News for September 10, 1999
Danny Clark rides World Masters Track Championships in Manchester
Fat Nick reports that he was training down at the
Manchester Velodrome the other night and he was told that Danny Clark has entered
the World Masters Track Championships.
O'Grady out for a month
He stayed in a hospital for some days, but now he is at home for some rest
Australian rider Stuart O'Grady will have to rest for a month. A spokesperson
for his Credit Agricole team told the press that the although O'Grady has
been discharged from hospital he must take it easy at home for a month.
He was attacked with his teammate Henk Vogels outside a restaurant last weekend
in Toulouse by 3 men and sustained head injuries.
Lance Armstrong passes medical check
1999 Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong has been given the all-clear after
his first medical examination after the Tour. 27-year old Armstrong has regular
check-ups since he finished his course of chemotherapy. He takes 2 tests a
year and will do so for the next 5 years.
Blijlevens signs with Polti
Dutch rider Jeroen Blijlevens has signed a two year contract to ride for
Team Polti. He will leave TVM-Farm Frites at the end of the year. Polti's
team manager Gianluigi Stanga has told Blijlevens that he will build next
year's team around him to support his sprinting ability. Another Dutch
rider is expected to join the team as well. The team looks set to retain
Frenchman Richard Virenque, Italians Ivan Gotti and Davide Rebellin. Since
beginning his professional career in 1994, Blijlevens has won 70 races
including 4 Tour de France stages. This year he won his first stages (2)
in the Giro d'Italia.
Pantani to decide on the worlds
Pantani underwent an examination on his troublesome right knee and will
decide on his participation in the worlds. He said: "I have not made
any decisions about the Worlds. I will make a decision in the coming days, even
if it goes against my doctors and directors." Apparently the examination
revealed more serious problems in his knee than were first thought.
Spanish rider to marry
Joane Somarriba, the winner of the last Feminine Giro d’Italia will marry
Euskaltel-Euskadi rider Ramontxu González Arrieta on November 27.
Oscar Camenzind transfer to Telekom?
Current world champion, Oscar Camenzind will join the Telekom team next
season. A statement was made to this effect by Telekom's Assistant manager
Rudy Pevenage. From Camenzind's side the situation is not final. Camenzind is
also considering offers from Lampre and Spanish Vitalicio Seguros.
Ludo Diercksens appeal rejected
The Belgian Cycling Federation's (BWB) disciplinary commission has
rejected the appeal by Ludo Dierckxsens against the 6 month suspension
they imposed on his after he admitted taking banned substances during the Tour
de France. The BWB said that 34-year old Dierckxsens should have taken his appeal
to the Sport's Arbitration Tribunal in Lausanne.
Changes to US Team for World Mountain Bike Championships
Cheri Elliott (El Dorado Hills, Calif.), Myles Rockwell (Durango, Colo.)
and Kirk Molday (Temecula, Calif.) have elected to not compete this year's
world championship event. Elliott is recovering from a broken elbow she
suffered during practice at the Chevy Trucks Downhill Finals at Mount Snow,
Vt. Rockwell is still healing up after a knee injury that caused an
infection earlier this year.
Filling in on the men's downhill team will be Colin Bailey (Big Bear City,
Calif.), while David Wiens (Gunnison, Colo.) will ride for the men's
cross-country team. Bailey finished eighth overall this year in the Chevy
Trucks Downhill Series and finished ninth at the Diesel/UCI World Cup at
Snow Summit, Calif. Wiens finished fourth overall in the Chevy Trucks
National Championship Series, including a win at the series opener at Snow
Summit, Calif.
USA Olympic Trial Candidates
Rich Wanninger from USA Cycling writes that the national
governing body for the sport of cycling in the United States, announced
that four cities are among the finalists as the site for the 2000 U.S.
Olympic Trials for road cycling, USA Cycling Executive Director Lisa Voight
announced Thursday.
"Each of the four cities has hosted major road racing events, and we feel
confident that we will have an excellent site for the 2000 U.S. Olympic
Trials," said Voight. "Following Lance Armstrong's Tour de France victory,
the whole country is more aware of road cycling and we feel that the U.S.
Olympic Trials will be an outstanding event for both the participants and
the spectators."
The cities (listed in alphabetical order) are Fort Smith, Ark., Jackson,
Miss., Richmond, Va. and San Diego, Calif. The site visits will occur
during the month of September, and an announcement on the site for the U.S.
Olympic Trials will be made Oct. 1.
The 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials were held in the cities of Seattle, Wash.,
Martinsburg and Wheeling, W.Va., Pittsburgh, Pa., and Concord, Boiling
Springs and Charlotte, N.C. In 1992, the U.S. Olympic Trials for road
cycling were staged in Altoona, Pa.
In addition, the cities of Frisco, Texas, and San Diego are vying for the
2000 U.S. Olympic Track Cycling Trials. An announcement will be made Oct.
1. Trexlertown, Pa. was the host for the 1996 U.S. Olympic Track Cycling
Trials, while Blaine, Minn., was the site for the 1992 U.S. Olympic Trials