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Remy Di Gregorio (Française des Jeux), Jose Luis Arrieta (Ag2r) and Ian McKissick (BMC) got away at 4km

Karsten Kroon (Team CSC) won the 48th Rund um den Henninger Turm for the second time on Thursday. The 32-year-old Dutchman took the 179km race by outsprinting a nine-rider lead group that included Italian Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner) and Columbian Mauricio Ardila (Rabobank). "I had a strong spring, unfortunately without success," said Kroon, who first won here in 2004. "But today I felt very good. Andy Schleck has worked great for me."

Robbie McEwen (Silence-Lotto) sprang from a mad dash to the line to win stage 2 of the Tour de Romandie on Thursday. The Aussie speedster free-lanced his way to the front in a chaotic bunch sprint and shot off Milram rider Björn Schröder’s wheel to claim his first victory of 2008 ahead of Daniele Bennati (Lampre) and Matti Breschel (CSC). Michael Albasini (Liquigas) retained the overall lead.

Ryder Hesjedal is making the most of his new opportunity to race against the best in Europe. Following the collapse of the Phonak team in 2006, Hesjedal raced on the North American circuit last season before signing with Slipstream-Chipotle to return to Europe this year. The Canadian ex-mountain biker has quietly been posting some of Slipstream-Chipotle’s best results this spring, capped by a top-10 at Tirreno-Adriatico.

Sampson Sports has put together some of its existing and new products to create a time trial bike package that it says will allow riders to affordably assemble a sub-16-pound aero bike. The package includes Sampson's new Stratics time trial bars with Sampson's stem, brake levers, brakes, cranks, bottom bracket, pedals, saddle, and front and rear derailleur. The package includes Shimano Dura-Ace shifters and cassette. Sampson Sports' Eric Sampson said combining the package with a 1700-gram frame and 2100-gram wheels will produce a 15.5-pound bike.

kyanaseries

Showing support for Tom Boonen in the mountains at the TOC

Heading to work (Sheboygan, WI)

The International Court of Arbitration for Sport on Wednesday upheld the three-month suspension of 2007 Giro d’Italia winner Danilo Di Luca for his relationship with the doctor at the center of the “Oil for Drugs” scandal. The arbitrator assigned to the case rejected Di Luca’s appeal of the suspension ? served at the end of last year ? noting that there was ample evidence to support allegations that he had worked with Dr. Carlo Santuccione in 2004.

Organizers have announced plans to shift the National Mountain Bike Series final to Brian Head, Utah, after Idaho’s Tamarack Resort withdrew plans to host the event. "I am really delighted that we have been able to resolve this crisis so quickly and cleanly. We've only crossed one state line, and we don't even have to change our date," said series director Jeff Frost, of event management company Blue Wolf. "And it is great to be returning to Brian Head. We were very impressed with this venue when holding a series round there two years ago."

Team Tecos-Trek continued its domination of Southwestern road cycling Wednesday by taking two of the top three spots on the first stage of the Tour of the Gila, a 94.1-mile stage that ended with a brutal climb to Mogollon, New Mexico. Colombian Gregorio Ladino Vega won the stage after gliding away from a select group at the base of the climb. He quickly gapped the group, which included Toyota-United's Chris Baldwin and Heath Blackgrove and built up a gap of about a half minute by the top of the 2,100-foot climb. Baldwin finished sixth.

The French government on Wednesday moved to toughen anti-doping legislation ahead of this summer's Tour de France. Members of Parliament adopted a new law which penalizes the possession and trafficking of doping products in sport with prison sentences and fines. Under the new measures offenders will receive up of five years in jail and a 75,000-euro fine, when it relates to drug trafficking, explained French Minister for Sport Bernard Laporte.

Michael Albasini (Liquigas) seized the lead of the Tour de Romandie on Wednesday as Maxim Iglinsky (Astana) won stage 1, a 182km grind from Morges to Saignelégier. The Liquigas man, third in Tuesday's prologue and second today ahead of Markus Zberg (Gerolsteiner), proved fastest of an elite group that chased down a late breakaway by Alexandre Botcharov (Crédit Agricole), Mikel Astarloza (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Jussi Veikkanen (Française des Jeux) on the descent from the category-1 climb to Saulcy.

Riding a bike is fun. That’s why we all start riding, right? For most people that’s still why we ride, even when it becomes your job. Sometimes though when you’re mid-season and starting to wear down a bit it’s easy to forget how much straight up fun can be had on a bike.

Ritchey is all about white for the new season. The California company showed a new "Wet White" WCS alloy road handlebar at Sea Otter. It's already in use by the brand’s star domestic road team, Health Net–Maxxis and by the Tibco women's team. The company also is making a matching Wet White WCS 4-Axis alloy stem.

Premature

"Homeless randonneur will work for hammergel." (Rider naps at 7-Eleven during 400km brevet)

Hincapie helps Zebriskie up Brasstown Bald - TDG Stage 6

The second round of the 2008 Speed Week Series arrived in Beaufort, South Carolina on Tuesday the 29th of April for the Beaufort Memorial Cycling Classic, with Toyota-United’s Hilton Clark and Tina Pic (Colavita-Sutter Home) taking top honors. Set in the heart of what’s known as South Carolina’s “low country,” hundreds of top elite and professional cyclists raced around the “Queen of the Carolina Sea Islands,” and the state’s second oldest city.

In last week’s column, I mentioned suspension as a likely Next Big Thing in road bikes. I also promised another prediction this week. This one I think is coming, but it’s going to take awhile.

Team High Road will not be among the 20 teams racing the 2008 Vuelta a España. Organizers unveiled their list of invitees for the third grand tour of the season on Tuesday. “We had initially intended to support the Vuelta," said said team owner Bob Stapleton. "However, in the absence of a firm commitment from the race organizer, Team High Road has withdrawn its application and will support the Tour of Britain, the Tour of Ireland and the Tour of Missouri – which compliment the marketing objectives of High Road."

Neither Nathan O’Neill nor Mara Abbott will be on hand to defend their crowns on Wednesday when the 2008 Ben D. Altamirano Tour of the Gila kicks off in Silver City, New Mexico. But there will be plenty of horsepower in the elite men’s and women’s fields as the race gets under way with the Silver City-Mogollon Road Race. Chris Baldwin (Toyota-United), runner-up here last year and second at the 2008 Redlands Bicycle Classic, will be in Silver City with an eight-man team that includes Justin England, Chris Wherry and Henk Vogels.

Mark Cavendish continued High Road's winning streak by claiming the kickoff to the Tour de Romandie on Tuesday. The Brit won the 1.9km prologue in 2:07:60 ahead of Daniele Bennati (Liquigas), who was given the same time. Michael Albasini (Liquigas) rounded out the podium at one second back.

Caisse d'Epargne's Alejandro Valverde gave his future Tour de France rivals an early reminder of his explosive climbing talents by winning his second Liège-Bastogne-Liège classic Sunday.

Pocatello, Idaho Tax Day Race

Chad Haga - SCCCC Road Champ