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Confusion in Sunday’s fourth stage of the Tour of Benelux cost Christian Vande Velde (CSC) and Jason McCartney (Discovery Channel) a possible shot at victory. The two Americans, along with Belgian Bart Dockx (Davitamon-Lotto), were on the attack in Sunday’s hilly, seven-climb 232km march across Belgium’s Ardennes, nursing a comfortable six-minute lead, when the main bunch accidentally went the wrong way. Vande Velde and Co. were already over the day’s fourth climb at the Côte de la Haute Levée with about 60km to go when the peloton accidentally went off course coming down the descent on

Baggy shorts, mountain-cross helmets and downhill goggles were the garb of choice for some at the pro men’s short track on Sunday at the NORBA National Mountain Bike Series. Following the lead of downhill winner Jared Graves (Yeti), a score of the NORBA circuit’s most talented gravity racers entered the pro men’s short track at Brian Head Resort, Utah, racing for little more than first-lap bragging rights. And the fastest man – for one lap, anyway - was South African downhiller Andrew Neethling (Honda-Turner), who blew by everyone to “win” the first lap with flat pedals and sneakers. “I

Tearin' it up at twilight

McCormack led it out . . .

. . . and Haedo finished it off

A crash neutralized the women's crit early on

Chalk another one up for Teutenberg

Graves led the way . . .

Kirkaldie lasted the longest

Teammates Hanusova and Vanlandingham fought to the line

. . . but Neethling was the fastest man (for one lap, anyway)

Sitting a stone’s throw away from the beautiful Cedar Breaks National Monument in the heart of Utah’s canyon country, Brian Head Resort plays host to the sixth NORBA national mountain-bike race of the season this weekend. The racing will once again include the full spectrum of events, with athletes competing in cross-country, short-track, marathon, downhill, Super-D and - for only the second time this season - dual slalom. Although Brian Head has hosted a handful of smaller mountain-bike races, this is the resort’s first NORBA national. To showcase the area’s stunning terrain and beautiful

Australian Allan Davis (Liberty Seguros) won the 206km third stage of the Tour of Benelux between Beek and Landgraaf in the Netherlands on Saturday. Davis finished ahead of Dutchman Erik Dekker (Rabobank) and Italy's Daniele Benati (Lampre-Caffita). Belgium's Rik Verbrugghe (Quick Step) reclaimed the leader's red jersey from Max van Heeswijk (Discovery Channel), while Davis slipped into second overall. Stage 3 results1. Allan Davis (Aus), Liberty Seguros, 4:54:302. Erik Dekker (Ned), Rabobank, at 0:053. Daniele Bennati (I), Lampre-Caffita, same time4. Sergei Ivanov (Rus),

It may have already lost two bids to host the Winter Olympics, but the tiny Swedish town of Falun remains doggedly determined to become a leading center for European sporting events, and perhaps one day get the Olympics after all. Later this month, Falun, nestled deep in the forest 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Stockholm, will host Sweden's first World Cup cycling event, a UCI mountain-bike marathon, which is expected to draw 1000 cyclists from around the world. The town of 50,000 is best known for being home to Europe's oldest copper mine, one of Sweden's economic

It's August and already the end of the season is in sight. We just finished our training camp in Austria followed by the Sacshen Tour. The training camp was a necessity for some, myself included, and helped us regain our focus for the second part of the season. We rode all day and returned home to watch the drama unfold in the Tour. But not too much drama ever really occurred. From the training camp in Austria we limped into the Saschen Tour in rainy East Germany. The team started off pretty slowly but caught up toward the end of the five days of racing, winning the last two stages.

The town of Falun has lost two Winter Olympics bids, but hasn't given up hope of becoming a sports capital

It'll be tough to concentrate on racing when the scenery looks like this

Davis takes the stage and sits second overall

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 about an all-cycling network?Editor:Every time I turn on my TV the number of cable channels grows and grows. What would it take to bring all cycling factions together on one cable-television network? Outstanding European road cycling coverage is available. Are the rights fees too

Crashes and confrontations at the Lehigh Valley Velodrome on June 10 have resulted in suspensions for Andy Lakatosh, Marty Nothstein and Leigh Barczewski, according to USA Cycling. The suspensions stem from the keirin final at the Trexlertown, Pennsylvania, track, which saw Ben Barczewski and another rider crash after Barczewski and Jame Carney tangled wheels. As Carney crossed the line first, Lakatosh caught up to him and grabbed Carney’s bars, causing him to crash. Carney then chased Lakatosh up the track, and both riders were disqualified for unsportsmanlike behavior. The subsequent

Century Road Club Association has revived the Bear Mountain Fall Classic. This event, which was last won in the fall by John Lieswyn and Tina Pic in 2000, will cover the hilly terrain of Harriman State Park in New York on Sunday, September 11. This is the same course as the spring Harriman race, which has been the site of national championships and Olympic trials. This year the event is named the Nancy Morgenstern Memorial in honor of a local rider who was killed in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York City. The winner of the elite women's race will receive the Nancy

Italy's Simone Cadamuro won the 178.5km second stage of the Tour of Benelux between Geldrop and Sittard on Friday. The Domina Vacanze rider prevailed in a sprint with Liquigas-Bianchi teammates Marco Zanetti and Enrico Gasparotto. Max van Heeswijk (Discovery Channel), winner of Thursday's first stage, held on to the leader's red jersey, extending his lead over Belgian Rik Verbrugghe (Quick Step) to three seconds. In rainy conditions French duo Rony Martias (Bouygues Telecom) and Fabien Sanchez (Française des Jeux) tried to slip the main pack, at one point building up a

Ivan Basso is on a tear in the Tour of Denmark, winning the opening three stages and controlling the race leader’s yellow jersey. The Tour de France runner-up told VeloNews he’s likely to race the San Francisco Grand Prix on September 4 as part of his late-season racing schedule. “It’s not sure, but it’s 90 percent sure I will race in San Francisco,” Basso said. “I will take a short break after the Tour of Denmark to finalize the schedule for the remainder of the season.” Basso said he was “satisfied” with his recent Tour de France performance, adding that Lance Armstrong was “too strong

Basso may be racing in San Francisco

Late afternoon rain showers doused Bobby Julich’s chances in Wednesday’s 5.7km prologue at the Tour of Benelux. Julich was one of the late starters facing the daunting task of racing over the rain-slick cobblestone roads that marked much of the narrow, technical course in Mechelen, Belgium. “It was impossible to get around in the corners for both Julich and (Vladimir) Gusev, who were our two last riders,” said Team CSC sport director Scott Sunderland. “Already after 100 meters they'd lost about five seconds and then there was no chance of catching up at such a short distance.” Julich

LANESBOROUGH - Bruce Fina, co-founder of the Pedro's Mountain Bike Festival, stared at the computer screen and insisted something had to be wrong. The weather forecast for his annual off-road rendezvous could not be that good. "I hope this doesn't drive customers away!" he joked. "We've become so used to rain, heat, lightning, and even frost for this event. I don't know what to wear!" While Boston and New York will swelter, the National Weather Service has called for good weather this weekend in the cooler elevations of the Berkshires, site of Pedrosfest. Initially

Break out the wetsuit, the aero’ bars and the running shoes — it’s triathlon season. Okay, I don’t know exactly what that means, but I do know that Sunday morning I’ll be knee-deep in a swamp of suffering. Kyle Du Ford, the editor over at Inside Triathlon, has called my bluff, passing on his spot at this weekend’s 5430 Long Course Triathlon so that I can take it. Lucky me, eh? The distances: a 1.1-mile swim, a 56-mile bike and a 13-mile run. Yeah, it’s that last part that worries me, too. Although I came to cycling from a running background, that was 15 years ago. Running has basically

Discovery Channel’s Max van Heeswijk won Thursday’s first stage of the Tour of Benelux, a 189.4km leg between Geel and Mierlo. Van Heeswijk outsprinted Marco Zanotti (Liquigas-Bianchi) and Steven de Jongh (Rabobank) to win the stage and take the overall lead from prologue winner Rik Verbrugghe (Quick Step), who slipped to second overall. "At last," Van Heeswijk said with a smile after his first stage win in a season blighted by family problems. Discovery Channel's assistant sports manager, Dirk Demol, also was pleased. "Max has struggled a bit to find his form this season but it's

After two years in Portland, Oregon, the U.S. Cyclo-cross National Championships are moving clear across the country for 2005 – all the way to the 430-acre Roger Williams Park in Providence, Rhode Island. The race is scheduled for December 9-11. “As America’s most up-and-coming city, Providence is a natural to host the national championships of one of America’s most up-and-coming sports,” said Mayor David N. Cicilline. “I wholeheartedly welcome the hundreds of cyclists and fans who will converge on Roger Williams Park, and I look forward to spectacular competition against a beautiful New

Hi, Bob,As a lawyer (corporate securities) and a wanna-be road racer, I always enjoy reading your column. Have you ever covered the legalities of using an iPod or other player, with headphones, on the road? Guys I know get tickets for this in California; I live in Texas. I think somewhere I read it might make a difference if you use one earpiece instead of both. I see more and more guys with 'em in and thought it might make an interesting column.P.H.Austin, Texas Dear Paul,When I was pursuing my racing career I passed the many, many hours of lonely riding listening to music and talk

After breaking his right wrist in a pileup during stage 4 of the International Tour de ‘Toona on July 28, NORBA star Ryan Trebon (Kona-Les Gets) has spent the past week scouring tiny Corvallis, Oregon – his current residence – for something to do. And for a guy who’s used to training four hours a day and town-hopping from race to race, that’s not any fun at all. “It’s weird going from riding my bike every day and being super active to just having to sit around the house. Jesus, it is so boring,” said Trebon. “I can’t stand it. "The other day, just to get out of the house, I walked across

For the second year in a row, the International Mountain Bicycling Association’s "National Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day" initiative has gained support from the U.S. Congress. A joint resolution (H. Con. Res. 205/S. Res. 195) sponsored by Senator Richard Burr (NC) and Congresswoman Virginia Fox (NC) has been earmarked for swift passage this fall. Additional co-sponsors are Senator Ken Salazar (CO) and Representative Mark Udall (CO). In 2004, thousands of kids participated in more than 100 events nationwide and in several other countries. IMBA expects even greater numbers of participants in

A different sort of neighborhood altogether

With parents like this, expect to see Liam Barry in the 2024 Olympics

Landis on his ex-boss: 'Friendship can’t exist when you give orders and direct others.'

Trebon is itchin' to get back on the bike

Mad Max in the red jersey

Ivan Basso (CSC) is the top name starting the six-day Tour of Denmark (August 3-7) set to kick off in Skive with 15 teams and 148 riders. Team CSC, Rabobank and T-Mobile are the only ProTour teams participating in the 839km race, which concludes Sunday with the final road stage. “It’s been truly difficult this year to put together a strong peloton,” said race director Jesper Worre. “It’s no secret we would have liked to have more stars from the Tour de France, but with the ProTour everything has changed.” Basso, Jens Voigt and defending champion Kurt-Asle Arvesen headline the race for Team

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.Sock it to the sourpussEditor:I wonder if you could send Drew Kelly a pair of socks to brighten his apparently sour outlook on life (See Monday's Mailbag: "Lucky 7 ads dumb, amateurish"). I also thought the Trek "Lucky 7" ads during OLN's Tour coverage appeared amateurish, but

Belgium's Rik Verbrugghe (Quick Step) won the prologue of the Tour of Benelux on Wednesday. Spain's Carlos Barredo (Liberty Seguros) was second with Dutch rider Servais Knaven (Quick Step) in third. Verbrugghe covered the 5.7km course around Malines, Belgium, in 6 minutes and 45.11 seconds with Barredo a second further back and Knaven two off the pace. "It was a good prologue for me," Verbrugghe told Agence France Presse. Thursday’s first stage of the eight-day ProTour race through Belgium and Holland will cover 189km from Geel to Mierlo in the Netherlands. The opening three

Julich is a favorite for the Benelux Tour

Lt. Col. Brian Ruhm (in VeloNews cap) with his office mates

Verbrugghe rides to a one-second win in the prologue

With the September trade-show season just around the corner, the word about 2006 product has begun pouring into the office. And the latest comes from Italy, where Campagnolo is dropping some hints about wheels, compact cranks and a chain. Eurus: a complete redesignTaking heavy cues from Campagnolo’s sister company Fulcrum, the Eurus has been blessed with some major improvements, including a healthy weight-loss program. For 2006, the Eurus wheelset weighs in at a manufacturer-published 1510 grams. The new version also introduces radical improvements to rim, spokes and hubs. The wheelset uses

The Navigators are confirmed among 16 teams that will line up for the Tour of Britain, which runs August. 30-September 4. Other top teams confirmed to start include T-Mobile, Mr. Bookmaker, Comunidad Valenciana, Barloworld, Chocolade Jacques and Landbouwkrediet-Colnago. According to race officials, Navigators team manager Ed Beamon was impressed by the status of last year’s event and signed up for this year’s tour with the intention of stamping their authority on the six-stage race. One rider who will be hoping for success is Irish-born Ciaran Power. The leading Irish rider has won two

To the throngs of cycling fans who spent July glued to the tube during OLN’s coverage of the Tour de France, I offer a warm, “Welcome back.” As usual, the Tour provided us with three weeks of drama, emotion and hoopla. But, my friends, it’s time to start caring about mountain-bike racing again. While we struggled to decipher Phil Liggett’s arcane cycling commentary along the road from Fromentine to Paris, a battle royal was unfolding back home as two national cross-country champions – American Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru-Gary Fisher) and Canadian Geoff Kabush (Maxxis) – fought for the

DENVER, CO — Beginning today with Laurent Fignon’s stage race, Paris-Correze (2.1), Team TIAA-CREF begins preparation for Tour de L’Avenir (Sept. 2-11) with a run at a series of European events. The riders representing the team overseas include Timmy Dugan, Craig Lewis, David Robinson, Stu Gillespie (2nd overall at Tour de la Martinique), current U23 National Champion Ian Macgregor, and climbing phenomenon Michael Lange. According to Team TIAA-CREF director, Jonathan Vaughters, "These races are going to be a stretch for a team that is so young, like ours. But, we have to learn to compete

The New Record C10 Ultra Narrow chain

The Eurus rear ...

Centaur CT crank

... and the Eurus front

Power will lead the Navs in Britain

Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski, a.k.a “JHK”

Geoff Kabush, aka “K-Bomb”

JHK: Engaged to the lovely Heather Irmiger

Kabush: Engaged to the lovely Keri Pink

JHK: Sideburns

Kabush: THE sideburns

JHK: “Dopers Suck” T-shirt

Kabush: Ditto

JHK: Getting down

Kabush: Masquerades as Canadian white trash

Historical figure resemblance: Johnny Unitas (JHK)

Gen. Ambrose Burnside (Kabush)

Discovery Channel veteran Manuel Beltrán could miss the upcoming Vuelta a España after he was injured when he was hit by a motorcycle in a training accident in southern Spain on Sunday. According to reports on the Spanish wires, Beltrán and three other riders were injured when a motorcycle ran into a group of cyclists training on a national highway early Sunday morning near Beltrán’s hometown of Jaén. Beltrán, 34, wasn’t seriously injured but suffered cuts and scrapes to his elbow, lower leg and thigh. He was transferred to a local hospital, but was later released without suffering any

Sonoma, California — Pedal power will take over Infineon Raceway in August as the Sonoma Valley facility will open its gates to cyclists of all ages. The Summer Cycling Series will take place August 4, 11 and 18 with cyclists using the same 10-turn, 1.99-mile road course that is used by the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series each year. The series is sponsored by both Infineon Raceway and the Infineon Raceway Cycling Team/Napa Valley Velo. The event continues Infineon Raceway’s commitment to cycling. The raceway held a Spring Cycling Series this past April, and a Summer Cycling Series in 2004. In all,

In the weeks before what would be Lance Armstrong’s final ride in the Tour de France, Discovery Communications launched a media blitz across its cable channels for the cycling champion. Discovery Health aired a show featuring cancer survivors telling how they were inspired by Armstrong’s bout with the disease. On TLC’s car makeover show “Overhaulin’,” his rocker girlfriend Sheryl Crow had his Pontiac GTO souped up for him. TLC even aired a profile of his mother, titled “Raising a Champion.” But with Armstrong retired after his seventh straight Tour victory and with two years left on a

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.Injured racer could use some cheering upEditor:Joe Trujillo, a 15-year-old junior rider and one of the Reno Wheelmen's rising stars, was badly injured when he struck a tree during a Cat. 3/4/5 support race at the NorCal/Nevada Masters Championships. Joe’s injuries include a torn

Beltrán after his stage-12 crash in the Tour

Quick Step won Sunday’s HEW Cyclassics race in rainy Germany, but it wasn’t sprinter ace Tom Boonen taking the honors. Instead, it was Italian superstar-in-waiting Filippo Pozzato winning the rainy, hard-fought 250.5km race in and around Hamburg. Luca Paolini grabbed second to give Quick Step the double while Aussie Allan Davis (Liberty Seguros) rounded out the podium. “I’ve done a lot of work over the past few weeks to get myself in top condition, even doing some intense altitude training in the mountains surrounding Livigno,” said Pozzato, who took his first win of the season. “At last it

Veteran German sprinter Erik Zabel announced Sunday that he will be leaving the T-Mobile team after 13 years. The 35-year-old Zabel refused to reveal the identity of his new team but reports in the Italian media suggested the rider would compete for the Italianteam Domina Vacanze on a three-year deal. Zabel said his decision to leave T-Mobile was due to his unhappiness with the German team's latest contract offer, coupled with his frustration at being left out of the Tour de France. "I think I deserved better," he said.

With a handful of time bonuses and some tight GC races to be settled at the International Tour de Toona, Sunday's final criterium stage proved exciting for both the men and women, and resulted in changes to the overall classification. Greg Henderson (Health Net-Maxxis) took the final stage criterium. As expected, teammate Scott Moninger maintained his yellow jersey - his second overall win at the Tour de 'Toona - having won it back in 1994. In the women’s race, the bonuses had a far more significant impact as Geneviève Jeanson (The Bicycle Store/RONA) moved into the overall lead as

Pozzato and Paolini make it 1-2 punch for QuickStep

Ludewig tries his luck

Hoste on his own

Neither Ullrich nor T-Mobile got the win in front of the home crowd...

... which was sizeable.

Di Luca keeps his ProTour leader's jersey