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A who's who of cycling's fastest sprinters will assemble in Paris on Sunday hoping to claim a prestigious victory in what will be the 100th edition of the Paris-Tours one-day classic. From Belgian starlet Tom Boonen to aging German Erik Zabel, almost the entire European sprint squadron will turn up to pay their respects in the254.5 km race that was first won by Eugene Prevost, as an amateur, in 1896. Quick Step sprinter Boonen recently failed to defend his world champion's rainbow jersey in Salzburg, and will be motivated to make amends on a luscious and seemingly endless

On what could only be described as an ideal fall day, the Crank Brother’s Grand Prix of Cyclocross kicked off in Stage Fort Park in Gloucester, Massachusetts on Saturday. With racers coming off long road and mountain seasons, as well as the Interbike week, no one was too sure of who or what to expect, except that it was going to be fast.

The 2006 USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships concluded Saturdayafter Jennie Reed (Spike) and Sarah Hammer (Ouch) added more stars-and-stripesjerseys to their closets.  Reed claimed two more national titles tosweep the women's sprint events with four victories and Hammer won thewomen's 15-kilometer scratch race to score a hat trick in the enduranceevents.After successfully defending her sprint and 500-meter time trial victoriesearlier in the week, Reed won the keirin and teamed up with Liz Carlson(East Coast Velo) to win the women's team sprint Saturday.Hammer, already

Zabel won his third Paris-Tours last year. Can he set the record on Sunday?

Cross Crusade nears 800-rider markThey do like their cyclo-cross in Oregon. The Cross Crusade series organizers report that the October season-opener at Alpenrose Dairy in Portland drew 798 racers, making it the largest one-day ‘cross race ever held in the United States. Some 760 racers tackled the Alpenrose course last year, organizers say. "The popularity of cyclo-cross racing in the Northwest continues to amaze us," said Brad Ross, director of the 15-year-old series. "The turnout speaks to the accessibility and fun of cyclocross, despite how physically demanding the sport is." The

Recently crowned Paolo Bettini will return to racing less than a week after his brother died in a car accident. The Italian Olympic champion said Thursday he will race in a pair of one-day semi-classics this weekend in Italy out of respect to his older brother, Sauro, who died Monday in a car crash near the family’s home in Bibbona, Italy. “I have spoken to my relatives and have decided to race on,” said Bettini. “In this difficult time my wish is return to my family and to wear this jersey (the world champion's rainbow jersey) with pride in memory of Sauro.” Quick Step officials

Bob Roll to Autograph Books and Lead Charity Ride in Support of theFort Worth Museum of Science and HistoryBoulder, CO, October 5, 2006 — Bob Roll will greet cyclists andfans and autograph copies of his book, BobkeII, at Bicycles, Inc. in Fort Worth, Texas from 3:00-5:00 p.m.on Thursday, October 12. Roll's appearance is part of a weekend of charityevents supporting the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. Roll is known for his wild antics as an OLN Tour de France commentatorand for his groundbreaking performances as a member of Team 7-Eleven, America'sfirst powerhouse cycling

Disgraced former world time-trial champion David Millar of Britain is among seven cyclists who have been called before a French court over the Cofidis affair. Millar, who was stripped of his world title after admitting to being doped,joins Massimiliano Lelli, Philippe Gaumont, Robert Sassone, Mederic Clain,Marek Rutkiewicz and Daniel Majewski in being called before the court in theParis suburb of Nanterre from November 6-10 to answer doping charges. The inquiry into the Cofidis affair was launched back in early 2003 and it has taken three-and-a-half years to bring some of those accused to

The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.What's in a name?Editor: Sometimes it is the little things.Here is a small idea, with the potential to prevent a significant negativeimpact.  It is irresistible to come up with a shorthand or abbreviatedreference to something like a doping scandal.  Something catchy orrelated to those

The 2006 USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships continued Fridaynight as both Sarah Hammer (Ouch) and Jennie Reed (Spike) each rode totheir second national title of the week. After setting a new nationalrecord in the women's three-kilometer individual pursuit Wednesday, Hammertook a convincing win in the 25-kilometer points race while Reed addeda women's 500-meter time trial title to her sprint jersey. Giddeon Massie (Spike) also captured his first-career men's sprint titleand the TIAA-CREF foursome of Mike Creed , Mike Friedman, Will Frischkornand Brad Huff bested a

Bettini - now the reigning Italian national, Olympic and world champion - will ride in honor of his brother's memory.

Boonen will ride the Roubaix into Roubaix

Friday's Mailbag: Names, Games and a Contest

TIAA-CREF takes the four-man pursuit

Reed gets another national title

A breif celeb' visit on Friday night

Don’t count cycling legend Eddy Merckx among the pessimists who think the sport is on the wane after a string of high-profile doping scandals.Speaking the London Telegraph, the 61-year-old Belgian said cycling retains its charm and appeal among the general public. “Cycling sometimes gets a bad press but it always comes through, in fact I am very optimistic as present,” Merckx told the paper. “Its dope testing is the most severe and frequent in the world, much more than any other sport. No wonder we catch people. Cycling has identified many culprits and they have been dealt with. Other

A mountain of pressure sits on Chris Eatough’s back this week, as the six-time solo 24-hour mountain-bike world champion prepares once again to defend his title. The 31-year old Eatough, who has made a career of dominating 24-hour events, knows he is expected to bring home number seven as he and others ready for this weekend’s world championships in Conyers, Georgia. The 2006 24-Hours of Adrenaline’s solo world championships are slated for this Saturday and Sunday in Conyers, the site of the 1996 Olympic cross-country race. Eatough’s primary sponsor, Trek Bicycles, would like nothing more

Lyon, France - Interpol, the world’s largest police organization, and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) have committed to work together to identify areas for collaboration in combating the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport. The need for stronger and more unified action in tackling the problem of doping was underlined as a key point during the meeting between Interpol Secretary General Ronald K. Noble and WADA Director General, David Howman at the General Secretariat on Monday 2 October. A global congress on combating doping in sport was among the proposals discussed during the

Morgan Hill, California – QuickStep-Innergetic announced theyhave chosen Specialized to supply their team bikes and select equipment for2007 and beyond. The team’s marquee riders—such as reigning world andOlympic champion Paolo Bettini and 2005 world champion Tom Boonen—will beperfectly served by the diverse range of technologically advanced bicyclescreated by the S-Works division at Specialized. Effective 1/1/07, Bettini’s choice will be the S-Works Tarmac SL for its razorsharp handling, minimal weight, and efficiency. Boonen, often known as The King of the Cobbles, will opt for the all-new

Carson, California - Three more national champions were crowned in Southern California Thursday night as the 2006 USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships closed the books on day two of the four-day event. In the men's kilometer time trial, Stephen Hill (East Point Track Club) clocked a winning time of 1 minute, 6.239 seconds to claim the national title ahead of silver medalist Steve Beardsley (Rubicon-Chinook Cycling) and third-place finisher David Espinoza (JC Investors). With none of the top-three finishers from 2005 returning, there was no clear-cut favorite in the 26-rider

Merckx (right) and Felice Gimondi at the VeloNews booth during last week's Interbike trade show.

Methodical: Eatough's success often comes as a result of meticulous preparation.

Reigning U.S. champion Cameron Chambers is one of the few to have beaten Eatough at his specialty.

U.S. short-track champ, Susan Haywood is giving a new discipline a try... on a really long track.

The S-Works Tarmac

The S-Works Roubaix

Not all the news coming out of Las Vegas at last week’s Interbike trade show was product related. Some North American teams and riders used the occasion to announce their plans for the 2007 season — a season that looks to see some big changes. Some had more immediate objectives, such as Fred Rodriguez’s announcement that he plans to race the final four events of the upcoming Crank Brothers U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclo-cross. And even when news wasn’t officially released, trying to quell a rumor on the Sands Convention Center showroom is about as likely as trying to find a ray of sunlight in a

Ouch. It’s been more than eight months since I suffered through my lastcyclo-cross race in Belgium and let me tell you it doesn’t take long toremember why ‘cross is such a tough sport. It also doesn’t take long toremember why it’s so much fun, either. A few weeks ago in Boulder, Colorado, we had our first group cyclo-crosstraining ride, which is called – for lack of a more creative description– the “Wednesday morning ‘cross ride.” For the past seven years, from Septemberthrough ‘Cross Nationals, I’ve rolled my body out of bed at the crack ofdawn every Wednesday morning for this group ride.

UCI president Pat McQuaid has vowed to take Jan Ullrich's case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) if the Swiss Cycling Federation provide him with a license for 2007. "If the Swiss Cycling Federation do not exclude Jan Ullrich we will consider going to the court of arbitration for sport," McQuaid told SportBild magazine. The 33-year-old Ullrich’s contract was terminated by his T-Mobile team during this year's Tour de France - which he was barred from racing in when the allegations weremade - after a Spanish investigation offered evidence that he was involved

After breaking an 11-year drought with a world title in the women's three-kilometer individual pursuit in April, Sara Hammer (Ouch Pro Cycling) eclipsed another 11-year-old mark Wednesday, setting a new national record inthe same event during the opening session of the USA Cycling EliteTrack National Championships at the ADT Event Center. In the ensuingfinals Wednesday evening, Hammer added another national title to herrésumé, catching silver medalist Katie Compton (Spike) six laps into the 12 lap race. Hammer clocked a time of 3:32.865 seconds to smash the previous national record of

Revamped schedule or not, GH is still the king of the American road... for now.

Who cares? It's a rental!

Sheriff Dave: coming to Michigan single-track near you.

The breakfast of champions.

Dialin' in the rigs.

One in front...

...and one in back

“I’m 49 and realized I’m halfway done,” my former boss Tom Ritchey told me wistfully at Interbike. “What am I going to do with the second half of my life?” His answer is Project Rwanda (www.projectrwanda.org), a development project designed to assist in lifting Rwandans out of the devastating financial conditions they find themselves in after their devastating 1994 civil war marked by tribal genocide and the deaths of nearly a million Rwandans in 100 days. At the heart of Ritchey’s involvement is a new bicycle he is designing from the ground up to make transportation in general and

Embattled Tour de France winner Floyd Landis reiterated his innocence against doping charges and promised he will return to racing following his rehabilitation from hip surgery last week. In an interview with the Associated Press, Landis said his rehab sessions will provide him focus following rocky months since winning the 2006 Tour that included doping allegations as well as the suicide of his father-in-law. “Things have been up and down for me,” Landis said Monday in an interview with the AP. “I’ll be happy when it's a little more simple. I’ll get through it though. I have a strong

Our latest reader-submitted Photo Gallery is now up for your viewing pleasure. Of course, a new gallery also means the naming of the winner of ourmost recent contest. Take the time to wander through that gallery and see if you agree or disagree with our choice of winner. Marmie Westihuff’s “Our Team Car” captures the joy of being part of a sport that, despite the big bucks and pricey equipment, really just comes down to riding bikes with your friends… and beating them. Nice work. Marmie! Drop us a note at Rosters@InsideInc.com to work out the details and we’ll send you a copy of Graham

Lo-tech, but hard-working, these rigs are built to haul

Steel bikes are often customized to carry more

Tech Talk: Real bikes for real people

Bikes by the cord

Stieda considers his Tour options

Race Day - The single-speeds mass to the line

Ritchey and Stieda try to hang...

...and are nearly lapped by the day's winner.

Ritchey at Interbike, explaining the thinking behind the new Project Rwanda rig.

Landis in happier times this July.

Our Team Car

Santiago Botero has been cleared by Colombian cycling authorities of possible sanctions for alleged links to the Operación Puerto doping investigation in Spain. The disciplinary committee of the Federación Colombiana de Ciclismo revealed that the dossier of evidence forwarded by the UCI wasn’t enough to punish the former world time trial champion. “There’s nothing to it,” said Ettore Sangiovanni, president of the Colombian federation, in wire reports. “There’s no real proof and only suppositions.” In June, Phonak suspended Botero along with Spanish brothers Ignacio and José Enrique

Each Monday, throughout the season, VeloNews.com will happily post race promoters' news releases regarding cyclo-cross races from around theU.S. and Canada. Please send releases and results to "Weekend 'Cross Wrap"in care of VNInteractive@InsideInc.com.Promoters are responsible for the content of those releases.2006 BikeReg.com MABRAcross Series “Ed Sander Memorial CyclocrossBuckeystown, Maryland - Lilypons Water Gardens inBuckeystown, Maryland, is renowned for its expertise in water gardeningand the wide variety of water lilies it grows. It also a beautifulgarden in its own right,

The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.Pictures worth a thousand words (or more)Editor:Thanks for continuing with the "Photo Gallery" pictures that you guys run. In an age where the majority of headlines focus on doping-related issues, your photo gallery captures the essence and excitement of this beautiful sport and is a

Botero, seen here at last year's Tour, is now able to ride... but his team has disappeared in the interim.

A week after busting open the world road championships to spring compatriot Alejandro Valverde onto the final podium, Spanish rider Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) punched his way to victory in Sunday’s rainy Züri Metzgete classic. Sanchez took the initiative again, jumping away from the lead breakaway with about 12km to go in the 241km hilly course and held off a fast chase featuring Stuart O’Grady and world time trial champion Fabian Cancellara (both CSC), Michael Boogerd (Rabobank) and Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner) to snatch his first classics victory. “The weather didn’t bother me

Solo win: Sanchez rides in on his own

A wet, wet day in Switzerland

Sanchez takes another last-minute chance... and this time he gets the benefit.

Bettini had a busy week

Discovery's Beppu leads the charge

CSC had two in the lead... but watch the orange jersey.

The Pfanensteil climb set up the day's most effective break..

Sanchez gets away...

... and stays away

Geoff Brown has seen some of the biggest stars come and go during his 14-year stint as one of Europe’s top professional mechanics, but he still loves the thrill of a bike race. For the first time since 1993 when he heads back to North America at the end of the season, he’ll stay there. Brown has decided it’s time to change gears. He’ll leave Discovery Channel to join the Canadian Symetrics team on the North American circuit. VeloNews.com: How did you get started as a mechanic? Geoff Brown: I started working in a department store putting bikes together. I come from a cycling family. My dad

Success in Las Vegas is all about playing the odds. Of the hundreds of thousands of people who gamble in the Nevada desert city each year, only a handful will hit it big. Similarly, of the thousands of new bikes and related products that crop up at Interbike each year, only a few will become huge hits. Only time will tell which will fly and which will eventually flop. As this year’s Interbike bicycle industry trade show wrapped up in Las Vegas on Friday evening, the display booths came down, bikes, products and clothing got packed into boxes and our crew headed back to the Rockies. Here’s

Brown is wrapping up his 14th season as a Euro-based pro wrench

Instant city. The whole show goes up in a few hours and disappears just as quickly

Crumpler, maker of packs and bags, had a completely recyclable booth. Made entirely of cardboard, the booth nonetheless displayed the products nicely in individual compartments.

FSA promoted ceramics by setting up two identical drivetrains on a stand. One utilizes ceramic bearings - rounder, and more uniform in diameter than steel - and the other using standard bearings. We noticed a big difference.

Tour de France champion Floyd Landis was absent in person but not in image.

Speedplay’s booth carried the roughened steel look down to the rotary-sanded refrigerator upstairs. “You know who built this booth with me?,” asked company president Richard Bryne. “Floyd Landis,” he said of his friend and San Diego neighbor.

DeFeet's Earth-E-ator socks are made from corn fiber in the cuff and the forebody and use minimal packaging.

Mike DeSalvo makes about 150 custom steel and titanium frames each year, painted in whatever design the customer can dream up.

The Floyd Bike. The things that look like green balloon tires are actually fenders – the fully functional wheels are hidden underneath.

Seigler Imports now imports carbon components from Karbona, a Taiwanese manufacturer that builds parts for many American owned companies. Its house brand full carbon clincher wheelset retails for $1299

Speaking of Seigler, the company now has its own line of bikes, built at the same factory that manufacturers BH Bicycles.