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Edited by John Stevenson
The enfant terrible of Belgian cycling, Frank 'VDB' Vandenbroucke, is definitely in talks to join Marco Pantani's Mercatone Uno team next season (as we reported on Sunday) , according to a report from Darren Tullet of the Bloomberg news agency.
"Marco wants him because he thinks he's a very talented rider," Pantani's manager and team administrator Manuela Ronchi told Tullet. Ronchi declined to give further details of the meeting.
Lampre-Daikin spokesman Fernando Cortinovis confirmed Wednesday that VDB's camp was in discussions with Pantani's team, saying, "Frank's manager is meeting with Mercatone today. My best wishes to the team that signs him – it will need them."
VDB has been off the bike since being fired by Lampre-Daikin in June after failing to show for the Tour of Luxembourg and several meetings with team management. He raced just 15 times in 2001, to the great disappointment and frustration of his Lampre-Daikin bosses.
"He is a wasted talent," Cortinovis said. "We had high hopes for Frank but he didn't live up to them. He hasn't done anything for two years now."
At Mercatone Uno VDB will join another of cycling's controversial figures, Marco Pantani himself. Pantani currently lies 1,573rd in the UCI rankings after a season in which he struggled even to finish a race.
Rumours circulating in the US cycling community for several weeks were confirmed today when the Zaxby's cycling team announced that 2000 and 2001 team sponsor Zaxby's Franchising, Inc will not be renewing its support for the 2002 season. The team is currently searching for a new title sponsor.
The announcement from the Zaxby's team said "Zaxby's Franchising decided to pull all sports sponsorships – including sponsorships of their ASA race car driver and several professional golfers – in order to redirect that money toward television advertising."
Zaxby's team manager Micah Rice said "We have been very happy with Zaxby's involvement in professional cycling and their sponsorship over the past two years. We are disappointed that they will not be joining us for a third season."
Zaxby's secondary sponsor, Audi, had already verbally committed to the 2002 season when Zaxby's franchising decided not to renew, but the team's future is in doubt without a title sponsor.
"The Zaxby's team had a really strong roster for 2001. We had some of the nation's most experienced riders, and we were able to cultivate new talent. We worked well as a team and have the potential to really rise in the 2002 season," said Rice. "The loss of our title sponsor and the uncertain status of other TTIII teams means there are a lot of talented riders out there without a job."
As well as its racing activities – including overall wins in many Southeast regional races such as Dividing Waters, Two Hours from Anywhere, and Raccoon Mountain – the Zaxby's team worked in Southeastern communities and schools to promote bicycle awareness and safety. The team participated in more than 30 bicycle safety clinics and gave away more than 1,000 helmets to children in need. The team made public appearances at school and church functions, volunteered with Girls and Boys Clubs, and attended grand openings for the Zaxby's franchises.
22 year old Swede Jonas Ljungblad, who rode for third division Team Crescent in 2001, has signed for Amore & Vita in Italy where he will join compatriot Thomas Grönqvist. Other Swedish riders, Glenn Magnusson and Michel Lafis, have both made their debut in this controversial Italian outfit, sponsored by the Pope's campaign against abortions. The team is formally registered in Poland but was nominally "British" a couple of years ago.
Ljungblad, who was fifth in the U23 Worlds' road race in Portugal is looking forward to this opportunity. "I see this as a start and hope to reach a higher level by and by. I know it takes time to be really good," he told Cege Berglund of the news paper Göteborgs-Posten.
Jonas is the second family member to become a pro. Big brother Magnus signed for Slovakian-registered, Italian-sponsored de Nardi in 2000 but returned home when the team didn't work out properly for him.
Tim Johnson (Saturn/Timex), the reigning national champion, and Marc Gullickson (Mongoose/Hyundai) have dominated this season's cyclocross competion in the US. But it's unlikely they'll have things all their own way at Sarurday's Chicago round of the SuperCup serie,s where Travis Brown (Trek/Volkswagen) will be along for more than just winter training. Brown has a berth on the US world's squad in his sights.
"I think he'll be a factor," said Gullickson, who narrowly fended off Brown in an international race in Boulder.
A former national mountain bike champion and 2000 Olympian, Brown has always endeavoured to do well in cyclocross. His best finish at a major event was a second place at the 1999 Boulder SuperCup.
Until this season, he was well known for riding a single speed, but now Brown has put gears on his machine and the difference is evident.
"He can go a lot faster with those things on," said Gullickson of Brown, with whom he often trains. "It's not good for me."
"Oh yeah, those things are really cool. You can pedal up all the hills and you don't have to look like a spaz spinning 150 rpm on the pavement," said Brown, who then suggested a rare ramp for the nationals.
"Seriously I thought it would be the year to go to the worlds, being in Belgium, so I thought I would take is a bit more seriously than in past years." Brown duelled to the finish line with Gullickson two weeks ago.
"I had only done a couple of local races before that so I was pretty happy to be with Gully. It was a good confidence builder for me," said Brown.
Welcoming the challenge is Tim Johnson, himself ramping up for the worlds.
"When Gully and I are duelling there's only one of us to worry about. If there's another guy there it changes all the tactics," said Johnson, who is actually craving a wide-open fight with many combatants. "There's double-punches, one guy can sneak away. The more variables, the more chances you have to take, the more possibilities you have of taking yourself out of it trying to win it, the better the race."
In Chicago the course is pancake flat. So flat that designers trucked in a 30-yard bed of mulch to create a spongy course feature. Laid atop that mulch are six barricades known as the Chicago Six-Pack. In the past two ears, those boards have reaped a grim harvest of bones, blood and even teeth. Positioned just 300 meters from the finish line, the six pack proved critical to last year's race, won by Johnson.
"It's super hard. It's such a long flat stretch into it that you really are going fast. And in those wood chips your footing is really unpredictable," said Gullickson.
Gullickson has finished second both times on this course.
"In Chicago it's a big front row," explained Gullickson of this wide-open course. "It's easier to get up to a big group." "Without snow like we had last year, I think we're going to have a big group at the front," said Johnson.
On this course, Brown stands a good chance of surviving the opening run of bulls that has made SuperCups so famous with spectators. Instead of quickly boiling down to duos and trios, however, this Chicago race typically has groups of 20 riders forming after the first two laps. If Brown lands in a lead group, he could then become dangerous.
Other riders worth watching this weekend include Alex Candelario (Big Shark/Cannondale), a two-time national collegiate champion, and three Californians: Palo Alto/Santa Cruz stars Justin Robinson and Ben Jacques Maynes are capable of slaying many a giant, and the rising young star Jackson Stewart has managed to beat them repeatedly this year.
There's also a chance a few other mountain bike stars could line up. Brown's Trek/VW team-mate Brandon Dwight has hit the podium in SuperCups, and other Trek/VW riders will be at the factory in Wisconsin this week.
Could we see the world's greatest mountain biker, Roland Green, race cyclocross? "I'm sure he won't be jeopardizing his career jumping over the six pack," said Gullickson.
The five riders from the New York Fire Department mentioned in last week's news are now well underway, having left Philadelphia on November 12 after spending the night in a local firehouse. You can follow their progress on their website at www.fdnythankyouamericatour.com/ and if you want to try and catch them on their travels, or contact fire departments in the cities they are passing through, a full schedule is here: www.fdnythankyouamericatour.com/schedule.htm.
The five firefighters – Dan Rowan, Sal Princiotta, Matt Hornung, Drew Robb and Gerard Dolan – are riding from New York to Pasadena to thank Americans for their support after the September 11 World Trade Center attack and to "keep alive the memory of the lost rescue workers and civilian victims, to spread the word from a firefighter's viewpoint of what happened that day, and to promote healing throughout the country."
World MTB Dual champion Brian Lopes has signed a two year deal to ride FOX Racing Shox forks and rear shocks from next year, according to a press release from the suspension component manufacturer.
The release quotes FOX's marketing manager Tom Floyd as saying, "Everyone here at FOX Racing Shox is ecstatic about working with Brian. I have known Brian for many years and know that he will do more for FOX than just bring race results. Everyone knows that pro racers are paid to endorse products, but at this point in Brian's career, he can pretty much write his own ticket. Lopes chose FOX because he feels that our suspension will allow him to ride faster and with more confidence in his equipment."
Press release enthusiasm aside, the relationship between FOX and Lopes should benefit both parties. Lopes of course acquires vital sponsorship to replace the support lost when GT went under and was bought earlier this year, while FOX picks up a rather usefultest pilot. Mountain bike riders at Lopes' level tend to be very particular about the equipment they use, and feedback from Lopes and mechanic Stikman should be invaluable to FOX in improving the company's shiny new range of forks.
As a new player in the high-end fork market FOX has work to do catching the likes of Rock Shox, Marzocchi and Answer/Manitou, and a rider of Lopes' profile riding the news forks certainly can't hurt.
The release quotes Lopes himself in typical California-enthusiastic style: "I am super pumped to be associated with FOX. There are a lot of good people working at the company that I have worked with before and they know how to make some killer suspension. I tested the new fork a couple weeks ago and was super happy with it. I can't wait to win some races on it and show the general public why they need one of these plush forks. They really are nice."
The government of the Malaysian state of Penang is to set up a public velodrome to develop cycling as one of the major sports in the state, according to a report in Malaysian newspaper The Star.
State Youth and Sports, Information and National Unity Committee chairman Jahara Hamid said that a 1.2ha site near the Balik Pulau Sports Complex had been identified to build the velodrome, an area was chosen to ensure that every district had a fair distribution of sports facilities.
Summing up debatein the state assembly on the First Penang Plan Jahara said, "We realise that it is difficult to develop the sport without a proper facility. Cyclists currently have to train along busy highways which pose more of a safety hazard than a training ground."
Penang has also requested 5 million Ringgits (US$1.3 million) from the national government for a gymnastic facility there are proposals to equip the Batu Kawan stadium with a silat academy, hostel, tennis court, go-kart circuit, hockey field, motor cross, football academy, indoor stadium and surau.
These facilities will be part of a push to encourage Malaysian youth to join societies and become more physically active. According to Jahara, only 52 percent of Penang's 234,300 12 to 25-year-olds are active, with financial constraints, career commitments and the lack of quality leaders being the main reason more do not participate.
The Bangladesh Cycling Federation has announced ten riders for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) cycling championships in New Delhi December 3-8, according to the Bangladesh Independent newspaper.
The riders, selected after a preliminary trial, have been requested to report to the team coaches today.
Men: Mizanur Rahman, Monirul Islam, Aslam Biswas (Ansar & VDP), Golam Mostafa (BDR), Shah Iftekhar Alam (BJMC)
Women: Shebika Mondal, Maleka Parvin, Pipulrema, Selina Akhter, Parvin Akhter (BJMC)
Major Races and Events
September 7-29, 2002: Vuelta
a Espaņa (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 Cittā 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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