News for December 21
96 Road World/Track Championships
The city of Lugano, in the south of Switzerland, has been chosen by
the UCI as the venue for the 1996 Road World Championships from
9-13 October. The Swiss capital of Berne, the only other city that
bidded, is the bridesmaid.
In the first time that the two major disciplines of the sport,
track and road, have been held in separate locations. The track
Hinault says that Indurain will make it six.
Bernard Hinault in Pamplona, Tuesday, 12/19/95 said: "Indurain is
one of the best riders in the history of cycling and I'm sure that
he will win his sixth Tour next year."
"Even if the Tour '96 is very tough and competitive, nothing can
make me think that he won't win one more time, Hinault added."
Indurain replied: "It would be exceptional to come to my home as
leader, but the most important is to be in yellow in Paris."
JALABERT UPDATE
Jalabert Operated On For Scaphoid Fracture
After a crash while training near his home at Mazamet at the
beginning of the month, Laurent Jalabert had X-rays which
indicated that a hand injury was nothing more than a sprained
finger. After medical consultations he therefore resumed training
as if nothing was amiss.
However, faced with pain that got worse and worse each day,
especially when riding out of the saddle, Jalabert went to a
specialist clinic last Monday (18 December 95) where fresh X-rays
revealed a fractured scaphoid (navicular -- a bone in the wrist).
Faced with the choice of several months in plaster or an immediate
operation, he chose the latter, which was due to be carried out
today (20 December 95) in Toulouse. He will be in plaster for
three weeks, during which time he will be unable to ride, thus
compromising his form for the start of the season.
"It's best to take this seriously," he said. I don't want to spoil
all my season for a few races in February. I'll doubtless get back=7F
into competition in mid-February but not in the condition that I
would have hoped to be in by then. The doctors have been very
clear -- I have to be very prudent.".
VENICE BUYS A TICKET IN THE SWEEPSTAKES
Worlds Road Races 1999
Venice has joined Turin as a contender for the worlds road races in
1999, which are definitely to take place somewhere in Italy.
SUNDRY FROM THE IRISH TIMES
Lonergan Finally makes it...
Third time 'lucky' for determined Lonergan
DECLAN LONERGAN launched a successful break on the finishing
circuit in Carrick-on-Suir yesterday to take the honours in
the Sean Kelly Classic, which had another huge turnout, with a
total of 833 entries.
After finishing second last year and the year before, Lonergan
was determined to go one better and he did so in great style
with 13 seconds to spare over Belgian Eric Vanderaerden, with
Irish champion Michael Fitzgerald third.
In the sprint for fourth place, 18 seconds behind Lonergan,
Tony Rominger led the way from Englishman Glen Holmes, with
Sean Kelly sixth, followed by Martin Earley and Paul Butler.
There were not many stragglers after the first leisurely lap
of 21 miles in an hour and 25 minutes, with Kelly and Stephen
Roche well back towards the rear of the big group. The racing
started at Kilsheelan on the second time around and Rominger
led a group of about 100 on to the finishing circuit in
Carrick for five laps of a mile in the town.
However, next time around, Lonergan surged ahead and
quickly opened a gap. In the chase several small groups
formed behind.
There were 17 in pursuit of Lonergan with three laps left,
with Vanderaerden leading the way through, 14 seconds in
arrears. Next time only 14 were involved in the chasing group,
led by Rominger and Vanderaerden. Kelly tried to close the
gap, but Vanderaerden broke away, and at the bell for the last=7F
lap the Belgian was 15 seconds behind Lonergan, with the rest
another three seconds down.
On the finishing stretch on Main Street, as Lonergan eased
down, Vanderaerden closed to 13 seconds and just held off
FitzgeraId. Although Rominger has not raced since he was
forced to pull out of the Tour de France in July because of
illness, he still sprinted in ahead of the rest for fourth.
Lonergan is off tomorrow with Philip Collins for the European
Track Championships in Valencia, and after spending Christmas
at home in Waterford he rejoins his American team, Saab, in
California in January to prepare for the Olympic Games.
Kelly was pleased with his placing yesterday, as he said he
has not been able to get out on his bike much in recent weeks,
but he is still much fitter than many others.
Vanderaerden is with an Italian team, Brescia, and resumes
racing in Italy in March.
Placings:
1 D Lonergan (Saab)
2 E Vanderaerden Brescia)
3 M Fitzgerald (Cidona)
4 T Rominger (Mapei).
5 G Holmes (Ambrosia, Great Yarmouth)
6 S Kelly
7 M Earley (Raleigh)
8 P Butter (Cidona).
Collins is eighth in Europe
PHILIP COLLINS finished eighth overall in the four-event omnium at
the European track championships in Valencia. He was third in his
speciality race, the 4,O0O metres pursuit on Saturday morning but
his total of 15 points left him well hehind the winner, Peter
Pleters of Holland who accumulated 52 points.
Collins was 11th in the opening elimination race on Thursday and
was then 14th in Friday's points event when Ireland's other
representative, Declan Lonergan, was forced to withdraw because of
Illness.
In the pursuit Collins was timed at four minutes 42.967
seconds but Jerome Neuville of France won in 4:37.629 with Pieters
second in 4:39.704. The final event on Saturday night over 15
kilometres was controlled by Pieters and the Dutchman won from
Neuville with Austrian Frans Stocher third.
In the final standings Stocher was nearest to Pieters with 41
points with Neuville third on 29.
Poor attendance at Christmas Event
In contrast to last week's entry of 833 at Carrick on Suir only 15
braved the cold and wet for the Bray Wheelers annual novelty two up
time trial yesterday morning and the UCD duo of Louis Twomey and
Helen Kervane emerged best. This was the smallest turnout in he
25th year of the event that until recent years regularly attracted
over 100 - the biggest field was In 1988 when a total of 176 took
part. Teams of two had to submit a time they expected to do for the
12 miles to Glen of the Downs and back. Twomey and Kerrane
estimated 45 minutes and they were just eight seconds out with
44:52.
Collins doing well in Valencia
From Sunday's 'Irish Independant': (Author Unknown)
PHILIP COLLINS finished a magnificent third in the 4km Pursuit at
the Open Men's Omnium of the European Track Championships in the
Spanish city of Valencia, yesterday. The Irishman's performance
confirms his growing status among the specialists of track
pursuiting at world level. The AMEV/IRC rider clocked a time of
4;42;96 gaining him 10 points, thereby climbing to an overall 8th
place behind leader Peter Pieters of Holland going into the final
15km scratch race.
Collins finished in 14th position in the 30km points event on
Fnday. Declan Lonergan was forced to pull out of the event after
stage two through illness.
'Split' revisited:
From Jim McArdle in Friday's Irish Times:
The incoming FIC Board had an old familiar problem thrown their way
over the weekend as the dreaded "split" reared its head. again in
the North. At the annual national council meeting of the British
Cycling Federation in Manchester where Tony Doyle ousted Ian
Emmerson after a bitter struggle for the presidency, a motion was
passed that the Northern Ireland Cycling Federation have the same
status as the federations in Scotland and Wales.
Since an agreement in 1992 the NICF and the FIC's Northern Region
have been working quite well but the BCF decision to alter their
area of control and give full recognition to the Northern Ireland
'CF breaks that agreement.
The new FIC president, Pat McQuaid, has written to the NICF seeking
a meeting to discuss the situation. The relationship was going so
well that it had been agreed that the annual NICF Easter promotion,
the Tour of the North, would have the scene there to itself next
April with the Tour of Ulster switching to the May holiday weekend.
There have been conflicting figures about the NICF membership, with
600 mentioned, but they are very weak on the competitive front.
Although NICF members have been racing in some Ulster CF-FIC events
they have not made an impression.
More of Coppi
1949
****
1 alla Milano-Sanremo
1 al giro di Romagna
1 al Giro del Veneto
1 al Giro d'Italia
1 al Tour de France
1 al campionato del mondo inseguimento (pursuit)
1 al Cmpionato d'Italia
1 al Circuito della Lauviere
1 al giro della Lombardia
2 al Giro del Piemonte
2 al Circuito di Treviglio
2 al Criterium degli Assi a Parigi (Parigi is Paris)
3 al Campionato del Mondo
3 alla Freccia Vallone (Fleche Wallon)
3 al Circuito di Vimercate
4 al Criterium di Prato
10 ex-aequo nella Parigi-Roubaix
11 al Gran Premio delle Nazioni
Vincitore dello Challenge Desgrange-Colombo
(classifica che tiene conto dei piazzamenti al Giro, al Tour,
alla Parigi-Roubaix, Parigi-Bruxelles, giro delle Flandre,
Giro di Lombardia e Milan-Sanremo)
(A GC deal taking account of the Giro, Tour, Pascale, Paris-Brussels, Ronde,
Lombardy, Primavera - sort of a primitive World Cup)