News for August 4, 1997

Only the Greatest win Criteriums

Circles around the church on bikes; in the eighties good enough for an audience of 100,000. But over the last few years, the post-Tour criteriums in the Netherlands have lost a lot of appeal. Criteriums need Tour-winners; so this year the salvation came from Germany with Jan Ullrich.

In 1980 there were 65 criteriums in Holland; this year 26. And the first few days after the Tour de France everybody knows: this year the audiences are much larger than the past few years.

Gerry van Gerwen, the coordinator of most of these criteriums, is going to the Tour de France on the rest day every year. During that day, he completes the contracts for the races 'around the church' in the weeks after the Tour. This year every organisation wanted Jan Ullrich (he was already in the yellow shirt on the rest day).

That means 48,000 Dutch guilders per criterium.

[Bill notes: $1 Australian buys 1.5 Dutch Guilder and about 78 cents US]

In Boxmeer they paid 70,000 guilders because Ullrich came with the Green Shirt winner Erik Zabel plus two other Telekom-riders. Boxmeer had 35,000 people (10,000 came from Germany).

And in Heerlen, 60,000 people came to see Ullrich (with Telekom-mates Jens Heppner, Rolf Aldag and Giovanni Lombardi).

But the most expensive criterium will be next Monday in Roosendaal with the 'Draai van de Kaai'. They have at the start big names like Jan Ullrich, Erik Zabel and Marco Pantani (and some Dutch 'heroes'). Richard Virenque is not avaiable for Holland. The most popular cyclist in France rides only in his own country after the Tour (and can ask a lot of money for every criterium).

What's the price of a Tour-winner?

Joop Zoetemelk (1980) 15,000 Dutch guilders
Greg Lemond (1990) 25,000
Miguel Indurain (1995) 50,000
Jan Ullrich (1997) 48,000

And what are the budgets and audiences in the Dutch criteriums?

Boxmeer (Monday)

1980: 100,000 guilders, audience 37,000
1990: 160,000 guilders, audience 20,000
1996: 280,000 guilders, audience 20,000
1997: 286,000 guilders, audience 35,000

Stiphout (Tuesday)

1980: 80,000 guilders, audience 5,000
1990: 150,000 guilders, audience 14,000
1996: 200,000 guilders, audience 20,000
1997: 280,000 guilders, audience 25,000

Chaam (Wednesday)

1980: 150,000 guilders, audience 80,000
1990: 190,000 guilders, audience 40,000
1996: 210,000 guilders, audience 15,000
1997: 250,000 guilders, audience 25,000

For many years the Acht van Chaam was the most important criterium (the first Wednesday after the finish of the Tour de France) in the Netherlands. But when the Dutch riders were no longer succesful in the Tour de France the organisation saw less people every year and they changed the program - not a criterium anymore but a real race for invited teams.

The recent winners: Hincapie and Weissmann.

But nobody is really happy with this kind of winner.

Since 1996 they found a new programm-item: an omnium in the night (the race is in the afternoon).

Last year with Jeroen Blijlevens as winner; this year with Michael Boogerd (and Jan Ullrich as second).

Adri van der Poel was the winner of the afternoon-race this year; but probably the last one. The organisation is celebrating their 60th Acht van Chaam next year.

They think about another (and old) program-schedule: a criterium over a maximum of 100 kilometers with at least Tour de France-heroes at the start (and one of them have to win).

Ad Coenraads, organisator in Chaam: "Of course the riders made some deals in the past. But sometimes it went wrong too. In 1981 Roy Schuiten won; while the local hero Johan van de Velde had to win. After his victory it was over and out for Schuiten in the peloton!"

John Talen now (without riding the Tour this year): "I'm not coming to a criterium to win. That isn't the intention. You can try as 'small' rider, but you will lose. The big names catch you." He has not any objection with it. It are the rules in cycling.

The audience knows that a criterium is a combination of cycling and amusement. Drinking a beer and rushing to the fences when the riders are passing. They all know that the winner is not coming from a little team like Vlaanderen 2000 or Collstrop. "Because we don't know them".

The audience expect a vedette on the platform.

Pijnacker, NL, Criterium, 100 km, August 3, 1997

 1 Marco Pantani (Ita)
 2 Maarten Den Bakker (Ned) 	0.04
 3 Erik Dekker (Ned)
 4 Jeroen Blijlevens (Ned) 	0.25
 5 Wilfried Nelissen (Bel)

Grand Prix Boekel (women) 116 km

 1. Leontien van Moorsel (Ned)
 2. Marion Borst
 3. Elsbeth Vink

GP sprint, Cardiff (Wales)

 1. Rene Vink (Ned)
 2. Pavel Buran (Tsj)
 3. Peter Jacques (GB)