First Edition News for August 20, 2003

Edited by John Stevenson

Riders honour Indonesian racer killed in crash

Indonesia's Tour d'ISSI was marred by tragedy Monday when 20-year-old Indonesian rider Yana Rochdiana was involved in a head-on collision with a bus. Yana was taken to hospital but died from his injuries. Another rider, Achmad Effendi sustained a broken hand in the crash which occurred when riders strayed across the centre line in the second stage of the race on Java island, according to the Jakarta Post.

During Tuesday's stage riders wore black armbands in Yana's honour. Team managers had initially proposed the third stage be used as a "mourning stage", in which the riders would have continued without competing for points, but the proposal was rejected by the organizers.

However, all prize money from the first two stages will be donated to Yana's family and riders agreed to effectively neutralize the third stage, riding slowly together until the final ten kilometres.

Australian talent program rider recovering

By Brooke Newstead, Western Daily Advocate

Janelle Lindsay (right) with track tandem partner Lindy Hou
Photo: © Tom balks

Australian rider Janelle Lindsay, a member of the AIS' talent search program is making a steady recovery after a crash that put her in hospital two weeks ago. Twenty-six-year-old Lindsay was on a routine training ride in Sydney on August 10 with two other riders, when the three were struck by a car. The incident put all three riders in hospital, with Janelle sustaining the most serious injuries.

She was admitted to St Vincent's Hospital Sydney with triple fractures to the shoulder, a fractured spine, dual fractures to the pelvis and multiple lacerations. The crash has all but crushed Janelle's dreams of competing as a tandem cyclist in the Athens 2004 Paralympics with vision-impaired cyclist, Lindy Hou.

Despite this, Janelle's father Gordon Lindsay said all of the family are just happy she is still alive. "Two neurosurgeons assured us she will make a full recovery, but it is now just a matter of time," he said. "Janelle is shattered both physically and mentally, but she is making remarkable progress."

Tony Horneman of Janelle's club, Randwick Botany CC, visited her in hospital on Tuesday and reports that she is "recovering well. [Janelle is] sitting up in bed, walking with the aid of a walking frame [and on] reduced strength pain relief," Tony said in an email to Janelle's clubmates, adding that she is "Eating normal meals and getting her appetite back. In good spirits. Back to her normal self almost!"

Janelle started her cycling career just 12 months ago, when she was accepted by the Australian Institute of Sport(AIS) to participate in a program that trains elite female athletes in a sport where they show some potential.

She had not competed in the professional cycling arena before this, but by March this year she had already been approached to compete with vision-impaired cyclist Lindy Hou at the 2004 Athens Paralympics.

Janelle and Lindy proved to be a power pair, bagging three gold medals, a silver medal and also breaking a world record at the Australian/Oceania Track Titles at Sydney during April and May this year. The pair were selected to represent Australia at the Open European Track Championships and Janelle was scheduled to fly to Italy next week to start training, before continuing on to Prague.

Mr Lindsay said Janelle's recovery has been steady, and she was even able to take two steps on Monday. "I'm sure she hasn't given up her aspirations to represent Australia. It will be a long, hard grind, but she is determined," he said.

While the Lindsay family are anticipating the day when Janelle will return to Bathurst to start rehabilitation, Mr Lindsay said they are relieved she is on the road to recovery.

He said if she had not been wearing a helmet, she would not be here today. "She's really so glad just to be alive, and I think this accident made her realise just how close she'd come to not being here," he said.

Klier a father

Telekom's Andreas Klier didn't start in yesterday's first stage of the Tour of Holland with one of the better excuses for skipping a race: his wife Kerstin had gone into labour, so he went home to be with her at the birth.

Tour de l'Avenir teams announced

Organiser ASO has announced the 22 teams that will take part in next month's Tour de l'Avenir, September 4 - 13. Traditionally a race that reveals future champions, the Tour de l'Avenir is more significant than its lowly UCI 2.5 ranking might indicate. Past Avenir winners who have gone on to greatness include Greg LeMond, Joop Zoetemelk, Felice Gimondi, Miguel Indurain, and Laurent Fignon; this year's Tour de France best young rider Denis Menchov won Avenir in 2001.

This year Avenir will play host to five teams from the UCI's top tier Division 1 teams, three Division 2 squads, five Division 3 teams and nine national teams.

Tour de l'Avenir 2003 teams

Division 1: Euskaltel - Euskadi; Brioches la Boulangère; Crédit Agricole; Jean Delatour; Fdjeux.com
Division 2: Vlaanderen T Interim; Bigmat Auber 93; Carvalhelos - Boavista
Division 3: Quickstep Davitamon Latexco TT3; Rabobank TT3; Team Barloworld; Perutnina; Team HSBC
National teams: Germany; Austria; Denmark; USA; France; Kazakhstan; Czech Republic; Russia; Sweden

Acht van Bladel 2003

Another important race on the calendar for young riders is Acht van Bladel, a four-day tour in the Netherlands for juniors, and one of the few internationally-ranked stage races for under 19s.

This year's race , which runs September 11-14, will see a strong international contingent line up for the opening individual time trial, with teams from Canada, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway, Germany, Czech Republic, Estonia. The internationals will be joined by five Dutch regional teams, five local club teams and regional teams from Belgium, Germany and Denmark.

After Thursday's opening individual time trial, riders cross into Belgium for Friday's second stage which returns to Bladel for the finish. Saturday sees a split stage with a road race in the morning and team time trial in the afternoon, and Sunday's finale follows the traditional route of the Acht Van Bladel's first incarnation as a one-day race in 1947.

Climb Mount Diablo for American Lung Association

Hill-climb enthusiasts (or 'masochists' as we call them round the Cyclingnews office) in the San Francisco area can put their taste for pain to good use on October 5 in the Mount Diablo hill climb. This ascent of the 3,849 feet summit will raise funds for the East Bay branch of the American Lung Association.

The ride kicks off at 8.30am, with on-the-day registration opening at 7.00 am. For more details contact Barry Tyler, Event Coordinator at the American Lung Association of the East Bay (925) 935-0473, e-mail btyler@alaebay.org.

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