News for April 4

Jalabert's Knee

As of the Criterium International, which he followed by car, Laurent Jalabert, who had been told to completely rest his knee, was hoping to get back on the bike yesterday (Tuesday April 2). He has abandoned riding Fleche Wallonne (April 17) and Liege-Bastogne-Liege (April 21) but hopes to ride the GP Estrella in Navarra on Saturday and then "but not with any attempt to win it" the Tour of the Basque Country (April 8-12). He then plans to ride the GP Amorebieta and the Tour of Aragon (April 17-21) before a break of four weeks leading up to the Criterium du Midi Libre (May 21-26).

A watered down Giro for the anniversary

First lets congratulate the Italian sporting newspaper La Gazzetta dello
Sport for its one hundred years of existence today.

But then there are some questions about the Giro d'Italia 1996. (And there
are still some resentment among European cycling fans about the way the
television rights were distributed by the RCS [the mother company of
Gazzetta dello Sport] when half of Europe missed Milan-San Remo.)

The teams selected, among the candidates, for the Giro d'Italia '96 shows
that the race is not really attractive for some of the big teams this year.

With last year's winner Tony Rominger and the podium from the Tour '96;
Indurain, Zulle and Riis, and world number 1 Laurent Jalabert absent,it
points to a very open race with perhaps the weakest field for many years.

Absent are top teams like Once, Banesto, Rabobank, Motorola and Telekom.

The big names still racing are Berzin, Olano, Ugrumov and Francesco Casagrande.

Here are the teams selected for the Giro d'Italia this year with their
potential leaders and their UCI-rank (96-03-03).

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 2 Mapei-GB (Olano)
 3 Maglificio MG-Technogym (Bugno)
 4 Gewiss Playbus (Berzin)
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 8 Saeco (Francesco Casagrande)
 9 Carrera Blue Jeans (Chiappucci)
10 Festina-Lotus (Virenque)
11 TVM (Skibby)
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13 Team Polti (Rebellin)
14 Roslotto-ZG Mobili (Ugrumov)
15 Ceramiche Refin-Mobilvetta (Abdujaparov)
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17 Ceramiche Panaria-Vinavil (Tonkov)
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19 Kelme-Artiach (Cubino)
20 Aki-Gipiemme (Simoni)
21 San Marco Group (Podenzana)
22 Brescialat (Piccoli)
23 MX Onda (Irusta)
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25 Glacial-Selle Italia (Cacaito Rodriguez)
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28 Scrigno-Blue Storm (Filippo Casagrande)