Rolf Jaerman's Diary UpdateThis is published with the permission of Rolf and translated from German by David Weir.Dienze 4 April 97 I'm enjoying the more or less free day at the computer. I have to finally configure it correctly and install a few new programmes. In the afternoon I'll ride my bike into the village and do a little shopping, or buy something sweet again, a nice nut croissant or something. Dienze 3 April 97 The Tour of Flanders is harder to do as training than as a race! Today I suffered and cursed over the Pave totally alone. Yet the slower one rides the harder it becomes. And I don't have such great morale for training to slave away until soaked to the skin. And this Belgian wind, no other riders could give me their draft. But after 7 hours and 15 minutes I arrived back at the hotel totally knackered, but very content. Now I can (must) only recover and eat in the next two days. (And clean my shoes again). Tour of Spain to start in PortugalThe Tour of Spain will start in the Capital City of Portugal, Lisbon this year. The first stage is on September 6 and the finish in on September 28 in Madrid.The Organisers of the World Exhibition Lisboa 98 have spent 100 million pesetas (1.3 million guilders, about $A1 million or $US780,000) to get the stage for Lisbon. The Vuelta will stay two days in Portugal. There is no prologue. There are also no stages in the Pyrennees. Rabobank and TVM will be the Dutch teams starting. The organisers announced on Friday that the 1997 edition would be world wide with TV coverage going to 42 countries with an estimated total 500 million viewers. The route is: 6 September, Stage 1: Lisbon - Estoril 160 km 7 September, Stage 2: Evora - Villamoura 224 km 8 September, Stage 3: Loule - Huelva 173 km 9 September, Stage 4: Huelva - Jerez de la Frontera 193 km 10 September, Stage 5: Jerez de la Frontera - Malaga 229 km 11 September, Stage 6: Malaga - Granada 147 km 12 September, Stage 7: Guadix - Sierra Nevada 219 km 13 September, Stage 8: Granada - Cordoba 175 km 14 September, Stage 9: Cordoba ITT 15 September, Stage 10: Cordoba - Almendralejo 235 km 16 September, Stage 11 : Almendralejo - Plasencia 198 km 17 September: Rest Day in Leon 18 September, Stage 12: Leon - Alto de Morredeo (Ponferrada) 147 km 19 September, Stage 13: Ponferrada- Branillin 196 km 20 September, Stage 14: Oviedo - Alto del Naranco 160 km 21 September, Stage 15: Oviedo - Lagos de Covadonga 159 km 22 September, Stage 16: Cangas de Onis - Santander 169 km 23 September, Stage 17: Santander - Burgos 195 km 24 September, Stage 19: Burgos - Valladolid 185 km 25 September, Stage 19 : Valladolid - Los Angeles de San Rafael 184 km 26 September, twintigste Stage : Los Angeles de Rafael - Avila 190 km, 27 September, Stage 21: Alcobendas individuele ITT 28 September, Stage 22: Madrid - Madrid 160 km. Giant-AIS have success in Czech RepublicHeiko Salzwedel could be well pleased with his team's performance in front of one of their major sponsors: ZVVZ on Friday. The Milevsko Classic was held in freezing condition near Tabor, south of the Capital Prague and attracted a class field of 100 riders. The Organisers had to reduce the distance by two laps to 140 kms due to steadily worsening weather conditions.The race was decided in the first few kms when eventual winner Slavomir Heger escaped with Australians Jay Sweet and Matthew White, finishing on the podium in that order. ZVVZ-Giant-AIS placed 7 riders in the top 10 Now the team moves onto other goals including the Teleflex Tour in the Netherlands and the Zavod Miru (Peace Race) which this year celebrates its 50th Anniversary and now does not clash with the defunct Du Pont Tour.
Results, Milevsko Classic1. S. Heger (ZVVZ-Giant-AIS) 140 km in 4.18.26 2. J. Sweet (ZVVZ-Giant-AIS) 3. M. White (ZVVZ-Giant-AIS) 4. Kejval (ZVVZ-Giant-AIS) 5. Bilek (JOKO) 6. Pitonak (POLYMA) 7. Faltus (ZVVZ-Giant-AIS) 8. Hruska (ZVVZ-Giant-AIS) 9. Kadlec (JOKO) 10. P. Brosnan (ZVVZ-Giant-AIS) Cops get sick of chasing criminalsThe SA Police have changed the rules without notice or discussion. If the new rules stay in force, then road racing and triathalons will be effectively banned! I don't have all the details - the Federation, Police and Govt have been close lipped about it. I am not privy to any of the discussions, and cannot be quoted. However, this is the situation as I understand it.....The SACF has instructed its clubs that no road cycling events are to be conducted with out Police approval. This instruction was issued as a result of a unilateral change in police policy which has disrupted SA cycling and triathalons. Apparently, under the Road Traffic Act, all organised events on public roads must have the approval of the local council and the police. The police have changed the guidelines under which they issue approval. The new guidelines for cycle racing and triathalons impose a number of requirements, including: 1. Closure of the roads 2. Flag marshalls on each and every intersection 3. Cars, with red, white and orange flashing lights, before and after every bunch. 4. The police will place advertisements in every paper (Statewide and local) at the organising clubs cost. 5. Police will be in attendance, at the organisers cost. The cost and manpower requirements alone will be enough to make it impossible to stage events. The road closure requirement will effectively ensure that the races don't get held because the public won't accept closure of 40 or 60 km of roads while 30 cyclists stage a club race. No advance notice was given by police - the cycling community was advised after the guidelines were introduced. I am lead to believe that the police stopped a number of triathalons after the swim leg! The SACF and the Minister for Police have been negotiating with the newly appointed commissioner. The SA Regional Masters and the Minlaton Vets Stage race have been given a reprieve, but all other racing is stopped! The person who sent this to me is Secretary of Kilkenny CC - last week, Channel 9 rang him up looking for a story - he had no option but to refer them to the President of the SACF. However, no news story has hit the papers or TV. There are several theories: a/ The paranoids theory v1.0 - they want to ban bikes and get them off the road. b/ The paranoids theory v2.0 - the police are sick of cyclists who run red lights and break traffic rules so this is pay back. c/ The cynics theory - a sergant was asked to draft a set of guidelines and they were approved by the new commissioner who didn't know better. d/ The real politik theory - the police are opposed to the 'user pays' policy for attendance at sporting events and have set cycling and triathalons up as the straw man. |