Second Edition News for February 11, 1997

Previewing Spain's Cycling Season

Or others that have said goodbye. The axe has come down on the ones born in the mid sixties. Cubino and Montoya have not been able to squeeze themselves anymore, neither did Frenchman Thierry Marie, German Olaf Ludwig, Belgians Van Hooydonck and Vanderaerden, Dutch Jelle Nijdam. Their absence won't be missed, since it has been some years since they have had first place in races.

Or an old man on the throne. Even though he might be saved by the fact that he matured late, Bjarne Riis also has more than 30 years and even with that he was the last winner of the Tour. Even though he was scheduled to, he's not riding the Vuelta a Mallorca, has preferred to go to a few days to Tenerife, where he will train while he promotes a new building development. He doesn't need to compete to loose kilos and get in form for his second Tour. Training takes care of that and with less pressure and more tranquility. Last year he did well, his first race will be la Vuelta a Valencia, from February 25 to March 1st.

Or ONCE. Nothing changes, but only a little. Jalabert (number one in the world, according to the UCI rankings) and Zulle (number two) are the leaders, they say that Zulle has more physical possibilities and Jalabert has more tactical possibilities. "We have shown that it is very easy to make two team leaders coexist". Manolo Saiz, their director, doesn't feel that things will change without Indurain. "Cycling was already open when he didn't with the sixth, in other words, Indurain was not a barrier for us last year", he says. Saiz reminds us that ONCE has always progressed from year to year, but that doesn't mean that the progression will make them win the this Tour. "It is the best race, but it doesn't stop being one more race. Cycling is not only July. You have to be there all year". In other words to win from the beginning, including exhibitions. Also this year they will participate at the Giro -"we can't put aside la Vuelta. We have to go with our leaders"- but they will change their calendar. Last year, Jalabert was worn out before the Tour fighting with Indurain over the Dauphine. So for 1997, no added pressure racing that one week French race. They will go to Luxembourg and maybe Switzerland. "We want less pressure". Also Riis shows up at the Tour of Luxembourg, which is where he lives.

Or Ullrich. Among the pile of bicycles at the door of Telekom's hotel one to stand out is Jan Ullrich's, the twenty two year old German prodigy from the last Tour. It is the dirtiest and carries a special chainring, an SRM which Greg LeMond made popular and was also used by Della Santa. Thanks to that device and a readout on the handlebar, the German knows the watts that he's generating with every pedal while he trains, plus his pulse, speed and others. Next to the bike there is Peter Becker, his private trainer, under salary by the cyclist and not by the Telekom team. He goes with him everywhere. Observators say, -although Becker who has spent 10 years with Ullrich says is not true- he's a very intelligent rider, but has a hard time training alone and has to have somebody after him, in a car watching out for him. "I'm his private trainer", says Becker, "but the training program is established by Telekom. I say how many competition days he should do before the Tour and the team decides in which races they will be done". Becker, maybe hiding his real thoughts says that Ullrich can't with the 1997 Tour, there are Riis, Tonkov or Pantani before him. But another teammate assures that: "Abraham Olano should hurry up, because if Ullrich wins, he's going to win them like Indurain did. And we thought that after the Navarran it was impossible for somebody to come out so strong. Beware of Ullrich". In a little while it will be fundamental to speak German to speak about cycling.

Or the other young ones. Ambitious and restless, all have switched teams these year. Russian Tonkov, winner of the last Giro, has taken over the spot left open by Olano's departure from Mapei and has started the season with a fall during training which caused a broken wrist; Austrian Luttenberger has gone to Rabobank to get paid for his great performance at the 1996 Tour; Pantani has separated from Chiappucci -some say that only to seek publicity- and has left for a new team, Mercatone Uno, a sponsor that comes back to the peloton, where he will answer the questions: Has a year off the bike left him out of competition or has it been beneficial, if one understands that he has rested his body which was quite abused?

Or the Spaniards. Excluding Abraham Olano, in Spain , the best are not winners. Escartin never quite makes it to the podium; Serrano and Jimenez can climb. The good ones at ONCE -Mauri, the last Spaniard to win la Vuelta, Cuesta, Garmendia, Zarrabeitia- are blocked by their leaders. The other promising ones -Blanco, Etxebarria, Morras, Marcelino Garcia- are still too young. A lot is expected from Casero, winner of the Tour D'Avenir in 1994.

Or Dope. Manolo Saiz: "ONCE will be the great beneficiary of the blood analysis to cut the use of EPO. Us and Indurain have been the only ones to maintain for many years a maximum level. That way the shooting stars will be over".

La Cantina Tollo - new team