Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 26, 1995 TAG: 9504270013
SECTION: TOUR DUPONT PAGE: TD-16 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ANDREA KUHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Greg LeMond, Raul Alcala and Phil Anderson - each of whom found success in the premier U.S. cycling event - announced their retirements in the off-season.
But a strengthened field from Europe and a crop of young domestic riders should help keep the excitement level high in the seventh edition of the Tour DuPont, a 12-day event that begins with today's prologue in Wilmington, Del.
``Not having those veterans here would have hurt early on,'' said Steve Brunner, vice president of Medalist Sports, Inc., which orgainizes the Tour DuPont. ``But now we have seven years of experience and we can stand on our own. The race doesn't stand on one rider, which was evident in 1993 when Greg LeMond didn't come.''
LeMond, the most famous U.S. rider, is a three-time winner of the Tour de France and rode to the Tour DuPont title in 1992. The only American to win the Tour DuPont, LeMond skipped the race in '93, opting instead to ride in the Tour of Italy.
LeMond's absence opened the door for Lance Armstrong, a 23-year-old from Texas. Armstrong, a world champion and Tour de France stage winner, has finished second in the Tour DuPont the past two years and is a favorite to win the title this year.
``Greg LeMond, as far as world-class racing goes, remains the most famous American rider,'' said Rich Carlson, the editor of Winning cycling magazine. ``... He's a real star and it will be disappointing for him not to be there.
``But it is also a great opportunity for Armstrong to shine in his own national tour. He is now front and center. It's a fantastic opportunity for him to imprint his name in American cycling the way LeMond did in the races in Europe.''
LeMond retired becasue of a rare disease called mitochondria myopathy, which saps energy from muscles but is not life-threatening. He will join ESPN's commentary team for the Tour DuPont this year.
``Greg LeMond ... we'll miss him on the bike,'' said Mike Plant, Medalist's president. ``But I think the sport does a good job creating other heroes.''
Among the other top U.S. riders are Bobby Julich and Frankie Andreu of Motorola; Scott McKinley, Bart Bowen and Mike McCarthy of Saturn; Darren Baker of Montgomery-Bell; Mike Engleman of Shaklee; and Steve Hegg and Scott Moninger of Chevrolet-LA Sheriff.
In addition, a number of top riders from Europe will be at the Tour DuPont for the first time, in part because of a scheduling change. The Tour of Spain, which previously conflicted with the Tour DuPont, has moved to the fall, making this the first major stage race on the international calendar.
Plant said he was pleased with the quality of teams and riders Medalist was able to secure this year, but thinks the full effect of the change won't be felt until 1996. Carlson agreed, explaining that most cyclists are looking for opportunities to prepare for July's Tour de France, the Super Bowl of cycling.
``This year, the effect is not as dramatic as we hoped for or expected,'' Carlson said. ``With Spain moving to the fall, I think there was a hope we would see more of the top riders at the Tour DuPont as part of their preparation for the Tour de France. But a lot of them seem to have taken a wait-and-see attitude.
``Next year, it might become more apparent to them that DuPont is a viable way to prepare.''
Defending Tour DuPont champion Viatcheslav Ekimov of Russia, ranked No.8 in the world, will return to defend his title. But still missing are Miguel Indurain and Tony Rominger, the top-ranked cyclists in the world and bitter rivals. Plant said Rominger has committed to ride in the 1996 Tour DuPont and that he hoped Indurain would do so soon.
Rominger's team, No.1-ranked Mapei-GB of Italy, is returning to the Tour with a cast of strong riders. Franco Ballerini, winner of the recent Paris-to-Roubaix Classic, and Gianluca Bortolami, the 1994 World Cup winner, will compete. Adriano Baffi, who has had a successful spring in Europe, also is expected to ride here.
``Mapei is sending a high-profile team and it appears they could be laying the groundwork that their `A' team may be here next year,'' Carlson said.
``Ballerini and Bortolami are both excellent one-day racers. When you have teams and riders of that caliber - the Tour DuPont is a relatively short- to medium-length stage race - one-day riders could do well.''
Among the other top riders expected to be in contention are Zenon Jaskula of AKI-Gipiemme, Gilles Delion and Miguel Arroyo of Chazal, Andrea Peron and Alvaro Mejia of Motorola, Djamoldine Abdoujaparov of Novell, Jacky Durand and Thierry Marie of Castorama, Ger-Jan Theunisse of Collstrop, Michele Coppolillo of Navigare-Bluestorm and Malcolm Elliott of Chevrolet-LA Sheriff.
by CNB