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Saeco haven't yet given up their chances of retaining super sprinter Mario Cipollini, despite strong rumours in the Italian press that he will sign with Cantina Tollo for next season. According to a Saeco spokesman, "negotiations are still in progress" between Cipollini and the Saeco squadra.
Festina's Florent Brard has denied the rumours that he will be joining Francaise des Jeux or Bonjour next season, saying that he has had no contacts with them. Another possibility mentioned is the CSC-Tiscali team of Laurent Jalabert, and he is more hopeful when talking about this team. "I am a big supported of Jaja," he said today before the Tour stage.
Belgian champion Ludovic Capelle may be riding for the Lotto team next year, should negotiations work out between he and Jef Braeckevelt. He told Belgian TV1 after the end of today's Tour de France stage that "Maybe it's for the best" even though it's known that he doesn't get on with Claude Criquelion. However, he will first discuss things with his Ag2r team, where he currently rides as a lead out man for Jaan Kirsipuu.
The UCI's latest set of women's rankings following the Giro and the HP Women's Challenge last month have resulted in some changes in the pecking order. Although Anna Millward (Saturn) is still the number one rider, she is now challenged quite strongly by Bielorussian Zinaida Stahurskaia (GAS), the recent winner of the women's Giro. Just 8 points separate the World Champion and the current World Cup leader, but there is still some racing to be done this year.
Third and fourth places belong to Dutchwomen Mirjam Melchers (Acca Due O) and Leontien Zijlaard-Van Moorsel (Farm Frites-Hartol), with Swede Susanne Ljungskog (Vlaanderen T Interim) occupying fifth spot. Big movers up the rankings include Chantal Beltman (Dutch national team, 10th-7th), Judith Arndt (German national team, 15th-8th), Lyne Bessette (Saturn, 26th-10th), Nicole Brändli (Edilsavino, 28th - 17th), Greta Zocca (Gas, 74th - 35th), Petra Rossner (Saturn, 22nd-15th).
The strong performance of the Saturn women has lifted the team to number one in the teams rankings, which was their goal at the beginning of the year. Saturn now has 1,475 points, compared with Acca Due O's 1,332 points and Farm Frites-Hartol's 1,133 points.
Individuals 1 Anna Millward (Aus) Saturn Cycling Team 737.00 pts 2 Zinaida Stahurskaia (Blr) Gas Sport Team 729.00 3 Mirjam Melchers (Ned) Acca Due O-HP-Lorena Camicie 584.50 4 Leontien Zijlaard-Van Moorsel (Ned) Farm Frites-Hartol 485.00 5 Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) Vlaanderen-T-Interim Ladies Team 445.00 6 Hanka Kupfernagel (Ger) Farm Frites-Hartol 380.67 7 Chantal Beltman (Ned) 367.50 8 Judith Arndt (Ger) 347.00 9 Edita Pucinskaite (Ltu) Alfa Lum R.S.M. 330.50 10 Lyne Bessette (Can) Saturn Cycling Team 325.00 11 Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli (Fra) 319.34 12 Mari Holden (USA) Alfa Lum R.S.M. 306.00 13 Fabiana Luperini (Ita) Edilsavino 298.00 14 Diana Ziliute (Ltu) Acca Due O-HP-Lorena Camicie 297.00 15 Petra Rossner (Ger) Saturn Cycling Team 255.00 16 Joane Somarriba Arrola (Spa) Alfa Lum R.S.M. 245.00 17 Nicole Brändli (Swi) Edilsavino 241.00 18 Rasa Polikeviciute (Ltu) Acca Due O-HP-Lorena Camicie 238.00 19 Ceris Gilfillan (GBr) 230.00 20 Olga Slioussareva (Rus) Carpe Diem-Itera 227.00 Teams 1 Saturn Cycling Team 1,475.00 pts 2 Acca Due O-HP-Lorena Camicie 1,332.00 3 Farm Frites-Hartol 1,132.67 4 Gas Sport Team 1,132.00 5 Alfa Lum R.S.M. 1,030.50 6 Vlaanderen-T-Interim Ladies Team 777.00 7 Edilsavino 776.00 8 Carpe Diem-Itera 471.00 9 Team Sponsorservice 315.00 10 Autotrader.com 217.00 11 C.A. Mantes La Ville 78 200.00 12 Equipe Cycliste Rona 167.00 13 Ciegi Professional Cycling Team 147.67 14 La Rosa Dei Venti 72.00 15 Equipe Nürnberger 59.00 16 Ondernemers Van Nature 53.00 17 Team Lolland-Falster 50.00 18 S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox 40.00 19 Team Aliverti-Immobiliare Luca 32.00 20 Bik-Toscany Sport 15.00 Nations 1 Netherlands 1,580.00 pts 2 Germany 1,254.17 3 Australia 1,048.00 4 Lithuania 1,022.50 5 Russia 783.50 6 Italy 773.00 7 Belarus 765.00 8 France 720.34 9 Sweden 708.00 10 U.S.A. 661.00
The parallels between today's Tour de France stage and the imminent judgement of the TVM trial in Rheims tomorrow are either uncanny or a complete set up. The ninth stage of this year's Tour finished in Aix-les-Bains, won by former TVM rider Serguei Ivanov. Here, in 1998 the entire TVM team crossed the line hands joined and arms in the air, a reaction to police searches of the TVM (and other team's) hotels during the Tour that year, following on from the Festina scandal. That stage ended up being cancelled, and the TVM squad abandoned en masse after the next stage, as did all the Spanish teams.
Ironically, Ivanov's former teammate Jeroen Blijlevens (Lotto) abandoned today, while the only other ex-TVM rider, Servais Knaven (Domo), finished 119th. Ivanov's comments can be read in today's Tour news, but he and the others can be assured that they will not be sentenced as part of the TVM trial in Rheims tomorrow.
The case involves three men, former TVM director Cees Priem, former soigneur Jan Moors, and former team doctor Andrei Mikhailov, who is now the current Lotto-Adecco doctor. Mikhailov was caught at the French border near Rheims on March 9, 1998 with 104 ampoules of EPO in his car, as he returned from Spain. At the time Mikhailov claimed he had bought the EPO freely in Spain, and it was intended for a Russian hospital for children with leukaemia.
Later, during the Tour, the TVM truck and the team hotel in Pamiers (Ariege) were searched, revealing "doping and masking substances." Dr Mikhailov and Cees Priem were charged and Mikhailov imprisoned for several weeks.
Two years later, the three men were formally charged with infringement of the French anti-doping law, and a trial began in Rheims in late May. The prosecution attempted to show that there was organised doping within the team, financed by a proportion of riders' prize money. The defence put forward that this "doping tax" was in fact intended to buy legal medical products and food supplements.
The prosecutor has asked for 2 years imprisonment (suspended sentence) with a FF100,000 fine, because he was the directory of the team and the theoretical organiser of the doping. It was requested that Dr Mikhailov received an 18 month deferred sentence with a FF10,000 fine as the "scientific head of doping" in the team, and a 10 month deferred sentence with a FF40,000 fine against Jan Moors, as a "soigneur and confidant, who administered the syringes in the absence of Mikhailov."
The judgement in Rheims is expected tomorrow (Tuesday).
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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