News for November 7, 1999

O'Grady taken to hospital at Noosa

Those thugs from Toulouse who ganged up on Australian rider Stuart O'Grady in early September still won't leave him, as the Australian rider was taken to hospital on Saturday afternoon just prior to the start of an invitational criterium at Noosa Heads, Queensland.

As the riders were preparing for the start, O'Grady suffered what's called a focal seizure (similar to an epileptic fit) and was taken to Nambour Hospital.

Tests at the hospital showed that the injuries from that mugging had still not cleared up, with a blood clot on his brain causing the problems. O'Grady was left with a fractured skull after the attack and was hospitalised in France. Three weeks later he suffered a relapse after the mugging, with blurred vision, memory loss and a loss of feeling on his right side.

The classy Australian had resumed light training after returning to Australia, but following the seizure doctors have advised O'Grady to cease riding until he is completely well.

O'Grady was bashed about the head with a windscreen wiper during the attack, which also involved fellow Australian rider Henk Vogels, who was knocked unconscious. The British rider David Millar was also with the two Australians and their girlfriends when they were attacked outside a restaurant in Toulouse on a Saturday evening, but he escaped relatively unscathed.

The bashing ended the season for the two Australians and severely depleted the Australian squad in the World Road Racing Championships.

Four new surprises for Vandenbroucke

Jean-Luc Vandenbroucke will stay as sports director of Lotto after a meeting with the main sponsors Loterie Nationale Belge, according to news agency Belga. The meeting took part since Lotto had engaged four new riders without discussing the matter with Vandenbroucke.

The riders are: Kurt Van Lancker and Glenn D'Hollander of Vlaanderen 2002 and amateurs Wim Heselmans and Serge Baguet, all Belgian.

"It's the first time in eleven years that I haven't been informed when the team has engaged new riders," said Vandenbroucke before the meeting. The team is still looking for a co-sponsor since Mobistar is quitting this season. With World Cup winner Andrei Tchmil still on the team it shouldn't be an impossible feat.

There will be a certain reorganization of the team in the coming two weeks, Vandenbroucke told the French news agency AFP on Sunday.

Zabel back on track - next year

Erik Zabel has declared to German web site Radsport that he intends to ride six day races next season after the Sydney Olympics. He won in 1995 with Etienne de Wilde in Munich and with Rolf Aldag 1996 in Dortmund. So who's his favourite partner?

"Jan Ullrich" was Zabel's answer, but he admits that it's mostly wishful thinking.