News for September 17

Nijboer to American Eagle

The road race Erwin Nijboer has a new team. The ride hand man of five times Tour winner Miguel Indurain go to the Mountain bike team of Olympic Champion Bart Brentjens.

Nijboer announced this month that he was leaving the Spanish team Banesto. This Monday he announced that he was going to American Eagle.

Nijboer who was 5th at the Netherlands Cross Country championship at Gulpen this year said that "Mountain biking has always been attractive because of its individual character. While I am a member of a team, in the competitiion I am also for myself. It is always the strongest that wins."

At the moment, Nijboer is participating in the Tour of Spain.

Team Changes

Having already hired Pascal Richard, Rolf Jaermann and Marco Saligari, Petit Casino is further beefing up its team by recruiting Refin's RODOLFO MASSI, who won a stage in the 1996 Giro d'Italia. The team will be known as Casino rather than Petit Casino next year (Casino is a supermarket chain; Petit Casino is a chain of small corner shops owned by Casino).

Dutch rider JAN KOERTS (27) who has ridden successively for PDM, Festina and Palmans, has been signed by Jan Raas for the Rabobank team.

Italian sprinter GIOVANNI LOMBARDI (Polti) is to join Telekom in 1997.

Spanish rider DAVID PLAZA (Festina) has been signed by Cyrille Guimard for the new French team Cofidis. Cofidis is also in advanced negotiations with Portugal's European espoirs champion CANDIDO BARBOSA.

French (Corsican) rider DOMINIQUE BOZZI, who suffered the double whammy of being duped by Le Groupement in 1995 and ForceSud in 1996, is seeking a more secure future, being said to be in negotiation with both Roger Legeay's GAN team and Cyrille Guimard's Cofidis team.

PASCAL CHANTEUR has signed a new contract with Casino for 1997 as has GERARD RUE with GAN.

In Memory of Mariano ... and the Rains Came Down

A memorial ceremony for the late ONCE rider Mariano Rojas, tragically killed in a car smash in June, took place in his home city of Murcia before the start of Stage 5 of the Vuelta a Espana on September 11. The peloton, which had passed the scene of the accident the day before, where the race organizers placed a wreath, was assembled in front of the podium where the whole ONCE team stood with directeur sportif Manolo Saiz and members of Mariano Rojas's family. A street in the city has been named after the young rider.

The day continued in portentous mood. Ten minutes after the race left Murcia a rain storn hit the city, totally cutting it off within the hour. The rain clouds pursued, without catching, the peloton all day (the organisers had placed buses along the route in case the race needed to be abandoned because of flooding). Less than an hour after the finish the storm hit finish town Almeria.

Dronten, Final Classification, NK clubs

 1. Westland Wil Vooruit  			     	    58 km in 1.10.38
    (Den Braber, Zuyderwijk, Alleblas, Barendse, Swinkels, Van Dijk)
 2. Oldenzaalse Wielerclub  		   			     1.11.42
    (Froeling, Harms, Ypenburg, Kemna, Nijmeyer, Nijland)
 3. WV Volendam  			   			     1.12.05
    (Bruin, Miklie, Van Kessel, Kemper, Ligthart, Van Rooyer)
 4. De Jonge Renner (Breda) 					     1.12.28
 5. Alkmaria Viktrix (Alkmaar) 					     1.12.40
 6. CC'75 (Nijverdal) 						     1.12.49

Tour of Sicily for Women

I have no other information about the earlier stages of this race. If anyone knows anything email with it and I will be grateful.

Stage 6, Nicosia-Castelbuono, 83 km:

 1. Koliasseva (Rus) 		      2.31.48
 2. Charameda (USA)
 3. Poetsjinskaia (Lit)
..
 9. Hillenga (NL) 			 4.27
..
11. Grimberg (NL) 			 7.58
12. Bras (NL) 				15.17
16. Kroes (NL) 				15.29
..
19. Van Smoorenburg (NL)		15.59
..
21. Van Tol (NL)		 	25.49

Stage 7, Castelbuono-Palermo, 92 km:

 1. Parente (Ita) 		     2.22.22
 2. Grimberg
 3. Rocca (Ita)
..
 9. Kroes 				 1.05
..
11. Van Tol
..
13. Van Smoorenburg
..
15. Bras
..
18. Hillenga				s.t.

Final GC

 1. Charameda 			       15.08.41
 2. Poetsjinskaia 			   0.52
 3. Zilioete (Lit) 			   6.56
..
 8. Hillenga 				  14.26
..
11. Grimberg 				  21.15
12. Bras 				  34.36
15. Kroes 				  40.33
..
19. Van Smoorenburg			  51.14
..
21. Van Tol 				1.25.06

Corvers from Lotto to Telekom

The Belgian professional Franck Corvers will ride next year for Telekom. He currently us under contract from Lotto. Corvers is the third acquisition for the German team along with Italian Giovanni Lombardi and Austrian Georg Totschnig.

Riis problems with Contract

The negotiation with the Dane Bjarne Riis over a new contract is not going well. Telekom wants an undertaking from him for two years. Riis wants a three year contract.

The French team of Marc Madiot is also in the market for the Dane.