News for December 23, 1999
Tonkov and others questioned About ten professional riders, among them Tonkov, Bugno, Serpellini, Piccoli, Bramati and Codol have been called upon as witnesses in Brescia in connection to the doping case going on in Italy. According to La Gazetta dello Sport, they have all been called upon because police found their names as recipients of certain pharmaceutical products, after they conducted a search of a military physician in Brescia.
Tyler-Sharman considers her future Former U.S. track cyclist, Lucy Tyler-Sharman is seriously contemplating leaving Australia to compete in the U.S.A. next year, according to a report in today's Sydney Morning Herald. She flew out of Perth today to spend Christmas with her mother in Miami, but may consider staying there if relations between her and Cycling Australia do not improve, especially where funding is concerned. She told journalist David Marsh, that "I have no realistic expectation of being selected in the Australian team for the Olympics, no matter what I do." "I spent every cent I had in an effort to defend my world title," she said. "I was away (competing in the United States and in Europe) for eight-and-a-half months - I gave it everything. I didn't win and it has ruined me financially." "The tragedy is that I can't afford to compete in the sport any more. The Australian Institute of Sport is not providing me any support." Lucy Tyler-Sharman was the first Australian woman to win a World track title, when she won the Individual Pusuit in 1998. She was also involved in the Walsh-Watt-Tyler-Sharman affair at the 1996 Olympics, where she was selected to ride in both the pursuit and points race ahead of Kathy Watt. Watt appealed to the International Court of Arbitration for Sport and won her case, and was allowed to ride the pursuit where she finished ninth. Afterwards however, certain "character reference" comments made about her by head coach Charlie Walsh led to a series of defamation lawsuits, of which Watt has won both [another story]. Tyler-Sharman also attracted controversy in the 1998 Commonwealth Games, where she pulled her foot in the 3km pursuit, placing the blame on Cycling Australia officials for "sabotaging her pedals". After a threat of a lawsuit from CA, she apologised early in 1999 and the case was dropped. However, things were still not rosy with CA, and she used the words "antagonism, ostracism, undermining, and incompetent" to describe them and her relationship with them this year. As to her plans next year: she wants an Australian licence and intends on competing at the Australian track championships in Sydney in March, 2000. However, she will need to find some sponsorship dollars in order to do so. If not, then she would have to relinquish her Australian citizenship in order to compete for the U.S. - a step which she is very reluctant to take.
Tafi operated on Italian hard-man, Andrea Tafi, winner of the last Paris-Roubaix has undergone minor surgery at the hospital in Pistoia to remove a benign cyst in his groin. He will be back on the bike in a couple of weeks.
Queen of the Park Courtesy of Mark Chadwick The Carnegie Caulfied Cycling Club is holding a special event on January 18, 2000 - the women only "Queen of the Park" criterium. The event, to be held in the evening has attracted some of Australia's top talent, including Anna Wilson, Western Australian road champion, and recent silver medallist in the Oceania games, Hayley Rutherford. 19 year-old Rutherford rides for the newly formed VeloBelles professional team, who will be contesting the Bay Series criteriums and the Sorrento Cup in January. However, Rutherford will have to hold her own in the Queen of the Park, as her team will be returning home to Perth after the aforementioned races. She is intending on giving Anna Wilson a run for money Zabel and Aldag spend Christmas in Dortmund The 63rd "Weihnachtspreis" will be contested on December 26, on the 200m Dortmund track, giving fans a chance to see top racers, Eric Zabel and Rolf Aldag in action on Boxing Day. The highlight of the afternoon's racing will be the Stayers races, where 1998 World Cup winner Hanskurt Brand (Swi), 1994 World Champion, Carsten Podlesch (Ger), and Andreas Kappes (Ger) will be amongst the competitors. The races will be conducted as two 20km heats, followed by a 40km final. Podlesch is the only person to have won the title three times (in 1994, 1995, and 1997), gaining him the special "Wanderpreis" trophy. Hanskurt Brand could equal this feat in '99 if he wins the race. The second main event of the Weihnachtspreis, is the "Omnium der Asse", between teams from Germany and the rest of Europe. The races held will be the elimination, sprint, keirin, 1000m and 2000m team pursuit, a flying lap, and finally a 50 lap Derny. The German team will contain World keirin champion, Jens Fiedler, Rolf Aldag, and Erik Zabel, as well as the 23-year old Dortmunder local Ronny Lauke. In the European team they will have Ainars Kiksis, Swiss Sixdays winner Bruno Risi, the Dane Jimmi Madsen as well as Italian Marco Villa. Start list Stayers: 1 Hanskurt Brand (Swi) World Champion 1998 Pacer: René Aebi (Swi) 2 Carsten Podlesch, Berlin World Champion 1994, 1995, 1997 Pacer: Bruno Walrave (Holland) 3 Roland Rol, Holland Pacer: René Aebi (Swi) 4 Stefan Klare, Bielefeld Pacer: Christian Dippel (Bielefeld) 5 Lubomir Mazel, Czech Republic Pacer: Helmut Baur (Singen) 6 Laurent De Paoli, Belgium Pacer: Manfred Schmadtke (Dortmund) 7 Andreas Kappes, Cologne German Champion 1999 Pacer: Dieter Durst (Nürnberg) 8 Patrick Kops, Holland Dutch Champion 1999 Pacer: Christian Dippel (Bielefeld) 9 Sabino Cannone (Ita) Pacer: Bruno Walrave (Holland) 10 Ralf Keller, Leipzig Pacer: Dieter Durst (Nürnberg) 11 Mario Vonhof, Berlin Pacer: Helmut Baur (Singen) 12 Marc Seynaeve, France Pacer: Manfred Schmadtke (Dortmund) Omnium der Asse: Germany vs Europe Germany 1 Jens Fiedler (29), Chemnitz 2 Rolf Aldag (31), Ahlen 3 Erik Zabel (29), Unna 4 Ronny Lauke (23), Dortmund Europe 5 Ainars Kiksis (25) (Lat) 6 Bruno Risi (31) (Swi) 7 Jimmi Madsen (30) (Den) 8 Marco Villa (30) (Ita) Colpack line up Italian team Colpack have announced their eleven rider lineup. Four pros from Polti, with the rest being young neos. The team will serve as some sort of back up for Polti. Antonio Bevilacqua will be the sports director, assisted by Cristiano Colleoni. The team will make its debut at the Tour Méditerranéen, February 9-12 on Masciaghi bikes. Professionals: Gianluca Valoti, 26 years Mauro Zinetti, 24 Denis Lunghi, 23 Andrea Nencini, 26 Neo pros are: Fabio Bulgarelli, 22, 3rd European U-23 C'ships 1999 Alessandro Cortinovis, 22 Gianni Gobbini, 23 Miguel Meza Flores (Mex), 22 Massimiliano Razzari, 26 Moris Sammassimo, 23 Ruggero Torraco, 24 Vuelta 2001 to Salamanca La Vuelta a España 2001 will finish in Salamanca, much to the joy of the city's sports councillor, Antonío Sánchez. Sánchez thanked the organizers, Unipublic, for having the good taste to let his city host the final stage: "This will be very important in the marketing of Salamanca as the cultural capital of Europé in 2002," he told press on Wednesday.
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