Lance Armstrong reportUnited States cyclist Lance Armstrong, recovering from testicular cancer, will ride in a charity race here in his hometown in March but still has no timetable for returning to competition."I just don't know how it's going to be when I come back, whether I'm going to have the same form that I had before," Armstrong said. Armstrong, 25, will ride in the March 23 "Race for the Roses" to raise money for his foundation that focuses on financing cancer awareness projects. Doctors have told Armstrong, a two-time Tour DuPont champion and two-time stage winner in the Tour de France, he cannot return to competition until July at the earliest. New German Race from OldThe traditional race from Hanover to Berlin - which was brought to life again in 1996 after a long break - will be held this year on two days, May 3rd and 4th. Stage 1 will be from the International Airport in Hanover-Langenhagen to Wolfsburg (186 km), Stage 2 leads from Wolfsburg to Berlin (209 km). The Finish is on the famous Berlin road Unter den Linden which was road No. 1 in the city before the 2nd world war. Last years winner Erik Zabel has already stated that he'll start with a complete Telekom Team.Because the UCI ranking of this race is higher than last year (2.5), Sweden and Denmark announced to send their national cycling teams. Interview with ZabelGerman rider Eric Zabel said today, after winning the trofeo Luis Puig and with la Vuelta a la Comunidad Valenciana starting on Tuesday that his objective is not to win there, "since Ullrich and Riis arrive as favorites for the win". "Both Ullrich and Riis are very strong right now and I'm going to work for them. That's why I think that my mission will not be to win la Vuelta", indicated Zabel, who added that his win at Luis Puig was due to the help from his team, which had facilitated the victory in the final meters. About the state in which his compatriot Ullrich arrives to the Valencian race, Zabel said that he sees him strong, although he feels that the rider is not in peak physical form to face the race."It wasn't easy since there were great riders, but I have been able to take advantage of the opportunity, said Zabel, who assured us that he was accumulating fatigue before the start of the race, even though he has disputed nine sprints since the start of the season. Neiwand tests positiveGazzetto della sport reports that Australian track rider Gary Neiwand, Sprint and Keirin World Champion in Hamar '93, has tested positive at a surprise control done at a race in New Zealand.A Birthday for PinarelloGiovanni 'Nane' Pinarello, the bicycle builder will turn 75 years old on July 10. To celebrate, a care called the Gran Fondo Pinarello will be disputed at Treviso probably on July 20th. |