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Mont Ventoux
Photo ©: Sirotti

First Edition Cycling News for April 12, 2005

Edited by John Stevenson

MrBookmaker gives Vandenbroucke four weeks

Frank Vandenbroucke in 2003
Photo: © Bert Geerts
Click for larger image

The MrBookmaker.com-SportsTech team has issued an ultimatum to troubled Belgian rider Frank Vandenbroucke: prove you're worthy of the label "racing cyclist" in the next four weeks or leave the team.

The deadline came during a meeting between team manager Hilaire Van Der Schueren and Vandenbroucke's manager, Paul De Geyter, though Vandenbroucke himself was not present. "It wasn't necessary for Frank to be there as I had already talked to him on the phone," Van Der Schueren told Sportwereld. "The tolerance of the sponsors MrBookmaker and SportsTech was running out after Frank again cancelled for various races. We have now given Frank four weeks to become a racer again. If he does not come good in that time, then we will let him go."

Van Der Schueren said that he had been in daily contact with Vandenbroucke, who was a last-minute scratching from Paris-Roubaix at the weekend because of illness, but said he did not know when Vandenbroucke would next pin on a race number. "We will wait for him, but it's obvious that our tolerance is not endless. Frank cannot damage the trust that my sponsors have put in him any more."

It's not the first time Vandenbroucke has found himself facing a 'shape up or ship out' message from his team. His career started brilliantly with a string of victories in 1998 and 1999 including Paris-Nice, Gent-Wevelgem, the Omloop Het Volk and Liege-Bastogne-Liege, but for several years he has struggled with depression and other personal problems. In 2001 he was sacked from Lampre-Daikin after going AWOL for several weeks, and last year was let go by Fassa Bortolo toward the end of the season.

Etxebarria breaks two-year drought

Basque rider David Etxebarria broke a two-year victory drought Sunday when he won the Klasika Primavera, out-sprinting Damiano Cunego (Lampre) and Aitor Osa (Illes Balears) for the win.

For several years Etxebarria was the sprint lynchpin of the Euskaltel-Euskadi team, but he left the Basque squad at the end of last year in search of greener pastures at Liberty Seguros, and he credited his new squad after the win.

"I Am very satisfied because this victory gives me confidence after almost two years without winning," said Etxebarria in a team statement. "I dedicate it to my team, because this winter they trusted that I was still able to win. The victory came because of the great work of all my team-mates, who worked for me. After three times on the podium here, this race was resisting me. Today I felt very good and was able to finish off properly."

Hondo's last hope

By Susan Westemeyer

Team Gerolsteiner and its star sprinter Danilo Hondo are hoping against hope for good news in Madrid today. Hondo and expert attorney Michael Lehner are in the Spanish capital for the opening of the B sample. Team manager Hans-Micheal Holczer hasn't entirely given up hope: "It isn't over until it's over. There were some questions surrounding the positive tests. That's why we've engaged the expert attorney Lehner, from Heidelberg, even when I'm a realist and not expecting negative results in Madrid Tuesday."

Quick Step for Scheldeprijs Vlaanderen

Tomorrow's Scheldeprijs Vlaanderen will be the last time Tom Boonen rolls out with the Quick.Step team before Belgian cycling's superboy takes a well-earned rest after his historic Flanders-Roubaix double. He will be supported by Wilfried Cretskens, Dimitri De Fauw, Kevin Hulsmans, Servais Knaven, Nick Nuyens, Sebastien Rosseler, and Guido Trenti.

Ullrich leads T-Mobile in Aragon

Jan Ullrich continues his Tour build-up in Spain, leading his team in the Vuelta a Aragon. Team press officer Luuc Eisenga calls it another "another important milestone" in Ullrich's Tour de France preparations. The German is keen to maintain the momentum in Spain, and this race "will give Ullrich a chance to test his climbing legs this week," according to the team. "Jan's progress is right on track by now. He gave a good account of himself in France and now we want to see how he copes with more demanding parcours," commented sporting manager Valerio Piva.

Veterans Giuseppe Guerini and Jan Schaffrath return to racing after recovering from the flu, and Daniele Nardello "is also making a long-awaited comeback" from back problems. Torsten Hiekmann, Bram Schmitz and Tobias Steinhauser round out the seven-man roster.

The T-Mobile roster: Torsten Hiekmann (25), Giuseppe Guerini (Italy/35), Daniele Nardello (Italy/32), Jan Schaffrath (33), Bram Schmitz (Netherlands/27), Tobias Steinhauser (33) and Jan Ullrich (31). Directeur Sportif on site is Valerio Piva.

Other teams for Aragon

Several other teams have announced their line-ups for Aragon.

The Euskaltel-Euskadi team will comprise Igor Antón, Mikel Artetxe, David Herrero, Roberto Laiseka, David Lopez, Alberto Lopez De Munain, Antton Luengo and Josu Silloniz.

Liquigas-Bianchi will field Daniele Colli, Enrico Gasparotto, Marco Milesi, Devis Miorin, Matej Mugerli, Luciano Pagliarini, Charles Wegelius and Marco Zanotti

The Illes Balears-Caisse d'Epargne team will be David Arroyo, José Luis Carrasco, Imanol Erviti, Iker Leonet, David Navas, Toni Tauler, and Isaac Gálvez

Stages

Stage 1 - April 13: Alcalá De La Selva - Valderrobres, 167.7 Km
Stage 2 - April 14: Alcañíz - Sabiñánigo, 206.5 Km
Stage 3 - April 15: Sabiñánigo - Zaragoza, 173.5 Km
Stage 4 - April 16: Herrera De Los Navarros-Virgen De La Sierra De Herrera, 11.2 Km
Stage 5 - April 17: Borja - Illueca, 139 Km

Jittery Joe's excited about Georgia

It's unlikely that any of its riders will challenge for the podium, especially as 2004 winner Lance Armstrong is returning to defend his title, but the Jittery Joe's cycling team is nevertheless excited about the upcoming Tour of Georgia. The team is based in Athens, Georgia and so enjoys unique status as far as the local media are concerned.

"The amount of media we get from the Dodge Tour is more than we get the rest of the year combined," says team manager Micah Rice. "It is really an honor to just get invited to a race of this magnitude, but to be the hometown team is really special."

"This will be my third Dodge Tour, but my first with Jittery Joe's-Kalahari," says Tim Johnson, co-captain of the team. "I can't wait. It will be hard to improve on the team's stage win from last year, but we have a few surprises up our sleeve."

Last year, Jittery Joe's rider Cesar Grajales won the race's queen stage up Brasstown Bald Mountain, attacking with two kilometres to go to take his and the team's biggest ever win.

This yea, team members will be signing autographs at Hank Aaron Land Rover/Jaguar in the Augusta area the evening before the race. The team will be there from 5:30pm to 6:30pm on Monday, April 18 and directions to the dealership are at www.hankaaronauto.com.

Irish student championships in Sligo

By Tommy Campbell

Mention the town of Sligo and cycling in tandem and the answer you invariably get is Mark Scanlon. The 1998 Junior World Champion hails from the town and thanks to Mark's exploits the sport of cycling is a high priority here in Sligo. It will be further enhanced when the third level students come here for their championships on Wednesday (13 of April).

In the last two years the Irish Road Race Championship was held locally and now the third level students [college, university and similar - Ed] will leave their mark in a town which first came to prominence with the de Burgo invasion back in 1235.

Mark Quigley, the organiser of the Third Level Irish Championships in time trialling and road racing, is hoping for an invasion of students.

"It has been a difficult couple of months getting everything in place for these championships which will be staged this coming Wednesday. The logistics of putting on such an event and keeping up the studies were to say the least difficult," said Quigley.

"The Sligo Institute of Technology are fully behind the venture and hopefully we will have a good day.

"Naturally as a competitor I didn't understand what goes on in putting on an event. Well! I have had a good induction and I just would like to thank all, particularly the competitors who will be here on Wednesday morning," he added.

Glenn Wilkinson 1960-2005

By Brian Venner

Glenn Wilkinson, television action cameraman, well known in all branches of the sport of cycling died suddenly while in his garden at Ashtead, Surrey, last Tuesday April 5.

He was only 44 years of age and the esteem in which he was held by all only heightened the shock which was felt by all, particularly in the television and cycling industry.

Glenn had worked as the chief motorcycle cameraman on many cycle tours all over the world; in Australia, the Philippines, in Malaysia, Italy and France. He was the lynchpin for the television coverage for The Milk Race, the Kellogg's Tour, the Prudential Tour and the new Tour of Britain and many World Cup Races. Glenn was a consummate television professional. His skill with the camera was unsurpassed - attested to by those who had to edit his work but the quality which surprised me most during the twenty years I worked with him was the intelligence he brought to his work. Riding at the head of the peloton he developed an amazing trust and partnership with his regular French motor cycle pilot Patrice Diallo and one of my most vivid memories is the sight of Moto 1 descending a mountain in Malaysia at huge speed during a tropical thunderstorm Glenn was leaning off the back of the motorbike, the camera only inches from the tarmac. On this descent Glenn got the shot of the stage as the yellow jersey crashed.

Glenn was always in the right place at the right time. He had become one of the most astute readers of the tactics involved in bike racing in any part of the globe.

One of the first to call with commiserations was the vice president of the Union Cyclisme Internationale, Pat McQuaid.

Glenn was an intensely loyal friend, a supreme television professional, a fine man.

Glenn we will miss you.

Our thoughts are with his partner, Becky and his two sons Jake and Sammy.

BC Superweek anchors new Canadian road series

Canada's richest week of bike racing will get even richer in 2005 as BC Superweek (July 15-24) becomes part of a new Canada Cup cycling series that will offer $10,000 more prize money just for Canadian riders and hopefully lead to larger women's fields and greater participation from riders across Canada.

The new series, developed by the Canadian Cycling Association, will be funded by legacy money from the 2003 World Road Cycling Championships in Hamilton, Ontario. It's a six-event road racing series for men and women that includes BC Superweek's Tour de Delta, Tour de Gastown and Tour de White Rock, as well as the National Road Cycling Championships in Kamloops, the Montreal to Quebec City Road Race and Ontario's Elliott Lake Stage Race.

National Development Coach Kris Westwood, said selecting the West Coast races for the new national series was an easy decision.

"BC Superweek is where it's at in road racing in Canada," said Westwood. "It's pretty well it in this country. White Rock is a fantastic race that's been around for a long time, Delta is now well established with incredible community support, and of course Gastown is a classic."

The Canada Cup series, which is expected to grow to eight events by 2008, will be used to select and develop national and Olympic team candidates. The series is also expected to help identify and assist up and coming riders, another reason BC Superweek officials are happy to be selected for the national series.

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