News for February 16, 2000
Bartoli gains huge confidence boost
The champion is back - Michele Bartoli signalled his return to the top somewhat faster than most expected, after he won stage two of the Ruta del Sol yesterday. His last win was in the Fleche Wallone last April, before his terrible injury in the Tour of Germany kept him out of competition for two thirds of a year. Interestingly, the win came in a bunch sprint, though it was admittedly a diminished group as the days climbs had taken their toll. Stage 1 winner, Erik Zabel was there though, but he was only able to place sixth. The Mapei squad had worked hard in the closing stages, chasing down a threatening six-man break. They wanted to set up Museeuw and Bettini for the win, but Bartoli had the legs on the day, and was able to hold off the 26 strong bunch at the finish. "I was afraid that this moment would not arrive again, and I consider this victory to be even more beautiful," said Bartoli to La Gazzetta dello Sport. "But the problems remain, the bad leg is still not completely recovered, and the other suffers from the extra strain that I place on it. But this gives me good morale," he said. Italy breathed a sigh of relief at his win, after suffering a series of damaging blows of late due to the ongoing investigations into doping. They await the return of Marco Pantani with some anxiety, as he is recovering more from pyschological rather than physical damage.
King to receive cyclistsThe King of Spain will will give an audience next Thursday to all Spanish cyclists who gained medals in the World and European Championships in 1999. The hearing will take place at midday in the Palace of Zarzuela in Madrid. King Don Juan Carlos will receive Oscar Freire, (World Road Champion); Jose Iván Gutiérrez, (World U-23 Time Trial Champion); Juan Llaneras and Isaac Gálvez, (World Madison Champions); Margarita Fullana, (World Cross Country Champion); Roberto Lezaun, José Antonio Hermida and Carlos Coloma, (Cross Country Champions); as well as Jose Antonio Villanueva and Xavier Florencio, who were bronze and silver medallists in the European U-23 Track Championships. The King will present jerseys to each of the World Champions, as well as to several other top officials in Spanish cycling.
Farm Frites to DenmarkBy Tomas Nilsson, cyclingnews.com correspondent First division team Farm Frites will take part in three international Danish one day races in May, all of them UCI category 1.4. Organizer Jesper Tikřb claims he has contacts with other first division teams as well. Memorycard Jack&Jones are presumed to be amongst these. The races are: May 19: Grand Prix Midtbank In other Danish news, Peter Steen, of the Odder Cykel Klub, won the GP Alacante criterium, 70 kms. The team is currently in Spain preparing for the Tour of Rhodes.
Superprestige season 2000/2001The following venues have been named for the Superprestige cyclocross series starting on October 22 this year in Ruddervoorde, Belgium: October 22: Ruddervoorde (Belgium) Van Santvliet to new CC teamBelgian cyclo crosser Peter van Santvliet has signed with the new Dutch cyclo cross team SpaarSelect, that already has Belgian U-23 Champion Bart Wellens and Dutchman Wim de Vos on the team. The team will, teamwise, be the only opponent to Rabobank with Groenendaaal and Nijs next season. Van Santvliet is ranked tenth on the UCI list, Wellens is sixth and de Vos ninth but Wellens has only raced one of the World Cup events (which he won). Van Santvliet and de Vos were seventh and eighth in the World Cup.
Fiedler back in the saddleDual Olympic track champion, Jens Fiedler from Germany is healthy again after a virus scare forced him to quit his training camp in Barbados last week. He had to leave the camp after just four days due to a fever, although he wished to spend several more weeks in the Carribean. The cause was likely due to the heat and strange food, according to his coach Karsten Schmalfuss. He turns 30 today and will take time out to celebrate before commencing more serious base training in Mallorca. On March 12 he will head to Japan for the Keirin circuit. 7 Up-Colorado Cyclist newsCourtesy of John Alsedek, cyclingnews.com correspondent As a rule, it's generally not a desirable thing for a cycling team to have feelings in the air so thick that they could be cut with the proverbial knife. However, the 7 UP/Colorado Cyclist team proved to be the exception to the rule, as it closed out a two week-long training camp in Boulder, Colorado on Monday with a palpable level of anticipation. As high as the expectations for this team were prior to camp (7 UP/Colorado Cyclist placed fourth in VeloNews' North American Power Rankings), the riders felt that they are more than up to the challenge. Although just four of the thirteen riders were carry overs from last year's 7 UP squad, it didn't take long for this group to feel like a cohesive unit. Team member, Mike Ley said: "I did not expect the team to develop as fast as it did. By the end of camp, the team rode very well together, and all of the riders got along very well." A lot of the credit went to the carefully planned program of training rides, a mix of hard days in the mountains, shorter recovery rides, and a few 5-6 hour treks that gave the guys a chance to talk and learn each other's riding habits. Then there was the off-bike regimen: a series of team meetings that ran the gamut from race strategy and season goals, to sponsor education and mock television interviews. Combined with several team dinners, including one hosted by the parents of neo-pro Ryan Guay, who handled the entire 7 UP/Colorado Cyclist team with aplomb, and impromptu off-bike gatherings, the riders feel prepared, both on and off the bike, to deal with whatever the new season holds. "The team chemistry is good and motivation is high. There are a lot of high expectations of the team, but we feel that we can deliver and want to make a big impact on the U.S. scene," said Jeff Corbett, a sentiment shared by Clark Sheehan, who adds that "our camp was just laying the foundation for the season ahead." That season begins for 7 UP/Colorado Cyclist on February 19th in Merced, CA, as the team competes in the McLane Pacific Bicycle Classic. After that, they'll compete in Another Dam Race (Feb. 25-27), the Sequoia Cycling Classic (March 4-5), the Redlands Bicycle Classic (March 7-12), and the Sea Otter Classic (March 16-18). |
