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The first stage of Minnesota’s Nature Valley Grand Prix was called off Wednesday night, midway through the men’s session.

Most riders in the 60th Dauphiné Libéré will tell you they’re more worried about what’s going to happen in July than what’s happening this week in France. Don’t believe it. If Thursday’s attack-riddled 193km, three-climb stage from Vienne to Annemasse was any indication, the next few days are going to be a real dogfight. Cyril Dessel (Ag2r-La Mondiale) claimed an impressive solo victory after attacking over the Cat. 1 Le Salève climb out of a 16-man breakaway that threatened to ride away with the race.

Citing a lack of “loyalty” the management committee of the UCI has suspended the French Cycling Federation from the ranks of the international body for the duration of 2008. The decision follows months of tit-for-tat feuding between the UCI and France’s major race organizer, the Amaury Sports Organisation the firm responsible for the Tour de France and other major events, a dispute in which the FFC has sided with ASO in recent months.

A much-anticipated Russian stage race will be part of a revamped ProTour calendar for 2009 as the UCI pushes forward with its sometimes beleaguered racing league. Officials confirmed Wednesday that a five-day race in Russia’s Sochi region will be held May 20-24 as part of the 2009 ProTour calendar. Sochi, which straddles Russia’s portion of the Black Sea, has been selected to host the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in the nearby Caucasus Mountains.

As Cadel Evans takes aim at becoming the first Australian to win the Tour de France, he is finding inspiration from the first rider to win five in a row: Miguel Indurain. Evans says that he’ll try to follow Big Mig’s proven model of taking gains in the time trials and defending in the mountains.

Bernardo Colex (Tecos-Trek UAG) continues to hold the yellow leader's jersey at the Tour de Beauce after Wednesday’s second hilly 166-kilometer stage. Colex’s team did masterful job of controlling the field, with the stage coming down to a bunch sprint won by Yuri Metlushenko (Amore E Vita) ahead of Ciaran Power (Pezula) and Ramos Kleber (Garneau-Crocs). Charles Dionne (Equipe Quebec) was the top North American on the stage, finishing fourth, with Christian Meier (Symmetrics) the top in the overall standings in ninth place, 26 seconds down on Colex.

Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d’Epargne) rode the time trial of his career to beat the likes of Levi Leipheimer and Cadel Evans on a difficult, hilly 31km course Wednesday to win the stage and take control of the 60th Dauphiné Libéré. Valverde, who also won Monday’s first stage in a sprint, revealed impressive time trial credentials on wet roads to beat 2006 Dauphiné champ Leipheimer by 19 seconds and Tour de France runner-up Evans by 20 seconds.

Quick Step is sticking with its troubled star, Tom Boonen, and so are the team’s key sponsors. Just a day after it was revealed that Boonen tested positive for cocaine in an out-of-competition control taken last month, his Belgian team announced Wednesday that its most important sponsors have extended their contracts through the 2011 season.

Belgium's Tom Boonen, who has tested positive for cocaine, will not be starting next month's Tour de France, race director Christian Prudhomme told AFP on Wednesday. The news came shortly after Boonen issued an apology, saying he was sorry for the pain his recent behavior has caused his team and his family. Boonen read a prepared statement at a press conference at his Quick Step team’s headquarters in Wielsbeke, Belgium, adding that he plans to take a break from the sport for a short time.

twin spires baby

Mexico's Bernardo Colex Tepoz (Tecos Trek UAG) took the biggest win of his career when a mid-race breakaway resulted in a solo victory and the yellow jersey in the opening stage of the 23rd Tour de Beauce on Tuesday. The classic Canadian stage race kicked of with the traditional 165-kilometer Lac Etchemin road race stage, contested on one long loop that encompasses typical Beauce terrain ? lots of climbing and rough roads.

George Hincapie (Team High Road) attacked in the final corner and overhauled Gerolsteiner's Sebastian Lang to win stage 2 of the Dauphiné Libéré on Tuesday. Sylvain Chavanal (Française des Jeux) took second in the 184km stage from Bourg-Saint-Andeol to Vienne, just pipping Lang at the line. After High Road sprinter André Greipel broke a wheel on the run-in to Vienne, Hincapie was given the green light to take his chance and made the most of it, rocketing after the attacking Lang.

Paris-Roubaix winner and former world champion Tom Boonen has tested positive for cocaine, Het Laatste Nieuws reported on Tuesday. The newspaper said that the 27-year-old Boonen tested positive for the drug three days before the Tour of Belgium on May 25, although anti-doping officials say the rider will not face suspension since use of the drug is not specifically banned except in competition.

Dear Lennard,
I currently have a Shimano compact (50x34) crank set and an Ultegra 12-27 cog. Rather than switching to a triple, can I change to a 12-30 or 12-32?

An online investment bank will join CSC as a co-sponsor of Team CSC beginning into this year’s Tour de France, then assume title sponsorship of the squad beginning in 2009. The co-sponsorship agreement between Riis Cycling and Saxo Bank runs to the end of this year. On Jan. 1, 2009, Saxo Bank will become the team’s sole main sponsor for a three-year period.

In 2007 the inaugural BC Bike Race served up seven days of technical singletrack, breathtaking scenery and predictable front-of-the-race action. Trek-Volkswagen’s duo of Chris Eatough and Jeff Schalk won every single stage en route to a 43-minute overall victory. That won’t be the case in 2008.

The rumors keep flying, but Astana officials insist they are not expecting a last-minute reversal from Tour de France officials to start this year’s race. Astana team manager Johan Bruyneel said he isn’t anticipating the Tour to follow the recent example of the Giro d’Italia, and said the team is already looking past the Tour for this season. “The Tour has been pretty clear. Straight after the Giro, they said that they are remaining with their initial decision,” Bruyneel told VeloNews. “We’re definitely not counting on it.”