News for November 12, 2000
Giro d'Italia 2001The 84th edition of the Giro d'Italia was unvelied earlier today in Milan's Verdi theatre by the organisers, RCS Sport. Without making any bold predictions, the 21 stage, 3,572 kilometre event will be the longest of the three Grand Tours in 2001, with an average daily distance of 175.5 kilometres (excluding time trials). In 1998, the Giro was 3,999 kilometres long, and in 1999 it was 3,707 kilometres, so there is at least some trend toward the shorter distances. Short does not necessarily mean easy, and the Vuelta 2000 certainly proved that with its sub 3000 kilometre parcours. In addition, the riders of the Giro 2001 will only get one rest day: on June 5 after 16 stages of racing. However, this is balanced with fewer high mountain stages and there are a total of 12 completely flat stages. There are a total of 21,200 vertical metres of climbing. There are two very tough days in the Giro 2001: Stage 13 (Montebelluna - Passo Pordoi, 224 km), taking the riders twice up the 11 kilometre, 7.1% Passo Pordoi, as well as the Passo Rolle and Passo Fedaia; and Stage 18 (Imperia - St. Anna Di Vinadio, 234 km), which includes the 2511 m Colle Fauniera, the highest point of the race (Cima Coppi) and is a 14.5 kilometre slog at a savage 9.5%. This combined with three other challenging climbs on that day will make for a hard fought stage to the mountaintop finish in St. Anna Di Vinadio. There will only be one individual time trial other than the 8 kilometre prolouge in Pescara. Stage 15 will take the riders 55 kilometres between Sirmione Terme and Salo, alongside Lake Garda. The Giro will venture across the border only once: Stage 10 into Slovenia which finishes in Lubijana. The team selection will involve 20 teams of 9 riders, including the top 16 teams on the UCI classification, who will be notified on February 16. Guaranteed foreign teams are: Lotto, Kelme and Telekom, who may be bringing Jan Ullrich along. Other teams that have expressed interest include Bonjour, Rabobank, Selle-Italia and Linda McCartney.
Armstrong awardedAt today's presentation of the Giro 2001 in Milan, Lance Armstrong was awarded the 40th Bici d'Oro trophy by the Fausto Coppi foundation, in conjunction with La Gazzetta dello Sport. The trophy is awarded to the best performed rider of the season, and Armstrong netted 140 points for his efforts this year. He was followed by Jan Ullrich on 89 points, Francesco Casagrande with 53 points, Erik Zabel with 42 points and Stefano Garzelli with 32 points.
Peace Race 2001The Stages May 11 - Stage 1: Lodz-Lodz, 145 km Collinelli and Trentini suspendedItalian track cyclists and near Olympic team members, Andrea Collinelli and Mauro Trentini have been suspended by the disciplinary commission of the Italian Federation for doping. Trentini will receive a 6 months suspension, and Collinelli 10 months, after both failed drug tests (for lidocaine and fentermine) during the Italian track championships in June. Collinelli, the 1996 Olympic Champion in the individual pursuit was shattered by the sentence, saying that it could mean the end of his career. "They want to make me stop racing. I hoped for a lighter sentence: I have already paid enough for this. Not being able to participate in the Olympic Games was like losing four years of my career and hard training. I am sorry that they did not believe in my good faith," said Collinelli. However, Collinelli had told the commission who had supplied him with the substances and this would have contributed to his heavier penalty. "I know, I probably would have had a better treatment, but I also would have had to invent names," he said. An appeal is likely.
Holden USOC Athlete of the Month
2000 Olympic silver medalist and World Champion Mari Holden was named as the October Female Athlete of the Month by the U.S. Olympic Committee, the first such honour for Holden. In winning a gold medal in the elite women's individual time trial at the World's in France, she became the first U.S. road cyclist in six years to win a world championship title. Holden finished the race three seconds ahead of France's Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli, the 1999 world champion. In September, Holden she won the silver medal in the Olympic individual time trial in Sydney, a first for American women in cycling since 1984. Earlier in the year, Holden captured her fifth national time trial championship. She also won the Tour of Gila in New Mexico and Oregon's Tour of Willamette. Track and field Paralympian Marlon Shirley won the male award, while the Pan American gold medal-winning U.S. Junior Water Ski Team took the honors for Team of the Month.
AutoTrader.com announces 2001 teamThe AutoTrader.com Women's Professional Cycling Team today announced new management and roster for the 2001 racing season. The team will be based in Woodland Hills, CA and managed by John Wordin Sports Inc., who also manages the number one ranked U.S. Mercury Men's Pro Cycling Team. John Wordin aims to make AutoTrader.com the women's equivalent of the dominant Mercury team in the U.S., and should certainly provide some competition to a potentially super Saturn team. Riders returning to the team include the current NRC Champion, Tina Mayolo (USA), along with her 2000 teammates, Pam Schuster (USA), Marjon Marik (USA), and Julie Young (USA). Additionally, New Zealand Olympians, Sarah Ulmer and Susy Pryde have joined the team along with Karen Dunne (USA), Annie Gariepy (CAN), and Kim Smith (USA). Triple U.S. champion and former Olympian Mike Neel returns as Director Sportif. Mike has more than 30 years of professional experience as a world class cycling competitor, manager and coach. The AutoTrader.com team begins the 2001 racing season in February with the international women's tours in New Zealand and Australia (Tour de Snowy), as well as the Canberra World Cup. The team then returns to the U.S. to concentrate on the early March races including the Redlands Bicycle Classic and Mercury Sea Otter Classic. From there the team's focus will be on repeating as NRC champion and capturing the NRC overall crown, which narrowly escaped the team by less than 50 points in 2000.
Matxin to MapeiSpaniard Josean Fernandez Matxin has been given a directorial position in the World number one team, Mapei for 2001. At 29 years, Matxin is one of the sport's youngest directors and comes from the Saunier Duval-Mapei squad that he directed this season. His duties will involve helping Roberto Damiani in directing the Mapei youth squad, as well as being a talent spotter for up and coming Spanish riders. Although young, Matxin is not inexperienced, having directed the amateur squads Gasika Euskadi (1993), Ripolín (1994-1996), Banaka (1997), Saunier Duval (1998-1999) and Saunier Duval-Mapei (2000). Riders in his teams have attained a total of 175 individual victories over the years, with 37 more team victories. Over the past four years, he has directed 19 riders to the professional ranks. Cappelle to St QuentinBelgian espoir champion Andy Cappelle has signed for French team St Quentin Oktos next season. Cappelle rode as a stagiaire with Collstop in the latter part of this year. |
