News for May 14, 1997

The Pyrenees will decide who will not win the Tour

ABRAHAM Olano has returned from his time at the Pyrenees with a very clear idea of what he will find in the coming Tour de France. The repertoire of climbs that he has ridden has had it all: Tourmalet, Aubisque, Hautacam, Luz Ardiden. Olano looks physically well, ideal. Nobody or nothing are perturbing this acclimatization period for the Tour. To speak clearly, for seven days he lived at a racing rhythm, with training, meals and hours included.

Q. What conclusions have you drawn from your training at your second house, the Pyrenees?

A. That I'm in the right path. I have worked on volume, climbing a lot of mountain passes and I felt good.

Q. Have you climbed as many mountain passes as before la Vuelta of 1995?

A. Not as much, but there is time left. I have looked at the Tour stages at the Pyrenees and have trained.

Q. Are they tough, decisive this Pyrenees' stages?

A. It will be seen, who will not win the Tour at the Pyrenees. The ninth stage is tough, but anybody could loose a lot on the tenth stage.

Q. What climb has grabbed your attention?

A. Specially, Envalira. It is a 36 kms. climb, at 5%, which doesn't seem like it, but it can be eternal.

Q. Is it a stage for the climbers?

A. Yes but also for whomever wants to win the Tour. That stage is more dangerous than the ninth.

Q. And the start of the Pyrenees, with the climbs of Soulor, Tourmalet, Aspin and Val Louron, what do you think?

A. I have added and figured out the meters of climbing and they are more than 4,400. The last 4.5 kms. of the Aspin are very tough, with slope percentages in the 10%.

Q. At what rhythm have you ridden the stages?

A. At racing rhythm, the closest possible to a stage.

Q. But at what average speed?

A. At a high average.

Q. And what are your thoughts on Val Louron? Indurain forged his first Tour victory there.

A. The stage will go up a different rode than then, which in 1991 was only a track and now it is paved. I went up and went down, so that I had time to train for 45 minutes behind the motorcycle. The first climb is not dangerous, but then, the climb is tough. (Val Louron has 10 kilometers)

Q. And the tenth stage, with eight mountain climbs and finishing at Ordino?

A. You can't compare it with the previous one, has nothing to do with it. It is very tough, because of the many kilometers, the mountain passes, the amount of climbing involved. I went halfway up the Ordino. I couldn't continue because of the snow and I couldn't see the end of that climb or the one of Arcalis.

Q. How many kilometers did you cover and how many mountain passes did you climb?

A. In a week I rode 1000 kilometers and have climbed the mountain passes of those stages, minus the two final ones in Andorra and Hautacam, Luz Ardiden.

Q. How many hours did you train?

A. Depending on the day. The most was seven hours, the day that I rode Val Louron. The stage that finishes in Andorra, without the final two climbs, I did it in six hours.

More Danish News

Brian Holm, the Danish cyclist who rides for Team Telekom, will be the captain of the first professional Danish team, under the name of "Team Jack & Jones" which will start for the 1998 season. Thirty four year old Holm added that he hasn't signed the one year contract with the management, but he has accepted the conditions to take part in the team. "Now I will be able to train and live in Denmark. I'm very satisfied", said Holm, who confessed that he hoped to be able to complete his professional ambitions, which he hasn't be able to di, because of his job of riding in support of Bjarne Riis. The Tour de France champion, has denied that he will become part of the team or co-owner. "Team Jack & Jones" is an initiative of Finn Poulsen, the director of "Bestseller" a cloting company from Herning, Riis' native town, which has given the team the name of their youth collection. Poulsen, doesn't pand to form a team of old riders, assures that he will llok for promising young riders from all over the country and might include some foreign riders if it is possible.

The Lawyers look at the Chiapucci Case

Davide Boifava will try to contact today Dr. Schattenberg, responsible of the Special Commision of the UCI, which takes care of the preventive blood controls. "I want to understand well how the rules work, before I decide if there is recourse in the Chiappucci case" -says Boifava -. It doesn't make sense that a healthy rider can't ride the Giro d'Italia because of health reasons... I can't understand the 15 days, if a rider is found to have a high level of hematocrit, he should stop until his level comes back to normal. We will try all the avenues through the sport, but if Chiappucci can't ride the Giro, the sponsor may pursuit a legal avenue to try to recoup the enormous financial damages that they will incur.

Rompelberg

Fred Rompelberg (world record speed racing) is in hospital in Palma de Mallorca due to a kidney stone. The limburger has been in the hands of a Spanish doctor for a number of days. He is training for an attack on his own world record (268,8 km/h) in September and is riding around 600 kilometers every week. He can earn around 2.000.000 US dollars for each record. "I think I can make the attack. I was - till my visit to the hospital - mentally and physically in top condition", he said in Palma.

Blijlevens will miss the Amsterdam Derny Race

Jeroen Blijlevens will not start this coming Sunday in the Amsterdam Rai Dernyrace. The sprinter from the TVM team of Cees Priem will instead be participating in the Tour of Asturias which begins in Spain on Tuesday.

Blijlevens was one of the publicity attractions for the derny event. The TVM rider has figured prominently on the advertising material. Organiser Harry Mater reacted with disappointment at the withdrawal of the Brabant rider. "I had him willing but Priem wasn't. dan ook zeer teleurgesteld op de afmelding van de Brabander." First reserve, Australian Matthew Gilmore has taken the place of the sprinter. Mater said: "I have given Gilmore my word."

Ronde van de Aude, Women

Stage 4, Port-Lauragais: 

 1. Samokhvalova (Rus)   136.1 km in 3.59.20
 2. Hohlfel (Ger) 			0.37
 3. Paulitz (Ger)
 4. Brunen (Ned)
 5. Boebnenkova (Rus)

GC after Stage 4:
 
 1. Marsal (Fra) 		    14.28.22
 2. Boebnenkova 			0.06
 3. Kurreck (USA)
 4. Ilavska (Slv) 			0.07
 5. Brunel (Fra)

RDM-Asfra bus stolen

The bus of the Belgian racing team, RDM-Asfra was stolen on Sunday or Monday night. There were 7 bikes, 10 spare tyres and other materials. The team, which includes Dutch riders Marco Engels and Vital Timmermans was on its way to a race in Denmark.