News for May 10, 2002

Edited by Jeff Jones

Harsh words for Ullrich from Godefroot

Telekom team boss Walter Godefroot has declared himself "disappointed" in Jan Ullrich, who was recently involved in a drink driving accident and had his licence confiscated, as well as being forced to renounce the Tour de France due to his persistent knee injury. In comments made to French sports newspaper L'Equipe, Godefroot harshly criticised Ullrich for the events leading to his accident on May 1.

"The confidence between Jan Ullrich and myself is broken. I don't want to know if what happened the other night in Freiburg was accidental. I only know that it should not happen, for his image as a champion but also for the team, which I pay royally. This especially shows a lack of respect for his teammates."

Godefroot was also not sympathetic about Ullrich's knee injury. "Who says it was not a lack of professionalism that led to his knee injury? We will have to watch Jan from now on, at his weaknesses, his fragility and no longer let him do what he likes in training."

"It is up to him to make a choice about his future," added Godefroot. "I don't know if he will understand. It is up to him to see if he is capable of reacting. Now we will know if he really is a great champion."

CONI asks for the suspension of Zanini

The anti-doping commission of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) have continued their recommendations for rider suspensions in the wake of the 2001 Giro d'Italia affair. CONI's Giacomo Aiello has requested a one year suspension for Stefano Zanini (Mapei) for doping, along with a 2000 SFR fine and a 50 UCI point penalty. Zanini was the winner of the seventh stage last year from Rieti to Montevarchi.

"There are sufficient elements to prove doping by insulin," said Aiello today.

Also as part of the Giro investigation in Padua, today the files of Davide Rebellin and Ivan Gotti were transferred to the UCI and to the Monaco Cycling Federation, to which they are affiliated.

55th Peace Race preview

The Peace Race will be run for the 55th time this year, starting on May 10 from the Czech Republic (Ceske Budejovice) with a 138 kilometre stage, and passing through Germany and Poland before the finish in Warsaw on May 18. The race totals 1488 kilometres run over 10 stages, and has been upgraded this year to a UCI 2.2 classification.

20 teams will start, after Domo and Mapei were late withdrawals. CSC-Tiscali, the team of last year's winner Jakob Storm Piil, will start with Michael Blaudzun and Paul Van Hyfte as their main men, but will face tough competition from the likes of Telekom (Kevin Livingston, Robert Bartko), Team Coast (Aitor Garmendia), Gerolsteiner (Olaf Pollack), CCC-Polsat (Piotr Przydzial, Ondrej Sosenka), Mroz (Zbigniew Piatek), and Rabobank (Traksel, De Jongh).

The teams

CSC Tiscali, Team Telekom, Team Coast, Rabobank, Gerolsteiner, Index Alexia, Mroz, CCC Polsat, Servisco Koop, Mokomax-Browar, Team Nürnberger, Team Cologne, Team Wiesenhof, De Nardi Pasta, Palmans Collstrop, Wüstenrot-VVZ, Joko, Czech Republic, Vlaanderen - T Interim, Ambra Obuwie

The stages

• Stage 1 - May 10: Ceské Budejovice (Cze) - Ceské Budejovice (Cze), 137.7 km
• Stage 2 - May 11: Trebon (Cze) - Pardubice (Cze), 183.9 km
• Stage 3 - May 12: Pardubice (Cze) - Hradec Králové (Cze), 181.6 km
• Stage 4 - May 13: Mladá Boleslav (Cze) - Chemnitz (Ger), 231.4 km
• Stage 5 - May 14: Zwönitz (Ger) - Riesa (Ger), 163.3 km
• Stage 6 - May 15: Oschatz (Ger) - Riesa (Ger) ITT, 34.9 km
• Stage 7 - May 15: Riesa (Ger) - Hoyerswerda (Ger), 97.7 km
• Stage 8 - May 16: Wroclaw (Pol) - Belchatow (Pol), 223.2 km
• Stage 9 - May 17: Piotrków Trybunalski (Pol) - Warszawa (Pol), 194.3 km
• Stage 10 - May 18: Warszawa (Pol) - Warszawa (Pol) ITT, 39.8 km

Farm Frites-Hartol for Flevotour

Team Farm Frites-Hartol will be without its top riders Leontien Zijlaard-Van Moorsel and Mirjam Melchers in this Saturday's Flevotour in the Netherlands. Team leader Michael Zijlaard has decided to rest these two riders in lieu of a heavy program of racing.

Team Farm Frites-Hartol

Sissy van Alebeek
Anouska van der Zee
Sonja Pfister-Van Kuik
Arenda Grimberg
Elsbeth Vink
Kirsty Nicol Robb
Team leader: Michael Zijlaard

Team Ton van Bemmelen Sports-Novilon

Sandra Missbach
Soraya Bartels
Wendie Kramp
Caroline Slikker
Catharina Mulders
Daphny van den Brand
Team leader: Michael van der Wolf

Noel Hammond Memorial to go ahead, despite no sponsorship

By Tommy Campbell, Irish Independent, Evening Herald, Sunday Independent

With an imminent announcement that Cycling Ireland are to secure a three year sponsorship to the value of 300,000 Euro with Hibernian Insurance, spare a thought for the Orwell Wheelers who on Sunday put on two class promotions without sponsorship.

The easy way out is not going ahead with a promotion.

A cycling club is no different when it comes to putting on cycling races without the aid of funding. Normally the stall is set out as far back as the previous year's event when people are appointed to find sponsorship.

Ninety times out of a hundred some form of sponsorship invariably comes round. In these days it is becoming that little bit increasingly difficult to suss that nest egg. Unfortunately on this occasion Orwell Wheelers for the staging of the Noel Hammond Memorial tomorrow drew a blank.

It would have been easy to root up the tent and bypass the event and particularly since the event has 'Classic' status and say we'll be back next year.

Looking at our neighbours in Britain the loss to their racing calendar is beginning to haemorrhage with the number of established events that are biting the dust because of that terrible word "money" each season. The Tour of the Cotswolds, one of the most prestigious races in which there was an Irish (Pat McQuaid) success as long ago as 1978 will not be run this year. The Tour of the Cotswolds also had UCI ranking points. This event was part and parcel of the Gloucester Festivities for the last 40 years.

The never say die attitude of the Orwell Wheelers has to be congratulated and should be a beacon for other promoters who may find themselves in similar circumstances, "Irrespective of sponsorship the race goes ahead. This race has been a feature of the racing calendar for the last 20 years and it will be around for a long time to come," said race organiser, Kieron Hammond.

"Planning for next year is in progress and I'm quietly confident we shall overcome that hurdle of the need for sponsorship. Hopefully September 11th will be a blip on the horizon."