Bike World News

In today’s cycling news, Rasmussen admits he was looking for a better offer, Evans & BMC back at the Tour Down Under, Haussler has eyes on spring classics, Frank Schleck engaged and more..

• Michael Rasmussen is saying that it was his intent to only sign a preliminary contract with CDC-Knight because there might have been more attractive offers that came later. Rasmussen and CDC-Knight will have a mediation session on Saturday in Imola to try and settle the issue.
• German cyclist Hanka Kupfernagel will make her return to the International Cycling Union (UCI) cyclo-cross circuit at the Nommay World Cup in France this coming weekend. She missed most of the summer racing season as well as some fall races due to injuries from a crash sustained in June at the Tour de PEI in Canada.
• Cadel Evans and the BMC team have received a wildcard invitation to January’s Town Down Under. Evans has already expressed interest in competing at the season opener while still with Silence-Lotto, but doubt was cast on his inclusion when he switched to BMC.
• Doping controllers followed Oscar Pereiro to a restaurant where he was dining with friends in order to get a blood and urine sample for an out of competition test. Controllers wanted Pereiro to go to a hotel for the test, but he refused and as such, was forced to give the samples in a corridor leading to the toilets. He called the test process “unsanitary and humiliating”.
• José Rujano, who will ride for the ISD team next year, dropped out of the Vuelta Ciclista Zulia, citing “health problems”.
• We announced yesterday that Rahsaan Bahati was founding a new cycling team. The Bahati Foundation Pro Cycling Team will be staffed by Bahati, Nathan O’Neill, Hilton Clarke, Jason Donald, Matt Rice, Cesar Grajales, Ryan Baumann, Corey Collier, Bobby Lea, Alex Hagman, Peter Carey, Phillip Mann, Evan Hyde, Ian Burnett, Lanell Rockmore.
  Heinrich Haussler is taking a little time off in his native Australia, but will resume training in a couple of weeks with an eye on victory in one of the spring classics.
• Twelve U.S. based men’s teams are vying for UCI Continental status for 2010. Bahati Foundation Pro CyclingTeam, BISSELL Pro Cycling, Jamis/Sutter Home presented by Colavita, Jelly Belly Cycling presented by Kenda, Kelly Benefit Strategies, Kenda Pro Cycling presented by Gear Grinder, Adageo Energy Pro Cycling, Team Hotel San Jose, Team Mountain Khakis fueled by Jittery Joe’s,
• Team Type 1, Trek LIVESTRONG U23 Cycling Team presented by RadioShack and UnitedHealthcare presented by Maxxis have all submitted applications. Approvals will be formally announced in December following the review process.
• Iljo Keisse will start with Roger Kluge at the Ghent Six Day Race (24 to 29 Nov). Last year the 26-year-old Belgian raced and won the event with Robert Bartko, but was then nabbed in a doping control at cathine and HCT. One year later, Keisse has been acquitted of the charges and he is racing again.
• Frank Schleck has proposed to his girlfriend Martine. The couple were vacationing in Curacao prior to the Amstel Curacao race. At a party afterwards, the future husband and wife were toasted by Alberto Contador.
• The UCI is planning a World Cup event for paracycling for 2010.
• Cervélo bicycle company co-founder Gerard Vroomen has been named the 2009 Engineer of the Year by The Royal Institute of Engineers (KIVI NIRIA) in the Netherlands. Cervélo won the 2008 Tour de France with Spaniard Carlos Sastre, and sponsors the Cervélo TestTeam with 2009 Tour green jersey winner Thor Hushovd and stage winner Heinrich Haussler.
• The prosecution has requested a three year prison sentence against Bernard Sainz, better known as “Dr. Mabuse”, at his trial Thursday before the Court of Appeal of Paris on a doping scandal that had tarnished the cycling community in the late 90s.

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