News for November 12, 1999

Fakta 2000

By Tomas Nilsson, cyclingnews.com correspondent

When the two Danish division II teams, Chicky World and Acceptcard closed this season, the best riders went to Jack & Jones. Third division Team Fakta took the chance to sign a number of those "left over" starting with home coming veteran Peter Meinert-Nielsen (from US Postal), and so a new second division team was born.

The team for 2000: Peter Meinert-Nielsen (US Postal), Danny Jonasson, Martin Kryger and Morten Sonne (Acceptcard) and Nicky Sörensen (Chicky World).

Allan Bo Andresen, Jimmy Hansen, Claus Holm, Lennie Kristensen and Jacob Gram Nielsen are hanging on from this year, while Christian Foghmar, Mikkel Holm, Lasse Jonasson, René Lohse, Peter Sejer Nielsen, Jan Erik Östergaard and Marc Stegger Sörensen are all leaving.

Post Swiss 2000

Courtesy of Pascal Meisser

The Post Swiss Team have announced their team formation for the 2000 season 2000, as detailed below:

Team Manager:
Kurt Buergi

Sports Directors:
Serge Demierre, Kurt Steinmann (both ex-pro's)

Riders:
Bruno Boscardin (Swi)
Marcel Strauss (Swi)
Philipp Buschor (Swi)
Roger Beuchat (Swi)
Pierre Ackermann (Swi, from Ericsson-Villiger)
Christian Sidler (Swi, from Ericsson-Villiger)
Christian Heule (Swi, from Ericsson-Villiger)
Dirk Müller (Ger, from Mapei)
Reto Bergmann (Swi, neo)
Mathias Braun (Swi, neo)
Martin Cotar (Cro, neo)
Christian Poos (Lux, neo)

Farm Frites completes signings

Dutch Team, Farm Frites' (ex TVM) last signings are Wim Vansevenant (Collstrop), and neo-pro Steven Kleynen. Earlier acquisitions are Belgian Dave Bruylandts, the Swede Glenn Magnusson, Australian Robbie McEwen, Russian Guennadi Mikhailov and the Netherlanders Gerben Löwik and Koos Moerenhout.

The Netherlanders Jeroen Blijlevens, Tristan Hoffman and Steven de Jongh, French Olivier Asmaker, Italian Davide Casarotto, Belgian Hendrik van Dyck, Dane Claus Michael Möller and Ukrainian Sergei Outschakov have left the team.

Peter van Petegem and Robbie McEwen are the appointed captains for the classics and the tours respectively. Egon van Kessel will replace Steven Rooks as the assistant to sports director, Henrik Redant.

Pantani quiet

Marco Pantani spent ten minutes at the federal attorney in Turin Thursday. He used his right not to answer anything in the questioning held by federal attorney Raffaele Guariniello. At the following press conference he said that he will submit documents that will clear everything up.

"I don't have anything to hide. It's time for matters to clear up, it's a question of my credibility," he said.

According to a law of 1989, Pantani is suspected of a "sporting offence", distorting the results of some of his victories, by using EPO. Results of medical examinations carried out on Pantani after a serious fall at Milan-Turin 1995 suggest that he had a haematocrit level around 60 percent. The investigation didn't start though until after Pantani was excluded from the Giro d'Italia with a level above 50 percent in June this year.

Armstrong v. Pearl Izumi

According to a statement from cycle clothing manufacturer Pearl Izumi, they have reached an out of court agreement with Lance Armstrong in relation to his intended lawsuit with them.

Pearl Izumi officially apologized for using Armstrong's image in several of their advertisements, as well as paying for Armstrong's legal costs. They admitted that their contract with U.S. Postal did not entitle them to use Armstrong personally, only the team as a whole.

Swiss Cycling Federation in trouble

Courtesy of Graham Fowler

The Swiss national Olympic association has punished the country's cycling federation for obstructing drug tests. They "fined" the federation 50,000 Swiss Francs by cutting their budget next year, after a matter at the Wartenberg race in Pratteln in August.

After the race, won by Mauro Gianetti (Swi), the mandatory drug tests were stopped by supervisors because the facilities for testing weren't up to scratch. However, according to the Olympic association they were not empowered to make this judgement, and were fined.

This is but the latest of their troubles which include being deeply in debt, many members not paying fees, and having coaches walk out en masse.

Adri's last hurrah

Adri van der Poel's farewell to arms will take place in Hoogerheide, in the Netherlands on February 20 in an international cyclo cross race, according to Dutch news agency ANP. Sven Nijs, Mario de Clercq, Richard Groenendaal, Radomir Simunek and Daniele Pontoni have all agreed to start.

Adri van der Poel was the 1996 World Champion in cyclo-cross in Montreuil and came in second five times. He made his pro debut in 1981, and has gained 106 road victories, the highlights being the Tour of Flanders in 1986, Liege-Bastogne-Liege in 1988 and the Amstel Gold Race in 1990. during the last few seasons, the Dutch champion has concentrated on the cyclo-cross.

2000 Giro to start in the Vatican

Although the complete route will not be revealed until November 20th, next year's Giro d'Italia has set its start venue as the Vatican in Rome. On May 13th, there will be a prologue which will commence in the Vatican and finish in the center of Rome. How about a criterium around the Trevi fountain?