News for October 19, 1999Freire to MapeiBy Tomas Nilsson, cyclingnews.com correspondent World Champion Oscar Freire is negotiating a three year contract with with Mapei. "Only technicalities remain", according to a Mapei spokesman. "The instability of the Spanish market has made us turn to Italy instead,"said Freire's agent,Juan Carlos González Salvador to Europa Press. Sports reasons are given priority, according to the agent: "Vitalicio was only offering a two year contract and we think it's important with a longer contract so that he has time for development." ONCE was the main Spanish alternative but the Italian teams were considered to be better at Freire's specialty - the classics. The question is if he will be able to find a niche in super-team, Mapei. Rebellin and Gonchar take Liquigas to top divisionDavide Rebellin from Polti and Sergei Gonchar from Vini Caldirola, ranked fifth and 36th on the UCI list, are both going to second division team Liquigas. They will be joining, among others, Kazakhian Andrei Teteriuk (ranked 94th) and the Italians Cristian Moreni and Giancarlo Raimondi. With these riders, the team have probably acquired enough points to make it to the first division next year. Hervé to join Virenque at PoltiFrench rider Pascal Hervé has signed with Polti for 2000, which will see him re-join his old Festina team-mate Richard Virenque. Unlike the rest of the Festina squad following their expulsion from the 1998 Tour de France, both Hervé and Virenque denied any use of doping agents during their time with the Festina team, despite claims to the contrary by former team riders and management. Other new riders to join Polti next year include Daniel Clavero (Vitalicio) and Eddy Mazzoleni (Saeco), who came third last Saturday in the Giro de Lombardia. Meanwhile, one of Italy's great hopes - Davide Rebellin - and countryman Fabrizio Guidi have both left the team. Polti certainly has some interesting criteria for selecting riders, which may include a penchant for controversy and an ability to maintain a Clintonesque facade. Although not without success, this was the team which also hired Luc LeBlanc. Danish track squadMichael Sandstød: Points and team pursuit Jimmi Madsen: Madison and team pursuit Jakob Piil: Madison and team pursuit Michael Steen Nielsen: Team pursuit Thue Houlberg Hansen: Team pursuit Brian Dandanell: Keirin Rikke Sandhøj: Women's pointsSandstød won Denmark's last medal on the track in the points race of 1996, where he was second. He was fourth last year, but did not make an impressive effort in the road World's ITT where he came 33rd. Madsen and Piil might be a stronger medal hope in the Madison. Piil has had an excellent road season, ranked 112th at the moment. In the team pursuit the ambition is to make the top eight in order to qualify for the Sydney Olympics. UCI rankings - MenThe final UCI-ranking for Men for the year sees Laurent Jalabert retain
his place at the top. 1. Laurent Jalabert (Fra) Once 2362 pts 2. Michael Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank 1967 3. Frank Vandenbroucke (Bel) Cofidis 1818 4. Andrei Tchmil (Bel) Lotto 1623 5. Davide Rebellin (Ita) Polti 1590 6. Markus Zberg (Swi) Rabobank 1528 7. Lance Armstrong (USA) US Postal 1495 8. Francesco Casagrande (Ita)Vini Caldirola 1417 9. Jan Ullrich (Ger) Telekom 1408 10. Roberto Heras (Esp) Kelme 1379 11. Jaan Kirsipuu (Est) Casino 1216.5 12. Romans Vainsteins (Lat) Vini Caldirola 1163.5 13. Paolo Bettini (Ita) Mapei 1133 13. Oscar Camenzind (Swi) Lampre 1133 15. Eric Zabel (Ger) Telekom 1130 16. Abraham Olano (Esp) Once 1127 17. Wladimir Belli (Ita) Festina 1112 18. Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) Casino 1107 19. Mario Cipollini (Ita) Saeco 1101 20. Peter Van Petegem (Bel) TVM 1066.5 21. Jeroen Blijlevens (Ned) TVM 1040 22. Igor Gonzalez Galdeano (Spa) Vitalicio 1039 23. Tom Steels (Bel) Mapei 1030.5 24. Paolo Savoldelli (Ita) Saeco 1015 25. Mirko Celestino (Ita) Polti 1004 26. Gilberto Simoni (Ita) Ballan 972 27. Marco Pantani (Ita) Mercatone Uno 944 28. Michele Bartoli (Ita) Mapei 934 28. Jose Maria Jimenez Sastre (Spa) Banesto 934 30. Alex Zuelle (Swi) Banesto 921 Ballan leaves cyclingAccording to Danish website CyclingWorld the company Ballan has decided with very short notice no longer to sponsor the cycling team that bears it's name. The team will next year have the name of it's current co-sponsor Alessio. Earlier reports said that Alessio's sponsorship also was questioned. These developments pave the way to first division for Danish team Jack & Jones.
Legeay quits as League leader Crédit Agricole sports director Roger Legeay will resign as chairman of the League of French professional cycling in November, according to French news agency AFP. Yvon Sanquer, one of the sporting directors of Festina is believed to be his successor. Dekker committee finalisedProf W. Mosterd is the third member of the committee which will investigate the suspension of Dutch rider Erik Dekker from the World Championship Road Race for a high hematocrit level. Mosterd is a professor of clinical sports medicine at the University of Utrecht and is also member of the doping control review board of the international swimming union. Professor Mosterd will join Professor J Marx and Mr R. Verbunt in a committee for an independent investigation following a request from Rabobank. Given that Dekker is the first Dutch rider to be suspended in this way, it seems the whole country is watching. One of the country's leading banks has put together a serious committee to investigate this matter, and it's not just Dekker who will be waiting for their report. Sciandri finally skips the meat After a lot of negotiations Maximillian Sciandri will sign for the Linda McCartney Cycling Team, according to French news agency AFP. The Brit with an Italian father (and one upon a time an Italian passport) will leave La Francaise des Jeux for the British team that was started in 1998 to promote Linda McCartney's brand of vegetarian food products. One condition for riders on the team is that they all eat vegetarian food. Tour 2000 details emerge This Thursday the complete route for the Tour de France 2000 will be announced. However, cyclingnews has learned that the race will start in Futuroscope, then head to the north (Rennes) with the riders to scale the Pyrenees first and then later the Alps, with three mountain stages. One stage will finish at the top of the Mont Ventoux and other arrival destinations will include Lausanne (home of the UCI in Switzerland) and Freiburg in Germany. Mysterious deaths and diseases in German cycling Several German cyclists have mysteriously fallen sick or died throughout the years, according to reports of physicians and trainers on Radio Cologne, Germany. According to statistics, about twenty cyclists have died prematurely
during the last decade. The principal causes of their deaths are cancer,
leukaemia and heart failure. Among the deceased are Ernst Streng, Olympic
gold medallist in the team pursuit in 1964, who died in 1993 at the
age Doctor Gustav Raken, previous sports doctor of the Nordrhein-Westfahlen Cycling Federation, stated that the mentality to take to drugs is particularly strong among cyclists since it is a sport of such extreme endurance.
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