August 18/00 6:38 am - Boucle, 'Gringo', New Saturn Manager

Posted by Editor on 08/18/00
 

Grande Boucle Feminine, France

Stage 12 - Mervans to Pontarlier 91 km

1 Alessandra Cappellotto (Ita) Gas Sport Team 2:28:21
2 Sonia Rocca (Ita) GS Edil Savino at 0:51
3 Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) Team Aliverti 1:16
4 Goulnara Ivanova (Rus) Acca Due O Lorena 2:37
5 Youlia Razenkova (Rus) Petrogradets 2004 4:35
6 Elisabeth Tadich (Aus) AIS Australia 4:37
7 Gabriella Pregnolato (Ita) Gas Sport Team s.t.
8 Catherine Marsal (Fra) French National Team 4:40
9 Arenda Grimberg (Ned) Dutch National Team 4:45
10 Svetlana Boubnenkova (Rus) GS Edil Savino both s.t.

24 Deirdre Demet-Barry (USA) US National Team 4:49
30 Kerry Hellmuth (USA) Master Team Carpe Diem
37 Lara Ruthven (USA) US National Team both s.t.

GC

1 Joane Somarriba Arrola (Spa) Team Alfa Lum R.S.M. 34:41:17
2 Edita Pucinskaite (Ltu) Team Alfa Lum R.S.M. at 0:45
3 Geraldine Loewenguth (Fra) French National Team 2:01
4 Severine Desbouys (Fra) French National Team 2:28
5 Zoulfia Zabirova (Rus) Acca Due O Lorena 3:24
6 Svetlana Boubnenkova (Rus) GS Edil Savino 3:45
7 Jolanta Polikeviciute (Ltu) Acca Due O Lorena 4:28
8 Rasa Polikeviciute (Ltu) Acca Due O Lorena 5:17
9 Valentina Polkhanova (Ita) GS Edil Savino 5:27
10 Fabiana Luperini (Ita) Gas Sport Team 6:16

39 Deirdre Demet-Barry (USA) US National Team 1:11:03
42 Lara Ruthven (USA) US National Team 1:14:47
54 Kerry Hellmuth (USA) Master Team Carpe Diem 1:34:27


The Gringo

Jim Cummings passed on this excerpt from a newspaper diary (we don't know which newspaper) Kelme rider Santiago Botero kept during the Tour.

"There I am all alone with my bike. I know of only two riders ahead of me as I near the end of the second climb on what most riders consider the third worst mountain stage in the Tour. I say 'most riders' because I do not fear mountains.

After all, our country is nothing but mountains. I train year-round in the mountains. I am the national champion from a country that is nothing but mountains. I trail only my teammate, Fernando Escartin, and a Swiss rider. Pantani, one of my rival climbers, and the Gringo Armstrong are in the peloton about five minutes behind me. I am climbing on such a steep portion of the mountain that if I were to stop pedaling, I will fall backward. Even for a world class climber, this is a painful and slow process. I am in my upright position pedaling at a steady pace willing myself to finish this climb so I can conserve my energy for the final climb of the day. The Kelme team leader radios to me that the Gringo has left the Peleton by himself and that they can no longer see him.

I recall thinking 'the Gringo cannot catch me by himself'. A short while later, I hear the gears on another bicycle. Within seconds, the Gringo is next to me - riding in the seated position, smiling at me. He was only next to me for a few seconds and he said nothing - he only smiled and then proceeded up the mountain as if he were pedaling downhill. For the next several minutes, I could only think of one thing - his smile. His smile told me everything. I kept thinking that surely he is in as much agony as me, perhaps he was standing and struggling up the mountain as I was and he only sat down to pass me and discourage me.

He has to be playing games with me. Not possible. The truth is that his smile said everything that his lips did not. His smile said to me, 'I was training while you were sleeping, Santiago'. It also said, 'I won this tour four months ago, while you were deciding what bike frame to use in the Tour. I trained harder than you did, Santiago. I don't know if I am better than you, but I have outworked you and right now, you cannot do anything about it. Enjoy your ride, Santiago. See you in Paris.'

Obviously, the Gringo did not state any of this. But his smile did dispel a bad rumor among the riders on the tour. The rumor that surfaced as we began the Prologue several days ago told us that the Gringo had gotten soft. His wife had given birth to his first child and he had won the most difficult race in the world - He had no desire to race, to win. I imagine that his smile turned to laughter once he was far enough not to embarrass me. The Gringo has class, but he heard the rumors - he probably laugh all the way to Paris. He is a great champion and I must train harder. I am not content to be a great climber, I want to be the best.

I learned much from the Gringo in the mountains. I will never forget the helpless feeling I had yesterday. If I ever become an international champion, I will always remember the lesson the Gringo taught me."


Jim Copeland Takes Over Top Saturn Position

MILWAUKEE - Jim Copeland of Evergreen, Colo. has joined the Saturn Cycling Team as the new Team Coach and Director. In his new position, Copeland will coach the Team Saturn athletes and help develop training programs designed to enhance their performance. In addition, his responsibilities will include directing the tactical vision and race-day plans.

Copeland earned an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering/computer science from the University of Alabama and went on to successfully complete the American Sports Education Program (ASEP) course work to become a licensed USA Cycling Expert Coach. He is licensed by USA Cycling and the Union Cyclist Internationale (UCI) as a professional Team Manager and a Category I Elite athlete.

"With eight of our athletes competing in the Olympic Games in Sydney next month, we're very excited to welcome Jim to the team," says Tom Schuler, Team Saturn General Manager. "His skills and personal mission complement those of the excellent support staff we have in place to help our athletes maintain and enhance performance."

Copeland has been an athlete since 1980 when he began competitive running and duathlons. He was a member of the 1988 U.S. Olympic Team, and has 140 career victories.