URL: http://bicycling.about.com/library/weekly/aa030999.htm

<h>The 1999 UCI World Cup

   <p>Dateline: 03/09/99

   <p>The World Cup consists of 10 races in the spring and fall. Competition
   will be amongst racers in the 22 first division teams, as determined
   by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), including the U.S. Postal
   Service team. Each team may have up to eight riders participate per
   race. To qualify for a final World Cup standing, a rider must compete
   in at least six out of the ten races, and his team must start at least
   eight of the races. Points are awarded to the top 25 finishers in each
   event. First place receives 100 points, down to 1 point for 25^th
   place.

   <p>Last year's (1998) winners were: (1^st) Michele Bartoli, (2^nd) Leon
   Van Bon, (3^rd) Andrea Tafi.

   <p>Here are this year's (1999) events:

                           <h>Milan-San Remo, Italy
   <p>Distance: 183 mi (294km) When:Sat, March 20
   Course: From Milan to San Remo on the Mediterranean sea. Contains two
   major climbs - Cipressa (790ft) and Poggio (530ft) in the latter part
   of the race. Poggio's descent is followed by a flat 3.3km to the
   finish.
   1998 Winner: Erik Zabel  1997 Winner: Erik Zabel

                             <h>Tour Of Flanders, Belgium
         <p>Distance: 172 mi (277km)             When: Sun, April 4
    Course: From Bruges to Meerbeke, near Brussels. Contains five short
      climbs, most noticeable are: hill #7 - Old Kwaremont; hill #10 -
    Taaienberg; and hill #14 - Muur. The race finishes slightly uphill.
        1998 Winner: Johan Museeuw        1997 Winner: Rolf Sorenson

                             <h>Paris-Roubaix, France
        <p>Distance: 166 mi (267km)             When: Sun, April 11
    Course: From Compiégne, an hour northeast of Paris to Roubaix, which
       is between Lille and the border with Belgium. This famous race
    contains 27 sections of cobblestone, totaling about 30 miles of the
    latter half of the course. The section through the Wallers-Arenberd
                    Forest is particularly treacherous.
      1998 Winner: Franco Ballerini     1997 Winner: Frédéric Guesdon

                          <h>Liége-Bastogne-Liége, Belgium
        <p>Distance: 165 mi (265.5km)           When: Sun, April 18
    Course: The hilliest of the spring classics. 13 climbs, 11 of which
   are in the latter half of the race. Major climbs are both Stockeu and
    Haute Levée in the town of Stavelot - a mean combination, and a 20%
     grade climb, La Redoute, just after Remouchamps. The race finishes
          flat in Ans, a suburb of Liége, after a rough 1km climb.
       1998 Winner: Michele Bartoli      1997 Winner: Michele Bartoli

                       <h>Amstel Gold Race, Netherlands
                <p>Distance: 160 mi (258km) When: Sun, April 24
   Course: Start and finish in Maastricht, near the Belgian border. Major
     climbs: Valkenburg, 37 miles from the end; and Halembaye, near the
                          end. The finish is flat.
             1998 Winner: Rolf Jarmann 1997 Winner: Bjarne Riis

                        <h>Clasica San Sebastian, Spain
                <p>Distance: 144 mi (232km) When: Sat, August 7
     Course: Starting and finishing in San Sebastian, a coastal resort
   town, this race makes a counter-clockwise loop through northern Spain
   and into the mountains to the south. The most crucial climb, about 16
    miles from the finish, is Alto de Jaizkibel, which towers above the
               Bay of Biscay near France. The finish is flat.
       1998 Winner: Francesco Casagrande 1997 Winner: Davide Rebellin

                             Hew-Cyclassics Cup, Germany
         Distance: 157 mi (253km)             When: Sun, August 15
   Course: A relatively new race (started in 1996), consisting of several
    loops of rolling hills through many streets of Hamburg. This is only
                   it's second year as a World Cup race.
        1998 Winner: Leon Van Bolt          1997 Winner: Jan Ullrich

                       <h>Grand Prix Suisse, Switzerland
               <p>Distance: 140 mi (225km) When: Sun, August 22
     Course: Known until 1996 as the Championship of Zurich, this race,
   first run in 1910, consists of five grueling laps of a 28 mile (45km)
           circuit, starting and ending on the Zurich lakefront.
         1998 Winner: Michele Bartoli 1997 Winner: Davide Rebellin

                               <h>Paris-Tours, France
         <p>Distance: 158 mi (254.5km)         When: Sun, October 3
     Course: From the southwest suburbs of Paris to Tours on the Loire
       River. A rather flat course, this is often a sprinter's race,
   especially if there is a headwind. However, if the wind is calm, or is
               there is a tailwind, breakaways are possible.
         1998 Winner: Jacky Durand       1997 Winner: Andrei Tchmil

                            <h>Tour of Lombardy, Italy
        <p>Distance: 157 mi (253km)            When: Sun, October 16
    Course: From Varese to Bergamo, this course is the only classic that
   has any real mountain climbs. The crucial climb is Roncala, northwest
    of Bergamo. This race also contains the famous Madonna del Ghisallo
                            climb to 2473 feet.
      1998 Winner: Oskar Camenzind      1997 Winner: Laurent Jalabert

