'99 Giro  

Dunkirk Four Days sixth stage placings

MONT-ROUGE, Belgium, May 8 - Results in the 181.6-km sixth stage of the Dunkirk Four Days cycle race on Saturday:

May 7, 1999     Jalabert claims third stage win

Results in the fourth and fifth stages of the Dunkirk Four Days race on Friday:

May 6, 1999    Dunkirk Four Days third-stage results

BETHUNE, France, May 6 - Results in the third stage of the Dunkirk Four Days race over 180.1 km from Boulogne-sur-Mer to Bethune on Thursday:

Jalabert shrugs off puncture to claim second stage win

MOLESON, Switzerland, May 6 - Frenchman Laurent Jalabert recovered from a late puncture to claim victory in the Tour of Romandie second stage on Thursday.

Jalabert, winner of the of the prologue time trial on Tuesday, took his second stage win in three days by powering home a comfortable nine seconds clear of Italy's Leonardo Piepoli at the end of an event-filled day.

With victories in the Tour of the Basque Country and the Tour of Catalonia under his belt, Jalabert underlined his superb early season form by covering the 171.3 kms from Motiers to Moleson in four hours 29 minutes 30 seconds.

The former world number one took over top spot in the overall classification, four seconds ahead of Italy's Gabriele Missaglia and 10 in front of another Italian Paolo Savoldelli.

A puncture 38 kms from the finish appeared to end Jalabert's hopes of victory, but the Frenchman's ONCE team mates nursed him back into the peloton.

The stage featured a big solo break by Rolf Jaermann. The Swiss built up a 3:30 lead but was caught after 74 kms.

Missaglia takes lead in Tour of Romandie

Although Giuliano Figueras (Mapei) won the sprint finish to the 165.4 kms first stage of the Tour of Romandie between Geneva and Fleurier, ahead of Swiss champion Niki Aebersold, his Italian team mate Gabriele Missaglia took over the race lead.

Missaglia, third in Tuesday's prologue, took the leader's jersey ahead of Aebersold and Italy's Paolo Savoldelli.

May 5, 1999   Dunkirk Four Days second-stage results

May 5, 1999    Golden Pantry Twilight Criterium Athens,GA

Saturn Pulls a Double!
Athens, GA (May 1, 1999)-- At the Golden Pantry Twilight Criterium this weekend the Saturn Cycling Team pulled off a double victory , winning both the men’s and women’s races. In the women’s race, speeds were high and attacks plentiful in the evening criterium. With a slight lull in the pace with just over two laps remaining, Saturn’s Anna Wilson (AUS) attacked. Wilson was able to maintain a gap to the finish to claim her twelfth victory of the season. Nicole Freedman (Kendall Jackson) finished second after a late race attack. Kendra Wenzel (USA--Timex) won the field sprint for third.

The men’s race saw a plenty of action throughout the night,but the race ultimately ended in a field sprint. The Saturn train set up the sprint in  the final 2/12 laps. The following is an excerpt from a report from Saturn’s Mark McCormack: “With 2.5 laps to go, Chris and I swarmed the front and Frankie (McCormack (USA— Saturn)) and Robbie (Ventura (USA— Saturn)) managed to make there way to our wheels. Chris (Wherry (USA— Saturn)) took it to the first turn with one lap to go where I took over until turn three. Frankie kept up the speed going through turns three and four with Robbie glued to his wheel. They came out of turn four with a two bike length gap on the next rider.” In the end Frank McCormack held on for the win, with Ventura in tow. Gord Fraser (Mercury ), who last week was called by one reporter "the fastest man in North America," finished third.

Anna Wilson takes the lead in the Saturn USPro Tour Standings from teammate Lyne Bessette (CAN) with her victory here. Frank McCormack extends his lead in the series.

In other news...

Michael Barry (Can) of the Saturn Cycling Team finished fourth overall in the Rngerike Stage Race in Norway. Bart Bowen finished sixth overall and won the climbing competition.

1. Frank McCormack Saturn
2. Robbie Ventura Saturn
3. Gord Fraser Mercury
40. Brian Walton Saturn
53. Chris Wherry Saturn


1. Anna Wilson Saturn
2. Nicole Freedman Kendall Jackson
3. Kendra Wenzel Timex
5. Susy Pryde Saturn
11. Dede Demet Barry Saturn
27. Lyne Bessette Saturn

May 4, 1999     Jalabert wins Romandie time trial

BERNEX, Switzerland, May 4 - Frenchman Laurent Jalabert roared to victory in the Tour of Romandie prologue time trial on Tuesday, ahead of a parade of Italian challengers.

Jalabert, the top-ranked French cyclist and the former world number one, charged around the tricky, 4.8-km course on the outskirts of Geneva, in a time of five minutes 44.85 seconds.

Roberto Petito led a group of five Italian challengers across the line, finishing 2.66 seconds adrift.

He was followed by compatriots Gabriele Missaglia and Mario Cipollini, 5.54 and 6.34 seconds off the pace respectively.

In superb early season form Jalabert has used his time trial expertise to help him get a pair of victories.

The Frenchman claimed victory in last month's Tour of the Basque Country and the Tour of Catalonia in March by winning the final-stage time trial in both events.

Jalabert will pull on the leader's jersey for Wednesday's first stage proper, a 164-km test from Balexert to Val-de-Travers through the rolling countryside of northern Switzerland.

Dunkirk Four-Days first stage placings

May 1, 1999

GIRO DEL TRENTINO (2.2) Italy, 26-29 April

Final Overall:

April 25, 1999     Fraser completes weekend sweep in Mississippi
By Kip Mikler VeloNews associate editor

Gord Fraser’s second win in two days on the heated streets of Jackson, Mississippi can best be described as gutsy. It took a gutsy team performance by Mercury to put their finishing star in position to win the 133-mile Trustmark Tour LeFleur roa  race -- the longest so far this year for most of the 160 plus starters -- and it took the trademark killer instinct of Fraser t  bury the sword deep in the hearts of the Saturn squad.

The pace was hectic all afternoon, but the real racing began just after the 100-mile mark. A group of 23 that included Mercury, Saturn, Shaklee and the Navigators opened a gap and quickly got a minute on a chase group. Mercury had Fraser i  the break, but Saturn didn’t have Robbie Ventura, its designated sprinter for the day.

This was obvious.

Fraser told Mercury team director John Wordin that nobody was helping them drive the break: "Saturn’s not going with this! They hate this," he said.

Wordin didn’t care. Mercury had four riders in the break, and the odds made it worthwhile to do whatever it took. "This is awesome for us," he told Fraser. "Attack the shit out of them!"

So that’s what they did. And by the time the lead group passed through the start-finish area in the Fondren business district for the 16th time, it was clear that the final 7.8-mile circuit would come down to attrition. A handful of the lead group had already been shelled and, just to add to the drama, the rain that had been threatening all afternoon finally came.

Less than halfway through the final circuit, two Mercury riders -- Thurlow Rogers and Michael Sayers -- crashed on a slick corner. And just like that, Saturn attacked with Levi Leipheimer. "They hit the deck right in front of me, and it was looking really bad," Fraser said. "It was just me, and you know how they target me. I did my best, and John Peters did a great amount of work, and then all of a sudden Mike (Sayers) was back.

"Those guys cranked it hard, delivered me to the final stretch, and I saw Frank (McCormack), which was a great thing for me -- and I just put the turbos on."  

McCormack, who finished second, couldn’t agree more with Fraser’s observation. "Yeah, Gord always comes off my wheel," he said dryly. "That’s his favorite place to be."

Shaklee’s Graeme Miller, another guy with no love lost for Fraser, finished third for the second day in a row. The New Zealander grabbed the last podium spot in Saturday’s criterium, also won by Fraser.

TRUSTMARK TOUR LEFLEUR, Jackson, MS. April 25.
1. Gord Fraser (Can), Mercury, 133 mi in 5:06;
2. Frank McCormack, Saturn;
3. Graeme Miller (NZ), Shaklee;
4. James Vance, Chain Reaction;
5. Bart Bowen, Saturn;
6. Dirk Friel, Merlin-Hind;
7. Brian Walton (Can), Saturn;
8. Dominique Perras, Nutra-Fig;
9. Eric Wohlberg, Shaklee;
10. Vassilly Davidenko (Rus), Navigators, all s.t.

Mississippi burning: Fraser, Pryde heat up Tour LeFleur
By Kip Mikler VeloNews associate editor

With temperatures in the low 90s and a humidity level that had riders soaked with sweat long before the starter’s pistol was heard, you might not consider Jackson, Mississippi the ideal climate for a Canadian. But let’s get one thing straight: When i  comes to sprinting, it’s never too hot for Gord Fraser. For the second straight year, the Mercury man won the 50-mile Bud Light Criterium, the first of two stages in the Trustmark Tour LeFleur.

Evans Back On Top In Madrid

By Andrew Hood VeloNews mountain-bike correspondent

EL ESCORIAL, Spain - They all knew it wouldn’t take too long for defending World Cup champion Cadel Evans to step back into the spotlight. After two-straight second places and a disappointing loss on his home turf in Australia two week  ago, the Volvo-Cannondale rider put down the hammer on a tough, old-style mountain bike course to win for the first tim  this season and assume the leader’s jersey in the third round of the 1999 World Cup.

"This is a great course. It suits me better with the long climb and technical descents. Once I got the lead, I held my rhythm and just kept going," said Evans, who covered the 56-kilometer course in 2 hours, 27 minutes, 5 seconds.

Nearly 10,000 excitable Spanish fans turned out to cheer the first return of World Cup cross-country racing to Spain since 1995, and the racers loved it. "I love these huge crowds. It was great on the steep climbs when their cheering really helped get through it," said Evans, who dropped France’s Ludovic Dubau during the third lap to hold the lead to the finish.

While everyone agreed the crowds were inspirational, the rocky, technical course -- most of it single-track -- was the bane of scores of riders. Racers dropped like flies on a loose, steep descent that dropped 340 feet in one shot. Among the victims were Thomas Frischknecht, Rune Hoydahl and world champion Christophe Dupouey.

"I wonder if it wasn’t a little too hard for this type of race," asked Bas Van Dooren (Be One), second at 3:31. "I crashed on the first lap, then it started to rain and I was scared on the rocks. Once I knew the gap to Cadel was too much, I didn’t wan  to take unnecessary chances."

Evans posted an insurmountable gap after the fourth of six laps and then the skies opened up. Rain turned the rocky course into a slippery maze and the battle was on for the remaining podium positions. Miguel Martinez said a sore back kept him from racing at full strength and the Full Dynamix rider finished third at 4:03 back. Sunn’s Dubau and Mapei’s Dario Cioni rounded out the top-5. Trek-Volkswagen’s Kirk Molday was the top American at 18th at 11:05 back.

Results: April 25, 1999, El Escorial, Spain.
1. Cadel Evans (Aus), Volvo-Cannondale, 56 kilometers in 2:27:05 (19.9 kph);
2. Bas Van Dooren (Nl), Be-One, at 3:31;
3.Miguel Martinez (F), Full Dynamix, at 4:03;
4. Ludovic Dubau (F), Sunn, at 4:53;
5. Dario Cioni (I), Mapei, at 5:05;
6. Wolfram Kurschat (G), VW GT, at 5:15;
7. Michael Rasmussen (Dk), Gary Fisher, at 5:28;
8. Mauro Bettin (I), Full Dynamix, at 7:23;
9. Roberto Lezaun (Esp), Orbea, at 8:01;
10. Thomas Hochstrasser (Swi), Scott, at 8:15;

April 24, 1999    Boogerd wins Amstel Gold for Dutch

By Philip Blenkinsop U.S. cyclist Lance Armstrong (L) glances over his shoulder at Dutch Michael Boogerd during the last stage of the Amstel Gold cycling race in Maastricht April 24. Boogerd won the race in a close finish, Armstrong finished second. jfl/Photo by Jerry lampen Reuters REUTERS MAASTRICHT, Netherlands, April 24 - Michael Boogerd ended a seven-year barren spell for the Dutch in their sole World Cup classic with the narrowest of wins over American Lance Armstrong in the 34rd Amstel Gold Race on Saturday. Boogerd's victory put him second 29 points behind Belgian Frank Vandenbroucke halfway through the 10-race Cup series. In a nail-biting finale, Boogerd tailed Armstrong into the finishing straight. The American glanced back for a final time and launched his sprint, only to see the Dutchman inch past at the line to win by a matter of a few centimetres. A weeping Boogerd told reporters after crossing the line "I would rather have finished on my own. I sat on Lance's wheel for the last 20 kilometres and that is not my style of riding. "But I was thinking of (teammate) Marcus (Zberg). I thought he would come back and, if I attacked, I knew he wouldn't make it," he said. Later he paid tribute to Armstrong, who returned to cycling last year after a battle against testicular cancer. Armstrong indeed made most of the running in the last kms, but Boogerd ground out a number of earlier attacks and earned himself the award as most attacking rider to go with his first place finish. The two took advantage at the start of the last climb when Switzerland's Zberg hit a motorbike and Gabriele Missaglia tumbled with him when both had winning chances. Missaglia in the end held on for third place. Boogerd said he had not spent a day off his bicycle since Christmas. "I'll be celebrating tonight, probably tomorrow and maybe even the day after that," he said after the tears dried. The race, watched by over 350,000 spectators, was dominated by the Dutch-based Rabobank team with four riders in the first seven.

1. Michael Boogerd (Netherlands) Rabobank six hours 37 minutes 23 sec. 2. Lance Armstrong (U.S.) U.S. Postal same time 3. Gabriele Missaglia (Italy) Lampre-Daikin 16 sec behind 4. Maarten den Bakker (Netherlands) Rabobank 5. Laurent Roux (France) Casino all same time 6. Leon van Bon (Netherlands) Rabobank 46 7. Marcus Zberg (Netherlands) Rabobank same time 8. Gian Matteo Fagnini (Italy) Saeco 51 9. Daniele Nardello (Italy) Mapei same time 10. Marco Velo (Italy) Mercatone Uno 54 11. Erik Dekker (Netherlands) Rabobank 1:01 12. Johan Museeuw (Belgium) Mapei 1:13 13. Erik Zabel (Germany) Telekom 1:18 14. Zigniew Spruch (Poland) Lampre-Daikin 15. Michele Bartoli (Italy) Mapei 16. Romans Vainsteins (Latvia) Vini Caldirola 17. Jo Planckaert (Belgium) Lotto 18. Fabrizio Guidi (Italy) Polti 19. Andrei Tchmil (Belgium) Lotto 20. Peter van Petegem (Belgium) TVM all same time World Cup standings (after five races) 1. Frank Vandenbroucke (Belgium) Cofidis 199 pts 2. Michael Boogerd (Netherlands) Rabobank 170 3. Andrei Tchmil (Belgium) Lotto 168 4. Peter van Petegem (Belgium) TVM 135 5. Zbigniew Spruch (Poland) Lampre-Daikin 124 6. Markus Zberg (Switzerland) Rabobank 101 7. Andrea Tafi (Italy) Mapei 100 8. Leon van Bon (Netherlands) Rabobank 99 9. Maarten den Bakker (Netherlands) Rabobank 98 10. Michele Bartoli (Italy) Mapei 91 11. Erik Zabel (Germany) Telekom 87 12. Johan Museeuw (Belgium) Mapei 84 13. Wilfried Peeters (Belgium) Mapei 82 14. Lance Armstrong (U.S.) U.S Postal 70 15. Jo Planckaert (Belgium) Lotto 69 16. George Hincapie (U.S.) U.S. Postal 65 17. Laurent Roux (France) Casino 52 18 equal. Gabriele Missaglia (Italy) Lampre-Daikin 50 18 equal. Tom Steels (Belgium) Mapei 50 20. Stefano Garzelli (Italy) Mercatone Uno 46

April 22, 1999     Lance Armstrong News

Lance Armstrong rode his first race in Belgium since September 1996 when he competed in the Scheldeprijs Schoten on Wednesday. Of the last time he was in Belgium he said: "It was the GP Eddy Merckx. A long time ago." The Scheldeprijs wasn't scheduled for Armstrong until last week. He said: "But it was on the list for our team. I think it's good to do a extra day of competition between the Tour of Aragon and the Amstel Gold Race."

Lance broke his right collarbone in the Tour of Valencia at the end of February. And during his first training afterwards he was hit by a car. He said: "The only damage was to my bike but mentally it was difficult for me. Then I suffered in Paris-Nice and Milan-San Remo. And after only two days of racing in the Catalaanse Week I was forced to retire. I went home for some very intensive work and stayed there until I my legs were strong. Then I returned to competition. From there things went well. I won the time trial in the Circuit de la Sarthe and did the Tour of Aragon."

Armstrong said of the period since his long illness: "I'm no longer a patient who is a rider. But I haven't forgotten anything and I don't undervalue its importance. Until last year the illness was on my mind everyday. From the morning until the evening. But now I have days without thinking about my health. Every day is a gift. That's the most important thing that I keep in mind after the fight against cancer. I do everything to make new successes in cycling. And when that's impossible I will leave this sport and do something else with my life."

He has bought a house in Nice with his spouse. He said: "I have become a little European. It sounds strange but it is very different when you can come back to your house. Before that I used to fly back to the States in between races. I no longer have that pressure.

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