News for September 11, 1997

Transfer and Contract News

- Italian rider FABRIZIO GUIDI, who took the overall lead in the Vuelta a Espana after Stage 4, is to leave Scrigno-Gaerne at the end of the season. Guidi, 25, has signed a two-year contract with Team Polti, taking with him his younger brother LEONARDO (23).

- FREDERIC MONCASSIN has signed a new two-year contract with the team that will succeed GAN, as have CHRIS BOARDMAN, CEDRIC VASSEUR, FRANCOIS SIMON and EROS POLI.

- Bart Leysen and Nico Mattan will retain their contracts with Mapei for another year. Johan Museeuw also confirmed that he will stay 'until the end of the contract' (end 1998) to the Mapei-boss Giorgio Squinzi.

- It is now confirmed that Jay Sweet will be joining the French BigMat team starting January for a 12 month contract.

Why Is He Called Marcel?

Did you wonder why German sprinter MARCEL WUST had a non-German forename? He revealed all after winning his second successive Vuelta stage on Monday. "It's because my parents have a Parisian friend who runs a bar-grocer's shop in the 18th arrondissement of Paris and it's there, they tell me, where I was conceived."

Cipo might have been sick!

According to TV reporters (on the day Mario quit) Cipollini was indeed invited for a miss election in Italy. His plans were to fly to Milano after the stage and to fly back directly after those elections. However Cipollini's team manager did not allow Mario such trips so he stayed in Spain.

Since Cipollini's aim for this season is to win stages in all three major races and to make a good results at the Worlds, he certainly wouldn't quit the Vuelta without reason. So maybe he really did have stomach problems.....

Van Moorsel Saga Continues

Leontien van Moorsel spoke to the KNWU-coach Piet Hoekstra and KNWU-director Nieuwenhuis on Tuesday. Last weekend she told the press that she was surprised that the KNWU had not contacted her about her selection to the Worlds.

But Piet Hoekstra had Van Moorsel already in his preselection (without telling her). The meeting on Tuesday was 'clarified' but Van Moorsel has now told the KNWU that she is not be avaiable for the World Championships in San Sebastian "because they have given her too short a preparation time'. She will be avaiable for the national team in the future.

Izegem (for eliteriders with contract) - 162 km (140 riders)

 1. L.Dierckxsens
 2. R. Vandaele
 3. M. Backstedt (Swe)
 4. M. Van der Wolf (Ned)
 5. J. Planckaert 		0.15

The future of TVM

TVM has already 19 riders under contract, including Jesper Skibby (33) who announced he will start his last season next year.

The other riders are: Van Dijck, Capiot and Van Petegem (Belgium), Petilleau and Roux (France), Ivanov (Russia), Michaelsen (Denmark), Andersson (Sweden) and Knaven, Voskamp, De Jongh, Hoffman, Dubbeldam and Blijlevens (Netherlands).

Newcomers the Danish champion Nicolai Bo Larsen (ex-Amore e Vita), Michael Lafis (Telekom) and Serguei Outsjakov (Polti). Later there will be a decision about the three stagiairs Pieter Vries, Miquel van Kessel and Olivier Asmaker.

The contracts with Van der Steen, Hamburger, De Koning and Kjaergaard stop at the end of this year and have not been renewed yet.