Latest Cycling News for December 17, 2005

Edited by Jeff Jones & Steve Medcroft

Petacchi in doubt for Giro

It has not yet been decided whether Alessandro Petacchi will ride the Giro d'Italia in 2006, Team Milram Sports Director Gianluigi Stanga has told www.RadsportNews.com. "Petacchi has not yet decided against a start in the Giro, a race that he likes very much and that has given him very much, but which in the coming year has very few stages for sprinters," he said.

After the route for the 2006 Giro was announced, Petacchi declared the race "too hard" for sprinters and indicated that he might instead ride the Tour de France. This announcement was heard uneasily within the team, which had assumed that Petacchi would ride the Giro and his teammate Erik Zabel would ride the Tour.

Stanga said that Petacchi's racing program for 2006 was not yet set. "Alessandro would be very sorry" not to ride the Giro, he said. "But he wants to think about whether it would be worth it." Stanga emphasized that he was very pleased with the cooperation between his two star sprinters. "Both are very enthusiastic about riding together. They will support each other. They will both have precise goals, even by the Spring Classics."

Courtesy of Susan Westemeyer

CPA wants more protection for riders

The Association of Professional Cyclists is calling for stronger protection of riders' confidentiality and more rigorous testing methods with regard to doping affairs. After recent cases involving both positive test results (Heras) and the overturning of some riders' sanctions (Capelle), the CPA wants things to be tightened up.

In a letter sent to the UCI ProTour council, the CPA stated that, "The riders particularly would like the doubts connected with the credibility of the results of the analysis, which are carried out within the framework of the antidoping controls to be dispelled for good. They also would like the divulgence of information to be avoided, which in the past too often preceded the official information and confirmation the relevant authority has to send to the persons involved."

Furthermore, the CPA has sided with the ACCPI (Italian Professional Riders Association) in protesting against the half-stages planned for the final day of the 2006 Giro d'Italia. The CPA said it "deplores the fact that the organizers, once again, have no consideration for the riders and their associations, as they never consult them beforehand."

Finally, the CPA has paid €10,000 into Alessio Galletti's widow's account. The Italian rider died during a race on June 15 in Spain. The gesture from his colleagues will help Mrs. Saviozzi, who is expecting a second child, provide for her family before she receives insurance benefits.

Liquigas meets in Terracina

The riders of the Liquigas-Bianchi team will gather next week between Monday to Friday for their second training camp in preparation for the 2006 season. During the team meeting in Terracina, the riders will undergo medical checkups in the Centro di Medicina e Traumatologia dello Sport "Maurizio Barendson" at the surgical, orthopaedic, and accident Hospital of Latina, whose chief physician is the team doctor Roberto Corsetti.

"On the occasion of the meeting, the riders will have checkups to get their medical certificates following the current rules," said Dr Corsetti. "Moreover, they will undergo a test with the cyclo-ergometer, an echocardiogram and an X-ray of the thorax."

Team manager Roberto Amadio and the other staff are going to monitor each rider's training. "From the next week 'till the beginning of February, we will control the athletes every three weeks," said Amadio. "Moreover, during the season we are going to carry out not only evaluation tests during the races, but also specific tests. All that will allow us to have the whole team under constant control."

The 2006 Liquigas team is debuting in the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under from January 17-22.

Kohut briefly conscious

Polish rider Slawomir Kohut (Team Miche) is now in a serious, but stable condition following his training accident with a car last week. Kohut briefly regained consciousness on Friday, although he was still suffering from bad headaches and doctors opted to place him back in a medically induced coma.

In the meantime, Team Miche director Marco Tozzi is trying to obtain doctors' permission to take Slawomir back to Italy, in order to consult with an Italian doctor for a surgical operation, if it is deemed necessary.

Leigh Howard: Young, and very fast

According to some observers, Leigh Howard is arguably the best all round track cyclist, for his age, Australia has ever produced. The 16 year old from Geelong has been the best cyclist in every discipline on the track for his age group over the past four years in Australia. With two major track race wins on the board in recent times, John Trevorrow looks at what may be in store for the young Victorian.

Leigh Howard (VIS)
Photo ©: Shane Goss

Howard has followed his mum Kym into the sport and remembers being carted around as a toddler following bike races around the state. "I remember going up to Mt Buller and watching mum race against the top ladies. I also met Magnus Backstedt and Stuart O'Grady, who gave me a drink bidon. That started my love affair with cycling," Howard says. "Not long after that I started my first race in Hamilton. I think I got third and I reckon I could have won, but I dropped the bidon that Stuart O'Grady gave me and I stopped to pick it up," recalls Howard.

Between 2002 and 2005, Howard has won 17 gold medals in races he's contested on the track and five on the road in state titles. At the national level he has won 14 gold medals and two silver on the track and on the road two gold, one silver and one bronze. Comparisons are definitely going to be made between this exciting youngster and Geelong's greatest cyclist, the legendary Russell Mockridge.

Click here for the full feature

Callegarin to Androni Giocattoli 3C Casalinghi

Daniele Callegarin has signed a two year contract with Davide Boifava to ride for the Androni Giocattoli 3C Casalinghi team. The 23 year old has raced for five seasons with the Elite and U23 ranks in Italy, the latter for Bottoli Artoni Zoccorinese. He won Milano-Rapallo and the GP Ezio Del Rosso a Montecatini Terme. Callegarin is currently in Calcinato, Brescia, with his new teammates.

Cannondale announces new MTB team

Cannondale has announced the formation of a new powerhouse cross country racing team this week, which will contend for the top spot on the World Cup circuit. This multi-year partnership with global tire manufacturer Vredestein blends established winners with young rising stars for a program that Cannondale expects to make its way onto podiums well into the future.

This cross country team is a fundamental part of Cannondale's commitment to mountain bike racing and development in all disciplines; from top level pros to aspiring young athletes, from cross country to gravity.

"With the continued diversification in the sport of mountain biking, we felt it necessary to communicate our cross country product story with a team focused on cross country racing," said Matt Mannelly, President of the Cannondale Brand. "In addition, we recognise that the gravity disciplines and riders are best served through a program focused on those races and events and not contained within a classic cross country-based team structure."

The team's 2006 roster includes Swedish rising star Fredrik Kessiakoff, who remains aboard a Cannondale and will continue his rise to the top levels of the sport with the new team. Fredrik finished fourth overall in the UCI Cross Country World Cup rankings in 2005 and eighth in the Marathon World Cup after winning his home round of Falun, Sweden.

Kiwi Kashi Leuchs will return to the Cannondale family in 2006, joining Fredrik as a formidable pairing for the World Cup season. In addition, Kashi is targeting the 2006 World Championships which will be held in his native New Zealand. "I'm excited to return to the Cannondale family and also to be able to contribute to a racer support program like the one I started with," stated Kashi, referring to Cannondale Europe's plans to launch a grassroots program in 2006.

Peter Riis Anderson also joins the team from Denmark. Peter is currently ranked 12th in UCI world rankings, and finished fourth at the Marathon World Championships.

Completing the team is another Danish Dynamite, Jakob Fuglsang, the 2005 Under 23 World Cup Champion and currently the top ranked rider in the UCI U23 ranking. Jakob comes from the Heijdens-Ten Tusscher Team, also sponsored by Cannondale and Vredestein in 2005.

The team is managed by Jan ten Tusscher and Ruud Poels and is linked with the Heijdens ten Tusscher development team, which gives promising young riders like Jakob a chance to compete at the highest level of the sport and ultimately paves their way to a professional racing career.

With three riders in the UCI top twenty, this young and focused team will target World Cup events, the World Championships, and the 2008 Olympic Games to be held in Peking. The team will race aboard the Cannondale Scalpel equipped with Lefty fork and Vredestein new line-up of mountain bike tires.

Irmiger to Subaru-Gary Fisher

Heather Irmiger, winner of the NORBA NCS cross country at Brian Head and sixth place overall in the NCS Series, has joined the Subaru-Gary Fisher team for 2006.

"Heather was already a big part of our program last year," said team manager Jon Rourke. Heather raced for the Gary Fisher-sponsored Tokyo Joes team, and at National events based her endeavours out of the Subaru-Gary Fisher team truck. "She brings such a youthful exuberance to everything she does, working with her in the past has been great and it will be even better having her as an official member of the squad. She really earned this. She had a great year last year with eight NORBA podiums, and will have more time to focus on racing and training this season. I am very optimistic about her potential."

For 2006 Heather will focus on the NCS Series, the US National Championships, and North American World Cup events. Her signature strength is on climbing courses, but she is training for more power next season so that she can contend for a win on any course.

Jet Fuel Coffee restructures

Canadian team Jet Fuel Coffee will restructure its management and roster next season. Its seven year partnership with Cyclepromo has finished, and Dave Butler, Kevin Field, Andrew Randell, Buck Miller and Zach Bell are all leaving the team.

"In 2006 we will be taking the management of the team in-house and John Englar will become General Manager of the team," said a team statement. "Joe Giuliano will remain with the team to act as team captain and director. Andrew Randell, while moving to Symmetrics, has agreed to remain involved and act as development director. Our roster for 2006 will include Joe Giuliano, the Hansen brothers Matt and Jeff, and Peter Morse. Amongst these riders we have both former national and provincial champions and a depth of international and national experience to draw upon. Over the next month, Jet Fuel will be finalizing its sponsorship list and confirming its racing program."

Riders can contact Joe at joe@jetfuelcoffee.com. For other inquiries, contact John at john@jetfuelcoffee.com.

Sakonnet starts in Tucson

The 2006 CRCA/Sakonnet Technology U25 cycling team will hold its first training camp of the season in Tucson, AZ, from January 3-9. The team will meet in Tucson to meet with sponsors, sort out the equipment, have photos taken, create promotional material, and work out season programs for its twelve riders.

For more information: www.skntcycling.com

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