News for December 7, 2002

Edited by Chris Henry

Kelme's turn to court Ullrich

Following the departures of Aitor Gonzalez (Fassa Bortolo) and Santiago Botero (Telekom), and the resulting increase in cash flow, it appears the Spanish Kelme team is showing some interest in Jan Ullrich as a team leader. According to Spanish sports daily Marca, Kelme is reportedly in discussions with a potential German cosponsor, clearly with a keen eye on signing the 1997 Tour de France winner.

Meanwhile, Jan Ullrich's manager Wolfgang Strohband told Danish newspaper BT that they are prepared to wait until January for Bjarne Riis to find a new co-sponsor for Team CSC, and thus the necessary funding to sign the German.

Glud & Marstrand Horsens happenings

Glud & Marstrand Horsens captain Dennis Rasmussen will stay with the team another year, despite offers from Norwegian team Krone and Hammel og Århus Cycling, according to Horsens Folkeblad newspaper. Hammel og Århus will, however, have Michael Larsen on the team. Larsen spent last season in French amateur squad Albi Velo Sport.

In addition, 26 year old Jannik Skovlund (formerly Jannik Petersen) has signed a contract with Glud & Marstrand Horsens for 2003.

Gunn Rita Dahle prolongs with Merida

World and European MTB Cross Country Champion, Norway's Gunn Rita Dahle, has prolonged her contract with Merida. After an extremely good season she had several tempting offers, but chose to stay in the familiar environment at Merida.

Colombia/Selle Italia for 2003

The Colombian Cycling Federation has confirmed a total of 16 riders for the Colombia/Selle Italia racing squad. The team will have as its main objectives the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a Colombia. Italian Gianni Savio will continue as sports director. Ten Colombians, three Italians, one Austrian, one Ukrainian, and one Venezuelan will comprise the racing team.

The full roster is as follows: José Castelblanco, Hernán Darío Muñoz, Freddy González, John Freddy García, Rubert Albeiro Marín, Mauricio Henao, Giovanni Chacón, Carlos Ibáñez, Vladimir González, Uberlino Mesa (Colombians), Rodolfo Mazzi, Raphael Iliano, Domenico Passuelo (Italians), Russell Van Hout (Australia), Mikjael Kalilov (Ukraine), and José Rujano (Venezuela).

The team will begin its international participation with the Vuelta a Táchira in Venezuela, followed by the Tour de Langkawi in Malaysia.

Courtesy of Haroldo Camacho

DaimlerChrysler Named Title Sponsor of Tour de Georgia

Tour de Georgia today announced that automotive company DaimlerChrysler will be the title sponsor of the six-day stage race, which will debut April 22-27, 2003. Specific sponsorship and support will be through the company's Dodge brand. Dodge products will be known as the "Official Event Vehicles of Tour de Georgia."

The 2003 Tour de Georgia will cover more than 600 miles (965km), hitting Savannah, Augusta, Macon, Columbus, Pine Mountain (Callaway), Rome, Dalton, Gainesville, and Atlanta. The race will begin on Tuesday, April 22 with a prologue in Savannah and finish on Sunday, April 27 with a planned circuit race around Atlanta.

Maxxis joins Luna Chix

Two major forces in mountain biking, Maxxis and Luna Chix, will team up for the 2003 and 2004 NORBA and UCI seasons. The new partnership marks a return to Maxxis for Luna Chix rider Allison Dunlap, 2001 World Cross-Country Champion and 2002 World Cup Champion.

In 2003 and 2004 Maxxis will provide equipment, financial and promotional support for the Luna Chix team as well as the Luna Chix Ambassadors program. The Ambassadors program is designed to create awareness of the causes and issues of breast cancer while raising money to support The Breast Cancer Fund. The program also raises awareness of the sport of mountain biking and encourages greater women's participation.

Piil the pick of Denmark

Jakob Piil has been voted Danish rider of the year by the Danish magazine/web site CyclingWorld. He received 5 percent of the votes, followed by Michael Rasmussen and Claus Michael Möller with 13.5% and 11.5%, respectively. Piil won this year's edition of Paris-Tours and the Tour of Denmark.

Norway gets Channel Thor

Apparently Thor Hushovd's (Crédit Agricole) stage win in this year's Tour de France has paid off for Norwegian cycling fans. The nationwide television network TV2 will broadcast the final two hours from all stages of the 2003 Tour de France live, along with a 30 minute highlights show in the late evenings. In addition, Paris-Roubaix will be covered live, part of a general upgrading of cycling coverage.

Jockey Australia Madison Championship

The Jockey Australia Madison Championship, the first national title to be contested for the 2002/03 track cycling season, has attracted one of the best cycling fields ever assembled in Australia. The event, a key selection race for the upcoming World Cups and World Championships, takes place Saturday, December 21, and will see the AIS Endurance squad in attendance.

Riders who will be attending include:

Brett Aitken - Olympic Gold Medallist (Madison)
Scott McGrory - Olympic Gold Medallist (Madison)
Mark Renshaw - World and Commonwealth Games Champion (Teams Pursuit)
Peter Dawson - World Champion (Individual Pursuit and Teams Pursuit)
Erik Weispfennig - Former Madison World Champion
Graeme Brown - Commonwealth Games Champion (Teams Pursuit)

Brett Aitken will be out to avenge his narrow loss in last year's event, and is keen to make his comeback to Vodafone Arena a successful one. "With awesome support over the years from the Victorian public I feel like I'm riding on my home track," he said. "I hope to use this advantage to concrete my reputation as Australia's best madison rider and get back the Aussie title that I narrowly missed out on last year."

Vodafone Arena will be hosting the event in a pre Christmas extravaganza on Saturday, December 21, commencing at 7.00pm. Even Santa will be in attendance to provide children with a special treat.

Tickets for the Jockey Australian Madison Championship are available now from Ticketek (132 849 or www.ticketek.com). Tickets are priced from $15. For further information please contact Adam Murchie on 0412 879 871 or amurchie@cyclistsinternational.com.au.

National cyclo-cross championship preview: Seymour goes for twelfth title

By Shane Stokes, Irishcycling.com

Beating his main rivals in every cross race he has entered this year, team WORC rider Robin Seymour looks set to add to the haul of national titles he has achieved in recent years when he lines up for the national championships Saturday afternoon. The picturesque surroundings of Powerscourt Waterfall are the setting for his bid to take a twelfth straight cyclo-cross gold medal, which when combined with his ten mountain bike titles (nine consecutive cross-country wins and one downhill gold) make him one of the most dominant home performers in Irish sporting history.

Seymour's formidable record and recent fine form means that there will be only one favourite tomorrow. Indeed it seems only a crash, puncture or mechanical problem can deny him victory, yet a number of rivals will be psyching themselves up beforehand with dreams of being the one to finally depose the king. Don Travers took silver in 2000 and 2001 and is one of the possible dangers, as are fellow northerners Aiden McDonald and Roger Aiken, who have all been riding well in recent weeks.

Upping the pressure is the fact that the next weekend's seventh round of the national league in Bangor has been cancelled due to flooding, meaning that the nationals will double as the final event in the series. With each rider's best five results counting towards their final overall points ranking, a win- or high placing- by Seymour would also net him the national league. Thus far he has taken three wins and one second place in the four races he has contested, and with no handicap system in place tomorrow, he will be the clear favourite to take maximum points once more.

Entrance to the course is via the Powerscourt Waterfall main gate, with admission free for all those connected with the racing. The program will start at noon with the hosting of the underage event plus a mountain bike race, while the main championships will follow at 1pm.

Prizes will be provided by the Cycle Superstore, who over the past few years have been one of the main retail outlets for cross equipment. "We are very happy to help support the national championships," said John Donnelly of the Superstore. "The race is going to be a fantastic event, even more so as it will be run off with the impressive backdrop of the Powerscourt Waterfall."

Redline Cup of Cyclo-cross series finals

Redline Bicycles and Napa Valley Velo are pleased to present the final round of the Redline Cup o' Cross, to be held Sunday, December 8 at Napa Valley College in Napa, California.

In addition to Redline's title sponsorship, Clif Bar has recently signed up as a co-sponsor of the Elite Women's race, with matching funds to make the women's podium prizes equal to the Elite Men's. Clif Bar has also offered the "Clif Shot Holeshot", $150 cash primes to the first-lap leader in the Elite Men and Elite Women races.

Redline Series champions will be crowned in all the events: C, B, Master 35, Junior, Elite Women and Elite Men, and the race will also serve as the final national qualifying race prior to next week's USCF-Shimano National Championships in nearby Yountville.

All events are still open for race-day entry. The first race starts a 9am and the elite races begin at 1pm. For maps, schedule and complete info go to: http://www.napavalleyvelo.org/redlinecup/.

Cyfac frame auction to benefit Dillon Hope Fund

On June 3, 2002 Ross Dillon, an up-and-coming cyclist out on a training ride in northern California, was hit by a car traveling at some 50 miles per hour. Ross was just weeks shy of his wedding day and the start of law school in Boston. Six months later, Ross is still in a coma, though he makes progress on a daily basis.

To benefit the Dillon Hope Fund, Velo Europa Imports is auctioning a Cyfac Altec 2+ bicycle frame and fork (this model frame was ridden to a stage victory in the 2002 Tour de France). The money raised will help to pay for Ross' recovery and the huge medical bills his family has incurred.

See www.veloeuropa.com for more details on the frame- whatever size desired is available to the generous person supporting this cause. The auction, hosted on EBAY, begins Saturday at 12 noon PST. Please see www.rossdillon.com for Dillon's story and updates on his progress.

Bike stolen from Aussie track rider

Kristine Bayley, a promising track rider and younger sister of 2001 world keirin champion Ryan Bayley, had her bike stolen from the Glendalough train station in Western Australia. The bike is unique, the only model in this size and color in Australia.

Kristine's coach has been letting her use his road bike for training over the last 2 months when he has not been using it, but needless to say any assistance in finding Bayley's Fondriest would be greatly appreciated.

The details:

Fondriest Molven Blue / Silver
Campagnolo, Daytona groupset
Carbon forks
Carbon seat post
Ambrosio Excellence wheels
Blue & Black tyres
Blue bar tape
Wellgo pedals
Forgie stem
Vitesse, fi'zi:k - seat
Small frame, 48/51"

If found, please call Kristine Bayley at 0402 236 347 or (08) 9343 2477.

(All rights reserved/Copyright Knapp Communications Pty Limited 2002)