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The French teams did relatively well in the 2001 Tour de France, with eight of them gaining selection in the world's biggest cycling race. 2002 may see a different story, with 16 teams to be pre-selected before the end of this season, based on past Tour performance and UCI ranking.
After the demise of Festina, it seems that Cofidis is the only French team that will gain this honour, with the remainder having to battle for the five wild card spots. Credit Agricole is fairly certain of getting one of these, but what about Jean Delatour, Ag2r, Bonjour, Francaise des Jeux, BigMat? And don't forget Gerolsteiner, Phonak, Saeco, Mercatone Uno, Team Coast and perhaps De Nardi (Liquigas).
Jean Delatour's directeur sportif, Michel Gros, believes that French cycling is in great danger because of this. In an interview with Sporever.fr, he said that the UCI and AIGCP did not care about the state of French cycling. "This will heavily penalise our cycling," he said. "In France, a sponsor is not interested in a team which does not make the Tour de France. Therefore the survival of certain sporting teams are at stake."
"The Sociètè du Tour is not responsible for this...I think that certain Italian teams were influential. Some were not invited to the Tour this year and they wanted to re-examine the question. The French directeurs sportifs are furious about not being consulted. There was a meeting during the Vuelta España and everyone learned by surprise. There was no co-operation there. I don't think that the rules of the game should be changed like that."
Gros went onto say that the French were not present at the meeting to defend their position. Only Alain Bondue (Cofidis) was there, "but he was really alone."
He added that with six French teams fighting for five wild card places, there would be more than one left out. According to Gros, the race organisers will probably not give all the invitations to the French squads. "Therefore, there will be some disappointments there," he said.
He aims to have his riders ready from the "beginning of the season, in Paris-Nice and Critérium International. It is clear that my riders will have additional motivation."
"The Delatour team has just reached the first division, it is frustrating... Bonjour, AG2R and Crédit Agricole are also moving up. French cycling has made great efforts. In sporting terms it is very frustrating. We have gained our position on the road. We do not buy riders rich in UCI points."
The Marco Polo Cycling Club has done very well so far in Burkina Faso, and they are shaping up to be the team to beat. On the first rest day of the Tour, they have four riders ranked in the first five on GC, with two stage wins and two second places. The race has only been a question of not losing time though, and three Marco Polo riders (De Waard, Dahlberg, and Legtenberg) have not made any mistakes yet. Tjallingii lost a couple of minutes in the first stage but is currently the strongest rider in the race, twice featuring in the decisive breakaway and now into second spot on GC.
The team's strength and tactical savvy in the windy stages has been the key to its success, with veteran New Zealander Nathan Dahlberg playing a fine role as team captain.
According to Marco Polo team director Edwin Achterberg, the African riders have good fitness and are pretty strong, but the main problem is lacking experience. Marco Polo CC is scouting for riders to take into the team for next year and to help them to develop their skills in European races. This year they did the same with some Asian riders who developed very well, returning much better results in Asian races subsequently.
Combined with this is the team's desire to find some organisations interested in sponsorship. The wide variety of exotic locations that the team races in each year is perfect for a company interested in true global exposure - perhaps a world wide travel/adventure group?
Spaniard Juan Llaneras has been forced to retire from the Six Days of Grenoble, after news of his "non-negative" EPO test at the World's became public recently. Llaneras, who won the gold medal in the points race at the Sydney Olympics, was partnered with fellow Spaniard Isaac Galvez, and the pair were in fifth place after night 1. However, when he learned the news about his positive urine control, he abandoned the race before the close of the second night and returned home to Spain.
For the first time in his career, French speed king Arnaud Tournant has been awarded Vélo Magazine's 'Vélo d'or français', for the best performed French cyclist of the season. A look at the past winners since 1996 reveals that the award seems to favour track cyclists, however Tournant has certainly deserved it this year.
At the World Championships in Antwerp, the kilometre time trial specialist won three World Championships, a clear sign, according to Vélo, that he is in an "exceptional domain". Tournant surprised many by beating Laurent Gane for the sprint title, but he credited the Antwerp track for some help as it enabled him to start his sprints from a long way out, using a 50 tooth big chain ring.
Following this, he travelled to Bolivia where he smashed the world record for the standing start 1,000 metre time trial, becoming the first man to go under a minute. No French road riders have come close to equalling Tournant's performances this year, so he is the deserving winner of the 'Vélo d'or français' for 2001.
1996: Florian Rousseau 1997: Laurent Brochard 1998: Florian Rousseau 1999: Laurent Gané 2000: Félicia Ballanger 2001: Arnaud Tournant
French star Jeannie Longo has given up her idea of breaking her own women's World Hour Record, which currently stands at 45.094 kilometres. Longo seriously entertained a trip to South America to attack the record, but decided against it, as she has not sufficiently recovered from the recent World Championships in Lisbon.
"I don't feel as though I have sufficient condition any more," she said in an interview with Dauphiné Libéré. She won her 13th World Championship in the time trial, shortly before her 43rd birthday - capping an incredible length of time at the top of her sport. She wanted to go to Bolivia to try and beat the record, especially after Tournant and his pals had set some impressive new marks in the sprint categories.
Instead, she will go to Tucson, Arizona, to do a cyclo-sportif event in the sun.
2001
November 24 - West Tamar Carnival (at Exeter)
November 25 - Launceston Criterium (2nd Round of Tasmanian Championships)
December 2 - Devonport Carnival (afternoon)
December 8 - George Town Carnival
December 14 - Ulversone Criterium (3rd & Final Round of Tasmanian Championships)
December 15 - Rosebery Carnival
December 26-27 - Latrobe Carnival
December 28 - Launceston Carnival (indoors at Silverdome)
December 29-30 - Devonport Carnival (2 night sessions)
2002
January 1 - Burnie Carnival (day & night)
January 6 - Hobart Carnival
January 12 - Mersey Valley Carnival (at Devonport) *To be confirmed
January 19 - St Helens
January 24,31 and February 7,10,14,22,23 & 24 - Tasmanian Track Championships
For more information about the Christmas Carnival series (December 26-January 1), please contact Rod Morris at:
Ph: (03) 6424-7838
Mobile: 0401-760-912
Fax: (03) 6423-3398
E-mail: Rod Morris
Snail mail: 3 Payton Place, Devonport, 7310, Tasmania
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
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