News for December 19, 1996


Miguel Indurain wants $10 million

Five-times Tour de France winner Miguel Indurain may retire next season if the Once cycling team cannot raise 10 million dollars from sponsorship to pay his salary.

Madrid daily El Pais said Wednesday the 32-year-old had refused to re-sign for his Banesto team and was negotiating with Once, whose star riders are Frenchman Laurent Jalabert and Alex Zulle of Switzerland, this year's Tour of Spain winner.

El Pais said Indurain would race the Tour de France and Tour of Spain next year if he joined Once, the same as Jalabert. Zulle would ride in the Tour de France and Tour of Italy.

Indurain's attempt for a record sixth Tour de France victory was thwarted by Denmark's Bjarne Riis this year.

Photo-Finish Cop To Pay Damages

The snap-happy policeman with whom Wilfried Nelissen collided as he wound up his sprint finish at Armentieres in the 1994 Tour de France has been found responsible for the accident by a Paris court and ordered to pay Nelissen compensation. The damages ordered to be paid are relatively insubstantial -- 60,000 Belgian francs (approx US$1,880) -- so presumably the Belgian sprinter, currently back in training after an even more severe accident in Gent--Wevelgem this year, will get more satisfaction from a court's having pinned the blame on the policeman than from having been awarded monetary compensation.