Apart from the Criterium de Calais (May 3), Laurent Jalabert will not ride competitively again until the GP du Midi Libre (May 21-26) and then the Criterium du Dauphine Libere (June 2-9) which will also be contested by Miguel Indurain, Tony Rominger, Bjarne Riis, Chris Boardman, Luc Leblanc and Richard Virenque. Jalabert's last races before the Tour de France starts on June 29 will be the Route du Sud (June 17-20) and the French Championships (at Castres) on June 23. During his five-week absence from racing, Jalabert expects to spend much of the time training in the Montagne Noir, in his home are ain the Tarn. "I'm waiting for the traditional fax from Manolo [Saiz -- ONCE directeur-sportif]," Jalabert said, "listing the distance to ride, the gear ratios I should use, the heart rates I should respect."
Chris Boardman, who scratched from Fleche Wallonne and Liege- Bastogne-Liege because of tendinitis in his ankle following a crash in the Circuit de la Sarthe, is planning to return to racing in the Quatre Jours de Dunkerque (May 7-12).