News for January 23, 2003

Edited by Chris Henry and Jeff Jones

Phonak team presentation

Swiss Division I team Phonak Hearing Systems was presented in Zurich on Tuesday. Managed by Urs Freuler, and directed by Alvaro Pino, Jacques Michaud and René Savary, Phonak has a squad of 23 riders for 2003. Its primary goal is to get selected for the 2003 Tour de France, and if successful would be the first Swiss team to do so since Helvetia in 1992.

Phonak chairman Andy Rihs said at the presentation that "I am convinced that we have a good chance for a wild card. This is our fourth year in the peloton. The first few years were like a training school, now we hope that at last we will be in the Tour."

The team has an 8.2 million euro budget, half of which is supplied by Phonak. Rihs said that the company's fortunes had rocketed in Spain and Italy, after the team had raced in the Vuelta and the Giro. He hopes that will carry on to France, if the team gains one of the eight wild card spots available. Should it not be selected, then Rihs said that the team would try and accumulate enough UCI points to make the Top 10 club next season, thus ensuring its Tour start.

Phonak is led by Oscar Camenzind and Juan Carlos Dominguez, and also boasts Swiss champion Alexandre Moos, Italian sprinter Massimo Strazzer, French former MTB star Miguel Martinez, and Spanish climbing talents Oscar Pereiro and Santiago Perez.

The team will start in all the World Cup races, Tour of Qatar, Tour Mediterranean, Paris-Nice, Critérium International and the Tour of the Basque Country. Phonak hopes to gain good results in these races in time for the final Tour wild card selections in May. The Tour de Romandie, Tour de Suisse, Vuelta and Setmana Catalana are also on the program.

Team roster

Tonkov decides on CCC-Polsat

Russian Pavel Tonkov has finally signed for CCC-Polsat, choosing the Polish team over Belgian division II squad Marlux. The negotiations were difficult, as Tonkov didn't come cheaply, however CCC-Polsat wanted a top rider to help them get selected for the Giro d'Italia, and agreed to his price.

CCC has also signed Piotr Przydzial, who was reportedly looking for work in Spain and Portugal, but finished up with a contract at CCC.

For Marlux, which wants to strengthen its line up as much as possible this season, Tonkov's signing means that the team management has to look elsewhere for free riders. One candidate is Romans Vainsteins, who turned down a previous offer because he wants to stay in Italy. There is a chance there that his former boss and father-in-law Caldirola will build a team around him. However, Marlux will try and restart negotiations with Vainsteins on Monday.

According to Belgian RUG newspapers, the team is also looking at the French rider Florent Brard, who is currently under suspension for doping.

MBK-Oktos in Division II

According to the UCI’s Alain Rumpf, French team MBK-Oktos-Saint-Quentin has sent the documents necessary to complete its registration as a Division II team. Team president Pascal Cordier sent the bank guarantee to Aigle, Switzerland, where it was accepted by the UCI.

Dossiers remain incomplete for Amore e Vita-Beretta, Antarte-Rota dos Móveis-BPN, BigMat-Auber, Team Index and likely team of Marco Pantani, Scanavino-La Verve. These teams have until January 31 to finalise the arrangements with the UCI.

Still on the MBK-Oktos-Saint-Quentin camp, the former Tacconi rider Lorenzo Di Silvestre is back to France after riding in 1999 and 2000 for Besson Chaussures. The 33 year-old Di Silvestre will replace Alexandre Chouffe, who left the professional peloton and will ride in 2003 under the colors of the French Elite 2 team of SCO Dijon. Di Silvestre will ride once again under the leardership of Jean-Philippe Duracka, as he did during the Besson Chaussures years.

Source: l'Equipe

05 Orbitel hopes for Division II

Colombian registered trade team, 05 Orbitel, anticipates that it will be approved as a Division II team this year, to the benefit of Colombian cycling. The team's first training camp will start on February 2 in Medellin.

Gutiérrez released from Carvalhelhos

By João Cravo

Carvalhelhos-Boavista team manger Jose Santos confirmed today that Francisco Gutiérrez has been released from his two year contract with the Portuguese team, and will thus ride for Spanish squad Labarca 2-Café Baqué in 2003.

"Forcing a rider to stay with us against his will wouldn't be good for anybody," a pragmatic Jose Santos told Cyclingnews. "So we let him join the team he was with as an U23 rider."

A week after having signed a contract with Carvalhelhos-Boavista on October 1, 2002, Gutiérrez won the silver medal in the U23 road race at the World championships in Zolder, Belgium. That changed things a little bit. "Euskaltel tried to engage him," recalls Santos, "but we were interested in keeping Gutiérrez, and we said no to them."

But the interest from Euskaltel gave Gutiérrez hopes of finding a team in Spain. The opportunity came when his former team Café Baqué announced that it had found a main sponsor, to help build up what is today the new professional team Labarca2 - Café Baqué.

"When we read that they had included Gutiérrez on their roster we couldn't believe that," said the still astonished Jose Santos. "It was then that we decided to register Gutierrez with the UCI."

Even though Gutiérrez is no longer a Carvalhelhos-Boavista rider, and if he were released without any financial compensation, that does not mean that he has no restraints.

"Gutiérrez can't be transferred to another team within the next two years," said Santos. "If that happens, we'll complain about it to the UCI and the rider will have to come back to us."

Planckaert gets an offer from Palmans

Former Lotto director Walter Planckaert has received an offer from Palmans-Collstrop manager Hilaire Van der Schueren to work as an assistant director in the team. Planckaert told Gazet van Antwerpen that he is not sure about whether to take up the offer, as he is enjoying life after leaving Lotto. However, he also said that he was too young to retire.

Planckaert will make his decision at the end of this week.

Asmaker to amateur ranks

Twenty nine year old Frenchman Olivier Asmaker will leave the professional ranks this season to join Elite 2 squad US Montauban cyclisme. Asmaker rode for CSC-Tiscali in 2002.

Endurasport.com-Principia adds

British division III team Endurasport.com-Principia has signed neo-pro Stephen Gallagher of Northern Ireland for the 2003 season.

Eeckhout operated on

Lotto-Domo's Nico Eeckhout had an operation on Wedensday on his Achilles tendon. He was allowed to leave hospital the same day, and is expected to resume training in two weeks.

Tour de Langkawi: Different teams, different ambitions

Team fakta:

Team fakta will look to Rene Jorgensen and Jorgen Bo Petersen to crack the top five overall in the upcoming Telekom Malaysia Le Tour de Langkawi (January 31-February 9). Petersen finished 10th in 2001, and last year improved considerably to finish 4th overall. This year will mark fakta's third appearance in Langkawi.

"It's important for us to do well in this race because it is our first race as a TT1 team," said Team fakta managing director Peter Sejer Nielsen. "We normally had some measure of success in Malaysia so a good showing is expected from the team. And more importantly, we need to justify our ranks to our fans, country and our group of sponsors."

The team's target for stage wins is Allan Bo Andresen, who had a string of top 10 placings last year. "We're looking at winning at least one stage, and our best bet is none other than Andresen himself," continued Nielsen, who called Andresen "a formidable sprinter with strong character and determination."

Credit Agricole:

Credit Agricole may be foregoing high hopes concerning the general classification, but the French squad is without doubt aiming for stage victories. Stuart O'Grady, recently crowned Australian national champion, will lead the charge for Credit Agricole's third appearance in Langkawi, along with Chris Jenner and Corey Sweet.

As team manager Serge Beucherie explained, "We're aiming to win a least a stage, probably from O'Grady who we know has huge sprinting capabilities. The riders are in good condition and I have full confidence that they will be able to improve on our overall position last year."

Jenner, 28, finished a creditable 7th position on the brutal climb to the Genting Highlands in 2001, but overall Credit Agricole knows its riders are not aiming for the general classification.

Team SA:

South African Team SA heads to Langkawi with plans to work towards keeping David George and Morne Bester well-placed in the general classification. Last year's event which saw George finish the tour in third spot overall, while Team SA clinched the team category honours. This year, two-time South African road champion Simon Kessler is expecting the 9th stage from Seremban to Genting Highlands to decide the outcome of this year's event. Ross Grant, Johan van der Bergh and Owen Hannie complete the Team SA line-up.

Kessler, who will be competing in the tour for the fourth time, said that Tour de Eden champion and teammate Bester has the climbing skills to be among the leaders, along with George. "George has the class to hold his own among the leading riders on this tour, and Bester could well surprise a lot of people on the climbs in Malaysia, but we need to work together as a unit to achieve this," said Kessler.

Teams for Luis Puig and Valencia

The following teams are scheduled to compete in the Trofeo Luis Puig (February 23) and the Volta a la Comunitat Valencia (February 25-March 1).

Fassa Bortolo
Team Coast
Cofidis
ONCE-Eroski
iBanesto.com
Rabobank
Team Telekom
Kelme-Costa Blanca
Alessio
Saeco-Longoni Sport
Domina Vacanze Elitron
Phonak Hearing Systems
Milaneza-MSS *
Euskaltel-Euskadi
Colchon Relax-Fuenlabrada
Paternina-Costa de Almeria
Labarca2-Café Baqué

* Milaneza-MSS will not participate in the Trofeo Luis Puig.

Domina Vacanze Elitron in Capodarco

The Domina Vacanze Elitron team heads to Capodarco di Don Vinicio on Sunday, January 26 for the official presentation of the 32nd Gran Premio Capodarco - Race for Solidarity, which pays tribute to Adriano De Zan and Fabio Casartelli. The race is an U23/Elite event, and several members of the Domina Vacanze Elitron team, which has strong ties to the community of Capodarco, will take part. A monument to Fabio Casartelli, who died following a crash during the 1995 Tour de France, will be unveiled as part of the presentation. The Gran Premio Capodarco is scheduled for August 16, 2003.

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