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Two of Nebraska’s most popular races, the Dave Babcook Memorial Stage Race and the Papillion Twilight Criterium, have joined to create the Omaha Cycling Weekend. With a total prize list of more than $12,000, additional omnium payouts, a cycling tour to promote pancreatic cancer research, and children’s races and activities, there will be something for everyone.

And we’re off to the big show! After the past week together in Girona the Garmin-Chipotle team is off for France. Camp, at home for most, provided us with one last opportunity to truly relax, top off sleep stores and log a few last solid training rides before the impending craziness ahead.

Denmark's Michael Rasmussen, who was thrown out while leading the 2007 Tour de France for lying about his whereabouts, has been banned for two years by the Monaco cycling federation, the sport's world governing body UCI said on Tuesday. In a case brought by the UCI in February, a three-member panel organized under the authority of the Monaco Cycling Federation, ruled that Rasmussen had intentionally misled doping authorities regarding his location in the lead-up to last year’s Tour.

USA Cycling named 21 of its 24 nominees to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team on Tuesday, including all 16 men’s athletes across the disciplines of road cycling, track cycling, mountain biking BMX. The governing body also named five automatic women’s nominees across the four Olympic disciplines of cycling. Of the 21 named on Tuesday, 12 earned automatic nominations under USA Cycling’s Olympic selection procedures, while nine other riders were nominated to the Olympic Team by a nine-person selection committee according to USA Cycling’s Principles of Discretion.

Weight: 19 grams (Ultra Light), 27 grams (standard Nanogram) Suggested retail: $65, with aluminum bolts and a water bottle. Web site: www.speedplay.com Speedplay’s Nanogram carbon fiber bottle cages comes in two versions: the 19-gram Nanogram Ultra Light cage is intended for road bike use only, while the Nanogram cage, at 27 grams, gets the go-ahead for offroad use or behind the saddle triathlon use.

Alejandro Valverde has been a busy man since winning the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré last month.

The Vail Valley Foundation announced Tuesday that it has been forced to “pull the plug” on the inaugural Colorado Stage International Cycle Classic road bike race scheduled for August 22-24, 2008. “When requesting the event be placed on the UCI calendar, we recognized the challenges facing us in finding enough sponsorship support,” said Vail Valley Foundation president Ceil Folz. “The declining economic picture has made these efforts increasingly difficult, and the final straw came last week when we were not able to close a deal with a presenting sponsor.”

Questions about inspecting carbon forks for safety, trying Wippermann chains with Campy 10-speed systems and using Shimano MTB derailleurs with 10-speed road systems. What to do? I'm low on funds and that's the main reason I haven't replaced them as yet. I will add there are no stress fractures or noticeable wear.

Kelly Magelky (Trek-Volkwagen) and Jennifer Gersbach (Dale’s Pale Ale-Spot Bikes) won the second event of the Winter Park Mountain Bike Series on Sunday. Magelky took the early lead in the 16.1-mile Cross Country Super Loop, then withstood a late charge from Braden Kappius (Tokyo Joe’s) to win in 1 hour, 19 minutes, 45 seconds. Kappius settled for second in 1:19:46, with Michael Mathers (Rocky Mountain Racing), winner of the June 14 Hill Climb Kickoff, finishing third in 1:21:51.

Pat McQuaid has expressed his wish for a trouble-free Tour de France but says that it was a mistake for the event to have broken away from the International Cycling Union (UCI). "I am saddened by this, but it is the decision of the organizers,” the international cycling chief said. “It is sad but it has to be accepted. In terms of world cycling it is not a good decision." Speaking to AFP four days before the Tour starts on Saturday in the Britanny port of Brest, McQuaid said he would not be attending the race, which finishes on July 27 in Paris.

The Tour de France starts this weekend as a rebel race. Or at least as a race that’s no longer part of the ProTour format. Cycling’s civil war has now simmered down to a Cold War, as the breakaway races, including the Tour, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España continue on their collective path apart from the ProTour calendar. The ProTour, meanwhile, is alive and kicking. Despite the departure of many of Europe’s most important and prestigious events, the ProTour project is moving forward with an ambitious plans to expand the format to Russia and China in 2009.

Damiano Cunego will be brandishing a new look for the Tour de France and it won’t just be a fresh dye-job on his curly locks. The 2004 Giro d’Italia champ and Lampre team leader is supporting a new anti-doping campaign and has had its slogan tattooed on his left arm. It reads: “I’m doping free.”

Characterizing his defenses as “unfounded,” the International Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Monday issued a strongly worded dismissal of Floyd Landis's appeal of his suspension for doping at the 2006 Tour de France. In a 3-0 decision released on Monday, CAS confirmed the initial decision issued by a panel of the American Arbitration Association (AAA) on September 20, 2007.

It's almost July and the Tour de France season has begun. And this year, you can follow every move of the world's largest bike race, no matter where you are, on VeloNews.com. Say you are in line at your bank, or by the side of the road in St. André-de-la-Marche, with your cell phone handy: you can find out who is ahead with live text updates at mobile.velonews.com

Bouygues Telecom will start the Tour de France with a squad loaded with stage-hunters and almost no one for the overall classification. The French team will be headlined by Thomas Voeckler, remembered for his heroic defense of the maillot jaune in the 2004 Tour, and Pierrick Fédrigo, winner of a stage in the 2006 Tour. The team is betting on winning a stage rather than wasting energy in a futile fight for the overall.

Heading into this week's Tour de France, the French Ag2r-La Mondiale team will be looking to fill the void left by the departure of consistent Christophe Moreau with Cyril Dessel and Tadej Valjavec. Moreau, who has consistently been the best French performer in the Tour the past few years, is now racing in Agritubel colors. Ag2r will instead be hoping Dessel can win a stage and Valjavec can pop into the top 10.

Campagnolo’s three new 11-speed groups are tied by two bonds, the Ergopower Ultra shifters and 11-speeds. All are intended and designed for competition. There are numerous technologies, but each is tied to one of these end features — for a full report on the technical features of the group, reference our initial 2009 Campagnolo product report. Aside from that, Chorus, Record and the new Super Record are merely defined by materials.

Racing through Pittsburgh in the Tour of PA

Michael Ball, owner of the Rock Racing team, says he and his companies will contribute "hundreds of thousands" of dollars to launch a fund to help elite racers who seriously injured while racing. "Let's do the right thing for these guys," Ball told VeloNews.

Rock Racing's Rahsaan Bahati won his second Manhattan Beach Grand Prix on Sunday, outsprinting Ricardo Escuela (Successful Living), and Brad Huff (Jelly Belly). “I had a lot of trust in my teammates and they delivered,” Bahati said before being congratulated by Rock Racing Team Owner Michael Ball and a host of teammates and cheering fans. “With a lap to go, I was concerned about us getting swarmed. But our lead out was tremendous. The guys started sprinting with a kilometer to go.”