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As predicted, the 191km first stage of Paris-Nice finished in a field sprint, perhaps the only opportunity for the sprinters to show their stuff in this mountainous edition of this early season French stage race.VeloNews.com followed the action all the way to the finish line in Paray le Monial. Just click here to bring up our live update window.Check in soon for a complete stage wrap up from European correspondent Andrew Hood, full results and stunning photos from the camera of Graham Watson. 61st Paris-Nice, March 9-16, stages: Prologue, March 9 - Issy les Moulineaux , 4.8km Stage 1, March

Fassa Bortolo’s Alessandro Petacchi made it look easy in Monday’s firststage of the 61st Paris-Nice, and he wasn’t even feeling all thathealthy. Fassa Bortolo did nice work driving Petacchi to his third win this seasonwhile Stuart O’Grady (Crédit Agricole) came across third to earn just enoughtime bonuses to grab the overall leader’s jersey away from prologue winnerNico Mattan (Cofidis). “I really have to thank my team because I was not feeling very goodtoday,” said Petacchi, already a winner at Trofeo Luis Puig and of a stageat Tour of Valencia last month in Spain. “Our train did a great

Orlando's Festival of Speed was very nearly an all-Ivan affair, as Saturn's Ivan Dominguez won the Saturday criterium and local rider Ivan Franco (Jet Network-Home Finance) tested Jittery Joe's Jeff Hopkins in Sunday's circuit race. Hopkins, though, managed to edge out Franco for the win to complete the weekend of National Racing Calendar racing. On Saturday, Dominguez was clearly the strongman in the evening criterium, winning out of a group of seven that included 7UP-Maxxis teammates John Lieswyn and Brice Jones, who tried repeatedly to work over the Saturn rider. "Ivan was just

Daniele Bennati

Joly Good Time: Sebastian Joly gets away from Virenque, but is caught by the field 600 meters from the line.

Hamilton started the day in the sprinter's jersey

O'Grady is now in yellow.

Gord Fraser (HealthNet) pulled off his second win at the Pomona Valley Stage Race on Saturday, the Stage 3 Puddingstone Road Race held in and around Bonelli Regional Park. The 7.8 mile loop offered 700 feet of climbing per lap with a total elite men's distance of 98 miles with the elite women riding 72 miles. Fraser credited his team's ability to close down any of the breaks that tried to escape the pack (a mistake that almost cost them Friday's Circuit Race). And while an early break of six riders comprised of fellow HealthNet riders Russell Stevensen and Jason Lokkesmoe provided just

Belgian rider Nico Mattan saw his recent time trial training sessions pay off with victory in the 4.8-kilometre prologue of the Paris-Nice stage race in Parisian suburb of Issy-les-Moulineaux on Sunday.Mattan came in two seconds ahead of CSC’s Tyler Hamilton, with French Cofidis rider Philippe Gaumont and Australian national champion Stuart O'Grady, of Credit Agricole, tying for third at 5 seconds."I've been training specially for this prologue," said Mattan. "During the week I've worked a lot on my intensity on a bike with a sloping frame and riding behind a derny (moped)."The 31-year-old

It was a day's of two's for Tyler Hamilton and Lance Armstrong. Each barely missed winning a race against the clock by just two seconds; Hamilton at the opening prologue of the 61st Paris-Nice and Armstrong in the final time trial of the Tour of Murcia in Spain. Both were making their respective season debuts this week and it's obvious both are already in fine shape heading into more important races later in the season. Here's a look at all the racing action Sunday in Europe: Hamilton debuts in P-N openerCSC's Tyler Hamilton just missed winning Sunday's opening

Fraser's teammates pulled hard to eventually get him across the line first

Fraser confidently took his second stage victory in as many days

Lyne Bessette took her first stage win of the race

Great Start: Hamilton finished second in his first race since August

Llorente surprised even himself on Sunday

What a difference a year makes

Practice pays

Damon Kluck

The 61st edition of Paris-Nice opens Sunday with an opening prologue justoutside of Paris and ends, as the name suggests, in Nice along the FrenchRiviera. The “Race to the Sun” is the first major stage race of the seasonand a difficult and challenging course will certainly deliver up an excitingrace. The race returns with its traditional climb up Mont Faron, but the finalein Nice is sure to keep the suspense all the way down to the wire. The160km stage hits the famed Col d’Eze, another Paris-Nice fixture, no lessthan three times on a demanding circuit course before a screaming 16kmdescent to

Two familiar names in North American racing – Gord Fraser and GenevieveJeanson -- scored wins Friday at the KB Home circuit race, the second stageof the Pomona Valley Stage race. Held in one of Southern California's newest planned communities, atthe very end of Southern California's newest freeways (as if it needs both),the stage kicked off under sunny skies and mild breezes (only partiallysmog-filled). With the women's race starting at 1:25 in the afternoon andthe men following at 3:00, competitors raced on a 2.3-mile nearly dead-flatloop around a work-in-progress, the ultra-suburban KB

Victor Hugo Peña scored U.S. Postal's first victory of the season Saturday after taking the fourth stage of the Tour of Murcia and bounced into 10th overall. Kelme's Javier Pascual Llorente held on to the overall lead despite struggling earlier in the stage, but the stage-win must taste somewhat bittersweet for Peña. The Colombian won here last year and finished second at the Tour d'Algarve in Portugal last month, but got caught behind a crash in Thursday's climb and fell out of contention. Peña attacked up the final climb of the three-climb 167km stage from Cartagena to Alto de La Santa

Michael Rasmussen and Joaquim Lopez

Leipheimer on the move.

When USA Today ran its recent series on "The 10 hardest things to do in sports,” with the Tour de France landing in eighth place, I was expecting a slew of e-mails to hit the VeloNews.com mailbox, similar to the flood of complaints we got last summer when MSNBC’s Ron Borges made his ridiculous “Lance is not an athlete” argument. Luckily, we were spared the dozens of e-mails from incredulous (and whining) readers asking, “How is ____, harder than riding the Tour!!??” Sure, I had a few of my own beefs with the series, like how did "Landing a Quad" make it on the list at all? (Haven’t we all

A day following the news that Team Coast was suspended by the UCI, former teammate and CSC team manager Bjarne Riis said Jan Ullrich is still welcome to join his team. Riis tried in vain to sign Ullrich over the off-season, but Ullrich opted for the German Team Coast, signing a three-year deal worth a reported $5 million. “There’s always interest, but if he wants to collaborate with us, it has to be him who makes the initiative,” Riis told the Danish newspaper BT. “I spoke before with (Ullrich’s agent) to hear about how things were going. It’s up to Jan if he wants to come to our

Telekom’s Erik Zabel seems to be finding his legs just in time for his favorite race of the season – Milan-San Remo. The world’s No. 1 had been slipping into a bad habit of finishing second and third in his early races so far this season, but the German Telekom veteran put an end to that streak at Spain’s Tour of Murcia on Friday. Zabel got the monkey off his back taking the 160km third stage in beautiful Caravaca, scoring his first victory of the season. Kelme’s Javier Pascual Llorente retained his overall lead in an exciting stage that saw U.S. Postal’s Victor Hugo Peña make a move that

Bicycle racing and bicycle advocacy don’t often cross paths. But whether you ride with a pant leg strap or not, you were welcome at the third annual National Bike Summit, hosted by the League of American Bicyclists in Washington D.C., March 5-7. The summit gives state, local and national advocates, as well as industry leaders, the opportunity to discuss pertinent cycling issues with government officials, and to lobby members of Congress. While the majority of attendees had no interest in strapping a number to their backs, the organizers clearly know the value of having a proven winner on

“Remember when being ‘up for the game’ used to be kind of a spiritual thing?Now, man…‘You up for the game?’ ‘Been up all week, man.’”--George Carlin, “FM & AM”If Scott Moninger happened to stumble across a story by Amy Shipley while surfing the ’Net on March 2, he must have wondered whether he fell down Lewis Carroll’s rabbit hole when he stepped off his bike last August in Breckenridge. Shipley’s piece on the Washington Post web site, headlined “Stimulants Are a Major League Hit,” recounted some professional baseball players’ fondness for a variety of stimulants that you can’t get for $5 at

Notes from the road: What's hard?

Zabel had reason to smile in Caravaca

Peña on the attack

Volunteers? Casero and Perez at Murcia on Friday.

All he is saying is give peace a chance

Friday's foaming rant: WADAp with that?

Despite the insistence of director Juan Fernandez that his team is financially healthy the Union Cycliste Internationale on Thursday suspended Germany’s Team Coast for its failure to provide necessary financial guarantees. Fernandez had earlier said that the team is in a good position to retain the services of 1997 Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich (see “Ullrich still a Coastie, says Fernandez” below), but the UCI action now puts that contract in doubt. The troubled team's riders have been told they may continue participating in Spain’s Tour of Murcia, which ends on Sunday, however

Chris Carmichael, now renowned as Lance Armstrong’s personal coach,has been elected to the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame along with four otherswho will be formally inducted at a banquet on May 25 in Somerville, NewJersey.Hall of Fame President Ernie Seubert and Chairman of the Nominationand Selection Committee Ray Cipollini certified the votes after tallyingballots cast by industry leaders, cycling governing bodies and journalists.Carmichael, who lives in Colorado Springs, was selected as a Contributorfor his coaching, which includes serving as U.S. Cycling Federation’s Men’sRoad coach from

We need your help. As part of our ongoing series on the state of cyclingin the United States, VeloNews has been speaking with the leaders,managers and organizers of USA Cycling and an array of competing federationsthat now make up the Federation of Independent Associations of Cycling(FIAC).While their comments have been interesting, we figured it might be timeto listen to their customers. In an upcoming issue of VeloNews wewill print a cross-section of comments from readers and riders regardingthe current state of cycling governance in the United States.If you would care to have your thoughts

This week, I will delve into Part 2 of “The Perfect Waiver,” a discussionabout the usefulness and function of those “waivers of responsibility”that appear on the bottom of every participant entry form. But first, I want to take a moment out to reply to a message sentby "MM," an event promoter. MM believes that my factious "perfect waiver" in lastweek's column, the one that would protect an event from absolutely every possible lawsuit, whether justified or not, may portray promoters in a bad light. I admit his admonishment is not without some justification. In fact, one passage is so good

With all the road racing going on lately, it makes you wonder when theold mountain biking season is going to get rolling. Sure there’s a fewregional races here and there, but nothing that even closely resemblessay Het Volk, that road race in Belgium last week that attracted a worldclass field. Indeed, the first NORBA national isn’t until mid-May, and the mountainbike World Cup doesn’t commence until May 24. By that time five of the10 road World Cups will have been in the books for nearly a month. There is, however, at least one mountain bike race in March worthy ofyour interest. Between

Javier Pascual Llorente hardly even raced in 2002, missing eight months after succumbing to mononucleosis. The Kelme rider is certainly making up for lost time in the opening weeks of the 2003 season, already winning the "queen’s stage" and the overall title at Ruta del Sol and finishing third on the podium at last week’s Tour of Valencia. On Thursday, he added more hardware to his already bursting trophy shelf, winning the difficult 153km climbing stage to the Category 1 finish at Cresto del Gallo and jumping into the overall lead of the Tour of Murcia. Llorente attacked off the lead group

After spending two years without major sponsorship backing, two-time world’s silver medallist Fionn Griffths has signed a deal to ride for the Foes-Azonic team in 2003. The young British downhiller, who doesn’t turn 21 until August, joins 2000 junior world downhill champion Julien Poomans on what is looking to be a formidable line-up for the California-based bike maker. The team’s profile could rise even higher if it can iron out some final details with 1994 world downhill champion Missy Giove. According to Foes general manager Rich Cleveland, negotiations are still ongoing but at the very

Thursday's 8.5-mile uphill time trial turned out to be the perfect showcase for Saturn's Tom Danielson and RONA-Esker's Genevieve Jeanson, as each rode to impressive wins in the opening stage of the Pomona Valley Stage Race in Southern California. Danielson and Saturn teammate Chris Horner went one-two, with the Tour de Langkawi winner taking the stage with a time of 27:51. Horner clocked in at 28:24, while Prime Alliance's Jonathan Vaughters was third, more than a minute behind Danielson. Jeanson took the women's race by a huge 1:48 margin over T-Mobile's Amber Neben, with Sue Palmer Komar

Still thumbs up? Ullrich joined Coast along with former Telekom director Rudy Pevenage and training partner Tobias Steinhauser

Nova Desert Classic

Waddell

The V10

Zubeldia and Llorente got away on the climb to the Cresta del Gallo

Diaz Labato

Armstrong had time to chat with Cadel Evans

Fionn Griffths

Giove

With Paris-Roubaix and the spring classics season just around the corner,U.S. Postal’s George Hincapie is hoping for a quick rebound from a virusthat has sapped his strength so far in the 2003 season. What's worrying the Postal classics strongman are the nagging after-effectsof the virus he said he caught before returning to Spain in February, andhe's hoping it won't derail his form in the most important part of theseason. “It's getting close to the important races, so pretty soon I’ll haveto make a decision if I’ll be able to race them properly. If I'm not 100percent,

Editor:If Lance Armstrong did a fraction of the whining David Millar does(see “A conversationwith David Millar,” by Andrew Hood), he would be vilified, evenmore than he already is. Cofidis is right to say put up or go back to Britain. So far, he hasbeen largely a waste of potential. The Angliru was an embarrassment tohimself, his team and his sponsors. He is very fortunate to still havea contract. Paul HeyrothMidland, TX Care to respond? E-mail WebLetters@7Dogs.com … and he’ll never win a major tourEditor:Was David Miller for real? What an arrogant doofus! He will never wina major tour.

How and when does the “fat-burning” process take place? Some data sourcessay this occurs only after at least 20 minutes if exercise at a moderateintensity. Other data sources say that this occurs after 6 to 8 weeks ofhigh intensity exercise combined with a decrease in calories. Which iscorrect? Also, how does diet affect fat burning? Thanks -- MM Dear Ms. Ryan;I had a debate the other day regarding a basic question. What is thebest way to burn fat? Is it the old tried and true answer of going slow?I know that this burns a higher percentage of fat, but I was under theunderstanding that a

Proper respect is due. Having lifted the heading for this weekly web column from the man himself, I have to acknowledge the memory of Fred Rogers, otherwise known as “Mister Rogers,” who died last week at the age of 74 after a brief battle with stomach cancer. After Rogers’ death, I was asked if it might be appropriate to rename my weekly web column. I don’t think so, and my hope is that, after reading this short homage, no one else will, either. Like so many young people today, I grew up watching “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” humming along with his cheery songs and digging on magical

Lampre’s Jan Svorada came back to Spain and did what he did this time last year: Win the opening stage of the Tour de Murcia in a tough field sprint. But this year he had to beat Erik Zabel to do it. The two battled to the line at the end of Wednesday’s 162km first stage between Murcia and Ceuti in southeastern Spain, a day that also served as the season debut of four-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. Indeed, Armstrong was the clearly the center of attention before the start in Murcia as big crowds hovered around the U.S. Postal Service bus hoping to catch a glimpse of the

Hincapie wants to be healthy so that he can have fun in April

Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood:Here stays the neighborhood

Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood:Here stays the neighborhood

Spring in Spain... and the livin' is easy

Contrini was caught with 50km to go

Svorada gets the win

Four-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong makes his season debut in the five-stage Tour of Murcia in southern Spain on Wednesday. Armstrong’s been training in his European home-base in Girona since February and his presence at the Murcia tour will certainly bring a lot of media attention to the otherwise modest early-season race. Armstrong’s U.S. Postal Service team will be looking to put last year’s winner Victor Hugo Pena back in the top spot of what’s a much more difficult, mountainous race than the 2002 edition. Hugo finished second overall at the Tour d’Algarve in Portugal in

Under pressure from International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge,both the Union Cycliste International and soccer’s Federation Internationalede Football Association have tentatively agreed to adopt a new internationaldoping code that includes a minimum two-year suspension for first offenses.While neither Hein Verbruggen nor FIFA president Sepp Blatter were inattendance Monday at the opening day of the second world conference on dopingin sport in Copenhagen, representatives of both organizations concededthat Rogge’s threat of banning non-complying sports from Olympiccompetition

Dear Lennard Zinn;It's a long sob story, but suffice it to say that I had to take apart an Ultegra STI lever to remove some debris. I almost have it completely rebuilt but for the coil spring for the big (upshift) lever. It needs to be preloaded quite a bit, and it's almost impossible to tension it and push everything together. Do you have any experience with this, or do you know someone who can do it? --Andy Dear Andy;Oooooh. I wish I had some good news for you, but I don’t. Shimano STI levers are not designed to be overhauled. Here is the response fromShimano’s Chris DiStefano:No one is

A torque wrench is an incredible tool. It allows you to accurately determinethe tightness of a bolt, which can reduce the likelihood of a part slippingfrom not being tightened enough as well as of breaking from being tightenedtoo much.The downside of a torque wrench is that it has a long lever arm andif you are tightening to the wrong torque spec you can tighten a lot tighterthan you could with a little hex key.When you get a torque wrench, it is necessary to get used to it. Itshould not replace your own feel for a bolt’s tightness; rather, it shouldbe supplementary to it. If you would choke

There's no doubting that beefed-up national security is a necessary evil these days. The need for stricter airport security goes in tow with the WOT (War On Terrorism)--I've got no beef with that. But like most things big, beautiful and American, our culture can have a funny (or most times, not so funny) way of taking things too far. Take, for example, my recent visit to the Midwest for a few factory visits. After setting off the metal detector at the Madison airport, I was pulled aside by security for "secondary screening." No problem, with the assortment of titanium and stainless steel

Bartoli at Amstel Gold in 2002

Technical Q&A with Lennard Zinn

Technical Q&A with Lennard Zinn

Making it work: Using a torque wrench

Soon to appear on the roads of France