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Edited by Jeff Jones
By Jeff Jones
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There is just one more Six Day race to go this year (Noumea, currently in progress), in this season's packed schedule of Six Dayers. A total of seven have been raced since September, including Amsterdam, Mexico, Dortmund, Grenoble, Munich, Gent and Zurich.
The season's star performers have been Olympic madison gold and silver medalists Scott McGrory and Matthew Gilmore (Mapei-Quick Step), who have won four events, with impressive back to back wins in Gent and Zurich - 12 days of competition in a row!
The next most successful rider is Erik Zabel, who paired with Rolf Aldag to win in Dortmund, and Silvio Martinello to win in Munich. Considering the length of Zabel's road season, these results are excellent. The promoters and crowds like him as well, as he was reportedly paid a six figure sum (in deutschmarks) to race in Dortmund.
The Swiss have not had their usual success, with Bruno Risi/Kurt Betschart failing to win a race so far, although they have had several podium finishes. They were beaten with 15 laps to go of the final madison in Zurich on Sunday morning and had to settle for third place. On the other had, Alexander Aeschbach/Franco Marvulli managed to win the Six Days of Grenoble at the beginning of November, and they are riders to watch in future years.
Other notable performers so far this season include Germans Andreas Kappes and Andreas Beikirch, Dutchmen Robert Slippens and Danny Stam, and Dane Jimmi Madsen, all of whom have had podium finishes.
A new pairing on the Six Day circuit are Americans Marty Nothstein and Jame Carney. Nothstein is well known as a sprinter, winning Olympic gold in Sydney in 2000. He has chosen to focus more on endurance events, with a career as a road sprinter in mind. That didn't stop him from breaking the flying lap (250m) record in Zurich last night, clocking 12.94 (69.55 km/h) seconds to beat Jens Fiedler's old time of 13.13 seconds.
His partner Jame Carney is an experienced points race and madison rider, but the pair have some way to go before they can be regular contenders for the overall. Their improvement has been substantial: 64 laps down in Dortmund, 49 laps behind in Munich, and 33 laps behind in Zurich. In the latter they finished 12th out of 15 teams, and actually scored the second-highest number of points of any team. There is certainly the potential there for a winning combination.
More information: What is six-day racing?, Track calendar 2001/2002
By Karen Forman, cyclingnews.com correspondent
Newly crowned World Keirin Champion Ryan Bayley got a taste of the unflavoursome side of international competition when he was fined $100 for unsportsmanlike behaviour following the keirin final at the 2001 Melbourne Cup on Wheels Carnival in Melbourne on Saturday night, December 1.
The 19 year old champion from Perth came to the attention of the commissaires after he removed his helmet and flung it onto the track moments after finishing last behind winner Shane Kelly in a very fast sprint to the line. The crowd booed lightly as the helmet clanged to the bottom of the track at Vodafone Arena and a red-faced Bayley made a quick exit as Kelly, showing the evidence of six weeks of quality ergo, gym and track training, took to the podium.
While four-times world kilo champion Kelly - who had not raced since finishing second in the International Keirin Series in Japan in April - was delighted with his result in the six-lap Cecil Walker Cycles Aces Keirin, it was the end of a frustrating and fruitless night of racing for an obviously world-weary Bayley. The normally laid back younger rider had earlier failed to qualify for the title event on the Melbourne Cup On Wheels program and admitted he had felt under pressure to win the keirin because of his world title.
"I'm tired," he said. "I haven't trained since before the World's...I have just been racing - and badly at that. I am a bit disappointed. Last year I made pretty much every final. I thought that maybe I might have a bit of form from doing the six-days overseas, but I guess I haven't had the racing experience."
He predicted Kelly - his hero because "he has knowledge, speed, everything" would take the keirin - and turned out to be right.
The 29 year old Kelly, who had a year out from the AIS to spend time in Melbourne and to race the keirin series in Japan, couldn't have been happier - particularly as he had missed friend Stuart O'Grady's engagement party to compete.
"I surprised myself," he said on the podium. "I have put in six weeks of good training so I was feeling good. But it is certainly a totally different race to the keirins in Japan. There they lock you up for four days, because there is big betting. We were like horses, being brought out to race. The difference is there, you still get prizemoney, whether you win or come last."
But in Melbourne he won, outsprinting former Newcastle rider now living in New Zealand Anthony Peden and Carnegie rider Shaun Collins in a time of 11.5.44. Sydney rider Shaun Hopkins was fourth.
Peden had led out with Bayley firmly attached to his rear wheel with two to go, but it was Kelly, in a dynamic sprint, who got there in the end. Peden was a close second, but Bayley, who appeared to suffer some interference from Sydney 2000 Olympic bronze medallist Sean Eadie, was left to finish last. Eadie was fined $50 by commissaires for his actions.
Peden, who took up residency of New Zealand so he could compete at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, came to the podium a tad red-faced. First, he toppled off the bike, still attached to his clipless pedals, during an interview, then he admitted he had had an embarrassing day all round.
"I got up at 2am to get here, got to the airport to find I had left my passport at home," he said. "But since Shane Kelly is the man, what can I say? A great race."
Full coverage of the 2001 Melbourne Cup on Wheels
Queenslander Robbie McEwen will debut with the Lotto-Adecco team at the 2002 Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under. The 29 year old sprinter recently claimed the Australian Criterium title and this year also scored stage victories in the Tour of Holland, the Herald Sun Tour and the Tour of the Mediterranean. In 1999 he sprinted to victory in the final stage of the Tour de France.
McEwen, who won the closing stage of the 2000 Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under, hopes his sprinting will secure early season wins for his new team in the 2002 event.
Six Belgians and one Dutchman will line up with McEwen. The Belgian riders include Niko Eeckhout, who had 11 season victories in 2001, including a stage win in the Tour of Denmark and overall honours in the Etoile de Besseges.
Fellow Tour of Denmark stage winner, Gorik Gardeyn, who made his professional debut this year, will also travel to Adelaide in January. Ironically Gardeyn beat McEwen, who this year rode for Domo-Farm Frites, into second place to claim a stage win in the Tour of Denmark. But in Adelaide the pair will be working together for Lotto-Adecco's success.
Also coming to Australia is Ief Verbrugghe, the younger brother of Tour de France stage winner Rik. The 30 year old only began his professional cycling career this year after completing his studies as a physiotherapist.
Niko Eeckhout (Bel)
1st Overall Etoile de Besseges
1st Stage Etoile de Besseges
1st Stage Tour of Denmark
1st Stage Circuit Franco-Belge
Hans De Clercq (Bel)
1st Classic Haribo
1st Stage Trois Jours de La Panne
Glenn D'Hollander (Bel)
1st Overall Tour des Régions Wallonnes
1st Stage Tour des Régions Wallonnes
Gorik Gardeyn (Bel)
1st Stage Tour of Denmark
Kurt Van De Wouwer (Bel)
Ief Verbrugghe (Bel)
Fulco Van Gulik (Bel)
Robbie McEwen (Aus)
1st Australian Criterium Championship
1st Stage Tour of Holland
1st 2 Stages Herald Sun Tour
1st Stage Tour of the Mediterranean
1st Stage Tour des Régions Wallonnes
1st Stage Challenge of Majorca
1st Overall and 3 Stages Skilled Bay Series
2nd Stage Tour of Spain
3rd 2 Stages Tour of Spain
2nd Stage Tour of Denmark
For more information, please visit the official race website, www.tourdownunder.com.au
Two of Italy's best known teams, Mapei-Quick Step and Saeco Longoni Sport will hold their first team gathering today, December 3. Mapei will meet in Arona for medical physiological and biomechanical tests, as well as to determine the riders' programs for 2002. Mapei will finish the camp on December 6.
Saeco Longoni Sport will meet Comerio, Varese, for its pre-season camp. For the first time in eight years, Mario Cipollini will not be present, having signed for Acqua e Sapone in 2002. However, the team will present its two newest arrivals, Gilberto Simoni and Danilo Di Luca. Saeco will also finish the camp on December 6.
The 13 man line up for the Polish-registered, Vatican-sponsored Amore e Vita team has been finalised. Just three riders are returning from the 2001 squad: Cristian Fanini (Ita), Thomas Grönqvist (Swe) and Slawomir Kohut (Pol). The team will engage four riders from other teams: Briton Jamie Burrow (ex-US Postal), Swede Jonas Ljungblad (ex-Team Crescent), Italian Rodolfo Massi (ex-Mobilvetta) and South African James Perry (ex-IBM).
The remainder of the squad is composed of neo-professionals (first year pro's): Kjell Carlström and Juha Paajanen (Fin), Victor Eladio Alvarez (Mex), Adam Gawlik and Przemyslaw Niemec (Pol) and Balazs Rohtmer (Hun).
Jamie Burrow (GBr) US Postal
Kjell Carlström (Fin) neo-pro
Victor Eladio Alvarez (Mex) neo-pro
Cristian Fanini (Ita)
Adam Gawlik (Pol) neo-pro
Thomas Grönqvist (Swe)
Slawomir Kohut (Pol)
Jonas Ljungblad (Swe) Team Crescent
Rodolfo Massi (Ita) Mobilvetta
Przemyslaw Niemec (Pol) neo-pro
Juha Paajanen (Fin) neo-pro
James Perry (RSA) IBM
Balazs Rohtmer (Hun) neo-pro
This year's Irish Cyclo-Cross Championships will be hosted by the Apollo cycling team at Lurgan, County Armagh on Saturday, December 8. With entries at a record high, this year's Championship looks set to be a battle once again between reigning champion Robin Seymour and Don Travers (Banbridge CC). Seymour, 29, from Wicklow, South Dublin hopes to make it an amazing 11 cyclo cross titles in succession this year, adding to his total of 18 Irish Championship victories (7 MTB, 10 cyclo-cross and 1 MTB Downhill).
Don Travers could upset the form book as Seymour suffered a rare defeat at the hands of Travers only 2 weeks ago in round 4 of the Irish Cyclo Cross Series. Travers, 2nd in last year's championship has steadily improved throughout the year and poses a serious threat to Seymour's dominance. Winning numerous MTB races, riding the World Championships and gaining selection to the 2002 Commonwealth Games, all eyes will be on the Banbridge man to provide an upset.
The team prize will also be hotly contested as Apollo Cycling Team hope to win back the title from Banbridge CC. With an abnormally mild winter so far this year, the course should be fast and hopefully dry adding to what could turn out to be a classic 2001 Irish Championship.
Major Races and Events
September 7-29, 2002: Vuelta
a Espaņa (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 Cittā 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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