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Italian team pursuit rider Massimo Strazzer and Spanish points and madison rider Juan Llaneras have both been controlled "non-negative" for doping at the recent World Track Championships in Antwerp, Belgium. According to reports in the Italian press, Strazzer's A sample was positive for EPO, and he has 30 days in which to ask for a counter-evaluation and present his defence.
Strazzer told La Gazzetta dello Sport that he was "Living in a nightmare. I could not believe it when I was told. I have sufficient confidence in myself, I do not need to dope. I will fight this until the end. Either they made an error, or somebody was out to get me."
Olympic Points Race Champion Juan Llaneras had taken the silver medal in Antwerp in the Madison, along with his partner Isaac Galvez. He too tested "non-negative" for EPO and also has 30 days in which to present his defence to the Spanish cycling federation.
The Saturn Cycling Team has added three riders to its men's team roster for 2002: Jay Sweet, Damon Kluck and Will Frischkorn. The team is looking to strengthen its position as the top US team, after dominating every major points score (Pro Cycling Tour and National Racing Calendar) this season. But with the changing of the guard that is typical of this time of the year in the sport, Michael Barry, a longtime member of the Saturn Cycling Team, and Matt DeCanio, who had just joined the program prior to the 2001 season, will be departing to join the U.S. Postal Service and Prime Alliance teams, respectively.
Sweet, Kluck and Frischkorn will join returning members Trent Klasna, Tim Johnson, Eric Wohlberg, Frank McCormack, Mark McCormack, Ivan Dominguez, Chris Fisher, Harm Jansen and Søren Petersen, bringing the men's roster to 12. The team operated with 11 men for much of 2001 after the mid-season retirement of Erin Hartwell.
"Overall, we're going to be stronger," said men's team director Jim Copeland who does not want to rest on his laurels. "My goal is always to grow and to be a stronger team every year."
Jay Sweet a 26 year old Australian, is a sprinter who has gained experience in the European peloton as a member of the Big Mat-Auber 93 squad for the past four seasons. He came up through the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) national team program and first made waves in 1996 when he won a stage of the prestigious French race, the Tour de l'Avenir. It was one of 15 victories that season in France, Malaysia, Germany, Sweden and Australia as part of the Team Giant-Australia squad. Since then he's had 24 victories, including five this season.
He will be targetted at the bunch sprints, joining Cuban expatriate Ivan Dominguez, a former track racer who has switched to road racing since his arrival in the United States.
"Having two fast guys is always better than one," said Copeland, "and in those situations you want the true field sprinters, the ones who can rub elbows with the other kamikazes up there. The fast guys open up options for the team."
By adding Damon Kluck (pronounced 'klook'), Saturn takes a rider who has been a thorn in its side and adds him to its ranks. Kluck, a 24 year old who lives in Santa Cruz, Calif., is a strong climber who was part of a significant three-man breakaway in the penultimate stage of the 2001 Tour of Willamette (Ore.) that threatened the overall lead of Saturn's Wohlberg.
"It took four of our guys at maximum effort to painstakingly pull that lead back, and they didn't get all of it," said Copeland. Enough was done to secure the win for Wohlberg, but what Copeland saw impressed him enough to pursue Kluck, who finished that race fourth overall and was on the podium four times.
"He's smart, tactical and has good bike racing sense. He's definitely going to be a great addition to the GC side," said Copeland of a rider who is able to go after the general classification (overall) title in multi-day stage races. Like several other Saturn Cycling Team members, Kluck also races cyclo-cross and was the 1995 junior national champion. He was a member of the 2000 and 1997 U.S. National Cyclo-cross teams. Kluck graduated in 2000 from the University of California at Santa Cruz with a B.S. degree in Business Management Economics.
Frischkorn, just 20, is also a GC threat, "and he's an excellent time trialist," said Copeland. "He looks to be the next top espoir (U23) on a national and probably the world level."
In his second year of racing, 1997, Frischkorn, who now lives in Boulder, Colo., won the national junior criterium championship, was second in the road race and fourth in the time trial. His progression continued after joining the U.S. Cycling Federation's resident program in Colorado Springs later that year and Frischkorn won the prestigious Tour de l'Abitibi in Canada in 1998, one of the top junior stage races in the world. He was 12th in the junior world championships individual pursuit that same year.
The following season he raced for the Mercury team's junior program and took another national criterium title. In 2000 he turned professional and had several impressive top-10 finishes against seasoned pros. "He was one of Mercury's significant players and was finishing second or third to guys like Scott Moninger and Floyd Landis," said Copeland of the young rider in comparison to his former highly successful Mercury teammates. "I think he's the kind of guy who can ultimately go to the Tour de France."
Frischkorn suffered a back injury late in the season that caused him grief throughout 2001, and eventually decided on a recovery period in order to enter 2002 at his best.
25 year old Michael Barry leaves Saturn after three years in order to pursue his dream of competing in the Tour de France and other major European events alongside Lance Armstrong. It is a bittersweet departure for the Canadian who resides in Boulder.
"He's one of the close-knit guys on the team and he told me that this year was one of the most fun that he's ever had," said Copeland. "We raced hard and did well. There was good camaraderie on the team and I'm sure that's going to be hard to leave. But Michael's a great guy and we all wish him well. He's going to make a good big tour rider - that's his niche."
DeCanio's decision to leave was a surprise to Copeland, but he feels the young rider will do well under Roy Knickman, the former pro who guides the Prime Alliance squad. "Matt will fit like a glove with Danny Pate and Michael Creed," said Copeland of two key riders on that team. He expects the three top teams in 2002 to be Saturn, Prime Alliance, and Mercury.
"I think there's going to be a real rivalry between Saturn, Prime and Mercury with Navigators and 7-Up in there as well," said Copeland of the nation's top five teams.
26 year old Fabien De Waele from Oudenaarde, Belgium, has signed a contract with Mapei - Quick Step for the next two seasons. De Waele, professional since 1997, has already won 3 races: the Japan cup in 1998 and stages in Paris - Nice and the Criterium du Dauphiné Libére in the 2001 season. He is a good rider both in the classics and in the short stage races and he has declared that he us satisfied about the agreement reached with the Castellanza Team, thanks to which he will be able to be a protagonist in some of the most prestigious races in the international calendar.
Dual stage winner in the 2001 Giro d'Italia, Pietro Caucchioli, has extended his contract with the Alessio team for two years, until the end of 2003. His teammate Franco Pellizzotti has also signed a similar contract after a meeting with Andra and Celeste Alessio.
Australian sprinter Robbie McEwen is still without a contract for 2002, with time running out before division I team rosters are finalised for next season. He has won 9 UCI classed races this season, putting him in the top 10 of winners for 2001. However, his contract with Domo-Farm Frites has not been renewed and at the moment, offers are scarce from other teams.
McEwen's biggest win came in 1999 when he took the final stage of the Tour de France on the Champs Elysees.
By Tommy Campbell, Irish Independent/Evening Herald/Sunday Independent
Last month, The Herald Sun Tour in Australia celebrated its 50th year on the road. Next May, The Ras, which has had the support of the National Dairy Council and FBD Insurance for the last 20 years, will also reach that milestone.
Busily working on stage routes, which according to informed sources close to race organiser Dermot Dignam say that the distances for the event next May will be on average 100 miles. Naturally, the winter break is not going to be easy, as many of the domestic contingents will have to embark on distance training.
This year's event, which was won by Paul Manning of the Great Britain team who came here well prepared despite being track cyclists. Unfortunately the home contingent was at a disadvantage because of the Foot and Mouth Disease, which curtailed activity just as the season was to begin in March.
Team Ireland, which was based in France thanks to the backing of the Irish Sports Council, came back with aspirations of victory. Only Tommy Evans of TI was on the team with the other members participating for the different outfits. In the end they had to settle for lesser pickings. It was the first occasion that GB's finally got a win in the event which is held in high esteem around the country.
The event is also listed on the Union Cycliste Internationale Calendar again. It was evident this year that the standard had upped a gear. It was pleasing to hear that Dermot will always facilitate the locals who has to be said have made this race a unique sporting occasion in this country over the years.
Its odds on that Dermot who believes in change will give the city of Dublin a miss for the final stage. Maybe he'll use the other capital, Cork.
Two of the biggest names scheduled to start in next week's Tour of Southland, Brett Aitken and Jeremy Yates, have pulled out of the race, citing injury and illness. The pair were part of the five man Wensley's team, which was dealt a further blow when Francis de Jager chose not to start. Reduced to just two men, the team will not be able to compete in the six day, twelve stage race.
The two remaining Wensley's team members, Matthew Yates and Brendon Quill, may be able to find spots in other teams, but that has yet to be determined.
Aitken, the Olympic Madison Champion, withdrew due to a knee injury, while Jeremy Yates, the 2000 Junior World Road Champion, was suffering from the flu.
Colombian cyclists will leave this Sunday, November 4, for Bolivia to compete in the Doble Copacabana (2.6) from November 8-11. The team will be sponsored by the Banco de Crédito de Bolivia and it is looking for a fifth consecutive Colombian triumph in this race.
The team consists of Jairo Pérez, Ismael Sarmiento, Graciano Fonseca, José Ibáñez, Víctor Herrera and Alexis Rojas, directed by Rubén Cadavid, with Héctor Velandia (mechanic) and Evelio Cely Caicedo (technical staff) making up the entire team.
The sponsoring bank's manager, Belisario Fosca, said that "Our desire is to stimulate the sport. We have already done that by supporting Bolivian athletes who have traveled abroad, and sponsoring the Clásica Loyola and now the Doble Copacabana."
Riders from Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Chile, France, Peru, Ukraine and Venezuela will all take part in the race, as well as a complete team from the Bolivian Cycling Federation.
From the Colombians' point of view, Jairo Pérez and Ismael Sarmiento are the team's main riders. Perez won the 38th Vuelta a Venezuela recently, and came second in the Doble Copacabana last year. Sarmiento won the Doble Copacabana 1998 and 2000, and is currently in second place in the Vuelta a Guatemala.
The Doble Copacabana is sponsored by Radio Fides, which also sponsors the Clásica Loyola, Vuelta a Santa Cruz and the Doble Achacachi.
By Øyvind Aas
The Norwegian Cyclo-cross championships are taking place this Saturday, November 3. The Elite field is a mix of Mountain Bikers: The Styrkeprøven.no team from Oslo, with reigning Norwegian MTB champ Frode Michalsen, and Giant's Rune Høydahl; Triathletes: Arild Tveiten and Espen Wagener; Olympic Road cyclists: Steffen Kjærgaard and Bjørnar Vestøl; and Multiple Cross Country Skiing, WC winner, Espen Bjervik.
The sports field is dominated by the Courier company FørsteMann, meaning 1st man.
Elite Men Rune Høydahl (Giant/DCK) Frode Michalsen (Styrkeprøven.no/IF Frøy) Arild Tveiten (Frikransen) Espen Wagener (Kongsberg IF) Trond Aarstad (Granli IL) Petter Jørgensen (Styrkeprøven.no/Follo SK) Frode Lillehovde (Ceres) Odd Ivar Lindløv (Sagene IF) Ole Kristian Sørland (IF Frøy) Terje Holm (Brummunddal SK) Christian Dahl (Styrkeprøven.no/IF Frøy) Aslak Mørstad Johansen (Styrkeprøven.no/IF Frøy) Steffen Kjærgaard (US Postal Service/Glåm-Nitt.) Bjørnar Vestøl (Fakta/Grimstad SK) Espen Bjervig (Frikransen) Erik Haug Moss (MTB) Joachim Bøhler (Styrkeprøven.no) Birger Heidenstrøm (Frikransen) Sport Men Sigurd Røeggen (Rye) Odd Johansen (Frikransen) Per Eide (Rye) Mats Erikstad (Første Mann) Tim Bennett (Frikransen) Bengt Larsen (Renolen Frikransen) Erik Munck (Første Mann) Leif Aulie (Første Mann) André Schau (Første Mann) Audun Flatvad (Første Mann) Michel Rojas (Første Mann) William Berge (Første Mann) Women Elite Gjertrud Bø (Follo SK)
By Gerard Knapp
The comment in a previous Interbike report about the lack of specialist track frame builders certainly brought out the companies which in fact do offer track frames in addition to road or MTB variations. In this chapter of the Cyclingnews Interbike extravaganza, a survey is presented of the track bikes on offer in Vegas, as well as some new carbon road frames and the SRAM Shimano compatible road cassette.
Click here to read the full report
USA Cycling announced that Sean Petty, former managing director of athlete performance, has been named vice president of marketing, effective immediately.
"I am very excited about the new challenge in selling and marketing USA Cycling's various properties," Petty said. "We can offer corporate sponsors a variety of opportunities that range from association with world-class athletes, to involvement at domestic and international events."
Since October 1997, Petty has served as USA Cycling's managing director of athlete performance. He was responsible for developing and managing all elite athlete programs for road, track and mountain biking, with the primary focus being preparation for the world championships, Pan American and Olympic Games. He joined USA Cycling in 1994 as managing director of the U.S. Professional Racing Organization (USPRO).
Petty, a Texas A&M graduate, has extensive experience with both cycling and marketing. His cycling experience dates back to 1985 when he joined The Southland Corporation, the parent company of 7-Eleven, in Dallas as sports marketing manager. He managed the 7-Eleven Cycling Team program, the 7-Eleven Cup Series, the 7-Eleven/Bicycling Magazine Grand Prix and 7-Eleven's sponsorship of the 1986 World Cycling Championships.
He worked in various capacities in the marketing department for The Southland Corporation from 1985-92. Petty developed and managed national promotions, including major partner promotions with Major League Baseball, Paramount Pictures and Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey, for 7-Eleven's 6,500 stores.
His other career experience includes working for the Southwest Conference in Dallas as director of marketing from 1992-94. He sold and managed sponsorship programs for the eight-member schools.
Petty replaces Mary Monroe, USA Cycling's former chief marketing officer, who resigned October 15.
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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Tales from the Peloton
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Tales from the Peloton
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Marco Polo
Diary - Tour du Faso - Part II - Nathan Dahlberg's report (December 3)
Tech
maintenance - Wheels - how to keep them true and tight
Tech letters
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Tech news - Navigators
power-tap, Headsets, Carbon cages (December 7)
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Tech Reviews:
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Tool belt; Shimano shoes;
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the Chain - Dope planning and testing - From Willy Voet's book
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