Follow up on new race categoryThe UCI has created a new category of stage race, between the three big national tours (Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana) and the existing top-ranking of category 2.1. The races awarded this classification (hors categorie -- HC -- above classification) are Paris--Nice, the Dauphine Libere, Tirreno-Adriatico, the Tour of Romandie, the Tour of Switzerland, the Tour of the Basque Country and the Tour of Catalonia. These races will presumably attract more UCI points than the remaining Cat 2.1 races (in 1996 that would have been only the GP du Midi Libre, the Quatre Jours de Dunkerque and the Setmana Catalana) and the move can perhaps be seen as an attempt to maintain/improve the quality of field in these races. In 1996, for example, the Tour of Switzerland was seen to have been hard done by in the riders it attracted.Big Mig NewsAs far as is known, the only move that Miguel Indurain has done this month as newly retired was going to a Gorraiz, a Navarran Golf Club and registered himself for the beginners classes. If we continue to consider golf an elitist sport, that is the only concession that the 32 year old retired cyclist has made to indicate his status as a millionaire. Even with his large checking account, Miguel Indurain continues to be the quiet son of a farmer to which the fame gained on the bicycle has not changed him.After Three Kings Day, Indurain entered his dream stage as the last bit of press left him alone with the line: "what's in the past is the past and I'm not going to talk about it anymore" and he closed the doors to his 'chalet' in Olaz, close to Pamplona, with his wife, Marisa and his son Miguel, a bit over one year old. His home telephone didn't stop ringing, neither did his door bell. Calls from dozens of companies, banks and others, wishing to hire him for some high public relation mission, also direct visits by important people which kept on asking him to fulfill his mission with society and to take a picture with him: Paloma Gomez Borrero, bringing regards from the Vatican; Alejandro Rojas Marcos, asking him to help Sevilla get the 2004 Olympics; Coloman Trabado, emissary from the Superior Sports Council, so he would accept a place a representative of Spanish Sports for the World. At first he didn't say no to anyone, he only asked for time to think about it. Meanwhile, he lived his life as a retiree. In the mornings he would grab the car and drive to Pamplona to run errands, in the afternoon he would ride the bicycle to stay in shape. An anonymous family man. But little by little things started to change. The analyst started to see the first sign: "Indurain is gaining weight", they told themselves. They also saw Indurain in the stands at el Sadar watching Osasuna (Soccer game?); Indurain at Miliki's Circus. Indurain going out very little on his bike and when he does, not in his 1/2 kilogram Cannondale, but in his Mountain Bike in the company of his dog, Athos. "The weather is bad in Navarra", people excuse him, "when Pruden comes back from la Vuelta a Mexico they will go train in the son at Benidorm". After the first timid steps, Indurain has decided to stop ignoring his agenda of social activities. He seems convinced that he won't be able to live the solitary, retired life that he probably wishes he had. Spends a weekend in Barcelona surrounded by the press, visits the Futbol Club Barcelona, eats with the State Secretary of Sports, Pedro Antonio Martin and accepts the position of ambassador of Spanish Sports and accepts to go to Laussane to help Sevilla with their dream for the 2004 Olympics. Keep looking at his agenda and we see that he has to go to Oviedo and Ribaforada (Navarra), where they have named a street after him and he sees that he can't postpone things anymore. About the bicycle, there are only news about one act: a cyclo-tourist race in a few weeks at Penas Alas (Navarra), in which he will participate as an amateur amongst the more than 4,000 that will ride the race. |