News for January 23

Van Der Poel Keeps On Dreaming

Cyclocross World Cup, Final Round, 21 February, Pont-Chateau, France

1. Adri van der Poel (Neth) 1.01.31
2. Pontoni (It) s.t
3. Chiotti (Fr) +29 secs
4. Magnien (Fr) +46
5. Frischknecht (Swi)
6. Vervecken (Bel)
7. Wabel (Swi) all s.t.
8. Bonnand (Fr) +55
9. Groenandaal (Neth) +1.01
10. Simulnek (Czech) +1.15
11. Van Santvliet (Czech)
12. Pagnier (Fr)
13. Arnould (Fr) all s.t.
14. Lukes (Czech) +1.44
15. Vandelli (It) +1.53
16. Bramati (It) +2.03
17. Halgand (Fr) +2.18
18. D. Lefevre (Fr) +2.22
19. Boezwinkel (Neth) +2.32
20 Elsnic (Czech) +2.38
(49 finishers)

Final Overall

1. Luca Bramati 100
2. Groenendaal 83
3. Wabel 63
4. Runkel (Swi) 57
5. Pontoni 56
6. Van der Poel 54
7. Vervecken 49
8. De Vos (Neth) 46
9. Simunek 45
10. Chiotti 43

Race Report

Blasted by a glacial wind, Dutch rider Adri van der Poel (Rabobank) took the sprint from Italian Daniele Pontoni. Luca Bramati, already assured of overall victory in the series before the race started, finished 16th after breaking his chain on the first lap.

Van der Poel, who is almost 37, will be looking forward with special interest to the World Championships on 4 February at Montreuil. Five times on the cyclocross worlds podium, he awaits a victory. Some fancifully say he suffers from the curse of the Poulidors -- he is married to Corinne, the daughter of Raymond Poulidor, the Tour de France's "eternal second".

Van der Poel finished second in four successive world championships (1988-91) and third in 1992 -- and thus is aptly nicknamed "van der Poelidor" (although his hard-man winning virtues must not be forgotten -- his many victories include the Ronde van Vlaanderen in 1986 and Liege-Bastogne-Liege in 1988). "Raymond [Poulidor] spent the New Year with us in Belgium," van der Poel joked. "Before the midnight chimes, we rode together for two hours on mountain bikes in the forest. Since that day I've gone better."

Indurain Chooses Basque Medic

Although it was originally envisaged that Miguel Indurain would make use of Professor Francesco Conconi's medical advice this season, Indurain has in the end decided to employ Basque sports medicine specialist Inaki Arratibei. Arratibei, who looked after world champion Abraham Olano until Olano switched to Michele Ferrari, is to replace Sabino Padilla, whose main work will now be with Spanish soccer team Athletico Bilbao. Current rumour has it, though, that Padilla's experience of the Tour de France may be called upon to augment Arratibei's advice in July.

Rooks Retires

Dutch rider Steven Rooks, whose contract was not renewed for 1996 by TVM, has announced his retirement at the age of 35. Rooks turned pro in 1982 and rode successively for TI-Raleigh, Sem-De Gribaldy, Panasonic, PDM, Buckler and TVM. As well as his second place overall and mountains jersey in the 1988 Tour de France, Rooks won the 1983 Liege-Bastogne-Liege, the 1986 Amstel Gold and the 1988 Championship of Zurich. He was Dutch national champion in 1991 and 1994.

Philippe Casado Lives On Video and On The Road

Picking a cycling video on Sunday to accompany a modest session on the rollers (Id looked out the window and concluded that cold I could take, but not a biting wind and no sign of the sun) I plumped for the 1992 Milan-San Remo (the year Sean Kelly chased Moreno Argentin down the Poggio and psyched him out at the line). For a few moments on the way up that climb we saw Z rider Philippe Casado on the rivet trying for a break. Hes dead, I suddenly recalled... (Casado collapsed and died while playing soccer at home in the Pyrenees at the beginning of last year). >

Coincidentally the same Sunday the first Philippe-Casado randonee cyclosportif was run off -- a 50km ride from Saint-Esteve in the Pyrenees-Orientales. Among the current pros and former peloton companions who joined the ride were the Jalabert brothers, Marc Madiot, Jean-Francois Bernard, Eddy Seigneur, Didier Rous, Thierry Gouvenou, Henry Abadie and Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle.