News for January 19, 2000

Ullrich & Co. training well

Telekom's 14 man training camp in Mallorca, including Jan Ullrich, appears to be progressing well. The sun is shining, as opposed to the first week when bad weather meant that Ullrich had to resort to spinning indoors. Their schedule is simple at the moment: 3 days training, followed by 1 day rest, with the longest ride so far, just 195 km in the wind and rain.

Team doctor, Lothar Heinrich is happy: "It goes well. The riders have completed their program, and have not had any falls or mishaps."

Pantani takes it easy

Whilst out training with teammates in Tenerife on Sunday, Marco Pantani was forced to stop as a result of severe stomach problems. The Pirate blamed it on dodgy fish that he had eaten on Saturday.

Piepoli for the Giro

Banesto rider, Leonardo Piepoli wishes to aim for the Giro d'Italia this year, as he has done for the past three years. He is hoping that he can do it though without the misfortune that has plagued him previously: "I must repeat my attempt: one more time...I hope to be competitive with the best climbers, to know what my true value is as a climber, to know how I am capable of performing," said Piepoli to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

This will be Piepoli's second season with Banesto, who are currently training in Malaga in the south of Spain. They will remain there until the Challenge Mallorca on February 6. The riders roles have already been laid out: Piepoli will be the captain in the Giro, Zülle in the Tour and Jimenez in the Vuelta.

"In this team I am very comfortable: through all the the problems that I have had in these months, they have always a full confidence in me, and this gives me the greatest motivation," explains 28 year-old Piepoli, who won the baby Giro in 1994.

"To return to the Giro d’Italia as a captain is a responsibility that motivates me greatly, pushes me to giving more. And I would want to repay the confidence that I have received from the team".

In last year's Giro, Banesto had Jimenez and Piepoli as their team leaders. Jimenez was still in the race until the climb of the Fauniera, where he succumbed to Pantani's attacks. Piepoli, who started the race with high ambitions, had to retire the previous day after breaking his collarbone. He made up for it in August when he won the Subida Urkiola, a stage of the Vuelta Burgos, a stage and the overall of La Vuelta Castilla y Leon, and then finished eighth in the Vuelta a Espana, his best result in a major tour.

"My sorrow has always been that I have exited from the race before the big mountains, and in the last Giro d’Italia they were important. Also the Giro of 2000 will be decided in the mountains, and I only hope that I will be there. I will try to be ready to take advantage of anything: I do not lack courage, I always find it because it appeals to me, my job and my life as an athlete, " concludes Piepoli

More sponsors for USA cycling

USA Cycling have announced two sponsorship deals involving their organisation for this coming year. The first one, with Excel Sports, Colorado was a continuation of their relationship last year, while the second is a new deal with Park Tool. Park Tool will be the official supplier of the Olympic team this year.

Festina for the Tour/Vuelta

"Reborn" French/Spanish outfit, Festina have announced their plans for the year, while they train in Mallorca along with various other teams. Their big hope is that Angel Casero (Spa) will ride well in the major tours of France and Spain. Team director, Juan Fernandez is supervising the team as they put their finishing touches to their Tour of Mallorca preparation. His overall aim for the team is to regain their one position that they held prior to the '98 Tour disaster

Record number for Tirreno-Adriatico

RCS Sport, the organisation for Tirreno-Adriatico reports that they received entries from a record 31 teams for the race. The race is limited to 22 teams however, and 16 of those will come from the following UCI division I teams: Cofidis (Fra), Farm Frites (Ned), Fassa Bortolo (Ita), Festina (Fra), Française Des Jeux (Fra), Lampre-Daikin (Ita), Liquigas-Pata (Ita), Mapei-Quick Step (Ita), Mercatone Uno-Bianchi (Ita), Once-Deutsche Bank (Spa), Rabobank (Ned), Saeco Gaggia-Cannondale (Ita), Deutsche Telekom (Ger), Team Polti (Ita), Vini Caldirola-Sidermec (Ita), and Vitalicio Seguros-Grupo (Spa).

The race starts in Sorrento on March 8 and reaches San Benedetto del Tronto on March 15.

Eleven nations on Cuba

Teams from eleven nations in Europe, Asia and America will take part in the Vuelta Ciclística a Cuba (2.5), February 8 to 20. The old world will be represented by three German teams, two from the Czech Republic and one each from Italy, Great Britain, Switzerland, Netherlands and Austria. Other foreign teams come from Kazakhstan, Brasil, Venezuela, Mexico and the United States. Nine Cuban teams will also participate.

GP Zürich saved

The Swiss World Cup event GP Zürich will be staged this year. Financial troubles put the race in doubt, but now an industrial company in Zürich has signed a guarantee so the organizers can hunt for more sponsors with less pressure.

Danish Møller wins against TVM

Claus Michael Møller won his case against TVM in a Dutch court. The team will have to pay his owed salary, which is six figured according to cyclingworld.dk. The Dane tested positive for testosterone last spring, and he was then immediately suspended by the team and his salary frozen. He will also have the option to sue for damage. He was banned by the Danish CU for two years but the UCI shortened the sentence so he can ride for his Portuguese team Maia-MSS this coming spring.

Coughing Hushovd

Norwegian hope for the future, Thor Hushovd, is training with Credit Agricole in France for the moment but is suffering from bronchitis that is preventing him from going at full speed, according to newspaper Aftenposten. He has been coughing for a month and will be examined by the team doctor. He is supposed to make his debut in the GP d`Ouverture La Marseillaise (1.4) on February 1, followed by the five day stage race Etoile de Bessèges (2.4). He made his pro debut as a stagiare in september with an eleventh place in the French semi-classic Paris-Bourges.

Hegreberg goes south

National rider Morten Hegreberg will ride for the Belgian amateur team ICT, International Cycling team, for a good part of this season in order to qualify for a pro contract.

"Results aren't enough to get a contract, you have to know the right people, and Svein Gaute Hølestøl (Gerolsteiner) has adviced me to try this team which he rode for before he became a pro," he said to newspaper Stavanger Aftenblad.

Lillehagen goes west

Øivind Lillehagen, with merits from the Norwegian National Team will ride for Swedish Team Mälarenergi (ex Wirsbo) next year. He will make his debut for the team in Biarritz, France, in February. Lillehagen will add sprinting capacity to the team that this year will be more of a northern Scandinavian outfit with two Finns, Jukka Heinikainen and Oscar Stenström as well as Swedes Magnus Albertsson, Mattias Carlsson, Kristoffer Ingeby, John Nilsson and Tobias Nilsson.

The signing of Lillehagen has also given contacts with potential Norwegian sponsors, for example, a mineral water brand has shown interest in the team.

Telekom sponsors McLaren

Deutsche Telekom will sponsor McLaren's formula one team in this coming season. Telekom owned mobile net company T-Mobil is already involved using driver Mika Häkkinen in a campaign. Now the company's logo will appear on the overalls of Häkkinen and team mate David Coulthard.

Pregnolato: correction

Yesterday it was reported that Gabriella Pregnolato had tested positive for Ephedrine last year but was not to be disciplined by the Italian federation. However, the substance she tested positive for was actually caffeine.