Belgian Cycling Federation President and Coach quitErnest de Vuyst, President of the BWB, on Thursday quit his position. Eddy Merckx, Belgian National Coach also quit with him. De Vuyst tendered his resignation and said that is position at the BWB had in the last week become unmanageable. The president has lost his authority. Merckx put his lot in with De Vuyst.The former world champion had a successful worlds last year with a win in Switzerland (with Johan Museeuw as the new title holder).Hij resolved later that he would only stay if De Vuyst stayed in the presidentship. Merckx, five times Tour of France winner, was the coach for ten years. "I was going to agree to another year as National coach" said Merckx. "But that is no more. The new directors shall probably appoint someone for more years." On Sunday, the national meeting of the BWB was initially going to decide over the continuation of De Vuyst. Also a new board of directors had to be chosen. There has been critics of the President the week before. De Vuyst said: ,"The climate in the Federation was so bad that there was no future for me and also the president not able to function. The relations of trust could not be found. That made it very difficult to take a new fuor year term. Moreover I have been very tired this year. The battery is empty." De Vuyst (55) made his resignation official on Tuesday lunchtime at a press conference in Vorst. His departure was broadcast over BRT radio on Tuesday afternoon. By Wednesday evening a group sympathetic to De Vuys began to act to keep him as president of the BWB. The sports desk at the national press bureau Belga received a list of 336 signatures, faxed from the Department of Sport's Medicine at the Free University of Brussels. It included a lot of students but also cycle pros Wilfried Nelissen, Herman Frison and Bert de Waele. Festina in formThe Festina riders are definitely in form. After the long escape and the spectacular triumph by Richard Virenque, Tuesday in the Marseillaise, yesterday at the first stage of the Etoile de Besseges, a young Patrice Halgand won at the sprint over Eros Poli, Bruno Boscardin, Rodolfo Massi, Roux and to Polish Spruch. The youngman from Festina, a Cyclocross and a professional for two years, was awarded his second career victory yesterday. "I'm not a sprint specialist, but after spending a year with no results because of a back operation, I wanted at all costs to make myslef noticed and enroll my name in a big race of the calendar. That's why I have slipped in the gruppetto of five that attacked after 128 kms. of competition, but I honestly didn't think that I had a chance, seen that I was in company of Poli and of four other riders of great experience. It has gone well for me.".Halgand is happy. He starts sprinting 100 meters from the finish and he never thought of the riders on his side, Poli, Massi and Laurent Roux. He lifts his arms to the sky and slips the first leader's jersey of his young man career. In a corner of the podium there is Poli, who now defends the colors of the transalpine Gan. Poli thanks the numerous public which applauds but he is not able to take comfort: "With a kilometer to go from the finishing line, I was sure that I would be able to get my first victory this season, which I would have dedicated to my managers and to my new teammates, who have received me warmly. Instead everything got twisted in the last 100 meteres. I spun fast and held ready to go in the last fifty meters, but I unfortunately had a problem with the gears: I was able to start in front of Boscardin but Halgand caught me on the wire". We should point out the good performance by Bruno Boscardin, third: "In two days we have had two victories, a second and a third place: our manager, manager is happy". Also happy is Massi, fourth who competes for the French Team Casino. BanestoThe Banesto cycling team will celebrate tomorrow their presentation in Madrid, in which the main novelty will be the absence of Miguel Indurain, who announced his retirement on January 2nd. There will be seven new riders for '97 including Abraham Olano, Spain's most promising cyclist and three teammates from his previous team Mapei: The Spanish National Champion Manuel Fernandez Gines, Manuel Beltran and Miguel Angel Pena. Together with them, Frenchman Armand de las Cuevas, who was part of Banesto some years ago and the brothers Aitor and Unai Osa, the first one from team Euskadi and the second a neo-pro. A balanced team, with team directors Jose Miguel Echavarri and Eusebio Unzue, who will have as main objective the Tour de France and la Vuelta a Espana.In addition to the acquisitions, the riders for Banesto'97 will be the following: Marino Alonso, Jose Maria Jimenez, Ramon Gonzalez Arrieta, Jose Luis Arrieta, Jose Ramon Uriarte, Prudencio Indurain, Jeremy Hunt (GBR), Orlando Rodrigues (POR), Jose Vicente Garcia, Carmelo Miranda, Vicente Aparicio, Jose Angel Casero and Santiago Blanco. Small Italian Team emergesRos Mary will the main sponsor of the formation managed by Giorgio Vannucci. The sport equipment company will sponsor a team composed of Bobrik, Caruso, De Paul, Dotti, Finesso, Cockerels, Menegotto, Passarin, Poser, Saleri, Scopsi, Woodland, Tani, Tomi, Varocchi and Voltolini. MILANO -No Mario at Milan 6Mario Cipollini won't be at the Omnium for the start tomorrow of the Six Days of Milano. The Tuscan from the Saeco has forfeited, because of a fever: in his place Axel Merckx, the son of the great Eddy, who competes for Team Polti. Together with Merckx, there will be Andrea Tafi (Mapei-GB), winner of the Giro di Lombardia '96, and Fabrizio Guidi (Scrigno-Gaerne), the revelation of '96 with sixteen victories.Berzin punched in trainingThe Russian from Batik-De Monte was training on the hills of the of Pavia Oltrepr when he was chased by a dog. Berzin stopped and reprimanded the owner, which answered him with a punch to the face. "I Was in climb, in the area of Nibbiuno. The dog would have bit me, but I have shouted strongly so he stayed away. I demanded to the owner, to take away the dog and all I got as a reply was a punch which broke my lip. I tried to defend myself like I could, but I got bruises in my hand. When I went to the hospital, they recommended that I rest for 10 days. I have reported fact to the police authorities". Eugenio Berzin wants to debut at the Trofeo Laigueglia on February 18. |