Ruddervoorde - Koerse won by Rosseler

The annual pro race of Ruddervoorde  - Koerse (Belgium)has been run today with no less than 187 starters.

The distance was 167 km, 16 laps of a local circuit. A stiff breeze was blowing today, which helped all attackers.

After a fast start, the decision took form at about half distance, when a 25-man group took the lead. The peloton fought valiantly, but the birds were gone, and the winner of Ruddervoorde Koerse was within the 25 men in the breakaway group.

Inn the twofinal laps of a local circuit, seven men remained in the lead, and the winner was Sébastien Rosseler (Quick.Step-Innergetic), ahead of Philippe Gilbert (FdJeux) and Olivier kaisen (Predictor-Lotto), who came in 3rd.

Will the world championships take place in Stuttgart?

As reported German daily newspaper Tagesspiel qouted one of the vice presidents of the German Cycling Federation, Wolfgang Schoppe saying that the German Ministery of interior, which is alos responsible for sports, threatened to cancel the state subsidies for this years world championships in Stuttgart. Rudolf Scharping, president of the German Cycling Federation denied that he had spoken with Interior minister Wolfgang Schäuble.

Yesterday afternoon Tagesspiegel reported that Schäuble invited UCI president Pat McQuaid and Scharping to discuss the anti-doping strategy of both federations in the first half of July. The ministery of Interior is funding the world championships with 150.000 Euro. A spokesman of the ministery confirmed to Tagesspiegel that the money has not been paid yet.

Last week Schäuble said: "I am looking with concern to the event because I cannot allow to finance an event with state subsidies where possibly dirty athletes might start".

The president of the sports committee of the German Bundestag, Peter Danckert (SPD) told German newsagency DPA today: "I don't want to anticipate on the sport committtee but my personal view is that we cannot take the responsibility anymore to provide public funds to the German Cycling Federationand the organizing committee of the world championships."

The German Cycling Federation is under pressure after a former soigneur accused Vice president Udo Sprenger of organizing doping use during the time he was team manager of the Nürnberg team. Sprenger denied the allegations and filed a complaint against unkown.

The ministery of Interior asked 70 sport federations and Olympic traing centers how their medical support operates. The ministery wants to make sure that no doping praxises are funded with tax money.

Holczer: "I think we are standing before the 10 worst days in cycling"

In an interview with the Tour website of German tv station ARD, tour.ard, Gerlosteiner team manager Hans Michael Holczer was asked if he thinks that there will be new 'Operacion Puerto' developements before this years Tour de France. Holczer said: "A clear yes. The rumour mill says for instance that some bigger story concernig 'Operacion Puerto' is to come. Since a couple of weeks I am convinced that there are people who have certain documents in their drawer and who will maken them public in the week before the Tour or during the first days of the Tour. Then we had the report of Anne Gripper [UCI anti-doping director] about the 'Men in black'. And now it looks like there are mysterious values of top Giro riders. I think that we are standing before the 10 worst days in cycling."