News for March 21, 1997

Short Bios on Key World Cup Riders

Andrea Ferrigato (Italy). 27. Two cup wins in as many weeks in Leeds and Zurich to finish second overall in 1996. All this despite being sidelined for two months following an operation.

Michele Bartoli (Italy). 26. His progress was checked by a long bout of tendinitis in 1995, but his potential shone through when he won last year's Tour of Flanders. A second placing in the GP Suisse left him third in the series.

Andrea Tafi (Italy). 30. He came with a late rush of 70 points inside a week to shoot into fourth position overall. He won the Tour of Lombardy then placed fourth in the Japan Cup, six months after figuring in his Mapei team's 1-2-3 in the Paris-Roubaix race.

Mauro Gianetti (Switzerland). 33. He lost to Museeuw in the battle for the world road race title in his home town, Lugano. Then he travelled halfway around the world to win the final cup round in Japan. That boosted him to sixth in a series in which he was third in 1995 thanks to victories in the Liege-Bastogne-Liege and the Amstel Gold.

Laurent Jalabert (France). 28. Green points jersey winner in the Tour de France, overall winner of the Tour of Spain and ranked number one in the world. The best from France since Bernard Hinault and still their main hope of breaking into the World Cup honours especially after winning the 1995 Milan-San Remo.

Andrei Tchmil (Ukraine). 34. Failed to live up to his expectations last year after finishing runner-up in 1995 and third the previous year. Winner of Paris-Roubaix in 1994.

Maurizio Fondriest (Italy). 32. Twice World Cup champion. He has consistently popped up in the honours list and became the only rider to take the series without winning one of its rounds in 1991. His 1993 cup triumph was graced with victories in Milan-San Remo and the Championship of Zurich.

Franco Ballerini (Italy). 32. Won his first World Cup race seven years ago in Montreal, and usually provides a significant victory each year. His last was another World Cup qualifier, the 1995 Paris-Roubaix.

Museeuw wants another World Cup

Museeuw, 31, reversed a decision to retire after a tremendous 1996 which also saw him lift the world road crown in Lugano.

Museeuw, cup runner-up in 1993 and 1994, will become the first to win three times since the one-day series began in 1989. Italy's Maurizio Fondriest triumphed in 1991 and 1993.

The 10-race programme will stay in Europe this season after forays to Canada and Japan in recent years.

After eight months of racing throughout Europe last year, many riders blasted authorities for taking the competition to Japan for the finale.

For five years until 1992 a round was also contested in Montreal in the middle of the European season.

It was not so much the extra travelling that upset riders, rather the lack of reward. The cup has no prize fund, just a jersey for the winner.

This year there is the extra incentive of world-ranking points.

Nine years ago the series began with Britain and Canada given the chance to show the ``classics'' that they too could stage major one-day races.

Of the 'new' races only the British round, the Rochester Classic, has survived, but the traditional events roll on.

The 1997 series opens with one of the oldest, the Milan-San Remo, celebrating its 88th year.

It is the first of the spring classics which continue each weekend in April with the Tour of Flanders, the Paris-Roubaix, Liege-Bastogne-Leige and the Amstel Gold race.

The campaign takes a break for the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France, resuming in August with the San Sebastian Classic, the Rochester Classic, and the GP Suisse, before winding up in October with the Paris-Tours race and the Tour of Lombardy.

Boardman wins Porthole GP