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87th Tour de France - Grand Tour

France, July 1 - 23, 2000

Tour News for June 30

Ullrich - can he do it again?

Jan Ullrich's rise to Tour stardom started in 1996 when he finished second to teammate Bjarne Riis in that edition. He followed this up with a win in 1997 at just 23 years old. Things looked set for a run of wins from then on, as he was virtually untouchable in the time trials, and could hold his own in the mountains. However, the past two years have not been as kind to Ullrich, as he battled weight and Pantani to finish second in 1998, and could not start in 1999 due to injury.

This year, he's had the usual weight and illness problems, but seems to be in some sort of condition now after the Tour de Suisse. Many eyes will be on him in the prologue, but the stage 4 team time trial will also be critical. Team director, Walter Godefroot, claims that he is in good shape, both physically and mentally. If he can repeat his performances of late last year, when he won the Vuelta and the World time trial championships, then he will be quite formidable.

According to his team doctor, his latest medical checkup has revealed that he is in excellent condition, and he is certainly not over-raced. The final week as always will be critical for the German, but he has finished second twice and won it once and has staying power. The final time trial in Fribourg is even in his home country, albeit a fair way from his place of birth.

Pantani is keen

Marco Pantani leapt into contention for the Tour during the Giro, when he finished second in one of the toughest mountain stages in the final week of the race. Although he was only a last minute starter, Pantani surprised many by not only finishing the race, but being competitive (he finished 28th overall). The winner of the ill-fated 1998 edition of the Tour will have a tough battle this year though.

"For my morale, riding the Giro was good," said Pantani to AFP. "Without that, I don't know if my career would have continued or not. But at the same time, it was a little crazy. From a technical point of view, it amounted to making an effort when the engine was not sufficiently tuned".

The mighty Col d'Izoard was the scene of Pantani's comeback in the Giro, and it will be a part of this year's Tour. "The Izoard cured me," said Pantani after riding so strongly on that stage, where he protected teammate Stefano Garzelli from the attacks of Simoni.

Despite being the best climber, Pantani has never won a polka dot jersey in the Tour. He has however finished on the podium no less than three times - 3rd in 1994 and 1997, winner in 1998. He says that he will ride an excellent race, and will surely give the others a scare.

Jalabert circumspect

Frenchman Laurent Jalabert (ONCE) will be riding in one of his last Tours de France this year, a race that he has never quite managed to crack. The man who has been at the top of the UCI rankings for several years, finally lost his position this year as his consistent good riding has not been present. Although he has won the Vuelta and almost every other major stage race, the Tour has eluded him with a best result being 4th in 1995. In fact he has probably suffered more damage than success, with his famous crash in Armentières (1994) and his exit of the 1998 edition.

In last year's Giro, he placed fourth overall behind Gotti, Savoldelli and Simoni. This year in the Tour, he can probably hope not much further than that, as he has a tendency to suffer in the higher mountains. Jalabert himself remains confident "In getting older (31) I have also gained endurance which is logical. This helped me to justify my preparation for the Tour. I believe that I can play a role in the general classification."

Godefroot's favourites are "Hors Categorie"

Telekom's team boss Walter Godefroot puts the three latest winners, Ullrich, Pantani and Armstrong, in "the highest category" in the Tour. "They are above all others, time will tell in what order they will stand on the podium on July 23," he told German newsagency DPA.

Making it to the podium is Jan Ullrich's goal for the Tour, at least according to what he said on Thursday's press conference in Futuruscope where the first stage will be raced Saturday. He says he is in good form and the first week he will do his best to help team mate Erik Zabel win a stage. As major rivals he names Marco Pantani, Alex Zülle and Abraham Olano. He also thinks that Richard Virenque and Laurent Jalabert are "strong enough to win the Tour".

Ullrich will race the Saturday TT stage on a new DM 25,000 ($US 12,000) bike with rims and rear cluster made of titanium, carbon frame and aluminium pedals and cranks.

Meanwhile, Memory Card Jack & Jones will ride the Tour on Look bikes instead of Vitus. The latter company was owned by Look but now has been sold off.

Vandevelde denied at last moment

US Postal Service suffered a slight setback today when they lost domestique, Christian Vandevelde due to a spider bite. He will be replaced by Norwegian, Steffen Kjaergaard who will be riding in his first Tour.

The decision was made on Wednesday to withdraw Vandevelde, well known for his skills as a rouleur, after he was bitten in Spain some days ago. He trained the next day after being bitten, but the location of the bite on his tailbone meant that it became inflamed and he could no longer ride. He is also suffering from the poison of the bite. According to reports, he is deeply disappointed about being left out, but realised that he would not be able to support the team in his current state.

Vandevelde also suffered a broken collarbone earlier this year in May, but managed to come back into contention for the Tour team. He is still aiming for US Olympic selection on the track, with the final team to be announced on July 7.

His replacement, Steffen Kjaergaard will have a hard time filling the hole, as it will be his first Tour. The 26 year old Norwegian is a strong rider, but has not had a great deal of success this year.

McRae added

Mapei's team lineup for the Tour was changed a little with the replacement of Italian strongman, Andrea Tafi, with US rider Chann McRae. The latter was added after he performed so well in the Giro (17th overall), and will be an important helper for Michele Bartoli or possibly a co-leader. Despite the withdrawal of Vandevelde, the US Tour contingent is one of the strongest ever.

The sponsors - who are they?

Life insurance companies, banks, newspapers, food, lotteries, and computer companies - these are just some of the sponsors of professional teams in the modern peloton. In this year's Tour, 20 teams will be strutting their stuff in front of millions of people around the globe. Now, to someone outside their country of origin, the sponsors and what they represent can be a little mysterious. Here is an abridged guide to the main sponsors in this year's Tour.

ag2r Prévoyance-Décathlon: ag2r sells insurance and Décathlon sells sporting goods

Banesto: A Spanish Bank

Bonjour-Toupargel: Bonjour is a free French newspaper, while Toupargel sells frozen food

Cofidis: A telephone credit company

Crédit Agricole: A French Bank

Farm Frites: A Dutch food manufacturer (French fries)

Festina: A Spanish watch manufacturer

Kelme-Costa Blanca: A Spanish sport shoes manufacturer

La Française des Jeux: French Lottery

Lotto-Adecco: Belgian lottery - Adecco is a temp firm

Mapei-Quick Step: Mapei produces adhesives and Quick Step parquet floor coverings

Memory Card-Jack&Jones: Danish computer company. J&J sell jeans.

Mercatone Uno-Albacom: Mercatone Uno is an Italian supermarket chain. Albacom is an Italian telecom company.

ONCE-Deutsche Bank: Spanish national lottery, managed by an association for blind people. Deutsche Bank is a German bank

Polti: A producer of cleaning products

Rabobank: A Dutch Bank

Saeco-Valli & Valli: Saeco make Coffee machines, while Valli & Valli supply furnishings and bathroom accessories

Deutsche Telekom-ARD: A German telecommunication company. ARD is a TV station.

US Postal Service: An American mail service

Vini Caldirola-Sidermec: Vini Caldirola is an Italian wine company, while Sidermec is in the metal trade business

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