First Edition Cycling News for December 28, 2005Edited by John Stevenson & Jeff Jones Heras prepares defense
Roberto Heras has not had much of a Christmas break, according to Spanish sports daily Marca. Instead, Heras and his lawyers have been busy preparing to defend Heras against the charge of using banned red cell booster erythropoietin at the Vuelta a Espana. Heras is scheduled to appear before the competition committee of the Spanish Cycling federation, the RFEC, on January 13 after returning a positive test for EPO at stage 20 of the Vuelta. "We are still obtaining information and documents," said Heras' lawyer José María Buxeda, "but I believe we will represent him well. I believe we are right and I believe - and this is more important - that we can prove it." Buxeda believes there were flaws in the test procedure whose results, if upheld, would almost certainly end his client's career. "Errors in the procedure have been uncovered and anyway the method is not very reliable because it can return false positives." Heras' legal team had identified seven or eight errors of procedure, according to Buxeda, among them, "the vials were [stored] for 36 hours without the necessary cooling, from five in the afternoon on Saturday to ten in the morning on Monday." Buxeda also claims that the Madrid laboratory is not accredited by the Spanish national accreditation authority, ENAC (Entidad Nacional de Acreditación). The EPO test has also been found to return false positives, and that is cause for optimism for Buxeda. The test "is not sufficiently specific and can confuse proteins produced in situations of maximum stress with those produced by recombinant EPO," he said. "This is the explanation of many false positive cases that have been produced recently, because Heras' case is not unique." Buxeda believes this factors will be sufficient that the RFEC will exonerate Heras. If the positive finding is upheld and Heras receives the likely two-year suspension, then the next step will be an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport or, more likely, the regular Spanish courts.
Cyclingnews coverage of the Heras caseNovember
8: Heras suspended Nathan O'Neill: Finding a home with Health Net-Maxxis
Aussie Nathan O'Neill enters the 2006 season with a new team, his fifth in just five years. However, his new contract with Health Net-Maxxis is a two-year deal, a rare feeling of job security in the often less-than-secure field of professional cycling. Cyclingnews' nabbed a quick chat with the six-time Australian time trial champion at the Health Net-Maxxis/Cannondale presentation in Santa Monica earlier this month. Nathan O'Neill has ridden for more than a few teams during his career - from his national team in Australia, to a European squad in the form of Panaria, to his most recent tenures as a GC and time trial rider for three top North American teams, Saturn, Colavita and Navigators. Finding a consistent team has been difficult for O'Neill, as has finding a consistent season, with many injuries getting in the way. Yet, despite this, one constant for him has been six Australian national time trial victories - beginning in 1996 and most recently in 2004 and 2005. After spending three years riding in 'the show' for a European team, O'Neill decided to cross the pond to try racing in North America for the powerhouse Saturn. After many time trial victories in 2003, Saturn closed up shop and O'Neill moved to Colavita. Again, he won many time trial and prologue races, but decided to switch to Navigators Insurance in 2005. Here, he continued his time trial prowess, which earned him eighth overall in the Tour de Georgia and first overall in the Tour de Beauce. With an impressive list of palmares, teams began knocking on O'Neill's door in Braselton, Georgia. Click here for the full interview. Nys still hungry
29 year-old Belgian cyclo-crosser Sven Nys keeps improving with age, it seems, and for the past two seasons has almost completely dominated the sport. Last year, he won the World Championship, UCI classification, Superprestige, Gazet van Antwerpen Trofee Veldrijden, Belgian championship, and even the Belgian MTB Championship. This season, he has already carved out 16 wins (compared to his total of 25 last year) and again leads every major series. His most recent success came in the World Cup in Hofstade on Monday, where he closed a 23 second gap after puncturing, before going onto win the race by 14 seconds. Belgian coach Rudi de Bie described it as giving him goosebumps. What's the secret to Nys' success? Quoted in De Volkskrant, the Rabobank rider said, "I possess a lot of talent, live for my profession, try to look after myself well, and physically I always have more in reserve." Nys has also taken time to work on his weak points, such as his mental approach, and his running. He is now an almost unbeatable opponent when he has set his mind on winning a particular race. "There are periods when I take it easy," added Nys. "Then I don't put myself under any pressure. Some races I don't need to win. If it happens anyway, then I can certainly be happy about it." By the end of the 2005-2006 season, Nys could well take a clean sweep of everything. His main rival Bart Wellens is suffering from injuries, and things have not gone well of late for the Fidea rider. Nys will line up at the World Championships in Zeddam next month as the top favourite, and it's a race that he wants to win again. Does he have anything more to prove? "Nothing," was Nys' lighthearted response. "I've won everything that I can win. I only want to make my career a little bit nicer." T-Mobile's international Christmas celebrationVisiting the in-laws, enjoying the baby's first Christmas, catching up with the grandparents -- pro riders spend their holidays much the same way as the rest of us. T-Mobile shared a bit of how its international troupe spent the holidays. In Italy, Giuseppe Guerini, 35. enjoyed his first Christmas with 4-month-old son Simone, saying, "I spend Christmas there, where my heart is: with my family!" The Italian traditions include Midnight Mass, decorated trees, and nativity scenes, as well as fish for Christmas dinner. In Spain, newlywed Oscar Sevilla, 29, is glad to be home again after medical treatments in Germany. He's happy that wife Josephine comes from the same village he does, so that the pair will have minimal travel time while visiting her parents on Christmas Eve and his parents on Christmas Day. "I'm on the road the whole year, so it's good to be home for Christmas," he says. The Spaniards traditionally have a turkey dinner, but presents aren't exchanged until Twelfth Night on January 6. 23-year-old Bernhard Kohl puts his professional experience to good use for the holidays: "I always celebrate Christmas in 'stages'", he says. Christmas Eve midday by his father, the evening by his mother and then Christmas Day with the whole family at Grandfather's. "We sit together, talk a lot, look back at the year. A very important time for me." Austrians attend Midnight Mass -- in the countryside often arriving in horse-drawn sleds -- before seeing what presents the Christ Child has brought. The three T-Mobile riders wished their fans Buon Natale! Feliz Navidad! and Frohe Weihnachten! Aldag wins at Dortmunder WeihnachtspreisThe soon-to-be-retired Rolf Aldag dominated the 69th Großen Weihnachstpreis Dortmund on Boxing Day. The German team comprising Aldag, Erik Zabel, Guido Fulst and Jan van Eijden won the Omnium der Asse by 70 points to 62 over an international team of Bruno Risi (Switzerland), Barry Forde (Barbados), Danny Stam (Netherlands) and Robert Slippens (Netherlands). Aldag took the overall title by beating Zabel in the Derny race. In addition, the Stayers World Cup was won by Andreas Beikirch behind pacemaker Dieter Durst, his fifth win in a row, a new record. He was followed by Petr Jörg (Switzerland, with Rene Aebi), Andreas Kappes (Germany, with Christian Dippel), Reinier Honing (Netherlands, with Bruno Walraven), Gerd Dörich (Germany, with Gerd Gessler) and Carsen Podlesch (Germany, with Herlmut Baur). Wrolich & Kohl getting in shapeTwo Austrian pros have updated their websites with Christmas greetings and training news. Gerolsteiner's Paco Wrolich, having finished a three-week altitude training at the Falkert See, plans to spend two weeks at home before heading off to the next altitude training in the East Tyrol and then the team training camp on Mallorca. "The training at Falkert See was optimal," he said, "I could train well and feel well prepared for the next season." T-Mobile's Bernhard Kohl is back from Mallorca. where, along with Stephan Schreck, Markus Fothen and Andreas Klier, "I trained intensively for two weeks. The weather was super, with sunny and 18°, cycling is a lot of fun." This week Kohl will stay at home and do a little skiing, before heading back to Mallorca a few days before the team's training camp starts there on January 7. Peters aims for the topMountain bike downhiller and freerider Aaron Peters is aiming high for 2006 after renewing his deal with bike maker Mongoose. Peters says his 2005 highlights include, "Becoming a Team Mongoose rider, [qualifying] top-10 for a few slalom and DH comps, and taking 18th-overall in the NORBA standings." But for 2006 he's aiming higher. "I want to be the top American in DH and place highly in numerous freeride events," he said. "Riding for Mongoose is a dream come true. It's great having the support and having great teammates." Young South African joins GTSouth African cross-country rider Burry Stander has joined GT Bicycles' 2006 MTB team. Stander has been making a name for himself as a top junior rider in his homeland, winning the junior national title for the last three years. In 2005, Stander took first at the junior category in cross-country and short track races at the Sandpoint NORBA round, and won junior short track at the Snowmass NORBA. 2006 will be his first year as a pro. "My highlights in 2005 were definitely the three NORBA Junior races that I won on my first trip to the states," said Stander. "In 2006 I hope to finish in a Top-5 position in the NORBA STXC or XC Series." "I'll be riding all the NORBAs, Sea Otter, Commonwealth Games, South African Champs and a few World Cups," he said. "The riding I like most is big climbs followed by long technical descents." Robinson leads Tasmanian rider of the seasonBy Despite not adding to his tally at the Latrobe Boxing Day Carnival, Launceston's Will Robinson will carry a slender lead into today's Silverdome Carnival in Cycling Tasmania's Rider-of-the-Season award. Now in its fifth season of operation, the award recognizes the best performing riders at all track carnivals over the summer months. Four carnivals have been held to date with events at Launceston, Devonport (x2), Burnie, Hobart, Rosebery, Mersey Valley and St Helens still to come. Robinson - a winner of the equivalent award at junior level - has tallied 16 points, which includes two wins and two second placings and leads by just one point from Latrobe's Nathan Clarke. Clarke jumped into second place after scoring a third position in the 8000 m A Grade Scratch at Latrobe on Boxing Day. Outright third is Burnie's Aaron Jones, while Devonport teenager Jarrod Harman is in fourth, but only three points behind Robinson. The award carries a sliding scale of points in all handicap finals and all graded scratch races. Invitational and specialty races such as keirins, derby's and eliminations are not included in the award. Previous winners of the award include Jame Carney (2001-02), Michael Johnson (2002-03) and Ben Price in each of the last two seasons. Improving Ulverstone teenager Sarah Cure leads the women's series, although she has only 2-points to spare over Devonport's Emma Smith and newly crowned Latrobe Wheel champion, Emma Heynes. In the junior award, Ulverstone's Luke Ockerby has stretched his lead to 6-points after a moderately successful Boxing Day Carnival. Ockerby has won six races already this summer and has placed in two other events to tally 35-points. His closest challenger is Andrew Smith, who added to his score by winning the Under 17 Wheelrace at Latrobe on Monday. Scottsdale's Ben Grenda is handily placed in third, courtesy of four scratch wins from each of the four carnivals held so far. Click here for the full standings. Philippine Executive ChampionshipThe Philippine Executive Road Racing Championship crown is up for grabs this coming February 5, 2006 at the Subic Bay Freeport, Olongapo City. The current champion, Joel Gironella, will have to deal with a very hilly race route and a rejuvenated field of challengers. Gironella, a residential building contractor by profession, will have to cover the 100 kilometer leg-crushing climber's race course in the former U.S. Naval base turned Special Economic Trading Zone against the very best of Philippine executive road racers. Leading the charge against Gironella are Eric Carandang (marketing director at Philip Morris Philippines), Ernie Hortaleza (entrepreneur in the personal beauty industry), Toots Chua (importer of Giant & Trek bicycles), Ronnie Cuevas (realty developer), and Ronald Cordero (realty developer). Noted as more of a field sprinter, Joel Gironella will definitely be at a disadvantage with the selected hilly terrain which includes the dreaded "Naval Mag Rollers" and "El Kabayo Wall" sections of the former naval base. His closest rival, Eric Carandang, has the advantage of being an all-around rider given his ability to climb and sprint well regardless of any race route. Apparently, Carandang's working in Philip Morris has not affected his lungs too much! A dark horse to the winner's crown is Ernie Hortaleza. A revelation to the executive racing scene in 2005 whose only previous experience in cycling is recreational mountain biking with his wife, Hortaleza has similar assets to Carandang but with stronger climbing skills. A training accident early December 2005 may have decreased his confidence in descents though. All revenues from the event shall be donated to the KYTHE Child Life Program, a cancer fighting foundation aimed at assisting pediatric patients in various Philippine Government hospitals. The race is organized by Tim GoBio of World Cycling Adventures Organizers Philippines. Cyclingnews reader awards 2005This year's reader awards sees a first as one company sweeps both of our tech awards, for Best product and Best team bike.
(All rights reserved/Copyright Knapp Communications Pty Limited 2005) |
|
January 2009 |
Recently on Cyclingnews.com |
 Mont Ventoux Photo ©: Sirotti |
