News for February 23, 2000

Verbruggen speaks of Pantani

UCI president, Hein Verbruggen who is currently in Madrid for a conference believes that Marco Pantani's high hematocrit in June last year was "unfortunate," but did not necessarily indicate that he took EPO. "If the hematocrit of a sportsperson only just exceeds 50 percent, one cannot speak so conclusively of doping, as did the press," he said.

The scientific evidence is there however, that it is extremely difficult for a rider to increase their hematocrit during a major tour (i.e. it hasn't been observed). Verbruggen is convinced though, "that Pantani will be the rider that he once was. Because he is so popular, with a great many fans - I rank myself among them," said Verbruggen. "Pantani has spent a long time without racing."

At the conference, the UCI president is illustrating the plan of the new "Council of Professional Cyclists". Miguel Indurain, Francisco Moser and the president of the Italian association Enrico Ingrilli are there, amongst other head honchos of European cycling.

"We are working in order to have more clear, incisive and equal rules for all," Verbruggen said. The UCI have also demanded the dossier from the Italian Cycling Federation on Gotti, Bortolami, Furlan, Bertolini and Faresin in order to take part in the decision.

José De Cauwer predicts a good year

The Belgian national coach, José De Cauwer, believes that his country's riders will perform well in the coming season, especially in the big one day races. The country is on edge for the first race of the year - the Omloop Het Volk, and Saturday, February 26 can't come fast enough for De Cauwer.

"Johan [Museeuw] was at 90 percent last year, but now he has made up the last 10 percent. He and all the riders have worked hard for the February races, weather notwithstanding," said De Cauwer to Belgian press.

"Van Petegem has trained harder than the last two or three years. In the southern races, he will not be up with the best, but that is ok. I know him," said De Cauwer of last year's Ronde van Vlaanderen winner.

On Tchmil: "He is in a good team with top riders. Mario Aerts was third last year in the Waalse Pijl, and Kurt Van de Wouwer and Rik Verbrugghe had great seasons. Tchmil will have good support."

Jo Planckaert has already started well this year, and will play an important role in Frank Vandenbroucke's classics campaign. "Frank can do anything. He has all the talent to be the absolute boss of the peloton. His class is improving and he is older now, and he has a good group of teammates," says De Cauwer. Of course, that is provided that the volatile VDB doesn't go off on a tangent somewhere...

New course for Dutch championship

The Dutch road-championship, held on the weekend of June 24-25 will have a new parcours this year. The circuit will start and finish this year in Gulpen as it did last year, instead of Meerssen as it was two years ago. However, the course will be shorter at 9.8 km rather than 17 km, including the Gulpenberg.

The new course is both shorter and easier, but more interesting for the audience - they will not have to wait as long to see the peloton again.

The new parcours: start Gulpen (Rijskweg), centre of Gulpen (Markt, Looierstraat, Nieuwstraat), via Partij (Oude Heerbaan, Oude Akerweg) back to Gulpen, climb of the Gulperberg, downhill De Koning van Spanje (Landsraderweg, Molenweg) and finish in front of the beerbrewery "Gulpener Bier".

Coming into Gulpen there is a 180 degree turn on the Rijksweg (similar to the turn on the Champs-Élysées). Although the peloton (coming from the Molenweg) is expected to go right at the traffic lights, they have to go left first for the 180 degree turn after just 75 meters. Reason? To get a straight 200 meters to the finish line in Gulpen.

World number one without a sponsor

The team of the number one ranked female road cyclist, Hanka Kupfernagel, is seeking sponsors for this year, according to a report in the Berliner Morgenpost. Her team of the past two years "Greenery Hawk" needs another 50,000 DM ($US 25,000) before they can even consider racing on the professional circuit.

According to Torsten Wittig-Kupfernagel (Hanka's husband), the team jerseys are ready in Belgium, but they are awaiting the names of sponsors to put on them. The German female cyclist of 1999, and the inaugural Women's World Cyclocross Champion, is training at the moment with her colleagues Sandra Missbach, Katja Karstedt and Mike de Bruijn (Ned) in Mallorca, using her own funds.

She is planning on competing in the first round of the World Cup in Canberra on March 12, but may have to opt out if some external cash is not found. The German Cycling Federation have pledged to help her find a sponsor, "in the interests of female cycling."

The Germans aren't the only ones with problems - in France, the 2.9.2 Category Tour Feminin de Bretagne (June 27-July 2) will be cancelled this year due to financial reasons, the organisers said yesterday.

Erik Zabel auctions his bike

Courtesy of Bayern radsport news

Telekom's Erik Zabel is selling an important piece of equipment - his "Paris" Pinarello that he won the 1998 Milan San Remo, the German road championship and the green jersey in the Tour on. The machine will be auctioned online at www.t-online.de in conjunction with the online auction house, ricardo.de. Starting price: DM500 ($US250), although the original value