News for June 24, 2000
The EPO test backlashAfter the decision was announced yesterday that the new EPO test needed "more work" before it could be widely utilised, the reactions were mainly of disappointment. UCI president, Hein Verbruggen was quoted in "Le Figaro" newspaper as saying it was a "grande déception", as he was assured that there was a 95% chance that it would be able to be used for the Tour. Of course in cycling, that final 5% can always be hard to achieve. A three body panel of experts appointed by the UCI recognized the merits of the test, and said that it was a large step in the fight against EPO. However Dr. Patrick Schamasch, director of panel said that a "minute scientific risk remains that currently prevents the total validation of this process." Now, "minute" is not particularly quantitative, but it is enough to satisfy the experts and force the UCI to agree No scientific drug test will ever be 100% perfect - that is the nature of science. However, the expert panel was concerned with the reproducibility of the test, as well as its verification. The article published in "Nature" did not go into great details, and "more resembled an official statement on the method, rather than a description of it". The paper was criticised by several scientists, and it was not possible to reproduce the method by reading the article. In addition, widespread testing on different genders ethnic groups has not been carried out. To do this takes several months, and that has been the focus of the Australian scientists who had their EPO blood test ready over a year ago, but have not yet finished the cross population testing. The ultimate method sought is a combination of a urine and a blood test, in order to easily test people as well as to detect long term usage. It is hoped that this will be finalised by the Olympic Games.
The UCI have not given up hope though, saying that they still have 8 days before the Tour starts. Perhaps by then they will be satisfied that the test works and is foolproof, but suddenly that 95% looks like 5%. What is likely is that they will store and freeze samples they take before and during this year's Tour (and any prior), in order to retroactively test them once the urine and blood test becomes officially valid. In addition, they will test for PFC (perfluorocarbon), as well as carry out hematocrit and haemoglobin tests during the Tour.
Baal to submit report for Jean DelatourThe president of the French Federation, Daniel Baal has been asked by the court in Nanterre to submit a report detailing the conditions which led to Jean Delatour not being selected for the Tour de France. After the remaining three wildcard entries went to Bonjour, Kelme and Memorycard-Jack&Jones on May 31, Jean Delatour protested that they should have been selected as well. They claimed that they had met the Société du Tour de France's conditions: A strong stance against drugs, good quality results throughout the year, and a large proportion of French riders. Despite this, they were ignored in favour of the other teams - Bonjour are actually ranked lower, but did manage some good results in events run by the Société. Memory Card had one of their riders stopped from competing in the Tour of Flanders (Nicolay Bo Larsen) after he failed a hematocrit test, and this was particularly concerning to Jean Delatour, who have riders such as Cristophe Bassons and Laurent Brochard in their ranks. A lawyer for the Société, Fabienne Fajgenbaum pleaded that Tour director Jean-Marie Leblanc "reserved the right, with only his descretion, to invite people that he wished to see in the Tour." Leblanc was also present in court and thought the whole thing was ridiculous, was was not questioned directly. Instead, it is left up to the National Federation's president, Daniel Baal to submit his report by Monday, June 26. He was asked by the judge to determine all the criteria that governed the selection of wildcards by the Société. In addition, he was requested to look at whether all the teams absolutely satisfied the anti-doping criterion, in particular Memory Card. Finally, he will have to assess the sporting performance criterion, using the UCI rankings at the end of May, as well as determining if there were other criteria hidden by the Société. What is the definition of a wildcard?
Crédit Agricolé Tour team
Leading French division II team, Crédit Agricolé, have nearly finalised their line up for the Tour. Their squad is an exception amongst the French, with a large proportion being foreigners. The team is: Bobby Julich, Jonathan Vaughters, Stuart O'Grady, Magnus Bäckstedt, Jens Voigt, Anthony Morin, Sébastien Hinault, Fabrice Gougot. The last place is between: Anthony Langella, Frédéric Finot, Thor Hushovd or Chris Jenner With the addition of Bobby Julich and Jonathan Vaughters to their team this year, they have some legitimate GC contenders along with Jens Voigt, winner of the Bayern Rundfarht in May. Of course, their other goal is to win the green jersey with Stuart O'Grady strutting his stuff. His main rival once more will be Telekom's Erik Zabel and it will be interesting to see how the two teams deploy their resources. Telekom want to win the yellow and the green, and they are capable of doing so. The Crédit Agricolé team is as well balanced as Telekom, but with slightly less horsepower. The final position will see whether young Norwegian Thor Hushovd gets his first Tour ride, or whether Roger Legeay will go for a more experienced rider.
Lotto-Adecco Tour teamThe sole Belgian team in this year's Tour is, as is normal, Lotto-Adecco. They have selected the following riders: Rik Verbrugghe, Geert Verheyen, Mario Aerts, Kurt van de Wouwer, Sébastien Demarbaix, Thierry Marichal, Serge Baguet, and of course Jacky Durand. The 9th place will be decided after the Belgian National Championship this weekend. The 3 contenders are Paul Van Hyfte, Kurt Van Lancker and Manu L'Hoir.
Round three of 'Who wants to be a quarter-millionaire?'Fraser and Reinhart advance By John Alsedek, cyclingnews.com correspondent As this weekend's BMC Tour of San Jose approaches, the excitement is becoming almost palpable. Besides the usual interest engendered by a $25,000 prize list and valuable UCI points, there's an added factor: will Gord Fraser (Mercury) and Nicole Reinhart (Saturn) be able to win on Saturday and keep their dreams of a blockbuster payday alive? Fraser and Reinhart have won two of the four BMC events- Austin and Houston If they can emerge victorious in San Jose (June 24) and Boston (September 17), they'll also receive a bonus of $250,000. As a result, the inaugural BMC Tour of San Jose should be a highly animated race. The course itself is a 1.3-mile circuit in downtown San Jose; while devoid of any climbs, it does include several good technical sections. It's also highly picturesque: from the start/finish line near the corner of St. Johns and San Pedro, the circuit travels past numerous streetside cafes and shops, as well as local landmarks such as the Cesar Chavez Plaza, St. James Park, and the St. Joseph Cathedral Basilica. In short, it should be a marvelous race for spectating. Of course, it should also be pretty interesting from a competitive standpoint. While Fraser and Reinhart are top-notch criterium riders and sprinters, they should both have their work cut out for them, as the opposition looks to play 'spoiler'. The men's field includes such danger men as U.S. Pro Criterium Champion Tony Cruz (Saturn); Franky Van Haesebroucke (Navigators), a Belgian speedster who grew up racing on short circuits; and the Shaklee duo of Jonas Carney and Dave McCook, who swept a trio of high-profile crits at the end of May. Meanwhile, Reinhart and her Saturn mates have to keep an eye on such riders as Olympic Trials winner Nicole Freedman (Charles Schwab); National Racing Calendar points leader Tina Mayolo (AutoTrader.com); and the versatile Elita pair of Karen Dunne and Sarah Ulmer.
Farm Frites sign two moreJune/July is the prime season for contracts - the height of the road season with the Tour just around the corner and the National Championships being contested. Dutch team, Farm Frites have been doing the rounds, snapping up two young talented riders. Bram Tankink and David Orvalho (currently with Tegeltoto-Löwik), both U23 riders, have been signed for 2001. Tankink is 21, and he won the Rund um Köln earlier this year. Orvalho is 20, winning the Ronde van Zuid-Holland and Köln-Schuld-Frechen races so far this season. The two will join the training squad (Farm Frites-Eycken) in January before making the jump to the professionals later on.
Fassa Bortolo add KirchenOne of Italy's top teams, Fassa Bortolo, have added a rider from Luxembourg to their ranks. Kim Kirchen, who rides for the third division team De Nardi-Pasta Montegrappa, impressed during the Baby Giro, where he finished 16th. He thus becomes the fourth Luxembourg rider to make it into the top two professional divisions, after Tom Flammang (Cofidis), Benoît Joachim (US Postal Service) and Christian Poos (Post Swiss).
Jeanson to FitchburgCanadian star, Geneviève Jeanson will return to the race that she made a big mark on last year, the Fitchburg Longsjo classic commencing next week. In her first major stage race, Jeanson, then 17, finished in the top four on three stages and eventually claimed second place overall to Saturn's Lyne Bessette. It was an important career step, as she then moved to win the overall in the Killington stage race in Vermont - again riding alone and beating the combined efforts of riders on the established teams. At the World Championships in Verona, October 1999, Jeanson won both the 11 km individual time trial and the hilly, 67 km road race. She has continued to improve this year, winning the highly ranked Tour de Snowy stage race in Australia, as well as the Fléche Wallone Women's World Cup race in Belgium. She remains a hopeful for the Canadian Olympic team which will compete in Sydney, Australia. Success in top caliber events like Fitchburg will be important to team selection. The Longsjo Classic 2000 is scheduled in Fitchburg MA for June 29 to July 2, and currently has over 600 registered entries making it the largest and most competitive field ever. |
