News for February 25, 2000

Pantani withdraws from Valencia

Marco Pantani did not start on the third stage of Vuelta Comunidad Valenciana in Cualpa. He felt ill on the second stage and after a restless night with a bad stomach decided to stay in Cualpa for some training. The illness is not considered to be serious and "The Pirate" plans to ride Clasica de Almeria on Sunday and the next week's five days Vuelta Ciclista a Murcia.

"I am tired, but no reason to the panic. I always hold back myself at the start of the season and don't push it. On Sunday when I race in Almeria, I will try again," explained the 30 year old Italian.

On Wednesday evening Pantani, who was racing for the first time since his Giro exclusion last year, was disturbed by messages from home. The public prosecutor's office in Trentino had delivered its investigation report, putting him under the spotlight again. The report included two medical appraisals from experts at the universities of Parma and Geneva, who said that Pantani's blood values could not be due to natural circumstances, and "stress" was not the cause. The only "non-unnatural assertion" is the taking of medicine, they said.

Hincapie shows early form

Today's third stage of the Vuelta a Valenciana was a good result for American George Hincapie, riding for the US Postal squad. His goal this year is a podium finish in the Paris-Roubaix, and he is certainly on track for a good showing - he also finished fourth in the Luis Puig trophy last Sunday.

"I'm starting to feel better but I have a ways to go to improve," Hincapie said following today's stage. "I'm happy with where I am right now. Everything I am doing now is in preparation for April and the end of March."

Hincapie and the US Postal Service team are gearing up for the World Cup and Classics schedule, beginning with the World Cup opener, Milan-San Remo, on March 18. Last year, Hincapie placed ninth in Milan-San Remo and then fourth at Paris-Roubaix a few weeks later, equaling the highest ever finish by an American at the "Hell of the North."

"I'm still lacking the power for April's races, but I would rather have it then than have it now," Hincapie added. "I'm stronger at this point than last year, which is due to more training and having more confidence."

Hincapie's has also the support if the reinstated Viatcheslav Ekimov, a Classics specialist and one of the more experienced riders in the peloton, and he values his help: "Both Eki and Frankie (Andreu) helped out a lot today, but neither one of us three are in top shape. But it's still good to see we are fighting for wins even though we are only about 70%," he said.

"Eki led it out [today] with about one km to go and everyone started sprinting with around 250 meters to go," Hincapie said. "Freire was real strong in the sprint."

"There are guys flying for these races, then you have guys looking forward to the World Cup races, then you have guys focusing for the Tour (de France)," Hincapie remarked on how the early season peloton is split in the first few months of racing. "There are three different levels."

Alvaro Pino on Spanish cycling

Courtesy of Ciclismo Catalan

Former director of Kelme, Alvaro Pino believes that the Spanish have not taken full advantage of the "Indurain effect" in order to push the sport in the country. Speaking after an operation to insert a prosthesis in his hip, the former director said that cycling "has not taken the initiative when it had it. It is a sport that does not have a big standing in the official houses, and mainly survives because of its championships and medals ", he said. However, he also believed that Spanish cycling was at a higher level than at the time of Indurain.

"We now don't have to wait until the Giro to see Spanish success," he said referring to the results of the Mallorca challenge, the Ruta del Sol and the Vuelta a Comunidad Valenciana.

On former pupil, Fernando Escartin, he said that his aggression in last year's Tour was a good sign, and was certainly a change in his mentality. However, the public found it hard to accept after so many Indurain victories - a third in the Tour was not good enough. "The third position of Escartín in Paris was not valued very highly. Fifteen years back, when Arroyo was 'pioneering' in the Tour, it had an incalculable value. The public appraised more greatly, the triumph of Jiménez in the Angliru than a podium spot in the Tour," he said.

Abraham Olano has certainly had a hard burden to bear, and the public will not let him forget it, however Pino blames the mass media. "They predicted Olano and failed," he said.

On to other matters, and Pino feels that the wound caused by the Festina affair is not very well healed. "The cyclist has to put up with more inconveniences, and the team, more expenses to support the new controls. The people that want those controls must take responsibility for payment," he said.

"The long mountain stages are good for cycling because they mean a battle to the finish. A possible reduction in these which can cause a big rearrangement in the overall will do more harm to the climbers," he warned.

For him, to reduce the days of racing would not affect the final cut "The question is about knowing how many days Olano, Escartín, Robert Heras or Jiménez will have left at the end of season. If they race 100 days now, despite reducing the number of stages, it has not solved anything," he said.

He is on good terms with Pepe Quiles, the new director of Kelme, despite press rumours that there was a split between the two. "I have a good relation with Pepe (Quiles). Clearly there were differences between us, but those disputes are in most of the teams. Eight years together can create friction," Pino said by way of clarification.

New Danish pro team

By Tomas Nilsson, cyclingnews.com correspondent

There have been a lot of rumors about Brian Holm's and Henrik Elmgreen's plans for a new Danish pro team, but on Thursday they could at least present a working partner if not a sponsor. The media company Main Group has hired the duo as sports director and manager respectively according to Danish website Infosport.dk.

Holm and Elmgreen led Team Acceptcard last year, a team that had a good season, ending around tenth position in second division. Acceptcard nevertheless withdrew as sponsor, tired of a sport with too much exposure to doping and too little on sports results. Several of the riders went up to Memorycard Jack&Jones in first division or down to Team Fakta who have moved up from third to second division this year. The new team is supposed to have a core of good Danish riders completed with some experienced foreign riders.

"The team should have a young profile," said Elmgreen to Infosport.dk. He is quite aware of the fact that most Danish top riders are under contract with Jack&Jones but mentions other good Danish riders in foreign teams such as Frank Hřj and Lars Michaelsen at La Francaise des Jeux and Tayeb Braikia with Linda McCartney as possible Danish front figures.

"We are working full time from now on for the 2001 season. Contracts may not be written before October 1st, but we have a carte blanche to build the team organization, get equipment, plan, contact race organizers etc.," said Elmgreen. "The budget will be in the area of 10-15 million kroner (1.3 - 2 Million USD), according to Tino Thorsře, managing director of Main Group, but where the money will come from is still an unsettled problem, Main Group will not necessarily be the main sponsor. The company guarantees the budget but Thorsře sees it's role more as a catalyst and with good contacts among it's customers where sponsors might very well be found.

The ambitions for the team are to make the first division in 2002 and the Tour de France in 2003 and Thorsře says that he is prepared to pay (or let others pay) the price.

Godefroot withdraws

Walter Godefroot, the sport director of Telekom, has withdrawn his lawsuit against the German magazine "Der Spiegel". The two parties in the conflict have reached an agreement out of court. "Der Spiegel" published an article in June last year accusing Telekom of systematic doping. In July a German court found that the magazine didn't have enough facts to prove it.

UK court of justice

The British Government are considering setting up a sports court of justice, which will hear cases of doping in sport, according to an report in the Daily Telegraph today. The implication is that if any athlete tests positive, their case will not be heard by their governing body but it will go straight to the court who will make the judgment.

The aim is to relieve the burden from the federations of the possibility of high legal costs, which have prevented them from pursuing athletes who have failed drug tests to the full extent. The proposal came after a meeting of top sports officials in London yesterday, and covers a number of sports.

David Moorcroft, chief executive of UK Athletics told the Telegraph that: "We proposed this idea some time ago and Kate Hoey has been very sympathetic to it. If we can make this work, then I believe we can go a long way towards removing many of the problems surrounding the drugs test. The idea would be that this would be a judicial body, funded by the Government, which would have the right to co-opt members from the relevant sports governing bodies, whose athlete's case is being heard, to decide on the merits of the case."

Today Ster van Zwolle, tomorrow Het Volk

The team manager of BankGiroLoterij, Arend Scheppink has big plans for his team: "On Saturday we start in the Ster van Zwolle. But next year we want to start in the Omloop Het Volk." He is hoping to give his new sponsor more coverage, to encourage them to continue next year.

Last year, Batavus was the top sponsor of the team, with BankGiroLoterij as co-sponsor. However, BankGiroLoterij will stop their sponsorship this year if they don't improve their profile. Their budget this year is 2 million Dutch guilders ($US 1,000,000). The team consists of: Johan Bruinsma, Kees Jeurissen, Rudi Kemna, Wim van de Meulenhof, Wim Omloop, Rik Reinerink, Paul van Schalen, Lars Teutenberg, Jan van Velzen, and Renger Ypenburg.

Austrian team barred

A team of under 23 riders from Austria have been prevented from starting in the Triptyque des Monts et Chateaux in Belgium in April. The organisers gave as one of the reasons the political situation in Austria at the moment, where the new coalition government includes a party from the far right.

In a letter to the Austrian cycling Federation, race organisers wrote: "Without wishing to mix sport and politics, we want, through this symbolic gesture, to attract the Austrian population's attention to the gravity of the situation in which it has been placed by decisions taken by its politicians."

Although this was not the only reason - the race had too many teams wishing to start - it strongly influenced the decision. However, the Belgian cycling federation have not supported it, and will meet next Thursday to discuss it. The Austrian federation president, Otto Flum wishes to take part in this discussion.

Vice-chancellor Susanne Riess-Passer from the Freedom Party, who is also responsible for Austrian sports, told Reuters that: "A sports venue is not the right place to carry out political conflicts."

No McEwen in Het Volk

Gerben Löwik replaces Robbie McEwen in Omloop Het Volk Saturday and Kuurne - Brussel - Kuurne Sunday. Robbie has influenza. He checked the course of Omloop Het Volk on Wednesday but decided not to start.