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Sauser wins his dream race.

The first climb of the day.

Paulissen leads the way early.

The Belgian fans were out in force.

One of the 205 riders who took on Houffalize.

Still in the jersey: Heppner holds a 48-second lead over a surprising Evans

The clouds parted over the Giro d’Italia in more ways than one Saturday. After two days of rain and cold, it was sunny and warm at the startwith rowdy crowds, just the way the Giro should be. And, more importantlyfor the worn-down Giro, there were no doping scandals. Life almost seemedto return to normal on the Giro. Saturday’s difficult 186-km climbing stage through Italy’s spectacularAppennini Mountains with views to the Adriatic Sea helped capture everyone’sattention. With the Giro’s decisive final week looming, none of the favorites could afford to be caught watching the scenery. With

Gilberto Simoni, who earlier this week learned that he had failed a drugs test for cocaine, has been quizzed by drugs squad officers here on Saturday. Simoni, 30, who was forced out of the Tour of Italy where he was defending the title he won last season and who won Thursday's 11th stage, tested positive for the drug after a surprise test on April 24. His team claimed Wednesday that the dentist had injected him with Carbocaine - which can produce a positive test for the better-known recreational drug. The dentist, Bruno Grosselli, has confirmed to police the explanation put forward by the

Two thirds of the way from Liège to Bastogne, just off the E25 highway in southeastern Belgium, mountain bike racing’s own classic is set go on Sunday in Houffalize. It’s stop No. 2 of the five-race cross country World Cup circuit, with the women kicking off racing at 10:30 a.m., followed by the men in the afternoon at 1:30. This is the fourth year in a row and 12th time in 13 years that mountain biking’s premier circuit has come to this picturesque village tucked into the lush green of the Ardennes. Saturday saw the amateurs tackle the 7.7 kilometer course that’s become slicker and slicker

VeloNews.com welcomes your letters. If you run across something in thepages of VeloNews magazine or see something on VeloNews.com thatcauses you to want to write us, dropus a line. Please include your full name and home town. By submitting mail to this address, you are consenting to the publication of your letter. Say it ain’t so, Brooke I am a former team member on the team Brooke manages. All I can sayis, I am horribly disappointed. (see Blackweldersuspended) Last year while competing with Brooke in the Women's Challenge, I commentedto friends and family about what an amazing

We knew today was going to be a difficult day and it didn't disappoint.I was able to preview the stage in March, and realized then that thesecond to last climb was tougher in reality than it looked on paper. Ourteam strategy for the day hinged mostly on this knowledge. We deliberatelysent a group of riders to the front to work the pace pretty hard when wereached this climb.We hoped the effort would wear out some of the competition a littlebit. Our mission was to send them into tomorrow's stage feeling a littlemore fatigued than they may have hoped they would. Considering our goal,the team

Lance Armstrong (USPS) has moved into the overall lead at the Midi Libre after finishing third in Saturday’s fourth stage, five seconds behind the day’s winner Laurent Brochard (Jean Delatour) and Andrei Kivilev (Cofidis).On the strength of today’s performance, coupled with a second-place finish in yesterday’s time trial. Armstrong took over the lead from ONCE’s Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano.Armstrong said he had been disappointed by his second place in Friday’s TT and was hoping to do well enough to take the overall lead on Saturday."I spent all last night thinking about why I failed in the time

Find Roland's rainbows.

Meirhaeghe is one of the fan favorites.

Deep ruts could make things tricky on Sunday.

Martinez is still big in mountain biking.

Dunlap would probably take issue with this display.

The long and lonely road: Lotz on his own

At the end of a long day in the saddle.

How many punches can the Giro d’Italia take? The race lost its second superstar in four days, suffered through agrowing chorus of detractors who want the race canceled and faces the prospectof overall victory by Francesco Casagrande or Dario Frigo – both riderswho’ve served doping suspensions in the past. Gilberto Simoni was the latest victim of doping’s tightening noose. The defending Giro champion was kicked out of the race by his Saeco team Friday morning following pressure from Giro organizers and other teams. Mercatone Uno’s Roberto Sgambelluri, who failed a doping test for Nespon the

1:15 p.m. Good morning to our U.S. audience. Obviously it has been a busy morning at the Giro d'Italia today, with bicycle racing again taking a back seat to events of a more pharmacological nature. As you can see from the headlines, Saeco's Gilberto Simoni -- winner of yesterday's stage -- has pulled out of the Giro as a result of the cocaine positive registered in an out-of-competition test on April 24. We'll try to keep tabs on that story as well as keep you up-to-date on today's stage -- a 200km race between Campobasso to Chieti -- though, to be honest, this seems less and less like a

VeloNews.com welcomes your letters. If you run across something in thepages of VeloNews magazine or see something on VeloNews.com thatcauses you to want to write us, dropus a line. Please include your full name and home town. By submitting mail to this address, you are consenting to the publication of your letter. Test results aside, thank you, Brooke Dear VeloNews, This is in response to Brooke Blackwelder's email (see "Blackwelderresponds to USADA suspension"). I was sorry to hear about her positive test -- I wish there were morepressure on the supplement industry to fully disclose

Press Release Before the start of the 12th stage to Campobasso this morning, the Saeco-Longoni sport team has told rider Gilberto Simoni their decision to retire him from the 85th Giro d'Italia. With sadness and deep sorrow, the team came to this decision after considering the difficulty of the situation and atmosphere created, especially after the rider was interviewed by the investigators sent by the public prosecutor of Trento to shed light on the presumed case of doping in which Gilberto Simoni has found himself in. The strong suspicion and the doubt that this serious situation

Champagne don’t make me lazyCocaine don’t drive me crazyAin’t nobody’s business but my own. -- Taj Mahal Cycling seems to have taken a speed-wobble into an endless “TwilightZone” loop, a hallucinogenic Mobius comic strip written by William Burroughs,drawn by M.C. Escher and colored by Owsley that we have to keep ridingover and over, like some Spinning® class in Hell. Trying to write about the sport these days feels like bobbing for silverfish in a septic tank on "The Ricki Lake Show" while a defrocked Catholic priestbelays you with his arms locked around your waist. The bad news

Race leader Ina Teutenberg (Saturn) finally cracked on Friday’s eighth stage of the 18th Tour de l'Aude Cycliste Féminin in France, but teammate Judith Arndt was there to pick up the pieces, and now holds an overall lead of slightly more than a minute over Valentina Polkhanova (Itera) and Edita Pucinskaite (Figurella Dream Team) with just two days of racing remaining. Teutenberg put Saturn in orbit early in the 10-stage race, winning the opening stage May 17 to take the leader’s yellow jersey, then adding another victory in stage 4. In between, Polkhanova’s Itera squad claimed the

In his first serious test since finishing fourth at last month's Amstel Gold Race, the United States Postal Service Pro Cycling Team's Lance Armstrong finished second in today's third stage of the Grand Prix du Midi-Libre stage race - a 19 kilometer time trial - in Rodez, France. Armstrong's performance moved him from 31st to second place overall with two stages remaining. Armstrong turned in a time of 23 minutes and 59 seconds in the difficult course, six seconds back of stage winner and new race leader Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano of ONCE. Following Armstrong, Galdeano's ONCE teammates

He went, but not willingly.

Things DO go better with coke... like watching the Tour de France on TV.

Yes, there was a bike race today and Denis Lunghi won

Feedback on treating leg-length discrepancies.

Can anyone else use Campy shifters with Shimano cassettes?

Does increased fork rake or rider position affect high-speed shimmy?

Why can't I get my drivetrain to shift well?

What can I do about a mis-aligned front derailleur mount?

What's an alternative to Rohloff chains on Campy drivetrains?

Would a newer Dura-Ace bottom bracket stop creaking noises?

How do I know if my XTR bottom bracket is serviceable?

A smiling Gilberto Simoni denied Thursday’s stage-win at CampitelloMatese had anything to do with revenge. According to the defending Giro d’Italia champion, his accelerations weren't related to the scandal surrounding his now-costly dentist visit back in April. “No, today wasn’t revenge,” said Simoni, who dominated Thursday’s 140-km11th stage. “I felt bad yesterday because of stupid negligence. It shouldnot have happened. It was very difficult yesterday. I feel sorry for the team and for the sponsor. When I am on the bike, I am thinking only about pedaling. In the night, I am human and I

Police on Thursday hauled off all six Mapei riders competing in the Tour of Belgium to be tested for banned products in Knokke-Heist, Belgium, after a suspect ampule was discovered in one of the riders bags on Wednesday. The detentions come hard on the heels of another drug scandal for Mapei after Stefano Garzelli was thrown out of the Giro d’Italia on Tuesday after testing positive for the banned diuretic Probenecid. The swoop took place as the riders crossed the finishing line of the first stage of the Belgian. The six riders are Italian Eddy Ratti, who discovered the suspect product in

This is the full text of a press release issued by team Saeco-Longoni Sportin the morning of May 23, 2002PRESS RELEASEConcerning the rider Gilberto Simoni and the breaking news he was involvedyesterday, after doping controls in Giro del Trentino, Saeco Longoni SportCycling Team guesses to point out his own position.1)      The team have the maximum confidencein its rider and respects his professionality, but every team's behaviouror official decision will be mainly finalized to guarantee its own corporate image and its management habits2)      Saeco Longoni Sport team, evendoesn't think much

1:00 p.m. Good morning to the U.S. It is 1:00 in Italy and we are about 10 minutes from the start of today's stage. It's another short one -- just 140km -- but the finish is going to be tough. At 125km, the day's Intergiro will toy with the sprinters, but then the road almost immediately begins to rise. The steep 13.57-km, 885-meter (2920-foot) climb to Campitello Matese, a small ski resort at 1430 meters (4917 feet) deep in the mountains of south central Italy, will test the mettle of the better climbers in the group and may take a big bite out of Jens Heppner's hold on the leader's

I’m sorry readers. This journal entry may be a little short tonight, as I am finding it difficult to find the energy and morale to write... but here's what I've got. In general, today was disappointing. If you are reading this you are probably interested in an explanation for my ride today, so here goes. There are no excuses, but here's a little insight into what I was contending with today. I took some anti-inflammatories before the start this morning to try an ease some pain I have been experiencing in my ribcage. If you followed the Tour de France last summer, then you know my history

Simoni towed Casagrande in the closing kilometers and then beat him at the line.

Those last kilometers...

Steve Zampieri and Renzo Mazzolini

Perez

Still in control: Heppner did better than many would have expected.

Why does my rear derailleur pinch my chain on the largest cogs?

Joe Friel is author of the successful "Training Bible" series ofbooks, a regular columnist for VeloNews and Inside Triathlonand the founder of www.ultrafit.com.Friel also offers answers to a selection of questions in this weekly column here on VeloNews.com. Readers can send questions to Friel in care of VeloNews.comat WebLetters@7Dogs.com. (Besure to include "Friel" in the subject line.)Q: My question concerns training for triathlons and bicycle roadracing.  Is there a way to effectively train for both and be successful. Will I have to sacrifice one sport for the other.  I have noticedthat

Italian cycling suffered a second major blow Wednesday when it was revealed defending Giro d'Italia champion Gilberto Simoni had failed a drug test for cocaine earlier this season. Speaking to reporters before the start of the 10th stage of the Giro Wednesday, Simoni claimed Wednesday he had tested positive for cocaine because of a visit to the dentist. The 30-year-old will be allowed to continue to compete in the Giro after the UCI ruled that the test did not affect his performances in the race. Simoni tested positive on April 24 during the Tour of Trentino. Simoni, who is eighth in the

It was a day the Giro d’Italia race organizers were happy to get over with. Doping controversies threatened to overwhelm the race with the mostimportant racing still to go. Unfortunately for the already haggard race officials, there's likely more to come. The winner of the 2000 Giro d'Italia, Stefano Garzelli (Mapei), didn't start Wednesday's stage 10 after the test of a second urine sample, taken last week in Belgium, came back positive, while 2001 Giro winner Gilberto Simoni stayed in the race but had his own battlesto fight against a positive test for cocaine back in April. Cynical

VeloNews.com values your opinions and welcomes your letters. If you runacross something in the pages of VeloNews magazine, hear of something inthe world of cycling or see something on VeloNews.com that causes you towant to express an opinion, dropus a line.Please include your full name and home town. By submitting mail to thisaddress, you are consenting to the publication of your letter.Blackwelder responds to USADA ruling and suspensionDear VeloNews(see "Blackwelderreceives 8-month suspension") Funny thing, for the last three yearsI've spent countless hours developing a women's team

Live Updates 2:15 p.m. Good morning to our American audience. If you were expecting race updates today, don't worry, they're coming. At 118km, Stage 10 is quite short and the start time reflects that. While the starting time was originally scheduled for 2:40 today, that has been moved up to 2:20. Looking ahead, there is a Cat. II climb soon after the start at 28km and an Intergiro sprint at 47.7km. From the looks of things, Gilberto Simoni is starting today, despite this morning's report that he, too, had a positive drug test this season. We'll try to keep you up-to-date on that breaking

Idaho cyclist Brooke Blackwelder (Team Goldys) has been suspended from the sport for eight months following a final ruling on a case stemming from a positive drug test at last year’s Hewlett-Packard Women’s Challenge. According to a statement released by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), a three-member arbitration panel from the American Arbitration Association (AAA)/North American Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled that there was enough evidence to show that Blackwelder had violated doping rules by using a banned anabolic steroid. Blackwelder, 34, tested positive for

McEwen now turns his attention to France.

Simoni fans don't care if their hero is under fire.

Acqua e Sapone rider Mario Cipollini won a sprint finish to take the ninth stage of the Giro d’Italia, chalking up his career 37th stage win at Italy’s national tour. Telekom’s Jens Heppner finished in the field and holds a 3:33 lead over Mapei’s Stefano Garzelli. Garzelli continues to be the focus of a great deal of attention after he tested positive for the diuretic Probenicid – an outdated masking agent – following his stage win last week at Liege, Belgium. Garzelli could be thrown out of the race if a test of his ‘B-Sample’confirms the positive result. His team is pointing to negatives

Italian policeman Armando Marzano on Tuesday admitted supplying doping products to three cyclists, judicial sources in Rome revealed on Tuesday. Marzano, who has been suspended from the police force, was arrested Saturday as part of an investigation by magistrates in the northern city of Brescia into doping in cycling. He admitted supplying doping products to Italian cyclists Antonio Varriale and Filippo Perfetto of the Panaria team and Domenico Romano of the Landbouwkrediet squad. Marzano said that he had received doping products from riders but that he had not supplied them for about two

LIVE UPDATES4:52 p.m. -- Not this time, Robbie. It's Giro win number 37 for Cipo'... McEwen takes second. 4:51 p.m. -- With Robbie McEwen on his wheel Mario Cipollini launches off of Lombardi's wheel. 4:51 p.m. -- With 2km to go, Cipo's acqua boys are setting him up and there is a fight for position. 4:49 p.m. -- Lotto led the chase and pulled Streel back in. Cipo is sitting on Lombardi's wheel. 4:48 p.m. -- With 4km to go, Marc Streel has charged off the front. 4:47 p.m. -- We are within 5km of the finish. Four or five teams are fighting for the prime spot at the front of the

Giro d'Italia officials threw former winner Stefano Garzelli out of the race late Tuesday after an earlier positive dope test was confirmed by the analysis of a second sample. The action follows the release of results from a UCI-conducted re-test of urine samples submitted after Garzelli’s victory in stage 2 of the Giro last week. Preliminary tests showed slight traces of the diuretic Probenecid in a test of a sample submitted after the stage win. News of the first result was announced last week, but Garzelli requested that the ‘B-sample’ be tested for corroboration. Late Tuesday evening,

Today's stage was perhaps the least nerve-wracking so far. But it was fast. The sprinters were all on their toes and it showed with their teams at the front most of the way. CSC-Tiscali took a brief look at things from their vantage point toward the end. Bjarne Riis had given us the nod to move up and stay out of trouble heading into the finish town. If you saw the television coverage, than you know there were a few dangerous turns before the final kilometer. Our strategy worked, and we were able to stay out of the fray when a few guys went down with five kilometers to go. For the most

Green Beret Sgt. Gene Vance Jr., an avid cyclist who had worked at a West Virginia bike shop before being called up for duty in Afghanistan, was killed May 12 when his Special Forces unit came under fire. He was the first member of the West Virginia National Guard to die on active duty since World War II, according to The Associated Press. On March 4, another soldier-cyclist, Army Sgt. Phil Svitak, 31, of Clarksville, Tennessee, was among seven Americans to die when enemy fighters targeted two Chinook helicopters in separate attacks. Bruce Summers, owner of Whitetail Cycle & Fitness, said

Garzelli started the day uncertain of his fate.

Piccoli leads the escape

Kelme's Aitor Gonzalez, whose teammate was injured earlier in the day, won the eighth stage of the Giro d'Italia asit finished in Orvieto on Wednesday. Gonzalez, of the financially troubled Kelme team, attacked in the final kilometer and held of a charging peloton to take the longest stage of this year's Giro, a 237-kilometer race that started in Capannori. Fassa Bortolo's Francesco Casagrande took second, as the tightly bunchedpack cruised in four seconds behind the winner. Saeco's Gilberto Simoni,winner of last year's Giro, took third. The stage was highlighted by a nearly 170-kilometer

Mountain biking took centerstage over the weekend with the openinground of the 2002 World Cup in Madrid. Alison Dunlap made an impressiveseason debut wearing her rainbow jersey with her new Luna kit, finishingsecond behind turbo-charged Marga Fullana. Dunlap said she´sgoing for the overall title this year."I want to win the World Cup because it´s something I´venever done before, so this is a good start."It´s an even better start considering Fullana, who´s terrifiedof flying and doesn´t like to stray too far from Spain, won´tbe racing any of the North American World Cup stops.Susan Haywood

The fate of Mapei's Stefano Garzelli, who failed a dope test while leading the Giro d'Italia last week, will be known Tuesday when tests are carried out on the B-sample provided by the rider, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) announced Monday. In the case of a positive -- or "non-negatiive" -- result Garzelli, the 2000 Giro champion, will be thrown out of the Giro in conformity with UCI rules. The Mapei team leader has already vowed that he would retire from the sport if a second B-sample provided a positive result. Garzelli tested positive for the diuretic Probenecid, which has

Live updates1:13 p.m. -- Good morning race fans. The eighth stage of the 2002 Giro d'Italia -- 237km from Capannori to Orvieto -- has been underway for just about two hours. This is the Giro's longest stage this year. Today's speed is fairly brisk, averaging just over 41 kph for the first two hours. Just 40 minutes into today's stage, three riders were involved in a crash. Kelme's Santiago Perez Fernandez was injured seriously enough to pull out of the Giro. He was transported to a hospital and we will try to get an update as to his condition as soon as possible. Right now, three riders

The $500,000 Mike Walden Velodrome officially opened earlier this monthin Rochester Hills, Michigan.Designed by velodrome master Dale Hughes, paid for by private donations,built by volunteers and subsequently donated to the city, the 200-meteroutdoor track in Bloomer Park is Michigan’s first since a predecessor inDetroit, built in 1969 by Walden, shut down in the early 1980s.The new track “is exciting to ride,” said spokesman Leonardo Gianola.“Our old velodrome in Detroit, the Dorais Velodrome, was a 333-meter trackwith angles of 8 to 24 degrees. The MWV is 13 to 44 degrees, which makesit

Following a major overhaul to its mountain-bike ranking software during the offseason, the UCI has finally released an updated set of cross-country standings. And just as they did at the end of 2001, Bart Brentjens and Barbara Blatter continue hold down the No. 1 spots. In the rankings released May 16, Brentjens had an 18-point lead over second-place occupant Jose Antonio Hermida, with Canadian Roland Green moving past Miguel Martinez into third place, 32 points back of Brentjens. Martinez is now fourth, with Roel Paulissen in fifth. Paulissen made the most significant jump, climbing into

Italian cyclist Domenico Romano, who was being sought in connection with an investigation into doping, surrendered to authorities in Brescia, on Monday and later admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs. Romano, who has been out of contact since he unexpectedly quit the Giro d’Italia last Wednesday complaining of a wrist problem, has been placed in temporary detention and will be questioned by prosecutors later in the day. Romano admitted to a prosecutor during questioning that he had taken doping substances. The 26-year-old, who rode for Panaria for the past two seasons before moving

Heartbreaker: Guidi was caught with just 2.5km to go.

Mountain-bike hall of famer Tinker Juarez, twice an Olympian andthree-time NORBA National XC Champion, has yet another stars and stripesjersey to add to the collection.Between noon Saturday, May 18 and noon Sunday, May 19, the Cannondalerider successfully defended his 2001 title as the 24 Hours of AdrenalinNORBA National Champion at the Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California."It's nice to win these days," Juarez, the overwhelming crowd favorite,told VeloNews. "It means so much more to me to win, because thewins are so much harder to come by. Today was the first time I've beenable to race

1:35 p.m.-- Good Morning. Today's stage is the 159-kilometer Circuito Della Versilia, where today's 187 starters cover three laps around a circuit between Viareggio and Lido di Camaiore. We are about 9km into today's stage and the field is still together. 1:55 p.m.-- It's Sunday. Things are bit more relaxed. The peloton has allowed Alessandro Petacchi to roll off the front to see his family. Looking ahead today, the Intergiro is at the 58km mark and climber's points will be awarded on the Colli di Pedona at 88km. Weather conditions are ideal and a nice contrast to yesterday's rain. The

Marga Fullana did it again, winning mountain biking’s 2002 World Cup openerin front of a raucous home crowd in Madrid´s Casa de Campo park onSunday.Some of Fullana´s biggest victories have come in her native Spain,including her World Cup win at El Escorial a few years ago and her secondworld title at Sierra Nevada in 2000."The Spanish fans really helped me today late in the race. They reallyencouraged me to keep pushing," Fullana said, winning in 2 hours, 31 seconds.Under bright sunny skies, Fullana attacked early, opened a 40-secondgap after the first of five laps and held the lead to the

Lotto’s Rik Verbrugghe won the seventh stage of the Giro d’Italia, a 159kmrun round a circuit in Lido Di Camaiore on Sunday.The 27-year-old Belgian won the stage by 59 seconds, after escapingfrom a breakway group of 10 on the last of three ascents up the short and steep Colli di Pedona. After an 18km solo effort, Verbrugghe finished nearly a minute ahead of Gerolsteiner’s Raphael Schweda finished second and Alessio's Cristian Moreni.Britain's Maximilian Sciandri was fourth, a minute and two seconds behindbut the main peloton trailed Verbrugghe by a full minute and 46 seconds.American Tyler

Bart Brentjens tore a page out of the history books to win his firstWorld Cup race since his glory days in 1996. Mountain bike’s first Olympicgold medalist roared away from a lead group of nine riders in Sunday’sopening round of the 2002 World Cup to score an impressive victory.“It feels good,” said Brentjens, who attacked early in the second lapto open a gap that kept growing during each of the six laps on Madrid’srolling Casa de Campo course. “It’s unbelievable to win today.”It’s not as if Brentjens has been collecting dust on the shelf. Despitehis five-year World Cup drought that dates