News for July 10, 2000

Cipo back on track

The sprinting powers of Mario Cipollini and his red Saeco train have definitely been missed by his sprinting rivals in this year's Tour de France: The first 9 days of racing have only resulted in three bunch sprints. Mario was sidelined from the Tour as a result of a training accident several weeks prior, where he severely injured his face and cracked three ribs. That, combined with his ongoing asthma problems made him decide not to start in Le Tour.

After a fairly quiet last couple of weeks, Cipollini will race next in the Fiorenzuola Six (Six days of the Roses) from July 25-30. His likely partner will be Giovanni Lombardi, while favourite Silvio Martinello will pair with Andrea Collinelli. In total, 18 pairs will race in this summer six day event, including Marco Villa, Ivan Quaranta, and the Swiss pair of Bruno Risi and Kurt Betschart.

Following the six day event, the Fiorenzuola d' Arda velodrome will host the Junior World Track Championships, from August 2-6.

De Wolf to Domo

Patrick Lefevere has reached a verbal agreement with Steve De Wolf (Cofidis): he will ride the next two seasons for Domo. The young rider from Ninove, Belgium has had no victories in his 3 and a half year career, but has ridden strongly in several Classics and will be a valuable ally to Museeuw.

In other Domo news, Dutchman Max van Heeswijk has said that he'll ride for one year, while Belgian based Kiwi, Gordon McCauley is rumoured to be in talks with Lefevere. McCauley has also been offered a stagiaire's contract with Tonnissteiner.

Back in Mapei territory and according to Belgian newspaper, De Standaard, Michele Bartoli is not satisfied with the fact that the team is (even partially) built around Steels instead of himself. De Standaard reports that Bartoli is happy with Lefevere's departure, and his subsequent replacement by Serge Parsani, a personal friend of Bartoli's.

McCann scores last spot

Irishman David McCann has snared the final spot in his country's Olympic squad, getting the nod in front of riders such as David O'Loughlin, Morgan Fox, and Mark Scanlon. The team had only two positions for the road race, and Ciaran Power (Linda McCartney) had already been awarded the other one.

For their part, Linda McCartney are expanding their team in order to realize their goal of a Tour de France start next year. Firstly, they want another team manager to help Sean Yates and then they will look for more riders with points to try and move into the second division. The team scored a big boost this year with their ride in the Giro d'Italia, where they had several top stage placings as well as one memorable win courtesy of David McKenzie.

Australians getting tense

With the final Olympic selections scheduled in approximately one week's time, the Australian track squad is currently undergoing their last round of tests and ride-offs in the Adelaide Superdrome. The doors have been closed however to both media and spectators so no details of times are available at the moment.

The women's team will come down to just three riders, likely to be sprinters and one endurance specialist to compete in four events. The battle will be between Lyndelle Higginson, Michelle Ferris, and Alayna Burns and Kathy Watt. Both Ferris and Higginson may be considered better medal chances in the sprint and the 500 metre time trial, and the final spot will therefore be between Burns and Watt.

Hopefully, the selection disputes of last Olympics will not arise this time, and the selectors give the better rider the nod. The results will not be known until next Monday however.

In the men's squad, there is more leeway as there are 11 positions up for grabs. Four of them will be for sprinters, while the rest for endurance riders. 'Minute man' Shane Kelly is expected to take one of these, while the other three will be between Gary Neiwand, Darryn Hill, Sean Eadie, Ben Kersten and Jobie Dajka.

Colombian Nationals postponed

The Colombian National Championships, scheduled for this month have been put back to nearer the end of the year. The exact dates have yet to be announced, but they have been scheduled to coincide with the annual All Sports National Championships in Colombia.