News for May 31, 2000

83rd Giro d'Italia

Stage comments

The shortest road stage 16 of the Giro at 102 kilometres was won by Francaise des Jeux's Fabrizio Guidi, who said that before the start that he felt tired. However, two and a half hours is not a great length of time to race for if you are a pro, and there were reportedly several excursions for riders to meet their families. Guidi is the current leader of the Intergiro competition (Blue jersey) and has had to do quite a bit of work in the last few days to make sure he's up the front for that critical early sprint.

"I tried to get to the front on the hill with 20 kilometres to go, and in the last kilometre I got onto Saeco, who had the race in hand. I jumped after Biagio Conte, and he made a hole through which I went. Luckily, because the last few metres were hard," said 28 year old Guidi.

Tomorrow's stage 17 is nearly two and a half times as long, at 236 kilometres between Meda to Genoa. Towards the end (44 km to go), the riders have a relatively small climb, the Creto di Montoggio which is 616 metres high. The real mountains begin again the day after in stages 18, 19 and 20.

Martinello couldn't believe it

Yesterday's stage winner, Angel Vicioso from Kelme, was declassified for squeezing in between Polti's Silvio Martinello and the barriers with 150 m to go. Vicioso and his team director, Vincente Belde couldn't believe it, and have said that they will carry things further. They were, a little surprisingly, backed by the squeezed rider, Silvio Martinello who said to La Gazzetta dello Sport: "Really, I didn't believe that they disqualified the Spaniard. The commissaire can't have been serious, and I hope that the jury always uses this method of judgment."

"Yes, Vicioso came through me, but that often happens in sprints. The real problem was that he touched his pedal in my front wheel. I lost two pedal strokes and it was 'goodbye victory'. However I am content with my condition that I've found again after the mountains."

"The jury decided to apply the rules to the letter, as they did with Cipollini in Scalea. But, I think they should have been consistent, when he was given help on the climb. Between sprinters, we know that these sideslips and body contacts are the order of the day. I am all for the maximum correctness, but I'm convinced that neither Cipollini in Scalea, nor Vicioso in Brescia should have been stripped of the victories.

Simoni plans to attack

That's the word of Gilberto's Lampre-Daikin team manager, Beppe Saronni, for the final stages in the Italian Alps. Simoni raced well in the Dolomites, finishing second and first in stages 13 and 14, pulling 30 seconds back on Casagrande (he is now 3rd at 57 seconds). He is clearly climbing well, probably better than last year, and there is some very mountainous terrain to come at the end of the week.

He wants to do better than just a podium spot, and will push Casagrande and Garzelli all the way. This could set things up for a very exciting time trial, although Casagrande remains the favourite.

According to his team manager, Giosuè Zenoni, he is going well because "Francesco is the strongest in the legs as well as the head. His mental strength is enough for him to face three weeks of competition in the proper manner."

No women's cycling for Casagrande

Maglia Rosa, Francesco Casagrande was also asked if he was planning to introduce his daughter, Camilla, to cycling when she is older. His answer was short: "Absolutely not, it is not a sport for women. Too hard."

Interview with Antonio Cruz

By John Alsedek, cyclingnews.com correspondent

Though the phrase 'Cinderella story' is an all-too-frequently-used one in the world of sports, the tale of Saturn's Antonio Cruz is one of those rare ones that really IS a Cinderella story. Five years ago, Cruz wasn't even racing, having hung up his wheels in 1990 to work as a pharmacy technician. However, after rediscovering his love for the sport, he returned to the racing scene, and by 1998, had earned a spot on the Nutra Fig professional squad.

Despite coming painfully close to a major win on numerous occasions (including four top-five stage finishes in the Cascade Classic), Cruz found himself riding as the only pro on the modest L'Equipe Cheval squad in 1999 when he had his breakthrough moment: a victory in the U.S. Pro Criterium Championship. That attracted the interest of Saturn, who signed Cruz in the fall and was amply rewarded when the 29-year old, who had witnessed Alexi Grewal's gold medal ride in Los Angeles firsthand as a child, earned his own trip to the Olympic Games by winning the Olympic Trials Road Race in Jackson, MS on May 20th. So take a moment to learn a little more about U.S. Olympian Antonio Cruz...

Q: What was it that made you hang up the wheels originally, and what brought you back?
A: I stopped racing after I was not re-signed from the junior team to the senior team on Plymouth/Reebok in 1990. I felt that I raced well enough to have earned a spot, and, when things didn't go my way, the disappointment was overwhelming. Then, in 1995, my good friend Ernie Lechuga, aka 'Lettuce', stayed with me in Reno, NV a couple of days before the Nevada City Classic. Once at the event as a spectator, I remembered how exciting it was to be part of such an awesome race, and I was out training hard the next week.

Q: Besides your father, Carlos, did you have any other people who were major influences on you early in your career?
A: My dad is my number one influence, but I also have an uncle who raced in Mexico that was inspirational. I can still remember seeing a poster of him with his team hanging in his tool shed, along with the bike he competed on. All I wanted was for him to let me ride it, but no such luck - I had to wait for my own. My biggest professional influence and inspiration was Frenchman Bernard Hinault. The man had class and dedication, qualities I admire very much.

Q: After racing for Nutra Fig in 1998, how tough was it going basically solo last year?
A: It wasn't too hard because of the support I received from friend & team manager Willard Ford, who believed in me and shouted in every road race and in every single lap of a criterium, "YOU CAN DO IT!", which he picked up from the movie 'The Waterboy'. It was comical at first, but, after a while, I started telling myself that I can do it and I'm GOING to do it! I also have to give many thanks to my best friend, Danny Pratt, and my wife, Jody, who supported me from day one no matter how hard we struggled financially....and let me tell you, we struggled. Racing without teammates paled in comparison.

Q: When Saturn offered you a contract, what was your first thought?
A: This was the opportunity I had been looking for all my life. I was honored that Saturn was interested in giving me a chance. The experience, knowledge, and depth the guys have on this team have taught me more than they'll ever know!

Last three teams tomorrow

The eagerly awaited final three wildcard teams for the Tour de France will be picked tomorrow. 17 teams are qualified already, starting with the top 12 division I teams in last year's ranking. In addition, the US Postal team of last year's winner, Lance Armstrong is automatically picked, as well as the top four French division I teams at the end of last year.

This means that Mapei-Quick Step, Rabobank, ONCE, Polti, Telekom, Mercatone Uno, Saeco, Banesto, Farm Frites, Lotto, Vini Caldirola, Ag2r-Prevoyance, US Postal Service, Festina, Cofidis, Française des Jeux, and Crédit Agricole are all in.

the final three will most likely be decided from: Lampre-Daikin, Kelme-Costa Blanca, Memorycard-Jack&Jones, Bonjour-Tourpargel, Jean Delatour and Big Mat Auber 93. Division I teams, Vitalicio Seguros and Fassa Bortolo are not contenders, as they have already said that they are not riding.

Lampre are doing their selection chances no harm with Gilberto Simoni powering away in the Giro, as well as having sprinter Jan Svorada who is always useful for a stage win. Missaglia and Piccoli are good for sprint finishes and breakaways as well.

Kelme are the most likely 'self-pick' as they have last year's third place getter, Fernando Escartin in quite decent form at the moment. They also have their bevy of climbers and a few handy sprinters it seems.

Memorycard-Jack&Jones are currently the 10th best first division team, and easily the highest ranked of all the potential favourites. They have come a long way after winning the second division last year, and have had a great last month, with wins in Dunkirk and the Tour de l'Oise et de Picardie. However, the Tour wildcard teams are not often decided solely on rank.

Bonjour-Tourpargel did well in the Midi Libre, with Didier Rous winning the overall. The Frenchman was also the winner of the Paris-Camembert, and is a handy time triallist. In addition, they have French champion, Francois Simon.

Jean-Delatour has Laurent Brochard as their big drawcard, along with Cristophe Bassons who was outspoken against drugs last year. An interesting combination, but Jean Marie Leblanc may well go with it.

Finally, there is the second division Big Mat Auber team, who have sprinters such as Jay Sweet and Jeremy Hunt. Also, the Auger brothers, Stéphane Bergès, Thierry Bourguignon (who was quite popular on French TV last year). An outside chance considering the other teams but you never know.

Cyclingnews.com picks: Kelme, Memorycard and Bonjour.

White for ONCE?

ONCE manager Manolo Saiz is reported to be interested in Matthew White, Vini Caldirola's Australian work horse for next season. He is also rumoured to be interested in Marco Pantani (but who wouldn't?). Joaquín Rodríguez and Xavier Florencio from the Spanish elite team Iberdrola will most likely ride the Tour de l'Avenir for ONCE.

Vitalicio Seguros - Grupo Generali will continue at least another year in cycling while the telecom company Jazztel finally has decided to sponsor Costa de Almeria from now on. New jerseys are on their way for the Volta a Catalunya, according to the Ciclismo en España website. Ximo Gomez, contracted by Slovenian second division KRKA Telekom is reported to have returned home to Spain and his former elite squad Sodexho-Morella for the rest of the season. He is not content with the racing schedule of the team. The pre season promise was that the team would race a lot on the Italian calendar. However, there has been very little of this so far.

US MTB Downhill squad

Now confirmed for the World's, after the World Cup last weekend. For the cross country riders, please refer to Saturday's news.

Elite Women's Downhill

Elke Brutsaert
Leigh Donovan
Cheri Elliott
Missy Giove
Tara Llanes
Lisa Sher
Marla Streb

Elite Men's Downhill

Eric Carter
Dave Cullinan
Gary Houseman
Myles Rockwell
Jason Sigfrid
John Tomac
Kirt Voreis

Elite Women's Dual

Elke Brutsaert
Leigh Donovan
Cheri Elliott
Tara Llanes
Lisa Sher

Elite Men's Dual

Eric Carter
Dave Cullinan
Gary Houseman
Rich Houseman
Mike King
Brian Lopes
John Tomac

British MTB World's squad

Great Britain will send a squad of thirty-four competitors for the forthcoming World Mountain Bike Championships taking place in Sierra Nevada, Spain, from 3 to 11 June.

Cross-Country

Elite Men
Barrie Clarke, Nick Craig, Oli Beckingsale, Paul Lasenby, Christopher Eatough

Elite Women
Caroline Alexander, Louise Robinson, Tracy Brunger

Under-23 Men
Ian Wilkinson, Phil Dixon, Daniel Lloyd, Elliott Baxter

Junior Men
Liam Killeen, Paul Lally, Lewys Hobbs

Junior Women
Nicole Cooke, Katherine Hibberd

Downhill

Elite Men
Steve Peat, Crawford Carrick-Anderson, Rob Warner, David Wardell, Ed Moseley, Tim Ponting, Nigel Page, Scott Beaumont

Elite Women
Helen Mortimer, Adele Croxon, Jo Leigh

Junior Men
Paul Garrett, Sam Furness, Stuart Thompson, Danny Harper

Junior Women
Helen Gaskell, Ffionn Griffiths