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Former world triathlon champion Ivan Raña will make his road racing debut with Xacobeo Galicia at next month’s Ruta del Sol-Vuelta a Andalucía. Race officials confirmed that Raña will join Xacobeo Galicia teammates David Herrero, Iban Mayoz and David García in the five-day Ruta del Sol, which begins February 18 in Jaén, Spain. Raña, fifth at the Olympic Games in Beijing, signed a one-year deal to race with the Spanish Continental team in what he’s calling a fulfillment of a long-held dream.

The Italian Olympic Committee (Coni) on Monday suspended cyclist Leonardo Piepoli from competition for two years for failing a dope test taken during last year's Tour de France, Ansa news agency reported. The 37-year-old Piepoli won the 10th stage of the race in the Pyrenees, but in October the French Anti-Doping Agency announced that the Italian had tested positive for CERA (Continuous Erythropoiesis Receptor Activator) — the new generation of EPO — in two re-tested samples from the Tour.

There’s something different about Craig Lewis going into the 2009 season. Behind his youthful veneer, the 23-year-old is more determined and a whole lot more confident about what lies ahead. The natural-born climber from the hills of South Carolina finished off his first year with Team Columbia with a solid ride at the Giro di Lombardia last October and he’s carrying that momentum into the upcoming racing season.

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The Kelly Benefit Strategies/Medifast pro cycling program that came from nowhere two years ago but closed last season among the top few domestic teams in North America, today announced a name change and a revised lineup for the coming 2009 season.

For most riders, the single greatest goal of their TransRockies experience is to reach the finish line each day in one piece and within the time limit. By doing so, they remain officially scored in the event and on track for the treasured finisher t-shirt and medal—mementos of their achievement. While riders come to the start line with ample physical and logistical preparation, the singularly wild and rugged nature of the TransRockies means that there are always unexpected obstacles to overcome along the way to the finish line.

In a joint statement, GU Energy Labs and Carmichael Training Systems announced a new partnership beginning in January 2009. Under the terms of the multi-year agreement, GU will become the Official Nutrition Supplier for Chris Carmichael and Carmichael Training Systems, the coaching choice of Tour de France and Ironman World Champions as well as amateur and professional athletes around the world.

As an ancillary event of the 2009 Amgen Tour of California, the Davis Bike Club will hold criterium bike races for junior cyclists between the ages of 10 and 18 on 15 February 2009 beginning at 12:15 PM in Central Park in Downtown Davis, CA. The cycling race, entitled the Davis Junior Criterium, will commence immediately following the start of Stage 1 of the Amgen Tour of California in Davis, CA and will be viewed by thousands of spectators. The Davis Bike Club will promote the Davis Junior Criterium on Sunday, 15 February 2009.

Price: $39.99 Weight: 30 grams Web site: www.axiomgear.com New, in the class of boutique bike parts, the Axiom Helix Pro Team water bottle cage. This elegant and simple cage design is a good fit for your most beloved bicycle. Unlike standard water bottle cages, the Axiom Helix Cage will add to the aesthetics of your bicycle instead of take away from it.

World Class Professional Cycling Moves To Minneapolis Uptown Neighborhood in 2009 Uptown Criterium Serves As New Stage of the Nature Valley Grand Prix Two of Minnesota’s biggest sporting rivals are gearing up to go head to head again this summer: Minneapolis and St. Paul. When the Nature Valley Grand Prix professional cycling race returns to the Twin Cities this June 10 – 14 for its 11th consecutive year, cycling and sports fans of all ages will get the chance to see world class athletes race on the streets of both Uptown Minneapolis and Lowertown St. Paul.

After a pretty unreal off-season, especially looking back now from afar, all of a sudden the season is on for Garmin-Slipstream. One group of the guys are down in Australia, racing it up in the Tour Down Under. Another crew have been in Silver City, New Mexico, for the looooong U.S. camp at elevation. I’m back over in my adopted seasonal home of Girona, Spain, and already mid-way through a training camp here focused towards the Tour of Quatar. It hardly seems like a week ago that I was at home in Boulder, and while obviously training, still in off-season mode.

Colavita-Sutter Home's Luis Amaran won Saturday's sixth stage of the Tour de San Luis in Argentina. The Cuban-born sprinter won by about 39 seconds over a group of three: Saxo Banks' Matti Breschel, Diquigiovanni's Manuel Bellettti and Liquigas's Kjell Carlstrom.