News for July 12

Death of Carlo Tonon

Carlo Tonon, a former team-mate of Guido Bontempi and Giovanni Battaglin, has died at home in Cima d'Olmi, near Treviso at the age of 41. In the 1984 Tour de France Tonon crashed after colliding with an imprudent cyclotourist on the descent of the col de Joux-Plane and subsequently spent several months in a coma. He recovered to live a normal life apart from suffering a speech impediment. Carlo Tonon leaves a wife and 12-year-old son.

Du Pont withdraws from cycling

DuPont will end its sponsorship of the largest cycling race in the United States, withdrawing some $2.5 million from the event after next year's race, the company said Thursday.

A DuPont spokesperson said the company, which has sponsored the race since 1991, will ``focus on more strategic markets'' in the rest of the world instead of the two-week bicycle race.

The 11-stage race, which began in 1989 as the Tour de Trump, race has an annual budget of $7.5 million.

``We have a firm commitment from DuPont for 1997 and it will be business as usual,'' said Michael Plant, president of Medalist Sports, Inc., the race organizers. ``After that we will still have America's premier stage race, but we want a new race with a new major player who we can count on to help us bring the race to a new level.''

American Lance Armstrong, the former world road titlist, has won the Tour DuPont the past two years.