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After a troubled season, highlighted by the positive doping test of Ricardo Riccò, the team once known as Saunier Duval has lost its second title sponsor in as many months. Scott Bicycles announced Wednesday that it will discontinue its sponsorship of the re-labeled Scott-American Beef cycling team at the end of the 2008 season.

ColoBikeLaw.com, one of Colorado's largest and most successful cycling teams, is actively recruiting for their Men's Cat 3 program for 2009. We are looking for active racers who are passionate about cycling and motivated to excel in a team environment. We provide an environment in which riders stay motivated through teammates who are genuinely interested in helping you achieve your cycling and racing goals.

Neither a four-man breakaway nor getting spit out on a climb could stop Columbia’s Mark Cavendish from taking a commanding sprint win in the opening stage of the Tour of Ireland. Columbia rode the front of the peloton all day, then strung it out in the rush to the flat finish along River Suir in downtown Waterford.

Cadel Evans is staying put, but rumors are flying that Tour de France champion Carlos Sastre might be lured away from CSC-Saxo Bank. Silence-Lotto announced Wednesday that Evans, runner-up in the past two editions of the Tour, penned a two-year contract extension with the Belgian team through the 2010 season. “Silence-Lotto proudly announces that Cadel Evans has signed a contract for the next two seasons. This agreement is proof of his confidence in the Silence-Lotto team,” a press release said. “Next season the Tour the France will be the main goal for Cadel Evans.”

Spaniard Jose Ivan Gutierrez, riding for Caisse d'Epargne, won the Tour of Benelux in Brussels as Latvia's Raivis Belohvoscicks (Saunier Duval) won Wednesday's final stage, an 18km time trial around Mechelen. Gutierrez was second on the stage, 8 seconds back. He finished without a saddle, which fell off his bike with about 800 meters to go, according to reports.

It started at 10,700 feet and climbed up to timberline, and around every corner the Winter Park Mountain Bike Series' new mountain top circuit course threw a new challenge at the racers. The altitude made the climbing difficult, but the technical descents were what made the race exciting. The race was pushed back one week due to an August snowstorm that dumped nearly six inches on the course. [nid:82395] Peter Stetina of Tokyo Joe’s took the lead early and held off teammate Braden Kappius to win the race in a time of 1:27:29 over the 17.7 mile pro course.

Astana brings a loaded team looking for nothing short of domination in the 63rd Vuelta a España that opens with a team time trial Saturday in sunny Granada. Still miffed it was left out of the 2008 Tour de France, the Astana blue swaggers into Granada with its A-team for the season’s third tour with overall victory as the main objective. Andreas Klöden and Levi Leipheimer provide heft to the nine-man lineup, but it’s budding Spanish super star Alberto Contador who will be captain of this ship.

Ingredients per serving: Sodium (150mg); Calcium (40mg); Magnesium (30mg); Potassium (95mg) Calories: 0 Cost: $11.98 for 90 tablets. Web site: www.eletewater.com Tablytes are electrolyte tablets, designed to be swallowed with water to replace electrolytes lost in exercise.

The Dutch team Rabobank will ride Giant bicycles next year, ending its long term relationship with Colnago, according to a press release from the bike maker. A company spokesman could not say if Giant will continue as bike sponsor of U.S.-based Team Columbia. "Giant’s current sponsorship agreement with Team Columbia remains active through the end of 2008," Giant's Andrew Juskaitis said. "Giant is currently evaluating its sports marketing programs for 2009, including its future sponsorship of Team Columbia."

Levi Leipheimer, one of the top professional cyclists in the world, will be the keynote speaker at the 2008 U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame Induction Dinner and Ceremony on Nov. 2 in the California city of Davis, known as the bicycle capital of the nation. The event will honor four legendary U.S. cyclists and sports contributors. Leipheimer recently won a bronze medal in the time trial event at the Olympics in Beijing, his second Olympics appearance, Leipheimer’s medal winning performance was a dream come true after years of hard work and devotion.

Former Tour of Italy winner Danielo Di Luca will try to secure a place on Italy's World Championship team by competing at the Giro del Veneto on Sunday, Italian news agency Ansa said Tuesday. Di Luca won this event back in 2002 and is hoping further success will convince Italy selectioner Franco Ballerini to pick him for the worlds in Varese, in the north of Italy, next month.

Norway's Edvald Boasson Hagen of the Columbia team won the sixth and penultimate stage of the Tour of Benelux here Tuesday, as German team-mate Andre Greipel held the overall race lead. Boasson won a sprint finish ahead of France's Jimmy Engoulvent and Serguei Ivanov of Russia. Wednesday's final stage is an 18km time-trial around Mechelen. In Tuesday's stage, a nine-rider breakaway looked set to fight out the finish but Columbia did a lot of work to chase the riders and then Hagen jumped past late attacker Jimmy Engoulvent within sight of the finish line.

Team Type 1 director Ed Beamon returns to the Tour of Ireland with a new squad this year, but with several of the same riders he led last year on the Navigators Insurance squad.   Beamon's Team Type 1 squad includes two riders who competed in Ireland last year: Ukrainian Valeriy Kobzarenko and Mexican Moises Aldape. Kobzarenko finished eighth overall with the Navigators last year while Aldape was 17th for the Italian Ceramica Panaria-Navigare squad.  

Robbie's ride
Dear Lennard,
I saw photos of it during the Tour, but can't tell what the model name of the San Marco saddle pictured on Robbie McEwen's Ridley is.
Kito Dear Kito,
It’s a Selle San Marco Regal, nice retro-looking saddle due to its big brass rivets around the back edge. Yet it has a nylon base, foam padding and a cover, just like most modern saddles.
Lennard

Sizes available: 700 x 32 and 700 x 35 Weight:350 grams (32 width); 395 grams (35 width) Suggested Retail: $39.99. Web site: www.kendausa.com/bicycle The Kommando is a new bi-directional cyclocross tire from Kenda. It is designed to be run in one direction for soft conditions and the other way for hardpack. The tire, which has a folding bead, also features Kenda's Iron Cloak puncture resistant material that runs bead to bead under the tread.

The Tour of Ireland begins Wednesday in Dublin, and Team Columbia’s sprint ace Mark Cavendish and Garmin-Chipotle’s Irish national champion Daniel Martin will be among the riders of 16 teams gunning for wins.

Despite a strong showing by Minnesota riders, Wisconsin took home the trophy after the inaugural Border Battle race on Sunday afternoon. The contest pitted over 350 racers from the Wisconsin Off Road Series (WORS) against nearly 250 racers from the Minnesota State Championship Series (MNSCS). The White Tail Ridge course in River Falls, Wisconsin, was mostly flowing singletrack but included a steep lead-out climb, a long climb through an open field, and a rocky technical section.

French rider Pierrick Fedrigo of Bouygues Telecom overcame a bout of jetlag to claim the Grand Prix de Plouay on Monday after a hard-fought sprint. Italy's Alessando Ballan of Lampre and Spaniard David Lopez Garcia of Caisse d'Epargne completed the podium in the 72th edition of the race in Brittany, northwest France. "I've already won a stage on the Tour de France (2006) and have been French champion (2005). The win at Plouay is like a bronze medal in my list of achievements," said Fedrigo.

German rider Carlo Westphal (Gerolsteiner) won the fifth stage of the Tour of Benelux on Monday. Compatriot Andre Greipel of the Columbia team holds the overall race lead.

During his three-week assignment to cover the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, VeloNews reporter Fred Dreier roamed China's capital city armed with his point-and-shoot digital camera. A professional photographer he is not, but Fred managed to snap a few photos of a side of the games not seen by all.