News for April 7, 1999

Museeuw still unsure about Paris-Roubaix

On the police actions last week, he said: "To the layperson it looked like I had landed up in a soap opera. And today I was determined to do well for my sponsor."

After is fall Museeuw reckons that he is "still around 10 to 15 per cent down in muscle strength. In another year I would have done better in the sprint."

On Paris-Roubaix he said: "That is the race in which I fell last year. I will not start if there is rain."

Peter van Petegem - his achievements to date

1992 (PDM): 0 victories.
1993 (Lotto): 0 victories.
1994 (Trident): 1 win: Grote Scheldeprijs.
1995 (TVM): 1 win: Kustpijl.
1996: 3 wins: criterium in Buggenhout, a stage the Tour of Denmark and the Trofeo Luis Puig. 10th in the Ronde van Vlaanderen.
1997: 5 wins: a stage in the Tour of Mallorca, Omloop Het Volk, criteriums in Geraardsbergen, Zwevegem and Koolskamp, 9th in the Ronde van Vlaanderen.
1998: 4 wins: Omloop Het Volk, criteriums in Ninove and Zele, dernykoers in Boom, 7th in Milaan-San Remo, 5th in the Ronde van Vlaanderen, 3rd in GC of the Ronde van Nederland, 2nd in World Championship in Valkenburg.
1999: 3 wins: E3 Prijs Harelbeke, GC winner Driedaagse van De Panne, Ronde van Vlaanderen, 8th in Omloop Het Volk, 7th Milaan-San Remo.

Meanwhile it has been reported that he had a deal with TVM management that if he won a World Cup race he would not have to ride the Tour de France. He plans to train in altitude in July as preparation for the World Championships.

Blood tests planned at this year's Tour de France

Tour Schedules announced

May 28 Berlin-Leipzig 168.3 kms:
May 29 Eisleben-Goslar 214.3 kms:
May 30 Goslar-Bielefeld 172.8 kms:
June 1 Bielefeld-Dortmund 173.4 kms:
June 2 Koblenz-Bensheim 153.7 kms:
June 2 Viernheim-Bensheim ITT 29 kms:
June 3 Wiesbaden-Bonn 155.5 kms:

Meanwhile the route for the 4 days of Dunkirk, which is actually 6 days, has also been disclosed.

May 4 Duinkerke - Loon Plage
May 5 Grande-Synthe - Boulogne-sur-Mer
May 6 Boulogne-sur-Mer - Bethune
May 7 Bethune - Marchiennes
May 7 Marchiennes ITT
May 8 Comines - Westouter
May 9 Gravelines - Duinkerke

And the Dutch stage race the Ster der Beloften (formerly the Teleflextoer) has been saved by a new sponsor for the next six years. De Ster der Beloften (April 14-18) is open for elite with and without contracts. Nine foreign teams will start.

April 14: Prologue Schijndel
April 15: Schijndel-Boxmeer, 170 kms:
April 16: Valkenburg- Valkenburg, 180 kms:
April 17: Berg en Terblijt-Theux, 180 kms:
April 18: Valkenburg-Schijndel, 175 kms:

Netherlands Roundup

Sint Geertruid, Omloop van Geertruid, Elite and Neo-Amateurs:

 1. Engels (Breda)             140 km in 3.12.10
 2. Van Pelt (Helmond)
 3. Sleeks (Yerseke)
 4. Van Heeswijk (Schijndel)
 5. Bothof (Dordrecht)


Zeddam, National MTB competition:

Men:

 1. Dekker (Doetinchem)                  1.43.00
 2. Weevers (Hengelo)                       0.13
 3. Boezewinkel (Hooglanderveen)            0.16
 4. De Knegt (Tilburg)                      0.20
 5. Van de Ven (Schijndel)                  0.20

Women:

 1. Dorland (Eerbeek)
 2. Van de Brand (Zeeland)
 3. Sollaart (Utrecht)

Rossum, Omloop van de Bommelerwaard, Neo-amateurs to 25 years:

 1. Van der Reep (Lisse)       175 km in 4.15.28
 2. Loohuis (Oldenzaal)
 3. Claassens (Meyl)
 4. Hiemstra (Rottevalle)
 5. Boerman (Tubbergen)

Zaandam, Derny Race:

 1. Zijlaard-Van Moorsel (gangmaker Zijlaard)
 2. Laan (gangmaker Dekker)
 3. VanZuilen (gangmaker Walrave)

Mallorca, Triptique des montes, Under-23 WC Event, April 4-6

 1. Sven Spoormakers (Bel) Kapelle	3.39.10
 2. Jos Lucassen (Ned) Giant
 3. James Vanlandschoot (Bel) Lomacher

Started: 58

There were 52 riders in the main peloton bunch sprint. The parcours was riddled with cobblestones and the riders had to contend with heavy cross winds.

Circuito Son Servera, Mallorca, 107 kms:

 1. Kalvian Lexberg (Nor) Horten	2.31.22
 2. Jorge Garcia (Spa) Extebe
 3. Esa Rosendahl (Swe) Team Wirsbo

Rosendahl attacked on a hill at the half way mark where an eight man group was formed. The peloton was more than two minutes behind.

Thanks to Tomas Nilsson, Sweden

Report from New Zealand's Graeme Miller

Wine Country Classic Road Race, 136 kms, 8 X 17 kms laps:

This was to be one of the hardest races I've ever done. Each lap had a very hard 4km climb plus a few other hills tossed in just to toughen us up a little.

Mercury, Saturn,and of-course Shaklee were the teams to watch. We had just done a full week of photo's for our team so we all had not done a lot of training while in San Francisco. No excuses though. Gord Frazer (after reading my last report) attacked a the start and took it to us along with Eddie Gragus they finally were caught with two laps to go. I had to cry enough with one lap to go and rode back to the van to watch the finish with my head hanging very low. It turned out to be a real battle up the front Mercury had 3 Shaklee 2 going into the last lap. Saturn were chasing hard to get it back together. Our two riders lost contact and it regrouped somewhere on the last lap. Mercury were 1, 2 with Moninger and Rodgers (Mr Hard Bastard himself) and then our Skaklee man Wohlberg 3rd.

It was a very glum ride home for us losers. No ride in the van if you don't put out in the race!!!

Day 2 - 75 minutes plus 5 laps Criterium in Downtown Santa Rosa:

The course today was flat and fast but it had cateyes all over the place it was like riding through a mine field. Shaklee had to save some face and I was motivated to make sure that the other teams knew by the end of the day that we are here to race this year. So I made sure that we were all wired up with the radios plus I had a talk back piece on my one just to make sure that all went to plan. We went into the race wanting the win as there were a lot of head Shaklee people there. So it was do or die. Jonas Carney was our man set up for the win. He was told to sit on the back and we would do all the work making it look like the team was setting me up for the win.

The plan went perfectly thanks to the radios and a lot of yell by the team manager. With 9 laps to go all of the Shaklee Team were on the front and winding it up. With one to go I went to the front with Jonas on my wheel. He blew by me in the last straight like I was standing still to take the win from Gagg and Eddie Gragus. No Saturn or Mercury to be seen. Job well done.

US Postal do well in Flander

Besides Hincapie, Marty Jemison, Frankie Andreu and Christian Vande Velde all rode well, as the trio finished in the 37-rider main peloton right behind Hincapie's group. Jemison (39th place), Andreu (40th) and Vande Velde (65th) all finished 1:52 behind Van Petegem. Glenn Magnusson finished the race in 73rd place, at 16:05, in the back of a six-rider group. Of the 193 starters, only 73 finished.

Hincapie was active throughout the race and was in a breakaway of 27 riders midway through the race. With 24 riders up the road around the 50 km mark, Hincapie joined Cofidis' Philippe Gaumont and Vandenbroucke to bridge the gap to the leaders. The group stayed clear for over 100 kms and had a one-minute lead with approximately 100 kms left in the race. From there, however, Hincapie was unable to mark every important move as the race neared the finish.

Australia, World's Veteran Classic, Day 4 Criterium

Men:

35-39 years:

 1. P Moke (NZ)
 2. M Harris (Vic)
 3. R Wallace (Vic)

40-44 years:

 1. P Hughes (NSW)
 2. T Schintler (Vic)
 3. J Cahill (Vic)

45-49 years:

 1. L Venn (Tas)
 2. G Overend (NZ)
 3. P Goldburg (Vic)

50-54 years:

 1. T Spence (Vic)
 2. C Hooper(Vic)
 3. R Lewis (Vic)

55-59 years:

 1. J Ryan (NSW)
 2. K Bone (Vic)
 3. M Peters (Vic)

60-64 years:

 1. T Wallace (Vic)
 2. J Trickey (Vic)
 3. J Clift (Vic)

65-69 years:

 1. D Hill (Vic)
 2. B Long (Vic)
 3. F Mason (Qld)

70-74 years:

 1. B Cochrane (Vic)
 2. D Whitehorn (SA)

75 years +:

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

Women:

30-40 years:

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

40 years +:

 1. D Hobbs (Vic)
 2. C Dangerfield (SA)
 3. J Koehler (ACT)