Cycling Roundup

Lthuanian foreign minister enters Rumsas row

VILNIUS (Reuters) -- Lithuanian Foreign Minister Antanas Valionis has expressed concern over the detention of Tour de France cyclist Raimondas Rumsas's wife amid a doping scandal.

Valionis called the French embassy's charge d'affaires Olivier Poupard to the ministry to say he thought a French magistrate's decision Tuesday to reject a request to release Edita Rumsas from jail was "incorrect," a ministry spokesman told Reuters on Wednesday.

"We are concerned about this situation with Rumsas's wife and think that we should solve this problem together with French diplomats," the spokesman quoted Valionis as saying.

A local magistrate ruled that Edita Rumsas had not given a convincing explanation as to why she was carrying doping substances when she was arrested near the Mont Blanc tunnel leading to Italy on July 28, the last day of the Tour.

The hotel rooms of Rumsas's Lampre-Daikin team were raided by French police and customs officers on the same day but the rider himself had already flown home to Italy. He has since tested negative for drugs.

Rumsas finished third in the Tour behind four-times winner Lance Armstrong.

His wife, who has been held in custody since her arrest, told police she planned to bring back her large stock of testosterone, corticoids, EPO, growth hormones and anabolic steroids for her ailing mother.

Rumsas denied that his wife ever obtained doping products for him and that he ever took any.

"Our step to chase up our French colleagues to think over seriously the progress of this situation is considered and serious," Valionis said.

Rumsas has refused to return to France for questioning and his lawyer has said he suspected French police of holding his wife "as a kind of bait" to lure him back.

Last week, Rumsas travelled from Italy to Latvia to undergo a drugs test. Lithuanian sports authorities said Tuesday he had tested negative.

Salvodelli signs for Telekom as Ullrich goes under knife

BERLIN (AP) -- Team Telekom announced Wednesday that top Italian rider Paolo Savoldelli has reached an agreement to ride for the German team next season, strengthening its bid to challenge Lance Armstrong at the Tour de France.

The Giro d'Italia winner is widely regarded in Germany as a possible replacement at Team Telekom for troubled Jan Ullrich, the 1997 Tour de France champion suspended for amphetamines use while battling a knee injury.

Ullrich, one of the few riders regarded as having the ability to challenge Armstrong, left a Munich hospital on crutches Wednesday after undergoing another operation on the knee that kept him out of this year's Tour.

"We haven't signed anything, but we've reached an agreement on most points," said Telekom sports director Rudy Pevenage of gaining Savoldelli's services.

Savoldelli, a top rider, is also expected to give Team Telekom options in how to deal with the thorny problems Ullrich presents.

The 29-year-old captain of Index-Alexia will reportedly receive a three-year contract as Telekom continues to plan with the possibility Ullrich may not make a successful comeback when his ban is lifted in March.

If Ullrich returns, Savoldelli is expected to strengthen Ullrich chances of beating Armstrong at the Tour de France. The Italian's presence may also give Telekom leverage against their German star, known for his sloppy training habits that have long irritated the team's officials.

"We're building up the team with world class riders, that can help Jan and also hold up to Lance Armstrong," Pevenage said.

But Telekom has already said its strategy is to plan for a future both with Ullrich and without its star, who is considering retiring rather than attempting a comeback when his ban lapses in March.

Ullrich has sent out mixed signals about his future, saying he lacks motivation but also would like to challenge four-time Tour winner Armstrong and sees himself as the American's biggest rival.

The 28-year-old German, four times a Tour runner-up, has also cast doubts on whether his knee will allow him to compete again.

"I hope that the causes of my problems are finally taken care of and I can train again at a high level," Ullrich said of his operation on Team Telekom's Web site.

He was operated on in May after being sidelined since January with the knee. In June he tested positive for amphetamines, saying he took two pills during a disco visit.

The suspension has led angry Telekom officials to go public with their feelings that Ullrich is talented enough to challenge Armstrong, but lacks the dedication.

"Jan Ullrich has broken his promises too many times," said team boss Walter Godefroot.

Spain's Edo wins 12th stage of Tour of Portugal

BEJA, Portugal (Reuters) -- Spanish rider Angel Edo won the 167.9-km 12th and penultimate stage of the Tour of Portugal in a sprint finish Wednesday.

Edo, of the Milaneza team, clocked a provisional time of four hours seven minutes and 38 seconds for the stage between Portalegre and Beja in southern Portugal.

Joan Horrach, Edo's teammate and compatriot, finished safely in the bunch in the same time as the winner and kept his race leader's jersey.

The 2,000-km tour finishes Thursday with a 23.9-km time trial on the outskirts of Lisbon.

 

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.