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Sizes: 23c or 25c x 700c Weight: 240 or 280 grams Price: $45.99 Web site: www.panaracer.com Panaracer now sells a tire that is intended to be ideal for heavy training and racing on less than ideal surfaces. On the scale of durability versus speed, the new Extreme Duro is aimed right in the middle.

The North American Cyclocross Trophy will expand in its second season, living up to its name by adding a new weekend in Toronto. The 2009 season will include 10 events over five weekends: • Star Crossed on September 19 (Seattle. WA) • RAD Racing Gran Prix on September 20 (Seattle, WA) • The Erdinger Gran Prix of Gloucester on October 3-4 (Gloucester, MA) • Toronto International Cyclocross on October 17-18 (Toronto, ON) • Blue Sky Velo Cup on October 31 (Longmont, CO)

Spanish justice is to re-open the Operación Puerto probe into blood doping in cycling, Spain's biggest doping investigation, which a judge had left on file last September, a judicial source said Monday. A provincial court in Madrid on January 12 revoked its September decision to shelve the case because it said there were indications that an offense against public health laws had taken place, the source told AFP.

Italian Mattia Gavazzi (Diquigiovanni) won Monday's opening stage of Argentina's Tour de San Luis, holding off a charge by the Haedo brothers, Sebastian and Juan Jose. Juan Jose (Saxo Bank) was second on the stage, while his younger brother Sebastian (Colavita) was third in the sprint at the end of a 168.4 km stage from San Luis to Villa Mercedes.

World downhill champion Rachel Atherton of Great Britain dislocated her shoulder after colliding with a car in Santa Cruz, California, on Sunday. Atherton, who rides for Animal-Commençal, was training on her road bike with her brothers Dan and George when the accident took place. The three had been in Santa Cruz on a training trip since January 9. Atherton reportedly hit the car head-on, with her Cervelo road bike taking the lion’s share of the damage. The 21-year-old Atherton also suffered cuts and bruises to her face.

VeloNews.tv is working with Australian journalist Benjamin Fitzmaurice to produce daily video features from the Tour Down Under. The site has been recently updated with several new videos:

• Interview with Cameron and Travis Meyer
• TECH: Team Columbia's Scott Addict

Australian Michael Rogers is ready to put the pain of the past two seasons firmly behind him as he saddles up for the Tour Down Under with renewed dreams of success in 2009. A three-time world time-trial champion by the time he was 25, Rogers was hailed early in his career as a potential Tour de France winner. But in a dramatic 2007, a year after losing his coveted world crown to Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara, his career came to a shuddering halt. Injury, illness and a controversial career decision tested Rogers' morale.

It’s been almost nine years since Lance Armstrong made a journey this far south. Following a second Tour de France title that surprised no one after his ’99 comeback victory a year earlier, the Texan decided to skip the world road championships, a title he’d precociously won as a second-year pro way back in 1993, in favor of claiming a scalp he’d never taken but very much desired: an Olympic gold medal.

USA Cycling has announced that the 2009 Bill Woodul Race Mechanic Clinic is scheduled for March 12-15 at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. The clinic is open to all mechanics who wish to become USA Cycling-licensed mechanics. Woodul held the first USA Cycling mechanic clinic in the late 1980’s as a way to recruit mechanics for his program. Past graduates of the clinic have gone on to work for teams all over the world.

The revamped Lombardi Sports Elite Cycling team is pleased to present its 2009 roster & new sponsor group. The team is a revised bigger & stronger overall U23 Elite / Masters squad formerly under the GS Lombardi Sports title. Team Director Bill Howard, along with equipment head Mark Altamirano, Elite and U23 captain Jesse Mendonca along with Masters captain Robert Winder head up a bolstered squad of young U23 talent & seasoned Elite & Masters riders.

Khanchendzonga Mountainbike Expedition Stage Race: 2009 March 18-30th

PRESS RELEASE UCI Professional Continental, Continental, National, Regional and ClubTeams (ME and U23s, foreign/mixed-foreign, maximum 7 riders) are invitedto compete at the inaugural Continental Circuit (Americas) Tour de Kootenays 1 & 2: two challenging UCI one-day International Races (2 x 1.2 MEs) set in the heart of BC's rugged and beautiful West Kootenays. Organized by the Intermountain International Bicycle Racing Association (Nelson, British Columbia, Canada). Each race presents a challenging course and 125 UCI points (250 total UCI points).

Cycling advocates will find something in addition to beautiful bicycles in Indianapolis during the North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS), Feb 27 - Mar 1, 2009, when the Indiana Bicycle Coalition hosts a Winning Campaigns Training by the Thunderhead Alliance For Bicycling and Walking--the most prominent group for bicycling advocacy training in North America. This addition to NAHBS activities reflects a commitment by the show to promote and develop cycling opportunities for everybody, focusing not only on the high-end handmade sector.

‘CH2050’ is the latest painting by artist Lee Jones, whose striking image of Cheryl Cole as the ‘Angel of the North’ has recently achieved widespread press coverage and captured the public imagination.

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Lance's kit Editor,

Despite earlier fears that the Rock Racing team would not meet the deadline to satisfy the requirements of its UCI Continental status, USA Cycling officials said that team has secured its license for 2009. “It went down to the wire but Rock Racing finally fulfilled all of its obligations for registering as a UCI Continental Team in 2009,” USA Cycling chief operating officer Sean Petty confirmed in an email to VeloNews.

Team Kenda is heading to Mt. Dora, FL beginning Friday, January 16 through Monday, January 19 for a team training camp. The purpose of the training camp is riding base miles and team bonding. This year we have several new NRC Team members. Building trust early on is a key ingredient for success in the upcoming NRC race schedule. Early season race plans are in the making with a focus on stage racing, as well as multi-event weekends. The team plans on opening the racing season on March 26-29, 2009 at the Redlands Bicycle Classic in Redlands, California.

The fear of “turf damage” is one of the biggest obstacles facing cyclocross promoters.   Now, SpectaSport LLC, the marketing agency for well-known cyclocross series like Zipp OVCX, MAC Powered by SRAM and BikeReg.com MABRAcross, has a free resource to assist promoters with the false perceptions of turf damage when they make presentations to land owners and managers.   

PRESS RELEASE Jack Hirt, former executive director of the Bike Federation of Wisconsin (BFW), has been named Midwest Cycling Series Executive Director by founders of the new professional cycling series, which will showcase 10 Wisconsin cities in 11 days, June 18-28, 2009.