News for December 9, 1999

Pantani to ride Ruta del Sol

Marco Pantani (Mercatone - Uno) has scheduled his comeback for next year with the Spanish "Ruta del Sol" in February. The organisers of the race announced this on December 8, and it will be the first time since Pantani has competed since his June 4 exclusion from the Giro d'Italia this year.

The five stage race is one of the first races of the year, commencing in Almeria on February 13th and finishing on the 17th.

Mercatone Uno's director, Giuseppe Martinelli told Spanish daily, El Mundo of Pantani's plans for the year: "Marco's principal aim in the coming year is the Giro. There he wants to make up for what happened this year," he said.

Armstrong supports juniors

Courtesy of Rich Wanninger

Lance Armstrong has agreed to continue his important support for junior road cycling in the United States. The Lance Armstrong Junior Olympic Road Series (LAJORS) returns for its sixth campaign in 2000, USA Cycling announced Wednesday.

"I feel it is important for me to continue my support in helping junior cycling grow in the United States," said Armstrong. "We have a strong nucleus of junior cyclists who have benefited from the LAJORS program, and I would like to get more kids involved in cycling. The sport has provided me many opportunities and experiences that I would not have received if I were not a cyclist. I am happy to continue my relationship with USA Cycling to bolster junior cycling in this country."

Armstrong has been involved with the U.S. Cycling Federation for a decade, including two junior national championships in 1989 and a senior national championship two years later.

To increase participation in the junior cycling ranks in the United States, USA Cycling, the national governing body for the sport of cycling, created a junior road cycling series, and Armstrong, one of the world's elite riders lent his name to the series.

The LAJORS, which started in 1995 with 34 races and 1,416 junior racers, expanded to 60 races and 2,476 junior and espoir racers in 1999. Some of USA's best cyclists have competed in LAJORS races, including Will Frischkorn (fifth at 1999 World Cyclo-Cross Championships), Mike Creed (17 national junior titles), Cecilia Potts (1997 world junior mountain bike champion) and David Zabriskie (1998 U-23 national time trial champion). In addition, some of the top espoir and pro performers who participated include Christian Vande Velde (1999 Tour de France, and World Cup rider), David Clinger (four-time world championship participant) and 1999 elite and espoir national road race champion Danny Pate. Other LAJORS veterans include 1999 world road race competitors Rebecca McClintock (juniors) and Emily Robbins (elite).

15 teams for Rapport Tour

Courtesy of David Cowie

The 25th Vodacom Rapport Tour promises to be one of the most memorable in South African cycling history. This is largely due to the fact that the country has never before witnessed a class of field as strong as the line-up for the Millennium event. Some of the world’s leading professional teams and riders will contest the week-long race in the Cape from February 11-19, 2000.

Among the 15 teams entered are five from the 1st and six from the 2nd division, with the balance made up of South African teams and a development squad. Unlike the 1999 event, which had five riders per team, teams contesting the 2000 Vodacom Rapport Tour will each field six riders.

The Teams

Gerolsteiner

The powerful German outfit has in its ranks the 1999 and 1996 Vodacom Rapport Tour winner, Michael Rich. His support will come from the likes of Uwe Peschel, sprinter Sven Teutenberg, Tour of Normandy winner Torsten Schmidt, Joren Reuss and Volker Ordowski. Team manager is Rolf Goelz of Germany.

Deutsche Telekom

The major coup of the race is undoubtedly the signing of the Deutsche Telekom Team with the likes of Jan Ullrich, Udo Boelts, Alberto Elli, Danilo Hondo, Georg Totschning and Jens Heppner in its ranks. Team manager is Belgian Rudy Pevenage.

IBM-Lotus

Arguably South Africa’s most professional cycling outfit, this team could provide some surprises with the likes of Tiaan Kannemeyer (who leaves the team after the tour to ride as a pro for Team Cologne in Europe) Douglas Ryder, Owen Hannie, Daniel Spence, Kosie Laubser and James Perry. Team manager is Nigel Herbert of SA.

Saeco-Gaggia

This world famous outfit consists of some of the big names in world cycling. Sprinter Mario Cippolini and tour rider Laurent Dufaux, Their team manager is Claudio Corti of Italy.

Post Suisse

This relatively new second division team boasts some of Europe’s best up and coming riders. One name that stands out among the six is German tour rider Dirk Meuller, who has, in the past, ridden for the likes of Mapei and Telekom.. His teammates are Swiss riders Philip Buschor, Reto Bergmann, Christian Heule, Marcel Strauss and Martin Cotar. Team manager: Kurt Steinmann of Switzerland.

Team Cologne

This German outfit, which will boast South African Tiaan Kannemeyer in its ranks after the tour, has loads of talent. The team consists of - Raimond Meijs, a former Junior World Champion, Bert Hiemstra who rode for Rabobank, Michael Schlikau - a top ten ranked tour rider who helped Ullrich to his last world title, Soeren Petersen and Bert Grabsch. Team manager is Dieter Koslar of Germany.

Minolta

This South African team boasts the seasoned Simon Kessler and Jacques le Roux in its ranks. The rest of the line-up consists of South African’s Marco van Dommelen, Rudolf Wentzel, Adriaan De Beer and Austrian rider Florian Weisinger. Team manager: John Robertson of SA.

Linda McCartney

This relatively new British team sponsored by the late wife of Paul McCartney has one rule of team entry. Riders must be vegetarians. New signing Pascal Richard is a convert. This team, which is aiming to contest the Sydney Olympics and 2001 Tour de France, could pose a great threat with Olympic Champion Richard in its ranks.

With the likes of Classics specialist Max Sciandri of Britain, Danish rider Tayeb Braika, Norwegian Bjornar Vestol, and Italian Maurizio de Pascale will add lots of spice to its ability to challenge the more established teams. Team manager is the former Tour de France star, Sean Yates of the UK.

Pro Mix

The fact that South Africa’s best international stars would not have their teams contesting the tour, prompted tour organisers to form a team that would give them the opportunity to race in their country’s premier event. Robbie Hunter (Lampre-Daikin) and David George (US Postal) will be assisted by the likes of Germans Frank Schink and Stefan Gottschling and Italian Mariano Piccoli. Tim Jones of Zimbabwe completes the line-up. Tony Harding of SA is the team manager.

HSBC RSA

This South African outfit boasts some of the best local riders in its line-up. Sprinter Malcolm Lange will be hoping for better fortunes in the Tour after crashing out in 1999. Nicholas White, who was perhaps the best all-round South African performer in the ’99 Vodacom Rapport Tour, will have his hands full in the mountain stages in which he revels. Rodney (Jock) Green, Etienne and Jac-Louis van Wyk as well as Neil McDonald will all provide support.

Team Development (to be announced)

Farm Frites

Formely known as TVM, this Dutch outfit also has some impressive young riders in its line-up. Seasoned sprinter, Jan Koerts of Holland, who won both the points and hotspot competitions in the 1999 Vodacom Rapport Tour, is back and no doubt hungry for more success. His teammates are Johan Capiot of Belgium, Gerben Lowik, Martin van Steen and Steven Kleynen of Holland, and renowned climber Guennadi Mikhalov of Russia. Team manager is Hendrik Redant.

BOE/Ryder (73-78)

Australia (to be announced)

La Francaise des Jeux (85-90)

The final 1st division team in the 2000 Vodacom Rapport Tour consists of Dane Lars Michaelsen, a former winner of the Boland Bank Tour. He is joined by top 25 world ranked Frenchman Stephan Heulot. They can count on the support of Swiss rider Sven Montgomery, Frank Hoj of Denmark and Xavier Jan of France.

Vandebroucke to Fassa Bartolo?

Frank Vandenbroucke's dramatic exit from French team, Cofidis last week has left him with an interesting choice: where to next? Although the intial rumours that he was going to ONCE were false, the new Italian outfit, Fassa Bartolo, has expressed interest according to team director, Giancarlo Ferretti.

He told Belgian newspaper, "Het Laatste Nieuws": "When he is legally free, we'd absolutely have a place for him. I hope he'll give me a call." The first division team would greatly benefit from VDB's presence of course, containing strong riders such as Dimitri Konyshev, Dario Frigo, Andrea Ferrigato, Roberto Petito and Wladimir Belli.

Do they have the cash? Likely. Does VDB want to go? Only he knows...