News for June 2, 1999

Olympic Road Race course back to coast

Sydney's Games organisers will announce today that the proposal to move the road race course for next year's Olympics to the western suburbs of Sydney (Bankstown) has been abandoned amidst furious opposition and accusations that the Murdoch companies were tampering with the sporting spectacle. The board of SOCOG met yesterday and were briefed on the discontent that the UCI had with their decision to change the route. The new course would have made the race a joke despite backing from our august cycling administrators - Cycling Australia. The UCI became worried after former track gold medallist Brett Dutton said the race would be a "roll around in big rings".

Sydney Morning Herald's Michael Evans and Matthew Moore quote an official of SOCOG (in SMH, June 2), Bob Elphinstone as saying: "The advice we've got in the last few days from the International Cycling Union president, Mr Hein Verbruggen, is that he would prefer the course to be tougher rather than easier because this is the Olympic Games." Elphinston had earlier this week claimed the course was okay because he had ridden over it with Cycling Australia's president Ray Godkin and he struggled up the hill. Yeh!

The return to the coastal route which uses Bronte Beach and Centennial Park is a 15 kms loop. The issue over the blocking of entrances to Fox Studios (owned by Murdoch) was the reason that the organisers planned to move the route. They claimed that they would have to pay millions to the Murdoch company as compensation.

Aldag has successful operation

German cyclist Rolf Aldag who was leading the Tour of Germany before he fell on Sunday has had an operation on his right elbow. The 30-year old Telekom rider will have to stay in hospital for the next 5 days.

Switzerland, Classique Pruntrut-Zürich, NE, 217 kms, May 29

 1. Josef Christen (Swi) Ericsson-Villiger          5.24.44 (40.092 km/h)
 2. Roland Schätti (Swi) Mephisto-Romer's
 3. Marcel Renggli (Swi) Post Swiss Team
 4. Jean Nuttli (Swi) Team Schaller-Häusermann         s.t.
 5. Christian Weber (Swi) Kia-Villiger                 0.43
 6. Hugo Jenni (Swi) Seat-Kona                         0.43
 7. Beat Steffen (Swi) Frank-Cilo                      0.43
 8. Roger Leuenberger (Swi) Team Schaller-Häusermann   2.33
 9. Christian Sidler (Swi) Ericsson-Villiger           2.37
10. Christian Eminger (Aut) Saeco-Wetzikon             3.07
11. Peter Jörg (Swi) Kia-Villiger                      3.07
12. Daniel Senn (Swi) Saeco-Wetzikon                   3.07
13. Fraser McMaster (NZ) Frank-Cilo                    3.07
14. Jean-Yves Duzellier (Fra) ASPTT Mulhouse           3.07
15. Urs Graf (Swi) Ericsson-Villiger                   3.07
16. Reto Bergmann (Swi) Mephisto-Romer's               3.07
17. Stefan Richner (Swi) Seat-Kona                     3.07
18. Christian Heule (Swi) Ericsson-Villiger            5.07
19. Marc Kerker (Swi) Saeco-Wetzikon                   5.07
20. Urs Spycher (Swi) Kia-Villiger                     5.07
21. David Senn (Swi) mita-medic                        5.07
22. Daniel Paradis (Swi) Continentale                  5.07
23. Rafael Schär (Swi) Team Schaller-Häusermann        5.07
24. Uwe Straumann (Swi) Mephisto-Romer's               5.07
25. René Stadelmann (Swi) Ericsson-Villiger            5.07
26. Patrick Wirth (Swi) mita-medic                     5.21
27. Beat Blum (Swi) Saeco-Wetzikon                     6.59
28. Jan Ramsauer (Swi) Saeco-Wetzikon                 14.00
29. Julien Vergères (Swi) Team Genève UVG             14.00
30. Rafael Bayer (Aut) Seat-Kona                      14.05
31. Cédric Sermet (Swi) Team Genève UVG               14.05
32. Patrick Stäuble (Swi) Saeco-Wetzikon              14.05
33. Roman Peter (Swi) Mephisto-Romer's                14.05
34. Stéphane Grémaud (Swi) Team Genève UVG            14.05
35. Michael Lingua (Swi) Seat-Kona                    14.05
36. Ueli Staub (Swi) mita-medic                       14.05
37. Adrian Iten (Swi) mita-medic                      14.05
38. Saul Pasque (Aus) Camperdown Club                 14.05

Thanks to Pascal Meisser, Switzerland

France, Tour de Gironde, Elite May 27-30

Stage 1, Villenave-d'Ornon - Villenave-d’Ornon, 190 kms:

 1. Gilles Zech (Fra) 23-La Creuse           	     4.17.30
 2. Stéphane Augé (Fra) VC Roubaix             		0.02
 3. Remmert Wielinga (Ned) Agu Cycling Team		0.02

Stage 2, Salles - Pauillac, 188 kms:

 1. Sylvain Lajoie (Fra) VC Roubaix          	     4.13.11
 2. Pierre Amorisson (Fra) Multisport
 3. Laurent Chotard (Fra) CC Nogent-sur-Oise		s.t.

Stage 3, Carbon-Blanc - Cenon, 100 kms:

 1. Denis Dugouchet (Fra) UC Châteauroux     	     2.19.11
 2. Gaël Perry (Fra) CC Etupes				O.O2
 3. Pascal Carlot (Fra) CC Nogent-sur-Oise		0.04

Stage 4, Ladaux ITT, 25 kms:

 1. Laszlo Bodrogi (Fra) CC Etupes		       33.40
 2. Nicolas Dumont (Fra) CC Etupes			0.18
 3. Carlo Meneghetti (Fra) VC Roubaix			0.20

Stage 5, Libourne - Floirac, 159 kms:

 1. Stéphane Reimherr (Fra) Aquitaine        	     3.56.56
 2. Sébastien Fouré (Fra) VC Rouen			0.01
 3. Franck Faugeroux (Fra) UC Châteauroux		0.01

Overall final

 1. Laszlo Bodrogi (Fra) CC Etupes
 2. Noan Lelarge (Fra) CC Nogent-sur-Oise		0.34
 3. Martial Locatelli (Fra) CC Etupes			0.40
 4. Stéphane Augé (Fra) VC Roubaix			0.42
 5. Stéphane Delimauges (Fra) VC Rouen			1.18
 6. Remmerts Wielinga (Ned) Agu Cycling Team		1.23
 7. Laurent Chotard (Fra) CC Nogent-sur-Oise		2.31
 8. Gilles Zech (Fra) 23-La Creuse 			2.40
 9. Sébastien Fouré (Fra) VC Rouen			3.13
10. Franck Faugeroux (Fra) UC Châteauroux		3.43

Thanks to Nicolas Tavares, France who keeps an eye on French amateur racing for me

Paris - Roubaix espoirs, Under-23, May 30, 186.3 kms:

 1. Sébastien Joly (Fra) Vendée-U           	     4.36.39
 2. Stéphane Krafft (Fra) France			0.24
 3. Andreas Wilfurth (Ger) Germany			0.24
 4. Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Vendée-U			0.24
 5. Freddy Ravaleu (Fra) Jean-Floc'h-Mantes		0.24
 6. Tom Boonen (Fra) Groeninge 				0.35
 7. David Derepas (Fra) France				0.48
 8. Fabrice Salanson (Fra) Vendée-U			0.54
 9. Gorik Gardeyn (Fra) Groeninge			1.00
10. Kirk O'Bee (USA) Ikon-Wheelers			1.00

Thanks to Nicolas Tavares, France who keeps an eye on French amateur racing for me

News from Luxembourg:

Gerard Schiltz, our Luxembourg reported writes that during the last week, Luxembourg participated at the 8th Games of the small European Countries, a kind of mini Olympic games. These games are organised every two years in one of the eigth participating countries. The 1999 games took place in Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein from May 24-29.

Here are the results from the cycling competitions.

May 25, Time Trial 26 kms:

 1. Christian Poos (Lux) 31.55
 2. Kim Kirchen (Lux) 32.23
 3. Maurizio Tura (SMa) 32.26

Started: 27

May 28, Road Race, 108 kms:

 1. Steve Fogen (Lux) 2.45.02
 2. Christian Poos (Lux)
 3. Kim Kirchen (Lux)
 4. Mark Ruhe (Lie) 5.20
 6. Max Becker (Lux) 6.09

Teams Classification:

 1. Luxembourg 8.15.06
 2. Liechtenstein 8.32.42
 3. San Marino 8.34.30

For the road race there were 27 starters from national teams from Liechtenstein, Cyprus, Malta, San Marino, Andorra, Iceland, Monaco and Luxembourg.

Mondorf, GP du Domaine Thermal, Elite 2, 110 kms, May 30:

This race was clearly dominated by the 38 year-old Mezzapesa, ex-Professional in the 1989s, who achieved his second success in 1999.

 1. Enzo Mezzapesa (Lux) Differdange 2.29.27
 2. Gilles Riffel (Fra) 1.15
 3. Steve Schleck (Lux) Tetange 2.22
 4. Frank Schleck (Lux) Tetange 4.17
 5. Vadim Konlakhine (Ukr)
 6. Vincenzo Centrone (Lux) Differdange
 7. Sergio Prado (Spa) Differdange 4.24
 8. Michel Wolter (Lux) Tetange
 9. Gusty Bausch (Lux) Dommeldange 4.38
10. Daniel Bintz (Lux) Tetange 4.46

Started: 61

Sweden, Stockholm, 10th Tjejtrampet, 51 kms, Cat 1.9.2, May 30:

Tomas Nilsson, who reports from Scandinavia for cyclingnews.com writes that the world's biggest women's cycle race, the Tjejtrampet in Stockholm, Sweden was won by Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel in a bunch sprint.

 1. Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel (Ned)		     1.17.30
 2. Zinaidia Stahurskaya (Blr) Acca Due O-Lorena
 3. Marie Höljer (Swe)
 4. Susanne Ljungskog (Swe)				s.t.

Started: 5417

Yes, you read the starting list correctly - a big race. Tjejtrampet was preceded the day before by Via Direkt Race, a points criterium on a 900 m circuit (20 laps) with sprints every second lap followed by an elimination race among the top ten in the points race.

 1. Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel (Ned)
 2. Zinaidia Stahurskaya (Blr)  Acca Due O-Lorena
 3. Elana Tchalykh (Rus)