Second edition news for January 10, 2000

Aussie women's team in car accident

Courtesy of Kristy Scrymgeour and Brian Farrell

There was more drama after the last of the women's races of the Bay Criterium series in St Kilda, Melbourne. After Rochelle Gilmore had lost her leader's jersey as the result of an untimely puncture in the closing laps (and of course, some very strong riding from race winner, Karen Barrow), 16 of the competitors headed home for a quiet warm-down spin. They were heading west down Geelong road, which has seen over twenty cyclists killed there in past years.

A group of this size is normally fairly visible, even on Australian roads where drivers often don't know what a bicycle is until it hits them, or in this case the other way round. However, the driver concerned [an orthopedic surgeon of all things] was looking in the rear vision mirror at someone putting down witches hats, not realizing the traffic had slowed in front for a bunch of cyclists on the road.

The driver slammed on his brakes, but lost control of the car and it skidded across three lanes of traffic into the group. The most seriously hurt was Alison Urquhart (NSW), who broke her arm, but many of the others were injured with heavy bruising and cuts requiring hospital treatment. Tracey Gaudry was one of those worse off, and is likely to forgo the upcoming Melbourne-Sorrento, on January 12, as a result of a knee injury.

The driver was suitably shocked at the damage he had caused, and will have to pay for the majority of the bikes, which were written off. However, with the new laws in Victoria, the driver is not able to be sued even if he is charged with neglect. In the case of Gaudry, this could be of concern as it may impact on her Olympic selection. With the Australian Championships this weekend, too much time off the bike now would not be desirable.

Several other members of the group do not know whether they will be able to start the Melbourne-Sorrento, as a result of the damage.

Roche in trouble?

The Italian doping investigation, which revealed the names of 22 top riders who were associated with Dr Michele Ferrari and Professor Francesco Conconi, included former Irish Star, Stephen Roche on its list. Although Roche, along with the rest of the names mentioned, has strongly denied that he took the drug, his name was allegedly in the "secret" files of Prof. Conconi that were confiscated by prosecutor Spinosa.

According to a report in the Irish Sunday Times yesterday, Roche was referred to under a variety of names, such as Rocchi, Rossi, Roncati, Righi and Rossini. Roche had not been directly involved with Conconi, but with an associate Giovanni Grazzi, who is also under investigation.

In 1993, Roche was supposedly administered EPO according to Conconi's file. However, he told the Times, that "I can't understand why this is in the files. I would love to be able to get Conconi to stand up and say that I took EPO, because I know I didn't. I was never part of any study. I gave no consent for anything like that. I know what I did in my career."

Given the current climate to develop an EPO test before the Sydney Olympics, it is somewhat ironic that the investigation into Conconi is going on. Conconi was funded by the IOC as far back as 1994 to find a definitive test, after revealing that he had made great progress in it. He had supposedly used amateur athletes for this research, which involved administering the drug - not the professionals implicated by the seized files.

Roche's hematocrit was allegedly close to 50% during the trials, in July 1993 - somewhat higher than his usual 46%. Also, his serum transferrin, one of the key markers used to detect EPO, was 5.5, significantly greater than the normal level of 3.0 seen amongst most people.

The cyclist is seeking further explanation from his doctor Grazzi as to the contents of the files.

French still irregular

The regular mandatory blood testing of French cyclists by the French Cycling Federation (FFC) continues. However, the latest results were still not satisfactory, according to the FFC. 124 of the 600 examinees still showed irregularities in iron metabolism and heart rhythm. This is an improvement on previous, similar screens, which showed anywhere up to 60% had abnormalities in their iron status.

An overload of iron can lead to cirrhosis or cancer, while taking drugs such as corticoids can cause anomalies in liver and pancreatic metabolism.

Ampler to return?

35 year old ex-World Champion, Uwe Ampler is seeking to make a comeback after he finishes his current suspension. The Agro Adler rider tested positive for testosterone at the International Sachsen Rundfahrt in August, blaming it on a remedy he took for the 'flu.

He has to serve a nine month suspension, but intends to be back in competition on May 1 for his new team "Bunte Berte". This is not a professional team, as the Leipzig rider has had difficulty getting a contract. However, he wishes to have one last season: "I am convinced that I can end my career in a better way than under the current circumstances," he said.

He has targeted the Peace race as his first major competition. The Leipziger sensationally won this race in 1998 after more than a three-year break. "It will naturally be very hard, without any racing to come into form," said Ampler.