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Oscar Freire and Angel Casero will be the main attractions in this weekend's 26th edition of the Criterium L'Hospitalet in Spain. Freire won it in 1999, while Casero won in 2000. Other past winners include Miguel Indurain, Pedro Delgado, Abraham Olano and Melchior Mauri.
The two stars of Spanish cycling will be joined by Angel Edo, Melchior Mauri, Fabian Jeker, José Luis Rebollo, Felix García Casas, Fernando Escartín, Miguel Angel Martin Puerdiguero and Viatcheslav Ekimov, who is at the end of his career as a professional cyclist.
Notably, there will be no representatives from any Spanish teams there, as the organisers could not meet these teams' financial demands.
The race is comprised of two segments, an elimination race followed by a sprint race, both of which count for points.
Division one team Liquigas has been rescued from closure by merging with another Italian team, De Nardi Pasta Montegrappa. Liquigas had already announced to the press that the team would end, due to the withdrawal of their main sponsor, when a last minute agreement was found with the De Nardi Team.
The two team managers , Bordonali and Zanardo, have worked out a formula that will combine the structure and UCI ranking of Liquigas, currently 12th in the world, with the financial assets of the De Nardi team.
The newly formed team will include, riders such as Christiano Frattini Giancarlo Raimondi, Mirco Marini (Liquigas), Alberto Ongarato, Devis Miorin, Michele Gobbi (all Mobilvetta), Fabio Bulgarelli (Colpack), Fabio Testi (Jazztel), Andrus Aug and Seweryn Kohut (Amore e Vita), as well as existing riders Giuseppe Palumbo and Remmert Wielinga.
By keeping in their ranks at least 50% of the former Liquigas riders,the new De Nardi team will have access to the three major Tours and Wold Cup events. However, since the departure of Davide Rebellin, participation in the Tour the France depends on current negotiations to sign riders such as Savoldelli and Buenahora.
The team will still be called De Nardi, but there is a second major sponsor which will be announced soon.
This season's third most successful rider (in terms of wins), Ondrej Sosenka, will change from his Czech nationality to ride with a Polish licence for next season. In an interview with the Prague Post, Sosenka cites frustration with the Czech cycling federation which he called "unprofessional" after he was ignored for Olympic selection in Sydney in favour of Jan Hruska and Tomas Konecny.
However, when it was found that Hruska tested positive for Nandrolone before the Olympics, Sosenka was ready to replace him. Unfortunately, the Czech federation had not registered him as a substitute rider and he was not allowed to go.
This year, it was Sosenka and Hruska who were selected for the Czech squad for the World Championships in Lisbon, while Konecny was left out. However, Sosenka thought that his friend Konecny should go and chose not to ride. It turned out well for the Czech team, as Konecny placed ninth in the road race, the highest ever by a Czech cyclist.
According to the Prague Post however, some think that Sosenka was also lured by the prospect of representing Poland in future, and the Czech federation was not happy about it. In theory, Sosenka can now represent Poland at next year's World Championships, something that he would have been unable to do if he had ridden in Lisbon for the Czech Republic. He has to compete for Poland one year before the World's, and two years before the Olympics.
The Athens Olympics is his main objective, saying that "Winning a medal is my dream. A success like that would bring me many advantages, including a life-long monthly pension of DM 1,000 US$450."
He currently rides for the Polish CCC-Mat team, and has a Polish great grandfather, which will allow him to take out Polish citizenship. He hopes that once the Czech Republic becomes part of the EU, there will be no problems with carrying two passports.
BankGiroLoterij-Batavus has signed 22 year old amateur rider Vincent van der Kooij. He rode for the Rabobank amateur team this season, with some of that time being spent as a stagiaire, riding the Circuit Franco Belge. BankGiroLoterij will get one more rider for next season, so that they will start with 12 in 2002.
The Dutch one day classic, Dokkum Woudenomloop, will not take place next season. According to the organisers, it is due to the continually tightening regulations and charges for an organisation such as the Woudenomloop to hold such races. Furthermore, the KNWU have set the Grote Prijs Erik Breukink for the same date.
Finnish rider Joona Laukka (Team Mälarenergi) and Jeannie Longo have finished at the top of France's national rankings, published by the French Cycling Federation today. Laukka, a former member of the Festina team, will ride professionally again next season for Jean Delatour. He beat Norwegian Gabriel Rasch by 6 points with Bulgarian Dimitar Dimitrov finishing in third spot. Notably, all three riders are foreigners, but are eligible because they competed in national races.
The women's rankings were not as close. Jeannie Longo is certainly France's most successful cyclist this season, and finished with 157.965 points in the national rankings, nearly 140 points(!) better than Fany Lecourtois in second place. Sophie Creux was third a couple of points behind Lecourtois.
Men 1 Joona Laukka (Fin/Poitou-Charentes) 37.614 pts 2 Gabriel Rasch (Nor/Ile-de-France) 31.641 3 Dimitar Dimitrov (Bul/Bretagne) 30.805 4 Guillaume Judas (Bretagne) 26.826 5 Stéphane Auroux (Lyonnais) 26.503 Women 1 Jeannie Longo (Ile-de-France) 157.965 pts 2 Fany Lecourtois (Normandie) 18.104 3 Sophie Creux (Dauphiné-Savoie) 16.201 4 Séverine Desbouys (Provence) 14.089 5 Catherine Marsal (Lorraine) 14.000
By Gerard Knapp
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The US bicycle manufacturers are continuing to build on the apparent kudos and exposure generated by sponsoring Division 1 trade teams in world road cycling. There is Trek and USPS, Cannondale and Saeco, Giant and ONCE and until the end of this year, Specialized and Festina and GT with Lotto. Interbike is the perfect opportunity to re-affirm this involvement in cycling's elite level.
Click here to read the full report
The Gears Racing Mountain Bike Team, organised and managed by the Gears Racing Institute, has announced its line up for 2002. The Canadian based team has signed some of the country's top talent in MTB, a combination of experienced and younger riders who are looking to improve.
The president of GRI, Kevin Wallace, said that "For example, we have attracted the quality and experience of Trish Sinclair to match with the exciting group of Kiara Bisaro, Claire Hall-Patch, Sue Trimble, and Danelle Kabush on the women's side of the team. On the men's side, we have the experience of Mathieu Toulouse, Julian Hine, and Greg Reain to work with rising superstars Ricky Federau, Adam Coates, Ryan Savoy, Frederic Bussieres, and Michael Dennis. These are very powerful combinations that will not only enhance the competencies of each of the racers, but also help to grow a group of quality mountain bike racers to represent Canada for next year and well into the future."
Chairman Mark Bonham added that the GRI was a "non-profit organisation" and is aimed at developing Canadian cyclists to "Olympic-quality" level.
The GRI will also soon announce the composition of the Gears Racing Road Team, Gears Racing Adventure Racing Team, and the Gears Racing Triathlon Team.
Division/Name Notable Racing Accomplishments
North American Male, Senior:
Mathieu Toulouse First Place, Pro-Elite Men, Canada Cup Series 2001
Julian Hine Fifth Place, Pro-Elite Men, Canada Cup Series 2001
Ricky Federeau Seventh Place, Pro-Elite Men, Canada Cup Series 2001
North American Male, Junior:
Frederic Bussieres First Place, Junior Expert Men, Canada Cup Series 2001
Adam Coates Gold Medal, Team Relay, World Championships 2001
Saskatchewan Athlete of the Month, September 2001
North American Female:
Trish Sinclair Second Place, Pro-Elite Women, Canada Cup Series 2001
Kiara Bisaro First Place, Pro-Elite Women, Canada Cup Series 2001
Tenth Place, World Championships 2001
National Male:
Greg Reain Third Place, Pro-Elite Men, Ontario Cup Series 2001
Michael Dennis First Place, Pro-Elite Men, Ontario Cup Series 2001
Ryan Savoy Various, Canada Cup, Ontario Cup Series 2001
National Female:
Sue Trimble First Place, Pro-Elite Women, Ontario Cup Series 2001
Gold Medal, Women, Canada Summer Games 2001
Claire Hall-Patch Top Espoir, Tour of Willamette Road Race, 2001
1st GC, Tour of Delta Road Race, 2001
5th Place, Mont Tremblant Canada Cup, 2001
Ontario Provincial Male:
Craig Hawkes Ninth Place, Pro-Elite Men, Ontario Cup Series 2001
Kevin Haviland Various, Ontario Cup, 2001
Paul Skafel Various, Ontario Cup, 2001
Shawn Ito Various, Ontario Cup, 2001
Ontario Provincial Female:
Danelle Kabush Third Place, Pro-Elite Women, Ontario Cup Series 2001
Ontario Provincial, Junior:
Tyler Savoy 4th Place, Cadet Expert Male, Ontario Cup Series 2001
Paul Brown 14th Place, Junior Expert Male, Ontario Cup Series 2001
Cameron Mackenzie First Place, Junior Sport Male, Ontario Cup Series 2001
Andrew White Various, Ontario Cup Series, 2001
Team Management:
Kevin Wallace, President
Ira Kargel, Vice-President
Ron Vanderleeuw, Team Captain/Head Mechanic
Ryan Hindmarsh, Training/Development Manager
Major Races and Events
September 7-29, 2002: Vuelta
a España (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 Città 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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Tech
maintenance - Wheels - how to keep them true and tight
Tech letters
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