A new year, a new Jan?  We will have to wait and see - but the T-Mobile leader returned from South Africa on New Years Eve having covered 2500 km in three weeks training.  Speaking to Bild about the 2005 season, Ullrich clearly stated that should Lance Armstrong choose to ride the Tour de France, ?I, like many other riders, want to be the one who unseats him!"  He went on to add that should he find himself in a similar position to this year where he was forced into a support role for his team mate Andrea Kl?den, he would have no problem with that.  ?The best rider will be supported.  I have no problem with this policy. I already showed that this year. But I know that when I avoid health setbacks, then I can be the strongest."

On paper, T-Mobile look to have a very strong team with Alexandre Vinokourov recovering from his injuries but as the team have consistently shown in previous years, when it come down to the crunch, they just don?t have that extra 1% to topple the US team.  As for his weight, do not bother asking: "I don't spend a lot of time reflecting on what I eat. I just get on with training and eating."

Former Panasonic and TI-Raleigh supremo, Peter Post, will return to the professional peloton in 2005.  Post has agreed to join the Dutch Rabobank team as an advisor after being out of the sport for the best part of 9 years.  Post will operate independent of the team?s current advisory council made up of businessmen, politicians and sports administrators.

According to the British Guardian newspaper, Discovery Channel?s leader, Lance Armstrong, has won a significant battle in his libel case against David Walsh, chief sports writer of The Sunday Times and co-author of LA Confidential: The Secrets of Lance Armstrong.

After printing an article last year, repeating allegations made in the book, Mr. Justice Eady of London High Court ruled The Sunday Times article to be "sensational" and to have aimed at nothing more than to "stir things up."  The newspaper argued that the article was true but they may now face a six-figure payout to Armstrong.

Our thoughts go out this week to the family and friends of former Russian professional, Dmitri Neliubin, stabbed in a fight after a group of drunken men confronted Neliubin and his friends as they celebrated the New Year.

He died a few hours later in hospital.  Neliubin competed between 1993 and 1997 with the Novemail-Histor, Word Perfect, Novell, RDM and Roslotto teams.  He still holds the record as the youngest Olympic champion on the track; at 17, he won gold in the Team Pursuit event at the Seoul Olympic Games where he rode alongside Discovery Channel?s Viatcheslav Ekimov.

Do not miss your chance to organize an exclusive Spanish pre-season training camp for your club or team.  Log onto http://www.freerideoz.com for more information.

Until next week,

Ian

ian@roadcycling.com