News for January 4, 2001Stieda joins drug debate"Absurd to believe US teams are not doping" says former pro. Canadian former pro Alex Stieda, the first North American to wear the Tour de France yellow jersey, has waded into the drugs debate saying that it's absurd to believe there is no doping among American teams. In an interview with French news agency AFP, Stieda said that he had been offered drugs during his career but was "proud to have always rejected them." Stieda added that nevertheless drug use was part of the European cycling culture and American teams were obliged to follow suit. "I'm not saying that everybody takes things and I can't comment about the US Postal affair because I'm not involved. But in Europe, riders don't have any alternative because it's part of their culture," he said. Stieda joins former pros like Paul Kimmage and Peter Winnen who have broken the increasingly fragile code of silence around drug use in the pro peloton. Kimmage was vilified for "spitting in the soup" when his book "Rough Ride"' was published and revealed the extent of routine doping in the peloton, but it now seems that it's almost compulsory for ex-pros to speak about their experiences.
Save Virenque!Fans of disgraced French rider Richard Virenque have set up a website to petition the UCI to reduce or cancel the nine month suspension levied against him by the Swiss Cycling Federation. In evidence to the Festina trial, Virenque confessed to using EPO in the 1998 Tour de France The site asks if anyone has the right to remove Virenque's trade and his passion, a question that's obviously rhetorical since a professional licence gives the issuing federation exactly that right for good and obvious reasons. More pointedly, the site asks if Virenque's offence is entirely his fault. Did he want to take drugs or did he feel obliged to do so because everyone else was, and it was the only way to preserve a level playing field. Judge for yourselves, the site and petition is here: www.petitionvirenque.ift.cx Cipollini out of TDU - more reasonsAnother reason has emerged for the imminent Tour Down Under no-show by Italian sprint ace Mario Cipollini. Saeco team officials pulled Cipollini from the race on Tuesday, citing the need to change his program to take into account his one-month suspension for hitting Spanish rider Francisco Cerezo during last year's Vuelta. It turns out Saeco has also asked the UCI to allow the suspension to run from January 16, on the grounds that this is the real beginning of the season for the team. If that appeal is successful, the suspension period would definitely cover the Tour Down Under, which starts January 16. TDU Teams start to arriveThe Linda McCartney-Jacob's Creek and CSC-World Online (the team formerly known as Memory Card) are the first international teams to arrive in Adelaide today for the Tour Down Under. Over the next week, the remainder of the teams will fly in to Adelaide International Airport, at the dates/times shown below. Linda McCartney: Thursday, January 4, 9:50 am Herve awaits his fatePascal Herve will know on January 15 what sanction will be applied by the French Cycling Federation after his confession of doping during the Festina trial. Herve — who rode for Polti with Richard Virenque in 200 and has since signed for Alexia Aluminio — has threatened to end his career if he is suspended. He feels he has already atoned for his sins, with a three-month break from racing in 1999, part of the Festina team's internal sanctions against riders involved in the 1998 scandal. While it might seem that a 36-year-old threatening to retire is hollow, Herve is far from past it — he was second in the French championships in 1999 with just two months' racing in his legs. Tour 2002 to start in LuxembourgFrench radio has reported that the 2002 Tour de France will start in Luxembourg. Official confirmation is expected today. Jimenez off bike for three monthsFurther examination of the injuries sustained by Spanish rider Eladio Jimenez has revealed three crushed lumbar vertebrae, an injury that will put him off the bike for at least three months. However, his doctors have discounted the possibility of more serious spinal damage. Jimenez was hit by a vehicle earlier this week while on a group training ride. Heras formally signs for US PostalRoberto Heras appeared in public for the first time yesterday in the colours of his new team, US Postal, making official his transfer from Kelme. Heras told Spanish TVE that riding for US Postal was the culmination of a long dream. "To ride next to the double Tour de France winner, and to have the experience of riding with his team is something that I have always wanted, and a great privilege for me," he said. Heras has signed for a minimum for four years with US Postal, and added that he hoped the coming years would be "full of satisfaction and success." Ullrich to MajorcaJan Ullrich was briefly back in Germany this week for a flying visit between his recent training sessions in South Africa and Telekom's current training camp in Majorca. "Project Yellow Jersey" — Ullrich's determined effort to get fit early in the season and stay that way for the Tour — is reported to be on track, with the South African sojourn successfully eliminating his usual early-season battle with his waistline. Ullrich and Telekom are yet to decide whether he will ride the Giro or the Tour of Germany as preparation for the Tour de France, and it may be that no decision will be made until the last minute, and announced in April. BankGiroLoterij/Batavus aims for GiroArend Scheppink, manager of Dutch team BankGiroLoterij/Batavus, says his team is interested in taking part in this year's Giro. Scheppink believes they have a good chance for a start because the team is supported by the town of Groningen, where the Giro 2002 starts. BankGiroLoterij/Batavus goes to Calpe, Spain on January 9 for a two-week training camp, and will take part in this year's Omloop het Volk, Brussel-Kuurne-Brussel and Tour of Murcia. Van Gulik battles medical problemsFulko van Gulik (Lotto) has been cleared of suspected meningitis, but is still glad he stopped training he is on medication for a severe chronic sinus inflammation and will have exploratory surgery today to see how bad the condition is. Van Gulik said: "I was very upset after hearing how serious it was. The doctors will look for polyps in my sinuses. If they are there, I will have a bigger operation. That will take some time. But I hope to start my season in Italy on February 21." Freddy-watch - Moncassin gets dirtyFormer French pro cyclist and ace sprinter, Frederic Moncassin (double stage winner in the Tour de France plus numerous other victories) has found a new lease of life since retiring. The 32 year-old rider is currently competing in the famous Paris-Dakar rally, where he is riding a KTM 400 motorcycle. After stage 2 he was lying in 14th position, although the race was still to hit the real dirt on the African continent. Stage 3 cancelled for bikes January 3 was a day off for former sprinter Frederic Moncassin and the other bike-riders in the Rallye Paris-Dakar as the organisers could not reach agreement with the Spanish motorcycle federation to use the beach in Castellon, Spain, for the special timed section. The organisers said that "due to the excessive sum of seven million Pesetas demanded by the Spanish motorcycle federation for the running of the six kilometre special" (that's over one million pesetas per km) they decided to give the motorcycles a free day. Not to disappoint the assembled fans (who were mainly there to see the bikes), the majority of riders did a demonstration lap on the beach, but no times were recorded. Ironically, the cars and trucks were allowed to race and although it is only 6km long, the Castellon-Costa Azahar special proved to have particularly soft sand which resulted in some changes to the leaders in the car and truck section. Afterwards the competitiors set sail for Morocco and will land for the first African stage - 602 km between Nador and Er Rachidia. This is similar to when the major tours hit the mountain stages, where stamina and navigation skills come to the fore. And there's no peloton to follow in the desert. Background: The famous desert rally left Paris on January 1 and will finish 21 days and over 10,000km later in Dakar, Senegal, on the west coast of Africa. In many ways, the Paris-Dakar is the TdF of motorcycle rallies and when it hits the African continent, the riders have to contend with racing for 600km per day in hot, dry and remote locations over non-existant roads sans-navigator, which has been the downfall of many competitors: they simply lose their way in the desert.
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