News for August 31, 200055th Vuelta a Espańa newsThere was drama aplenty during the first mountain stage of the Vuelta, which finished just after the top of the fearsome Alto de Cati in Alicante. The rain, a Spanish-Italian punchup and a strong showing yet again by Alex Zülle made for a great race.
Cipollini suspended "indefinitely"
Before the stage even started, Saeco Valli&Valli lost their key sprinter, Mario Cipollini, who was thrown out of the race after a fight with Spanish rider Francisco Cerezo (Vitalicio Seguros). The incident happened during the sign in, where Cipollini attacked Cerezo because the latter "obstructed him" in the final sprint yesterday. Cerezo had to have three stitches to the wound, but was able to start the stage. Cipollini was not and was immediately ejected from the race. His Saeco team were outraged as well, and have suspended him from racing "for an indeterminate time." Team Manager Claudio Corti said "What has happened is a long way from the behavioural style of our team and seriously damages the image that we have tried to build over the years (also thanks to the contribution of the same Cipollini). We have decided therefore to suspend the rider for an indeterminate period". "I'm really very sorry," added Corti "and I want to offer, in the name of the team, my apologies to the rider of Vitalicio Seguros, to the leaders of his Team, to the organisers of the Vuelta and to all the Spanish public who have always been very supportive of us". Cipollini claimed that "There has been a lot of discussion about what I have done, but Cerezo was the offender, he insulted me," said Supermario who is now back home in Italy. He did later apologise to Cerezo on Spanish radio, saying that "I know that I committed a brutal act but if you can forgive me, please forgive me. It is not in my character to do such a thing." Cipollini will be investigated by the UCI over the incident. Jiménez number oneIn winning stage five of this year's Vuelta, Banesto's Eladio Jiménez recorded his first professional victory and what a win it was. In the middle of rain, a seemingly uncatchable breakaway and a fearsomely steep climb, Jiménez emulated the feat of his teammate and namesake, Jose Maria, in 1998 by attacking near the top of the Alto de Cati and soloing to the win. Eladio is just 23 and his best result to date was a 6th in the GP Palmanova (part of the Trofeo Mallorca this year). The climb had the opposite effect on Jose Maria, as the injured 'El Chaba' finished in 175th place. Jiménez said that he attacked unknowingly in pursuit of Roscioli who he was then told was only a minute up the road. It didn't take him long to catch the Jazztel rider, but he only had 300 metres left of the climb when he dropped him. "I had some freedom from Unzúe [his team director] to attack, he trusted me and everything turned out well. I suffered on the climb, but it was worth it for my triumph", he said. " I was feeling good and I let my team know. It was not a predicted attack today or even prepared ahead of time, but as I was feeling well and seeing that Herve's attack had slowed, I decided to go. I didn't know how well those behind were going, but maintained a good rhythm. I was not really worried about Roscioli, as when I caught him he was going a lot slower than me."
Zülle improvesBanesto's other great success was with Alex Zülle, who extended his lead in the overall to 1'09 over Abraham Olano and Igor González de Galdeano. Perhaps Zülle's moment has come at last this year? His former team director, Manolo Saiz (ONCE) said afterwards that "I believe that Zülle is the only favourite. He has demonstrated today that he is the big favourite to win the Vuelta a Espańa. In addition he is favored by the race against the clock in Tarragona because it suits him well." Who can beat him? "I believe that he is the only favourite, Ullrich from now on is going to concentrate more on the Games," said Saiz who added that his own star, Abraham Olano "did not have one of his better days: it was a hard climb and Abraham did not have good feelings."
Olano losesAbraham Olano (ONCE) is still second overall, but he lost 56 seconds today on Zülle, yet again showing his weakness on the tougher climbs. He indicated after the stage that the Swiss was the man to beat, and did not feel good about his own effort today. "I believe that my body is not in good condition. I will not give up, but I had very bad sensations today. I couldn't find my rhythm." He did not discount Ullrich though, the winner of the 1999 race, "these climbs to not suit him," said Olano.
González de Galdeano satisfiedIgor González de Galdeano lost 32 seconds to Zülle today, but stayed on the bike and was satisfied with that. "There was a lot of danger and there were a multitude of falls. I did not want the same thing to happen to me as last year on the Angliru and for that reason, I have been lucky," said Gonzalez de Galdeano. Despite the time loss, he still considers himself a good chance at the overall. "It was a very explosive climb, I rode well but I couldn't go with the front," he said. He also has to bear the tag of favourite, which was not the case last year when he finished on the podium. "People watch you more and no longer let you get away. The situation is different."
Mapei suffersDue to the rain there were innumerable falls in today's stage, and several riders lost valuable time. One of these was Mapei favourite, Manuel Beltran who lost 1'20 to Zülle, and is now down to 12th overall. "It was a hard fall on the mountain and I am quite sore, although I hope to recover tomorrow," he said. His teammate, Oscar Freire survived the stage, some 20 seconds behind Beltran. "The stage was quite dangerous due to the rain and a lot has been decided from the falls. It could have been worse though if it wasn't so slow up the mountain."
Martinez for threeAlberto Martinez of Euskaltel-Euskadi fell three times today, and was not in particularly good shape at the finish. "I am shattered, I have passed an authentic test of character. It was normal for people to crash, but the third time I fell I was so angry that I threw the bicycle to the ground, although I then had a good finish".
British Olympian suspendedBritish track cyclist, Neil Campbell has been withdrawn from the British Olympic Cycling Squad and will not be replaced, announced the British Cycling Federation today. Although the exact reason for his suspension has not been revealed, the sprinter underwent a series of medical tests on August 16, "The results of these have led the British Cycling Federation Board to conclude that he should be suspended from membership of the Federation, pending a full enquiry," read the official statement. As no other British cyclist has met the sprint events selection criteria, he will not be replaced. Campbell was the National Kilometre Time Trial Champion and was entered in that event in Sydney.
More Melinda: No PantaniOn the eve of the Trofeo Melinda in Italy on August 31, the start list was reduced by one as Marco Pantani withdrew due to an abscess in his tooth. It was an unfortunate setback for the rider who will be in the Italian squad at the Olympics, and he has started taking antibiotics to improve his condition. However, the race goes on and Pantani's Mercatone Uno teammates will have to carry the flag. The patron of the race, Mark Brentari expressed his disappointment however, "Every year for one reason or another Pantani fails to start at the last moment. However the field of the race contains many champions: I believe that it will still be as strongly contested." National coach Antonio Fusi declared that this 200 km race, with its hilly parcours will be excellent preparation for Sydney, and this was backed up by Pantani's DS, Giuseppe Martinelli just hours before the Pirate announced his withdrawal. However, according to Martinelli, Pantani is following an "optimal training program that will bring him to peak form on September 27." Besides the riders previously mentioned (including Bartoli, Bettini and Casagrande), the race will also attract the likes of Bobby Julich, Stuart O'Grady, Mauro Gianetti, Massimo Donati, Max Sciandri, Pascal Richard, Jean-Cyril Robin. Francois Simon, Salvatore Commesso, Mirko Celestino, Eugeni Berzin and the Columbian Hernan Buenahora.
Armstrong, Hamilton crash updateAs reported earlier, Lance Armstrong and Tyler Hamilton were involved in a head-on crash with a vehicle while out training near Nice. Somewhat fortunately for him, Armstrong's bike was the worst off, breaking into three pieces, while his helmet suffered a similar fate. Armstrong only suffered bruises to his back and was able to spend the night at home following a trip to a local hospital. Hamilton's injuries were to his elbow and knee but were minor and he also spent the night at home. The pair were riding along with teammate Frankie Andreu, on a road outside of their home in Nice when a car coming the opposite way missed a turn and ran straight into them. Andreu was able to avoid the car and did not crash.
Van Bon quits, Hřlestřl doesn'tDutch champion, Leon van Bon (28) will leave Rabobank after this season after not reaching a contractual agreement with team director Jan Raas. Raas is disappointed about Van Bon's reaction who also won a Tour de France stage this year. Raas and Van Bon have worked together since 1994, first in the WordPerfect team, then Novell and from 1996, Rabobank. He leaves a strong team, "But a strong team isn't always to your advantage. I had to stop my legs in races because my teammates had a good chance. I will be a more protected rider in my next team," said Van Bon who has several offers so far. In other team news, Dutchman Tristan Hoffman has signed with Memorycard for another two years, while Svein Gaute Hřlestřl, Norwegian ITT Champion, will not quit as earlier reported. His contract with Gerolsteiner runs out with this season and he was offered a new contract by the German team but has also others to consider, according to Norwegian website Syklingens Verlden.
37th Tour de l'AvenirThe "race of the future" as it is known in English, this 10 stage race is important for under 25 riders to strut their stuff in front of potential team directors over a challenging course. It takes in portions of the great stages of the Tour de France, and is a similar format with alternating flat, mountain and time trial stages. The route is such that the 7th and 8th stages could prove the decisive ones, finishing in Oyonnax and Le Grand Bornand respectively. This year will see the presence of some of the young squads of the Spanish teams, ONCE, Banesto and Euskaltel, and they will be closely watched as last year's first and second place overall (Unai Osa and David Latasa) were both Banesto riders. A Spaniard with potential in the 2000 race is David Canada (ONCE) who has already had quite a solid season. US rider, Floyd Landis was third last year and is certainly in top form, having just won the 2.4 Tour Du Poitou-Charentes in fine style. Other riders to watch include Sven Montgomery (FdJ), Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole), Ivan Gutierrez (ONCE) and Laszlo Bodrogi (Mapei). The Stages
Stage 1 - August 31: Ancenis - Ancenis, 159 km Dutch Ride for the RosesLast weekend, 4,000 cyclists started in the Dutch version of the "Ride for the Roses", a cyclosportif race held to aid charity. This is 1,500 up from last year: 3,000 of these started in Naaldwijk's "Bloemenveiling" (a big hall where fresh flowers are sold to flower shops each morning) on the 115 kilometre ride, while 1,000 more started in the 45 kilometre event. Well known starters included Jan Janssen, Steven Rooks, Gerry Knetemann, Hennie Kuiper, Dutch movie star Huub Stapel and TV sports presenter (and former girlfriend of Lance Armstrong) Danielle Overgaag.
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