1. Etienne de Wilde-Matthew Gilmore (Bel/Aus) 312 pts
One lap behind:
2. Jens Veggerby-Jimmi Madsen (Den) 387
3. Bruno Risi-Kurt Betschart (Sch) 336
4. Danny Clark-Gerd Dorich (Aus/Ger) 279
Two laps behind:
5. Silvio Martinello-Marco Villa (Ita) 339
6. Olaf Ludwig-Carsten Wolf (Ger) 248
Three laps behind:
7. Urs Freuler-Pierangelo Bincoletto (Sch/Ita) 205
Eight laps behind:
8. Uwe Messerschmidt-Andreas Beikirch (Ger) 107
Sixteen laps behind:
9. Peter Pieters-Erik Weispfennig (Ned/Ger) 245
10. Patrick Vetsch-Thorsten Schmidt (Sch/Ger) 188
Casino, described by LEquipe as a chain of distributors with a g reputation, is the main sponsor of Vincent Lavenus team (the successor to Chazal-MBK-Koenig). In recognition of the financial support given by a number of small companies and private individuals through public subscription, the 11-man team will also run with the slogan Cest votre equipe (Its your team)
HQ details: Aubervilliers 93-Peugeot, 35 rue Helene-Cochennec, 93300 Aubervilliers, France
The officials: club president, Jean Sivi; directeur sportif, Stephane Javalet; assistant directeur-sportif Pascal Dubis; manager, Louis Mattei; mechanics, Jean Cottet, Franck Potier; osteopath, Olivier Bouillon; doctors, Michel Provost, Daniel Maire; assistant, Dominique Rocher
The budget: 6.8 million French francs (US$1.35 million)
The equipment: bikes, Peugeot; accessories, Sachs; wheels, Mavic; pedals, Look; tyres, Hutchinson; saddles, Vetta; shoes, Carnac and Sidi; clothing, Giordana; helmets, computers and specs, Vetta
The riders: Ludovic Auger (Fr, 25), Jean-Christophe Bloy (Fr, 26), Herve Boussard (Fr, 30); Jean-Francois Bresset (Fr, 29), Laurent Genty (Fr, 25); Thierry Gouvenou (Fr, 26 -- ex-GAN); Arnaud Leroy (Fr, 24); Marek Lesniewski (Pol, 33), Jean-Michel Monin (Fr, 28 -- neo pro), Frderic Pontier (Fr, 25), Stephane Ravaleu (Fr, 21 -- neo-pro), Cyril Saugrain (Fr, 22), Gilles Talmant (Fr, 26 -- ex-Castorama), Francisque Teyssier (Fr, 27 -- ex-Festina)
With its main sponsor a suburb of Paris, Aubervilliers 93-Peugeot has been identified by Parisians as our team, says directeur-sportif Stephane Javalet. There was hope that a major new sponsor would boost the teams coffers but this did not happen and the budget has only increased by a million French francs -- enough though to almost double the riders salaries. Javalet says the team has arrived at the stage when it should reach for a higher level and start knocking at the door of the Tour de France. Im not saying that Ill cry from the roof-tops that my team wont survive if we are turned down by the Tour organisers.
But I consider that after two years among the pros the majority of my riders are fitted to a major Tour. Tour qualification would have to be by wild card, of course (only GAN of the French teams qualifies on the basis of UCI points) and the team will hope to create a favourable impression through good results in the Coupe de France series and major stage races such as the Dauphine Libere, the Midi Libre and the Route du Sud. As a French team it will figure of right in the Paris-Roubaix and Paris-Tours World Cup races, but will also seek entry to Liege-Bastogne-Liege and the Fleche Wallonne.
Just as regular as clockwork hes back on the bike on December 1. Taking it easy at first, just an hour a day with brother Prudencio. And if it then goes up to three hours a day, he doesnt give the impression of someone in a rush to lose some of his excess weight.
I rode a bit on the mountain bike, I also went hunting to get me walking in the mountains but in the winter I automatically relax, and thats good for my morale, says Indurain. Its the only time of the year I can eat as much red beans and morcilla [black pudding, ie blood sausage] as I like. <
There's hardly any change in the length of his racing programme, 48 days of racing before the Tour de France in prospect for 1996 compared with 49 last year. Only one change is proposed -- the Bicicleta Vasca, from May 22 to 26, will replace the Midi Libre, which he won last year. So theres no Paris-Nice once again and no Giro (the Dauphine Libere fills that slot) and as usual reticence about the Ardennes classics. Up there [in the Ardennes] the weathers often bad at that time of year. And a bad dose of bronchitis in April is much more serious than a touch of a cold in Fenruary.
At Banesto, then, everything is being put in motion for a sixth success in the Tour de France which visits Pamplona, Indurains home town. The idea of establishing a record [six victories] leaves me completely cold, says Indurain, "but the Tour, the Tour itself, always highly motivates me. The Tour is the only race that I dont recoil from making a sacrifice for.
As for suggestions that he might retire at the end of the season: People have started asking me the question, but its difficult for me to reply to. If Im going well, if I feel that my legs are still as strong, I will continue for another year and it will be time to ask the same question in 1997.
And the second part of the season? "I would be happy to win the Vuelta, but its not an obsession of mine to ride it. In fact everything will depend on the shape I'm in when I finish the Tour."