|
|
|
The Union Cycliste Internationale is still at odds with the French position against doping in cycling, espoused by the minister for Youth and Sports, Marie-George Buffet. The French were candidates for the World MTB championships in 2003 and the Road World's in 2004, but these were rejected last week by the UCI, much to the ire of Mrs Buffet who stated that it was a reaction to the strict French anti-doping stance. In particular, the lack of compatibility between the French laws and the organisation of international sporting events in France.
The UCI issued a statement saying that "Its decision rested on a feeling of uncertainty and confusion created by the change of attitude in its relationship with the French authority in several cases, such as the validation of the EPO detection method, the lack of harmonisation as regards the list of banned substances, official reports of analyses and (not) the communication of the reports of the analyses, the question of who owns the samples, double the number of disciplinary proceedings for foreign riders and above all the presentation like a doping case of samples containing corticosteroids that are authorised by therapeutic justification."
"The UCI cannot comprehend the concern expressed by the Ministry of Youth and Sports when it mentions a "genuine health problem" because of the use of corticosteroids by less than a third of the riders of the Tour de France 2000. The presence of corticosteroids can be shown to the public as being the same as the presence of doping substances, which is false. This notice was made without examining the therapeutic justification, without reference to those who are able to consider a state of health and normal medical practices. Consequently, one must question the fact that how can the 89 participants in the Tour, all high level sportsmen, the large majority foreign, who have the right to look after themselves like all other citizens, be presented as a problem for the French public health."
The UCI statement goes on to call the "genuine problem of health" to be "extremely selective", as cycling is singled out from all other sports which do not test for corticosteroids at all. "The Ministry of Youth and Sports had announced to the UCI that from 2001, detection of corticoids would be carried out in all samples taken in France. The the knowledge of the UCI, such was not the case."
"Under these circumstances, declaring the presence of corticosteroids as doping substances, in only one sport, in only one event, by suggesting that this use is more important to the foreign riders, cannot be justified as a concern for public health. Here they are clearly aiming to undermine the sport of cycling, which is the only sport which has tests for corticosteroids."
Team Manager Alvaro Crespi has officially announced the Mapei-Quick Step team for the Giro di Lombardia, classic of the falling leaves.
The last Classic of the 2001 World Cup coincides with the first race of Oscar Freire with the World Champion's jersey; with the two times World Championship there will be also the silver medal of Lisbon, Paolo Bettini, who wishes to close his season with a good performance, the Italian Champion Daniele Nardello and Andrea Tafi - first in the same race in 1996 - also have good motivation and condition. To complete the team is Dario Cioni, the "azzurro" Paolo Lanfranchi, Luca Paolini, fourth at recent Giro del Piemonte, and Luca Scinto.
Mapei-Quick Step will be present in other races on Sunday. In Spain Oscar Freire Gomez and "Triki" Beltran close the the season with the Escalada a Montjuich. In France Laszlo Bodrogi, Evgueni Petrov, Michael Rogers and Charly Wegelius will take part in G.P. Herbiers.
Patrick Lefevere's Domo-Farm Frites team hopes to sign Richard Virenque to its roster for next season, with the announcement coming next Thursday, October 25, the date that the entire Tour de France route will be officially unveiled in Paris.
"We would like to keep him and he would like to stay," said Lefevere who will have to find some more funds to pay for Virenque's contract. "Today, I don't have the assurance," he added.
The 2000 World Road Champion, Zinaida Stahurskaia (GAS Sport) has been suspended by the Italian Cycling Federation for four months after testing positive for a banned substance in June. The Bielorussian rider admitted to using a diuretic product during the women's Giro d'Italia in order to lose weight. She used it for 10 days, but was unaware that it was on the list of prohibited substances.
Stahurskaia was forced to miss the World Championships and will not be able to race again until February 11, 2002. She was also fined SFR1000 (676 euros) by the UCI.
The final race on the French calendar is the 20th edition of the Chrono des Herbiers, an invitation-only time trial that takes place on Sunday, October 21. The 48.15 kilometre men's race will feature ex-World TT champ, Serguei Gontchar (Liquigas), a previous winner of this event from 1997-1999. His vanquisher last year, Jean Nuttli (Phonak), will also be present and looking to defend his title.
Other men in the 21 rider field include Hungarian champion Lazslo Bodrogi (Mapei), 5th in the World's TT; French champion Florent Brard (Festina); and Richard Virenque (Domo-Farm Frites) who will ride in Lombardy the day before; Evgueni Petrov and Michael Rogers (Mapei) and Dutch TT champion Bart Voskamp will also be present.
The 14 female competitors include Russian Zoulfia Zabirova (Acca Due O), also winner from 1997-1999 but lacking in results this year. The women race over 20.525 kilometres.
This Sunday, October 21, sees the opening round of the SuperPrestige cyclo-cross series in Ruddervoorde, Belgium. It is the most important 'cross competition outside the World Cup, and competitors have already been tuning their form in races over the past two weeks. Defending champion Richard Groenendaal (Rabobank) will be up against World Champion Erwin Vervecken, and rising stars Sven Nijs and Bart Wellens. One absentee will be the Czech rider, Peter Dlask, who is injured at the moment and will not race for several weeks.
The SuperPrestige series is in its 20th year this season, and carries a total of 62,000 Euro prize money, with 15,000 going to the final overall winner. The series takes place over eight rounds:
Round 1 - October 21, 2001: Ruddervoorde (Bel)
Round 2 - November 4, 2001: St-Michielsgestel (Ned)
Round 3 - November 11, 2001: Asper-Gavere (Bel)
Round 4 - November 25, 2001: Gieten (Ned)
Round 5 - December 8, 2001: Hoogstraten (Bel)
Round 6 - December 30, 2001: Diegem (Bel)
Round 7 - February 10, 2002: Harnes (Fra)
Round 8 - February 23, 2002: Vorselaar (Bel)
Gorka Beloki will join his brother Joseba in the ONCE team directed by Manolo Saiz. He will be one of three neo-professionals in the squad, along with Italian Giampaolo Caruso and Spaniard Jonathan Gonzalez. Saiz is aiming to reduce the team to 20 riders, and they will lose Spanish champion Ivan Gutiérrez, Carlos Sastre and Santos Gonzalez.
The riders from one of the top Belgian amateur squads, Eddy Merckx-Fortis Boys, have been told that they are free to go and find other teams. Fortis (a Belgian bank) has withdrawn its sponsorship and Eddy has not yet found a new co-sponsor. There is a faint hope that one will be found after Eddy returns from a trip to Qatar.
French team Jean Delatour today announced it had reached a partnership agreement with the Vélo-Club de Lyon Vaulx-en-Velin for next season. The club will serve as a training ground for younger riders aspiring to the professional ranks. 21 year old Samuel Dumoulin, winner of the U23 Paris-Tours, has already made the transition for next season. He will join Christophe Laurent and Yuriy Krivstov as the three neo-pro's in Jean Delatour.
The Lincoln Bicycle Club is hosting the 2nd Annual Nebraska Cyclo-cross Series throughout the month of October. The race series continues this Sunday, October 21 at Mahoney Park, 70th & Fremont, Lincoln. The series consists of a points competition and a state championship on November 4.
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
Recently on Cyclingnews
Latest Photos - Olympic
Armstrong, Boulder & California 'cross, More Pan-Am, Canberra, Boston & REI
'cross (December 13)
Cyclingnews survey -
Reader Poll 2001 - Vote for your favourite riders
Letters
- VDB, Lance, Boring Tour, Coastal Post, Respect (December 13)
Cyclingnews Interview
- Ryan Bayley - the KFC-fuelled world champ (December 13)
Cyclingnews Interview
- David McKenzie - Macca's back (December 12)
Cyclingnews Interview
- Laurent Jalabert - Jalabert looks ahead (December 11)
Cyclingnews Interview
- Charly Wegelius - A coffee stop with Charly (December 8)
Cyclingnews
Interview - Sven Montgomery - Moving up in the world (December 6)
Cyclingnews Interview
- Rochelle Gilmore - Road scholar (December 6)
Tales from the Peloton
- 12 Hours of Oleta - MTB endurance race in Miami (December 6)
Tales from the Peloton
- Tony Cruz - back to his roots (December 7)
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
- Headsets, Pegoretti, Carbon cage, gloves & tubes (December 10)
Tech news - Navigators
power-tap, Headsets, Carbon cages (December 7)
Tech- Recycling
- How to protect your chainstay for free
Tech Reviews:
Egg Beater pedals; Park
Tool belt; Shimano shoes;
Speedplay
Breaking
the Chain - Dope planning and testing - From Willy Voet's book
| Home Search Survey Contact us |