News for November 5, 1999
News from PortugalCourtesy of Rui Pinto The SL Benfica team has signed Italian rider Giuseppe Di Fresco, for next year. Giuseppe Di Fresco is 26 years old, and has ridden this season for the Colombian-Italian team Selle Italia. He will be third Italian rider in the team for next year, after Fabio Quercioli and the new sprinter Marco Madrucci. According Benfica's manager, Antonio Bras, only one rider will leave the squad next year. It is likely to be Joona Laukka (Fin), who tode for the team in the Vuelta. The Portuguse Team LA/Pecol/Alpiaráa squad for 2000 is:
Directeur Sportif: Vitor Paulo Branco
Assistent Directeur Sportif: Eduardo Correia
Current riders:
Joaquim Gomes(Por)
Bruno Castanheira (Por)
Pedro Lopes (Por)
Josè Rosa (Por)
Fernando Mota (Por)
Michele Laddomada (Ita)
Saulius Sarkauskas (Lit)
Youri Sourkov (Rus)
Stefano Venturini (Ita)
New Signings:
Andrei Zintchenko (Rus, Vitalicio)
Philippe Fernandes (Fra, Porta Ravessa)
Segis de la Torre (Esp, Matesica)
Ignacio Gutierrez (Esp, neo-Kelme)
Ruben Orbeaskoa (Esp, neo-Olarra)
The other Portuguese team, Matesica/Abûboda (GSIII), will have the
following riders on it's roster for next year:
Luis Castellano (Esp) Vicente Elvira (Esp) Unai Yus (Esp) Jorge Capitan (Esp, Alcosto) Xavier Llamas (Esp, Porta da Ravessa) Sèrgio Rodrigues (Por, neo-Orima) Hèlder Lopes (Por, Gresco/Tavira) Alexandre Pinho (Por, neo-Orima) Hèlder Silva (Por, neo-Orima) Pablo Getafe (Esp, CAI) Slio Norte (Por, neo-Alpendre/Tavira) Luìs Pedro (Por)
Dekker investigation to take some weeksThe commission investigating Erik Dekker's expulsion from the World's due to his high hematocrit will not reach a conclusion until at least December 1, according to ANP (Netherlands press). The doctors involved in the case, Dr. J. Marx, Mr. R. Verbunt and Prof. Dr. W. Mosterd require more time to examine the complexities of the case.
Kiwis dip out in Nation rankingsBy Tomas Nilsson, cyclingnews.com correspondent Norway managed to grab the important 25th place on the UCI nations ranking. Not by going to Australia to gain points, but rather by looking on as the New Zealand riders were unable to repeat their last year's performance in the Herald Sun Tour (two stages to Graeme Miller and Guyton 9th overall). The upgrading of the Commonwealth Bank Classic to category 2.4 didn't help either, as the Kiwis weren't there when points were awarded. This means that the next New Zealand road race champion will be awarded
15 points while his Norwegian counterpart reaps 60. For the ITT titles
the values are 8 and 30 respectively. A high value on the national championships
is important in qualifying for the World Championships where a handful
of points above 100 is usually sufficient for riders from nations ranked
16 and below on the 15th of August. The participation in the World Championships is based on the ranking
of the 15th of August in the same year. Also, the top 30 nations as
of December 31st 1999, gain automatic entry into the Olympic men's road
race.
Nation rankings as of
October 31
Crédit Agricole's sports director Roger Legeay will be succeeded as
president of the Ligue Nationale du Cyclisme Professionnel Français
(LNCPF), the organization of French pro teams, by Festina's assisting
sports director Yvon Sanquer. Sanquer came from the folding Mutuelle
de Seine-et-Marne a year ago as part of Festina's effort to clean up
after the drug scandals earlier that summer.
"I was shocked last March as president of the league when I was accused
of responsibility for the drug situation. That was completely unjust,"
said Legeay in an official statement. This is not his only reason for
resigning: "I have said on several occasions that it's time for someone
younger to take over," said the 50 year-old Legeay after he handed over
the leadership to the ten years younger Sanquer.
29 year old Lars Teutenberg from the small German team EC Bayer will
ride for Dutch team Batavus next year. The team has also signed Wim
van de Meulenhof from elite team MGI-De Jonge Renner and is also trying
to get Belgian Wim Omloop from Spar-RDM. Batavus has lost veteran John
Talen to Belgian Spar-Iveco.
Teutenberg is right now busy on the Munich velodrome and is also known
for breaking the one hour HPV record this summer. He rode, or rather
laid down, 81.158 kms at the Adam Opel Testzentrum 4778 meter track
in Dudenhofen, thus becoming the first person ever to go faster than
80 kph on his own muscle power.
Oscar Camenzind and team manager Giuseppe Saronni have not yet reached
an agreement regarding Oscar's contract for 2000 but they are due to
decide this shortly.
The team will be riding Fondriest bikes next year instead of Colnagos
but not because of any animosity with the latter firm. Saronni: "Our
relationship with Colnago remains the same. The friendship and esteem
won't change. But he has always been very committed to Mapei-Quick Step
and Rabobank. We accepted Maurizio Fondriest's proposal, who is a family
friend in Galbusera (Lampre), who rode with us during his best season
in 1993 and he is an emerging builder".
The 20 riders on Lampre's list will include: Franco Ballerini, Mariano
Piccoli, Ludo Dierckxsens, Marco Serpellini, Gilberto Simoni, with Camenzind
likely but not confirmed.
Vicente Belda is taking over from Alvaro Pino as the manager of the
Kelme-Costa Blanca team next year. The team will be smaller in 2000,
losing seven of it's current riders and gaining three.
Fernando Escartín will maintain his team leadership over the following
riders: José Joaquín Castelblanco, Santiago Botero, Francisco Cabello,
Carlos Contreras, Juan José de los Angeles, Alvaro Forner, José Javier
Gómez, Aitor González, José Enrique Gutiérrez, Roberto Heras, Franceso
León, Javier Pascual Llorente, Javier Otxoa, Javier Pascual Rodríguez,
Eligio Requejo, José Luis Rubiera, Oscar Sevilla, Toni Tauler, Angel
Vicioso, and José Angel Vidal.
The three new riders will be Ricardo Otxoa (formerly ONCE, last year
amateur), and neo pros, Juan Miguel Cuenca and Jesús Manzano.
The U.S. Cycling Federation (USCF) has sanctioned 53 events for its
2000 National Racing Calendar, an increase of 8 more than this year.
Among the changes to the 2000 schedule are the additions of the US Olympic
Trials for the road race and time trial, which will also serve as the
elite national championship events. In addition, an espoir-only event
(Four Bridges of Elgin) has been added to the NRC and UCI calendars,
and the Heritage Tour in South Carolina brings a major stage race to
the Southeast region. The Redlands (Calif.) Bicycle Classic will be
added to the UCI calendar.
In addition, the BMC Software Grand Prix will be expanded to four
events, after holding events in Houston and Austin, Texas in 1999. The
new cities are Boston and San Jose, Calif. Finally, the Junior Tour
of Cycling, an UCI-calendar junior stage race, is scheduled for Aug.
6-12 in Virginia. This marks the first-ever UCI junior stage race in
the United States.
Gord Fraser of Mercury and Saturn's Anna Wilson claimed the individual
NRC titles in 1999, while Mercury won the men's team title and Saturn
took the women's team crown.
Schedule:
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