News for January 16, 2003Edited by Chris Henry and Jeff Jones Re/Max deal a house of cardsBy Jeff Jones Despite a press release stating that the American real estate company Re/Max would be the head sponsor of a new cycling team managed by Belgian Pol De Baeremaecker, it seems now that this is not the case. The release spoke of a €9 million agreement from Re/Max over the next three years, with Dutch building giant Unidek and Spanish bike manufacturer Massi on board as co-sponsors. Two teams were proposed: a "grand" pro team with Division I ambitions, and a Division III development team. The announcement was reported on Cyclingnews and widely in the European media, as De Baeremaecker, called "the most underrated manager in the cycling world", was talking about signing Alex Zülle, Santi Blanco, Jose Maria Jimenez, Jan Ullrich, Fred Rodriguez and others. There was just one catch: no-one at Re/Max had heard of any plans to sponsor a cycling team. Both Re/Max USA and Re/Max Europe confirmed this, and said that they have not been interested in sponsoring cycling for many years. Furthermore, several riders who were contacted by the team could not get concrete answers to their questions, and it's now clear that there is no €9 million deal. To be continued... Clarification: Link between tooth bacteria and coronary diseaseA short news item on Cyclingnews yesterday outlined a link between tooth bacteria and coronary disease, speculating that it could have possibly been a cause of death of Denis Zanette. However, the considered opinion of our dental professional readers is that this is incorrect. While there is a small link between periodontal disease and coronary artery disease (which is thought to be immune system related), it could not explain the sudden death of Zanette during dental treatment. Dental patients with existing heart conditions are generally given prophylactic antibiotics prior to dental work, in order to prevent possible bacterial infection in the heart (endocarditis) and joints. Those with mitral valve prolapse are believed to be at greater risk of contracting this bacterial infection, which is often fatal. However, endocarditis will not cause sudden death as occurred with Zanette, it would take days to weeks. Bodrogi injuredAfter Kevin Hulsmans was forced out of competition for three months due to a fractured femur, the Quick Step-Davitamon team has suffered another injury setback. This time it's to key rider Hungarian Laszlo Bodrogi, who injured his knee whilst at the team's training camp in Tuscany. The injury has forced Bodrogi to rest, while the team remains there until Saturday. 2003 Pro Cycling Tour scheduleThreshold Sports has announced the 2003 Pro Cycling Tour (PCT) schedule. Featuring eight races from June through September, the PCT boasts over $300,000 in prize money as well as live national television coverage. The season-long points race will continue for men in 2003 with five races. Women’s races will be featured in Philadelphia and New York City. The season kicks off in June with the newly-named Wachovia Cycling Series. With the merger of First Union and Wachovia banks, all races in the Philadelphia area that week will be named Wachovia Cycling Series. The series features men’s pro road races in Lancaster, Pennsylvania on June 3rd, Trenton, New Jersey on June 5th, and the 19th annual race to crown the Wachovia USPRO Champion in Philadelphia on June 8th. The 10th annual women’s Wachovia Liberty Classic will be contested on the same course as the men on June 8th. The second annual New York City Cycling Championship presented by BMC Software on August 3rd will bring top pros to NYC one week after the conclusion of the Tour de France. The star-studded event will again highlight Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center as its official charity and bring an amateur team, women’s pro and charity races to the streets of lower Manhattan. In a new twist for 2003, the third annual San Francisco Grand Prix presented by BMC Software on September 14th will become the final event of the Pro Cycling Tour season. The race drew approximately 500,000 spectators in 2002 as one of the largest sporting events on the west coast, a perfect setting for the PCT’s 2003 finale. The full PCT schedule is as follows: June 3: Wachovia Cycling Series* - Lancaster, PA (Men) *UCI sanctioned event Trek Midwest regional road teamTrek has announced the addition of the Midwest regional road team for 2003. The team is comprised of eight Cat I and II’s, including one junior, and will focus on major races in the Midwest including WCA, Superweek, and the National Racing Calendar (NRC). The team is sponsored by Trek Bicycles, Volkswagen of America, The Trek Bicycle Store in Madison, Wisconsin, Power Bar, Nike, Graber, Rudy Project, and The Sock Guy. The team will ride Trek OCLV bikes with Bontrager wheels and Shimano and Bontrager components. The roster is as follows: Ben Anderson Keith Meyer (Manager) Northeastern Hardware strengthens for 2003The Central Jersey Cycling Team, known by title sponsor Northeastern Hardware, has nearly doubled its roster for the 2003 season. The now 22-rider team is composed primarily of Category 1-2 seniors, but also includes four juniors, three of whom were tops in the state of New Jersey in 2002. Long-time team sponsors Northeastern Hardware and Marty's Reliable Cycle, both based in Morristown, New Jersey, will be joined by several new sponsors in 2003. These include: Moline Kronberg Cleaners in Montclair, New Jersey, Hitachi Power Tools, Michelin Tires, The Chiropractic Center in Clifton, New Jersey, Canned Films in New York City, Patrol Bike Systems in Oakdale, Minnesota, CoolerEmail, Verge Sports, Specialized Bicycles, and Gojus Energy Foods. The was formed in 1979 in order to develop local talent, and the search for up-and-coming juniors continues. To this end, aspiring juniors are welcome to contact the team through its web site: www.cjct.org. 2003 Team Roster: Lincoln Brown Juniors: Pete Carolan Coach: Jim Grill Valen retiresNorwegian Monica Valen, 1994 world road champion, has decided to retire. "It isn’t an easy decision, but eleven years in the world elite is enough," said Valen. The news will surely please Valen's 13 year old daughter, who will see more of mum in years to come. "I’m also not motivated to go on with the necessary training," Valen added, according to syklingensverden.com. Valen’s pro team, the all Norwegian Team Sponsor Service, folded at the end of last season, creating difficulties for top Norwegian riders to finance further racing. Ringerike Sykkelklubb continuesRingerike Sykkelklubb, the club behind Division 3 Team Krone, will go on with its professional program despite the fact that the team lost its main sponsor in an ongoing financial scandal in Norway. "Our aim is to keep the level in the club with a pro team and also top amateur of the next level plus riders in the younger classes," said chairman Birger Hungerholdt. The UCI class 5 stage race Ringerike Grand Prix will also live on. The public can support the club by calling +47 820 43700 which will give the club 100 kroner per call. Local businesses are also involved in a pyramid game challenge that already has provided 100,000 kroner and is likely to collect 250,000. A national version of the challenge is about to start. The club is also working hard to find a new main sponsor or a package of lesser sponsors. Hartwell becomes Welsh national coachWelsh Cycling has appointed ex-U.S. track cyclist Erin Hartwell as its new national coach. Erin, a six-time medal winner in the Olympics and World Championships, replaces Shane Sutton who moved to the British Cycling program after a successful Commonwealth Games. He will begin his appointment on January 27. Erin is currently a second year mathematics student at the University of North Dakota, however has decided to suspend his studies while in Wales for his four year post. One of Welsh cycling's best known stars, Nicole Cooke, said of Hartwell's appointment, "I am pleased to welcome the news that Erin has been appointed as National Coach for Welsh Cycling. He has a wide range of experiences including achieving medals at Olympic and world championship level, but what interests me more is that he is studying mathematics at university." "Together with the sports scientists at the Welsh Institute for Sport, we feel we do a pretty good job of recording and modeling training and race performance data. I think it gives us an edge over some of the competition and I think it was one of the reasons why Wales did so well, for its size, at the last Commonwealth Games. In a tough endurance sport like cycling it is always too easy to do too much training. It will be nice to work with someone who has an interest in this field of the application of the physical sciences." The new velodrome at Newport, due for completion in October 2003, will provide Hartwell with a world class facility with a state of the art sports science laboratory. New MTB coaches for Great BritainThe Great Britain Cross-Country Mountain Bike Squad announced the addition of two new coaches after reorganisation following the departure of former national coach Gary Foord. Former Scottish international Neil Walker who has previously worked extensively with both the men's and women's endurance squads becomes the Mountain Bike Conditioning Coach, while Nick Craig joins in the new role of Mountain Bike Technical Coach. One of the country's leading riders for the past ten years, and the highest placed British Elite rider at the world championships in September, Craig was considered a likely candidate to fill one of the Olympic berths in 2004. Instead he has chosen to sacrifice this possibility to work with the seven-rider squad on the technical aspects of mountain biking and also to help qualify places for Athens in 2004 by racing in selected 2003 events. World's toughest freeride mountain bike course just got tougherWhen most people see a 30 foot drop, they peer over the edge, take in the view, and then carefully back away. Next week in Jindabyne, Australia, 27 of the world's best freeriders and downhillers will see that drop and ride off it. The Red Bull Ride will give the riders a chance to take home a part of the AU$15,000 on offer, with AU$6000 for first place, for those willing to risk life and bike on an all new course. "The new course has got a whole lot of street style urban features, like stunts, and a mix of natural rocky terrain similar to last year," says course co-designer Mike Atkins. "They're gonna get tested, let me tell you!" The new track is longer and more technical, with a 30-foot vertical drop, a 45-foot step down gap, rhythm jumps, wall rides and a sled saw - a giant moving see-saw on rails that's never been seen before in mountain biking. Thirteen ultra-technical sections of scaffolding, dirt and rock will test bike, rider and paramedics to see who will take home first place. The invitation-only event has riders such as Cedric Gracia, World Cup Downhill Champion Steve Peat, and Robbie Bourdon taking on the Aussie contingent that includes Sean McCarroll, Nathan Rennie, John Waddell and Junior World Champion Sam Hill. Sixteen year old Kyle Strait has managed to make the trip thanks to new sponsor Haro Bikes and his parents, who have organised home schooling to allow him to compete internationally. Eleven judges will observe the untimed event through binoculars, allowing them to view the entire course. The event runs from January 19-24. Riders Entered: Ben Cory (Australia)
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