News for October 17, 2001

Recent results and new features

World Road Championships coverage

Dekker virtual World Cup champion

Click for larger image
Erik Dekker
Photo: © AFP

The final race in the UCI World Cup is the Giro di Lombardia this Sunday. With the standings the way they are, and the non-participation of second placed Erik Zabel (Telekom), there are only two men who can win the trophy this year. In the unlikely event that Romans Vainsteins (Domo) wins this hilly classic and Erik Dekker doesn't place in the top 15, then Vainsteins will win overall. However it's more probable that Dekker, who finished fourth in the World Championships last Sunday, will win the World Cup with a very comfortable margin.

Erik Dekker has been the most consistent World Cup rider this year, failing by the narrowest of margins to win the Ronde Van Vlaanderen, but making up for it with victory in the Amstel Gold Race. He finished in the top 10 in Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Clasica San Sebastian, 3rd in HEW Cyclassics, 5th in Meisterschaft von Zürich and 13th in Paris-Tours. He was out of the points in Milano-San Remo, and did not ride Paris-Roubaix.

Zabel is the rider with the mostest

Erik Zabel has finally decided to call it quits for the season. The world number one has won an impressive 28 UCI races this season, including two World Cup victories and six stage wins in the Tour de France and the Vuelta España. In second place is Jaan Kirsipuu (Ag2r) with 20 victories.

Wins in 2001 (inc. national level races)

Individuals

1 Erik Zabel (Ger) Telekom             28 
2 Jaan Kirsipuu (Est) Ag2r-Prevoyance  20
3 Scott Moninger (USA) Mercury         17
4 Robbie McEwen (Aus) Domo-Farm Frites 12
4 Baden Cooke (Aus) Mercury            12
4 Ondrej Sosenka (Cze) CCC-Mat         12
7 Davide Rebellin (Ita) Liquigas       11
7 Jan Ullrich (Ger) Telekom            11
7 Angel Edo (Spa) Milanza-MSS          11

Teams

1 Mercury                              84
2 Telekom                              57
3 Mapei-Quick Step                     47 

US Postal Service investigation could run into 2002

The outcome of the 'US Postal enquiry' in France may not be known until 2002, according to the Parisian judge in charge of the investigation. The enquiry started in late 2000 after a France 3 TV program aired footage of bags containing swabs, compresses and pill packets being taken away from hotels used by the USPS team at the 2000 Tour de France.

The investigating judge, Sophie-Helene Chateau, told Darren Tulett of Bloomberg News recently that "Our expectations are not always met. I hope the inquiry will be finished before the end of the year."

Judge Chateau had indicated this past June the possibility of the investigation finishing within two months, at the time saying that there was no reason to charge any members of the team with criminal activities. However, she also said that testing of blood and urine samples would continue.

The head of the French national drug testing laboratory, Dr. Jacques De Ceaurriz, said his team had carried out tests for Erythropoietin (EPO), over six months ago. "There was some pressure to get it over with before the Tour de France," De Ceaurriz told Bloomberg News. "I can't see why it's dragging on so."

"With the blood tests, it could be that they are fishing without knowing exactly what they are looking for," he said. "That might be one of the things that slowed them down."

...But the team is starting to get ready for next season

On the sporting front, the US Postal team is rebuilding for next season, having to find replacements for several members who are leaving the team making a total of 19 riders for its European campaign. Assistant directeur sportif Dirk Demol told Belga news agency that "Our top men, George Hincapie, Christian Vandevelde, Roberto Heras, José-Luis Rubiera and of course Lance Armstrong will stay. Whether Viatcheslav Ekimov rides for one more season, is a question that I cannot answer. If he leaves, then we have a place for an extra rider."

It is certain that Jamie Burrow and Levi Leipheimer are both leaving the team, as are Julian Dean and Tyler Hamilton (both to CSC-Tiscali), and Cédric Vasseur (Cofidis).

Casero: no Kelme yet

Angel Luis Casero has responded to speculations that he will sign with Kelme-Costa Blanca next season, after team director Vicente Belda was quoted as saying that he was being "forced to sign Casero." Casero said that the negotiations are only preliminary at the moment, although they are progressing well. "We taking with the patron, Pepe Quiles, and the manager, Joan Mas," said the winner of the Vuelta, who added that Belda's comments were likely taken out of context.

He also said that he has had conversations with ONCE, and it "wouldn't matter to him if he rode alongside Beloki, Olano and Gonzalez de Galdeano, or Sevilla. To share the leadership with Sevilla would not be a problem, since for a team it is better to have two serious options there."

Casero denied that he has requested a contract of 190 million pesetas (US$1 million) from Kelme, saying that negotiations are still going on and he did not know what he could expect economically.

Pepe Quiles on the other hand said that "Kelme does not have a single peseta to sign him. The Generalitat Valenciana is helping us, but Belda will keep his team and budget."

Both Quiles and Casero were upset by an article published that link the Vuelta winner with Kelme's doctor, Eufemiano Fuentes. It was alleged that during the Vuelta, Fuentes left a voicemail message for Casero saying that he would help him win the race. Casero has his lawyers on the case now, while Quiles called it a "campaign of destablisation" and that he trusted Fuentes implicitly.

Leukemans to Collstrop-Palmans

Belgian rider Bjorn Leukemans has signed a one year contract with Collstrop-Palmans. He will make the transfer from Vlaanderen-T-Interim.

86th Milano-Torino

First held in 1874, Milano-Torino is Italy's oldest classic. Wednesday sees the 86th edition of the race, which was cancelled last year due to bad weather conditions. This year 202 kilometre event will feature 23 teams, many of which will ride the Giro del Piemonte the following day. However, many of the big names are saving themselves for the Giro di Lombardia World Cup race on Sunday.

Starters include Richard Virenque, Romans Vainsteins, and Axel Merckx (Domo-Farm Frites), Francesco Casagrande and Michele Bartoli (Fassa Bortolo), Davide Rebellin (Liquigas), Joseba Beloki, Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano (ONCE), Jose Maria Jimenez (iBanesto), and Fernando Escartin (Team Coast).

The race finishes in the Fausto Coppi velodrome in Torino and is often decided by the climb (and subsequent descent) with 15 kilometres to go.

Successor to Nissan Classic given 2.3 ranking

By Shane Stokes, Irishcycling.com

Irish cycling has received a massive boost with the news that a professional stage race in the mould of the much-missed Nissan Classic is set to take place next August.

The five-day North/South Tour of Ireland has been granted a place on the international calendar by the UCI, and has the rare privilege of being allocated a high status in its first year. Most new stage races begin as 2.4 ranked races or lower, but the Irish tour's 2.3 ranking means that it is on the same level as the prestigious Tours of Sweden and Portugal, making it attractive to professional teams.

Race organizer Pat McQuaid has yet to finalise funding, but he is confident of receiving financial backing from the Dublin and Northern Ireland governments and gaining the necessary private sponsorship for the competition, which was conceived with the aim of underlining the improved cross-border relations in Ireland. The race is due to take place from August 27 - 31, 2002.

The tour joins the Shay Elliot memorial race, a highly-regarded one day event which commemorates the achievements of Ireland's first Tour de France yellow jersey holder. The 1.5 ranked race will take place next year on April 28. Ireland could therefore have up to three UCI classed races next year, joining the 2.5 FBD Milk Ras.

Team Telekom for Giro di Lombardia

Rolf Aldag, Matthias Kessler, Stephan Schreck, Alberto Elli, Roberto Sgambelluri, Andrei Mizurov and Gerhard Trampusch.

Mapei-Quick Step for upcoming races

October 17 - 86th Milano - Torino, Italy

Riders: Davide Bramati, Dario Cioni, Paolo Lanfranchi, Daniele Nardello, Evgueni Petrov, Filippo Pozzato, Andrea Tafi, Charly Wegelius DS: Serge Parsani

October 18 - 88th Giro del Piemonte

Riders: Laszlo Bodrogi, Davide Bramati, Luca Paolini, Filippo Pozzato, Michael Rogers, Luca Scinto, Pavel Zerzan, Charly Wegelius. DS: Serge Parsani

Lotto-Adecco to Japan-Cup

The Lotto-Adecco team will finish its season on October 28 in Japan with the Japan Cup (1.3). Directeur sportif Walter Planckaert has selected Kurt Van De Wouwer, Wim Vanhuffel, Kurt Van Lancker, Christophe Brandt and Glenn D'Hollander to ride.

Bradley Wiggins donates award to Hillingdon Slipstreamers

By Gerry McManus

Rising British star, Bradley Wiggins, visited the Hillingdon Circuit in Hayes, West London on Saturday October 13 to deliver a special cheque to the Slipstreamers Development Club.

"I love what the Slipstreamers stand for, they take kids from the age of six and teach them the skills of riding a bike and then help them develop into racing cyclists if they are that keen, it's fantastic to help them out. The team that work with the kids are very dedicated and put in a lot of very hard work, they are a great bunch of people," said Wiggins at the occasion.

The donation was made possible by British Olympic team sponsors, Kellogg's, who were very happy with Bradley's bronze medal in the team pursuit, and offered him personal support as well as for a cause of his choice. The cheque for over £1,000 will go towards the continued youth development programme in the West Thames BCF region, run by volunteers from the Prime Coaching team for the Slipstreamers.

Bradley was also given a Slipstreamers jersey which he promised next year, while riding with his new professional team Francaise de Jeux, that he would get the jersey signed by many top professionals and hand it back to the club. He also personally donated four Great Britain helmets, used in many of his many international successes this year. His current sponsors Sport & Publicity and Endura/TAL donated a special copy of his European Championship jersey for the Slipstreamers to auction off later in the year.

Bradley is continuing to train from his London home until he joins his new team members in France later in the year.

Top five Aussie cyclists in Noosa (and one Brit)

The organisers of the Noosa Triathlon Multi Sport Festival have contracted the top five Australian cyclists in the world rankings to compete in the Noosa Criterium on Saturday 3 November, one of the feature events in the Festival.

Stuart O'Grady, who narrowly missed claiming the Green Jersey at this year's Tour De France, is a former Noosa Champion and has confirmed his position on the start line for this year. He will be joined by former World Junior Champion and highest placed Australian overall at the 2001 Tour de France, Brad McGee.

Scott Sunderland blasted to a win at last year's Noosa Criterium after his seventh placing at the World Championships in Plouay. This year he has enjoyed greater success, winning the GP Pino Cerami and GP Fourmies as well as several top five placings in stage races.

Robbie McEwen, a stage winner at the 1999 Tour De France, will be present as will former World Cup Mountain Bike Champion, Cadel Evans, has been dabbling in professional road racing for the last couple of years, riding for Saeco. Evans surprised more than a few observers by winning this year's Tour of Austria, one of the most mountainous tours on the pro circuit. He also finished an impressive 26th in the recent World Road Championships in Lisbon, and was the best Australian finisher there.

Other Australians confirmed to start are Matt White (US Postal), Jay Sweet (Big Mat) plus a line up of thirty of Australia's best road cyclists.

Last and certainly not least is top British rider David Millar (Cofidis), winner of the Tour de France prologue in 2000, two stages in the Vuelta España in 2001 and silver medalist in the World Championship Time Trial in Lisbon.

Racing takes place on Saturday November 3 at 4.30pm on the multi lap Criterium circuit directly behind the Sheraton Noosa Resort.

Recent results and new features on Cyclingnews

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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