News for December 25, 2002Edited by Chris Henry Seasons greetings from the Cyclingnews.com teamBy Gerard Knapp Remember that readers' poll we kept plugging earlier this month? Well, the first results are out and seeing 'tis the season to be muddy - for those of you living in the northern hemisphere at least- we decided to kick off the readers' poll results with your favourite male and female cyclo-cross riders for 2002. Over the next week we will publish all the results from the Cyclingnews readers' poll. We would like to thank those of you for contributing to this poll; we received over 1000 submissions and this was after we had removed the multiple entries of some very keen 'fans'. Many of you answered each question in the poll - which shows a well-rounded cycling knowledge - while others could only vote for their favourite male roadie, and that was about it, which is preferable to making an uninformed choice. From all of us at Cyclingnews, we would also like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support again this year. Traffic to the site has grown by over 100% (again) and this year we are on track to serve over 100 million page impressions. We would also like to thank our advertisers, and thank you again for supporting those companies. What was once the passion and hobby of Professor Bill Mitchell, the founder of Cyclingnews.com, has now grown to include correspondents and online editors in three continents. Each time you visit Cyclingnews, there has been input from a hard-working team of people of various nationalities, who all share one thing in common - a love of cycling. So it's seasons greetings from the Cyclingnews team (Merry Christmas if you celebrate the 25th in your part of the world) and make sure you get out on your bike over the holiday season. In saying that, we always have to mention if the weather permits, as there can be anything from snow-storms to monsoons preventing a Cyclingnews reader from taking a peaceful, pudding-burning spin with friends. Then you can debate who really are the best cyclo-cross riders of 2002, and speaking of such mudlarks .... UCI Cyclo-cross rankingsThe UCI has released the latest rankings for the 2002-2003 cyclo-cross season, with current world champion Mario De Clercq atop the list. The top ten is a decidedly Belgian and Dutch affair, with only Czech Jiri Pospisil providing some variety. With seven of the top ten individuals, Belgium not surprisingly is far ahead in the national standings, followed by the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. Individuals 1 Mario De Clercq (Bel) 1,852.00 pts 2 Richard Groenendaal (Ned) 1,480.00 3 Sven Nijs (Bel) 1,293.00 4 Bart Wellens (Bel) 1,231.00 5 Erwin Vervecken (Bel) 1,083.00 6 Gerben De Knegt (Ned) 774.00 7 Tom Vannoppen (Bel) 639.00 8 Jiri Pospisil (Cze) 566.00 9 Peter Van Santvliet (Bel) 546.00 10 Ben Berden (Bel) 534.00 11 Dominique Arnould (Fra) 490.00 12 Sven Vanthourenhout (Bel) 488.00 13 Thomas Frischknecht (Swi) 448.00 14 Arne Daelmans (Bel) 400.00 15 Wim De Vos (Ned) 371.00 15 Marc Gullickson (USA) 371.00 17 Vaclav Jezek (Cze) 339.00 18 Daniele Pontoni (Ita) 260.00 19 Thijs Verhagen (Ned) 252.00 20 Maarten Nijland (Ned) 251.00 Nations 1 Belgium 6,098.00 2 Netherlands 3,128.00 3 Czech Republic 1,373.00 4 Switzerland 1,292.00 5 France 1,135.00 6 U.S.A. 1,102.00 7 Italy 773.00 8 Great Britain 610.00 9 Poland 488.00 10 Spain 386.00 Armstrong doubtful for Paris-NiceAlthough mentioned earlier this fall as a possibility for 2003, it appears the Paris-Nice stage race will not figure in Lance Armstrong's early season program. Armstrong told French daily l'Equipe that the race would be too difficult for a season-opener, and that he prefers the Tour of Murcia. The remainder of his spring campaign will be determined according to his condition. Streel injured in trainingLandbouwkrediet pro Marc Streel is facing a setback in his preparations for 2003 after a run-in Saturday with a tractor during a training ride near his home. Streel suffered a broken arm, but said things could have been worse had the accident happened a few seconds later. Recovery time for the rider is unknown, however at this early stage the injury shouldn't disrupt his upcoming season too much. Source: velo-club.net 2003 Teams databaseCyclingnews' 2003 Teams Database, compiled by Theo Muller, is now updated and available on the site for those of you who want to check on who is riding where. For the moment these pages will contain updated information about each of the 24 confirmed UCI Division I Trade Teams. The rest of the Division I, Division II and Women's Trade Teams will follow. Palo Alto Bicycles Women's Cycling TeamThe Palo Alto Bicycles Women's Cycling Team has set its roster for 2003. The team will tackle the Northern California regional and National Racing Calendar (NRC) road events. As the area’s only women’s semi-professional and non-profit cycling team, PABW Cycling Team was formed in an effort to boost competitiveness at the elite level in women’s cycling in Northern California. The PABW Cycling Team plans to hold safety clinics and discuss health-related topics using the businesses and organizations of its sponsors as a medium. Sponsors include Craft, Decalgraphix, Depot Garage, Mountain View, Dr. Fred Holley, Sports Anesthesia, Drs. Dwain L. Coggins and Niel F. Starksen, Cardiology Associates, Giro, Gu, Louis Garneau, MW2, Oakley, Palo Alto Bicycles, P& B Textiles, Ritchey, Vredestein, The Wine Cellar 2003 team roster: Virgina Davis Tara Calhoun Cipo and company discuss 2003At a team retreat scheduled from January 2-5, 2003, Mario Cipollini and his teammates will discuss the upcoming season. The riders will assemble at the Civitanova Marches in Macerata, for a few days of planning and preparation for the new year. L'Etape du Tour rescheduledThe popular l'Etape du Tour ride, which each year lets recreational cyclists ride a complete stage of the Tour de France, has been rescheduled for 2003. Initially planned for July 20, between Saint-Girons and Loudenvielle, organizers have had to move the ride four days earlier to July 16, riding between Pau and Bayonne. The Etape du Tour is open to a maximum of 7,500 participants, and fills up each year. Malta cycling events for 2003A schedule of 2003 cycling events in Malta has been released. Following are both road and MTB events for the coming season: Road: February 2 - 8:00am: Time trial - Qormi-Dingli, 12km Mountain Bike: January 12 - 10:00am: NPS 1 - Pembroke-Centrepoint Cycles, 21km
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