First Edition News for March 5, 2003Edited by John Stevenson & Jeff Jones Chris Peers updateThe unlucky Cofidis rider Chris Peers did more than just break two ribs when he crashed in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. After a hospital examination yesterday, it was revealed that he had a torn kidney and hemorrhaging in his stomach. He is taking pain killers to reduce the pain, and doesn't know when he will be able to race again. His teammate Peter Farazijn was operated on for a break in his hand, and it too is not known when he will be able to ride again. Also Cofidis' Inigo Cuesta was operated on for a broken collarbone after falling in the Clasica Almeria. All things considered, it wasn't a good two days for Cofidis. Dierckxsens back on the tabletsLandbouwkrediet's Ludo Dierckxsens, who rode in Het Volk and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne on the weekend (although he only did 30 km of KBK) has gone back onto the antibiotics to try and cure his illness. Dierckxsens was unable to train on Tuesday. Nijs keeps goingA tired Sven Nijs has decided that he will race his planned road program that will take him up to Paris-Roubaix mid-April. The Rabobank rider has frequently complained of exhaustion following a tough cyclo-cross season, and his morale and physical condition has not been the best. He was one of the many riders not to finish Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne on Sunday, won by teammate Roy Sentjens, however he was not too disappointed by this. "Sure I didn't finish the race, but it was fun getting acquainted with the peloton." Tafi does Flanders2002 Ronde van Vlaanderen winner Andrea Tafi trained with his CSC teammates over the parcours of this year's race yesterday. According to Tafi, the additional hills will mean that the domestiques of the team will not have much of a role to play in the latter stages of the race. 05 Orbitel for Vuelta al ValleThe first significant Colombian stage race of 2003, the Vuelta al Valle starts today, March 5 with a two kilometre prologue at the Alcides Nieto Patiño velodrome, Santiago de Cali, and finishes March 9 in Sevilla. Colombian Division II squad 05 Orbitel will field two teams in the Vuelta al Valle. 05 Orbitel A will consist of: Hernán Buenahora; Carlos Contreras; Félix Cárdenas; Marlon Pérez; Jairo Hernández; Élder Herrera; Olmedo Capacho; and Local Hebert Gutiérrez. The B team will be: Hernán Darío Bonilla; Javier Zapata; Julio Cesar Aguirre; Luis Orán Castañeda; Alejandro Iván Cortés; Javier González; Yonny Leal; and Jorge Humberto Martínez. New Zealand MTB finals to decide close seriesThis weekend's final rounds in the New Zealand national MTB series will see series champions selected in many categories after a season of very close racing has left little or no daylight between the major contenders. The downhill on Saturday March 9 at Hunua Forest (about one hour south east of Auckland) will see showdowns in both men's and women's classes. In the Pro-Elite Men the two top riders, Tim Nelson (Nelson) and Nathan Rankin (Levin) are currently tied for first place, while in the Senior Women Kate McDougall of Wanaka and Keli Finch of Nelson are also neck-and-neck. The next day's cross country, at Woodhill Forest (45 minutes from Auckland) will see a decision in the Men's Under 17 category, currently a tie between Ryan Marshall (Levin) and Sam Bewley (Rotorua), and the Men's Pro-Elite in which Stuart Houltham (Taupo) and Jason Clement (Levin) are separated by just one point. The women's cross-country is also close, with Rebecca Cullen (Nelson) six points ahead of Susy Pryde (Auckland). That's the difference between first and second place, so the women's series is also likely to go to the wire. For more information see www.nzmba.org.nz. 2003 Midwest Cyclo-cross ChampionshipsNo sooner has one 'cross season ended than the mud crowd are plotting the next, and looking likely to be the first US UCI race of the 2003/4 'cross season is the Midwest Cyclo-Cross Championships at Bloomer Park, Rochester, Michigan, Saturday, October 4. Organiser Tailwind Enterprizes will also be holding the first race in its non-UCI series the following day, also at Bloomer Park, but on a completely different course. Even Steven race offers seven women's categories (and one for blokes)The Eugene Oregon EWEB Windpower Cycling Team is promoting a distinctly unusual day of racing on Saturday May 10. The aim of the Even Steven race is to promote and encourage women's racing and to that end there will be seven women's categories, across six fields - and a single category for men. Organiser Shirley Brown told Cyclingnews, "our goals are to increase participation for women and to raise money for women's related charities," adding that the seven to one split of categories was "the mirror image of many races currently offered to women today. Our race is titled the 'Even Steven Race', to emphasize that we are trying to even the playing field for women, if only for a day." Brown said, "As schools and universities struggle to find ways of making athletic sports opportunities available to women in a fair and cost effective manner, we face the same challenges in the cycling world. This race is our team's effort to raise awareness, change attitudes and increase opportunities for women in a fun and positive manner. This is a race for ALL women who love to bike. And, the men seem to like it too!" For more details see: www.eugenecyclingteam.com/es/ Weather looking damp for Aussie PolarisThe forecast for this weekend's Australian edition of the Polaris Challenge is for "Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Mild to warm. Northeast to southeast winds." While that might not sound like ideal weather for a two-day MTB competition, it'll come as further relief to riders and race organizers after the bushfires that have caused havoc in so much of south-east Australia in the last few months. Organiser Huw Kingston says riders have been busy the last couple of weekend checking out the event area. "Since we released the location of this year's event a week ago, there have been numerous sightings of competitors. We've certainly got a rugged area this year diving into the depths of Abercrombie River National Park and local State Forests. Burraga, with its population of 30 people, is the only settlement in the 600 square km area so competitors will need to be totally self sufficient for the weekend." The Polaris Challenge is a two-day mountain bike orienteering and wilderness survival event that sees riders collect points by riding between checkpoints over the two days. The event also raises money for 4Wheels4Sean, a charity dedicated to assisting cyclists severely disabled as a result of cycling accidents and for the Volunteer Rescue Association (VRA) and local community groups in Burraga. Southeast crits combine for $70,000 racing weekThree US National Racing Calendar events have joined forces under the banner of "Crits, Grits and a Heap of Greens" to forge what is claimed to be the richest week of criterium racing in 2003. The six races kick off April 29 with the first of the South Carolina Heritage Cycling Series in Anderton, followed by the three other races in the series at Walterboro (April 30), Greenwood (May 1), and Aiken (May 2). Each South Carolina Heritage crit offers a $10,000 purse. After a break of a day, next up is the ninth Shelby Criterium in Shelby, N.C., with $13,000 in prize money for men and women professionals, and the week is capped by the $20,000 second annual Nalley Historic Roswell Criterium, 15 miles north of Atlanta. Lehigh third annual Spirit of Women Ride for CancerThe Lehigh Wheelmen Association (LWA) has announced that the third annual Spirit of Women Ride for Cancer will be held on Saturday, May 31. The annual charity cycling ride will begin and end at the Lehigh Valley Velodrome in Trexlertown, Pa. The proceeds from the ride will benefit women's cancer programs at Lehigh Valley Hospital's (LVH) Cancer Center and the Nicole L. Reinhart Memorial Fund. The ride is dedicated to the late champion cyclist Nicole Reinhart in memory of her sportsmanship, kindness and dedication to cycling and fitness. Women and men of all ages and fitness levels are invited to join in the fun and camaraderie of the ride as they select among 5-, 14- and 30-mile ride options. The 5-mile option was added last year to encourage novice riders. "If you can pedal a bike, you can ride five miles" is the ride slogan. This year more experienced riders may choose a more challenging 30-mile option. Riders are encouraged to bring their friends, family and colleagues and ride to support women's cancer programs. Last year over 200 women participated, ranging in age from seven to 73. "This year men are invited to join the fun and support the cause," explained ride organizer Gwen Hoover. "As always, if you are not able to ride, there are plenty of volunteer opportunities. There are also a variety of health and fitness exhibits scheduled throughout the day." For information on riding, volunteering, or to have a registration form sent to you, call 610-402-CARE or go to www.lvvelo.org. IMBA rallies support to keep California trails openBicycle trail access organization IMBA is leading a campaign to keep open trails in California that are threatened with closure by proposed congressional wilderness designations. IMBA will be present at 11 California events this year to rally support to keep these trails open to cyclists. "California is the birthplace of mountain biking and some of the trails being considered are trails that cyclists help maintain and have ridden for years," said IMBA executive director Tim Blumenthal. "Protecting the land doesn't have to be at the expense of cyclists. Road building and development of special natural areas can be prevented without alienating the state's two million mountain bikers. "During the last 18 months, IMBA volunteer advocates and staff have spent thousands of hours poring over maps, engaging local interest and meeting with the staffs of U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer. Our primary goal is to maintain bike access to significant existing trails. Hundreds of miles of trail have been removed from pending legislation but hundreds more remain in danger of being closed," said Blumenthal. Find out more or get involved at these events: March 27-30: Fairfield For more details see www.imba.com FIAC sets out rulesThe board of Federation of Independent Associations for Cycling (FIAC) has adopted racing rules covering road, track and cyclo-cross events. According to the board, the new rule book will be used in all FIAC National Points Series (NPS) races, listed at www.fiac.us/npsevents.htm, but member associations are free to use whatever rules they like for other events. Mountain bike rules will be added later. The FIAC rules can be found at www.fiac.us/racing.htm. Crit racing returns to ChampaignFor the first time since 1999, criterium racing comes to Champaign, Illinois on June 7, 2003. Organiser C-U Racing is a new team formed to promote the event and to foster the general cycling community in Champaign-Urbana. The inaugural C-U Racing event will take place around West Side Park, adjacent to downtown pubs, clubs, restaurants and coffee shops. "It's a fantastic setting for a race," says team president Mark Althouse, "and the support from the community has been overwhelming." C-U Racing's first roster of 33 members includes 4 women and 4 juniors, added to an experienced group of Masters and local university students of all racing categories. Half-Fast VeloHalf-Fast Velo (www.halffastvelo.com) has announced its 2003 roster. Half-Fast Velo (say it quickly - Ed) is a regional racing team based in Portland, Oregon. The team brings an experienced group of masters riders with an eye for the line and a focus on philanthropy. According to team spokesman Jonathan Puskas, "Half-Fast Velo was born out of the notion that amateur bike racing in the U.S. has become far too stodgy at times. Far too sponsored. Far too serious. We don't want to play that way." The team's motto is "Amistades-Victorias-Cervezas" ("Friendship-Victory-Beer") and the team's aims are to race, have fun and give a little back to the community. Says Puskas, "Our service pyramid (corporate geek-speak) will consist of: Throwing a race or two, introducing non-racers to the sport, and a team goal of 600 volunteer hours at cancer awareness events in 2003." (All rights reserved/Copyright Knapp Communications Pty Limited 2003) |
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