Alexandre Sivakov (Roslotto) will join Andrei Tchmill at Lotto next year.
Cyrile Guimard's team are interested in signing Cyrille Saugrain (Aubervilliers), Laurent Madouas (Motorola), Christophe Capelle (Aubervilliers) and Jan Ullrich (Telekom). Petit Casino have renewed their sponsorship for another a year.
Jean Francois Bernard has finally retired.
Hotel Chain Accor are to take over the sponsorship of the Deutsche Telekom Team.
Jeroen Blijlevens has cancelled is place in the Olympics
Moncassin will stay for another year with Gan.
Jose Manuel Fuente (51) died in hospital in Oviedo. He had a nephritic transplantation in May. He was one of the big contemporaries of Eddy Merckx in the 1970s. He won the Vuelta in 1972 and the Tour of Swiss in 1973.
Chiappucci will leave team leader Davide Boifava after 12 years at the end of this season. For Chiappucci there is no place in the new team formed by Boifava with Mercatone Uno which will include Mario Cipollini. The 33 year old Italian has talked to Refin and Amore a Vita. Boifava is building a team around Marco Pantani, who will ride the Milan-Turin in October after missing this year with a complicated leg break. Pantani plans to restart racing on August 4 in the Trofee Matteoti.
Gianluca Bortolami Bortolami, winner of the World Cup in 1994, goes to Festina after 3 years with Mapei. Fallout from Paris-Roubaix no doubt.
1. Van der Steen (Hoogland) 100 km in 2.18.38 2. Vierhouten (Purmerend), 3. Knaven (Meerle-Hoogstraten) 4. Assez (Bel) 0.20 5. Meys (Valkenburg) 6. Konings (Rozendaal) 7. Groenendaal (St. Michielsgestel) 8. Koerts (Baarle-Nassau) 9. Geert Vanderaerden (Bel) 10. Mulders (Wellerlooi) all s.t.