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As the road climbed uphill into the lower Alps the peloton began to shatter. Riders attacked, while others drifted against the flow of the group. Gaps formed in the long line of riders. At the back, groups of dropped riders pooled together while, up front, sensing it was the moment where differences would be made, riders forced the pace, rivals working together to forge gaps. I followed the wheels, jumping from one to the next as riders could no longer hold the speed.

Former world cycling chief Hein Verbruggen has dismissed as "ridiculous" a report suggesting he and Lance Armstrong may join forces and buy the company that owns the Tour de France. Australia's Sydney Morning Herald suggested last week that a link-up between seven-time yellow jersey champion Armstrong and former UCI chief Verbruggen "carried weight". But just as the American cycling icon who recovered from cancer a decade ago was confirming his comeback at a press conference in New York, Verbruggen was dismissing the notion.

The U.S. women’s team struck gold in Wednesday’s time trial at the Varese world championships, but it wasn’t Olympic gold medalist Kristin Armstrong bringing home the rainbow jersey. With pre-race favorite Armstrong slotting into fifth, it was Amben Neben who stormed to victory in the challenging 25.15km course in dramatic fashion to win her first major international time trial race. “I don’t have any words, I’m just so excited, so happy,” Neben said. “I cannot speak right now, I don’t know what to say. It’s a dream come true.”

Luxembourg's Kim Kirchen has pulled out of the world road race championships after citing a lack of form. Kirchen was regarded as a medal contender in the men's road race to be held this Sunday but said he was in no condition to compete. "I don't think I have sufficient form to get a good result, so I prefer not to compete," Kirchen, who wore the yellow jersey at this year's Tour de France, said Tuesday.

Cycling legend Lance Armstrong confirmed Wednesday that he would join Kazakhstan's Astana team for his competitive comeback. "I will race in 2009 with Astana," he told a press conference in New York. Armstrong said he would start with the Tour Down Under in Australia; would also compete in the 2009 Tour de France, which he has won seven times; and was interested in the Giro d'Italia.

The new 303-R DH frame is 2.5-pounds lighter than the original 303, and its suspension gives more energy back to the rider producing a lighter, more flickable ride according to the brand’s downhill racers.

The shock mount of the 303-R offers a three-position adjustable shock mount that simultaneously influences bottom bracket height and head angle.

Yeti Cycles has a new downhill bike called the 303-R DH. The new bike has a single rail for the shock linkage to slide on instead of two, like the original 303 DH. The new bike has a single pivot and its rail influences the shock’s leverage rate.

Florian Vogel’s Addict CX also has a few custom touches.

Swisspower team members Florian Vogel, Nino Schurter and Thomas Frischknecht are in Las Vegas for the tradeshow and to race CrossVegas Wednesday night. Vogel (pictured) is a past elite Swiss national cyclocross champion.

Scott’s Addict CX has an integrated seatmast. The mast is topped with a Ritchey wet white single-bolt seat clamp.

SRAM’s Force works well enough for the former Swiss champ’s rig, especially with the addition of Gore’s sealed Ride-On cable system. SwissStop’s green GHP pads are fitted to Spooky wide-profile cantilever brakes.

Florian Vogel’s Scott Addict cyclocross bike is outfitted with SRAM Force shifters and derailleurs, Ritchey cranks, bar, stem and prototype alloy tubular wheelset, Dugast 34mm Typhoon tubular tires, Spooky brakes, SwissStop brake pads and Gore sealed Ride-On cables.

The two new Smith Interlock models, Spoiler and Profit, are for those who require a technical sunglass, but don’t want looks that scream “lycra dork,” according to Randolph.

Smith marketing boss Greg Randolph, better known as Chopper, offered a run down of Smith’s two new Interlock sunglasses. Interlock refers to an innovative lens interchange system, in which a twist of the earstem unlocks the lens for easy removal.

The clamp offers a micro adjust, which requires less clamping force than other models on the market, this makes for easier adjustment according to Rotor.

Rotor’s new SP1 seatpost weighs well under 200 grams, with a forged, then machined construction that steps down from the seat tube diameter to minimize weight.

DT Swiss will have two forks, the XMC 130 and EXC 150, equipped with 15mm thru-axles and its own 15mm RWS skewers.

DT Swiss has a number of 15mm thru-axle compatible products. The EX 1750 wheelset pictured has a convertible 20mm to 15mm hubshell. The brand also has a 240s disc hub with a dedicated 15mm axle, which is its lightest offering for the standard at 128 grams.

There’s always a long line of gravity riders waiting for the shuttle back to the top of them mountain, with no respite from the blazing desert sun.

The Storck Fascenario fork has a bonded-in threaded plug atop its steerer, with Kevlar wrap the top couple of inches for toughness. The fork is made from a continuous sheet of carbon, rather than lots of small pieces stacked up.

Storck’s carbon cap over its Fascenario fork’s crown is for aesthetics without adding significant weight. The fork as shown, made for a 54cm frame, weighs a mere 200 grams!

The Storck Absolutist’s huge, thin tubes offer great rigidity and steering precision. It’s a joy to ride, comes in sizes big enough for a 6’5” rider, and handles hitting those “turtle” reflectors well. It’s amazing that a bike this good (and this expensive – $6500 retail) is the fourth one down in the top of the Storck line.

Lightweight’s rear derailleur weighs a mere 120 grams and is compatible with both Shimano and Campagnolo drivetrains. The cable routing to the cable-fixing bolt differs depending on which levers you use. It is made in Friedrichshafen, Germany and even has carbon knuckles. To be even lighter, carbon jockey wheels are available instead of the cutaway aluminum ones, but they wear faster.

Lightweight’s super-svelte titanium wheel skewers weigh a mere 36 grams for both of them. Don’t ask the price, because you’ll be shocked.

Hutchinson’s RT1 deep-section carbon clincher is the French company’s first wheelset. It is made by Corima and sells for $2500; price includes two Hutchinson Fusion 2 Road Tubeless tires, two Hutchinson Fast Air cartridges, and four special brake pads specific to the rim.

Fulcrum’s Two-Way Fit Racing Zero wheels have a unique look and offer compatibility with my favorite clincher, the Hutchinson Road Tubeless. They are lightweight and stiff, and they are made for fast-rolling tires that won’t flat if punctured, won’t pinch flat, and will stay on the rim in the case of sudden air loss from a torn carcass. What more could you want?

Too bad that Fulcrum (and Campagnolo) wheels now come with these quick release levers. Remember the nice feel of steel Campagnolo QRs (now shared by Mavic Ksyrium and Dura-Ace levers)? They were nice and easy to close but there was a high resistance to opening them. But these Fulcrums are the opposite; they feel hard to close but flip open easily! Who wants that? I want them to stay closed, not to open easily!

The Cannondale TwentyNiner 1’s OPI stem is one piece hollow all of the way up the inside of the head tube and comes in 12 sizes. It’s more hassle to change stem lengths or angles, but it is very light and stiff. Also, the hollow stem cavity makes great trash can for bar wrappers or a place for cut flowers a’la VW Beetle. The Lefty 29er fork has a nice lockout lever.

The Cannondale TwentyNiner 1 comes with a nice, stiff Lefty 29er 80mm-travel fork, and the stem locks into the lower crown (but a standard Lefty steerer with a standard stem is available. The fork offers great steering precision and no binding under side loading. If you were racing the Great Divide race, for instance, you needn’t look further than this bike.

Being stiff, light, and a fast climber, the Cannondale TwentyNiner 1 is an awesome cross-country race bike. The big wheels roll fast and eat up terrain, which, along with its stable handling, make it a decent descender for a hardtail. I must admit to being spoiled by riding nothing but full-suspension 29ers the past couple of years, but its harsh ride coming down is smooth compared to any 26er hardtail.

The all-carbon Cannondale Six is a nice bike at a nice price, and I liked its ride. But it sucks to not have barrel adjusters on the frame or cable housings. It’s terrible at this event, where derailleurs are always maladjusted when you get a bike. Yes, you can keep stopping to adjust the rear derailleur barrel adjuster, but undo the cable-fixing bolt and pull the cable tight out on a ride? Come on! I wouldn’t have a bike that I couldn’t adjust cable tension on both derailleurs without stopping.

Outspoken Kona cyclocross star Ryan Trebon has his own thoughts about Lance Armstrong’s plans to race cyclocross this season — bring it on, champ. While Jonathan Page has been the most successful American racing at the European World Cup level in the years since Armstrong retired, Trebon has been the most dominant cyclocross racer in North America, where Armstrong is expected to compete in the coming months.

Lance Armstrong will hold a pair of press conferences in the next two days — the first on Wednesday in New York and the second on Thursday at the Interbike trade show in las Vegas, Nevada. In New York, Armstrong will discuss his Global Cancer Initiative. At Interbike, he will detail plans for his 2009 return to professional cycling, including his team, a partial schedule and development program. VeloNews will be attending both events. Stay tuned.

Kristin Armstrong is enjoying the success that comes with winning the gold medal at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, but she brings her game face to Varese. Armstrong, 35, will always be remembered for her Olympic gold medal, but her proven consistency in the world championships with three consecutive medals, including the world title in 2006, makes her a five-star favorite for Wednesday’s race. VeloNews European correspondent Andrew Hood joined a reporter from The Associated Press to talk with Armstrong ahead of Wednesday’s time trial. Here are excerpts from the interview:

Host nation Italy started the 2008 world championships in winning fashion on Tuesday as Adriano Malori scored a gold medal for the home team in the under-23 men’s individual time trial. Malori started last but finished first, covering the 33.5km course around Varese in a winning time of 41 minutes, 35.98 seconds (48.389kph). Patrick Gretsch (Germany) stopped the clock in 42:25.65 for silver despite crashing late with Cameron Meyer (Australia) taking bronze in 42:40.34.

Alberto Contador, who won the Vuelta a España on Sunday, hinted he may quit the Astana team if it hires Lance Armstrong, who has announced he is coming out of retirement to seek a record eighth Tour de France title. The Spaniard was asked by the sports newspaper AS how he would feel if the American joins Astana.

With Olympic gold medalist Fabian Cancellara deciding not to defend the world titles he won in Stuttgart and Salzburg, and with the other 2007 TT champs Hanka Kupfernagel and Lars Boom also DNS, this week’s UCI world time trial championships in Varese, Italy, will see the crowning of three new rainbow jerseys.

Cannondale marketing director Scott Struve showed the new Six an Asian made full carbon bike modeled after the Super Six, but made with materials that allow its retail price to start at $1800.

D3OPads are molded out of the material, which in an extreme example is soft and formable like playdough in your hands, but does not mar when hit with a hammer.

Protective gear maker 661 debuted an impressive technology this year with its d3O-impregnated pads; the line increases for 2009. d3O is a material that remains soft and pliable under normal conditions, yet firms instantly during impact.