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World number one Erik Zabel (Telekom) will go into this Sunday's Paris-Tours classic as one of the main favourites in the 254 kilometre sprinter's classic, but he says that it will be a tougher challenge than winning a stage in the Vuelta. Zabel will once again have a team that is dedicated to his success, with a lineup similar to the Vuelta: Rolf Aldag, Danilo Hondo, Kai Hundertmarck, Andreas Klier, Jan Schaffrath, Stephan Schreck and Ralf Grabsch being used.
Zabel has already won two World Cup races this year, the Milan-San Remo and HEW Cyclassics. Sunday's race is certainly suited to him if his team can keep the bunch together for the finish in Tours. Team boss Rudy Pevenage is optimistic that Zabel can do it: "Erik is still in super form - he can win."
After Sunday, Zabel will make his decision about whether to race in Lisbon in support of Jan Ullrich, who is aiming to bag the World Championship on October 14.
The French team for Lisbon will be out in force in today's Paris-Bourges, it being the final selection race before the World Championships. At the end of the 207 kilometre race, the 12 men who will represent France will be named. The race is also the last in the Coupe de France series, but it will have no effect on the winner of the classification, which will be Laurent Brochard (Jean Delatour).
Brochard (winner of Paris-Bourges 2000) and his teammate Patrice Halgand, Jean-Cyril Robin (Bonjour), Stéphane Heulot (BigMat) are all taking part in this edition, and are expected to be named in the French team alongside Richard Virenque (Domo), who has just finished the Vuelta. A total of 15 teams will compete in Paris-Bourges.
Jean Delatour (Brochard, Goubert, Halgand)
Cofidis (Mattan, Planckaert)
CSC-Tiscali (Hoffman, N. Jalabert)
Lotto-Adecco
Française des Jeux (Durand, Mengin, McGee)
BigMat (Heulot)
Crédit Agricole (Hushovd, Voigt)
AG2R (Aus)
Mapei (Bodrogi, Cancellara, Petrov, Zanini)
Festina (Brard)
France Espoirs
Saint-Quentin Oktos
Phonak (Usov, B. Grabsch)
Bonjour (Bouyer, Chavanel, Rénier, Robin)
Fakta (Sunderland)
Riders: Laszlo Bodrogi, Fabian Cancellara, Allan Davis, Evgueni Petrov, Filippo Pozzato, Michael Rogers, Charly Wegelius, Stefano Zanini. DS: Serge Parsani
There will be seven French professional teams in the top two divisions in 2002, according to the Ligue du Cyclisme Professionnel Français (LCPF). Ag2r Prévoyance, Big Mat-Auber 93, Bonjour, Cofidis, Credit Agricole, Jean Delatour and La Française des Jeux will all continue, and there will also be a Credit Agricole Espoirs team in division III together with St Quentin Oktos.
It was good news for the French lottery sponsored La Française des Jeux, which has announced a series of Anglo signings in the past week (McGee, Wilson, Cooke and Wiggins). FdJ recently secured FF20 million (US$2.8 million) from its main sponsor in order to continue next season. Marc and Yvon Madiot have also nearly reached an agreement with northern French district Nord-Pas-de-Calais for additional funds.
Francaise des Jeux communications officer Michel Fries said in L'Equipe that "We cannot leave the team after five years of collaboration. For that reason we have decided to continue, even solitarily if necessary."
The composition of the team next season has been influenced by McGee, who was one of the team's best performed riders this year. McGee chose to remain with team manager Marc Madiot after almost securing a deal with Rabobank. That fell through after both parties could not agree on some finer details.
"I want to have efficient teammates around me who'll help create a good atmosphere," McGee said in an interview with Bloomberg's Darren Tulett. "And I want to have Australians with whom I'm mates around me, especially Baden Cooke."
"Big results will be expected from Bradley, for the first time he'll have a lot of pressure on him," Cooke said. "I'll bend over backwards, do anything I can to help him. I wanted to go with Brad, and I can be a bigger rider in this team. I'm going to get more of a chance to express myself with FDJ."
"It's going to be a big year. We're going to have to work hard, but it should be a blast."
The Lotto-Adecco team is angry at Belgian coach José De Cauwer, after the final 12 man team for the World's was named on Sunday evening. Lotto had 10 riders in the 24 man pre-selection, but just four in the final 12 (Aerts, Baguet, Brandt and Tchmil). Kurt Van de Wouwer and Glenn D'Hollander are named as reserves, while one of Lotto's top riders Nico Eeckhout didn't get a look in.
"We have been dealt a bad hand," said Lotto's Paul de Belder. "De Cauwer guaranteed that only riders in good condition would be selected. But he named a couple of guys that have not earned any prizes this year. Chairman Laurent de Backer knows what we mean."
De Cauwer reacted, saying he didn't understand it. "Firstly, I can't help it if Rik Verbrugghe was injured. Otherwise there would have been five men from Lotto in the team. Secondly, Peter van Petegem (Collstrop-Palmans) is half a Lotto man," said De Cauwer, who added that he didn't understand the comment made about De Backer.
Dutch champion Jans Koerts will ride next season for Domo-Farm Frites. Koerts signed a contract today for one year, after turning down a good offer from Lotto-Adecco. Koerts will be reunited with Leon van Bon, who has already signed a two year contract with Lefevere's team. The pair have had excellent seasons on the sporting front, despite the financial problems with the now suspended Mercury team.
Koerts and several other of his teammates has engaged a lawyer to help them recover their salaries, which have not been paid since July. As he had a two year contract with Mercury, Koerts is also trying to recover next year's salary, and he is "convinced that [his lawyer] will win the case."
Domo has extended the contract of Koos Moerenhout for another year, however Australian sprinter Robbie McEwen and Dutchman David Orvalho are both leaving, with the latter signing for a Portuguese squad. Jeroen Blijlevens may be joining Domo, but that will depend on whether Johan Museeuw stays or goes.
The Full Dynamix squad of Miguel Martinez has reacted to the news that the pocket rocket has signed a contract on the road with Mapei-Quick Step. The team issued a press release reminding everyone that Martinez still has a contract with them: "As far as Full Dynamix Mountain Bike Team is concerned, Miguel Martinez will remain with our team through 2004."
Two members of the Australian Institute of Sport under 23 road squad signed professional contracts this week. Allan Davis signed for Italian division 1 team Mapei yesterday and Graeme Brown today signed for Italian division 2 team Panaria.
It is a very difficult time for new riders to join the pro ranks due to the cessation of some major teams at the conclusion of this season, which means that potentially 60 current professionals will be without teams.
Courtesy of Brian Stephens
Junior men
Road Race
William Aranzazu (Junior Pan-American Champion)
Juan Pablo Forero
Rafael Infantino
Time Trial
William Aranzazu (Junior Pan-American Champion)
Rafael Infantino
Junior Women
Road Race and Time Trial
Laura Castro
Under 23 Men
Road Race
Mauricio Ardila Cano (Lotto Adecco next year)
Leonardo Duque(Orgullo Paisa)
Luis Felipe Laverde (Mobilvetta next year)
Carlos Ibañez (Selle Italia MAC)
Time Trial
Mauricio Ardila Cano (Lotto Adecco next year)
Luis Felipe Laverde (Mobilvetta next year)
Elite Women
Road Race and Time Trial
Flor Marina Delgadillo (Lotería de Boyacá)
Martha Luz López
Elite Men
Road Race
Santiago Botero (Kelme Costa Blanca)
Felix Cárdenas (Kelme Costa Blanca)
Freddy González (Selle Italia Pacific)
Marlon Pérez Arango (05 Orbitel)
Time Trial
Santiago Botero (Kelme Costa Blanca)
Marlon Pérez Arango (05 Orbitel)
National Coaches
Roberto Sanchez (Junior and Under 23)
Gianni Savio (Elite)
Courtesy of Luis Barbosa
Niels Scheuneman (RR/ITT)
Norbert Poels (RR)
Marc de Maar (RR)
Jos Harms (RR)
Thomas Dekker (RR/ITT)
Courtesy of Bert Saarloos
By Tommy Campbell, Irish Independent/Evening Herald/Sunday Independent
Isn't the sport of cycling a funny old game?
Hot on the heels of the failure by the Irish Government to see the benefits that would accrue to granting sufficient funds to host the World Championships here in 2004 (they agreed to grant one million Irish punts, but this was way short of the funds to stage championships of that magnitude), comes the knights in shining armour, Grant Thornton who have agreed to sponsor the Irish team of 10 racers at the championships in Lisbon the week after next.
The accountancy firm are newcomers to the sport who according to one of their directors see the business acumen and cycling going in tandem (pardon the pun) to foster good relations.
Yesterday close to Stephens Green in Dublin at lunchtime, the office workers were treated to a film shoot of the cyclists who were parading their new jerseys and their racing machines in full flow of traffic which slowed to a crawl because of the activity in the area of the Green.
It is a well balanced team and should do the nation proud when they line up in their respective events in a little more than seven days time.
On the junior team is Nicholas Roche whose father Stephen literally stopped a nation in their tracks when he triumphed in Tour de France in '87. Nicholas could have declared for France but the thought of a ticker tape bus ride down the capitals main thoroughfare must have been on his mind. He has 11 years to do the business on behalf of Ireland. Alongside him will be Philip Duignam, Paudi O'Brien and Tim Cassidy. The under 23 team will be led by Mark Scanlon who has savoured a world championship win back in Valkenburg in '98. Since that famous victory Mark has been quietly going about learning the trade of cycle racing and who knows, that professional contract could be struck in Portugal. Mark will have Denis Lynch, Dermot Nally and Gary McQuaid to help him in his cause.
In the elite section, Susan O'Mara carries the hopes of a recently resurgent move in ladies cycling in Ireland. David McCann just back from the Tour of Hokkaido, which he won overall, will again savour the big time and on his day could provide many a smile for literally the hundreds of Irish supporters who will be in Lisbon.
Many of them were hoping that in the year 2004 they would be saved the journey to a championship venue in far off Italy, but sadly the dream and aspirations particularly of Pat McQuaid, Alan Rushton and Paddy O'Callahgan in the kingdom of Kerry who had worked feverishly for and on behalf of cycling and the economy of the country were pierced with a stealthy knife that the Minister of the day with responsibility for Tourism and Sport inserted slowly that punctured the dream.
I have a distinct feeling that this was a bad call when you think that the economy in Kerry would have made net gains in tourism.
Olympic gold medallist Marty Nothstein and Baby Giro d'Italia winner Davide Frattini will be joining cyclotourists on October 6 to raise money for New York City Firemen's Relief Fund and Indian Creek Foundation. The 100 kilometre non-competitive event will use the course for the Univest Grand Prix, which was cancelled after the terrorist attacks on September 11.
Frattini, who is from Varese, Italy, said that "I had wanted to come and finish my amateur career with one of the best races. Now I am even happier to come and be able to help the firefighters of the terrible New York tragedy."
The ride starts and finishes in Souderton, Pennsylvania. Information and registration can be found at: www.univestgrandprix.com.
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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