Second edition news for March 28, 2000Hinault speaks outFive-time Tour de France winner and arguably France's best cyclist, Bernard Hinault, today let loose with a veritable barrage against some of the top names in the sport today. In an interview with AFP, Hinault firstly criticised certain riders for being too focussed on the Tour de France, saying that the emphasis on one race leaves a lot of losers. "There are some great races all year long and they should take what they can get. Noone is sure to win the Tour de France or another big race, if you have done the hard work beforehand you can at least save the season and keep the sponsors happy," he said. Hinault was also harsh on the semi-retired Macro Pantani, saying that he should just "train harder" in order to get back to the top. He believes that Pantani tried to cheat because he was not sure of himself: "When you doubt yourself, nothing works," he said. As for Jan Ullrich and Frank Vandenbroucke, Hinault says that they should be racing in the classics as well as the tours. "They are taking the same attitude as Greg Lemond which is to have one objective, the Tour de France." Not one to mince words, the Badger admires people who ride hard and not talk about how good they are.
Australian track squad namedBy Jeff Jones After several months of speculation, performances and discussions, the waiting is over for 20 Australian track cyclists who were named today in the preliminary Olympic squad. Cycling Australia made their descision two days after the conclusion of the senior competition in the National Track Championships and there were no real surprises. The final team will be named on July 23, after being submitted to the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) on July 14. However, Cycling Australia CEO Ray Godkin pointed out that riders who were able to independently meet the qualification criteria by June 1 would be considered for the final team. A total of sixteen men and four women were named, to be trimmed to 11 men and three women by July. As far as the women are concerned, the final three will have to ride the points race, the 3000 metre individual pursuit, the 500 metre time trial, and the sprint. It is therefore likely that the main competition will be between Alayna Burns (SA) and Kathy Watt (Vic) to see who will ride in the pursuit. CA have set a time of 3.35.00 as the next "benchmark" for the women to aim for by July, however, this is not the only selection criterion. "Attendance at camps" may be considered, however, as far as Watt and Burns are concerned this will be an issue to be finalised between them and CA. The federation has also left open the possibility of a ride-off between the two, should the Olympic trials and other criteria fail to separate them. It is likely that Lyndelle Higginson (Victoria) will ride in the points race, despite not finishing in this event at the nationals. There is the possibility that Burns will get the nod for this event, as she won the Commonwealth Games race. The sprint position will likely go to Ferris, but there is a lot of ground to be covered between now and July. Additionally, another rider may come to the fore between now and then. The men's team will be harder to choose and it will come down to the scheduling of events at the Games more than anything else. Nine positions are available in the endurance events, however, only seven riders will be named. The individual pursuit kicks off on September 17, and Mick Rogers, Stuart O'Grady and Brad McGee are probably the front runners for the two positions there, despite not being at the national Championships. However, national champion Luke Roberts may be considered if the other three are required for team pursuit duties. With the team pursuit, points race and madison on consecutive days (September 19-21), there will be some juggling of the endurance riders in the squad. Brett Aitken, Luke Roberts, Stuart O'Grady, Brad McGee are all experienced team pursuit riders, however, riders such as Nigel Grigg, Brett Lancaster, Brent Dawson and possibly Graeme Brown, although he is currently serving a one month suspension for erratic riding, may be considered here. With just one rider to be named in the points race, the likely candidates are O'Grady, Aitken and McGrory, although the selectors will have to decide how to use the available talent. Certainly, Scott McGrory should be in the madison on the last day, with Aitken as a likely partner. In the sprint disciplines, four riders will have to compete for eight positions spread over four events (kilo, sprint, keirin, Olympic sprint). Shane Kelly is a given in the kilo time trial and national champion Ben Kersten will probably get the other spot, although he may have to give way if the selectors feel they need others in the keirin, Olympic sprint, and sprint events. The Olympic sprint will be interesting, as three out of the four sprinters will have to be part of the team. Neiwand, Hill, Eadie and Dajka will be the likely support for either Kelly or Kersten in last position, so times leading up to the Games will be closely considered by the selectors. The two sprint positions will be interesting - Hill and Neiwand are the favourites, but Eadie has certainly proved himself by winning the Nationals and may get the nod. South Australia's Jobie Dajka has an outside chance here, but on current form he will find it hard. Again, by July things can be a lot different. The keirin position will almost certainly go to Hill (who is currently competing on the Japanese Keirin circuit) or Neiwand, the national champion. Those that missed out include NSW rider Josh Kersten, who did not have a brilliant national championships. Brother Ben was quickest in the kilo, and it is possible that Cycling Australia also considered him to be a less volatile choice than Josh who had several notable outbursts against them last year. The bottom line is form, and Josh didn't quite have it at the National's. Others that were overlooked include WA's national pointscore champion, Scott Suckling, NSW's Jonathon Davis, Ashley Hutchinson (Qld) , and Stephen Wooldridge. The riders (all U23), along with Graeme Brown and Brent Dawson, will have the chance to compete in a round of the World Cup in Colombia in May to gain experience for the future. The 20 member squad is as follows: Brett Aitken (SA) Alayna Burns (SA) |