News for December 30

Banesto presentation in Pamplona

The 'new' Banesto-team was officially presented in Pamplona, Thursday (12/28). It has one big objective for next season, Tour de France. Other objectives are the Olympic Games, Vuelta a Espana, World Championships and possibly the hour record. They will also, as obliged, ride the World Cup races.

The team has been reduced to 18 riders (24 last year), four new riders has been signed; Orlando Rodrigues, Jeremy Hunt, Victor Hugo Pena and Damien Nazon. Ten riders has departed; among them Gerard Rue and Aitor Garmendia from the Tour-team '95. Other noteworthy departures; Spanish champion Jesus Montoya goes to Motorola, Andy Hampsten to US Postal and David Garcia to Euskadi.

Until the Tour of the Basque Country in April (8-12) the team will only participate in Spanish stage races. That means that there will be no Paris-Nice (Vuelta a Murcia instead) or Criterium International for Indurain. The Giro d'Italia is also (almost certainly) out, instead they will ride Bicicleta Vasca (May 22-26) and Dauphine Libere (June 2-9).

Miguel Indurain, who right now is seven kilos over his racing weight, will begin his season in Mallorca (Challange Mallorquina, February 11-15) and have a slow build-up until May. He says: "I'm not preoccupied with my physical condition at the moment. I have plenty of time to get into shape." About retirement plans: "I have a contract for one year. Last season finished very well for me, and if it's the same next year I might continue. Anyway, it all depends on what happens, and my motivation."

A group of twelve riders will be preparing specially for the Tour. Sprinters Nazon and Hunt will be expected to shine in the stage and one day races in the early season.

The Banesto team for '96:

Marino Alonso, Vincente Aparicio, Jose Luis Arrieta, Santiago Blanco, Angel Luis Casero, Thomas Davy (Fra), Jose Vincente Garcia, Ramon Gonzalez Arrieta, Jeremy Hunt (Eng, neo), Miguel Indurain, Prudencio Indurain, Jose Maria Jimenez, Carmelo Miranda, Damien Nazon (Fra, neo), Erwin Nijboer (Ned), Victor Hugo Pena (Col, neo), Orlando Rodrigues (Por, ex-Artiach) and Jose Ramon Uriarte.

Manager: Jose Miguel Echavarri. Directeur sportifs: Eusebio Unzue and Jose Luis Jaimerena.

Rominger says no to Giro too

The Giro-winner 1995 Tony Rominger has declared in the newspaper Tribune de Geneve that he will not defend his win in 1996. The reason given is that it would interfere with his preparation for the Tour de France, which he aims to win. Mapei boss Giorgio Squinzi said that it is more important to win the Tour than a repeat Giro win.

Besides the Tour, Rominger will aim for the Olympic Games in Atlanta and the World Championships on home territory in Lugano. There is also a possibility that he will attack his own hour record at the end of the season, probably in October in Mexico City, according to his directeur sportif, Juan Fernandez.

Cologne Six Day - after second night (12/28):

 1. Madsen-Veggerby (Den)        108 pts
 2. Kappes-De Wilde (Ger/Bel)     74
 3. Risi-Freuler (Sch)            66
 4. Schmidt-Teutenberg (Ger)      52

        Two laps behind:
 5. Zimmermann-Gilmore (Ger/Aus)  52

        Three laps behind:
 6. Clark-Woods (Aus)             72
 7. Dikirch-Beikirch (Ger)        58

Cyclo-Cross World Cup (6th round at Loenhout, Belgium, December 28)

1. Paul Herijgers (Bel) 1.00.07
2. Groenendaal (Neth) + 7 secs
3. Bramati (It) +9
4. Vervvecken (Bel) +15
5. Van der Poel (Neth) +21
6. Simunek (Czec) +29
7. De Vos (Neth) +30
8. Arnould (Fr) +46
9. Willmesens (Bel) +1.06
10. Wabel (Swi) +1.20

Overall classification

1. Luca Bramati 100
2. Groenendaal 76
3. Runkel (Swi) 57
4. Wabel 54
5. De Vos 46

The seventh and final round is at Pontchateau (France) on 21 January. This will be followed on 4 February by the world championships at Montreuil in France.

One Tour For Virenque

Festina rider Richard Virenque has decided that he will focus his season on the Tour de France, in which he is setting his sights on overall victory, not just the climber's jersey he won last year for the second time. He will ride neither the Vuelta a Espana, in which he was fifth in 1995 at his first attempt, nor the Giro d'Italia. "The route of the Giro suits me very well," said Virenque. "It's mountainous and there's only one time trial...but riding [a big tour] in May and June might mean I don't have the strength for the year's 'must', the Tour de France." Virenque says he would like to take a third Tour spotted jersey, but realizes "that one day it will be necessary to sacrifice that for higher ambitions."

New ForceSud Team Still Uncertain, But Less So...

With 13 riders under contract (including Arnould, Bourguignon, Lance and Capelle) the new ForceSud team was supposed by now (in line with French cycling federation regulations) to have deposited with the federation funds to cover three months' riders' salaries but has not been able to do so. On 26 December, the team's manager, Gilles Gallais, met with federation president Daniel Baal, accompanied by the team's attorney, Alain Perronnet, and Jean-Paul Remacle, the French disdtributor of Fondriest bikes, which is to supply the team with equipment. "We have put our problems to the president," said Maitre Perronnet. "ForceSud is not the only team that hasn't yet fulfilled the conditions [on the deposit of funds -- apparently the team of Vincent Lavenu, the former Chazal manager, and the Aubervilliers team have also asked for extra time].

The sponsors are there and we have the money. But we can't pay up until January since our sponsors have budgeted the money for 1996, not 1995." ForceSud says that these sponsors include the city of Marseille, Zipp [I don't know what this company does -- RT], and the milling company Storione, which bakes Banette bread. The prospective directeur-sportif of the team, Michel Theze, who is the French national trainer and also presently attached to the crack amateur military team, Bataillon de Joinville, said: "The withdrawal of a potential sponsor a few weeks ago made me have doubts. I said to Gilles Gallais then: 'We ought to stop everything, we ought to release the riders from their contracts, be honest with them, even though we will only be putting them out of their misery.' He replied that he had continued looking for money and had found it. "

Theze is still cautious. He is awaiting near-certainty that the team is to go ahead before seeking leave of absence from the Ministry of Youth and Sports. While the team waits on this, former pro Jean-Claude Bagot is to take on Theze's role on a temporary basis. Gallais, for his part, has until the second week of January to deposit the "garantie bancaire" with the French federation. The riders can get with their training, no doubt with clouds of apprehension floating above them -- they are to get their Fondriest bikes and their clothing in the next few days. "It's just a matter of paperwork," said optimistic team-member Dominique Arnould, his spirits no doubt raised by his recent victory in the "national challenge" cyclo-cross [not the French national championships,which take place on January 14].