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Edited by Paul Goldsmith
By Tomas Nilsson, cyclingnews.com correspondent
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Andersson was one of Sweden's top names in rowing when he was talked into talking a tour ride and became hooked on cycling. His cycling career gave him 15 Swedish Championships along with five Scandinavian titles. He also won 15 international stage races, with three victories in the Tour of Sweden.
Andersson was considered a bit of a loner until Patrick Serra built a semi pro team around him in the early nineties. His pro career started in Portugal teams and he then rode for Telekom and TVM before joining Danish Acceptcard in 1999.
Acceptcard folded in the middle of the season and racing became scarce. Andersson started in the World's in Treviso without having raced for six weeks. The enforced break proved to be a stroke of luck, in earlier years he had come to the World's straight from racing as a domestique. Now for once he had the possibility to prepare himself for the race and the result was second place. This was Sweden's best result ever in a pro World Championship.
The medal didn't impress the team managers however and the uncontracted Swede finally got a deal with Slovakian-Italian de Nardi Pasta Montegrappa for 2000. The team had problems getting invites to races however, so in the Tour of Sweden Andersson rode for the National Team and won the race. He then got a contract with Mercatone Uno and started to prepare for the Sydney Olympics when he got blood poisoning, caused by saddle sores. He rode in Sydney but finished well down the order.
He contract with Mercatone Uno was renewed for this year but his performance was not at his best and now he has decided to retire. "I would like to spend some more time with my family. Being away for 250 days a year isn't fun anymore, especially if you know that some riders are taking shortcuts by using drugs", he said in a Swedish Television interview.
Michael Andersson's major international results:
1991: Tour of Sweden-Postgirot Open
1992: Tour of Sweden-Postgirot Open
1995: Rapport Toer (RSA), Giro del Capo (RSA)
1996: Tour of China
1997: Berner Rundfahrt (Swi)
1999: World
Championships TT 2nd
2000: Tour of Sweden-Postgirot Open, Swedish
National Championships TT
Spanish newspaper "Marca" has reported that the 2002 Vuelta will begin with a 35 km team time trial. The last time the Vuelta began with a team time trial was in 1961.
The paper also reports that the race will begin in Valencia , the hometown of 2001 winner Angel Casero. This year's race began Salamanca, home of the 2000 winner, Roberto Heras. The Vuelta route also seems likely to include the famed ascent of the Angliru. Angliru is known as "La Gamonal" literally, the "hardest climb on earth". Angliru's final 6.5 kms has an average gradient of 14 percent, but this increases to almost 24 percent in some places.
It is likely the ascent will be part of Stage 15 from Gijón to Alto del Angliru to be held on Sunday September 22.
The full Vuelta course will be officially unveiled Thursday, December 13.
The Bolivian Cycling Federation (FBC) has revealed that Colombian Jairo Perez (Banco de Credito) has tested positive to cocaine during the Doble Copacabana race in Bolivia in November.
Perez was the winner of the race, however after the positive result he has been asked to return the winner's trophy and prize-money.
Pérez claims that he had drunk a "mate de coca" tea made from the leaves of the Coca plant (Erythroxylon), whose use is allowed in Bolivia. Mate de coca is a traditional local drink, and is used by foreigners to offset the effects of altitude. La Paz (the capital of Bolivia ) is 3600-metres above sea level.
Ivo Eterovic, president of the FBC has refuted Pérez's claims. Eterovic said the cyclist would have needed to have drunk between 12 and 14 glasses of the tea per day, for a week, to reach his test concentrations.
The matter has been referred to the UCI.
By Tommy Cambell
The Irish Cycling Federation has run into another hurdle this year with a number of changes to the federation halted. The suspension comes after it was revealed that the 1998 name change from the Federation of Irish Cyclists to the Irish Cycling Federation had not received the proper approval from the Minister of Trade and Enterprise office at the time.
Changes to the Article of Association down for the AGM could not go ahead after the mix-up was uncovered, and all the business was suspended after the Officers Reports.
An emergency general meeting will be called in January 2002 to work thru the issue. At stake are changes to Irish cycling that members believe are needed if cycling is to be successful in the 21st century.
In the meantime there the proposed hiking of membership fees to cover increased insurance premiums has also raised concern. The cyclists are facing a 100 percent increase in insurance charges.
The dell'Associazione Glorie del Ciclismo has announced that former Italian cyclist Annibale Brasola has died. Brasola, who was 76, had a career that included 16 wins, including three Giro d'Italia stages. He is particularly noted for his attacking win in the 1950 Campobasso to Naples stage of the Giro, where he won by more than 17 minutes.
Brasloa rode with the greats of Italian cycling, including Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali. He participated in the first Giro of 1947, and rode with la Torpado, l'Atala e la Benotto teams.
Brasloa's death caps a bad week for the cycling community with the deaths of Mathias Clemens and Vendramino Bariviera.
Two Pennsylvanian cyclists have picked up the John Stenner Collegiate Cycling Scholarships. The scholarships awarded by the USA Cycling Development Foundation (USACDF) have gone to Tyler Wren (Rosemont, Pennsylvania) and Sarah Uhl (Perkasie, Pennsylvania)
The awards, worth $1500.00 are judged based on academic performance, racing accomplishments and community leadership. Athletes must also be full-time students, be a member of an NCCA club and hold a current license to be considered for the award.
A freshman at the University of Vermont, Uhl is currently a general studies major taking 16 credit hours in her first semester. She was a strong student in high school, earning National Honor Society, Spanish National Honor Society and Distinguished Honor Roll accolades. At the age of 18, Uhl is a true sportswoman, competing on the collegiate Nordic ski team in addition to her cycling endeavours. Uhl is the current reigning junior world champion in the match sprints, winning gold at the 2001 Junior World Track Cycling Championships on home soil in July. She is a category one rider on the road and track, and races in the sport class for mountain biking.
Uhl holds 12 national titles and won seven Pan-American championships during her illustrious junior career. The Pennsylvania native was also named the 2001 Rider of the Year at the Lehigh Valley Velodrome.
Wren is a junior at Princeton University, majoring in economics with a minor in finance. Alongside his academic qualifications, Wren is president of the Princeton cycling and mountain bike teams. The 20-year-old also volunteers with the Princeton Young Achievers tutoring program and Habitat for Humanity. On the bike, Wren has proven himself on the road and in the dirt, winning three Division II national titles. He scored the first in the road race at the NCCA National Road Cycling Championships in Colorado Wren picked up his second and third gold medals in the cross country and short-track cross country events at the NCCA National Mountain Bike Championships held in Plattekill, New York.
"This year has been a really life changing year for me," Wren said. "Cycling has become a much bigger priority and is one of my two biggest focuses right now - cycling and school. Winning this scholarship is great because it's nice to have something to help with both priorities. After winning at nationals, I'm putting more pressure on myself to do well. I have a coach for the first time, mapped out my whole training plan for the year and have become disciplined about it. I'm doing my best to take the same attitude with cycling that I do with everything I want to succeed in. I set goals and then see what steps I need to take to get there."
Eddy Merckx has continued his winning form, picking up the inaugural "Premio Dezan" award in Italy. The award, to be presented December 11 at Hotel Dune a Lido di Camaiore is to acknowledge Merckz's ability as a cycling commentator
The award is named after famed Italian cycling journalist Adriano Dezan
Meanwhile Miguel Indurain has been honored by his hometown province of Navarre, Spain, who have elected him the best sportsman of the 20th century. The 5 time Tour winner was chosen by a vote of the population.
Major Races and Events
September 7-29, 2002: Vuelta
a España (GT) - Preview, stage list
May 11-June 2, 2002: Giro
d'Italia (GT) - Preview, stage list, photos
July 6-28, 2002: Tour
de France (GT) - Full preview & official route details
December 8: Superprestige
Rd 5 (Cat. 1) - Erwin Vervecken
November 29-December 4: Six
Days of Noumea (6D) - Sassone/Neuville victorious
November 26-December 1: Six
Days of Zurich (6D) - Day
6 - McGrory/Gilmore/Schnider win
December 1: Melbourne
Cup on Wheels (IM) - Scott Moller, Keirin,
Sprint, Support
races
December 2: Cyclo-cross
World Cup #2 (CDM) - Sven Nijs again
November 24-December 3: Juegos
Deportivos Centroamericanos (JR) - Final results
December 8-9: Frankfurter
Rad-Cross (Cat. 2) - Alex Mudroch, UK
National Trophy Series #4 (Cat. 3) - Roger Hammond, Grote
Prijs Industrie Bosduin - Kalmthout (Cat. 1) - Bart Wellens, Int.
Radquer Obergösgen (Cat. 2) - Björn Rondelez, Trofeo
Mamma e Papa Guerciotti (Cat. 3) - Enrico Franzoi, Premio
Egondo (Cat 3) - David Seco, Irish
cyclo-cross championships - Robin Seymour
Results: local racing
Australia - CycleWest
Promotions Omnium Series #2, Eastern
Suburbs Summer Criterium Series, Carnegie
Caulfield Tuesday criterium, Southern
Cross Junior Track Open & Madison Cup, Manly
Warringah CC, George
Town Track Carnival, Carnegie
Caulfield CC, Randwick
Botany CC, Gold
Coast CATS CC, Caesar's
Illawarra CC, Caesar's
Illawarra (track)
Denmark - Danish
cyclo-cross Post Cup #3
Italy - Gran
Premio Città di Bassano
Luxembourg - GP
De Kopstal
New Zealand - Cyco
Criterium series
Spain - Elorrio
cyclo-cross
USA - Georgia
Cross Series Championship, Chimborazo
Grand Prix cyclo-cross, Boulder
Cross Rd 6, New
Mexico State Cyclo-x Champs, Sorrento
Cyclo-x & California State Champ's, Boulder
Cross Rd 5, Verge
New England series, Northampton
CC Cyclo-cross Championships, Chris
Cross International CycloCross
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