Second Edition News for January 19

TVM presentation

Cees Priem presented the TVM team Thursday 1/18 in Den Bosch (a.k.a. 's-Hertogenbosch, Bois-le-Duc, Herzogenbusch). Their objectives for 1996 are the classics and all three big tours, Italy, France and Spain.

The 22 riders are:

Jeroen Blijlevens, Michel Cornelisse, Steven De Jongh, Maarten Den Bakker,
Bo Hamburger (Den), Tristan Hoffman, Lars Kristian Johnsen (Nor), Steffen
Kjaergaard, (Nor), Servais Knaven, Jelle Nijdam, Stephane Petilleau (Fra,
ex-Casto),Vladimir Pulnikov, (Ukr, ex-Telekom), Hendrik Redant (Bel),
Laurent Roux (Fra, ex-Casto), Jesper Skibby (Den), Raymond Thebes, Hendrik
van Dijck (Bel), Peter van Petegem (Bel), Martin van Steen, Jim van de Laer
(Bel), Niels van der Steen and Bart Voskamp.

French Teams (Part 3) -- La Mutuelle de Seine-et-Marne

In the third of a series on French teams for the upcoming season, LEquipe discusses La Mutuelle de Seine-et-Marne

HQ details: Association Tremplin 77, 14 rue Rene-Cassin, 77014, Melun Cedex, France

The officials: managing director, Daniel Gourdet; directeurs-sportifs, Yvon Sanquier, Jacky Lachevre; mechanic, Benoit Foucher; soigneur, Patrick Gagnier; medical personnel, Didier Picard, Patrick Nedellec; corporate communications, Sylvie Meunier; public relations, Agence Derby

The budget: 6 million French francs (US$1.2 million)

The equipment: bikes, Columbia; accessories, Sachs; rims and hubs, Mavic; pedals, Look; tyres, Hutchinson; shoes, Carnac Sport; helmets, Brancale; clothing, Noret; specs, Bolle; water bottles and cranks, TA; cars, Peugeot supplied by Peugeot Melun

The riders: Jean-Francois Anti (Fr, 24); Lauri Aus (Estonia, 25); Fabrice Blevin (Fr, 25, ne-pro, ex-Cotes dArmor); Blaise Chauviere (Fr, 26); Stephane Cueff (Fr, 26); Laurent Davion (Fr, 23, ex-Le Groupement); Frederic Gabriel (Fr, 25); Charles Guilbert (Fr, 23); Nicolas Jalabert (Fr, 22); Claude Lamour (Fr, 26); Franck Laurence (Fr, 25); Gilles Maignan (Fr, 27); Laurent Pillon (Fr, 31)

The teams programme will be confined to France, with special attention to the Coupe de France series of 11 or 12 races. Also on the programme will be Paris-Ni ce, the Quatre Jours de Dunkerque, Midi Libre, Dauphine Libere, Route du Sud and two of the World Cup races -- Paris-Roubaix and Paris-Tours. With the lesson of a slow start to the teams first season last year, with regular abandons in the early-season races right through to March, directeur-sportif Yvon Sanquier has ensured that the team will have a solid 6,500km training logged up before the GP dOuverture on February 6. The teams performance picked up a little later on last season, with Laurent Pillon taking a second place in a stage of the Midi Libre; Nicolas Jalabert geting the final overall in the Mi-Aout Bretonne and a 150-km lone escape by Stephane Cueff in Paris-Tours.

The Mutuelle de Seine-et-Marne insurance company has promised sponsorship to the end of 1997, and might even consider extending it further, being well pleased with the publicity the team has brought.