The 92nd edition of the Giro di Piemonte is drawing a top field ahead of Saturday’s Giro di Lombardia to close the 2005 racing season.

Big names to take the start in the 20-team field include Gilberto Simoni (Lampre-Caffita), Alejandro Valverde (Illes Balears) and Oscar Sevilla (T-Mobile). Americans in the field include Christian Vande Velde (CSC) and Chris Horner (Saunier Duval). Damiano Cunego is on the provisional start list, but he’s doubtful with nagging health problems.

The race winds in and around the steep hills in northern Italy’s wine country, taking in difficult climbs at Mango at 70km, Di Guarene at 93.5km, La Morra at 130km and Monforte d’Alba at 153.5km. The final 22.5km provide a rolling platform for riders to fight for the final victory.

Di Luca OK to start Lombardia
ProTour leader Danilo Di Luca will at least start Saturday’s Giro di Lombardia. The Liquigas-Bianchi captain was forced to pull out of last weekend’s Paris-Tours with knee pain, but after consulting a specialist this week the Italian has received the green light to start the season finale. Charlie Weglius will take Di Luca’s spot in Thursday’s Piemonte race.

No matter what happens Saturday, Di Luca already has a lock on the ProTour individual prize. He’s anxious to ride strongly in front of the home crowd, however, and will want to at least try to finish the hilly race.

Liquigas-Bianchi for Giro di Lombardia: Danilo Di Luca, Patrick Calcagni, Enrico Gasparotto, Mauro Gerosa, Nicola Loda, Vladimir Miholjevic, Devis Miorin and Andrea Noè

Museeuw decision won’t come until 2006
Johan Museeuw and others implicated in an alleged Belgian doping network won’t know until early next year if they have to stand trial, The Associated Press reported.

Museeuw and others appeared before a Belgian grand jury on charges of possessing banned endurance-boosting drugs EPO and Aranesp. The next hearing is set for December 6, but a court spokesman said it will likely be early into 2006 before a final decision is taken on the validity of the charges.

Museeuw, 39, has vigorously denied the allegations and said he never failed a doping test during his long racing career.

Jose Landuyt, a veterinarian, as well as others also have been charged in the scandal, which broke in 2003. Representatives of the prosecution said it can prove its case with mobile-phone text messages between Museeuw and Landuyt, who is accused of providing Museeuw with the drugs.

Museeuw, who retired last year, was banned for two years by the Belgian cycling federation for his alleged involvement in the scandal. – The Associated Press

Cordero: Grand tours could reduce days
Victor Cordero is not one to mince his words. The Vuelta a España race director has been on the front lines of the battle between the ProTour and the three grand tours.

In an interview published in the Spanish sports daily AS, Cordero said the three-week grand tours are ready to drop a few days to break the deadlock of negotiations concerning the future of the ProTour.

"We are ready to consider the reduction of days, but only if this doesn’t serve to race later in criteriums and other events," Cordero said. "Manolo Saiz proposed an obligation to race a minimum number of days, but this was rejected. All sports oblige a minimum of days of competition and we know another formula is to reduce the number of days in the grand tours." Another one of Cordero’s demands is that ProTour status be reduced to 18 teams, allowing the grand tours to have up to four "wild card" invitations to fill out their pelotons.

The assured start slots for the 20 ProTour teams have been a real sticking point for the grand tours, which traditionally have filled out their respective pelotons with national teams to bolster the number of homegrown riders and teams.

Cordero also said the current race schedule should be reworked because the current calendar "doesn’t bring the best riders on the best teams or the best races."

He’s still insistent that ProTour team status be something that must be earned rather than bought, as under the current system. Many opponents of the ProTour want to see a system of relegation and ascension similar to what European soccer leagues employ.

One idea floated is a "promotion calendar" of races in 2007, events such as the Tour of Burgos and Criterium International, "big races that aren’t part of the ProTour. Only the best teams from this calendar could aspire to race in the major races."

Phonak signs promising Swiss rider
Steve Morabito, a young Swiss rider who finished eighth in the U-23 world championships in Madrid, has signed a two-year contract to join Phonak for the 2006-07 seasons.

"It’s great that in spite of offers from other top teams Steve has decided in favor of us," said team manager John Lelangue. With the addition of Morabito there are now 26 riders under contract for the new season.

2006 Phonak Cycling Team (as of October 4, listed by countries): Aurélien Clerc (Swi), Martin Elmiger (Swi), Gregory Rast (Swi), Johann Tschopp (Swi), Alexandre Moos (Swi), Sascha Urweider (Swi), David Vitoria (Swi), Steve Zampieri (Swi), Florian Stalder (Swi), Steve Morabito (Swi), Axel Merckx (B), Koos Moerenhout (Ned), Luis Fernandez Oliveira (Sp), José Enrique Gutierrez (Sp), Ignacio Gutierrez (Sp), Miguel Martin Perdiguero (Sp), Santiago Botero (Col), Victor Hugo Peña (Col), Floyd Landis (USA), Jonathan McCarty (USA), Ryder Hesjedal (Can), Bert Grabsch (G), Nicolas Jalabert (F), Uros Murn (Slo), Robert Hunter (RSA), Fabrizio Guidi (I)

Kreuziger joins Liquigas-Bianchi
Czech rider Roman Kreuziger, 2004 world junior champion and top-ranked junior rider in the same year, has penned a neo-pro contract with Liquigas-Bianchi. The three-year deal comes after finishing second in the Giro delle Regioni this year for the promising 19-year-old.