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Rabobank’s Sven Nys earned the fifth national cyclocross title of his career as he outpaced his closest challenger, defending champion Bart Wellens, in the Belgian championship race in Hofstade on Sunday. The 31-year-old World Cup leader and world’s No. 1 repeated a feat he’d accomplished in 2000, 2003, 2005 and 2006 and remains a favorite for the world’s championship race, scheduled for Treviso, Italy, on the 26th of this month. Belgium, like most countries, schedules its national championship race for Sunday.

“Eufemiano Fuentes used dog names like ‘Birillo’ and ‘Piti’ to archive the blood bags of his clients,” Werner Franke observed wryly. “The Telekom- and T-Mobile doctors applied stickers of cartoon characters like Mickey Mouse to identify the blood they had in storage.”

Pushing Hard

August 13, 1999, Velo-news becomes VeloNews. Lance Armstrong wins his first Tour de France.

Velo-news: June 27, 1975

Cyclenews (September 13, 1974): Sue Novara takes second in the sprint at the track world championship.

Northeast Bicycle News (August 28, 1972): Billy Farrell wins New England Championship.

Dear Readers,
A few weeks back, we had a letter from E.W. concerning a group ride that consistently gets caught in the intersection on a short-cycle traffic light (See "One single (group) ride or a collection of individuals?" ). The letters poured in, and they keep on coming, so this week, we’re going to run some more reader responses on the subject of group rides and red lights.
Bob

Jonathan Page Stalls at CX Nationals and Johnson Rides away with the Win

Break the indoor trainer monotony -- try race slicks in the snow!

Citing differences “with business strategies and the direction the team is headed,” director Frankie Andreu has ended his contract with Rock Racing.

Editor’s note: Tech editor Matt Pacocha is on vacation in Belgium racing cyclocross for two weeks. Upon his return, he will be buried in producing the 2008 VeloNews Buyer’s Guide. I won’t spill the beans about what he is working on, but I will say it involves thousands of dollars of product, highly calibrated tools and a band saw. Until the Buyer’s Guide ships in early February, I will be filling in for him on Tech Reports. — Ben Delaney

Dear Readers,
Welcome to the latest edition of The Prologue, the weekly summary of news from the world of competitive cycling by your friends at VeloNews.com.

It's been a slow week in cycling, as most everyone - including riders themselves - has used the holiday season to take a well-earned break from work and use the time to relax a little. We hope you had a safe and enjoyable New Year's celebration and that you've managed to delay your return to work until at least next week.

Italy’s defending national cyclocross champion, Enrico Franzoi, has opted out of the opportunity to defend his title this weekend, saying that he hopes to recover from a month-old ankle injury in time for the world championships in Treviso. The 25-year-old Franzoi, who recently moved to the Liquigas team, said lingering problems from an ankle injury suffered during November's World Cup event in Koksijde, Belgium, will keep him out of this weekend’s Italian national championships in Scorzè, near Venice.

Candy Cane Hand Up KC Cross Nationals Mens Elite Race

Winter Riding in MN

Determination! 89er Crit, Norman, OK

So Cals annual Running of the Bulls on New Years 2008

Two of Lennard's favorite new products.

With six weeks of solid riding and several five-hour rides in my legs, my bike is starting to once again feel part of my body, and it now also seems to be moving more fluidly.

You rode your bike over that mountain? Yep... (Cade Cove, Smoky Mountains)

Two bikes resting on a fall day in San Francisco

It’s been nearly 14 years since Len Pettyjohn sat behind the wheel of a car loaded with bikes, orchestrating the strategy of a team of cyclists over a radio and, frankly, he hasn't really missed it all that much. After a long break – and perhaps against his better judgment – Pettyjohn is poised to jump behind the wheel of a Toyota-United team car and spend about 40 percent of the coming year on the road again.

Rain and mud add to the glamour of being the best known cycling photographer in the world. Graham Watson at the Tour de France.

The Tour de France arrives in the Alps, and a small village church shows its support

CSC's Arveson rolls out of the start booth during the Tour de France prologue in London

David Zabriskie shows his near perfect form taking a corner during the Tour de Georgia time trial

The D1 women's road race rolls through a dusty, country road near Kansas City, KS

Theo Bos wins the men's sprint by a bike throw over France's Auge at Track Worlds

Jackson Stewart takes off during the first running of the US Open in Richmond, Virginia

Chris Hoy on the way to another World Championship in the kilo.

Security was tight during the Tour of California.

Tour of California. The peloton climbs toward a wind farm during Stage 3, east of San Jose

Sorting through his hard drive as 2007 wound down, photographer Casey Gibson realized two things as he reviewed images from last year. One, he's racked up an awful lot of frequent flyer miles over the past 12 months and, two, he's had the chance to see some terrific bike racing. We asked him to look through those files and send us some of his favorites from a year that began in San Francisco at the Tour of California and wrapped up in a snowy and windswept park in Kansas City for the national cyclocross championship.

The 91st edition of the Giro d'Italia will begin in Palermo and end in Milan after covering 3423.8km over 23 days, it was announced on Saturday. The exact course for the 2008 Giro, which begins May 10, was presented at a ceremony in Milan's Arcimboldi Theatre. It will begin with a team time trial and end with a 23.5km race against the clock. There will also be two other time trials throughout the race, including a 13.8km mountain time trial finishing atop the famous Plan de Corones.

1 hr breakaway, 1 has to lose

The Gear

A little help at the Tour de France

enjoying the Southern Sun on the trail

Final Lap

2008 TOC - FLAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Axel Merckx on Courchevel at 2005 TDF

Just two weeks after announcing plans for an unusual twist for the 13th edition of the Tour de Langkawi, the organizing committee of the early season Malaysian stage race has issued a revised route more in keeping with the traditions of the event. On December 18, the committee released a route that included a stage 2 race to the hors catergorie Genting Highlands, a move that critics said would have decided the race too early.

The Mailbag is a regular department on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have read in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to webletters@insideinc.com. Please include your full name, hometown and state or nation. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Writers are encouraged to limit their submissions to one letter per month.