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Nico Mattan won the 198 km GP Ouest France in Plouay today, much to the annoyance of Patrice Halgand (Delatour) who looked to have it in the bag with an attack on the last climb. But Mattan and Pat Jonker had other ideas...
"With two kilometers to go, I told Patrick Jonker that I didn't want to take any turns with him behind Halgand," said Mattan. "I accepted the risk of losing for taking a huge win. If Jonker didn't want to ride anymore, I would have finished 2nd, the same as last year behind Bartoli."
"Today, I was very strong. My team-mate Moncoutié and myself created the final breakaway. Then, I saw Halgand attacking at the same place as Bartoli last year, but I knew that if I followed him straight away, I would have paid for my efforts later. So I think I used the proper tactic...And the right preparation as well: before the race I went on holiday to St-Aygulf on the Mediterranean see with my wife and children, I also got sunburned!"
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Michele Bartoli was very motivated as the defending champion. He's at home in Plouay but didn't show himself today. "I didn't have the legs to repeat last year's win," he regretted. "Now I need two weeks rest before the build-up for the World Championship. I like the course in Lisbon, I know it suits me, but I hope to have a better form than today in Plouay."
The GP Ouest-France was Laurent Madouas' last race. He stopped his 13 season professional career in Plouay, close to Plaudren where he grew up in Brittany. "For sure, 1995 has been my best year, when I finished 12th in both Tour of Italy and Tour de France."
Madouas has ridden for Z, Toshiba, Castorama, Motorola, Lotto and Festina, he has been a helper for Greg LeMond, Tony Rominger, Lance Armstrong, Andrei Tchmil and Christophe Moreau! He was warmly welcomed on the podium in Plouay with his two children, Valentin and Fanny.
The race (with a slightly smoother parcours) was run at a record average speed of 43.894 km/h, and was flat out from the starting gun. Cyclingnews followed the action with live updates lap-by-lap as well as the complete results and wrap up.
Courtesy of Jean-Francois Quenet
Although there are rumours that Fassa Bortolo's Francesco Casagrande will change teams to Tacconi Sport next season, current team boss Giancarlo Ferretti says it isn't so. In commenting on Casagrande's fourth place in the Giro del Veneto yesterday, Ferretti added that the team was "very satisfied" with the Tuscan and he wants him at the head of the team next season. "Casagrande will remain with Fassa Bortolo in spite of what is being said, because there is no reason that we would separate. Indeed, we find he really fits in with Fassa and when newspapers printed that we were close to divorce, he asked me if there were problems with which he was not acquainted."
Marco Pantani's team for next season is taking shape, with more to come after the Vuelta. The following riders will stay within the 'Pantani entourage': Simone Borgheresi, Daniel Clavero Sebastian, Fabiano Fontanelli, Ermanno Brignoli, Riccardo Forconi and Marcello Siboni. Daniele de Paoli and Igor Astarloa will not be present next year, with De Paoli going to Alessio and Astarloa to decide after the Vuelta. In addition, Oscar Mason will probably transfer to Mapei-Quick Step in return for Andrea Noe. Luca Mazzanti (Fassa Bortolo) is also named for Pantani's new squad.
Pantani's team director for nine years, Giuseppe Martinelli, will say farewell, while Alessandro Giannelli, Carlo Magrini and Massimo Podenzana will step in to manage the team.
The BMC Software Tour of Houston takes place on September 16, just one week after the more highly touted GP San Francisco. However, Houston carries a higher UCI class (1.3) than San Fran and boasts some good prize money to boot. One of the top draws on the starting list is Saeco's Mario Cipollini, who is not riding the Vuelta. Along with Mario Scirea, Luca Barla, Oscar Cavagnis, Brad Davidson, Nicola Gavazzi, Armin Meier and Justin Spinelli, Saeco will be looking to put one over the US teams on their home turf.
Other international teams present include Mobilvetta (Massimo Strazzer), De Nardi Montegrappa, Flanders Prefetex, and Ag2r Prevoyance. They will be competing alongside US outfits Prime Alliance (Jame & Jonas Carney), Jelly Belly/Net Zero (Jason Waddell), Navigators (Davidenko, O'Bee), 7UP-Colorado Cyclist (John Lieswyn, Clark Sheehan, Kevin Monahan)
The iBanesto.com team has renewed the contracts of both Aitor and Unai Osa for the next two seasons. Unai's value increased when he finished third in this year's Giro d'Italia and he was approached by other teams. However, he chose to stay put with a good situation in iBanesto. He will race in the Vuelta as the leader of a solid iBanesto line up, including José Luis Arrieta, Dariusz Baranowski, Santiago Blanco Gil, Juan Carlos Dominguez, José Vicente Garcia Acosta, José Maria Jimenez, Aitor Osa and Javier Pascual Rodriguez.
CSC-Tiscali has been talking with Carlos Sastre (ONCE), Manuel Beltran (Mapei) and Juan Antonio Flecha (Colchón Relax-Fuenlabrada) about the possibility of contracts for the next couple of seasons. Sastre has ridden for ONCE for the last five seasons, and will probably stay with them although he hasn't decided yet.
On the other hand, Beltran has not yet got a renewal from Mapei, and should be more amenable to an offer. Flecha also has an option from Fuenlabrada to extend and CSC's Johnny Weltz says that he will "not interfere" if he chooses to stay.
Another Spaniard Rafael Mateos (Team Colpack) has renewed for two more seasons with Colpack.
Euskaltel-Euskadi has already lost Inigo Chaurreau to Ag2r-Prevoyance, and may also lose Tour stage winner Roberto Laiseka. He has an offer of 80 million pesetas (US$440,000) from Euskaltel but other teams (CSC, Cofidis, Mapei) have offered as much as 130 million (US$700,000). Bingen Fernández is another rider who is said to be considering two good offers.
On the other hand, Alberto Martínez will probably renew for two seasons with a higher salary. Others who have renewed include Gorka Arrizabalaga, David and Unai Etxebarria, Iker Flores, Gorka González, Iñaki Isasi, Iban Mayo, Samuel Sánchez, Aitor and Josu Silloniz and Haimar Zubeldia.
Colchón Relax-Fuenlabrada has confirmed that Sergio Villamil, Sergio Pérez, Jorge Capitán and Benjamín Noval will continue with the team, with Noval signing a three year deal. Also David Fernandez, Óscar Laguna, Jose Manuel Vázquez have all signed for 2 years, while Germán Nieto, Nacor Burgos and David Vázquez have for one year. Star rider Juan Antonio Flecha is considering a CSC offer as mentioned above.
The remaining riders, Imanol Ayestaran, Andrés Bermejo, Pablo Fernández, César García Calvo, Eduardo Hernández, Hernán Darío Muñoz will leave next season.
By Tommy Campbell, Irish Independent/Evening Herald/Sunday Independent
There is strong evidence in Irish cycling circles to suggest that a Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) one-day event maybe held in Ireland next Spring.
Leading the field to get the plum appointment is the Bray Wheelers Cycling Club. Of course they are no strangers to organising top class events. Since the mid-seventies the roll of honour is like a who's who when it came to attracting blue chip sponsors who lent their name to events, such as the Coca Cola Grand Prix, Guinness Series of races, Coors Grand Prix, Waterford Crystal and the Lucozade Shay Elliott to name but a few.
The Lucozade sponsorship was one of the longest sponsors in the club's history. The aforementioned event the Shay Elliott is the one that is being touted for inclusion on the UCI calendar mainly because of its significance with the late Shay Elliott who pioneered so successfully as a fully fledged professional on the European circuit in the late '50s and '60s. Naturally the Bray club are tight lipped about such an event and are pouring cold water on such a notion.
The prospects of a major sponsor coming on board to add weight to the application is also very much on the cards. As they say watch this space for any announcements concerning the event. Oddly enough yesterday that same course was used for the Joe Loughman Randonee, which had the support of GENUiTY. The cycle started out from the Presentation College, Putland Road, Bray. It was a staggered start to facilitate all comers, but the main thrust of the participants were on the Wicklow Roads from 8.30 am. This was the third occasion that the Randonee has been held and each year thankfully because of the weather the numbers have increased. If the event comes to fruition, the possibility of the Randonee could also be a feature of the weekend’s activities in mid-May 2002.
The Farm Frites-Hartol team and Germany's Hanka Kupfernagel have parted ways, effective September 1 according to an official announcement from the team. "In the past eight months it has become clear that the ideas of manager and team leader Michael Zijlaard and the German rider about racing are not in agreement with each other," the statement said.
"On the personal level, both parties will part on good terms. But unfortunately the base is too narrow to work with each other. Kupfernagel will base herself for the rest of the 2001 season in Germany in order to prepare for the World Road Championships."
Kupfernagel won five races with the Dutch team, with her biggest win being the World Cyclocross Championships in the Czech Republic earlier this season.
Tomorrow the 58th edition of the Tour of Poland will start in Gdansk. The race is growing each year under the director of Czeslaw Lang, with more prize money enabling it to have a reasonably good UCI rating (2.3) and thus attract good teams and riders. It is considered to be one of the best organised races in the Eastern Bloc, although the Peace Race is comparable.
Last year's winner was Piotr Pryzdial, and he will wear number 1 for CCC-Mat. Other riders present include Raimondas Rumsas (Fassa Bortolo), Andrea Tafi (Mapei), Andrei Tchmil (Lotto), Robert Hunter (Lampre), Romans Vainsteins and Piotr Wadecki (Domo), Stuart O'Grady and Jens Voigt (Credit Agricole), Jaan Kirsipuu (Ag2r) and Massimo Strazzer (Mobilvetta).
CCC-Mat: Piotr Pryzdial
Fassa Bortolo: Fabio Baldato, Raimondas Rumsas, Serguei Ivanov
Mapei-Quick Step: Tom Steels, Andrea Tafi, Stefano Zanini
Lotto: Serge Baguet, Hans De Clercq, Andrei Tchmil
Lampre: Robert Hunter, Jan Svorada
Domo: Romans Vainsteins, Mario De Clercq, Fred Rodriguez, Piotr Wadecki
Crédit Agricole: Thor Hushovd, Stuart O'Grady, Jens Voigt
Tacconi Sport-Vini Caldirola: Zoran Klemencic
Alessio: Pietro Caucchioli, Mauro Zanetti
Ag2R: Jaan Kirsipuu, Ludovic Capelle
Cantina Tollo: Gabriele Colombo
Alexia: Ivan Quaranta
Mróz: Piotr Chmielewski
Mobilvetta: Massimo Strazzer
Itera: Alexei Markov
Atlas-Lukullus: Jacek Mickiewicz
Mikomax: Tomasz Kiendys
The 16th edition of the Tour du Finistère will take place on Monday September 3, starting in Bénodet and finishing in Quimper. The main teams are Credit Agricole, Bonjour, BigMat, Euskaltel and Mercury, as well as an Irish national team and several other division II and amateur squads.
Last year's winner Sébastien Hinault (Crédit Agricole) will not take the start at 12:45, but Bonjour have promised a strong team with Damien Nazon, Francois Simon and Walter Beneteau.
Teams: Crédit Agricole, Bonjour, BigMat-Auber 93, Jean Floc'h, Collstrop-Palmans, Flanders-Prefetex, Mercury, Landbouwkrediet-Colnago, Ville de Charleroi, Moscow City Sports, Euskaltel-Euskadi, Irish National Team, Team Bretagne.
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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