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PRESS RELEASE - Phonak forges new talentsThe Swiss UCI ProTour team signs on additional future hopefulsThe team's commitment towards the future couldn't be any clearer: After already having signed on two young pros for the new season, Florian Stalder (23 years old/SWI) and Fernandez Oliveira (25 years old/ESP), ARcycling AG is now giving three more young riders the opportunity to distinguish themselves on one of the world's best cycling teams. The latest recruits for the 2006 squad are David Vitoria (21 years old/SWI), Jonathan Patrick McCarty (23 years old/USA) and Ryder Hesjedal

Italy’s national team manager Franco Ballerini made his name as a tacticalgenius in 2002 by building his world championship squad around sprinterMario Cipollini. Boldly, Ballerini did not include four riders whowere in the top 10 of that year’s UCI world rankings — Michele Bartoli,Davide Rebellin, Franco Casagrande and Dario Frigo — because he wantedriders who could unselfishly set a fast tempo for 250km and set up Cipollinifor the win. The gamble paid off beautifully, with the Lion King roaringhome on Belgium’s flat Zolder circuit well clear of two other world-classfield sprinters, Robbie

The Italians have a great word for athletes who have intrinsic ability that allows them to be instant winners: fuoriclasse, literally “of superlative quality.” The French describe these competitors as surdoué, or “exceptionally gifted.” The closest we can come to that in a single English word is probably Superman — but that implies something supernatural. Fuoriclasse means much more than being gifted. In cycling, it is someone who has a slow pulse, large lungs, perfectly proportioned limbs, lean muscles, and, above all, the brain and mindset to utilize all those attributes to win the world’s

Italian Alessandro Petacchi, one of the favorites to take the men’s road race title in Madrid on Sunday, has inked a three-year deal with the newly formed Milram professional team. The 31-year-old Italian, who has been the Fassa Bortolo team's shining star for the past few years winning stages in all three big Tours, will be joined by German rival Erik Zabel. Zabel, 35, the former six-time winner of the Tour de France green jersey for the sprinters' points competition, also signed a three-year deal. Petacchi, however, failed to show at the team presentation because he was due to

Hein Verbruggen (l) congratulates the UCI's new president Pat McQuaid.

A year before his world title, LeMond was already scoring big wins

When the Athens, Georgia-based Jittery Joe’s pro cycling team (www.thebeanteam.com) first announced its intention to fund itself through the sales of coffee four years ago, perhaps no one would have believed one of its riders would topple Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong on one of the steepest climbs of the hardest stage race in the U.S. Even fewer would have thought that one of the team’s youngest riders would be recruited to ride for Armstrong’s team. But, as Colombian Cesar Grajales proved in 2003 on the Dodge Tour de Georgia’s tough Brasstown Bald Mountain — and Aussie Trent

They’re already calling it the "McEwen Corner," the tricky, 180-degree U-turn that comes 450 meters from the finish line in the road world championships course in Madrid. There’s a growing consensus that the technical finish favors the puckish Australian, known for his tenacity both on and off the bike. McEwen is scheduled to arrive to Madrid on Thursday and head up a motivated and well-disciplined Australian team built around setting him up for a sprint finish. VeloNews European correspondent Andrew Hood spoke with McEwen on Tuesday evening via telephone at his home in Belgium to get the

Madrid - The UCI announced Thursday that the Italian city of Varesewas awarded the 2008 world road race championships.Varese was given the nod ahead of another Italian town, Lucques-Viareggio,and the Dutch city of Valkenburg.Varese hosted the world championships in 1951 when Swiss great FerdiKubler won the title.The UCI has also awarded the BMX championships in 2008 to Taiyuan, China.That discipline will make its Olympic debut that same year in Beijing. Upcoming UCI World cycling championship schedule2006Road - Salzburg, AustriaTrack - Bordeaux, FranceMountain bike - Rotorua, New

Bobby Julich sat alone in the U.S. team tent after finishing Thursday’s 44.1km men’s elite world time trial championships not quite believing his eyes as he watched the final riders come through the finish line. His time of 55:19.86 would only be good enough to stick for 11th, 1:45 behind winner Michael Rogers and nowhere near the top podium spots where he expected he’d finish. “Right now I have to admit it stings, because I wanted to end the season on a high note,” Julich said after toweling down for the final time of the 2005 season. “I shouldn’t have even bothered to come if I knew I was

Madrid- Tour de France chief Patrice Clerc, the president of the company which owns the world's biggest bike race, said he is alarmed by the current state of cycling only a day before the sport elects a new president. On Friday, International Cycling Union (UCI) president Hein Verbruggen is likely to be replaced by his handpicked successor, Irishman Pat McQuaid. The election is being held, however, under a cloud following suggestions from several UCI members that the UCI has not been transparent and, some have claimed, corrupt - charges that have been vehemently denied by the

Vancouver, British Columbia (AP) - World Anti-Doping Agency head Dick Pound called a letter from two sports leaders ''ill informed'' in which they asked WADA to suspend the French laboratory involved in Lance Armstrong's disputed drug tests. The letter also asked for an investigation into who leaked information regarding documents leading to a report that Armstrong used banned substances during the 1999 Tour de France. The seven-time Tour de France winner has denied using banned drugs and said he is the victim of a "witch hunt." Denis Oswald, president of the Association

Wandering around the streets of suburban Madrid, who did we stumble upon but our old buddy Casey Gibson. The man from Colorado Springs is keeping a heavy schedule, spending time at world's and then flying to Las Vegas next week for InterBike. With American hopes pinned on Bobby Julich, Gibson spent the afternoon following the CSC man around and then spotted a few other interesting sights along the way.

Cesar Grajales on the attack

The coffee is back for a decade. Are the Minis?

Have another cup

McEwen already knows the pose. Now he wants the jersey

Johnson is moving on to HealthNet in '06

Trent Lowe and Jittery Joes made an impression at Georgia

Johnson on Brasstown...

Buy some Java and you, too, can sponsor a team

Rogers knew he had it when he crossed the line

Three's a charm

Julich: Not happy with this ride

Wiggins set an early standard

Plaza couldn't repeat his Vuelta TT win

Gutierrez had dreams of a rainbow jersey... until the last rider crossed the line

Full time director sportif and amateur chiropractor, Bjarne Riis makes a couple of last-minute adjustments to Bobby Julich.

Bobby J contemplates the start

Julich was on track for what he thought would be a good ride....

... but maybe the long season has taken its toll.

Eki' is back on the bike

Some had pegged Vino' for the win...

.... but these guys knew better.

Rogers was on-form...

... and well ahead of schedule when he crossed the line.

Familiar territory for the TT man from Oz

The top of the podium...

... and the legs that put them there.

Those Marco Pinotti fans are smart dressers.

The U.S. national team got off to a roaring start in the 2005 world championships, putting three riders into the top 10 in Wednesday's elite women's time trial, including a bronze medal with Kristin Armstrong. Karin Thürig of Switzerland defended her title while soon-to-be retired Spanish star Joanne Somarriba took silver at 5.8 seconds off the winning pace on the 21.9km rolling course in Madrid's sprawling Casa de Campo park. Amber Neben was fifth, less than one second slower than fourth-place Judith Arndt, and Christine Thorburn was eighth to cap the U.S. team strong world's

You might have thought Tyler Farrar won Wednesday's U-23 time trial after a big smile creased across his face when he was told his time stuck for a top 10. The winner was Mikhail Ignatiev, the Russian gold medalist in the 2004 Olympics 30km points race, who stopped the clock at 47:24.28 on the 37.9km course. The race Farrar wants to win comes in Saturday's road race, so a strong time trial simply bodes well for things to come. "I'm really happy with how the ride went, because time trial has not been my priority this year," said Farrar, who finished 10th in 49:08.56. "My big

Dear Monique,I have a very distended stomach after cycling for more than an hour. I used to think that it only happens on very long rides like the Leadville 100, but have noticed that it occurs on much shorter rides too. It doesn’t seem to matter if I only drink water or any combo of energy drinks and gel or bars. I am a bit concerned that the nutrition I take in isn’t getting past my stomach until I am done riding. I have experienced severe cramping in my legs about three-fourths of the way through a race and have wondered if the bloating is related and what to do about it. Thanks for your

Two days before the election of a new UCI president, the International Olympic Committee has rejected has rejected complaints lodged by several UCI critics against its outgoing president Hein Verbruggen. The IOC's Ethics Commission, according to a UCI press release, rejected complaints by Sylvia Schenk, the former head of the German cycling federation (BDR), Malaysian Darshan Singh and the Spanish cycling federation over Verbruggen. Dark clouds have been hanging over the UCI and the upcoming election for a number of weeks over allegations of favoritism, a lack of transparency and even

Tyler Farrar will end his 2005 season with Saturday’s espoirsroad race, when he lines up as one of the favorites for the gold medal. The 22-year-old sprinter from Washington state has enjoyed a fabulousseason, winning the U.S. criterium title, a stage at the Tour de l’Avenir,Belgian races Trofee van Haspengouw and Challenge de Hesbaye as well asa stage in the Ronde de l'Isard d'Ariege in France. Farrar is set to make the leap into the European pro leagues in 2006as he joins Cofidis on a two-year deal and he’s hoping he can cap his seasonwith a rainbow jersey. VeloNews European

Thürig catches and passes Lithuania's Edita Pucinskaite on her way to a gold medal

Repeat!

Armstrong set an early standard.

Neben was one second off of Arndt's fourth-place

A conversation with Tyler Farrar: Looking to the future

If anyone knows the Madrid world’s road race course, it’s Giovanni Lombardi. The 36-year-old veteran Italian lives in Madrid’s trendy Cheuca neighborhood, just around the corner from the finish line in front of Real Madrid’s Bernabeu soccer stadium. The Team CSC rider was waiting for the Madrid’s world’s for what was expected to be his final race as a professional. He was intending to race in support of the Italian national team, ride straight through the finish line to his apartment, hang up his bike and officially call it quits. Those best-laid plans were dashed after he recently signed

Australian all rounder Bradley McGee has been forced out of the national team for the world cycling road race championships which begin here Wednesday due to a back injury. The 29-year-old McGee, due to compete in the 273km road race on Sunday, has been replaced by Brett Lancaster. Lancaster, 26, was a member of the Australian team which claimed Olympic pursuit gold in a world record time at Athens last year. His road credentials are impressive also, having worn the Giro d’Italia’s pink jersey for winning the race prologue earlier this summer. Simon Gerrans' late call-up to the

Hey, be careful of those split tails!I just discovered a reason not to face your bike rearward on a roofrack, especially if you have a split-tail saddle. And another reason tofile the Nader hooks off of a road fork besides just the convenience ofgetting the wheel in and out! I was driving into my driveway with a bike on my roof as I have doneproblem-free for 15 years here. It’s a long gravel driveway lined withbig trees, and while leafy branches droop down, I keep the large branchescut back so no big ones cross the driveway less than 10 feet up. Both ofmy garages are full of bikes, so cars

It’s not often the world championships are held in a bustling city of 5 million inhabitants, but that’s just the setting for the 2005 world road cycling championships which open Tuesday evening with an official celebration. Whether the Madrileños will be cursing the numerous traffic closures in the heart of this very Spanish capital remains to be seen, but a very urban flavor will be one of the hallmarks of the 2005 road world’s. Racing kicks off Wednesday with the women’s and U-23 time trials and concludes Sunday with the elite men’s road race. In between there should be plenty of

There’s an air of open rebellion as a behind-the-scenes power struggle threatens to overshadow action on the road at the eve of the 2005 world road cycling championships. A nasty catfight at the highest levels of the UCI is spilling out of the boardroom and onto the front pages just as athletes file into this thriving Spanish capital for what’s sure to be a unique and exciting venue for the battle for the rainbow jersey. The open hostilities hit rock bottom Monday when the UCI executive committee angrily notified its members to change travel plans, directing them to Geneva instead of its

After returning home from assignment, I always find myself with a camera full of oddball Kodak moments documenting mischief, shenanigans and even a bit of racing. Usually, these images are a tad too fuzzy or just downright bizarre to be included with a race report, and they end up as unused electronic blips polluting the bowels of my hard drive. Such was the case after the 2005 national mountain bike championships, held September 15-18 at Mammoth Mountain, California. It seemed that after seven months of continued racing, the fat tire crowd was more than willing to silly themselves up.

The Vuelta finale in Madrid was an exciting climax to the three-week race, as there were thousands of fans on the final circuit, located in the north part of the city. The riders raced over this week’s 2005 World Championships road racecourse and Petacchi won in his usual style by dominating the sprint finish. Is that a foreshadowing of Sunday’s professional road race? The finish of a grand tour sometimes seems a bit anti-climatic for the riders, as after three weeks of being together pushing themselves to the limits day after day, the riders cross the line and quickly rush to shower, pack

There is no such thing as a sure thing in cycling, but for more than a decade Costa Rica’s La Ruta de los Conquistadores mountain bike race has been pretty close. In each of the event’s 12 renditions the men’s victor in the three-day trek from the Pacific Ocean across the mountainous Central American country to the Atlantic has been won by one of the local boys. But this year, with the race’s 13th running set to commence in the ocean side town of Punta Leona on November 11, that could all change. Among the non-Ticos signed up this year are former world junior cross-country champion Walker

Riding for Italy, Lombardi will nonetheless be on home turf in Madrid

Marla Streb looks tough with that huge newly earned single speed world champion’s tattoo.

Here birdy! Trek-Volkswagen’s Jeremiah Bishop almost became a nine-digit man this weekend.

The usual cross-country fans showed up.

Rich Houseman charged hard in the mountain cross.

Big Neddy’s still got it. Overend podiumed in the men’s cross-country.

Clearing out the passages

Alison and Shonny displayed tan lines before the cross-country.

Maxxis honch Eric Wallace wowed the audience with an oratory on proper mutton-chop grooming.

“Jungle Jay” Henry gave props to marathon winner Travis Brown.

Alison Dunlap choked back tears at the short track starting line.

Dara Marks-Marino masters oral hygiene.

After smoking it in the DH, Cody Warren was mobbed by his clan.

The fastest guns of the annual industry cup race

“Brilliant theory Copernicus! Carl Decker lectures on the finer points of shammy butter.

Is that Willow Koerber? Subaru-GF manager John Rourke does a Dee Snyder impression

The splendor of La Ruta

Tinker takes on the locals

No shortage of obstacles

An aid station at La Ruta