News for December 12, 1997

Contracts and Transfers

- The Spanish rider José Ramon Uriarte who has been struggling to find a team for 1998 after being dumped by Banesto will now ride for the French team, Festina. The 30-year old was the close helpe of 5 times Tour de France winner, Miguel Indurain while he was at Banesto. Another Spanish rider, Coque Uria, will ride in 1998 for the Swiss team Ros Mary which has also signed Claudio Chiappucci as its team leader.

- Adriano Baffi will return to Italy after a season with the American Team US Postal. Baffi will ride with Team Ballan in their Scapin bicycles. The team directed by Miozzo & Mariuzzo, is meeting today in San Giorgio in Bosco (Pd) for a brief exchange. Also with the team are Gontchenkov, Colombo, Leoni, Cattai, Canzonieri, Finco, Loda, Tosatto, Tronca, Ugrumov and Neo-Pros Alberto & Rodolfo Ongarato and Baldo.

- The number of top Italian teams next year has declined from 15 to 14 due to the withdrawal of the Mobilvetta team for 1998. Team Mobilvetta, which was going to be led by rider Leonardo Piepoli and directed by Franco Chioccioli reached the decision to pull out of sponsoring the team, since some of the secondary sponsors didn't come through and the firm decided not to carry the whole load. The company's administrator communicated with the riders to tell them about the Team's dissolution, which had signed 12 riders. Some riders have already made arrangements with other teams: Luca Mazzanti has reached an agreement with Cantina Tollo, while Gabriele Balducci will ride next year for Scrigno-Gaerne. Leonardo Piepoli will ride for Saeco.

- Wim van de Meulenhof has signed for the new semi-professional team in the Netherlands called MGI Fietsen (a bike manufacturer), which has taken over the former top amateur team of De Jonge Renner and which is based in Oosterhout. The 31-year old Van de Meulenhof rode as a professional last year with Foreldorado. Foreldorado decided not to continue in 1998. He was successful in the Spanish stage race Circuit Montanes and one a stage in the Tour of Rhineland Phalz where he held the leaders jersey for a day. The East Brabander will also work for 20 hours a week with the bicycle manufacturer. The team has signed 19 rider, of which the most known are John van den Akker, Erwin Nijboer and Michel Zanoli.

- After 13 years as a professional rider, Alberto Volpi has retired and will begin a new career as a director for the Riso Scotti team, captained by Nicola Minali and Fabio Baldato. Sunday, Volpi will be at a party at Cogliate (Milano) which will include a kermesse where Bugno, Bartoli, Chiappucci, Cipollini and many other friends will participate.

UCI ban High-Tech Bikes

There will be new specifications released to national cycling bodies which will unify standards with respect to the weight, frame and wheel sizes. The new regulations will apply at the Sydney 2000 Olympics. They will reflect what Verbruggen considers to be a "normal" cycle.

Leontien Van Moorsel and her Team

Another star addition is Elsbeth Vink. She has been racing a MTB for the last 2 years but will join Van Moorsel in 1998. She said: "I think that I rode the road better in the past. I have enjoyed racing the MTB circuit but I have missed the road."

The 24-year old rider pulled out of the National Road team 2 years ago to ride the MTB season. She rode for the American Eagle team and had some decent results. She said: "But the demands of MTB racing are certainly heavy. I had scarcely any time to recover. I have to consider my health. Now I will make a new start on the road". She will now be back with van Moorsel who also rode with her in the National Team and who will lead the team next season.

The new sponsor Opstalan has signed for one year, with an option for another season. Former sponsor VKS will remain as a co-sponsor. Van Moorsel said: "I have to thank VKS a lot. But Opstalan has more to offer, that was important in the coming year. The team will be able to ride in a more professional way now."

The World Championships in Valkenburg are the major event for Van Moorsel in 1998. She made a successful comeback last season, and hopes that she will be equally successful in her international comeback, especially as it will be in her own country. She is available for the national women's team which is now under the guidance of new coach Jean-Paul van Poppel.

In addition to Vink, the Opstalen team has also signed New Zealand's Bianca Netzler. The National TT Champion has a wild card for the World Championships.

Erik Zabel Interview

FAZ: Jan Ullrich has been elected "sportsman of the year 1997". Are you glad about this?

Zabel: Yes, sure. He deserves it and cycling, too.

FAZ: Didn't you want to win this award for a long time?

Zabel: Well, I won the Brugelmann trophy. No, seriously: The award pays tribute to him and the team.

FAZ: You want to renew your contract early. Why?

Zabel: That gives my security in the long run and this reduces stress. (With a new contract) I'm also ready to sacrifice myself. But when a contract expires it's quite useful to get one stage win or two.

FAZ: How long do you want to stay?

Zabel: I want to ride for the team until I'm 30, till the end of 2000. Then I might join a Spanish team.

FAZ: Ullrich and Riis are after the overall in the tour, you are after stages. That hardly goes together.

Zabel: I'm a racer, not a Directeur sportif. But there are several possibilities to bring the goals together.

FAZ: Do you stay with Telekom because you think like "it takes eleven friends..." ? (This is a classic saying from pro football, uhm- soccer... KV)

Zabel: No, not at all. I just don't see a market for me. Jan's Tour win looks now for the public like an individual performance. When I win everybody always stresses what a great team is behind me. This doesn't look like there will be another pro team in Germany.

FAZ: Is that a personal or a structural problem?

Zabel: The success of Jan destroyed everything else in cycling. Any race (in Germany) without him is nothing. The sponsors desert the smaller race organizers and the minor teams. This is rather a boomerang than a boom.

FAZ: You won Milan-San Remo, three Tour stages this year and four Tour stages in the years before, you won the green jersey, -- is your success adequately appreciated?

Zabel: I always sigh when I have to answer questions like this. OK, I don't think there's room in the public for several cyclists. What I regret is that there are different standards: one for the individual performance and one for the teams'. I have once jokingly said: "Thanks, my dear team, that you let me win." But I'm used to it. I rode in the shadow of Olaf Ludwig and Bjarne Riis and I can ride in the shadow of Jan Ullrich.

FAZ: You're talking about experts for stage races...

Zabel: Cycling has changed. Years ago there was a Merckx who won everything. Then came Lemond and Indurain who concentrated only on the Tour. Jan is the perfect copy of Indurain. They don't do our sport a favor because they say the classics aren't interesting for them. The Tour crushes all other races. But sadly enough it's true that Jan would be crazy if he tried to win Milan-San Remo. On the other hand: All journalists would be there if he tried to.

FAZ: You are the sprinter in the team...

Zabel: Actually I don't see myself as a pure sprinter. In Unna and Bayern I won stages after breakaways. But this doesn't work in the big races. They grant you five minutes in an attack- then they'll get you. But what else can I do when the team brings me always in front?

FAZ: Didn't you have the chance to get the Yellow jersey from Mario Cippollini this year?

Zabel: I was 4 seconds behind him before the 5th stage. But Walter Godefroot said: we forget this, we want to bring Bolts and Totschnig to the mountains. In the stage to La Chatre I would have got him. But then there goes Vasseur on a breakaway and takes 2 minutes and the yellow jersey. We didn't do anything.

FAZ: Are you taking revenge on the first six flat stages next year?

Zabel: That's too far away. Maybe there's a group like that with Claudio Chiappucci once, who took 12 minutes.

Mapei have their Team Meeting

"It is true that for 1997 we didn't win a Major Classic or a Major Stage Race - says Saronni -. But the team was always a player and our image and performace was at a high level. Only at the Tour de France was the result negative, because of Steels gesture (throwing a water bottle to Moncassin during a sprint), also because we were unable to win a stage. But in the Spring classifications, we were number one and Tonkov would have won the Giro if it wasn't for what happened in Cervinia".

Water under the bridge. On these days, at a meeting in Arona, the team directed by Saronni, Pietro Algeri & Patrick Lefevere has set the base for a grand '98. Beginning with a new jersey design, which will be an incisive graphic. Out goes the dominant blue: new will be the brandnames Mapei-Bricobì which will be set on a white background.

Analyzing 1997, Giuseppe Saronni has struck hard on Andrea Tafi. "We expected a lot from Tafi, but we had failed to understand that modifying his conduct in the race, would also affect how he conducted himself with the team. On certain ocassions we've had the chance to have spectacular finishes, but his actions have not been within the team strategy" Andrea Tafi would only say: "I accept the criticism, because this is a time of absolute reflection for the whole team, a time to build the team".

Pavel Tonkov has defined his program with a 'pink conviction'. "I aim towards the Giro d'Italia - says the Russian -. The route adapts to my possibilities. I will ride the Giro to win and then I will decide if I will participate at the Tour".

Stefano Zanini points instead to the first part of the calendar. "My definite goal os Milano-Sanremo".

Johan Museeuw says: "For 1998 I would like at least a success in one of the Classics that are missing in my palmares, in particular I would like to win Sanremo".

Franco Ballerini will return to be Ballerini. "I want to be in shape for Paris-Roubaix where I expect to be a player and I expect to dispute the Tour and to close the season the season well".

Oscar Camenzind, Daniele Nardello and Gianni Faresin will escort Pavel Tonkov to the Giro, while Giuseppe Di Grande will build experience at the Tour. The four Here is the Organization of Team Mapei-Bricobì '98:

The team at present: Ballerini, Bramati, Bugno, Camenzind (Swi), Di Grande, Faresin, Lanfranchi, Leysen (Bel), Mattan (Bel), Missaglia, Museeuw (Bel), Nardello, Peeters (Bel), Pianegonda, Spruch (Pol), Steels (Bel), Svorada (Rep. Cec), Tafi, Tonkov (Rus), Vandenbroucke (Bel), Zanini.

New: Belohvosciks (Lit - neo), Codol (neo), Figueras (neo). Frutti (neo).

Manager: Giuseppe Saronni.

Sport Directors: Pietro Algeri, Fabrizio Fabbri, Patrick Lefevere (Bel), Maurizio Piovani.

Trainers: Aldo Sassi & Guido Nigrelli.

Doctors: Fabio Zaretti & Yvan Vanmol (Bel).

[Bill: Chemists: ????]

Milan Cyclo Cross

Lance in Spain - for Tour of Andalucia

Luis Cuevas has also announced the participation of Erik Zabel, who will carry the number 1 with the Telekom Team, Eugeni Berzin, with Team Francaise des Jeux (France), Russian Ekimov, Spaniard Llaneras, etc. About Abraham Olano's particiaption, the race director said: "we don't know if he will be in the race" although he admitted "that they were doing negotiations with Banesto" since the "organization negotiates with the directors and then they work out their own plans". Cuevas also talked about the high number of teams that will participate at this edition: "There are 16 already and we will probably have 18 or 20". The teams that have confirmed their participation for 1998 are Telekóm (Germany), Lotto & Palmans (Belgium), Banesto, ONCE, Kelme, Euskadi, Toscaf & Vitalicio (Spain), U.S. Postal Service (U.S.), La Francaise des jeux (France), Rabobank & TVM (Holland), Mapei, Polti & Saeco (Italy).

World Cycling Championships - B Grade

The UCI states that the purpose of the B Grade Championships is to allow potential talent from smaller countries to be revealed. The UCI believe that the A Grade Championships do not allow talent in smaller countries to come to the fore because of the dominance of European cyclists.

The first gold medal in the miss-and-out went to Gamman Konstantin from Kyrghyzstan (where is that?) who overcame Iran's Mahmoud Vafaei of Iran in the final lap. Mahmoud had led the race from the gun but was overtaken by Konstantin who attacked with 125 metres from the stripe. There was a major pile up on lap 7 when local rider Faizul Izuan Abdul Rahman hit Pieter Jansen from South Africa towards the back of the field.

Elimination Race (Miss-and-Out)

 1. Gamman Konstantin, Kyrghyzstan
 2. Mahmoud Vafaei, Iran
 3. Chen Kang-Hsen, Taiwan
 4. Wu Dan, China
 5. Lin Hsiang-Hung, Taiwan
 6. Shahram Hajivand, Iran
 7. Tahabonoin Soon Tonnum, Thailand
 8. Syed Mohd Hussain Syed Mazlan, Malaysia
 9. Li Sai Hong, Hong Kong
10. Faizul Izuan Abdul Rahman, Malaysia
11. Pieter Jansen, South Africa
12. Wong Kam Po, Hong Kong
13. Li Jiawang, China
14. Colin Andrews, South Africa
15. Michael Vernon, Cayman Islands
16. Martinez Arrovo Villegas, Bolivia
17. Dennis Brooks, Cayman Islands
18. Sobir Kurbanbaev, Uzbekistan