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Edited by Jeff Jones
The last of the three grand tours for 2002 has been presented today in Madrid. The 57th edition of the Vuelta a España (Tour of Spain) is longer (3144 km), but not necessarily harder than this year's sub-3000 kilometre tour. It contains roughly the same number of climbs, but with only four mountain top finishes as opposed to seven in 2001. A 30 km team time trial and two individual time trials (95 km total) will help to keep the Vuelta interesting up until the final stage once again.
21 Stages
10 Medium and high mountain stages
3 Special category, 11 first category, 7 second category climbs 4 Mountain top
finishes
2 Individual time trials (95 km total)
1 Team time trial (30 km)
Total distance: 3144 km
Retired former World Champion Luc Leblanc is seeking 472,590 euros from the Italian Cycling Federation in relation to his lawsuit against Team Polti, who he rode for from 1995 to the end of 1998. Polti sacked him in December 1998 when he still had a year to run on his contract, to make room on the team for another Frenchman, Richard Virenque. Leblanc could not find another team and retired in March 1999, deciding to sue Polti for illegal dismissal.
A French court in Salon-de-Provence declared on September 24, 1999 that Team Polti should pay Leblanc 732,000 euros (4.8 million francs) for annulling his contract (Leblanc had asked for 1.07 million euros). The Court of Appeal in Aix-en-Provence subsequently reduced this to 472,590 euros.
The Italian Cycling Federation was ordered to pay this, as the federation responsible for Leblanc's now defunct team. However, despite several requests by the UCI to pay up, the FCI has not been forthcoming. Indeed, Leblanc's lawyer Mr Bernard Revest was quoted by AFP as saying that he "doubts they still have the money."
The disciplinary commission of the UCI voted to fine Italy's cycling body, with the risk of suspension if they don't pay. Leblanc says that he needs the money urgently, as it has been owed to him for more than two years.
"It is serious what they did to me. I hope that it will not happen to other riders and that the federations will be informed," Leblanc told AFP.
Top cycling clothing manufacturer Castelli will no longer have its logos on the Italian Cycling Federation jerseys. The brand has been involved with the squadra azzurra for four years, but decided not to renew its contract. Castelli will be involved as the sponosr of CSC-Tiscali, Acqua e Sapone and mountain biker Paola Pezzo next year.
Marco Pantani's Mercatone Uno team is having its first get together in Terracina, Italy. The major goal for 2002 will be to get Pantani back to the top again, and he will be ably assisted by 18 teammates. Pantani will take an active role in the team management, assisted by Riccardo Magrini, Marino Amadori and Massimo Podenzana. He will start his season with the Ruta del Sol from February 17-21.
Existing riders
Marco Pantani (Ita)
Simone Borgheresi (Ita)
Ermanno Brignoli (Ita)
Massimo Cigana (Ita)
Daniel Clavero (Spa)
Luca De Angeli (Ita)
Riccardo Forconi (Ita)
Fabiano Fontanelli (Ita)
Marcello Siboni (Ita)
Robert Savoldi (Ita)
Gian Mario Ortenzi (Ita)
New riders
Francesco Secchiari (Ita)
Massimiliano Mori (Ita)
Roberto Sgambelluri (Ita)
Luca Mazzanti (Ita)
Marco Della Vedova (Ita)
Valentino Fois (Ita)
Marco Fincato (Ita)
Pablo Soler (Spa)
Italian second division team Colpack Astro will gather in Tor San Lorenzo Ardea from December 15-22 for its first training camp. The team, managed by former Polti boss Gianluigi Stanga (who avoided paying Luc Leblanc), will meet in the Hotel Pineta dei Liberti. Physical and mental preparation for season 2002 will commence at this meeting.
Team Manager: Gianluigi Stanga
Directeur sportif: Antonio Bevilacqua
Riders
Giosué Bonomi (Ita)
Michele Colleoni (Ita)
Matteo Carrara (Ita)
Matteo Gigli (Ita)
Leonardo Giordani (Ita)
Denis Lunghi (Ita)
Renzo Mazzoleni (Ita)
Hidenori Nodera (Jpn)
Miguel Angel Meza Flores (Mex)
Rafael Nuritdinov (Uzb)
Rafael Mateos Perez (Spa)
Vladimir Smirnov (Ltu)
The 2001 Sydney Urban Polaris was the last urban event to be held. At the prize giving of the event held last weekend, organiser Huw Kingston announced to the 147 competitors that the he would not organise another event on the streets and National Parks of Sydney.
Mountain bike Polaris events will continue to be organised by Mr Kingston, but all future events will have to go to the bush, as New South Wales Police Service and the National Parks and Wildlife Service make organising the events too difficult. "We'll continue to run our events in the bush, but that's it for Sydney," he said.
Announcing the death of the Urban Polaris in a statement Mr Kingston said, "The authorities such as the NSW Police Service and the National Parks and Wildlife Service just make it impossible to organise such a fun event, the whole purpose of the which is to encourage people to get out of their cars and onto bikes. Despite providing these bureaucracies with all the required paperwork months in advance, they manage to have you jumping through different hoops right up to the last minute. Most of this is due to different people saying different things with no regard to urgency or to the processes they claim to have in place. For an organiser of a major event this just creates a tremendous uncertainty. Our job is to give people an enjoyable experience, whilst their's seems to be just to cover their rears."
Since announcing the demise of the event Mr Kingston has begun to publicise
the trouble he has had and will be appearing in Saturday's Sydney Morning Herald,
a daily broadsheet newspaper. He added, "I'll certainly be following some
issues up with these authorities." (See
full results)
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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