UCI ranking list as at 2.7/971 (1) Laurent Jalabert (Fra) 2003 2 (3) Michele Bartoli (Ita) 1801 3 (2) Alex Zulle (Swi) 1745 4 (4) Bjarne Riis (Den) 1663 5 (5) Johan Museeuw (Bel) 1584 6 (7) Andrea Tafi (Ita) 1320 7 (6) Richard Virenque (Fra) 1196 8 (11) Pavel Tonkow (Rus) 1188 9 (9) Andrei Tchmil (Ukr) 1156 10 (11) Abraham Olano (Spa) 1148 11 (13) Chris Boardman (GB) 1126 12 (8) Tony Rominger (Swi) 1093 .. 18 (16) Gianetti (Swi) 985 19 (14) Dufaux (Swi) 975 32 (67) Camenzind (Swi) 659 33 (38) B. Zberg (Swi) 630 88 (90) Richard (Swi) 323 94 (109) F. Puttini (Swi) 310 Interview with Jean Marie Leblanc, Director of the Tour de FranceQ. Monsieur Leblanc, in the eve of the Tour many champions don't seem to be at maximum: we refer to Riis, but also to Jalabert, Pantani, Virenque and even Ullrich. And also the accident that happened to Z|lle. Do all this worry you?A. I would not say that I'm worried, but this is not normal either. In the past, the riders would generally rise in the competitions that preceded the Tour. However cycling is also influenced by trends. Hinault and Fignon use to race the Giro to prepare for the Tour, now there are those that do that at the Dauphine and those who rest instead. I trust in their preparation, I can not believe that Riis and Jalabert would arrive at the Tour with a trashy condition. The surprise element remains". Q. The next will be the first Tour without Indurain, so the guiding light will be missing. Is that a handicap or an advantage? A. An advantage. Certainly it is important to have a point of reference and I think that Riis will be that a little bit. But there is a lot of favorites which will be forced to reveal themselves, because there won't be a time trial before the Pyrenees. In the past the Yellow Jersey would be conquered at the time trial and defended, now it will be necessary to attack. Techniccians and riders will have to use their have imagination. Q. What do you expect from Gotti and Pantani? A. Gotti is a good complete athlete, he has come out well from the Giro and he knows the Tour. I would add that he has the morale up in the stars and a good team. I expect much from him: he could constitute the surprise of the race. As for Pantani, if he hadn't had his accident at the Giro, I would have said the same things I said of Gotti. But I read that his form is still not optimal. He will have one week before arriving at the Pyrenees, if he improves he could be amongst the favorites. Q. The Tour '97 has 125 kilometers of time trials, against the 58 of the Giro and the 86 of the Vuelta. Are you looking for the heir of Indurain or will climbers have have their chance? A. The Tour has always had two time trials. In the past we have been tried to reduce the distances because of the technical progress if the bikes, that favored some. But we have not done it to hinder Indurain. During the time of Hinault, we had one of the Tours with the least amount of kilometers in the time trial, with minor consequences. Q. You have excluded Team Asics of Chiappucci and Zaina because of the the need of an equilibrium in terms of National presence. But is the Tour French or a World event? A. The Tour is the most important race in the world, but continues to be called the Tour de France and I don't find it scandalous that of the 198 competing we have about forty French [quarantina]. We are also trying to safeguard our cycling also by giving young riders a chance. In order to have a big Tour we also need some big French riders. Q. But have you regretted the Chiappucci affair? A. I sent a fax to Boifava and Chiappucci, explaining to them that I am sorry to exclude them. I know that Carrera did a lot of the Tour during the years, but the old Carrera has divided and the consequence is the creating of two weaker teams. Q. Would you prefer the victory of a French after 12 years, of an Italian after 32 or the first success of a German? A. Three fantastic hypothesis and all valid. Q. What do you hope for the next edition? A. That it is an animated battle and to control it without problems and accidents, but also without problems out of the race. I hope that I make myself understood. Jean Marie Leblanc againJean Marie Leblanc, Tour director, referred yesterday to the new edition that will start on Saturday in Rouen as "the toughest of the ones that I've organized since 1989", when he became responsible of the most prestigious race in the world. In an interview given to France Presse, Leblanc said that "the race will be difficult, the most difficult in the last eight years, but not outrageous". According to Leblanc, "we didn't design the route systematically looking for difficulties, but we tried to provide the Tour with sections that would provide for an impressive Tour".Asked about the effect that the first few stages will have, with longer distances, he didn't feel that they might 'block' the race. "On the contrary, normally the time trial is run after a week of flat stages and the leader defends the yellow jersey in the mountain. This time the mountains will arrive right after the flats, so the parameters will turn around. In my opinion, it will be a Tour open to improvisation and the offensives". Leblanc also wanted to leave clear that "this is not a Tour designed for Virenque", referring to the Festina rider, who has been the king of the mountains in the last three edition, "when we work on the route we don't know who's going to race the Tour. I would like this subject to be stopped already". He didn't like either the suggestion that the French race had 'sold out' to the large American multinationals (Coca Cola or Nike). Jean Marie Leblanc indicated that "this internationalization seems normal. We haven't gone away from the National sponsors, plus we like to show off as a world event, so we can't close out doors to foreign backup. I think that the question that we should ask is this one: Has the Tour lost its essence?. The answer is no and that's the only thing that matters". RiisBjarne Riis performance at the Tour-97 is an enigma. Champion a year ago, the Dane from Telekom has carried out his preparation in silence and has had some setbacks which make it difficult to calibrate his present form. He has only participated in two one week races, the Midi Libre & te Tour de Suisse, which he didn't finish because of a cold and recently he forfeit his start at the Dauphine Libere. This week he was beat in a time trial at the nationals in Denmark by an unknown.Telekom, the best backup - Telekom, the team that will back Bjarne Riis when he attempts to win this Tour, has the team with the men going through the best form. Zabel has been together with Cipollini (Saeco) the most consistent sprinter and Ullrich & Bolts have stood out in the high mountain at the Dauphine. RabobankTheo de Rooy, sport director for Dutch Team Rabobank, decided to replace at the last minute Lithuanian Arvis Piziks for Australian rider Robbie McEwen. Names like Peter Luttenberger, Erik Breukink, Patrick Jonker & Rolf Sorensen, amongst others stand out in their Tour lineup.EscartinThe cyclist from Aragon, Fernando Escartin (Kelme-Costa Blanca), who left today for France to dispute the Tour, assured EFE that "my morale is the highest of any year" because he believes that he can "do important things" at this edition of the Tour. Fernando Escartin hpes to be lucky the first week of racing where the Tour is typically not won, but where one can lose any option to win "and not to have any falls or any dumb losses of time". Escartin assures that in that respect "the first week is the worst". "We are 200 and we all want to be in front, it is very nervous and there are many falls". The Kelme-Costa Blanca team leader assured that after his victory at la Volta a Cataluqa he arrives at this edition "with high morale and good preparation". "If I'm lucky next week, I believe that I can do important things at the Tour". The win in Cataluqa has helped Escartin to "increase my confidence and my morale", because I was always among the first, but was missing "a victory like this one".Although many have pointed to him as one of the favorites for the final victory, the man from Aragon says that his first objectove is to "improve on my previous performances, because winning is very difficult since the best riders in the world are present". "That's why for now I hope to be close to the podium", he said. Fernando Escartin feels that if last year Richard Virenque achieved a place at the podium, he can also achieve it. "I don't think that I have anything to envy from Virenque, although it will also depend on the circumstances on the road, that I'm going well and that there aren't any problems". Escartin also considers a stage win "since a stage at the Tour is always important", but for now I will come out to fight for the first positions in the overall. The excellent season by Kelme, according to Escartin, "always takes away some of the responsibilty, because when your teammates win, one can go more relaxed". In terms of the route, Escartin practically knows all the stages which can be considered key and even went to see the time trial route, a specialty in which he has improved, although he assures that he will "never be a pure time trialist". For Escartin the main favorite for the overall win will be Bjarne Riis (Telekom). "For me he's the number one, with his teammate Jan Ullrich behind him, Alex Zulle if heas recuperated from fall and Abraham Olano among others". |