News for November 11, 1999

Full Rabobank squads

Courtesy of Dick Soepenberg

Rabobank have announced their complete teams for next year as detailed below:

Juniors:

Peter van Agtmaal, Michiel Elijzen, Reinier Honig, Johnny Hoogerland, Kenny van Hummel, Koen de Kort, Frank Kwanten, Peter Mohlmann, Leon Notenboom, Steven Peters, Niels Scheuneman, Kor Steenbergen

Amateurs:

Hans Dekkers, Remmert Wielinga, Theo Eltink, Coen Loos, Roy Sentjens,Stijn Westrik, Roel Egelmeers, Ronald Mutsaars, Mart Louwers, Bobbie Traksel, Peter Schep, V. van der Kooy, Thorwald Veneberg, Mark Vlijm, Laurens ten Dam, Bram de Waard, Mark Scanlon, Luuc Hutten, Pieter Weenin, Wopke Veenstra

Professionals:

Leon van Bon, Michael Boogerd Richard Groenendaal, Rolf Sörensen (Den), Aart Vierhouten, Marc Wauters (Bel), Beat Zberg (Swi), Maarten den Bakker, Erik Dekker, Marc Lotz, Sven Nijs (Bel), Matthé Pronk, Karsten Kroon, Jan Boven, Markus Zberg (Swi), Grischa Niermann (Ger), Niki Aebersold (Swi), Bram de Groot, Steven de Jongh, Mathew Hayman (Aus), Addy Engels, Coen Boerman, Marcel Duijn, Adrie van der Poel

Camenzind stays with Lampre

Swiss cyclist and ex-world road race champion, Oscar Camenzind, will stay with Lampre, according to an official statement made by the team on Wednesday evening, November 10th.

The presidents of the Lampre company, Mario and Emanuele Galbursera reached a financial agreement with Camenzind regarding his new contract. although no monetary details have been divulged yet.

Hunt to Big Mat

British ex-Banesto sprinter, Jeremy Hunt is set to sign with French seconds division team, Big Mat Auber 93, according to BritProNews. It was previously thought that he would sign with St Quentin-MBK, a French team moving up from the third to the second division next year, however he has purportedly negotiated a better offer with Big Mat. He will join Australian Jay Sweet as one of the team's several sprinters.

Pantani before Judge

Marco Pantani (Mercatone-Uno) will undergo questioning today by assistant prosecutor of the court in Turin, Raffaele Guariniello, who has been leading the investigation into doping in Italian sport since August 1998.

Although team director Giuseppe Martinelli has played down the affair, it is thought that Pantani will be asked to clarify certain "questionable" events in his career.

Although he was thrown out of this year's Giro d'Italia with a high hematocrit, Pantani has always maintained he had not taken drugs. He had considered retiring for good after the affair, but has since had time to rethink his career options and will race next year.

The "new" Festina

Courtesy of Frank Gonzalez

The name of the Festina team will probably always be linked with the 1998 Tour de France drugs scandal, and subsequent events leading to a more general investigation into doping in the peloton. Since then however, Festina has made a concerted effort to clean it's image up, including gradually removing the riders who were part of the Tour team in 1998.

Christophe Moreau (Fra) is one of the last remaining riders of that team, and he may well be heading to Jean Delatour next year. Only 5 of the 24 riders left in the entire 1998 squad are left this year.

The process started with a new director - Spaniard Juan Fernández - who took over the responsibility in September 1998, who pushed for the reduction of the top riders' salaries causing most of them to leave at the end of last year. Laurent Brochard, Didier Rous, Pascal Hervé, and possibly Christophe Moreau are set to follow suit this year.

Fernández has also reformed the team with a strong Spanish element, although they are still affiliated in France. There will be 7 Spanish cyclists in the team next year, headed by national champion Angel Casero, who has shown great potential as a big tour rider.