News for March 3, 2001Recent results and new features Tom Steels talks about Omloop Het Volk"I was ill for two weeks, and you have to pay in a race like Omloop Het Volk after fourteen days without competition. I'll be happy if I feel fine after this weekend," said Steels. Steels is normally in the top 10 in the Belgian opener and he won Omloop Het Volk in 1996. "That's still one of my dearest memories. It was a surprise for a lot of people. But I won and riders such as Olaf Ludwig, Hendrik Redant and Edwig Van Hooydonck finished behind me. But won't repeat that this weekend." "I'm at 80 percent now. Maybe that seems a lot, but the difference in the classics is too great. I'll use Paris-Nice to improve my condition. No Milan-San Remo for me, and I don't know yet if I'll start in the Ronde van Vlaanderen. Then I have to be in very good shape, otherwise I will choose Gent-Wevelgem three days later. I also want to be there in Paris-Roubaix." For the first time the Giro d'Italia is on Steels' schedule. "I have dreamed for years about the Giro. I'm looking forward to the sprints with Cipollini and co." Weather: well, it snowed today...
Riders protest before Het VolkBefore the start of Omloop Het Volk today, a group of cyclists (elites without contract) will protest against the decision of the Belgian federation regarding lower prize money this coming season. The always outspoken Marc Vanassche is one of the organisers, and he expects that around 100 riders will join the protest. They are planning their protest between the unofficial and official start at 11:30 in Gent. Cipollini returnsMario Cipollini will make his season debut at the Giro di Campania on March 6. The race starts in Mercato SanSeverino and finishes in the shadow of the royal palace of Reggia di Caserta.Cipollini's return to racing was delayed by his suspension for fighting with Spanish rider Francisco Cerezo (Vitalicio Seguros) at the sign-in of stage five of the 2000 Vuelta Espana. According to his Saeco Macchine per Caffe team he is hungry to return and has been training even in the pouring rain, which speaks well of his motivation. Saeco directeur sportif Antonio Salutini has chosen Giuseppe Calcaterra, Mario Scirea and Biagio Conte to lead out SuperMario in the sprint. The 33 year-old Tuscan will not be only leader for Saeco in Tuesday's race. Salvatore Commesso from near Naples will be a rider to watch because he will be racing in the area where he was born. The rest of the Saeco Macchine Per Caffé team in the Giro di Campania will include Moldovian rider Igor Pugaci, Lithuanian Marius Sabaliauskas and Italian Dario Pieri. No start in stage 4 for PantaniMarco Pantani decided not to race in today's mountainous stage 4 of the Tour of Valencia, held between Benidorm and Vallada (finishing atop the Alto del Campello). Il Pirata (or Elephantino if you prefer) claimed he was suffering from a fever, and preferred to take some time to recover before Sunday's Clasica Almeria. Last year, he pulled out of this race after just two stages, and would not reappear before the Giro, however a repeat of that seems unlikely. In three stages, Pantani lost 38.02 on leading Dutch rider, Michael Boogerd, who won today's stage.
Tirreno - Adriatico routeRace organisers RCS Sport have announced the route of this year's Tirreno - Adriatico, which starts March 14, a preferred Milan-Sanremo lead up for many riders. Stage 1 - March 14: Sorrento - Sorrento, 132km Tour de Snowy starts today
Commencing with a 45 minute criterium around the town centre of Cooma (the gateway to the Snowy Mountains), the 4th edition of the women's Tour de Snowy starts today. The riders will have approximately 1.5 hours to recuperate before setting off for the lakeside town of Jindabyne, a fairly flat 61 kilometre run. Catch all the action of the Tour de Snowy after each stage via cyclingnews.com's special race coverage, using the links below or on the home page. Tour de Snowy home page Four Days of Dunkirk not in BelgiumThe Vierdaagse van Duinkerken (Four Days of Dunkirk, May 8-13) will not take place in Belgium this year, and the traditional finish in Rodeberg has been changed. Last year, the race started in Oostende, but that has also been altered. "The reason is that my father [the deceased Jacques Durand], the president and driving force behind the Vierdaagse, is unfortunately gone," said Laurence Durand. "The time was pressing and we have had to limit ourselves to a parcours in Northern France." Next year, the organisers want to have the race return to Belgium.
FFC AGM todayFrance's national governing body the Fédération française de cyclisme (FFC) holds its AGM today at the French Ministry of Sport in Paris. The main item on the agenda is who will fill the large shoes of outgoing president Daniel Baal. Baal has chosen not to seek a third term as president because his work commitments at the Crédit Mutuel d'Alsace bank don't leave enough time to properly serve as FFC president. Two of Baal's vice-presidents, Alain Calvez and François Scavini, have nominated as candidates and published their manifestos. They have been joined in the last few days by FFC associate secretary-general Guy Perrusset, and the electoral procedure leaves room for a last-minute surprise candidate. The AGM will vote in a new 30-member management committee, who will then cast secret ballots for the new president. The president will then be confirmed by the AGM. If the committee's choice is blocked by the AGM, then a consensus candidate will have to be found, and the name being whispered in the corridors of power of the FFC's Rosny-sous-Bois HQ is Jean Pitallier, the FFC's current general secretary. However, Alain Calvez, a doctor from Nantes, is regarded as the favourite. His knowledge of the FFC and experience as the head of its medical commission gives him weight in the fight against doping though his manifesto concentrates on the FFC's finance problems and the rebuilding of the federation's road program. François Scavini, a teacher from the Savois, doesn't come from a traditional cycling background. Scavini is head of the FFC's mountain bike program and wants to keep this area well integrated into the FFC. He intends to bring a new image to cycling during this period of difficulty for the sport. These two candidates both intend to continue Baal's work. Baal himself has not nominated a successor, preferring to stay out of the debate, but will continue to represent France on the international level. Desbouys can't ride men's crits, FFC rules
FFC president Daniel Baal told news service AFP: "The FFC considers women's cycling to be very important, we have already insisted on the development of a women's Coupe de France. But nobody would come up with the idea of a football match between the French national men's and women's teams. We have applied similar values here. The girls can ride with Elite 2, which corresponds to a high amateur standard. "With regard to Séverine Desbouys, it doesn't seem judicious to us to change the rules for a criterium, which is more a spectacle than a sport." In an open letter to Baal, Marie-George Buffet minister for youth and sport said she shared Desbouys' disappointment, and added: "The promotion and development of women's cycle sport obviously require that certain rules currently in force should be modified." Belgian Federation newsThe Belgian federation (KBWB) have announced that they will give more attention to women's cycling in future. At a press conference in Brussels on Thursday, the KBWB outlined their plans for the season for both Elite and Junior women's teams. Included in the Elite program is the Ster van Oost-Vlaanderen, a Junior Men's race. Similarly, the Junior Women will do the Ronde van het Meetjesland, a race for rookie men. As far as the elite riders are concerned, head coach José De Cauwer will give his riders a chance to start in both the time trial and road race in the World Championships. Until now, Belgian riders have had to choose between one of these two events. De Cauwer has two targets for 2001: the World and the European Championships. "With two different teams. For the European titles I'll work with a young team, as preparation for the 2002 World Championships in Zolder, Belgium. I think with riders such as Kevin van Impe, that will be possible." 2001 Elite Women's program
April 28-May 1: Vuelta Mallorca (Spa) 2001 Junior Women's program July 14-15: Challenge de l'Avenir (Fra) 2001 Espoirs program August 14-17: Tour de l'Ain (Fra) IJsboerke back in the pelotonAfter twenty years, ice factory IJsboerke is back in the peloton as the head sponsor of the Belgian Cycling Federation (KBWB). IJsboerke was famous in the seventies, with riders such as Frans Verbeeck, Herman Van Springel, Rik Van Linden, Walter Godefroot, Daniël Willems and German rider Didi Thurau. IJsboerke will support individual race organisers too: The E3-prijs in Harelbeke, Ronde van Vlaanderen, Gent-Wevelgem, Luik-Bastenaken-Luik, Scheldeprijs in Schoten and the GP Wallonië.
HES and cycling: no positivesRecent reports of the Finnish cross country skiing doping scandal have revealed that several team members have been using hydroxyethyl starch (HES) to increase their blood plasma, thereby lowering their hematocrit and haemoglobin values. The Finns claim that drugs such as Hemohes were simply to keep their naturally high blood values in check (the haemoglobin limit is higher in skiing than in cycling), but EPO use is strongly suspected. Nevertheless, HES is a banned substance in cross-country skiing and most of the team (including six riders) have now been suspended. The parallels with road cycling are obvious, given that the two sports rely heavily on endurance. However, no cyclist was found to be using HES in 2000, according to results of one thousand drug tests analysed by the UCI laboratory in Cologne.
Foot and Mouth cancellations update in UK/IrelandMore from the BCF and also the Irish. A new Road Race cancellation is the Bynea CC Ras Y Sosban, which was to have been held in the Llanelli area on Sunday 4th. Other events off so far are the Bristol Road Club Severn Bridge Road Race scheduled for Sunday 4th March and Mid Devon CC's Springtime Pursuit Race on the same day. Our advice to all riders is to contact race organisers before travelling to any races in the near future. Yorkshire Dales National Park Closed The CTC rights of way officer, bill holder, has contacted us to let us know that all off-road rights of way, both footpaths and Bridleways, have been closed in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It now appears that all National Park land is closed and that the Forestry Commission have also put their sites out of bounds. For a full list of off road areas closed visit madformountainbiking.com Irish season put on hold By Gerard Cromwell Following the British Cycling Federation's recent decision to cancel its early season races, the Irish Cycling Federation have followed suit after an outbreak of the Foot and Mouth disease has been found in Northern Ireland. All three of this weekend's races are called off and according to ICF pro Ciaran McKenna, the next few weeks are looking increasingly uncertain. Note: Although the disease cannot be contracted by humans, it can be easily spread by cyclists and civilians walking or cycling around the countryside and could have a devastating effect on the country's livestock - the only cure being the burning of animals involved. Irish cyclists have also been asked not to travel to race abroad for the time being. Gerard Cromwell is a cycling correspondent with www.irishcycling.com Bike sales hit record high in NetherlandsThe Netherlands' cycling-loving population bought 5 percent more bikes in 2000 than they did in 1999, a new record for the country. 1,517,000 bikes were sold (total Dutch population: 16 million) for an average price of 1,060 Dutch guilders (Euro 480, US$450). 60 percent of the material used to build the bikes was imported. Also, 91 percent of bike owners kept their machines in a garage, 38 percent used it for home-work travel while 48 percent used the bike mostly for sport and recreation.
Joo de Roo's medal collectionDuring his career, Joo de Roo (63) won big races like Paris-Tours (1962 and 1963), Giro di Lombardia (1962 and 1963), Omloop Het Volk (1966) and Acht van Chaam (1963, 1964 and 1967) and the stage to Bordeaux in the Tour de France in 1965. His parents collected his prizes during his career, but Joo wanted to give the prizes to somebody else. His gave most of his cups and medals to the Delta Nutsbedrijven (A. Fokkerstraat 8) in Goes in the Dutch province of Zeeland. The director of this company is very sporting minded, and organises a lot of sporting events. So in case you want to see the Joo de Roo collection, call +31 113 232333 (Delta Nutsbedrijven).
Torrefazione Italia/BondAgent.com Cycling TeamBased in Seattle in the the Pacific Northwest, the Torrefazione Italia/BondAgent.com CT consists of 29 riders, including defending Washington State Stage Race Champion Ian Tubbs and Spokane River Roubaix winner Michael Emde. In addition, the team promotes two charity fundraisers each year and runs a 15 and under Youth Team. Torrefazione Italia makes coffee on Vashon Island just outside of Seattle, while BondAgent.com is an online brokerage for municipal and corporate bonds. Team roster Cat 1/2 Men Cat 1/2 Women Cat 3 Cat 4 Juniors Masters Sponsors Torrefazione Italia (www.titalia.com)
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