News for December 25, 1996

Koksijde Cyclo Cross Report

The current Cyclocross World Champion, Dutch Adri van der Poel, with his win of the great race at the Belgian location of Coxyde places himself at only one point of the general classification of the World Cup from his compatriot Richard Groenendaal. Thirty seven year old Van der Poel, had a great duel in the last part of the race with Belgian Erwin Vervecken and Groenendaal, winner of three World Cup races this year, but who couldn't hold the final pull from Van der Poel having to satisfy himself with third place.

The next World Cup race will be held on January 19th of 1997 at the Dutch city of Heerlen.

Cyclist Armstrong 'almost back to normal' after chemotherapy

Austin cyclist Lance Armstrong, a week removed from his final chemotherapy treatment for advanced testicular cancer, is inching closer to a normal life. ``I'm almost back to normal,'' Armstrong said late Thursday during a telephone interview from his home in West Austin. ``But I don't have my old life back. Yet.'' Doctors have told Armstrong that the chances of his cancer, which had spread to his abdomen, lungs and brain, coming back are ``small.'' And aside from a twice-weekly blood test for the next two months, Armstrong is not scheduled to see his oncologist until February.

But Armstrong found out on Thursday that he might be trying too hard, too quickly, to get back the exhausting life of popular, elite athlete he had before he was diagnosed with testicular cancer in early October. The frigid weather this week prevented him from riding, but he completed his Christmas shopping, attended a holiday party one evening past midnight, and went out to dinner every night, feasting on his favorite chicken burritos smothered with tomatillo sauce. On Thursday, he woke up with a sore throat, and doctors told him his white blood count had gotten too low as a side effect of his last week of chemotherapy. He had to stay in for the night. ``Looking back, what I did this week, it was really probably too much,'' said the 25-year-old Armstrong. ``It was really kind of a slap in the face. I was trying to do too much. I should have been relaxing.''

Armstrong announced on Oct. 8 that he had been diagnosed with testicular cancer, which had spread to his abdomen and lungs. He said he wanted to promote awareness of his cancer, which is one of the most common in white males 15 to 35, rather than hide his illness. He said if he had been more aware of the symptoms, he would have sought treatment long before he began feeling pain in one testicle and coughing up blood. In October, doctors determined that the cancer had spread to his brain. He underwent surgery at a hospital in Indianapolis to remove two small brain lesions. Every three weeks since the surgery, he has flown to Indianapolis for a five-day cycle of chemotherapy. He was hospitalized during the treatment because doctors had to monitor his kidneys due to the toxicity of one of the drugs he was taking. He did not suffer any significant side effects of the chemo until last month.

That all ended a week ago when doctors removed the chemo catheter that had been inserted in his upper chest. He finally was able to make plans, rather than focusing each day around his cancer treatments. He will visit his parents next week for Christmas, then return to Austin long enough to pack some clothes and his bikes and fly to balmy South Florida. ``I need some warmer weather and some flatter roads,''

Armstrong said, adding that he also needs to tan his ``nasty'' white skin and grow back the hair he lost from the chemo. ``I guess if this (the cancer) hadn't happened, I'd be in California (to train) in the warmer weather and in the mountains.'' He does plan to ride competitively in 1997, but he will not rush his comeback. He's shooting for late spring. ``I'm hoping for some sort of return next year,'' Armstrong said. ``I think I'd be making a big mistake if I came back too soon. I could go in April or May but I may have to wait until August, because even if I was ready to come back in June or July, that's the Tour de France, and I don't want to make that my first race.''

And of-course, some Miguel information

The Navarran cyclist, Miguel Indurain, who was named today Pamplona's Adoptive Son, has not cleared his situation for next season. This award has gathered different personalities that are linked to the sports world, some of the people present included: from Banesto, Jose Miguel Echavarri, Eusebio Unzue and Jose Luis Jaimerena and ONCE's rider the Navarran, Miguel Morras. Miguel Indurain insisted that it wasn't the time to speak about his future and only spoke about the award. He did say: "Some people say one thing and others say other things and I have yet to say anything. I will speak when I have to". When asked if we would have to wait until December 31st to know his decision he said: "more or less, but I will tell you when", he reassured.

In terms of Miguel Indurain, Jose Miguel Echavarri said: "we were friends, worked in the same team and now we are from the same town, because I'm from Pamplona, so welcome to Pamplona". Echavarri commented that "this was another deserved homage" and congratulated the Pamplona Townhall for the initiative. Miguel Morras, cyclist for ONCE who used to belong to the Banesto amateur team assured that he didn't know anything about Indurain's future. But when asked about Miguel Indurain's changes in training, he has said that: "to carry a heart rate monitor and work out at the gym is typical of a certain team - referring to Team ONCE - and it gives me a lot to think about".

"Casually", he added, "Manolo Saiz has us training by riding up four climbs and the other day the news were that Indurain was training by riding up four climbs". "The truth is that Indurain has never worked with a heart rate monitor, has always trained by 'feeling' which is what most cyclist have done up to a few years ago: to go out and if you feel well you ride farther and if you're not well you go home. But now it looks like he's working in the gym", he finished. "It could be coincidence or an important bit of information", said Morras, who like Indurain has begun his preparation for the next season about two weeks ago. According to what he said: the number of kilometers that Saiz programs for his riders is about 100 kilometers. "They are training rides of four hours with four climbs", he detailed.