News for November 1, 1999

Another young South African to Team Cologne

By Tomas Nilsson, cyclingnews.com correspondent

German Team Cologne has signed 20 year old Tiaan Kannemeyer for next year. He is the second South African espoir signed by the German team, and is considered to be a good climber. He showed it in this year's Commonwealth Bank Cycle Classic where he finished 10th overall, and was close to or in the front group on both of the hard climbing stages (7 and 11). He also was successful at this year's African Games, coming 2nd in the time trial and winning the road race. Earlier this fall 22 year old Kosie Loubser was signed.

This South African connection is no coincidence, according to German website Radsport. Ex-Telekom pro Guido Eickelbeck started his career in Team Cologne's predecessor PSV Köln and now lives in South Africa. Kannemeyer will meet his new team mates for the first time at the Rapport Tour in South Africa in February.

Top Colombians get their own team

Hernán Buenahora and "Chepé" González are officially captains of the Colombian-Italian team Nectar-Selle Italia. The team will be divided into two squads. One based in Europé with Buenahora and Gonzales aided by Italians Fortunato Baliani, Alessio Girelli, Gianluca Tonetti, Leonardo Scarselli, Francesco Pascuini and Andrea Paluan as well as latvian Andris Naududs and Hungarian Csaba Sdikeres.

The Colombian based squad will consist of Raúl Montaña, Israel Ochoa, José Luis Vanegas, Jairo Pérez, Libardo Niño, Freddy González, Elkin Barrera, Johnny Ruiz, Álvaro Sierra and César Goyeneche.

It is confirmed, according to Colombian news paper El Tiempo that Italian Gianni Savio, trainer of Selle Italia and Jose Alfonso Polló Lopez, leader of Aguardiente Nectar has signed an agreement to merge their respective squads. Their goal is the Giro d'Italia.

The two captains have a wealth of experience from European cycling. José Jaime "Chepe Gonzales was KOM of the Giro d'Italia in 1997 and Buenahora won the Vuelta a Catalonia in 1998.

The team's debut will be in Trofeo Laguelgia for the European squad and Milan-San Remo(!) and Tirreno-Adriatico are part of their plans to qualify for the Giro in May. In the Colombian squad Raoul Montaña, Alvaro Sierra and Israel Ochoa will be the top riders for races on the Colombian calendar.

Jonker to US Postal

30 year-old Australian/Dutch cyclist, Patrick Jonker will definitely be joining top American team, US Postal next year according to a report from AAP. Jonker has not had a stellar year with Rabobank this year, and he is willing to take a pay cut in order to ride as a domestique for Lance Armstrong, especially in next year's Tour de France.

He has known Armstrong since the early 1990's, when he was racing in the US as part of the Australian Institute of Sport squad, and has kept in contact with him over the years in the peloton. Although he had a bad Tour this year because of a bronchial infection in the first week, Jonker's climbing in the Route du Sud, held just before the Tour, impressed Armstrong sufficiently to invite him to the team after the Tour.

Jonker has been riding for Rabobank with Dutch citizenship for the past three years, however his new team will allow him to become an Australian again, meaning that he will be eligible to ride in next year's Olympic Games for the country he has lived in for most of his life.

"Although I am no patriot, having been with the AIS for so long when I was younger, and also racing for Australia at the Barcelona and Atlanta Olympics, it would be good to do it again," he told AAP.

He is currently in Australia competing in several events on the Gold Coast. He is intending to stay and ride in the Tour Down Under in January next year, which is held in his home town of Adelaide and its surrounds.