News for October 3, 2000
Post-Olympic UCI rankingsThe Olympics presented an opportunity for riders to earn extra UCI points, not having to worry about losing them until this time next year. The current points system is based on a running total that requires riders to perform at the same level from year to year if they are to hold their points. For example, if someone wins the Vuelta in 1999, then they get 500 points. If they happen to abandon in 2000, then they lose those 500 points as soon as the race has finished. However, as there were no Olympic Games held last year, so the points earned in the road race and time trial are simply added onto every rider's total, until October 2001 when they will all be lost. There were a few changes in the latest rankings released by the UCI after the road race (also refer to cyclingnews.com's team rankings and database). Despite having gained an extra 550 points for winning gold and silver in the road race and time trial, German Jan Ullrich is still in second position to Italian Francesco Casagrande who finished nowhere in the road race. There's still a bit of racing to come in the season, and Ullrich will try and defend his title in the World Championship Time Trial next week as well as racing in the road race and both end of season World Cups. If he wins the TT, he will get no extra points, but at least he will retain the 240 he won last year. He will also have to place 7th or better in the road race, although Casagrande will need to defend his 4th spot. This is fairly academic as far as the riders are concerned, as both of them will be trying to win the race. Notable ladder-climber was of course Russian Viatcheslav Ekimov who jumped up from 115th to 58th spot courtesy of his gold medal TT ride. Lance Armstrong's bronze medal moved him up ahead of Erik Zabel and he is now in third place. In the women's rankings there were few changes in the top 10, although Anna Wilson moved closer to Diana Ziliute again. Leontien Zijlaard-Van Moorsel is now quite near to Hanka Kupfernagel who is third. USA's Mari Holden leapt from 35th to 15th after her silver medal in the TT, while Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli climbed up to 13th. Rankings as of October 1, 2000 Men 1 Francesco Casagrande (Ita) Vini Caldirola-Sidermec 2,275.00 pts 2 Jan Ullrich (Ger) Team Deutsche Telekom 2,101.75 3 Lance Armstrong (USA) US Postal Service 1,894.00 4 Erik Zabel (Ger) Team Deutsche Telekom 1,858.00 5 Roberto Heras Hernandez (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca 1,767.00 6 Romans Vainsteins (Lat) Vini Caldirola-Sidermec 1,652.00 7 Laurent Jalabert (Fra) O.N.C.E.-Deutsche Bank 1,487.75 8 Davide Rebellin (Ita) Liquigas-Pata 1,484.00 9 Andrei Tchmil (Bel) Lotto-Adecco 1,424.00 10 Oscar Freire Gomez (Spa) Mapei-Quick Step 1,422.00 11 Paolo Bettini (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step 1,403.00 12 Marcus Zberg (Swi) Rabobank 1,329.25 13 Gilberto Simoni (Ita) Lampre-Daikin 1,282.00 14 Erik Dekker (Ned) Rabobank 1,205.00 15 Stefano Garzelli (Ita) Mercatone Uno-Albacom 1,192.00 16 Andreas Klöden (Ger) Team Deutsche Telekom 1,128.00 17 Wladimir Belli (Ita) Fassa Bortolo 1,126.00 18 Pavel Tonkov (Rus) Mapei-Quick Step 1,028.00 19 Christophe Moreau (Fra) Festina 1,014.00 20 Peter Van Petegem (Bel) Farm Frites 1,010.00 Teams: Division I: 1 Mapei-Quick Step 8,929.25 pts 2 Team Deutsche Telekom 8,185.25 3 Kelme-Costa Blanca 6,380.00 4 Lampre-Daikin 6,087.00 5 Fassa Bortolo 6,047.00 6 O.N.C.E.-Deutsche Bank 5,696.75 7 Vini Caldirola-Sidermec 5,555.00 8 Rabobank 5,457.75 9 Banesto 5,156.00 10 Festina 4,167.00 Division II: 1 Euskaltel-Euskadi 3,269.00 pts 2 Credit Agricole 2,890.00 3 Cantina Tollo 2,155.00 4 Jean Delatour 1,874.00 5 Bonjour 1,792.00 Nations: 1 Italy 12,194.20 pts 2 Spain 9,503.75 3 Germany 7,988.50 4 Belgium 7,791.50 5 France 7,019.25 6 Netherlands 6,224.10 7 Switzerland 5,331.50 8 U.S.A. 5,258.55 9 Russia 4,125.50 10 Denmark 3,950.85Women 1 Diana Ziliute (Ltu) Acca Due O-Lorena Camicie 860.00 pts 2 Anna Wilson (Aus) Saturn Cycling Team 811.00 3 Hanka Kupfernagel (Ger) Radteam Kupfernagel 641.67 4 Leontien Zijlaard-Van Moorsel (Ned) Farm Frites-Hartol 630.00 5 Joane Somarriba Arrola (Spa) Team Alfa Lum R.S.M. 470.00 6 Edita Pucinskaite (Ltu) Team Alfa Lum R.S.M. 435.50 7 Mirjam Melchers (Ned) Dutch National Team 404.50 8 Pia Sundstedt (Fin) Gas Sport Team 361.00 9 Zoulfia Zabirova (Rus) Acca Due O-Lorena Camicie 346.50 10 Svetlana Boubnenkova (Rus) Edilsavino 307.00 11 Tatiana Stiajkina (Ukr) Acca Due O-Lorena Camicie 295.50 12 Fabiana Luperini (Ita) Gas Sport Team 259.00 13 Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli (Fra) French National Team 252.34 14 Ina Teutenberg (Ger) German National Team 210.00 15 Mari Holden (USA) Timex Women's Professional Cycling Team 207.00 16 Geneviève Jeanson (Can) Canadian National Team 204.00 17 Petra Rossner (Ger) Saturn Cycling Team 202.00 18 Heidi Van De Vijver (Bel) Vlaanderen 2002-Ladies Team 182.00 19 Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) Farm Frites-Hartol 177.00 20 Alessandra Cappellotto (Ita) Gas Sport Team 176.00 Teams: 1 Acca Due O - Lorena Camicie 1,638.00 pts 2 Team Alfa Lum R.S.M. 1,195.00 3 Saturn Cycling Team 1,192.00 4 Team Farm Frites - Hartol 956.00 5 Gas Sport Team 899.00 Nations: 1 Lithuania 1,619.50 pts 2 Netherlands 1,410.67 3 Germany 1,254.17 4 Australia 1,134.00 5 Russia 934.50 6 France 755.34 7 Italy 722.00 8 Spain 524.00 9 Ukraine 468.50 10 Canada 457.00 Ryckaert fined for EPO traffickingDr Eric Ryckaert, the Belgian ex-Festina team doctor, has been found guilty of infringing the doping law after judgment was passed by a court in Gent today. The 57 year old was fined BEF 600,000 ($US 13,000), half of which he will have to pay immediately, for assisting with the trafficking of Eprex (Erythropoetien) to the Festina team between 1995 and 1997. Ryckaert is seriously ill at the moment, and was not present to hear his sentence. However, two others were given more serious punishments in regard to the affair, Belgian pharmacist Kristiaan Vanderstichele, 50 and his friend Linda Baestle, 48. They received jail sentences of two and one years respectively, with deferment. Vanderstichele regularly visited the Netherlands to buy Eprex where it was freely available. He bought quantities valued at BEF 120,000 ($US 2,600) which he delivered to Dr Ryckaert for a 10 percent commission. Baetsle helped with the forging of documents to avoid the doping regulations. This case started in December 1997 after an investigation into sickness fraud implicated Mr Vanderstichele and Dr Ryckaert in dealings with EPO. In July 1998, the "Festina affair" broke during the Tour de France, and it will resume on October 23 in Lille, France.
Pantani for World'sMercatone Uno director, Giuseppe Martinelli, has affirmed that his star rider, Marco Pantani, will ride in the World Championships in Plouay in just under two weeks time. This is despite rumours that Pantani wants to quit for the season after his lacklustre Olympic performance. National coach Antonio Fusi said after the five were chosen for the Olympics that they would also be in the squad for the World's. Team newsVan Petegem to Memorycard?De Standaard in Belgium reports that MemoryCard is 'in pole position' as a new team for Peter van Petegem, after dealings with Mapei and Domo seem uncertain. Mapei's future team manager Eric Vanderaerden said, "It's over for Mapei. There was a deadline (end of October) but Van Petegem didn't respect that. We didn't hear anything from him." Van Petegem's response was that "I didn't hear anything from anybody. I will talk to Mr Lips, a sponsor for my new team. I still think I can leave Farm Frites without too many financial costs. No four months salary, like Peter Post's proposal. I have more than one alternative. With Lips and Cees Priem I will make a decision very soon. Geert van Bondt and Wim Vansevenant will follow me." Peter van Petegem is aware now that Oscar Camenzind and Memorycard didn't come together (Camenzind is staying with Lampre-Daikin). Therefore, Bjarne Riis is still looking for a top rider. "Yes, I'd like to see Van Petegem with our team, but nothing has been signed yet," said Riis. Hoj and Michaelsen to Coast?Coast may acquire the services of Danes, Frank Hoj and Lars Michaelsen, as they continue their quest for UCI points for division I. Both rode in the road race in Sydney, although Michaelsen was forced to abandon early after a fall. On the other hand, Hoj made the final break, eventually finishing 6th. Hoj also placed second in Paris-Brussels, and is considered a rider with great potential. Both Hoj and Michaelsen are also talking with Memorycard. French newsFrench team Bonjour will be without Christophe Faudot next year, as he will be retiring. However, he will remain as a coach of the Vendée U team, which is part of the same structure as Bonjour and wish to increase their performance next year. Vendée U will lose Florian Marais, Franck Ménard and American Erik Saunders, who will return home. Jean Delatour will sign Christophe Edaleine as a neo-pro next year.
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