14ª Vuelta Cicloturista Internacional Maspalomas-Gran Canaria

Vuelta Grand Canary 2000 - Courtesy of sportcanarias.com
Kelme-Costa Blanca's Oscar Sevilla and Angel Vicioso will compete in the 430 km Vuelta Cicloturista Internacional Maspalomas-Gran Canaria, a seven stage race that runs from 2 December through 7 December 2002.

The parcours run from the southern tip of the Grand Canary Island starting at Maspalomas, and follows north along the east coast to Arucas.

Although the stages are relatively short, even the prologue features a 10% grade. The final stage has a 13% climb with 1450 meters of climbing.

Laurent Roux

Former Jean Delatour rider Laurent Roux, who tested positive for amphetamines in a doping control in April was released in October from sanctions related to this incident by the Arbitration Sports Authority. It is possible that the UCI will make an appeal against the decision. Roux contends that there were irregularities during the control. The French Cycling Federation did not sanction him.

Mercatone plus whom? CSC plus whom?

Cycling sponsor Mercatone Uno (a large Italian market chain) intends to continue its sponsorship conditioned on joining with with an already sponsored team that includes Marco Pantani. Mercatone would invest 2.5 million dollars into a team.

Discussions with Acqua e Sapone and Tacconi Sport have not come to any conclusion, and the corporation may now be in talks with CSC, which is also searching for a co-sponsor.

A Mercatone-CSC union could theoretically put Ullrich and Pantani, currently without contract, together. Bjarne Riis, manager of CSC, may not want Pantani due to his previous drug difficulties, but it might also be hard for CSC to afford a contract with Ullrich without Mercatone's investment. (Velo 101, Velo Club du Net)

Paris-Roubaix pave restoration

A horticultural school in France has signed a contract with the Amaury Sports Organization (organizer of the race, the Tour de France and many of the Classics), local authorities and the Friends of Paris Roubaix to help maintain and restore the famous cobblestones that are part of the long tradition of the Paris-Roubaix race.

Over the next few months, horticultural students will rehabilitate portions of the pave that have become overgrown or buried. They will also repair the drainage ditches, repair holes and extend the pave. This last is no small undertaking, as the students will not create "synthetic" cobblestons, but will hunt down existing stones to use in the restorations. (Radsport-News)

Team Mercury official statement regarding Scott Moninger

We have all heard the news about the positive test of Scott Moninger from the Saturn Road Race. We as a team became informed of this result just last week. The team maintains a strict anti doping policy, but this case is more complicated then the usual cases we have read about in the press before.

We at Steel Wheels believe that the rider must be responsible for their actions and accept responsibility. The team has warned its riders on the dangers of buying supplements that may contain unlisted ingredients. We have a great relationship with our sponsor Cytosport and insist that the riders use their products as much as possible, because we know that there will not be any problems.

"We at Cytosport make all of our own products in our one facility and have never had a banned substance in the plant. The riders can feel confident in Cytosport products" states Mike Pickett.

Unfortunately, we must sanction Scott in accordance with team policy which will include a suspension and fine. While we stand behind Scott and believe that he will prevail in his actions against the product and those who supplied it, we must protect the integrity of the team. Scott acted outside the team policy and he is paying the price for those actions.

This is not a case of malicious intent and the fact that Scott has proven that the supplement is to blame should mandate a light sanction from the governing body.

We have a zero tolerance policy in regard to a positive test. Scott has proven to us that he did not intend to cheat and in fact was a victim of a poor choice. Scott has such a good case, that in fairness, it does not warrant a full penalty. Cycling does not have a consistent record of handing out penalties that fit the crime. We hope that in this case, they will find the wisdom to do so.

Thurlow Rogers
Manager, Steel Wheels Inc.
Directeur Sportif / Team Manager, Mercury Cycling

Michele Bartoli from his website

"Dear friends,
Christmas is approaching and we would like to help less fortunate people more than usual. In these last weeks more charitable initiatives allow us to take advantage of our "visibility" for benevolent purposes... As you know, untill Christmas the income of my merchandising will be given to the earthquake victims of Molise. We have already received many requests: thank you very much!

Tomorrow [23 November], in Cecina, I will be present at the "Game of Solidarity," the football match between the Italian riders' team and the cycling journalists' one. Also the proceeds of this initiative will be donated to the town of San Giuliano di Puglia and to the "Emercency" association of Gino Strada. Bettini, Sciandri, Tafi, Scinto and many other riders will be also present."

Please visit Michele's site here.

Lance Armstrong - Coats for Kids

The Austin Junior League will hold its annual Christmas event soon, and one of the benefit activities is Coats for Kids, in which celebrity-signed coats are auctioned. This year Lance Armstrong, television host Oprah Winfrey and country singer Clint Black have donated coats for the auction. Money raised at the auction will purchase childrens' coats - Coats for Kids distributes 30,000 winter coats to Central Texas children yearly. (News 8 Austin)

Collegiate Cycling World Grand Prix event announced

Press Release: (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) -- November 22, 2002 -- Quantum Sports & Entertainment LLC and the City of Bethlehem, PA, have announced the first annual Collegiate Cycling World Grand Prix - a world-class international event for collegiate cyclists. The event, to be held May 30 - June 1, 2003 in historic Bethlehem, will have a minimum prize list of $35,000 and is expected to draw more than 500 competitors from up to 200 American and international schools. In addition to the race, there will be a blues music festival with top regional musicians, a major consumer expo, job fair, and a BMX exhibition.

Mike Malekoff, National Marketing Director for Quantum Sports & Entertainment LLC, believes the event is a great opportunity for sponsors to reach the coveted audience of 18 - 34-year-olds. "Sponsorship for an event like the Collegiate Cycling World Grand Prix is a great fit for a company," said Malekoff. "It links their products to a healthy lifestyle and reaches the college audience which are the trend setters and educated consumers of now and tomorrow. We're offering corporate partnerships on all levels and we're very excited about it," added Malekoff.

The Collegiate Cycling World Grand Prix kicks off Friday night with street sprints in the South Side business district of Bethlehem. Road race heats take place on Saturday, with the finals for men and women on Sunday. The road race will consist of a 6-mile loop that starts and finishes in historic downtown Bethlehem. The pro-style course includes the South Side business district, a one-mile climb through Fraternity Row in Lehigh University, and a turn around loop through the campus of Moravian College. 

National Collegiate Cycling Association (NCCA) Chair, Randy Warren, thinks the Collegiate Cycling World Grand Prix is a fantastic opportunity for the future stars to showcase their talent on the world scene. "These are the same riders the public could see in future Olympic and Professional World Championship Events," said Warren. The difference is at the Collegiate Cycling World Grand Prix, the cyclists will be competing for their college or university as well as for the USA. The citizens of Bethlehem and race fans from around the globe will be treated to one of the most exciting collegiate sporting events anywhere in the world."

Quantum Sports and Entertainment LLC is a professional organization focused on designing, developing, and executing high profile sports and entertainment events. For more information on the 2003 Collegiate Cycling World Grand Prix, please contact Quantum Sports and Entertainment CEO, Jack Simes at 610-298-3255 or Quantum@betcycling.com.