First Edition Cycling News for August 10, 2004Edited by Jeff Jones Peña rides TT for ColombiaVictor Hugo Peña (USPS-Berry Floor) has been named by the Colombian cycling federation to ride the Olympic time trial on August 18. Peña will ride in place of Santiago Botero, who was considered not to be in good enough condition for the event. In 2000, Peña finished 24th in the time trial, 3'30 behind winner Viatcheslav Ekimov. His recent form is promising, however, as he finished third in the time trial stage of the Tour of Denmark, six seconds slower than winner Jens Voigt. In the men's road race on August 14, Peña will ride with Santiago Botero, Marlon Pérez and Luis Felipe Laverde in the Colombian team. Aerts comes back homeMario Aerts has signed a two year contract with Omega Pharma-Lotto, according to Het Laatste Nieuws. The Belgian, who rode for Lotto between 1998 and 2002, has ridden for the past two seasons with T-Mobile. However, his biggest success was in 2002 when he won La Flèche Wallonne. Good training for LjungskogSwedish World Champion Susanne Ljungskog successfully completed Sunday's 197 km Scandinavian Open, the first woman ever to do so in a UCI classed men's race. Ljungskog finished in 57th position, 13'56 behind winner Marcus Ljungqvist, with a personal average speed of 42.2 km/h. "I'm really pleased with this race, and it feels important to me, both as a preparation for the Olympics, and also as a pure confidence boost," said Ljungskog after the race. Maserati for LPRItalian rider Alessandro Maserati will ride as a stagiaire for Team LPR beginning with the Coppa Placci on September 4. The 25 year old will also do the Giro di Romagna (September 5) and Giro della Val d'Elsa on September 11, among other races. If he performs well, the team may offer him a spot on its roster next season. Elite criterium in Tour of Britain finaleThe organisers of the Tour of Britain have announced that there will be a one hour Elite Men's criterium taking place on the same circuit as the final stage of the Tour in Westminster on Sunday, September 5. The Bob Chicken London Grand Prix will be open to E1/2 riders and they are sure of a large and enthusiastic crowd to see the compete for £2,500 prize money and the winner's trophy. The idea for the race stems from Bob Chicken's 55 year involvement with the British and European Bicycle Industry. "I'm honoured that The London Grand Prix is associated with The Tour of Britain's final stage," commented Mr. Chicken. "It's great to see The Tour of Britain taking place again and I hope it will inspire many young spectators to take up the sport." The race will start at 12.30pm and there is a £10 entry fee. The event is being organised by Keith Butler and eligible riders who wish to participate should contact Keith Butler at 115 Foxley Lane, Purley, Surrey, CR8 3HQ: Tel: +44 (0)208 660 7917. Australian National's host drug awareness programThe Australian Olympic Committee and Cycling Australia will present their "Live Clean, Play Clean" program on Friday, September 3 in Caloundra, Queensland after day one of the National Road Cycling Championships. The video presentation is designed to educate aspiring athletes, their coaches and parents on the issue of drugs in sport. Since its introduction in May 2002 it has been seen by over 8000 people. Some of the issues addressed in the presentation are:
Cycling Australia is encouraging all athletes, parents and coaches attending the 2004 National Road Championships to participate in the presentation, which will take place on Friday, September 3 at 6:30 pm at the Caloundra RSL and run for approximately one hour. The National Road Championships (not to be confused with the Australian Open Road Championships in January) will take place between September 3-12 in Caloundra, Queensland, featuring road races, time trials and criteriums for all age groups. In addition, there will be a new 'Sport Class', which offers all cyclists of varying ages (19 and up) and abilities the opportunity to compete at the championships. Full Event ProgramThur, Sept. 2: Registration at the Caloundra RSL (5pm - 7pm) More information: www.usmevents.com.au Women's Prestige Series names teams for BermudaThe top ten teams in the US-based Women's Prestige Cycling Series following the International Tour de 'Toona will be headed for Bermuda for an all-expenses paid stage race on September 23-26. In order to compete for the Bermuda prize, women's teams were required to participate in the first three Women's Prestige Cycling Series events, which included the Redlands Bicycle Classic, Nature Valley Grand Prix and the International/Tour de 'Toona. Out of 19 teams that registered at the onset of the Series, the top ten teams are: 1 Equipe Rona 1418 pts 2 Quark Cycling Team 1117 3 Genesis Scuba 686 4 Webcor Builders 295 5 Victory Brewing 294 6 Red 5 Racing 189 7 Team Basis 130 8 Team Kenda Tire 90 9 CRCA/Aquafina 70 10 Sportsbook.com 60 The series is much more than recognizing the big-budget UCI trade teams, explained series organiser David LaPorte. "The series proved to be a way to get smaller, regional teams involved, and feeling like they had a stake in something," In each of the Women's Prestige Series Races, the women's fields were the largest ever, noted LaPorte. "Clearly, it's a sign that if you offer women racers great racing and a little incentive, they will come." WPCS Individual StandingsLyne Bessette (Quark Cycling Team) built up an unassailable lead in the Individual standings by winning the overall at the Tour de 'Toona, a feat that she had already accomplished at the Redlands Bicycle Classic and the Nature Valley Grand Prix. Susan Palmer-Komar moved from fifth to second thanks to a strong second place showing at the International/Tour de 'Toona while Erinne Willock and Geneviève Jeanson (both Equipe Rona) are tied for third. Expect a duel for second place at the Bermuda Grand Prix, with four riders within 34 points. The current Series standing are: 1 Lyne Bessette (Quark Cycling Team) 660 pts 2 Susan Palmer-Komar (Genesis Scuba / FFCC) 286 3 Erinne Willock (Equipe Rona) 253 3 Geneviève Jeanson (Equipe Rona) 253 5 Katrina Grove (Equipe Rona) 252 WPCS Best Young Rider (U26)Erinne Willock (Equipe Rona) claimed the lead in the Best Young Rider competition, moving from third to first thanks to a strong third place at the Tour de 'Toona. Geneviève Jeanson (Equipe Rona) remained in second, while Katherine Sherwin (Team Kenda Tire) fell from first to third, a result of finishing twentieth at the Tour de 'Toona. 1 Erinne Willock (Equipe Rona) 440 pts 2 Geneviève Jeanson (Equipe Rona) 385 3 Katherine Sherwin (Team Kenda Tire) 363 4 Lauren Franges (victory Brewing) 289 5 Stefanie Graeter (Webcor Builders) 279 WPCS Sprint CompetitionGina Grain (Victory Brewing) retained her first place in the sprint ranking despite her absence from the Tour de 'Toona, thanks to strong performances at the Redlands Bicycle Classic and the Nature Valley Grand Prix. Lynne Bessette finished second in the Tour de 'Toona sprint competition, a result that moved her to second in the WPCS Sprint Competition, while Laura Van Gilder (Genesis Scuba) dropped from second to third in the Series. 1 Gina Grain (Victory Brewing) 385 pts 2 Lyne Bessette (Quark Cycling) 307 3 Laura Van Gilder (Genesis Scuba) 261 4 Andrea Hannos (Equipe Rona) 253 5 Tina Pic (Genesis Scuba) 220 For more information about women's racing and the Series, visit www.WomenCyclists.com.
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