News for February 2, 2001Recent results and new features Verbruggen wants stronger anti-drug measuresUCI President, Hein Verbruggen wants to start the 2001 season on a positive note with regard to the fight against doping. Speaking to Reuters newsagency, Verbruggen said that the UCI would be targetting EPO use in particular, and would continue to lead the way in sport in anti-drug measures. "I cannot unfortunately go into details, but we are strongly considering an effective test against EPO. It will be a method based as much on the French method [urine] as the Australian method [blood]," said Verbruggen. "I did not become president to be confronted with such a problem," he added. "I spend four fifths of my time speaking about doping...Recently, the leaders of the pharmaceutical industry decided to collaborate with us, conscious that all these affairs harm their image." Verbruggen is also conscious that other sports are more drug riddled than cycling, "in spite of what some wanted to show in Lille (during the Festina trial)." "Sport is part of society. We know how much society is in the train of doctors. Today, nobody has the right to have influenza or something else if it is not serious. Frankly I agree with the sentence: society has the sport which it deserves!" Of course, the fight against doping does not simply mean better drug tests. That is almost an impossible arms race to win. Professional cycling as a whole is to undergo substantial restructuring in 2002, according to Verbruggen. An important step will be the abandonment of the 'rolling' UCI point system, which can be manipulated quite easily by riders and team managers. "We don't want riders converting their UCI points into cash over the winter, and accepting the highest bid. As of next winter, the levels will be set to zero on January 1," said Verbruggen. "The ten best teams at the end of this season will constitute a Top Club, and will be able to compete in all the major races in 2002. The next twenty will comprise the first division." While this will not remove the hierarchy altogether, it will at least make the bigger races more accessible (in theory) to lower ranked teams. The UCI will also set up a commission to investigate the management of professional teams. There were three standouts this year: Linda-McCartney, Birra Morena and Sime-Gym, all of whom failed to meet UCI requirements for division II teams, and were subsequently rejected. Finally, the UCI is displeased with Spanish regulations that allow riders to buy their way out of contracts, if they get a better offer from another team. Joseba Beloki (Festina - ONCE) and Roberto Heras (Kelme - US Postal) are the two greatest examples, and the UCI has not yet given Heras his licence yet, as Kelme hasn't been paid. US Postal - Blood samples requested
It has been confirmed that French justice authorities have requested the US Postal Service team's blood samples from the 2000 Tour de France, as was announced by spokesman Mark Gorski yesterday. Both urine and blood samples will therefore be used in the French investigation into the team. The UCI have also agreed to supply the identification codes to the samples, with the US Postal team's consent. Ullrich not assured yetDespite being team Telekom's biggest star, former Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich has not yet extended his contract with the team. His current contract will expire at the end of 2001, but so far there have not been any negotiations between Ullrich's manager and the Telekom heads. "We are taking our time," said Ullrich's manager Wolfgang Strohband. "After the Classics or the Tour de France I can certainly count on the signature of Walter Godefroot [team manager]...A contract until 2003 is OK." 27 year old Ullrich earns approximately $US 2 million per year, and has stated many times that he wants to win the Tour de France for a second time.
VDB saga: no surprise for LefeverePatrick Lefevere, who is currently involved in a Domo team training camp in Mallorca, isn't surprised about latest VDB story [he is unlikely to start in any early season races until March, or possibly April]. "I think that the most important thing for Frank and his new neighborhood is to find a solution for The Problem. And they have to do that fast, otherwise I'm afraid it's fin de carrière," said the director. "I have not seen or spoken to him for a while," added Lefevere. "I don't know exactly what's happening at the moment. But I know they have to understand there is a big problem. Don't deny that. When Frank was involved in the Dr Mabuse affair he talked about rumours. He said he wasn't in the clinic in Roeselare, while I was living in Roeselare..." "They have to treat his problem. After he abandoned the Tour - now 205 days ago - he tried several times to come back. Again and again, without any result. But that makes no sense. It's serious now. He has to come back on a healthy basis. Then he has talent enough to survive." Vandenbroucke's manager, Paul De Geyter (SEM), is not worried about VDB. "We didn't say Frank would win races at the beginning of this season. No prizes in classics," he said. "We knew it would be difficult. But in the second part of this season he will be there. In Lisbon he will become World Champion." Team mate Ludo Dierckxsens spoke from the Lampre training camp in Castagneta Carduci. "We trained yesterday for more than 5 hours, a little less than 200 kilometers. However, Vandenbroucke wasn't here. He was here, but not any more. But I don't know anything about it and I don't want to talk about it. This team will give Frank a chance to come back to his level. It's up to him now to show what he can do. With our help? Of course. No one is excluded." Does Dierckxsens believe in the new Vandenbroucke? "I can't give an answer to that question," he replied.
Bramati in doubt for World'sItalian World Cyclocross Championships representative, Luca Bramati, will have to explain traces of corticoids in his urine found at a cyclocross race last December in Luxembourg. Bramati has a medical certificate and authority from his dentist, and he will plead his case to the UCI Disciplinary Commission in the next few days. He hopes to compete in Tabor, but he will need to change the UCI's decision to suspend him. Bramati said that he had a medical certificate for the anaesthetic that his dentist gave him, but did not know about the corticoids that were contained in this product. "I will go to Tabor to prove that I don't need prohibited substances to race," he said. All of the Italian team are in Tabor at the moment, save for the junior riders Gregori and di Danio who remained at home after recording high hematocrit levels in pre-squad testing.
German World Champion for AustralErik Weisspfennig of Germany, one of the two-man team (with Stefan Steinweg) that won the 2000 World Madison Championships has been confirmed as a starter in the 2001 Austral wheelrace in Australia on February 10. Coming out of the European Six Day season with great form, Erik will be a force to contend with in the tough 2000 metre handicap event. Weisspfennig/Steinweg have just finished the 90th Berlin Six Day race, placing third overall but on the same lap behind the winners, Silvio Martinello/Rolf Aldag. His real chances in the Austral will be clearer when CycleSport Victoria declare the handicaps early next week, after the Leongatha meeting on February 3. In handicap racing, cyclists of varying abilities start at different distances around the track. In theory, everyone has an equal chance to win this type of event, which is quite popular in Australia. Other highlights on the program include sprint matches, one between dual World Junior Champion, Ryan Bayley (WA) and Oceania Sprint Champion, Jobie Dajka (SA). Bayley and Dajka have had equal victories in recent clashes and the scheduled revenge sprint match will add some spice to the Austral program. The other feature Sprint match is between two Sydney Olympians, Australia's Lyndelle Higginson and Tanya Lindenmuth of USA, who was the third fastest Women's Sprint qualifier in Sydney. This will be a big test for Lyndelle, who will be trying to establish herself as the Nation's leading female track cyclist, for the International track season of World Cups and Championships later in the year. Last train for Fassa BortoloThe Fassa Bortolo cycling team will hold their last training camp before the beginning of the European season in Marina di Bibbona, Tuscany (Italy), from February 3-11. However on February 4, some members of the team will ride the GP Costa degli Etruschi at Donoratico, the first race in the Italian calendar for 2001. Alessandro Petacchi, Dimitri Konychev and Ivan Basso are amongst those down to start. The first race on the international UCI calendar for the team will be the Tour de Méditerranéen (UCI 2.3) that starts on February 14. A recent interview with members of the Fassa Bortolo team, including Alessandro Petacchi, Francesco Casagrande and Kim Kirchen can be found here. Team Coast presentationNew German division I team Coast, managed by Gunther Dahms and Wolfram Lindner, is looking to establish itself as a top team. Although it has made the jump to division I using the UCI points of Alex Zülle, Fernando Escartin, Lars Michaelsen and Frank Hoj, to survive in future it will need to develop its young riders into winning machines. At the team's presentation in Berlin's Reichstag today, Lindner outlined his plans for the season which do not as yet include the Tour de France. However, big races such as Paris-Nice and the Vuelta España are definitely on the calendar for Coast, as well as a good showing in spring. The 23 rider squad have spent some of the winter training in Mexico at altitude, and Lindner believes that this will help his riders. "Altitude training instead of EPO," he said, adding that for his riders to remain competitive, their racing days will be limited to 95 this season. The first test will be the Ruta del Sol in Spain, February 18-22. Team Roster
Manager: Günther Dahms Riders Stefan Adamsson (Swe) Jelly Belly 2001By John Alsedek At the end of an off-season rife with change for the better, the Jelly Belly Cycling Team released its 2001 lineup today. The changes on the bike are the most evident, with a quartet of new riders joining a core group of hold overs from last year's inaugural Jelly Belly squad. The team is led once again by Eddy Gragus, who followed up his overall victory in the '99 Saturn U.S. PRO Tour with another strong campaign, highlighted by a win in the First Union Rolling Rock Hill Climb, as well as second in the Tour of the Gila, the BMC Tour of San Jose, and the Fitchburg Classic. Other returning riders include Kirk Albers, Norm Carter, and 2000 US Olympian Mariano Friedick. To this solid base, team director Danny Van Haute has added talented youngsters Brad Buccambuso, Jonathan Erdelyi, Damon Kluck, and Jason McCartney. The result is what Van Haute characterizes as "a much stronger team than last year. Brad and Jonathan did well in the espoirs ranks; Damon was riding on his own all season, yet still placed consistently in the top 20 or 25 in NRC events; and Jason is a very aggressive rider who impressed our guys at Killington....I think we've got the potential to really surprise people." One thing that won't surprise people is the team's goals: with a schedule focused on the National Racing Calendar, the Jelly Belly Cycling Team is hoping to do particularly well in the Solano Cycling Classic (Jelly Belly's corporate HQ is located nearby), the First Union week (particularly the Rolling Rock Hill Climb and the PRO Championship's King of the Wall competition), and the Criterium and Time Trial Nationals. There have been some changes off the bike as well for Jelly Belly, both in terms of sponsorship and associated club membership. While the lion's share of Jelly Belly's 2000 sponsors have returned - including Lexus automobiles and Specialized bicycles - the team also welcomes several new partners. Adidas will be supplying the team with both racing shoes and clothing, while Festina Watches and Verizon Wireless Communications have also come on board for 2001. In association with its parent club, Team Redlands, Jelly Belly is instituting a 'satellite club' system nationwide. "What we're hoping to do is something like what the Chevrolet/L.A. Sheriffs team did in the early 1990's, where they had associated clubs all across the country. We've already got our first one in place in Phoenix, Arizona, and are hoping to have five by the end of the year," said Van Haute. Satellite club members would receive the same benefits as Team Redlands members, including Pro deals on products from team sponsors; they would also wear the same uniform as the Jelly Belly team members. It's part of a program to get the Jelly Belly Cycling Team more involved with Team Redlands and its club membership. The team will be participating in club rides in San Diego on February 24th and 25th, and in Redlands, California on March 3rd and 4th. The Jelly Belly Cycling Team training camp will be held in San Diego from February 20th to March 5th. Team Roster Kirk Albers (USA) Jelly Belly GoMart Cycling Team announces 2001 rosterGoMart's elite national cycling team (USA) has announced its new roster for 2001. Since 1997 the team has produced three national champions, several professional cyclists, and continues to develop amateurs at the highest level. This year's squad has added five new riders, including former professional and national champion (1997) Paul Martin (ex-Navigators). The team's primary focus will be national calendar events in Midwest and East Coast. Racing will begin with regional events building to national events during the late spring and early summer. Team Roster Paul Martin Sponsors GoMart Web site: http://gomartcycling.com
Recent results and new features on cyclingnews |
