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VeloNews Photo Director Don Karle, in Italy for the Giro d'Italia, decided Tuesday to go on a ride to get a feel for "what the riders were up against and what it was like for the spectators on a mountain-top finish." So Karle hooked up with top Italian racer Amy Rasic for some guidance, and the pair ended up doing what Karle called "a sweet ride, probably the coolest in my life so far."

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GREENVILLE, S.C. (May 12, 2009) – With three consecutive years of strong crowds and community support, the Greenville Hospital System USA Cycling Professional Championship will return to Greenville, S.C. for its celebrated weekend of racing and family events, August 29-30, 2009.  Two-time U.S. Professional Road Race national champion George Hincapie (1998, 2006), who resides in Greenville, announced at a press conference today that he will return in an effort to recapture the famed Stars and Stripes jersey. Three-time U.S.

PRESS RELEASE Winning Time, a leader in chip timing systems, has been approved as a Green company by the Environmental Protection Agency’s renowned Wastewise Program. The company received the award based on their design of long-lasting, reusable timing chips as well as recycled materials.

Putting to rest several months of speculation, North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS) founder and director Don Walker said Tuesday that the Greater Richmond Convention Center in Richmond, Virginia will host the 2010 event. Scheduled for February 26-28, 2010, this marks the first foray to the east coast for the annual NAHBS event, now in its sixth year. Originating in Houston, Texas, then moving to San Jose, California and Portland, Oregon, NAHBS has grown from a show with 23 exhibitors and 200 attendees in 2005, to 150 exhibitors and 7200 attendees this year.

Budget-friendly Tommasso Mondial — butted aluminum and Ultegra for less than a grand

I’m back.

Embattled cycling star Tom Boonen could face a six-month ban from cycling after his second positive test for cocaine, according to the sport’s international governing body. Boonen, who recently claimed a third victory in the prestigious Paris-Roubaix one-day classic, tested positive for cocaine in April – less than a year after he tested positive for the drug for the first time, in May 2008.

Giro 2009 Tech: Continuous carbon threads run from the fork leg up into the steerer of the SuperSix.

Giro 2009 Tech: The 2010 Cannondale SuperSix is made in Asia.

Giro 2009 Tech: At 6-foot-5, Lennard Zinn found the 63cm SuperSix a great fit.

Giro 2009 Tech: Cannondale runs the bottom bracket area as wide as possible.

Giro 2009 Tech: The SuperSix uses BB30 technology inside a huge bottom bracket.

Giro 2009 Tech: The SuperSix's huge head tube has a 1.5-inch lower bearing.

Giro 2009 Tech: The SuperSix seatstays flex for a comfortable ride.

Giro 2009 Tech: All but one Liquigas riders are on stock SuperSix frames.

Giro 2009 Tech: The SuperSix comes in eight sizes.

Giro 2009 Tech: 2010 Cannondale SuperSix

Ivan Basso was eager to prove at the Giro del Trentino that he is back on form and must be considered the favorite for the Giro d’Italia. He did just that, and his efforts were assisted by having the right tool, namely his new, all-carbon Cannondale SuperSix. The SuperSix has taken a big jump in frame design since it was introduced in 2008, and its performance was a surprise to me. Being 6-foot-5, off-the-shelf bikes are rarely big enough for me to ride comfortably. Even if they are, the tallest size often tends to shimmy at high speeds or with the hands off the bars.

Tuesday’s first mountain stage provided an interesting antipasti of who’s going to be the main attraction in this centenary Giro d’Italia.   Danilo Di Luca (LPR), the 2007 Giro champion, sprinted to victory ahead of 2000 Giro winner Stefano Garzelli (Acqua e Sapone) out of an elite group of about 40 riders to remind everyone that he’s still a force to reckon with.  

Rarely has a modern grand tour entered the mountains as early as does this year’s Giro. After a brief team time trial and two flattish stages disrupted by crashes (because of the maximum-size field of 198 riders racing on narrow, technical finishing circuits), the three-week race heads for the Dolomites on Tuesday.

Framebuilder Ugo De Rosa can look back on a glorious past, having built steel bicycles for a long line of champions, among them Eddy Merckx and Francesco Moser. But the De Rosa family continues to press forward, producing frames in a variety of materials to meet the demands of a rapidly changing market. The rise of carbon fiber “changed the Italian bicycle industry,” said Doriano De Rosa, one of Ugo’s sons.

Great Britain’s Steve Peat (Santa Cruz Syndicate) won his 16th World Cup race May 10 in La Bresse, France, tying Frenchman Nicolas Vouilloz’ record for wins in the series. Vouilloz, mountain biking’s winningest male downhiller, collected 16 World Cup victories and seven world championships between 1993 and 2002. Peat also took over the series lead from teammate Greg Minnaar, who won the opener in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. “I’m very happy to win after such a long time,” said Peat. “It’s good to keep the jersey in the team.”

San Francisco, Calif. (May 11, 2009) – Organizers of the San Francisco Twilight Criterium say the event will be postponed until September of 2010, due to a lack of adequate sponsorship. “Unfortunately, in this lackluster economic climate, securing sponsorship dollars is a tough task,” said race director Ryan Dawkins of Project Sport, LLC. “We had a choice between putting on a smaller event or waiting until next year to do it right, and on the grand scale our fans expect.”

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Christian Vande Velde came into his own last season with a run of stunning successes: A strong showing at the Tour of California, the pink jersey at the Giro, a stellar fourth place in the Tour de France, and to cap the season, the Tour of Missouri overall win. This year Vande Velde scored a stage win at Paris-Nice, and looks set for another top season that he hopes is set back only slightly by his injuries in Monday's stage 3 crash at the Giro.

Team Quick Step’s management has urged Tom Boonen to undergo professional counseling after his second positive test for cocaine, but added that it would stand by him while he serves a suspension. The 28-year-old Boonen, Belgium's top cyclist, is facing up to what could be a premature end to his impressive career after his second positive test for cocaine, which came just two weeks after winning Paris-Roubaix for the third time. He first tested positive for the drug in May 2008.

Price: $15 to $30 Sizes: SM/Med and L/XL Colors: Dozens Web site: www.walzcaps.com Walz Caps is a producer of a wide range of stylish cycling caps. Their handmade in the USA caps are available with many color and pattern options within each of seven styles.

Price: $50 to $260 each Sizes: 8mm to 30mm Web site: www.bocabearings.com Boca Bearings has upgraded its ceramic bearing line with the new Peeka Boo 5. The new Peeka Boo 5 uses both ceramic races and ceramic balls, which Boca believes contributes to a greater reduction of friction and perhaps a better wear rate. The races are ABEC 5 and made of Zirconia, and the balls are grade 5 and made of Silicon Nitride. Boca believe that the new grade-5 balls are more spherical than previously available.