Cycling Round Up |
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Archives: January 2002 NTL TO DROP EUROSPORT: (By Shane Stokes Jan 30) Cycling fans who were relishing the thought of watching the season’s best action such as World Cup races and the Tour de France are set for disappointment following the news that the cable company NTL are to drop Eurosport from their basic package. NTL say that ‘in-depth’ market research by the MRBI and Catalyst companies is the reason for their decision to scrap the sports channel by February 1st and replace it with the news and business station CNBC Europe. According to NTL’s press release issued on January 25th, ‘the research revealed a strong preference among NTL customers for a dedicated business channel. As a world-leading source of business and financial news, analysis and share price information, CNBC Europe is well regarded by business people, personal investors and the wider viewing public.’ ‘CNBC will also cater for NTL customers that, according to the research, have a preference for fact based and news related content. In addition, CNBC Europe offers a range of sports and entertainment programming at weekends.’ Eurosport offered the only daily coverage of the Tour de France last year after Channel 4 bosses decided to replace VTL’s award-winning programme with cricket action. ITV are reportedly intending to reintroduce coverage this year, but the live programming featured on Eurosport will be lost as will coverage of cycling’s World Cup and other major events such as the Tour of Spain. Mark Mohan, Marketing Director of NTL Ireland, justified their decision in their press release. “As Ireland’s premier home entertainment provider, we regularly conduct research amongst our customers to track their interests and viewing preferences to ensure our channel line up satisfies demand. The introduction of CNBC Europe reflects the increasing appetite amongst our customers for fact-based content.” “As a customer-driven organisation we simply have to offer television programming which satisfies current viewing preferences. I know that CNBC Europe will quickly attract a dedicated following across our customer base and will enhance our basic channel line up. Irish consumers have demonstrated that they are strongly interested in news-type products and a real-time financial, business and personal investment news channel will help to supplement that demand.” Unfortunately, it will do little for cycling fans already frustrated by shrinking coverage of their sport. Click on the Irishcycling.com message board < HERE > for more information, plus contact details for NTL Ireland. Messages of support for Eurosport coverage can be sent to ireland.protest@eurosport.com
The Texan’s US Postal squad were also honoured by the USOC, taking the award for Sports Team of the Year. This marks the first occasion that a trade team has topped the category since it was introduced in 1996. The award had previously gone to National or Olympic squads. "This is a great honor for Lance and our team," said Mark Gorski of the US Postal Service outfit. "It is especially satisfying for the team to be recognized for its major role in supporting Lance at the Tour and for its season long effort. We had what we feel was our best season in 2001 - not only winning the Tour but winning several other premier events and performing at a high level throughout." Armstrong joins swimmer Matt Biondi and diver Greg Louganis as two time winners of the award. The outright record of three titles is jointly held by speed skater Eric Heiden, who later competed as a professional with the 7 Eleven cycling team, and athletic champion Michael Johnson. FUNDING INCREASE FOR CYCLING IRELAND: (By Shane Stokes Jan 25) Cycling Ireland has received a significant boost with the announcement of the Irish Sports Council’s allocation of funding for 2002. At a reception yesterday in Dublin, it was announced that the ISC would be giving a total of €304,200 to CI this year, a sizeable gain over the €262,508 awarded to its predecessor, the Irish Cycling Federation, in 2001 and a full 62% bigger than the sum of €188,927 received in 2000. ‘It is a big boost for us’, said a delighted Ciaran McKenna afterwards. ‘Most other federations saw a funding drop this year, but we got an increase – it is a sign that the Irish Sports Council believes in what we are doing.’ Indeed of the 55 national governing bodies awarded funding yesterday, CI ranks tenth, ahead of such NGB’s as The Irish Golfing Union, the Hockey Union of Ireland and Special Olympics Ireland. The federation’s Team Ireland initiative also got a special mention in the ISC press release as an example of the noteworthy projects which are coordinated by national governing bodies but funded by the council. Of the €304,200 awarded to CI yesterday, €40,000 is earmarked for the Team Ireland fund this year. This is an increase of €17,500 over last season’s figure. It is thought that Cycling Ireland’s strategy document is partly responsible for the increase in funding in 2002. The ISC are known to have been impressed with both the recent advancements in CI and its long-term planning for the future. Relations between the two bodies have also progressed and are far more positive and productive than they were three years ago when funding cuts led to a bitter response from the federation. ‘We have worked hard over the past few years’, says McKenna, ‘and the Sports Council has recognized that. Things are starting to fall into place but it is up to us to build on this progress and to continue to move forward.’ The Irish Sports Council also announced yesterday that it would be continuing its support for the FBD Milk Ras, including the sponsoring of the jersey for best young rider.
TOUR DE FRANCE SPONSORS RENEW: (By Shane Stokes Jan 14) The French bank which sponsors the yellow jersey of the Tour de France has given the event a vote of confidence despite recent speculation that it may have been about to end its backing of the event. Credit Lyonnais had been considering its position since the drug scandals of 1998, but recent efforts to clean up the sport have led it to decide to continue sponsoring the race for the foreseeable future. "We have made the decision in principle to renew our contract with the Tour de France," said Nicolas Chaine, the director of communications at the French company. "There has been true progress as regards the fight against the doping. The problem of drugs is not specific to cycling, it touches all sports which involve a lot of money." The organizers of the Tour de France have introduced a number of anti-doping steps since the Festina affair of 1998. These measures include medical screening, tests for EPO and corticoids, plus the threat to exclude any team or rider suspected of being involved in doping. The Mercantone Uno team of former Tour winner Marco Pantani were not invited to the race last year, a decision prompted by the Italian’s controversial past. Owens to race with new team based in Tuscany: (By Shane Stokes Jan 11) National MTB cross-country champion Tarja Owens is set to continue road racing within the professional peloton this season. Owens, who competed with the Michela Fanini team in 2001 and became the first Irish rider to start the women's Tour of Italy, has been asked to compete with the new twoKtwo set-up. Read the full story in the Irish Times >> Millar’s softly, softly approach: (By Shane Stokes Jan 5) Rising star David Millar is to take a low-key approach to the start of the season in order to avoid the fatigue which hampered his performance in last year’s Tour de France. Speaking at Cofidis’ recent training camp in St. Raphael, France, the 25 year old stated that since last season ended he has taken a ‘good break’ from the bike, unwinding in Australia with his fiancée Shari. <Read More Here> (By Shane Stokes) Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, who recently finished second in the Associated Press sports rankings for 2001, has been voted best athlete in the world by a jury of Spanish journalists. Armstrong won his third consecutive Tour crown last July and also finished second in the Amstel Gold classic. Meanwhile Tour de France green jersey winner Erik Zabel beat Bayern Munich goalkeeper Oliver Kahn and Formula 1 World Champion Michael Schumacher to top the rankings for best German athlete of 2001. Dutch journalists voted world cup winner Erik Dekker as their number one sportsman for the season.
Power's 2002 racing debut is likely to be in a series of events in California in early March, although the team are considering taking part in a small 3 stage race in Arizona during the time of their training camp. The Redlands and Sea Otter stage races at the end of March will hone fitness before the squad travel to contest some, as yet undetermined, European events. Meanwhile Ireland's other second-division professional David McCann is continuing his build-up for the new season at home in Belfast. McCann's Ceresit-Henkel team will hold a training camp in the next fortnight in Poland, but with temperatures there below freezing, McCann has been given a green light to remain in Ireland during that time. Conditions will certainly be better at their three-week training camp in Majorca at the end of January, and the double Irish champion will be in attendance. Ceresit's racing programme has yet to be finalized, but he says that the team may be divided into two teams; one contesting races in Poland, and the second, stronger half traveling to bigger events around Europe. McCann is aiming to make this latter selection and to perform well in world-ranked races, with the Commonwealth Games in Manchester also high on his list of priorities for the season. Mark Scanlon will once again line out in the colours of the amateur side VC La Pomme in 2002, with Tommy Evans and Denis Lynch also due to race with the French squad. However the Team Ireland initiative is moving from this area, with Belgium the most likely destination. According to Ciaran McKenna of the ICF, this relocation should cut costs and enable greater accessibility to events around Europe. This move coincides with a change of focus for the initiative, with greater emphasis to be placed on nurturing young riders. McKenna says that there will also be support for mountain-bike riders. Those interested in becoming part of the Team Ireland squad should contact the ICF, with further talks on the 2002 plans to be held during the forthcoming coaching weekend at the Dromintine Conference Centre, Newry from January 11th - 13th. Those interested in attending can obtain further details from the ICF at 01 8551522. <Get more info on weekend here> |
USOC HONOURS ARMSTRONG: (By
Shane Stokes Jan 26) In recognition of his strong 2001 season, Tour de France
champion Lance Armstrong has been awarded the prestigious title of United States
Olympic Committee Sportsman of the year. The cancer survivor, who previously won
the award in 1999, had arguably the best year of his career last season, winning
a third successive Tour victory and taking the Tour of Switzerland.
Seymour
set for Italy: (By
Shane Stokes Jan 25) After competing in America for much
of last season, multiple national mountain-bike champion
Robin Seymour has opted for a European base this year. 
O'Loughlin
signs with US professional squad: (By
Shane Stokes 18) The number of Irish cyclists to compete on the professional
circuit this season has increased to six with David O'Loughlin joining John
Brady and James Hodnett on the American Ofoto/Lombardi Sports squad. 
IRISH
GEAR UP FOR 2002:
(By Shane Stokes Dec 28) With 2001 all but over,
thoughts have turned towards preparations and plans for
the new racing season. Ciaran Power, who last week
signed a contract to ride with the American Navigators
team, is due to travel to New Jersey around the tenth of
February before taking part in their ten-day training
camp in Arizona.