October 2000

BOARDMAN BREAKS TRACK RECORD: (Oct 27) Chris Boardman set a new world hour record today in Manchester with a distance of 49.444 kilometres in the last ride of a distinguished career. The Merseyside cyclist already held the absolute record of 56.375km covered in an hour, set at the 1996 World Championships at the same venue. But rule changes by world cycling's governing body, the UCI, meant only records set on a 'standard' bike and without an aero helmet could stand. That erased the achievements of Boardman, Miguel Indurain, Tony Rominger and Francesco Moser, returning the title to Belgian cyclist Eddy Merckx who covered 49.431km in 1972

TOUR DE FRANCE ROUTE UNVEILED:  Tour de France organisers today unveiled the route for the 2001 race, one of the shortest in the event's history.  The announcement coincided with the ongoing Festina doping trial, which has produced daily revelations of widespread drug taking among top riders. The race, starting in Dunkirk on July 7 and ending in Paris on the 29, will be 3,642km long.  Only two previous Tours have been shorter. 

Chrono des Herbiers - 1.4, France, Oct 22 Women - 38.4 km Results - 1 Jeannie Longo (Fra) Ile de France 54.13 (42.50 km/h), 2 Corinne Sempe (Fra) VC Oloron Haut Béarn 0.10.02, 3 Béatrice Thomas (Fra) UCC Vivonne 0.10.04, 4 Maryline Salvetat (Fra) Midi-Pyrénées 2.57, 5 Juliette Vandekerckhove (Fra) Flandres-Artois 4.07, 6 Géraldine Gill (Irl) VC Lannion - Perros-Guirrec 4.25

EVANS 3rd ON LAST STAGE OF HERALD SUN TOUR - POWER FINISHES 9th OVERALL:  <See Reports of all stages Here>

IRISH RIDERS UCI WORLD RANKING 15th Oct. 2000

Injury rules Ullrich out of world championships: OCT 9th: Olympic gold medallist Jan Ullrich will miss this week's world championships in Plouay, west France, after suffering a facial injury in a fall during Sunday's Paris-Tours classic. Read the full story in the Irish Times >>

"THE IRISH ARE COMING" USA Coast To Coast Cycle Challenge 2000 By The NCBI Irish Blazing Saddles October 2 - October 31 - It's often been said that the Irish are crazy! Well this gang of Irish charity cyclists has taken the meaning of crazy one step further. The Irish Blazing Saddles will cycle from the Pacific Ocean at Shelter Island, San Diego, California on Thursday, October 5th to Folly Beach, the Atlantic Ocean at Charleston, South Carolina arriving on Sunday, October 29th 2000.  To find out how they get on - <Visit the event website>

FBD MILK RÁS TO BE WORLD-RANKING EVENT: (Press Release Oct 6) The FBD MILK RAS, Ireland's premier cycle race, will take on greater international importance next year with the exciting news that the world controlling body, Union Cycliste Internationale, has selected the race as a qualifying event for points for Olympic Games and World Cycling Championships. Following many months of negotiations with the UCI, Race Organiser, Dermot Dignam, has confirmed the race will be classified 2.5 on the International Calendar of Events for 2001 and will as such carry all-important points needed by countries to qualify for major world events. To slot into the current UCI Elite Calendar the duration of the race will be reduced by one day to an 8 day event and will take place from Sunday 20th to Sunday 27th May.
   National Dairy Council and FBD Insurances, sponsors of the race for the past eighteen years, have welcomed the growing importance of the race in world cycling and anticipate a greater demand for invitations to the race from countries anxious to achieve the necessary points to get into the top thirty countries in the world, which would gain them entry to the Olympics, and Worlds. The Irish Sports Council also welcomed the decision of the UCI and has promised additional funding to enable the race comply with UCI Regulations. The Sports Council is particularly pleased that Ireland will now be represented on the World Elite Cycling Calendar.
   With the popularity and competitiveness of the FBD MILK RAS soaring in recent years Dignam does not intend to make any drastic changes to the character of the race but is delighted with UCI status and says "the race is probably one of the toughest of its kind in the world and it is great that the efforts of the teams and riders will now be recognized by the UCI in the awarding of world ranking points.
   Futher details; Dermot Dignam, Tel. 01-8481517. Sally Ryan, 01-6496400.

IRISH TEAM NEWS: HERALD SUN TOUR, Australia, Oct 5-10 - Ciaran Power Linda McCartney, David McCann Phoenix CC, Eugene Moriarty Listowel CC, Tommy Evans Clarke Nissan, Aidan Duff Bray Wheelers WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS Ployay, France, Oct 11-15 - Junior Team Tim Cassidy Usher IRC, Philip Deignan Four Masters, Michael Dennehy Kanturk CU, Colin Armstrong E.C. Rance-Frémur  U23 Team Mark Scanlon CC Etupes, David O'Loughlin Mayo Wheelers, Dermot Nally Spain, Keith Gallagher Orchard Wheelers.

FINAL OVERALL LEINSTER LEAGUE 2000 RESULTS: 1st Colm  Bracken Usher I .R.C. (Points 22), 2nd Aiden Crowley Unattached (21), 3rd Shane Baker Usher I.R.C. (16), 4TH Stephen O Sullivan Clarkes Nissan (15), 5TH Brian  Lennon ST. Tiernans (12), 6TH Derry McVeigh Cahills Naas C.C. (10), 7TH Tim  Aherne Bray  Wheelers (8) + 1st Jun, 8TH Lorraine Manning Usher I.R.C. (8) +1st Lady, 9th Tosh Lavery Garda Motorworld(8) +1st Vet