News for March 4, 1997

Norwood Parade Street Race, Adelaide

Brett Aitken's golden cycling season continued at Norwood yesterday when the Austalian Olympian added the Norwood Parade Street Race to his string of summer successes.

Aitken won the $1000 criterium in 28min32.07sec (25 mins plus 3 laps) holding off New South Welshman Kris Denham with South Australian Corey Sweet further back in a tough gring home for third place.

The 26-year-old's victory came after a morning flight back to Adelaide following Aitken's crushing win with teamate Stephen Pate in the prestigious Northcote Madison in which the pair lapped the field twice. The madison win was Aitken's fourth in as many years, all achieved with different partners. This year, Aitken hopes the result will help springboard him with Pate to Australian team Madison selection at August's world track championships in Perth.

The weekend victories added to Aitken's catalogue of summer triumphs which have included the Latrobe Wheelrace in its centenary year, the rider of the series crown at Tasmania's recent major track meet and finals appearance in all of the major races.

Aitken had mrchanical problems during the during the opening elimination race yesterday as 20 year old Corey Sweet powered home over the final lap of the hot dog circuit to increase his lead and tak ethe event ahead of Canberra's Michael Rogers. After yesterday's second win of the week-end , Aitken described this as the best season of Australain racing.

"Basically I think I'm maturing as a bike rider, I'm just starting my best years", he said. "I'm 26 now and I think most bike riders hit their best in their late 20's and early 30's."

In yesterday's A grade criterium Norwood's Peter Taylor won well ahead of a lucky Lee Petruzelli in 24:22.4. Cycling medico Dr. Steve Sabine was well ahead of the field in second place when he fell on the tight bends with only 100m to go. Sabine managed to come in about 5th.

National junior under 17 scratch race champion won the u/17 event with ease, breaking awy from the field from the word go.

World junior champion Rachael Linke and fellow rep Joanne Robinson crossed the line 3 seconds in from of Alyna Burns and Symeko Johinke to win the two lap women's team pursuit.

EDS Track Cycling Cup, San Diego, Day Three Report

Local rider Zac Copeland gave the hometown fans something to cheer about when he came from the back to win the keirin final on the last day of the first round of the EDS Track Cup '97 at San Diego Velodrome.

Copeland (San Diego Velodrome Association), of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., weaved his way through seven opponents in a thrilling final aired live by the San Diego NBC affiliate, KNSD-TV.

The 25-year-old rider has been working with the velodrome's developmental program and used a borrowed 1972 Raleigh bicycle throughout the weekend.

"Things went perfectly for me," Copeland said. "I dreamt about having a weekend like this."

He also placed third in the men's sprint Saturday and fourth in the Olympic sprint Sunday.

The keirin is a six-lap race in which the riders are motor-paced for the first 4.5 laps before sprinting to the finish. It is often a testy affair, and Sunday's final was no different, with Shawn Washburn (Amoroso's- Tri State Velo), Kutztown, Pa., being relegated to last place for making an abrupt move in the last 200 meters.

Sunday's other big winner was Missy Thompson (PowerBar), Colorado Springs, Colo., who swept her way to the women's sprint title, defeating Nicole Reinhart (Cox Atlanta Velo), Macungie, Pa., in the final.

It is the first major victory as a senior for Thompson, who placed eighth at the Junior World Championships last year. At the Track Cup, she was assisted by four-time women's sprint world champion Connie Paraskevin-Young.

"This is definitely great, just awesome," Thompson said. "My goals for the year are top three at nationals, to be picked for some international competition and to win one of these -- well, I guess I've done that," she added with a smile.

Other winners on Sunday included U.S. National Team members Christian Vande Velde, Lemont, Ill., and Adam Laurent, Shell Beach, Calif., who lapped the field twice en route to a convincing win in the Madison. Erin Veenstra (Bank United), a new resident athlete at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., defeated fellow resident athlete Marisa Vande Velde in the finals of the women's 3km individual pursuit. The other final of the day, the Olympic sprint, was won by the compositeteam of Dave Bittenbender, Del Mar, Calif., Brian Sitcer, Fontana, Calif., and Jason Garner, Newport Beach, Calif. Garner won the kilometer time trial Friday.

The first round of the inaugural EDS Track Cup '97 saw larger than expected number of riders and was well received by coaches and organizers.

"We had high expectations and it exceeded all of them," said Nick Chenowth, EDS sports marketing director, who also helped his team to second place in the Olympic sprint. "The level of competition, number of competitors and quality of competition was outstanding. We're very pleased to be associated with an event and series like this on the heels of Project '96."

Results

Olympic Sprint

1. TRAIN TO WIN (DAVE BITTENBENDER, Del Mar, Calif.; JASON GARNER, Newport
Beach, Calif.; BRIAN SITCER, Fontana, Calif.), one minute, 7.83 secs; 2. Team
EDS (Nick Chenowth, Plano, Texas; Mark Garrett, Los Angeles, Calif.; Trey
Gannon, Dallas, Texas; Chris Carlson, Dallas, Texas), 1:08.20; 3. Mrs.
T's-Lexus (Marcello Arrue, Alburtis, Pa.; Dirk Copeland, San Diego, Calif.;
John Barrios, Redlands, Calif.), 1:08.25; 4. San Diego Velodrome Association #3
(Danny Wilson, Plano, Texas; Zac
Copeland, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.; John Walrod, Macungie, Pa.; Shaun Wallace,
Southampton, England), 1:08.39; 5. San Diego Velodrome Association #1 (Mark
Rosenthal, San Diego, Calif.; Chris Best, n.a.; Scott Schwartz, San Diego),
1:08.51.

Women's 3km Individual Pursuit

1. ERIN VEENSTRA (Bank United), Colorado Springs, Colo.; 2. Marisa VandeVelde
(Blazing Bicycle Club), Colorado Springs, Colo.; 3. Mandy Poitras (Escape
Velocity), Canada; 4. Ryan Kelly (Freewheel Bike Shop), Colorado Springs,
Colo.; 5. Heather Thompson (Leprechaun Racing), Pleasanton, Calif.; 6. Linda
Kruse (Team EDS), Irving, Texas; 7. Cindy Goodman (Team 101), Redondo Beach,
Calif.; 8. Karen Dunne (Chippers), Colorado Springs, Colo. 

Madison, 30km

1. COX ATLANTA VELO 1 (ADAM LAURENT, Shell Beach, Calif., and CHRISTIAN
VANDEVELDE, Lemont, Ill.), 23 pts (+2 laps); 2. San Diego Velodrome Association
(Wallace and Walrod), 33 (0); 3. Cox Atlanta Velo 3 (Brian McDonough, Winston
Salem, N.C., and Brian Whitcomb, Indianapolis, Ind.), 22; 4. Carlson-Scales
(Carlson and Don Scales, Long Beach, alif.), 19; 5. Gary's Wheel World (Danny
Reid, Redlands, Calif., and ike Tillman, Lafayette, Calif.), 7; 6.
Sitcer-Horstmeyer (Sitcer and Jim Horstmeyer, Monrovia, Calif.), 4; 7.
Hoffman-Saenz (Cameron Hoffman, Pleasanton, Calif., and Rene Saenz, Las Vegas,
Nev.), 2; 8. Mrs. T's-Lexus (D. Copeland and Kirk O'Bee, Ada, Mich.)

Women's Match Sprint

1. MISSY THOMPSON (PowerBar), Colorado Springs, Colo.; 2. Nicole Reinhart (Cox
Atlanta Velo), Macungie, Pa.; 3. Jennie Reed Gregg's-Specialized), Issaquah,
Wash.; 4. Becky Quinn (Intercon),
Quakertown, Pa.; 5. H. Thompson; 6. Dana Thomason (AMV), Del Mar, Calif.; 7.
Suzie Marshall (LGBRC-Easton), Redwood City, Calif.; 8. Robin Conley-Cutting
(Richardson Bike Mart), Plano, Texas.

Men's Keirin

1. Z. Copeland; 2. Bittenbender; 3. Arrue; 4. Garth Blackburn (Cox Atlanta
Velo), Houston, Texas; 5. Barrios; 6. Garrett; 7. Garner; 8. Shawn Washburn
(Amoroso's-Tri State), Kutztown, Pa.

Oosterhout, Houtse Linies, Elite

 1. Buurstede (St.Willibrord)      144 km in 3.40.33
 2. Van Steen (Dongen)
 3. Akkermans (Zevenbergen)
 4. Jan de Leeuw (Ermelo)
 5. Van der Tang (Voorhout)
 6. Peeters (Reuver)
 7. Den Ouden (Galder)
 8. Froeling (Denekamp) 			1.38
 9. Van Dartel (Rosmalen)
10. Van Dongen (Capelle a/d Ijssel)

Mountain Bike, Dutch National Competition

Men: 

 1. Dekker (Doetinchem) 	     1.23.50
 2. De Roo (Veldhoven) 			0.47
 3. Raats (Eindhoven) 			1.05
 4. Van de Ven (Den Dungen) 		1.58
 5. Van Dooren (Ravenstein) 		2.13
 6. Tolhoek (Yerseke) 			2.40

Women: 

 1. Dorland (Eerbeek) 		     1.25.17
 2. Den Ouden (Meerle) 			0.11
 3. Nachbar (Alkmaar) 			0.18

Brentjens 4th in First Race of Season

Next week Brentjes goes to the United States where his new sponsor Mountain Dew/Specialized is based. He will join his new teamates Marcel Gerritsen and Silvia Furst and participate in the Cactus Cup in Ariszona and the first World Cup race in San Francisco.

Danny Nelissen still out