News for March 26, 2001Recent results and new features Saronni declines Italian selector's jobGuiseppe Saronni has decided not to accept the post of Italian national team director and selector, saying he prefers to remain as team manager of Lampre-Daikin. "I have plans to complete with my team," said Saronni. The invitation to Saronni originally came directly from the new president of the Italian federation, Giancarlo Ceruti, in an attempt to unify the divisions in Italian cycling between the elite and the grass-roots. The concept was simple: Saronni would provide a center for the sport to rally around, and would be a team coordinator everyone respected. Saronni and the Italian cycling federation seemed close to agreement the only remaining hurdle being ratification by the federation's federal council, but as Saronni explained: "Even when the news became public knowledge nothing was certain. I had to weigh up many details before I could make a decision." In a statement issued on Sunday, Saronni explained the reasons for his decision. "I prefer to stay with the Galbusera family and Lampre-Daikin I feel a loyalty to them that goes beyond the usual ties to a sponsor. There are ethical and human dimensions to this decision, and it does not feel right to abandon a plan that is not yet finished." "President Ceruti's plan stimulated by intereste because it is indeed innovative. But on the other hand I have been working with another group for 15 years, from Pietro Algeri down. With him and his staff, and thanks to the Galbuseras we have created the Lampre-Daikin team, and I feel it's also my creature." 21st Tour of Normandy132 riders will take part in this week's 21st Tour of Normandy, which starts today in Mondeville. The race's seven stages take it through the French countryside to a finale in the port and university town of Caen on Sunday April 1. 22 teams are rostered to start, including five French teams. French hopefuls Anthony Morin (Crédit Agricole), Franck Pencolé (BigMat) and Jean-Cyril Robin (Bonjour) will be trying to keep the race's title at home - it was won last year by Ludovic Auger (BigMat). They face serious competition from riders such as Thor Hushovd (Crédit Agricole) and the Danish Fakta team, run by former pro Kim Anderson. Unlike previous editions this year's race won't have a team time trial. The race area includes places that have been affected by the recent floods, and passes close to a recently detected foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, so some disruption is possible. The stages
38th Semana CatalanaThe most important Spanish stage race in the first part of the season is the five day 799 kilometre Semana Catalana de Ciclisme (Catalan Week). It is given a UCI class of 2.1, which for points purposes is one step down from Paris-Nice or Tirreno-Adriatico. The field is similar in some respects to the recent Tour of Murcia. Lance Armstrong, Roberto Heras (US Postal), Jan Ullrich, Erik Zabel and Andreas Klöden (Telekom), Marco Pantani (Mercatone Uno) and Alex Zülle (Team Coast) are some of the better known names on the start list, although most of them aren't in top form yet. The main difference in the route this year is that there is no mountain time trial up Barcelona's Montjuich. However there is certainly no shortage of climbs in the race, with each stage bar the last containing a first category climb. Stage four on March 29 is probably the hardest, finishing on top of the Alto Rassos de Peguera, climbing 980 metres in the last 13 kilometres. The 161.7 kilometre stage also contains two second category climbs. The stages
Teams and riders Domo (Axel Merckx, Piotr Wadecki)
Bonjour gets Giro berthFrench Division II team Bonjour, managed by Jean René Bernaudeau, has had its place in the Giro d'Iralia confirmed by the Italian grand tour's organisers. Bonjour has already secured a place in the Tour de France. Team Vlaanderen-T-InterimVlaanderen - T Interim - Eddy Merckx, formerly known as 'Vlaanderen 2002', is a professional cycling team subsidized by the Flemish government. The team is also sponsored by T-Interim, a temporary work agency, and Eddy Merckx, the loyal godfather of the team. The team budget of this GS II team is 40 million Belgian francs. The men's team enters its eighth year in the Belgian and international peloton, and will stay there at least until the end of 2005. Besides having a new name and a new jersey, there is also an important increase in budget. The team structure and goals remain the same: it is the team's priority to train promising youngsters to enable them to move on to well-established teams. Talented riders like Steels, Verheyen, Aerts, Van de Wouwer, Leysen and Van Bondt started their professional career in the team. Last season ended with eight victories. At the end of the season, six riders left the team. The Vlaanderen T Interim team for 2001 includes 19 riders: 7 new riders (4 neo-professionals) and 12 returning riders. Important is the arrival of track specialist Matthew Gilmore, silver medallist in Sydney (in the points race, with De Wilde) and European champion in Manchester. He will ride both road and track races in order to prepare himself for his biggest challenge this year: the points race at the World Championships in Antwerp (Belgium) at the end of September. There is a possibility that he will race there together with former Vlaanderen-rider Tom Steels. Also new, coming from Collstrop, is Gert Vanderaerden, the youngest brother of Mapei sportive director Eric. He is the team's new road captain, but of course without losing his own ambitions. Bjorn Leukemans was a revelation in 2000: he won a stage at the Dekra Open, finished second overall in the Tour des Regions Wallones after Axel Merckx, and he took a lot of top ten results. After this season he will find himself a place in the Domo team. Other important riders this year are Gerits, who already won Fayt le Franc this year, Van Roosbroeck, Guns, Daniels and Stremersch. The team has also contracted five promising young riders. They will have the whole season to learn and grow. Sijmens is a strong climber, good in stage races, Van Lanschoot is a fast finisher, and Beyens, Van Capellen and Verstraeten are strong riders for one-day races. Finally, let's not forget cyclocross specialist Tom Vanoppen, who was a revelation last winter. Men's team Riders Ben Berden Manager Directeurs Sportifs Assistant directeur Doctor Trainer Soigneurs Mechanics Women's team Riders Veronique Belleter
Manager Directeur Sportif Assistant Soigneur Mechanic
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