News for August 1, 2000No Posties in the Vuelta eitherItalian team Alessio will have a start in La Vuelta a España on August 26, after the US Postal team withdrew their entry recently. US Postal media director, Dan Osipow, told cyclingnews.com that "it was originally on their schedule, but with conflicts such as the Olympics and with the race being earlier than normal, the team has decided to decline its invitation to the race." They will instead finish up the month of August with the Tour of Holland and the GP Eddy Merckx. They will then take part in the Tour of Poland, and several other events such as Paris-Brussels, GP Fourmies and GP Isbergues leading up to the Olympic Games.
German Olympic teamThe Germans have followed the Italians' lead and selected a team of strong climber/rouleurs for the men's Olympic road squad. Jan Ullrich, Erik Zabel, Rolf Aldag, Andreas Klöden and Jens Voigt are the German team for the road in Sydney. Ullrich will ride the individual time trial too, where he is expected to be one of the favourites along with Lance Armstrong. The German women's team is Hanka Kupfernagel, Petra Rossner and Ina-Yoko Teutenberg. The make up is a little different, but these are the three best female riders, sprinters or not. All have been in excellent form this year and will be up there with the favourites, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Lithuania and USA. Tour of DenmarkBy Tomas Nilsson, cyclingnews.com correspondent With seven teams coming from Tour de France and eight first division teams the Tour of Denmark starting Tuesday has some fine riders to show the Danish crowds. The race will this year be held on smaller roads than usual and there will be not so much "riding along" this year. For the first time the race also covers the southern islands Lolland and Falster. Liquigas has the most solid team with it's two top riders Sergei Gonchar and Davide Rebellin both taking the start. Since the ITT stage usually decides the Danish race they are likely to try and keep the field together until then. The two top teams Mapei and Telekom have different line ups. For the Italians Gianni Faresin is the top name while the rest of the riders are in the "promising" category, among them Britain's Charles Wegelius. Telekom on the other hand has World Cup leader Erik Zabel on the team but he might save himself a bit since the German World Cup race is the day after the last Danish stage. With him are, among others, Andreas Klöden, who is a good time trialist, Danilo Hondo, Jan Schaffrath and Gian-Matteo Fagnini Rabobank has Rolf Sörensen as captain with Marc Wauters and Beat Zberg on the squad. In Ag2R Jaan Kirsipuu might want some revenge for a disappointing Tour. Also in the mass sprints, the Farm Frites riders McEwen, Magnusson and Koerts might be expected to try for a stage win. Peter van Petegem and Servais Knaven are also on the team. The Danish pride Memorycard will rely on Bo Hamburger and Swedish Martin Rittsel, who suffered during the Tour but is reported to be back in the form that gave him the victory in the Dunkerque Four Days, another flat stage race. Linda McCartney will put several of their Giro riders on the road: Max Sciandri, Pascal Richard, Dave McKenzie, Tayeb Braikia, Björnar Vestöl, Matt Di Canio, Ciaran Power and Matt Stephens. Finally, Cofidis' Frank Vandenbroucke will not start in the Tour of Denmark. According to his father, he has lost too much weight. His manager Paul de Geyter said "VDB is not in condition to ride. He has too little reserves. But it's going better, day by day." VDB will need at least 4 weeks to get to any level for cycling. The stages August 1 - Stage 1: Ringkøbing - Viborg, 215 km Sun Tour detailsThis year's Vic Health Herald Sun Tour (2.4) is slightly earlier than usual, starting October 5 and running through until the 15th. The aim is to take advantage of the relative proximity of the Olympic games and the top level of international athletes in Australia. Although it does clash with the World Championships, for once it doesn't compete with Australia's other major stage race at this time of year, the Commonwealth Bank Cycle Classic. Cyclingnews contributor, Brian Farrell (who thinks he knows "every pothole in this year's route") has also provided a potted description of the race. At first he thought the parcours was flat enough for Robbie McEwen to win the KOM again, but on reconsideration, the stage 6 to Mt Hotham will be quite tough and may decide the race. During this stage, the climb to Omeo is "just a roller coaster with a rise near Omeo, but then the hills start. It is a long, tough road to Hotham from there and it will be very cold over Dinner plain, a road that has only been sealed for the past 2 years." Stage 11 on October 12 is the Rochester individual time trial, "it will be fast and flat, but the wind will be something else." Many of the other stages are comparatively flat, but "The penultimate stage over Lavers Hill will be hard as that climb is steep and about 7 km long rising from sea level to 500 meters. The final criterium at Geelong is on a short circuit, dead flat with two corners on the car park on the new water front. It's the same course used in the Bay classic." Last year, Danish rider Michael Blaudzun (Home-Jack&Jones) won the Tour and helped his team into the first division. It is hoped, from a public standpoint at least that the Danish boys will be back this year, as they provide some great aggressive racing. The stages Stage 1 - October 5: Melbourne, Crterium, 31.5 km (Start: 1pm) Total: 1318 km Sprints: 137 Karlsruhe popularThe German city of Karlsruhe is trying to establish itself as the German cycling Mecca. After the two man time trial held on Saturday with 100,000 people watching, the town is now applying for a stage in the Tour de France. Considering the enormous enthusiastic crowds, estimated at over a million, that followed the German stages in this year's Tour, it shouldn't be too hard to convince the organizers that more German roads would be good for the race. Karlsruhe's Oberbürgermeister Heinz Fenrich declared Monday that the city wants a stage when the new trade fair centre will be opened in 2002.
Zabirova defendsRussian Zulfia Zabirova (Rus) will defend her title in Sydney in the individual time trial. He start was in doubt after she fell in a race three weeks ago and hit her head on a cobblestone. However, she won the Russian time trial title on a special bike made for the Olympics and now has been selected to go to the Olympics. The other members of the Russian women's team are Svetlana Bubnenkova, and either Olga Slioussareva or Natalia Karimova
Netherlands team for the TourNational coach Jean-Paul van Poppel will send the Dutch national team to the Women's Tour de France, August 6-20. The riders are: Mirjam Melchers, Chantal Beltman, Ghita Beltman, Arenda Grimberg, Angela Hillenga, Mirella van Melis and Marielle van Scheppingen.
More cerealCyclists appearing on cereal boxes are coming out of the woodwork, after we found that Alison Sydor, Lance Armstrong, Robert Millar and Doug Smith all had their faces on boxes. Others to add to the list are German Jan Ullrich, Australian Steve McLede (Kellogg's Sustain), USA's Team Schwinn riders including Mike Engelman and Tom Prehn (Wheaties), and various members of the Motorola team (Kellogg's Granola).
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