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By Jeff Jones
With the official announcement of the entire 2002 Tour de France route just three days away, there are already mutterings about the selection of teams in this most important race. The top 10 division I teams (Top Club) will gain automatic selection for the Tour, in addition to all the other major races on the calendar. The teams that won the team GC in each of the grand tours in 2001, the World Cup, and the team of last year's winner (Lance Armstrong), will also gain automatic qualification into the Tour, meaning that US Postal, Alessio, Kelme-Costa Blanca, iBanesto.com.
In addition to this, more teams will be selected based on their UCI ranking in division I, to make a total of 16 preselected teams for each grand tour in 2002.
This year there were eight French teams selected out of a total of 21. The Societe du Tour de France's selection criteria stated that a minimum of six French teams had to ride. The first six were already known by January, with the controversial addition of La Francaise des Jeux and BigMat-Auber 93 being made in May. Although the Tour actually had less national representation than the Giro or the Vuelta, some observers felt that it should showcase the best cyclists in the world. Other observers did not.
With the new rules coming into play next season, Jean-Marie Leblanc's choices gave two French teams another lease of life for one more year. Next year, it's doubtful whether BigMat will make the top 30, and therefore cannot even be considered for selection unless there are changes in the rules.
Some French teams, such as Credit Agricole, will not have to worry. Despite its large number of foreign riders and relatively low ranking (currently 20th in division I), the boys in green and white this year surpassed all expectations and dominated the first week of the race with O'Grady and Voigt sharing the yellow jersey, coupled with a solid win in the team time trial stage 5 and another stage win to Voigt in the final week. That should considerably help their selection in 2002.
With this selection system, big teams with big budgets have an advantage, as they can tell their sponsors that Tour selection is certain. Sponsorship funds will be assured and they can sign riders with UCI points. On the other hand, riders with UCI points will have to choose their teams carefully if they are to have an opportunity to ride the Tour next year. A big rider in a small team will have little chance for the Tour, if that's what he wants.
Based on the latest UCI rankings (October 14, 2001), the following is a very unofficial Tour de France preselection list.
1 Fassa Bortolo
2 Team Deutsche Telekom
3 Rabobank
4 Mapei-Quick Step
5 Lotto-Adecco
6 iBanesto.com
7 O.N.C.E.-Eroski
8 Cofidis
9 US Postal Service
10 Domo-Farm Frites
and
Alessio
Kelme-Costa Blanca
Lampre-Daikin
CSC Tiscali
Euskaltel-Euskadi
Tacconi Sport-Vini Caldirola
Some speculation: Credit Agricole is theoretically next on this list, but it will only be the second French team here. That would leave a maximum of four more wild-card positions to make up 21 teams...
Vuelta winner Angel Casero has said that he would like to ride for an Italian team, possibly Saeco or Lampre, adding fuel to the rumours about which team he will ride for next season. He was earlier linked with Kelme-Costa Blanca, but downplayed it saying that "a lot more has been said that what we have really spoken about, and at the moment nothing has been signed."
There was also the controversy about Casero reportedly getting assistance from Kelme doctor Eufemiano Fuentes during the Vuelta. "It is unfortunate that more is spoken of controversies than of sporting successes," commented Casero, who added that the courts will decide in that matter. He will finish his season with the Criterium L'Hospitalet before going on holidays.
By Jeff Jones
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One of cycling's most respected 'super-domestiques', Wilfried Peeters (Domo-Farm Frites) has finished his career by winning a criterium in his hometown of Mol, Belgium. Peeters won the race in front of Nico Eeckhout and Jo Planckaert, although there were no official results issued. It was more a way for friends and colleagues to farewell the well liked 37 year old pro.
Peeters turned professional in 1986 with the Sigma team, which later evolved into Histor. He even rode for Telekom in 1992 before being recruited by GB-MG, winning Gent-Wevelgem for them in 1994. From 1995 to 2000 he rode in Mapei colours, where he picked up a regular wins while riding in support of others. In 1997 he won the Nationale Sluitingsprijs, a feat that he tried to repeat last week in Putte-Kapellen, only being caught with 500 metres to go in his last professional race.
Besides Gent-Wevelgem, his best results in a major classic came in Paris-Roubaix, where he finished third in 1998 and second in 1999. He was not destined to win the Queen of the Classics, although he again came close in 2001 riding for Domo-Farm Frites. George Hincapie and Ludo Dierckxsens were responsible for chasing him down after a long solo break that began in the Arenberg Forest. However, Peeters had done his job effectively as there were three more Domo riders in the leading group, and the team eventually finished with a 1-2-3 result, with Peeters as 5th.
Peeters will retire now as a professional bike racer, and next year will be working with Domo-Farm Frites in a public relations role. He will be remembered as a strong, selfless worker in the peloton.
Swiss rider Laurent Dufaux (32) has been forced to retire a little earlier than he would have liked, due to ongoing problems with an inflamed prostate. The Saeco rider turned down an offer from CSC-Tiscali to ride another season, deciding that enough was enough.
He has been a pro for 11 years, riding for Helvetia, ONCE, Festina and Saeco. In 1991 he won the Swiss road championships, following that with the Coppa Placci later in the season. He moved to greater things, including the overall win in the Dauphine Libére (1993 and 1994), Vuelta a Burgos (1995), stages in the Tour de France and Vuelta España (1996), Tour de Romandie and G.P. du Midi Libre (1998), and the Meisterschaft von Zürich World Cup in 2000. He had two podium finishes in the Vuelta in 1996 (2nd) and 1997 (3rd), as well as coming fourth in the Tour de France in 1996 and 1999.
He was implicated in the Festina affair in 1998, and served a seven month suspension from racing after admitting to taking banned substances, along with most of his colleagues. He came back to finish fourth in the 1999 Tour, also winning stages in the 2000 Tour de Romandie and A Travers Lausanne, along with his Meisterschaft von Zürich victory.
Next year's Tour de Langkawi (Malaysia, February 1-10) will not take place on the island of Langkawi at all, it was revealed by the organisers. The race will be reduced to 10 stages (from 12), with the start in Langkawi being cut due to "logistical problems".
The race will remain as a UCI 2.3 event, and according to UCI rules all such races can only be a maximum of 10 days. The race will be held over 1,310 kilometres, starting with a 20 kilometre individual time trial in Putrajaya.
The event costs the rather impressive total of RM15.6 million (US$4.1 million) to run, which includes the RM1.6 million (US$420,000) in prize money. With this year's top sponsor Telekom Malaysia putting up RM8 million, the organisers are hoping that they will be present in 2002, although that has yet to be determined.
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Fotoreporter Sirotti has sent in a great collection of Giro di Lombardia photos. Click here to see them.
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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