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Boonen's the favorite - but Paris-Roubaix has been tough on the big names

Tafi en route to victory in 1999

Paris-Roubaix race organizers, forced by a sinkhole to abandon the infamous cobbles of the Arenberg forest, have unearthed a series of tracks that they say will be just as intimidating in Sunday's Hell of the North. Roger de Vlaeminck who outrode Eddy Merckx in a series of mighty battles to chalk up record four wins in the 1970s has warned riders to be ready for a day of pain. “You need to be fairly agile to avoid the bumps and pitfalls but at the end of the day you've just got to accept you're going to take a fall, dust yourself down and get on with it," said the Belgian who

It had been a long hot day in the Auvergne region of central France. 237km in six hours – the longest stage of the 2004 Tour - and the July sun had baked the roads mercilessly. But the climate and the physical strains of the day were not the only reason why Erik Zabel was steaming. Clearly his temper had passed the boiling point: Having torn off his sweaty jersey, Zabel stood shirtless next to the team bus in a side street of the medieval town of Saint-Flour, screaming furiously at team director Mario Kummer until veins popped out of his neck. Only 10 feet away Andreas Klöden was calmly

Looking at the list of casualties from Ghent-Wevelgem, I couldn't help but shudder. Broken bones; people hitting poles, cars and other riders - I know the feeling. Even the slightest injury or smallest crash has consequences. And the older you get, the more the little things mean. The back gets tight, you pull a hamstring, and bang: You’ve triggered an old injury. Then you can't train properly, or race the next race that will help you achieve your top form when you need it, and you start to worry that you’ll never get back on track. When you’re young, climbing back on the bike is

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.Let’s hope the motos don’t affect Paris-RoubaixEditor:Looks like another race may have been decided by the motos (see “Mattan takes a messy Ghent-Wevelgem”). First Andreas Klier is taken out by a moto, and then apparently Nico Mattan got an assist from them while chasing down Juan

Di Luca seals VPV dealDanilo Di Luca started Friday’s 9.3km final time trial of the Vuelta a Pais Vasco with a 23-second head start on Bobby Julich. Making up that much time seemed unlikely on such a short course that favored the climbing legs of Di Luca, but with the way Julich’s been riding these days, you just never know. The Liquigas-Bianchi star only needed a quarter of that cushion to score the overall title in the hilly ProTour race in Spain’s Basque Country region. Di Luca finished a strong fourth at just four seconds slower than CSC’s Julich in a rainy, challenging time trial to

I’m gonna whittle you into kindlin’Black Crow 16 shells from a thirty-ought-six.–Tom Waits, “16 Shells from a .30-06” It had been a long Friday morning in the service of cycling journalism, or whatever the hell it is that I do here, and so when I saw a gap in the workload I decided to slip out for a ride. One glance at the sky and I grabbed a ’cross bike, thinking I’d do a few quick turns in the park before the clouds cut loose. The weather had that monster-movie look to it, and around here that can mean anything from electrical storms to blizzards to nothing at all. On the way to the park

The most demanding, exhausting one-day race of the professional road-racing calendar starts at 11 a.m. Sunday in Compiegne, France, just north of Paris. Indeed, more than 20 percent of the course used for the 103rd Paris-Roubaix hardly qualifies as a “road” at all, in modern terms. Nearly 55km of the 259km route consists of 26 sections of bone-rattling, sometimes dangerously slick cobblestones. Known variously as the “Hell of the North” and the “Queen of the Classics,” Paris-Roubaix is one of the most dramatic events in professional cycling. Partly cloudy skies are forecast for race day,

Augusto Sanchez outsprinted fellow Dominican Wendy Cruz to win the second stage of the inaugural Tour of Puerto Rico Friday in Mayaquez. The two were part of a breakaway of seven riders who escaped the field 60km into the 152km race, which traversed the northern coast of the island. The break had a gap of nearly two minutes before the challenging terrain and 90-degree heat clipped it down to 50 seconds and a long climb in the final 15km shattered it altogether. Then, when police could not clear traffic clogging the finish area, commissaire Pablo Antonio Fana Joaquin ordered that the race be

Favorite Tom Boonen (r) prepares for Sunday's run into the Hell of the North

Stuart O'Grady and the Cofidis crew try out the new stretch of pavé at the Hameau du Buat

Weather conditions are expected to get worse by Sunday

Zabel was particularly aggressive at this year's Flanders

Getting the bird once again

Discovery trains on the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix

Dear Bob,I experienced what a lot of us fear and dread: UPS losing your faithfulsteed. I was traveling back from holiday in Utah and a close friend offeredto ship my custom team issued Cannondale Scalpel MTB back home. The bikenever made it. It was in a hard case along with tools, spare tires, pump,and other accessories, about a $6000 total loss. My friend did not knowhow much it was worth and only insured it for $700. My question is: canI recover from UPS Corporation? UPS said they only cover the first $100,than the remainder falls on the shipping location. The manager said thatI would not

PARIS (AP) — The French National Assembly passed a proposedanti-doping law Wednesday that would put France in line with internationalsports rules.The lower house voted 372-0 in favor of Sports Minister Jean-FrancoisLamour's proposal for creation of an independent French anti-doping agency.The legislation goes to the Senate for final approval at an undetermineddate.The World Anti-Doping Agency coordinates drug-testing in Olympic sports,and national governments are required to enact WADA's drug code beforethe Turin Olympics next February.Adoption of the French law would be a major boost

Mountain Bikers Lobby Today at IMBA's 24 Hours of D.C.--IMBA working to reverse Senate cuts to Recreational Trails Program.Mountain bikers converge in the U.S. capital today for the newest 24-hourevent: IMBA's 24 Hours of Washington, D.C.Attendees will spend the entire day on Capitol Hill, meeting with theirU.S. representatives, senators and staff to introduce IMBA and key mountainbiking issues. The goal is simple: raise awareness about trail access andrecreation issues and convince government officials that mountain bikingdeserves their support.The group's highest priority is to

On 24 March 2005, Nico Eeckhout of the Jacques T. Interim Team equipped with a Merckx frame and Campagnolo electronic drivetrain won the 60th edition of the Dwars Door Vlaanderen. The midweek race was held on Wednesday 23 March in the heart of Flanders. The 202 km course was chosen as the test ground to try out the latest evolutions of Campagnolo electronic components. "The Belgian tests always provide important data on the development and reliability of the products," the engineers of the Vicenza company declare. This is because the ubiquitous pavé and the generally rainy climate offer

NEW YORK (AP) -- Lance Armstrong is considering retiring after he tries for a record seventh straight Tour de France victory this July. “It's a possibility,” Armstrong said Thursday at a Central Park appearance to support New York's 2012 Olympic bid. “I am still thinking about that.” Comments Armstrong, 33, made to Italian media last week that he missed his kids and the pressure was taking a toll on him fueled speculation that this year's Tour de France would be his last. “Four more months and it's over...,” he was quoted as saying in Gazzetta dello Sport. His new two-year

TOUR OF UTAH ANNOUNCES RACE ROUTE FOR 2005 STAGE RACELEHI, UT - The Tour of Utah has announced the race route forthe 2005 stage race, hosted by Thanksgiving Point.Scheduled for May 26 – 30, 2005, the Tour of Utah is a five-day, six-stageevent, taking professional and amateur cyclists along a course spanningthe Salt Lake and Utah Valleys.  While covering almost 500 kilometers,cyclists will be riding as far west as Tooele, Utah, as far south as Santaquin,Utah, and climbing to an altitude of nearly 9,000 feet.  Althoughthe first two stages are reserved only for professional categories,

San Juan, Puerto Rico – TIAA-CREF’s Tim Duggan put the chaos of a hectic morning behind him to win Thursday’s opening time trial stage of the inaugural Tour of Puerto Rico. Duggan awoke to the sounds of a howling wind and a torrential downpour, then coped with a series of logistical and mechanical problems before firing down the start ramp in front of the Olympic House in San Juan. The stage started nearly 20 minutes late and some team personnel found themselves stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic miles from the start/finish line. Duggan said TIAA-CREF was not without its problems, too. “We

Legally Speaking - with Bob Mionske: Bad Shipping News: Part 1

PRESS RELEASE - Campagnolo experimenting with electronic shifting

PRESS RELEASE - Campagnolo experimenting with electronic shifting

Armstrong in New York to support the city's Olympic bid

Depending on your perspective, Nico Mattan’s win at the 67th edition Ghent-Wevelgem on Wednesday was either one of the most heroic come-from-behind efforts of the season, or it was something that bordered on cheating.

Road size versus 'cross sizeDear Lennard,I'm in the process of purchasing a new cyclo-cross bike and a little confused about the sizing. I currently ride a Trek Madone (M) 56 with a top tube length of 56.2 and this fits me fine. I originally thought I would get a 56 XO1, but according to Trek's website, this is an XL but the top tube length is 55.5, a little less than my road bike, and the stand over height is 1.6 larger than the road bike. Should I be on a 54 (L) with a 54.0 top tube length?Any advice would be greatly appreciated.InsungDear Insung,There is no reason to go shorter

The Good, The Bad, and the UglyGent-Wevelgem (UCI Pro Tour)The 67th edition of the Belgian semi-classic, Gent-Wevelgem, had allof the ingredients of a Hollywood movie script today in western Flanders. For the Navigators Insurance Cycling Team, this was their first specialinvitation into a UCI Pro Tour event for the restructured 2005 season. Navigators Insurance was one of only five non-Pro Tour squads to take thestart today for the 208Km race.  As expected, the large crowds wereon hand to cheer the riders, and obviously the presence of the top-20 teamsin the world was viewed as a good

Mattan flew past a dejected Flecha in the closing meters

Cooke and Backstedt in the day's winning break.

Navigators' Walters on the Kemmelberg

British hope Roger Hammond crashes out

Hincapie eventually withdrew, saving himself for Sunday

Boonen missed the key move

The results stand

It's spring!

Last time I checked in I had just crossed back over the border from my Mexican adventure. The sunshine and warmth down south seem like a nostalgic memory. After coming home just long enough to catch a cold, I was off again, this time for the first NORBA National in Tapatio Springs, Texas. The NORBA National Mountain-Bike Series had never been to Tapatio Springs before this year and it was at a golf resort so how bad could it be? The weekend started off pretty well with some threatening sky’s but not much more. The TT and Short Track went off with out a hitch but then the rains came. It was

Nike: The 10//2 Lance Armstrong CollectionYou may have heard of 10//2.  What is 10//2?“October 2, 1996.  The day it all changed.  The dayI started never to take anything for granted.  The day I learned totake charge of my life.  It was the day I was diagnosed with cancer.”  -Lance ArmstrongOne day. Everyone has one. The day that changed their life. For Lance Armstrongthat one day was October 2nd - 10/2 – the day he was diagnosed with cancer.That day he became a patient and started becoming a survivor. For Lance,10/2 is carpe diem day, a day to overcome adversity and reaffirm life.Nike’s 10//2

Sandwiched in between last Sunday’s Tour of Flanders and this Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix is Wednesday’s Ghent-Wevelgem, a slightly shorter “semi-classic” which rejoins the sport’s highest classification on the UCI’s new ProTour. When the World Cup was created in 1989, Ghent-Wevelgem had to make due with hors categorie status, as only two events were allowed per country, and Belgium’s Tour of Flanders and Liège-Bastogne-Liège occupied those precious spots. Unlike the hilly Flanders course and the heavily cobbled Roubaix, crosswinds often play a major factor at Ghent-Wevelgem, a 208km

Cofidis’s David Moncoutie won Tuesday's 166km second stage of the Tour of the Basque country between Zarauz and La Lejana on Tuesday. Aitor Osa (Illes Balears)took over the leader’s jersey, after finishing in second position, one second behind Moncoutie who timed 3:52:56. The stage was marked by an early break by Spanish rider Jon Bru who led from the front for 100km before the French rider made a late surge to achieve his first victory in the race through northern Spain. "I studied the route this morning and I realized that I had a good chance," said Moncoutie, who is in overall 23rd

Contrary to reports of its early demise, the UCI’s grand experiment, the new ProTour seems to be catching on. Despite the continuing howls of protest from Tour de France organizer ASO and the other grand tours, it seems everyone else in the cycling world is taking the ProTour format to heart. It’s still too early for a complete appraisal on the UCI’s re-jigging of the racing calendar, but the early verdict suggests the series has promise to live up to its billing. Look no further than Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico, two early season races that typically were little more than race-speed

It was 1997; Andreas Klier was 21 years old and had just signed his first contract as a pro. One of his first races was Het Volk, the Belgian season opener, and the blond Bavarian from Munich was excited as all hell. This is what he had been dreaming of, ever since he had started racing bikes as a kid in his club in the Bavarian capital. He had never admired the Tour de France riders much – panting up the Alps in the July sun did not seem all that appealing. Spring classics, on the other hand, sparked his imagination: the tough conditions, the cobblestones, the fanatical Flemish supporters.

It’s midway through Sunday’s 142km Sunset Road Race –the final stage of the 2005 Redlands Bicycle Classic –and Jelly Belly’s star sprinter Alex Candelario is watching the line of racers stream by from his perch in the feed zone. There are plenty of other racers in the vicinity. Most of them are still clad in their team kits after abandoning the race, which today was set at a breakneck pace early on. Candelario wishes he could have the good fortune to abandon the race on his own terms, but, as the sling around his left arm shows, his premature abandonment came for other reasons. On lap

The Route

Moncoutie proved the stronger.

Today it's Moncoutie's turn to wear the txapela

No matter what, Julich will always have the distinction of having won the first-ever ProTour event.

Klier took Ghent-Wevelgem in 2003

TVM gave Klier a chance to ride with - and for - his heroes

Klier's winter training rides came in handy at last Sunday's Tour of Flanders

One step short: Klier will aim for the top spot at next year's Tour of Flanders

Before the fall: Candelario at Oak Glenn

Sidelined this year, but victory last year

Top Road Teams Sign On To Race At Morgan HillAmateur and Family Events Round Out Day of Sporting EntertainmentMorgan Hill, Calif.-Specialized Bicycles, one of the pioneeringcompanies of the Mountain Bike, is expanding the growth and accessibilityof cycling in the Bay area with the revival of a once-famous bicycle racingevent in the company's hometown. The Specialized Morgan Hill Grand Prixis expected to attract over 1,000 spectators and 400 entrants on Sunday,April 10, 2005, to witness a feast of top national and international cyclistscompeting on an exhilarating 1.2 mile downtown

Liquigas’s Danilo Di Luca won the first stage of the Tour of the Basque Country (la Vuelta ciclista al País Vasco) on Monday, a 133km route that started and finished in Zarautz in northern Spain. Di Luca, who also earned the leader's jersey with the win, finished ahead of Spaniards Miguel Angel Perdiguero (Illes Balears) and Alejandro Valverde (Phonak) in a mass sprint finish. Americans Bobby Julich (CSC) and Levi Leipheimer (Gerolsteiner) finished in the main field, while the Discovery Channel's Tom Danielson and Jason McCartney finished at 1:32 and 2:50 respectively. T-Mobile’s

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. Our April 1 story about “a chance encounter at an airport, a heated exchange of words and hastily issued challenge” that led to WADA’s Dick Pound replacing Hein Verbruggen as chief of the UCI caught a few readers unaware (see the first letter in today’s mailbag). But more than a few

More than a frickin' jersey: At País Vasco you get a cool hat, too.

Belgian Tom Boonen has worn many race numbers over his young career, but he may just pin the number 172 he wore at Sunday’s Tour of Flanders on his wall. Boonen, along with the overwhelming majority of the region of Flanders, got what both had collectively wished for when the QuickStep sprinter rode himself into the history books with the biggest win of his young career with a win at the Ronde Van Vlaanderen, or Tour of Flanders.

The second stage of The Cape Epic from Saasveld to Herbertsdale was by far the longest and toughest of the Epic ride. 144.6 grueling kilometers with a total ascent of 2720 meters drained everyone, even the pros. Due to the length of the stage the leading Men teams decided not to ride attacks today – in contrast to the leading women who did the exact opposite.Hannele Steyn-Kotze (RSA) of team Fiat/ Bianchi/ adidas 2 loves the heat. And she loves hills. So today’s weather condition and route were the perfect match for the multiple SA MTB champion, who pushed her team partner Zoe Frost (RSA) to

Petacchi retains ProTour leadDespite Tom Boonen’s stylish victory in Sunday’s Tour of Flanders, Italian sprint ace Alessandro Petacchi retains the overall lead in the ProTour series. Boonen moved into fourth on the point’s scale with 62 points, but Petacchi remains comfortably in the lead with 93 points thanks to his Milan-San Remo victory and success at Tirreno-Adriatico. T-A winner Oscar Freire, who did not start Flanders, remains in second in 78 points. Bobby Julich, winner of the first ProTour event at Paris-Nice, sits fifth at 50 points. UCI ProTour Standings, after four events1.

It wasn’t easy, but after fending off serious challenges in Sunday’s Sunset road race, both Webcor’s Christine Thorburn and Health Net’s Chris Wherry held on to the leaders’ jerseys they’d won in the opening prologue to take the overall titles at California’s Redlands Bicycle Classic. Despite heading a team weakened by illness, injury or plain old attrition, Wherry managed to protect a slim seven second advantage over Australian Trent Lowe of Jittery Joes/Kalahari to earn his first overall title in two years. After marking a late move by Lowe, Wherry threw his arm up in victory as he

The day's first break formed at 21km

Zabel was aggressive for much of the day

Ballan tried to go off on his own at 50km to go, but was eventually joined by five others, making up the day's winning break.

The winning combination

Big, big crowds on a sunny spring day

Hincapie on the Grammont

Armstrong put in a big effort after the Boonen group got away, but the hills eventually took their toll.

Boonen's gamble with an early attack paid off

Boonen was thrilled... Van Petegem loooked a bit shocked

Wherry in yellow.

Health Net worked to protect Wherry's jersey

Fraser throws in a big effort.