Cycling in The Irish Times

Archives: December 2000

2000 Season Review: (Dec 29) It has, in one sense, been a good year for Irish cycling. Political squabbles and dwindling numbers dominated headlines towards the end of the season, but in terms of international results 2000 was an encouraging time.  The year began on a high note with the return of Irish riders to the pro peloton after a long absence. Two cyclists made their debuts, with Ciaran Power riding well in races such as the Tour of Langkawi and the Tirreno Adriatico where he finished a fine 11th on the final stage. Power then went on to scale greater heights when he became the first Irishman to finish a Grand Tour in seven years, completing the three week Giro d’Italia and sprinting home 5th and 6th on stages. The Waterford cyclist also rode well toward the end of the year, placing 7th in the Brussels Izegem race and riding well in the Herald Sun Tour.

It was, however, a more difficult season for fellow professional Morgan Fox. The 25 year old showed he was coming into good form in late spring with solid rides in the Tours of Asturias and Japan, but a reoccurrence of glandular fever scuppered both his Olympic ambitions and chances of retaining his contract for 2001.

Happily, the year brought better fortunes for mountain bike rider Robin Seymour, who placed 28th in the Olympics, 34th in the world championships and took his seventh consecutive mountain bike and tenth straight cyclo-cross national titles. Of the other elite riders, David McCann and Mark Scanlon were the most impressive, returning to top form and securing professional contracts in the process. McCann had an outstanding year: best amateur in France, Irish national road race champion, second place in the Manx international and a fine 43rd in the Olympics are just some of the highlights. Scanlon, too, prospered. Despite breaking his elbow in July, the Sligoman recovered to take a succession of good victories in the Autumn, including two stages and the points classification in the Tour of Hokkaido in September.

Other notable rides were the Sun Tour stage win of Aidan Duff, David O’Loughlin’s 9th place in the world under 23 time trial and Brian Kenneally’s second place in the Havant Grand Prix. Deirdre Murphy’s US Masters criterium title and Tommy Evans’ strong riding in the Tour of Guadeloupe also drew praise.  Now for 2001. The ICF will hope for the good results to continue when racing recommences; in the meanwhile, attention turns towards improving weak areas and ensuring that the current resurgence is not limited to elite competition alone.

VIRENQUE GETS NINE MONTH BAN: (Dec 29) French cycling star Richard Virenque is contemplating retirement after the Swiss cycling federation banned him today from competing in 2001. The 31 year old Swiss resident was handed a nine month ban, which will commence in February, plus a 4000 franc fine after his recent admission during the so-called ‘Festina trial’ that he had used banned substances, including EPO, during the Tour de France in 1998.

The ruling means that Virenque’s future as a professional cyclist is very much in doubt, especially as the five time Tour de France King of the Mountains winner had been unable to find a team for next season. He stated that he would not make an immediate announcement on his future but is expected to come to a decision in the coming weeks.

Fox exits paid ranks for now: (Dec 22) It has, on the whole, been a year Morgan Fox would probably rather forget. Fifteen months ago he became the first new Irish professional cyclist in a decade when he signed for the Tonissteiner team. The Athlone rider made a promising start to the season, performing well in tough races like the Tour of Asturias, but then was sidelined by a recurrence of glandular fever in June.

Forced to sit out the rest of the season, Fox made a good recovery but despite indications he would be retained by the Belgian team, he was recently dropped from the 2001 squad. "It was a big, big disappointment," says the 26-year-old. "The team had seemed supportive when I was sick and said they'd keep me on, but then at the last moment I found out they had no intention of doing that. That left it too late to get another contract."

To compound his disappointment, Fox then sent CVs to a number of other professional squads who stated that their rosters were full, but would have been interested had he approached them sooner.

"The best way to get Tonissteiner back is to spray them with champagne next year - basically, have a great season despite them," he says. "I am going to give it one more shot, probably ride with the Irish team and do my best to get as many UCI points as possible. I plan to target races like the FBD Milk Ras and the Sun Tour; I really feel that if I get enough points next year I can get back into the pro ranks."

For Fox and other riders who will compete in the green jersey of Ireland in 2001, a restructured season seems likely. The Irish Cycling Federation is considering a later-than-usual start for teams racing abroad. "It is unlikely that squads will be going to the Tours of Langkawi, Greece and Rhodes as in previous years," says ICF PRO Ciaran McKenna. "We feel guys were getting to the end-of-season races - in particular the world championships - a bit worn out, so the feeling is the first trip abroad will be in mid April. We are just trying something new to see if it will help get better results over the whole season."

Also on the cards is a change in the selection process and management of such teams, as the ICF intends to appoint four squad managers in the next few weeks. The workload previously handled by the national team director will be split between them. Advertisements for the honorary positions to oversee senior and junior/women road riders and crosscountry and downhill mountain-bike racers will be made shortly, while the track racing area will be addressed later on.

PJ NOLAN STARTS TERM AS PRESIDENT: (Dec 14) His tenure, it is hoped, will herald a new beginning for the Irish Cycling Federation. Last Sunday PJ Nolan was co-opted into the role of president of the ICF, winning favour over Paddy O’Callaghan and FBD Milk Ras organiser Dermot Dignam, and filling the slot vacated by Mick Lawless at last month’s AGM.  Straight down to business. On Monday he met with the Sports Council in what he describes as a ‘very good meeting. I was very happy with the way things went. I think John Treacy and the Sports Council are approaching Irish sport in a very progressive way, and some of the ideas are very exciting’, says Nolan, a 39 year old from Navan with a strong background in the sport. ‘We are working on our own strategy document at the moment and expect to have it done by January. After presenting it to our members, it will go to the Sports Council and from then we will start building on the development of cycling.’

Much has to be done, as it has been a difficult few years for the sport.  Drug scandals abroad and a dearth of Irish professionals have eroded public, and media interest. Soccer, Gaelic games and other sports have taken over, relegating bicycles to the garden shed and the wearing of lycra shorts to those practicing aerobics. ICF membership has dropped and debts have been run up.

‘It is a tough task’, admits Nolan, ‘but I am looking forward to the challenge. I know that there are a lot of good people there I can work with – I wouldn’t have taken the job on if there wasn’t – and I think by this time next year we will have made good progress.’ For now, the completion of the strategy document is the most urgent priority. After that the journalist/dairy-farmer intends working with the board, and the Sports Council, to boost the numbers cycling. According to the new president, the development of the elite end of the sport and increasing underage membership are vitally important, as is tapping into the resource of unaffiliated leisure cyclists currently on Irish roads.

Money is another issue of concern for the federation. This year the ICF secured sponsorship in the form of racing equipment, and transport for teams going out of the country. But cash is also needed, and according to Nolan, this will be addressed in coming months. ‘The idea is to make the sport more attractive to those who have money, to make it more donation-friendly, and that is something we will be looking at closely.’ ‘There are already a few things which should help’, he says. ‘Next year the FBD Milk Ras has world-ranking points for the first time and Ireland will have three guys in the professional ranks. The Sports Council are looking at including a velodrome in the planned Campus Ireland facility, which is very exciting, and there is a possibility too of staging the world championships here in 2004.’  ‘But there is still much to be done. We have to knuckle down, work out where we are going with regard to future strategy and start building up the sport again. It is a challenge but I am looking forward to it’, he concludes.

NEW SPONSOR ANNOUNCED FOR PRO CYCLING TEAM OF POWER, SCANLON: (Dec 13) It was announced today that the Linda McCartney professional cycling team, which will number Irish professionals Ciaran Power and Mark Scanlon amongst its ranks next year, has secured major sponsorship from the Jacob’s Creek company for 2001.  The co-sponsorship is a huge boost for the fledgling team, effecting a 60% increase in budget from this year’s 1.25 million sterling to 2 million for next season. Crucially, the extra capital will assist the team to buy the big-name riders which will propel it into the first division and, it is hoped, enable it to secure a place in the 2002 Tour de France.

The announcement will be welcomed by Power and Scanlon, who recently secured their place alongside 17 others for next season. Power’s season is scheduled to begin in January with the Tour Down Under, while Mark Scanlon will make his professional debut in the following month’s Tour of Langkawi.  However, despite today’s announcement the vegetarian team is unlikely to abandon its commitment to a clean living lifestyle. ‘The guys will have to remember that while we have a wine company as sponsor it does not mean free samples each night!’, said Linda McCartney general manager Julian Clark.  ‘But we will reserve a tipple of 'Australia's Top Drop' for our victory celebrations.’

PJ NOLAN NAMED AS NEW ICF PRESIDENT: (Dec 10) After a vital board meeting today, the Irish Cycling Federation has co-opted PJ Nolan into the role of president. The Meathman succeeds Mick Lawless, who dramatically resigned from the position last month after a series of clashes with board members.  Nolan saw off the challenge of rivals Paddy O’Callaghan and FBD Milk Ras organiser Dermot Dignam to secure leadership of the federation, and will chair his first board meeting in two weeks time.

The journalist has a strong background in cycling, having raced internationally and more recently, managed several Irish teams including the quintet which secured a stage win in the Australian Sun Tour event in October.  According to ICF PRO Ciaran McKenna, Nolan’s appointment is good news for the troubled federation who must address the twin problems of falling membership and a projected budget deficit of £32,000 for this year.

‘The board sat down today and discussed the relative merits of each candidate’, he says. ‘At the end of the debate, we agreed that PJ is the best man for the job. He is independent, he is young, he is a good businessman and an effective administrator. Most of all, he is very enthusiastic and has many good ideas. I am sure over the coming months he is going to push us to do our best to improve things in the sport. I think he can do a good job.’

PANTANI FOUND GUILTY OF DOPING CHARGES: (Dec 11) 1998 Tour de France winner Marco Pantani has been found guilty of doping charges and given a three month jail sentence, which has been suspended pending an appeal. The charges arose when blood tests taken after the Italian cyclist’s bad crash in the 1995 Milan-Turin race showed that his hematocrit level was 60 percent, strongly indicating the use of the banned hormone EPO.  Pantani is a somewhat controversial figure in cycling; the most gifted climbing specialist of his generation, he was thrown off the 1999 Tour of Italy two days from winning the race when his red blood cell count was above the permitted 50 percent level. After a period of depression, he returned to competition this spring and won two of the hardest mountain stages in the Tour de France.

Although he then pulled out of the race with a stomach complaint, Pantani has declared that he is aiming to win the 2001 edition of the race.  Yesterday's ruling has however quashed this ambition; in addition to the threatened three month jail sentence the diminutive Italian faces a six month ban from competition.  Pantani’s Mercantone Uno team have declared that they will appeal the judge’s declaration of sporting fraud, which is considered a crime under Italian law. 

CORRY WINS JUNIOR SCOTTISH CYCLO CROSS TITLE: (Dec 10) Following his second place in the Irish downhill championships earlier this year, rider Will Corry went one better in the Scottish cyclocross nationals yesterday. The 17 year old from Stormont, East Belfast won the junior title, securing world ranking points and illustrating that he is a more complete rider than most downhill racers.  The win means that Corry, who studies in Scotland and races for the Can-Am Wulf outfit, is now eligible to compete in World Cup events in both downhill and cross country disciplines. He is also aiming for a strong ride in the British championships on January 14th.

McCANN TO SIGN PRO CONTRACT: (Dec 8) After a season littered with impressive performances, including a strong ride in the Olympic games road race and a dominant win in the national championships, Belfast cyclist David McCann is set to turn professional.  The 27 year old has been offered a place with the second division Mat Ceresit CCC team for 2001. McCann will travel to the team presentation early next week where he will sign a contract to race for the Polish outfit, managed by former professional Andrzej Sypytkowski.

The offer comes shortly after it was confirmed that McCann was the best French-based amateur in 2000, having won a number of French races and collected valuable world-ranking points in races outside the country. Indeed the current UCI ranking lists show that only 14 amateurs worldwide have more points than the Belfast rider, making him an attractive prospect for teams searching for fresh talent.

‘I am pleased to finally have got somewhere’, he says, having spent years trying to break into the top echelon of cycling. ‘I had tried a lot of teams over the past couple of months but in the end the solution was quite simple.  A guy that race for Perpignan (his French amateur team) this year was Polish and when he went back home he mentioned me to Sypytkowski who is trying to build his new team. He was interested and I got an offer.  ‘I am traveling over on Tuesday to sign a contract and then have the team presentation on Wednesday.’  McCann’s offer means that Ireland will have a minimum of three riders in the paid ranks next season, with Ciaran Power and Mark Scanlon already confirmed for the Linda McCartney outfit.

DORAN GETS AWARD: (Dec 8)  Irish cycling coach Paddy Doran has been named as Tutor of the Year at the National Coaching and Training Centre awards in Limerick.  The award is recognition of the efforts of Doran, who has done much in his capacity as chairman of the Irish Cycling Federation's coaching committee.  Doran also oversees the training of a number of top Irish cyclists. One of these,Ciaran Power,turned professional earlier this year and recorded two top-ten placings in the Tour of Italy in May.  'It is a great thing for Paddy to get',says ICF Pro Ciaran McKenna. 'He has worked very hard at the coaching end of things. I hope that this award will help us when we meet the Sports Council next week,as it shows what people like Paddy are doing for the sport.'