Confusion: Zabel not to the championships - Zabel to the world championships

German daily newspaper Tagesspiegel reported yesterday that Erik Zabel will not be selecter for the German national team at the world championships which will take place in Stuttgart, Germany later this year. The newspaper quoted Wolfgang Schoppe, vice-president of the German Cycling Federation (BDR), saying that there is a "basic consensus" that Zabel won't be allowed to start. "There wasn't taken an official decision yet, but it will come that way, there is no doubt about it."

Zabel confessed last month that he has taken epo in the nineties. According to Tagesspiegel the Ministery of interior (which is also the Minestery of Sports in Germany) interfered and is against the start of riders who have used performance enhanching drugs in the past. The interior minister Wolfgang Schäuble (CDU) spoke with former defence minister Rudolf Scharping, who is the present President of the German Cycling Federation, and said he does not want any riders to start that have taken ped's in the past. The ministery decides about the amount of subsidies for the German Cycling Federation and Schoppe said the ministery "threatened  with the withdrawal of funds when we let Zabel start at the world championships." Schoppe continued by saying: "They even threatened to cancel the world championships completely."

However, a few hours after the Tagesspiegel  published the story, the German Cycling Federation reacted and Schoppe said the BDR did not take a decision about Zabel yet. It wasn't even on the agenbda of the next meeting. Rudolf Scharping denied that he had spoken with minister Schäuble: "I did not meet Wolfgang Schäuble personally nor did I talk on the phone with him."

The Tagesspiegel insists that Schoppe was quoted correctly by the newspaper. If true it's a remarkable change of mind of minister Schäuble. As reported Schäuble said in 1977 during a debate in the German Bundestag (German parliament) about performance enhancing drugs: "We only want to insert these substances restrictedly and only under the absolute control of sports medical specialists (...), because apparently there are disciplines in which without the insertion of these substances (...) we can't keep up in the world competition."  

Toyota-United weekend recap

Toyota-United's Ivan Stevic had his first ever pro overall stage race win at the Nature Valley Grand Prix. Stevic win was possible because of the strong team performance of the Toyota-United team. Here is what the Toyota riders said after the race:

Chris Baldwin
"Toughest Part: I have a real big phobia about the final stage. Actually, I have a strong dislike for it. The last time I did it, I swore I’d never be back.

Best Memory: That would be the beer after the race with the whole team. We finally got our stage race win and we were able to celebrate all the hard work we did."

Heath Blackgrove
"Toughest Part: Definitely the last day because of the course and how the whole week caught up with me. Today, it came down to who really had the legs.

Best Memory: I’ve got two. First, the fact that we won overall and the work paid off. The second is the criterium in Minneapolis. The teamwork we had that night was unreal. We controlled the race and Ivan probably would ‘ve won if he hadn’t gone for the bonuses."

Justin England
"Toughest Part: Saturday was pretty hard. There were guys attacking right and left but we stuck together and were able to pull everything back and keep Ivan in the lead.

Best Memory: It’s actually kind of funny. After dropping out Sunday, I got to see the last three or four laps. Caleb was just riding out of his mind. Seeing him on the front every time through and bringing Stevic up for the win was pretty incredible."

Caleb Manion
"Toughest Part: Probably Saturday’s stage. I wasn’t going that well. I don’t know what happened to my legs. I was feeling good until we came onto the circuits. Then I just didn’t have it.

Best Memory: Just the way the team rode. Every day the boys were on the front, riding hard. They deserve it."

Ivan Stevic
"Toughest Part: The first part of Saturday’s race. I was looking at the break of 16 guys going away and it wasn’t a good situation. I knew the guys were hurt and that I should have followed the break.

Best Memory: I think the first stage that I won and the faces of the guys when I came back from the time trial. They couldn’t believe it when they heard I had finished third."

Sean Sullivan
"Toughest Part: Saturday was probably the hardest day because we made a mistake letting a group get away and we had to ride flat out to bring them back.

Best Memory: The criterium in Minneapolis. There were a lot of people there and we rode at the front the entire time. I like those big downtown crowds. I prefer them to flogging away in the middle of nowhere with two cows and a sheep watching us."

Henk Vogels
"Toughest Part: Controlling the peloton on Saturday, in an 86-mile stage, and keeping everyone in check until the final was probably the hardest thing.

Best Memory: Seeing Ivan sitting comfortably on the third wheel at the top of the climb with two laps to go on the last day. Caleb was working his butt off. He was amazing. He saved the day for us. Also, Stevic on that first night when he won. That was incredible."

But the team has some other news as well:

Wherry Doing Better: Chris Wherry said he is feeling better after having to abandon the race after the second stage. “I had a cold and it went straight to my lungs, which made it hard to breathe,” he said. “I’m already doing better and looking forward to racing at Manhattan Beach next week.”

Toyota-United Misses Move At Rochester: The Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team couldn’t match the horse-power of the competition Friday night at the Saturn Rochester Twilight Criterium in New York.

After the race-winning break went away in the first 10 laps, Toyota-United’s Stefano Barberi, Jose Manuel Garcia, Bobby Lea, Ryan Miller and Burke Swindlehurst tried to reel back in the six escapees but their efforts were unsuccessful.

Lea was the team’s best-placed finisher in 13th place.

Lea Second In UCI Madison Race: On Friday night, Lea rode to second place in the 20 km Madison race at the Lehigh Valley Velodrome with teammate Colby Pearce. “We made one tactical mistake and got a little caught back on the third sprint,” Lea said. “That was the difference in the end.”

Read also: Nature Valley : Pipp takes final stage, Stevic overall winner (with videos of all stages)

More pictures at: Picture gallery: Nature Valley , Stage 6, Stillwater Crit