doubt that Scott will ever race again. But Scott lives for the cycling - his eyes light up when he sees the other guys pass by his balcony.

He is also looking after a young Australian rider - 20-year old Ben Brooks - who is living with Sabine Sunderland's sister and brother in law in Zottegem. They are riding a bit together now and Scott has high hopes for Ben.

Mapei-Quick Step Scandal - Day 2

Mapei soigneur arrested

Mapei soigneur Tiziano Morassut was arrested late on Friday and charged with mailing banned substances - amphetamines. Judge Jan Deltour issued a warrant for the arrest after being requested by the Kortrijk court. The prosecutors have cleared the officials and riders of the Mapei team.

However, another Belgium, currently unknown was still in custody and being questioned over the matter. His name was detected in documents found in the raid on the Mapei hotel on Thursday. He does not have a direct connection with the team.

Tiziano Morrasut, the Mapei soigneur, came to Mapei from Asics with Michele Bartoli a few months ago.

Drugs addressed to Bugno Family

The package containing amphetamines that the Mapei soigneur was sending to Italy was being sent to the Bugno Family. This is according to media reports being carried by the Belgian media. Earlier reports had claimed that it was sent to Gianni Bugno who ended his professional career at the end of last season as a Mapei rider. The Italian was twice World Champion (1991 and 1992) and won the World Cup in 1990. The package containing the drugs was detected during a routine control in the courier DHL's Zaventem Depot. The discovery led to the police raiding the start of the Driedaagse van De Panne and taking the Mapei team away. The riders were later released and the police have said they think that the action was the solo concern of the Italian soigneur.

There was no christian name specified. The Italian authorities are now trying to ascertain whether the package was destined for the family of Gianni Bugno.

Bugno reacts...

It was later revealed that the package containing amphetamines was mailed to the address of Gianni Bugno. The two-times world champion said: "I know only that the address on the package was that of my house in Monza. I know nothing more than that. I also was expecting nothing. I can only say that I have nothing at all to do with this business."

On the soigneur in question, Tiaziano Morassut, Bugno said: "He is a good guy."

Lotto-Mobistar supplied drugs to Voet

Willy Voet, the former soigneur with Festina says that the Belgian team Lotto-Mobistar supplied Festina with EPO. He has told the Belgian newspaper Gazet van Antwerpen that: "Lotto supplied the EPO for Festina during last year's Midi Libre."

Voet was the person caught just before the Tour de France by French customs officials with his car full of drugs. He was talking yesterday following the discovery that an Italian soigneur working for Mapei had tried to send amphetamines by post to Italy. He said: "Soigneurs don't have any secrets from each other. Everybody knew I worked with banned products. Nobody said anything about it, because we all have tons of butter on our head. When one of us had not enough stuff, we asked other soigneurs to help out."

Voet said that he did not not have enough EPO in the Midi Libre. "I asked the soigneur of Lotto whether the would be able to give me some stuff. After contact was made between the doctors of both teams, I got what I needed."

Lotto, the team of Milan-San Remo winner Andrei Tchmil, was implicated in doping in 1997. The Uzkeb Djamolidine Abdoesjaparov was caught during the Tour de France in that year with traces of clenbuterol and bromantan. The Belgian team sacked the rider and the soigneur Laurent van Brussel. At the end of 1997 they were involved again with house searches being done by police on riders, soigneurs and the team manager Jean-Luc Vandenbroucke.

Lotto denies it...

Jean-Luc Vandenbroucke denied the story by Voet about getting EPO from Lotto. He said: "I have had contact with my staff and the doctor and I have the utmost confidence in them."

Also current rider Jo Planckaert said: "I know nothing of this. I was there at last year's Midi Libre. I abandoned after the first day. But I didn't see anything abnormal. I think that it is not possible."

More about Voet

Voet said that after his request to the Lotto soigneur that the both team doctors agreed to arrange the doping. He named the doctors - Jose Taus (Lotto) and Rijckaert (Festina). In an interview with Belgium VRT Teletext Voet said: 'It was about ONE ampule of 2000 cc. I cannot recall which Festina rider was given the EPO. But I don't think it was for Virenque. I am also not 100 per cent sure that it was during the Midi Libre. He admitted that he was very good friends with the Lotto team manager Jean-Luc Vandenbroucke. Voet: "He kicked my college Laurent Van Brussel on the street after the doping affair with Abdusjaparov. He let Laurent fall like a stone."

Voet about Daniel Baal: "He is keeping silent about things and hushing them up for the sake of a good image." However, Voet would not elaborate in the interview on what those things were.

And Voet about Jean-Marie Leblanc: "The judge seems a correct man to me. But Leblanc knows at least the same as all the others. I talk about my experiences because I want to clean up cycling sport. I took care of a lot of riders and i don't want them to be ill within 10 or 15 years. I'm out of cycling business now for nine months but I don't think anything changed in that time. It's time that everybody takes their masks off. Eight months ago all the teams had such products. I hope that is over now.'

TVM to meet the judge later in the year

The French investigator Odile Madrolle shall report on his investigation into TVM's involvement to the French court in July. Joost van Mierlo, the team's lawyer, exects to be called to a hearing in December. The issue is over the 104 EPO ampules that were found in the TVM truck by a routine customs control in Reims in March 1998. TVM also came under the spotlight during the Tour de France and their riders were examined by police and medical authorities. Joost van Mierlo commenting on a report in L'Equipe earlier in the week said: "Patrick Keil, the Festina investigating magistrate, said during Paris-Nice that he will be conducting this part of the investigation in November. We will have to be available around that time. But the Festina matter is much easier for the French authorities and will take precedence."

Complications have now arisen for the TVM team though. Last week it was decided that Cees Priem and Steven Rooks would meet with Tour Director Jean-Marie Leblanc to sort out the participation of TVM in the Waalse Pijl and other races run by the Societé du Tour de France. But now Leblanc himself is in trouble with the judicial authorities over doping and it is unclear whether the meeting will take place.

Pantani keeps saying it

1998 Tour winner Marco Pantani has once again implied that he will not be racing the Tour this year, preferring to concentrate on the Giro d'Italia, which he also won in 1998. Pantani told the press of his progress after the fall during the Catalan Week that: "I've already started training again after the fall I had in Spain. On Monday I leave to race in the Tour of the Low Countries that lasts five days. It will serve as good preparation for the Giro which, for me, remains the most important appointment of the season."

Pantani is also expecting to race the Vuelta a Espana and the World Championships in October.

Chinese riders for Italian team

The Italian professional team Michela Fanini has signed two Chinese women. Ma Huizhen and Wang Shuqing are the first two Chinese women professional riders. They have signed a contract from April 30 to October 15.

New German professional team

Heiko Salzwedel, now working for the German Cycling Federation, reports that today he is going to the team presentation of another German Trade Team III. It's name is Leonardo Coast. Two Australians are under contract: Jay Sweet's brother Corey Sweet and Derek Crumpler from the Gold Coast. A complete list will come next.

Some further team changes in Germany are: Carsten Podlesch has quit Agro Adler and will join GS III "Team Greese" from April 1 onwards. Arne Hohnstein will fill the gap. Also ex-World Champion Lothar Thoms is no longer the Assistant Manager of the Agro Adler team.

Recent Australian results in Germany include Peter Rogers taking 4th place last Sunday in Einhausen (C.Henn (Telekom) placed 41, Dirk Mueller (Mapei) placed 83).

Amsterdam, Derny Cup

Men:

 1. Slippens (gangmaker Zijlaard)
 2. Cornelisse (gangmaker Dekker)
 3. Pels (gangmaker Van Hooydonk)

Women:

 1. Leontin Zijlaard-Van Moorsel (gangmaker Zijlaard)
 2. Van der Zee (gangmaker Dekker)
 3. Mansveld (gangmaker Jonker)

TVM team for Ronde Van Vlaanderen

The TVM team for RVV is: Steven de Jongh, Servais Knaven, Tristan Hoffman, Peter van Petegem, Geert van Bondt, Hendrik van Dyck, Davide Casarotto and Andreas Klier.

Australia, Victoria, World Veteran Classic, Day 1 ITT 12 kms:

Men 35-39 years:

 1. R Wallace (Vic)               16.52
 2. R Jarratt (Vic)
 3. G Nunn (Vic)

Men 40-44 years

 1. P Hughes (NSW)                16.14
 2. J Mollison (Vic)
 3. M McIntyre

Men 45-49 years:

 1. R Graham (Vic)                17.21
 2. G Overend (NZ)
 3. S Flower (Vic)

Men 50-54 years

 1. K Lawler (NZ)                 16.35
 2. W Mackay (Vic)
 3. R Braszell (Vic)

Men 55-59 years

 1. L Paterson (Vic)              17.32
 2. J Nutter (Vic)
 3. B Rose (NSW)

Men 60-64 years

 1. J Clift (Vic)                 18.03
 2. W Harder (SA)
 3. T Wallace (Qld)

Men 65-69 years:

 1. G Henderson (Vic)             18.55
 2. F Mason (Qld)
 3. R Truman (Qld)

Men 70-74 years:

 1. W Dove (Vic)                  19.05
 2. D Whitehorn (SA)
 3. B Cochrane (Vic)

Men 75 years and over:

 1. W Mantova (Vic)               19.14
 2. H Burdon (SA)
 3. G Goodwin (Vic)

Women 30-40 years

 1. K Howard (Vic)                18.41
 2. T Moore (ACT)
 3. R Osborne (ACT)

Women Over 40 years:

 1. D Hobbs (Vic)                 18.26
 2. J Moroney (Vic)
 3. C Waddington (Vic)