News for February 18, 2000

Van der Poel's last stand

Dutchman Adri Van der Poel will officially announce his retirement on Sunday at the 'Afcheidscross Adrie van der Poel' in his home city of Hoogerheide after a career spanning 20 years of top-level cycling. The 40-year-old Van der Poel has won classics such as Liege-Bastogne-Liege, the Tour of Flanders, the Amstel Gold Race, the Classica San Sebastian and Paris-Brussels. He also won two stages of the Tour de France and one world cyclo-cross championship.

His greatest regret, he said, was not winning the gruelling Paris to Roubaix spring classic, which he has said was "a race tailor-made for me."

"I was always motivated during my whole cycle racing career. Bicycle racing is my life. In 20 years of my career I have not started a race once without the will to ride well."

"But I am nearly 41-years-old and I think it is the right moment to call a halt knowing that I can be proud of having stayed at the top level," he said.

De Clercq in hospital

For dual cyclo cross ex-World Champion, Mario de Clercq (Bel), the season is over. He will spend some days in hospital in Gent after a severe crash during training on Wednesday. He had a puncture and fell over the handlebars and was found unconscious by a passing car driver. Although there are only two more cyclocross races left in the season, De Clercq would have liked to have ridden in the "Afscheidscross Adrie Van Der Poel", the last race of the Dutch veteran's career.

Vandenbroucke longs for Spain

Frank Vandenbroucke would like to ride for a Spanish team next year when his controversial contract with Cofidis runs out.

"I am aiming for the overall victory in the Tour de France 2001. My chances for a Tour victory would be better in a Spanish team," he said to a Spanish sports magazine. "Spanish teams prepare better for the Grand Tours. In Belgium they only think about the classics."

South Carolina Heritage Tour rescheduled

Courtesy of Rich Wanninger

The inaugural South Carolina Heritage Tour, to be held in April this year has been rescheduled for the spring of 2001. The USA's biggest stage race since the Tour Du Pont finished, has had to wait a year before being given the go ahead.

"It is very important that we make certain the timing of this event is perfect," said Chris Aronhalt, Executive Director of Greenville Events, Inc., who will manage the Tour. "The rescheduling will provide host communities and other statewide entities the necessary planning time to successfully manage and plan for the complicated details associated with an international sporting event of this caliber. We anticipate there will be no break in the excitement, support and momentum created thus far as we refocus our planning efforts to next spring."

Governor Jim Hodges announced The South Carolina Heritage Tour last November in Columbia. The Tour is a professional and international cycling event conducted over several days, traveling hundreds of miles and linking towns and cities within the state of South Carolina.

O'Shannessy case for next week

One of two Australian track cyclists to be suspended for drug taking last year, Tim O'Shannessy, will appeal against his two year sentence next Friday, February 27. His ban started in March last year, after he and Tim Lyons were found guilty of having a high testosterone level. The third cyclist involved in the affair, Josh Kersten (1 km TT), was cleared last year.

Lyons has already been sentenced, and he is seeking to clear his name but has not decided yet whether to appeal. He will discuss it with his lawyer, Peter Fitzgerald before deciding later this month.

Cantina Tollo trains

Two days before they participate in the French one dayers, the Tour du Haut Var and the Classic Haribo, Italian team Cantina Tollo are out training on the roads of Milan-San Remo, to be held in one months time. They are riding the Poggio ten times, in order to get an intimate feel with the hill that often decides the opening classic of the season.

Danilo Di Luca told La Gazzetta dello Sport that "It is useful to ingrain these roads in the mind, in order to see the places where San Remo will be decided. I have also examined the descent, which often is very important in the final result."

After riding the two French races this weekend, DI Luca will ride the Trofeo Pantalica , the GP DI Civitanova Marche on February 26-27, then the Giro della Provincia DI Siracusa on March 4-5.

Albacom doubles up

One of the sponsors of Marco Pantani's team, Mercatone Uno-Albacom, has increased its involvement in the sport by sponsoring the Bianchi mountain bike team. Albacom, an Italian national telephone company will lend its name to the team, headed by Felice Gimondi and it will now be known as Team Bianchi-Albacom.

The Bianchi team was one of the first Italian mountain bike teams, and have as their technical director, former pro Massimo Ghirotto. They have reconfirmed Dario Acquaroli, two-time cross country champion, in 1993 (Juniors) and 1996 (Espoirs), Nadia De Negri (2nd in the 1997 World's), former Italian junior champion, Manfred Steiner, Frenchman Gregory Vollet (2nd, European Championships in 1999), and Celile Rode (European Champion, 1999).

They will open their season on Sunday with the Ragusa Ibla, the first round of the Ragusa Cup.

Prologue in the Netherlands

The 40th Ronde van Nederland will, for the first time since 1992, begin with a prologue this year. The race will start in Den Bosch the 21st of August after the UCI have accepted the fact that the race length has been increased.

The race otherwise follows the traditional design. The third stage is split, with an ITT in the afternoon in Leeuwarden, Friesland. Most road stages are flat except the last and longest (Aug. 26) that ends up in the hilly Limburg area after 227 kms of racing.

The stages:

August 21 - Prologue Den Bosch, 4.0 kms
August 22 - Stage 1 - Den Bosch - Utrecht, 180.7 kms
August 23 - Stage 2 - Utrecht - Hoorn, 185.5 kms
August 24 - Stage 3a - Bolsward - Leeuwarden, 91.0 kms
August 24 - Stage 3a - Leeuwarden  ITT, 19.8 kms
August 25 - Stage 4 Harderwijk - Venlo, 186.2 kms
August 26 - Stage 5 Blerick - Landgraaf, 227.0 kms

New name for Belgian race

The 'Dwars door België' (March 22, cat. 1.2) has a new name: 'Dwars door Vlaanderen'. The name change reflects a new sponsorship arrangement with the Vlaamse Gemeenschap (Flemish Community) becoming the major backers. The parcours will be almost unchanged from last year.