Second Edition News for December 9, 1997


Contracts and Transfers

- Ballan announces its squad. Team leader: Flavio Miozzo; 14 riders: Adriano Baffi; Alexander Gontchenkov; Endrio Leoni; Pjotr Ugrumov; Filippo Baldi; Angelo Canzonieri; Stefano Cattai; Gabriele Colombo; Carlo Finco; Nicola Loda; Alberto and Rodolfo Ongarato; Matteo Tosatto; Amilcare Tronca.

Ballan has signed a 3-year contract (till 2000) with Miozzo.

Superprestige Round 4, Italy, December 12

I will have a full report later on this.

 1. Daniele Pontoni (Ita)
 2. Richard Groenendaal (Ned)
 3. Adri van der Poel (Ned)

 6. Wim de Vos (Ned)

Standings after Round 4

 1. Richard Groenendaal (Ned)	59 points
 2. Adri van der Poel (Ned)	50

Ullrich - German Sportsperson of the Year

Jan Ullrich has been chosen by German sport's journalists as the Sportsperson of the Year. The Women's Title went to athlete Astrid Kumbernuss. The Telekom Cycling Team was chosen as the best sport's team.

is in Duitsland door spo The winner of the Tour of France had a large gap in the voting from athlete Lars Riedel and Triathlete Thomas Hellriegel. In the women's title, Sabine Braun was second from canoist Birgit Fischer. The women's team was the 4x400 meter athletic squad.

Schijndel, Cyclo Cross for elite and neo-amateurs:

Men:

 1. Veldkamp (Kamerik) 		       58.52
 2. Gerritsen (Hooglanderveen) 		0.10 
 3. Nijland (Gengelo)
 4. Schrader (Spankeren) 		0.50
 5. Van der Ven (Schijndel) 		0.55

Women: 

 1. Dorland (Eerbeek)
 2. Van den Brand (Zeeland NBr)
 3. Ravesteyn (Wychen)

Jean-Paul van Poppel - new Dutch Women's Coach

Jean-Paul van Poppel (35) will be the National Coach for the Women's Team in 1998. He will work with the assistant-coach Ingrid Haringa. Van Poppel has been given a part-time contract with the KNWU. He won 22 stages in important tours: 9 in the Vuelta, 9 in the Tour de France and 4 in the Giro. In 1987 he got the green jersey in the Tour de France. He was also an ex-PDM rider.

1998 Olympia's Tour Announced

The Dutch Olympia's of the Netherlands will go over the "roof" of the Netherlands, the Vaalserberg in Limburg near the German and Belgium border. The peloton will climb the highest point in the Netherlands in the second Limburg stage, from Born to Lippe. The "Queen's Stage" is a day later, Wednesday, May 20 from Cranendonck to Buchten. The 1998 Tour will run from May 15-24.

There will be an prologue TT, a TTT, and an individual time trial two days before the finish which should be the last chance to make a dent on the general classification. The race will cover 1590 kms over the 10 days. Als this year, the organisers have raised around 400,000 guilders.

The stages are:

Friday May 15: 		Prologue  ITT, 5.4 km
Saturday May 16: 	Stage  1  Ridderkerk- Ridderkerk, 160 km
Sunday May 17:		Stage  2  Rotterdam-Zestienhoven - Noordwijkerhout, 180 km
Monday May 18: 		Stage  3  Noordwijkerhout - Tilburg, 180 km
Tuesday May 19:		Stage  4  Tilburg - Cranendonck, 132.9 km
			Stage  5  Teams Time Trial in Cranendonck, 30 km
Wednesday May 20: 	Stage  6  Cranendonck - Buchten, 183.3 km
Thursday May 21: 	Stage  7  Born - Linne, 173.3 km
Friday May 22: 		Stage  8  Maasbracht - Zaltbommel, 132.5 km
			Stage  9  ITT in Zaltbommel, 24 km
Saturday May 23:	Stage 10  Zaltbommel - Almere, 174 km
Sunday May 24: 		Stage 11  Almere - Amsterdam Slotervaart, 194.7 km

Leudelange, Cyclo Cross, Cat 3, December 7

 1. P. Willemsens (Bel)
 2. A. Moonen (Bel)
 3. D. Willemsens (Bel)
 4. M. Janssens (Bel)
 5. N. Clarysse (Bel)
 6. B. Blum (Swi)
 7. Kai Hundertmark (Ger)
 8. P. Blum (Swi)
 9. S. Kupfernagel (Ger)
10. B. Morf (Swi)