Telekom NewsIn comparison with other top teams, Telekom has a relatively small team with 16 riders. Two less than in 1996. On Wednesday, team manager Walter Godefroot presented the team for the coming year in the main office of the sponsor in Bonn. The sponsor will invest in the team for at least 1998.The 32-year old Bjarne Riis during the press conference in Bonn: 'I only talk about cycling; and will not give answers on too personal questions. I don't have an opinion about epo; therefor you have to go to the teamleader and doctor. We agreed with bloodtests and we will see how it works'. 'My life didn't change after the successes of last year. Mentally I'm stronger. Is the Tour harder than last year? I can tell you afterwards. I had some luck last year; i wasn't ill for one day en didn't feel the pressure. Riis is the leader in his team this year. Godefroot: 'I don't expect problems between Riis and Jan Ullrich. In case they both have changes for yellow in the Tour, i have a luxe-problem. And that is something else thanwe had a few years ago. The preparation of Riis started last November on the Spanish island Lanzarote. He made a trainingscamp on his own. The last weeks he had a trainings stage with his teammates on Mallorca. His first competition will be the Tour of Valencia end of February. The rest of the races will be a preparation for the Tour de France. 'I started training two weeks later than last year. I realize that everybody want to beat me. The biggest concurrents? Olano, Berzin and Zulle. But the Tour is so far away.' L'Etape du Tour, July 12 , 1997, Pau-LoudenvielleWhat is L'Etape du Tour?It's not a race, it's what the French call "Cyclosportive", but time is measured. Organized by VELO MAGAZINE. The course is the same as Stage 9 (July 14, 97) of the TOUR DE FRANCE from PAU to LOUDENVIELLE over the passes Soulor, Tourmalet, Aspin and Val Louron (Azet). All this happens two days before the stars of cycling will do exactly the same course, with the same security arrangements (no traffic in the opposite direction). Who can participate? Everybody born before January 1980, with or without a licence. Participants without a licence need a medical certificate. The number of participants is limited to 6000. The best 20 riders of each category from edition 96 have priority (Best starting numbers). Departure The start is given in intervals. At each interval a pack of about 1000 riders starts. Riders with the starting numbers 1 to 1000 are in the first pack and so on. Starting numbers are distributed based on the date of the enrolment. Enrolment Enrolment starts from now, through the official bulletin, published in VELO MAGAZINEs of February to June. Photocopies of the inscription bulletin are also accepetd. Milan 6 DaysThe Six Days of Milano, organized for the second year in a row by the Gazzetta dello Sport, will take place from February 7 to 12 at the Forum di Assago. There will be 14 couples, with 4 Italians: Silvio Martinello with his inseparable "twin" Marco Villa and Gianni Bugno riding with Adriano Baffi.There will be seven World Champions from Manchester '96 at the Forum: Silvio Martinello (plus Olympic Gold) and Marco Villa, the winner in individual points, Juan Llaneras (Spa) and the components from the Team Pursuit Team, Collinelli (Gold at the Olympics), Capelli, Trentini and Citton.SaecoSAECO has presented their new acquisition and his objectives for the season - Fifth at the Tour '95 and Giro '96. "The profile pleases me and the time has come for me to contend and win a Major Stage Race", says the Bergamascan climber. "If I go by my heart, my favorite race is the Tour, because that is where my career was launched, but if I look at the route, I think that the Giro adapts better to my Tour.Ivan Gotti was born on March 28, 1969 at San Pellegrino Terme (Bg). Professional since '91 and exploded at the Tour '95 by wearing the Yellow Jersey for two days and finishing fifth. He finished 5th at the Giro '96, racing originally for Berzin. Has left Bombini's group for Saeco: to be a leader at the Major Stage Race. He won the stage to Aprica at the Giro '96, ahead of Giro winner Russian Pavel Tonkov. Saeco 1997 will count on 24 riders. The confirmed riders are Mario Cipollini, champion of Italy, Silvio Martinello, Olympic Gold Medalist and Francesco Casagrande, number 10 in the world, joined by Ivan Gotti, who will be the captain for the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France. The complete lineup: Philip Buschor (Swi), Giuseppe Calcaterra, Angelo Canzonieri, Francesco Casagrande, Mario Cipollini, Alessio Di characteristics". Francesco Casagrande has changed his program: he will aim for the Spring Classics and the Basco, Massimo Donati, Gian Matteo Fagnini, Riccardo Faverio (neopro), Giovanni Fidanza, Paolo Fornaciari, Dario Frigo, Giorgio Furlan, Ivan Gotti, Massimiliano Lelli, Silvio Martinello, Eddy Mazzoleni, Alexander Moos (Swi), Massimiliano Mori, Roberto Petito, Michael Rich (Ger, neopro), Ignacio Rodriguez (Spa), Gines Salmeron (Spa), Mario Scirea. The team will be managed by Claudio Corti, with Sport Directors Antonio Salutini, Franco Chioccioli and Bruno Vicino. The team will ride Cannondale bicycles. UCI Cyclo Cross RankingsDaniele Pontoni is third (718 pts) in the individual Cyclo Cross UCI classifications. The leader being, Dutch Adrie Van der Poel (1617 pts), followed by his compatriot Richard Groenendaal (1365). Luca Bramati in fifth place (622). |