News and Race Reports for August 27 1995

Tour du Poitou-Charentes Open

Stage 3, (24 August 95) Marennes--Bressuire, 182 kms:
  1. Jan Kirsipuu (Est, Chazal)      4.54.42
  2. Henry ((Fr, Festina)
  3. Michaelsen (Den, Festina)
  4. N. Jalabert (Fr, Mutuelle de Seine-et-Marne)
  5. Bouillon (Bel, Cedico)    all same time

Overall:
  1. Arnaud Pretot (Fr, GAN)   12.46.29
  2. McRae (US, amateur)             +5 secs
  3. Derame (Fr, GAN)                +7
  4. Roux (Fr, Castorama)           +12
  5. Aubier (Fr, GAN)         same time

Nearly another small disaster at the finish. The arch over the finish line
(apparently some sort of inflatable structure) folded in two when the pump
supplying it with air either failed or ran out of fuel. Things were put
right moments before the sprint reached it. The main feature of the day: an
escape of 133km by Arnaud Leroy (Aubervilliers 93-Peugeot).

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Criterium de Vayrac, 104 kms (24 August 95):
  1. Tony Rominger (Swi, Mapei)    2:25:00 (?)
  2. Durand (Fr, Castorama)
  3. Virenque (Fr, Festina)       both s.t.
  4. Louviot (Fr, Chazal)              +25 secs.
  5. Bolay (Fr, Aki)                   +31
  6. Marie (Fr, Castorama)             +35
  7. Masdupuy (Fr, Aki)                +42
  8. Kirsipuu (Est, Chazal)
  9. Michaelsen (Den, Festina)
 10. Lino (Fr, FFC-LCPF)           all s.t.

It's interesting to note that some of the participants in the Tour du
Poitou-Charentes Open are quite prepared to ride an evening criterium after
the day's stage (eg, Kirsipuu and Michaelsen).

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French national time trial championships

The first French national time trial championships since 1931 were held on
23 August 95 with races for pro/amateur men, women and juniors. The
pro/amateur men's race was won by Thierry Marie (46.55km in 57.57), with
Pascal Lance second at 18 secs and Bruno Thibout third at 47 secs. Pascal
Lance's younger brother Jean-Marie, an amateur, finished eighth at 3.44.

Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli won the women's race (36.7km in 50.06) with
Catherine Marsal second at 1.02 and Odin third at 2.29.

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Tour de L'Avenir

Twenty-five teams will take part in the Tour de L'Avenir 6-16 September 95,
which will be run off almost entirely within Brittany. There are 11 pro
teams (Aubervilliers 93-Peugeot, Castorama, La Mutuelle de Seine-et-Marne,
FFC-LCPF, Collstrop, Lotto, Vlaanderen 2002, ONCE, Euskadi, Festina, TVM),
ten national amateur teams (Germany, Australia, Belgium, Canada, France,
Great Britain, Norway, Netherlands, Russia, Ukraine) and French regional
amateur team (Orleans) and three French amateur club teams.

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Maurizio Fondriest

Maurizio Fondriest has decided to ride the world championships time trial
at Tunja, Colombia, on 4 October 95, leaving open the possibility that he
may ride the road race on 8 October at Duitama. Earlier in the year, after
the June bomb attack in Medellin in which 37 people died, Mau had rather
undiplomatically remarked: "As for me, if I arrive at the finish [of the
Worlds road race] in an escape with a Colombian rider, there's no question
that I'll contest the sprint. I've no desire to get shot like a rabbit."


1. Tour of the Netherlands
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tour of the Netherlands (6/Final), 208 kms, 26 Aug 95:
  1. Jelle Nijdam (Netherlands-TVM)              04:58:09
  2. Frankie Andreu (U.S.-Motorola)
  3. Zenon Jaskula (Poland-Aki)                  both s.t.
  4. Flavio Vanzella (Italy-MG-Technogym)             +24 secs.
  5. Fabio Roscioli (Italy-Refin)
  6. Maarten den Bakker (Netherlands-TVM)
  7. Vjatceslav Ekimov (Russia-Novell)
  8. Rolf Jaermann (Switzerland-MG-Technogym)
  9. Frans Maassen (Netherlands-Novell)               s.t.(?)
 10. Leon van Bon (Netherlands-Novell)               0:48

Final General Classification:
  1. Nijdam                                      21:02:24
  2. Ekimov                                           +14 secs.
  3. Vanzella                                        0:18
  4. Jaskula                                          s.t.
  5. Breukink (Netherlands-Mixed Team)               0:45
  6. Maassen                                         0:48
  7. Jaermann                                        0:49
  8. Den Bakker                                      0:57
  9. Roscioli                                        1:11
 10. Aitor Garmendia (Spain-Banesto)                 1:25


2. Used Bike Auction
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

   26 Aug 95 -- A 1901 Singer bicycle, custom-built at the beginning of the
century for playwright George Bernard Shaw, sold for $820 today at
Scotland's first international cycle auction.
   The auction saw record prices for collectible bicycles, with
19th-century "penny-farthings" commanding the highest bids. A "Facile"
penny-farthing expected to fetch $7,700 sold for a record $13,600 and a
rare "Kangaroo" commanded $12,350.


3. Australian Junior Road Championships
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MEN:
Under-17, 43.0km: B. Brooks (NSW) 1h06m11s, M. Rogers (ACT), J. Xuereb (NSW),
                  N. Brown (WA), A. Trevor (NSW).
Under-15, 25.8km: B. Kersten (NSW), D. Lopez (NSW), A. Cox (NSW).

WOMEN:
Under-17, 25.8km: R. Linke (SA), 46m17s P. Coxon (NSW), N. Bates (NSW),
                  J. Robinson (SA).
Under-15, 17.2km: K. Bates (NSW), R. Gilmore (NSW), B. Symes (NSW).