News for October 13, 1999

Independent commission to investigate Dekker

By Tomas Nilsson, cyclingnews.com correspondent

The Dutch bank Rabobank that sponsors the team with the same name has decided, with the full understanding of team manager Jan Raas, to let an independent commission examine the case of Erik Dekker. He recorded high blood values and was excluded from the World Championships road race and ordered to rest for 15 days.

The bank's spokesman Frank van der Meiden says that the company believes that Dekker hasn't manipulated and that there is a natural cause to his high haematocrit level, over 50 per cent. "We don't think that Dekker has cheated, but would not like it to seem that we are trying to hide anything," said van der Meiden on Tuesday.

Escartin stays with Kelme

Spanish climbing star, Fernando Escartin has decided to remain with his team Kelme-Costa Blanca after potential deals with Festina and Rabobank fell through.

The 31 year-old, who finished third in the Tour de France this year, but crashed out of the Vuelta, has been with Kelme since 1995 with a good degree of success. As this may be his last contract, he was on the lookout for a greater salary than Kelme could afford - of the order of US $1.2 million. However, his last chance to achieve this was with Festina, who have spent their cash on Angel Casero. His salary will probably remain therefore around the US $700,000 mark.

Freire - what next?

Spanish world champion Oscar Freire Gomez, whose contract with Vitalicio Seguros runs out at the end of the year, is looking to sign with either Mapei or Polti, for approximately US $600,000 per year for the next 3 years. There are also rumours that ONCE want to sign him. He will be earning over 6 times his present salary and have a more stable future to boot. While Vitalicio would love to hang on to a world champion, their present budget only lasts until the end of next year.

The new "number 1" will ride Milan-Turin tomorrow but miss the Tour of Lombardy. He does however intend to ride the mountain TT "Escalada a Montjuic" in Barcelona on Sunday, which will be his last race of the year.

Armstrong the younger

Following on from the Andersson clan's increase, the Armstrong family has acquired a new addition - Luke David Armstrong, who was born on Tuesday, Oct. 12th. Both Kristen and the baby are reported to be well, and Luke is itching for a lap of France.

Team Wirsbo continues as amateur team

Sweden's most succesful squad, Team Wirsbo, will continue to race as an amateur outfit next year. The team was able to raise the equivalent of US $1 million of a US $1.25 million budget. "We have had offers to join existing teams but we think it's better to wait another year," said club chairman Sten-Erik Zetterwall.

The team, under management of ex-pro Patrick Serra, has been very successful in Swedish cycling for several years. This season it took out four national titles. Pros Marcus Ljunqvist and the now famous Michael Andersson also ride for the team nationally.

The team has collaborated with a Finnish amateur team, Länken IF this year, and four of the riders joined the Slovakian-Italian division 3 team de Nardi in September.

New contracts - Clinger correction

Festina has signed Guiseppe di Grande from Mapei, ranked 251. Also, it should be noted that the Clinger signed by Festina is not Mercury's David Clinger, but Swiss rider Michel Clinger.

Kazachian Andrei Mizourov moves up from Belgian Colstrop to Telekom-ARD. Dutch riders John Talen from Batavus and neo Tommy Hoedemakers are going to Spar-Iveco

The German second division squad team Cologne are signing Jos Lucassen (Netherlands) who is ranked number four in the U-23s in the World. Lucassen, age 22, comes from Margraten. Limburg (Valkenburg area) and he is a good time triallist and a man for the stage races. He is the sixth new signing for the team. The others are: Martin Müller (Agro Adler), Sören Petersen (Acceptcard), Bert Hiemstra (Rabobank) and neo-pros Stefan Kupfernagel and talented South African rider Kosie Loubser.

French Worlds aftermath

Would Virenque and Jalabert given the French the gold medal in the road race? That was the question that was asked of bronze medallist, Jean-Cyril Robin just minutes after he had finished. Robin was, of course fairly dismissive of such a provocative statement. He had given his all in an attack on the last climb of the Torricelle, but was brought back by Jan Ullrich, and still managed to outsprint the more favoured riders to take the bronze.

French team director Charly Bérard thought that Robin could have won by going early, as Freire did, because the sprint was not favourable to him. As did Marc Madiot, who shouted "go now!" from in front of the TV in the press box when he saw the move. Easy to say from the sidelines (were they both in contact with Robin?).

Bernard Hinault was a little more positive though, and gave credit to the entire team: "Jean-Cyril in the select group at the end and stayed there. We did not make a mistake on the day, Christophe Moreau rode a super race for us. There was always someone in the front: Tessier, Nicholas Jalabert. We could not have ridden a better race". To Robin, he gave similar advice to the rest of his staff, but was not overly critical.

The French finished with two bronzes and a silver at the worlds - by no means a bad result and ahead of several other strong cycling countries.

Bartoli operation

Mapei's big investment for the year, Italian Michele Bartoli, will undergo an operation to remove two screws in his knee that were placed there after his fall in the Tour of Germany in June.

He is currently in the hospital at Bad Kreuznach - the same one where the screws were inserted. The screws have kept the knee together but have made it impossible for him to ride with them in. If all goes well, the former world number one will be able to start training for next season within the next two weeks.