News for June 25, 1999

Spain, Valencia, World Track Cup Round 3:

Men:

Individual Pursuit:

 1. Robert Bartko (Ger) 	4.26.741
 2. Serguei Matveyev (Ukr) 	4.28.917
 3. Mauro Trentini (Ita) 	4.25.789
 4. Robert Hayles (GB) 		4.30.150
 5. Linas Balciunas (Lit) 	4.33.451
 6. Robert Slippens (Ned) 	4.35.104
 7. Thomas Mulkey (USA) 	4.35.204
 8. Jerome Neuville (Fra) 	4.37.378
 9. Hayden Goodfrey (NZ) 	4.37.908
10. Frank Corvers (Bel) 	4.38.207

Km ITT:

 1. Jason Queally (GB) 		1.03.411
 2. Stefan Nimke (Ger) 		1.03.913
 3. Damien Gerard (Fra) 	1.04.540
 4. Grzegorz Krejner (Pol) 	1.04.772
 5. Toshiaki Fushimi (Jap) 	1.05.476
 6. Jonas Carney (USA) 		1.05.914
 7. Bloch Garen (RSA) 		1.06.296
 8. Dimitris Georgalis (Gre) 	1.06.354
 9. Patrik Merk (Swi) 		1.06.399
10. José Manuel Moreno (Spa) 	1.06.475

Sprint:

 1. Florian Rousseau (Fra)
 2. Jens Fiedler (Ger)
 3. Roberto Chiapa (Ita)
 4. José Antonio Villanueva (Spa)
 5. Frederic Magne (Fra)
 6. Pavel Buran (Cze)
 7. Eyk Pokorny (Ger)
 8. Berzins Viesturs (Lat)
 9. Shinichi Ota (Jap)
10. Kiksis Ainars (Lat)

Points:

 1. Vasyl Yakoulev (Ukr) 	  16
 2. Kosi Yoshii (Jap) 		   2
 3. Mathew Gilmore (Bel) 	  20 (+1)
 4. Robert Hayles (GB) 		  12 (+1)
 5. Jimmi Madsen (Den)		  11 (+1)
 6. Z. Wyrzykowsy (Pol)		   9 (+1)
 7. Marco Villa (Ita) 		   9 (+1)
 8. Markus Kammermann (Swi)	   7 (+1)
 9. Joan Llaneras (Spa)		   2 (+1)
10. Jame Carney (USA) 		  14 (+2)

Olympic Sprint:

 1. Germany
 2. France
 3. Poland
 4. Spain
 5. Great Britain
 6. Italy
 7. Letonia
 8. Czech Rep
 9. Greece
10. Slovakia

Keirin:

 1. Frederic Magne (Fra)
 2. Jens Fiedler (Ger)
 3. David Cabrero (Spa)
 4. Christian Arrue (USA)
 5. Pavel Buran (Cze)
 6. Roberto Chiapa (Ita)
 7. Berzins Viesturs (Lat)
 8. Martin Benjamin (Ned)
 9. Sergey Panasenko (Ukr)
10. Craig Maclean (GB)

Madison:

 1. Curuchet-Curuchet (Arg)	  3
 2. Fulst-Round (Ger) 		 20 (+1)
 3. Madsen-Kristensen (Fra) 	 18 (+1)
 4. De Wilde-Gilmore (Bel) 	 16 (+1)
 5. Fedenko-Yakovlev (Ukr) 	 10 (+1)
 6. Neuville-Sassone (Fra)	  9 (+1)
 7. Furrer-Weber (Swi)		  5 (+1)
 8. Llaneras-Alzamora  (Spa)	  4 (+1)
 9. Riebenbauer-Garber (Aut) 	  4 (+1)
10. Wiggins-Hayles (GB) 	  0 (+1)

Women

Individual Pursuit:

 1. Rasa Nakeikyte (Lit)
 2. Judith Ardnt (Ger)
 3. Lucy Tyler-Sharman (Aus)
 4. Antonella Belluti (Ita)
 5. María Luisa Calle (Col) 	3.45.345
 6. Cathy Moncassin (Fra) 	3.48.056
 7. Lada Kozlikova (Cze) 	3.48.289
 8. Michele Cward (GB) 		3.50.216
 9. Dori Ruano (Spa) 		3.51.777
10. Zhao Jaijuan (Chn) 		3.52.528

Sprint:

 1. Felicia Ballanger (Fra)
 2. Jennie Reed (USA)
 3. Magali Faure (Fra)
 4. Szilvia Szabolcsi (Hun)
 5. Rebecca Quinn (USA)
 6. Rebecca Weichelt (Ger)
 7. Iryna Yanovich (Ukr)
 8. Daniela Lareal (V)
 9. Kastrin Meinke (Ger)
10. E. Ellinikaki (Gre)
12. Gema Pascual (Spa)

500 Women's ITT:

 1. Felicia Ballanger (Fra) 	34.975
 2. Cuihua Jiang (Chn) 		35.642
 3. Nancy Contreras (Mex) 	36.104
 4. Ulrike Weichelt (Ger)	36.301
 5. Yryna Yanovich (Ukr) 	36.716
 6. Jennie Reed (USA) 		36.798
 7. Karelia Machado (Ven) 	36.894
 8. Lucy Tyler-Sharman (Aus) 	36.910
 9. Antonella Belluti (Ita) 	36.970
10. Julie Forrester (GB) 	37.252
12. Verónica Garriga (Spa) 	37.768

Points:

 1. Belén Guerrero (Méx) 	    18
 2. Judith Ardnt (Ger)		    11
 3. Antonella Belluti (Ita)         10
 4. Rebeca Quinn (USA) 		    10
 5. Dori Ruano (Spa) 		    10
 6. Magali Faure (Fra) 		    10
 7. M. Van Scheppingen (Ned) 	     5
 8. Rikke Samdhoj (Den)		     5
 9. María Luisa Calle (Col) 	     3
10. Edita Kubelskiene (Lit)          3

General Nation Table:

 1. Germany 		          114
 2. France 			  104
 3. Italy			   55
 4. Ukraine			   50
 5. USA			 	   45
 6. Great Britain		   45
 7. Spain			   40
 8. Poland			   21
 9. Czech Republic		   21
10. Lithuania			   20

Next round:

August 27.29 - Fiorenzuela d’Arda (Italy)
Thanks to Ferdinand Ferrari, Meta2Mil

Zülle is okay after hospital tests

It is still possible that Swiss rider Alex Zülle will be able to ride in the Tour de France. After being examined in a Pamplona hospital it was concluded that he had an intestinal-infection. His doctor says that he can start training again after 4 days. Zülle abandoned the Tour of Catalonia on Tuesday because he felt ill.

Festina car contained two banned substances

It was reported yesterday, that customs officers in northern France had intercepted a Festina car driven by soigneur Rick Keyaerts and some creatine was found. That substance is not on any banned list. The story looked like a sensationalist reaction. But it has now been revealed that There were two other products seized - neoton and diprophos (a corticoid). When the soigneur was asked to show papers at the customs office, the latter drugs were not declared. Officers found them after a subsequent search. The soigneur was allowed to go because the substances are not on the list of items considered in violation of international trafficking. However, both are on the French banned list for cycling.

Now everyone is waiting for some consistency from Jean-Marie Leblanc. They are wondering why Festina has not been expelled from the Tour. The team has sacked the soigneur.

German Championships news

Top rider Hanka Kupfernagel is not yet sure whether she will be able to race in the German championship next weekend. She has been plagued with a heavy cold and said: "I can't train at 100 percent although my fever is gone. I still hope to defend my title.'

Team Telekom is entering a strong team for the men's race in the German titles. The team will be Rolf Aldag, Dirk Baldinger, Udo Bölts, Danilo Hondo, Kai Hundertmarck, Christian Henn, Jörg Jaksche, Andreas Klöden, Jan Schaffrath, Steffen Wesemann and Erik Zabel. It will be last test for Aldag. It's still unknown whether he can start in the Tour de France.

Longo wins yet another French title at Clermond-Ferrand

40-year old, Jeannie Longo rode to her 35th French championship in sunny conditions at Charade, which is near to Clermont-Ferrand. She won the Women's ITT in emphatic fashion. She was not sure whether it was 34 or 35 but her husband Patrice Ciprelli said it was 38 with three team championships.

It is of little importance. Each new championship however brings the same excitement to Longo. She had just returned from the USA where she won the HP Challenge. She said: "This parcours is very difficult and the descent is very dangerous."

Longo is now the big favourite for the road race on Friday. Marsal did not submit to Longo's pace in the ITT. Marsal said: "I was not riding for second place." 

French ITT Championship, 20.4 kms:

 1. Jeannie Longo		     31.35
 2. Catherine Marsal		  0.54
 3. Geraldine Loewenguth	  1.29

VDB back on the Cofidis books

Cofidis has reinstated Belgian Frank Vandenbroucke after a meeting between the rider and the management. He was suspended after being involved in the Sainz Paris matter. He has agreed only to use the team's doctor in the future and not take any substances without the doctor's knowledge. He will make his return to racing on July 31 at the Ronde van het Waals Gewest in Belgium. He will go to the United States in the meantime for some high altitude training. The start of the Ronde van het Waals Gewest is in Ploegsteert, the hometown of VDB.

TVM is likely to continue in some form

The truck insurance company TVM is seeking to end its role as the major sponsor of the team managed by Cees Priem. The chances are that they will remain an active co-sponsor next year but according to Arjan Bos, the commercial director of the company, there are three options on the table at the moment. The decision by Tour organiser Jean-Marie Leblanc to ban the team from the Tour de France has mean't the company has had to reappraise its involvement in the sport as a sponsor.

Bos said: "It is now time to assess our long-term future in the sport. 14 years of sponsoring a racing team is a long period."

The news of last week reached his vacation address on Mallorca. "I was upset and disappointed. I have meanwhile contacted Cees Priem but I don't think we can say much at present. But I find the arguments of Leblanc to be pretty weak. We have sought legal action but in reality there is very little we can do about the decision. There is a meeting planned on Thursday between our lawyer Van Mierlo, a representative of our co-sponsor Farm Frites and Tour boss Leblanc but I don't think it will change anything. There will be further discussions planned not over the participation in the Tour this year but over the future."

Father Ad Bos, managing director of TVM, is currently in South America. He will be involved in the discussions of the future. Arjan Bos said there were three options. "There is a chance that we will remain the major sponsor but with a reduced budget, in which case we will need a very large co-sponsor. Another possibility is that some other company, perhaps Farm Frites, will take over as major sponsor and we would remain as co-sponsor. A third option is that we get a new company to come in and take over the complete team."

A 4th option - closing the team altogether - was not mentioned. When asked about this, Bos said: "That is not being considered although it is not out of the question."

Fignon moves into race organisation

The family business Monde 6 which has organised Paris-Nice for many years has sold the rights to run the race to Laurent Fignon who will be the new director.

European MTB Championships 2000

The 2000 European MTB Championships will be held in Rhenen, a town in the Netherlands from August 18-20.

Sweden, Borlänge Centrum GP, June 23

 1. Marcus Ljungqvist (Swe) Team Wirsbo/Cantina Tollo
 2. Stefan Andersson (Swe) Motala AIF
 3. Fredrik Johansson (Swe) Västerĺs CK
Thanks to Tomas Nilsson, Sweden