News for November 15, 1999Swiss Cycling Federation at the edge Courtesy of Pascal Meisser Just one year after one of the biggest successes of the Swiss Cycling Federation (SRB), namely Oscar Camenzind's win in the Valkenburg World Championship in the Netherlands 1998, they are undergoing some of the worst moments in their history. Ever since Hugo Steinegger, former Tour de Suisse president, was elected President of the Swiss Federation in 1996, debts have been growing annually in an impressive manner, while many members of the federation lost their confidence in Steinegger and left the SRB. In only 3 years, almost 13,000 of 30,000 members were not willing to pay the annual fee of 65 Swiss Francs. Actually, the SRB is 1.5 million Swiss francs short, but they're expected to brush the 2-million-limit in the next few months. In fact, the Federation is already gone bankrupt because of non-liquidity. They only survived thanks to Marc Biver (IMG Switzerland) who already paid part of the Tour de Suisse license fee in advance, as well loans given by the Swiss Olympic Association (SOV). But, these loans were recently reduced by the same SOV, who accused the SRB of having obstructed drug tests at the international Wartenberg Tour in Pratteln. They fined the federation 50,000 Swiss Francs, which obviously deepen the financial problems of the SRB. When Steinegger finally retired as the SRB president in October recently, he was under heavy pressure, not only from the members. While the whole committee was supporting Steinegger, the national cycling coaches showed their solidarity and threatened their departure. It's not sure if they will return to work while the SRB committee remains and does not follow Steinegger's retirement. The hottest months of the SRB are still to come!
TVM trial next year TVM-lawyer, Joost van Mierlo expects that the TVM case will be on the Reims court list no earlier than April 2000. This is despite the fact that Philippe Laumosne had said that the case could be arranged in 1999. Van Mierlo also says that the Festina case won't on the list before April 2000.
Rising haematocrit levels among Italian junior riders By Tomas Nilsson, cyclingnews.com correspondent The Italian cycling federation has examined the results of all blood tests the last three years (1997-1999) and their examination shows that haematocrit levels in the junior ranks are rising significantly. In 1997, the haematocrit levels of 30 junior riders, age 17-18 were tested: 27.5 percent were between 35 and 40 In 1999 the numbers for a similar study were: 7.06 percent were between 35 and 40 This tendency of the haematocrit levels rising towards the 50 per cent limit was described as "worrying" by doping expert Dr Marcello Faina. Of 1818 tests conducted on Italian non-professional riders, 98 have lead to "suspension from activity" to protect the athlete's health.
Team news Italian amateur team Colpack will become a trade team next year. Currently, Colpack is a part of Team Polti, but they will be independent next year . "The new Colpack and Polti will be like cousins, rather than brothers," said Bevilacqua who is the new Colpack director and visited Japan as the director of Polti last October. The Colpack team members will be: D.Lunghi, M.Zinetti, A.Nencini (from Polti), M.Colleoni, A.Cortinovis, M. Meza, F.Bulgarelli, G.Gobbini and M.Sammasimo. While next year's Polti team is: I.Gotti, M.Celestino, J.Blijlevens, P.Herve, D.Clavero, R.Virenque, B.Voskamp, S.Goubert, E.Mazzoleni, S.Martinello, R.Brasi, F.Sacchi, E.Cassani, O.Pellicioli, M.Crepaldi, C. Colleoni, S. Zucchi and R. Mateos. - Stephane Krafft ,who is a stagiaire with Cofidis this year, has signed a full contract with them. Krafft came second in the U-23 Paris-Roubaix this year . "I was second, but It was my first Paris-Rouubaix!" he said. - Fabien Dewaele has secured a two year contract with Lotto. Peter Wuyts has also signed a one year contract with the team again. - Stefan van Dijk has signed for one year with the Axa Cycling Team. Van Dijk, ex-national U-23 champion, was for a long time with the amateur team of Rabobank.
French Dr against hypobaric chambers In a talk given at the French Cycling Federation's annual medical conference in Tarascon-on-Ariège, Dr. Armand Mégret protested against the use of hypobaric chambers for athletes. These pressurised chambers allow athletes to simulate the oxygen rarefaction at altitude without actually having to live/train in the mountains, thereby gaining gaining the benefits of increased red blood cell count without the side effects. "It is not doping as we envisage it now. It is a physical technique of the stimulation normal physiques to increase their RBC count," he explained. " I estimate that this physical stimulation is completely identical to a chemical stimulation of the EPO. For me, that is a great concern," Dr. Mégret emphasized. He is involved in a longitudinal medical follow-up of 500 elite cyclists in the "Petite Reine" - the doctor of the FFC stated "that there is at this moment a great opportunity in sports medicine to study, the sporting capacity gives us the means and the political capacity is there as well". "I will hold a important meeting in December with the UCI. I hope that I will be able to reach an agreement so I can apply this procedure in other countries," he concluded. Invited guest at this conference, Christophe Bassons (FdJ), who became the symbol of "clean" cycling after his standpoint against doping in the last Tour de France, was not able to be present at the conference.
Mercatone Uno against doping Marco Pantani's Mercatone Uno team counter-attacked the standpoint of Turin magistrate, Raffaele Guariniello, who accused Pantani of "sporting offence", i.e. falsfying race results through use of EPO. In an official statement, the team management said that the "supposed assumption of the use of EPO is completely without base". The case against Pantani goes back to October 18, 1995 after his serious accident in Milan-Turin, and the subsequent blood tests carried out upon his hospitalization. These allegedly showed that his hematocrit was close to 60%. "This information is not new. Since June 1999, various members of the press have methodically disseminated information and photographs from the investigation of the prosecutor Guariniello,starting with the data entry of the medical documents when Pantani was hospitalised. Information on his health was made public and left at the disposal of the press, in violation of the standards on the medical secrecy," the official Mercatone Uno statement says. The team goes on to say that the assumption of the offence "is based exclusively on the raised hematocrit of a wounded athlete hospitalized in Turin," and the abnormal value "could have been the consequence of the serious trauma that he underwent". On Thursday, November 11th in the Turin law courts, Pantani refused to answer the questions put by prosecutor Guariniello, exerting his right to silence. The hearing, which was scheduled for one to two hours finished in a few minutes. There were however, a series of documents transmitted to the magistrate that were presumably for his defense. Upon exiting the courts, Pantani told waiting journalists that "we do not have anything to hide - it is time to regulate this business because my credibility is in question. I hope that that will be useful".
Heras second in command Roberto Heras, right now ranked 10th by the UCI, is now seriously considered as Fernando Escartin's crown prince in Kelme. Heras said in an interview in the Spanish sports news paper AS that it is an honor to have the role as Escartin's lieutenant. "With that important role, and being so close to Escartin, I will get all the experience needed to carry through a hard tour like the Tour de France," said Heras. With Heras alongside of Escartin, as well as Rubiera and Sevilla as "engines" for the "farmer of Aragon", Kelme will come out as a very strong squad in the stage races. Rubiera and Sevilla are already on the Giro squad where they will ride for the general classification.
Camenzind banned from TV Ex world champion, Oscar Camenzind (Swi) is more or less banned from Swiss television. Last summer during the "garbage bag affair", when someone from a Lampre car was seen throwing a garbage bag into a bin during Tour de Suisse (allegedly containing doping products and syringes), a furious Camenzind denied to comment about it to Swiss television. He also threatened to boycott the state run TV station if he got any more questions about it. When Camenzind the other week was to participate in a sports show, the Super Decathlon, the TV channel sponsoring and showing the sports show asked the arrangers to remove Camenzind from the show. But since his face was already smiling from the posters he was present at the show but only as a guest, unable to participate due to a "rib bruise". To be continued.
More dough for Team Fakta Team Fakta, the only Danish second division team next year, is negotiating with another major sponsor, which means that the team might get a couple more riders, according to Danish daily Berlingske Tidende. The team will ride on Danish Pricipia bikes.
No knife for Sørensen Rolf Sørensen had his back and leg examined at a clinic in Lyon a couple of days ago and will not have to go through an operation. Instead he will seek the aid of a Danish specialist that has helped Bjarne Riis and Bo Hamburger. Rolf's problems seem to be the sciatic nerve. An operation would have put him back at least a month in the preparations for next season according to his father Jens who keeps a web diary at idol.dk. Since there are no six days in Denmark this season Rolf will concentrate on training and the renovation of the family's new house in Italy where he just finished the olive harvest.
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