First Edition Cycling News for January 18, 2005

Edited by Jeff Jones

Barloworld-Valsir announces 2005 team

Team Barloworld-Valsir will feature 24 riders in 2005, with the biggest signing being 2003 World Champion Igor Astarloa. The continental professional team has been greatly expanded since last year, when only 11 riders were on board.

Apart from top signing Igor Astarloa, Barloworld has also added 34 year-old Spaniard David Plaza, who rode for Cafes Baque last year and now has a two year deal with Barloworld. Another Baque rider is talented Colombian climber Felix Cardenas, who won the mountains competition in the Vuelta a España for the last two years. Other new signings include Peio Arrentunandia (Cafes Baque), Rene Jorgensen (Alessio), Paolo Longo Borghini (Vini Caldirola), Roger Beuchat, Stefano Cavallari, Luca Celli, Giampaolo Cheula, Guilo Tomi (all Vini Caldirola) and Tom Southam (Amore e Vita). Rene is out to prove his worth to the cycling world after a frustrating year with injury.

Team Barloworld-Valsir has retained many of its promising youngsters, including Darren Lill and Ryan Cox. They are hoping to continue their steady improvement and become part of the team's nucleus. They will be joined by new recruit Tom Southam. On the other hand, the team's seasoned campaigners Enrico Degano, Antonio Salomone, Eddy Serri, 'Jock' Green, David George and Tiaan Kannemeyer are keen to build on their successes of last year in the revamped squad.

Team Manager John Robertson is very pleased with the riders he has at his disposal and is looking forward to a year of continued improvement, beginning with next month's Tour de Langkawi in which he hopes to top last year's second and fourth places with a first.

Team roster

Andresen to Designa Køkken

After one year at Bankgiroloterij, Allan Bo Andresen is moving back to Denmark to the Danish continental squad Team Designa Køkken. On Monday, Andresen signed a contract with the team for one year and described himself as happy with the move.

"I have already tried a lot in my career, but I think it is too early to quit, especially with the opportunity given to me by Team Designa Køkken," said Andresen to feltet.dk. "Here I'll have the opportunity to slowly get used to a life after cycling, and at the same time help out the young talents on the team. I would actually rather see one of the young riders on the team win a Danish road race than myself. On the other hand, there are some races where I would like to get my chance for a win, but that is primarily the UCI races CSC-Classic, Grand Prix SATS, the national championships and Post Danmark Rundt."

Team roster

Daniel Holm Foder (Den)
Rune Udby (Den)
Chris Anker Sørensen (Den)
Michael Larsen (Den)
Michael Reihs (Den)
Morten Gottlieb (Den)
Christian Poulsen (Den)
Christian Knørr (Den)
Gøran Jensen (Den)
Christian Alex Hansen (Den)
Christian Finnerup (Den)
Morten Voss Christiansen (Den)
Allan Bo Andresen (Den)

Verstraeten to Fidea

Cyclo-crosser Jan Verstraeten (John Saey-Deschacht) will ride for the Fidea team this season, with all parties coming to an agreement on Monday and Verstraeten signing until the start of the 2006-2007 cyclo-cross season.

Fidea team manager Hans Van Kasteren is on the lookout for another rider to strengthen the team, and is currently in Spain where he is negotiating with a rider.

Belgian selection for World's

Belgian national coach Rudy De Bie has named his elite men's squad for the 2005 Cyclo-cross World's in St. Wendel on January 30. Reigning World Champion Bart Wellens (Fidea) will lead a strong team of eight riders, including Sven Nys, Sven Vanthourenhout and Bart Aernouts (Rabobank), Erwin Vervecken and Wim Jacobs (Fidea), Tom Vannoppen and Davy Commeyne (Palmans). Jan Verstraeten and Tim Van Nuffel are the reserves.

"All riders have earned their selection," said De Bie. "Vannoppen, Vervecken and Vanthourenhout can make the top three. But if Sven Nys doesn't get a cold, he is naturally the man."

German selection for World's

The German Cycling Federation has nominated the riders for the UCI Cyclocross World Championships, which will take place between January 29-30 in St Wendel, Germany. The riders are:

Elite Men: Jens Schwedler (Harvestehuder RSV/Stevens Cyclo-Cross), Malte Urban (Herford/Harvestehuder RSV/Stevens Cyclo-Cross), Steffen Weigold (Alpirsbach/Lamonta), Reto Matt (Niederhof/SG Rheinfelden), Johannes Sickmüller (Hamburg/Harvestehuder RSV/Stevens Cyclo-Cross), Fabian Brzezinski (Trebel/IGAS Wendland/Stevens Cyclo-Cross)

Elite Women: Hanka Kupfernagel (Werder/Vlaanderen T-interim), Sabine Spitz (Murg- Niederhof/Fusion), Birgit Hollmann (Caputh/Zugvogel Berlin), Nicole Kampeter (Bünde/RC Endspurt Herford), Susanne Juranek (Oldenburg/RSC Oldenburg)

Under 23 Men: Finn Heitmann (Bad Salzuflen/Endspurt Herford), Thorsten Struch (Stuttgart/RSV Stuttgart-Vaihingen), Paul Voß (Potsdam/OSC Potsdam/Stevens Cyclo-Cross), Jochen Uhrig (RV Union 1886 Nürnberg), Karl Schoknecht (Kleinmachnow/RC Kleinmachnow), Lukas Keller (Lingen/ESV Lingen), Robin Schmuda (Weissach/RV Pfeil Magstadt)

Junior Men: Philip Walsleben (Kleinmachnow/RC Kleinmachnow), Christoph Pfingsten (Stahnsdorf/OSC Potsdam), Sascha Wagner (Biebergemünd/RFC Roßbach), Patrick Nuber (Wangen/RadUnion Wangen), Yannick-Johannes Tiedt (Berlin/RC Charlottenburg), Tim Ulbrich (Bliesendorf/RSC Turbine Erfurt), Philipp Stelter (OSC Potsdam), Sascha Weber (St.Wendel/RSC St.Wendel)

Two remaining TdF tickets likely to Ag2r and Phonak

With 21 teams likely to take part in this year's Tour de France and 19 already qualified through the ProTour, there is little room for the organisers to invite any extras. Tour director Jean-Marie Leblanc, who is in Australia for the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under, said that "We are leaning towards 21 [teams]." There is a strong indication that the French Ag2r and Swiss Phonak teams will earn the final two spots when the teams are announced on January 31.

Courtesy of Velomania.net

New crashing rules

The UCI will introduce new rules this year that deal with time losses resulting from crashes in the finales of tour stages. The distance to the line that time cannot be lost due to a crash has been extended from one to three kilometres, which should make bunch sprints less chaotic as the GC riders do not have to be at the front in the final kilometre.

Grafton winner replaces Jenner in Trust House Classic

Australian rider Peter McDonald from Sydney has been confirmed as the rider to replace Chris Jenner in the Trust House team for next week's Trust House Cycle Classic in New Zealand. McDonald won the prestigious Grafton to Inverell and the Tour of Bright in 2004, and is one of the up and coming road cyclists in Australia.

"Peter is a climber who is in form right now, finishing 12th in last Saturday's Australian Road Championships behind Tour de France riders like McEwen, White, O'Grady and Allan Davis," said Race Director Jorge Sandoval. "He can climb, time trial and is a hard worker. He is really keen to do well here, and will arrive six days before the event and base himself in Masterton to train and ride the hills that will feature in the tour next week."

Two more teams

Two more strong teams where also announced today, The Cervelo Team lead by three-time New Zealand road champion Gordon McCauley. Of interest in the Cervelo team is World Kayaking Champion and Olympian silver medallist Ben Fuhoy, who is making his first appearance in an international cycle tour. Other riders in the Cervelo Team are 2003 tour winner Matthew Yates, Paul Sumich and Richard Spears.

The Geniusbikes.com/Castelli team announced the return of 1994 and 1996 tour winner Ric Reid. Reid hopes his legs are as willing as his mind when he makes his comeback to international cycling in the 18th Trust House Cycle Classic next week. Ric Reid won the Tour of Malaysia, Tour of Taiwan and has his best year in 1996 when he won the Tour of Wellington, the national road race and was the first amateur and only Kiwi to finish at the Olympic Games road race in Atlanta.

Reid has put together a very useful Auckland-based team that will keep all the other favourites honest in New Zealand's premier road-race. Other members of the team are former national champion Richard Bowker, winner of the 2004 sprints competition, Justin Kerr, Andrew Small and Nick Hotchin, all well-seasoned riders who have participated in overseas tours for the last two years.

More information: www.cycletournz.com

Olympians back at Dunc Gray Velodrome

A number of Australia's Olympic cycling stars will be in action at Sydney's Dunc Gray Velodrome on Saturday, January 22 for the running of the Bankstown Sports Club Wheelrace. Although the recently injured Ryan Bayley will miss the meet, the field includes Sean Eadie, Ben Kersten, World Record holder Anna Meares, Kerrie Meares and Jobie Dajka. The packed program will also include the finals of the NSW Team Sprint Championships and elite Men's and Women's Scratch Race Championships.

Also competing will be 96 competitors from Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, Malaysia, New Caledonia and South Africa in the 2005 Australian Youth Olympics. This is an initiative of the Australian Olympic Committee for up and coming young riders with over 27 riders who have competed in the previous Australian Youth Olympics going on to represent at Australia at World Championships.

The racing will start from 6:30pm with tickets available at the door. Admission fees: Adults $15.00, Pensioner $10.00, Children Under 16 free.

Cycling Tasmania rider-of-the-season update

By Rod Morris in Devonport

Ulverstone 18 year-old Ben Price will almost certainly become the first cyclist to win back-to-back Cycling Tasmania Rider-of-the-Season awards at next weekend's season-ending St Helens Carnival. Price claimed the lead away from international cyclist Graeme Brown at last Sunday's Mersey Valley-Devonport Carnival and will take a slender 1-point lead with him to St Helens. With the absence of Brown, the only other rider that can wrest the lead away from Price will be Launceston's Ben Laskey.

The CT award is based on all handicap finals and scratch races and Price has amassed 40 points from 13 top four placings, including four wins. In 2003-04, Price won with 56 points including five wins and 16 other minor placings.If Brown is not overtaken by Laskey and remains second, it will prove the same quinella as last season.

First year Launceston rider Laura McCaughey has an unbeatable lead in the women's category of the CT award. So far she has scored 65 points in a dominant debut season and her nearest challenger - Belinda Goss - is unlikely to race at St Helens.

The junior award will go right to the wire, with any one of three riders still able to claim the title. Under 13 rider Jake Laskey reclaimed the lead last weekend, but is only 1-point clear of Under 17 Daniel Jamieson. Launceston's Tom Robinson (Under 17) is in third place, 13-points adrift of Laskey and will need to win all three qualifying races at St Helens to have any chance of pinching the award away from Laskey or Jamieson.

Standings after Mersey Valley-Devonport carnival

Men

1 Ben Price                                     40 pts
2 Graeme Brown                                  39 
3 Ben Laskey                                    29 
4 Ben Kersten, Daniel Cutting                   20 
6 John Forrest                                  19 
7 Gareth Atkins, Mike Friedman, Darren Young    17 
Kaidan Homan, Jamie Perry

Women

1 Laura McCaughey                               65 pts
2 Belinda Goss                                  37 
3 Carrie Price                                  35 
4 Sarah Eaves                                   33 
5 Grace Sulzberger                              24 
6 Jessie McLean                                 19 
7 Lauralee Sharman                              18 
8 Rochelle Gilmore, Liz Williams                15 
10 Tiffany Manion                               14 
 
Juniors

1 Jake Laskey                                   79 pts
2 Daniel Jamieson                               78 
3 Tom Robinson                                  66 
4 Ed Robinson                                   61 
5 Andrew Smith                                  53 
6 Karissa Ling                                  44 
7 Jake Fielding                                 41 
8 Alex Holden                                   35 
9 Sam Brett                                     33 
10 Clay Murfett                                 32 

A new Sturgess

Former World Champion pursuiter Colin Sturgess and his wife Samantha have produced a baby boy, named Jesper Soren Sturgess, who was born six weeks premature on January 7, 2005. "He's long and lean and will undoubtedly be suited to the classics as I am banning him from pursuiting!" wrote Colin to Cyclingnews.

Palazzago teams presented

Top Italian elite/U23 team Palazzago has announced its squads for 2005. Palazzago includes 31 riders spread over three teams: two in Lombardy and one in Tuscany, with riders of note being Francesco Rivera, Luigi Sestili (Ita), Andrei Kunitski and Sergey Daubniuk (Blr). The team is directed by Ezio Tironi and Olivano Locatelli and will focus on the World, European and Italian Championships this season, as well as the main international U23 classics Paris-Roubaix, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, la Roue Tourangelle and Flèche Ardennaise.

Chere for the full team roster

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