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89th Tour de France - Grand Tour
France, July 6-28, 2002
Tour de France news for June 16, 2002
Edited by Jeff Jones
US Postal Tour team not decided yet
There are two certainties in the US Postal team for the Tour de France: Lance Armstrong will be riding it and young Belgian Tom Boonen will not. This is according to directeur sportif Dirk Demol, who said that there 12 candidates for the other eight places. It's likely that George Hincapie, Roberto Heras and Jose Luis Rubiera will fill three of those spots, with Viatcheslav Ekimov and Floyd Landis also staking claims through their performances in the Dauphine Libéré.
Landis in particular has impressed in his first year with the team. "As for as the racing goes, I have lots to learn, as I do with training and resting as well," he said. "This team experience has been wonderful, I couldn't be happier. I couldn't ask for better people to surround myself with. I still have a ways to go and Johan said I should focus on being my best in July."
No Vainsteins in Tour
Domo-Farm Frites will not be taking sprinter Romans Vainsteins to the Tour de France. Vainsteins is not considered to be in good enough form after recovering from an operation to remove a cyst from his scrotum. Domo will be taking Axel Merckx, Richard Virenque, Dave Bruylandts and Tomas Konecny for certain.
Steels in for Mapei
Tom Steels has learned from his Mapei-Quick Step team that he will be part of their squad for the Tour. Steels won two stages in 2000, but since then has had a lot of problems with sickness. He has been in better form this year, winning a stage in the Four Days of Dunkirk.
