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But not as much as these guys regret laying it down on the unsanded boards

The men's podium, sans Schnell and Craig

JHK took a brief detour through the cactus

The women's podium

Did we miss something?

David Millar says the only way to rid doping from cycling will be if the major teams and sponsors drive change from within the sport. “To me, the buck stops at team management. They can’t just go around and blame it on the riders,” Millar told VeloNews. “They should know what’s going on, they should sign the right kind of riders. [It won’t stop] until the teams and the sponsors take responsibility.” Millar, 30, returned to competition before last year’s Tour de France after serving a two-year ban for admitting to using the banned blood booster EPO. He’s since become an outspoken proponent

A few locals from Barrydale, host of the finish of the fourth stage of the Absa Cape Epic, turned out to greet the riders slogging through the final kilometers of a long, hot day. The fans ran around in the nude, spraying each other with hoses in the sweltering South African afternoon. At least so I heard. I didn’t even see them. By the time I rolled into Barrydale, I was so cross-eyed from the 121km journey that I could only picture myself stepping off of my bike. Not a fire, a free beer tent — and definitely not a gaggle of naked people — could sway me from that. Before embarking on this

Charles Bradley Huff couldn’t quite believe it when he ended up with a bronze medal in the inaugural world track championship omnium. The Slipstream-Chipotle rider has been suffering through a chest cold, a two-day bout of diarrhea and self-described “bad legs,” but consistency and a third-place in the day’s fifth and final event in the kilometer time trial pushed him onto the medal’s podium. “To have such bad legs today yet it’s exciting that I was able to get third somehow,” said Huff. “It just shows in cycling as much as you suffer, you have good days and bad days, you gotta get on your

At least when it comes to business, Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James is something of a multi-sport athlete. The 22-year-old NBA star has purchased an undisclosed ownership stake in the bicycle manufacturer Cannondale, the company announced this week. The 6 foot 8 inch James is no stranger to the bike, according to a Cannondale spokesman. James, a number-one draft pick by the Cavaliers in 2003, spends a lot of time riding in the off-season and organizes the annual “King for Kids Bike-a-thon” in Akron, Ohio, a fundraiser designed to generate funds for local single mothers and their

Sarah Hammer burst onto the international scene last year with her breakthrough gold medal in the women’s individual pursuit. It was a surprise to everyone except Hammer, who was quietly confident she could mine the first U.S. gold medal in a decade and calmly delivered the goods. The 23-year-old no longer enjoys the benefit of being the unknown American and will be in the crosshairs this weekend as she takes aim for two gold medals, first in the pursuit on Friday and the points race on Sunday. VeloNews.com sat down with Hammer after her Thursday afternoon training session on the track to

A golden homecoming for Bradley Wiggins; a podium appearance by an ailing Brad Huff; and a French team-sprint defense that barely registered on a chronometer. It was a busy day at the track world championships in Spain, and our man Casey Gibson was all over it like a sweaty skinsuit. Here's what he sent home.

The author shows great enthusiasm at the start... he'd get over it soon enough.

The 'easiest' stage: a Cape Epic diary

The 'easiest' stage: a Cape Epic diary

The 'easiest' stage: a Cape Epic diary

The 'easiest' stage: a Cape Epic diary

The 'easiest' stage: a Cape Epic diary

The 'easiest' stage: a Cape Epic diary

The 'easiest' stage: a Cape Epic diary

Flat tires suck, for sure, but at least it offers a chance to get some rest.

Stage 6 finished at a tractor museum in Villiersdorp

...dreaming of lunch

Millar - seen here in the yellow jersey at Paris-Nice - says that doping reform will only happen if teams get serious.

Our boy Fred eventually recovered.

Wiggins beat Bartko in the final

The track in Mallorca is the world's newest

James' Cannondale: He liked it so much, he bought the company... at least part of it.

Hammer won the pursuit title in Bordeaux in '06

Huff podiums despite a cold, the trots and 'bad legs'

Huff grits his teeth and guts it out in the points race

Huff starts the pursuit

Czech fans celebrate their first track gold medal ever.

French coach encourages the French team to victory.

Greg Bauge celebrates the upset Team Sprint victory.

Wiggins in the pursuit.

Wiggins is quite comfortable on the podium. He's done this before.

Press awaits the British Women's sprint team.

Riding the omnium, Huff takes on the points race...

... and the pursuit.

The media room is there to keep track of all of it.

The 2007 Tour of Germany will include new highs in its nine-day, 1315km route revealed Tuesday by race organizers. The race starts Aug. 10 in Saarbrücken and ends Aug. 18 in Hannover in a challenging, varied route sure to give the German tour even more prestige as the event continues to gain momentum among fans and racers. “The race will be extremely difficult,” said 2006 winner Jens Voigt (CSC). “To defend my title won’t be easy.” The route will feature a team time trial for the time (42.2km in the second stage) as well tackle the 15km, 2600m climb at Rettenbachferner in the fifth stage

The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you havea comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen incycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write toWebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name andhome town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Writersare encouraged to limit their submissions to one letter per month.The letters published here contain the opinions of the submittingauthors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, policies or positionsof VeloNews.com, VeloNews magazine or our parent company, InsideCommunications,

With the arrival of spring and warmer weather for many North American cyclists, longer weekend rides are an enhanced and improved part of the training plan. While you may be wisely planning on carrying plenty of sports drinks and gels for the ride itself, what you eat in the hours before and the day before the ride can also provide an important nutritional boost. Ideally, any long ride begins with adequate fuel stores, namely muscle glycogen, liver glycogen, and even adequate muscle fat or triglyceride levels. Chances are most all of us are beginning this phase of training with more than

Australian hopes of striking a pre-Olympic psychological blow could be kept in check by an on-form British men's pursuit team at the world track championships on Friday in Palma de Majorca, Spain. The second day of the competition features four gold-medal finals in the women's individual pursuit, the men's team pursuit, the keirin and the men's 15km scratch. But it is the team pursuit, an event in which defending champions Australia also hold the Olympic title and world records (3 minutes, 56.610 seconds), that is most likely to thrill the spectators here at the brand-new

The tour of Germany will go to Austria to tackle the Rettenbachferner, which Levi Leipheimer won in 2005 when he rode for Gerolsteiner.

Russian motor Vladimir Karpets was more than pleased with his first win since 2004 in Monday’s rainy 10km time trial opener at the Vuelta a Castilla y León in northern Spain. The Caisse d’Epargne rider faced slick roads as rain fell on the late starters in the five-day stage race that saw solid performances by Discovery Channel captains Ivan Basso (7th at 9sec) and Levi Leipheimer (8th at 10sec). “I’m very happy because last year I finished second and third a lot in time trials, but I could never win any of them,” Karpets said. “Despite the change in the weather, I was able to pull it off.

Flying Dutchman Theo Bos will be among the riders hoping to blaze a gold-medal trail on the freshly laid Siberian pine boards that will host the world track cycling championships this week in Palma de Majorca, Spain. The four-day competition begins on a note of novelty on Thursday when the inaugural, five-race omnium event, the team pursuit and men's individual pursuit are raced in a brand-new velodrome on which the paint is still drying. Bos, who will shoulder the Netherlands’ gold-medal hopes on his lithe frame at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, will be hoping to leave a big

Sports publisher seeks managing editor for VeloNews, the Journal of Competitive Cycling. Responsibilities include working with editors, designers and freelancers to coordinate assignments, copy and art under tight deadlines. Must have strong editing, writing and proofing skills and experience in scheduling and staff management. Knowledge of competitive cycling a plus. Minimum of at least four years editorial experience. Travel to cycling events required. Résumé and cover letter: Attn: Human Resources, Inside Communications, Inc., 1830 N. 55th St., Boulder, CO 80301-2700, or

Help packingDear Lennard,I am preparing to take a trip to Puerto Rico with my family and, for the first time, my bike (a LeMond Zurich). I bought a Pro Bike Case to pack the bike in. I was wondering about my tires – do I have to deflate them in order to prevent blowouts in the plane? Also, are there any subtleties regarding things to bring (or not) that I haven’t thought of (eg. CO2 cartridges, pumps, etc)?Thanks,Tom Dear Tom,Even if you live at sea level, your atmospheric pressure is at most one bar, or about 14psi. That means, if you were to go all of the way out of the atmosphere to

Karpets took his first win since 2004

The small town of Zamora in northwest Spain will play host to some of the biggest names in the peloton for Monday’s time trial start of the Vuelta a Castilla y León. Ivan Basso and Levi Leipheimer (Discovery Channel), Carlos Sastre (CSC), Denis Menchov and Michael Rasmussen (Rabobank) and Oscar Pereiro (Caisse d’Epargne) are some of the bigger names taking part in the five-day race across Spain’s northern meseta and rugged mountains. Christian Vande Velde (CSC), Tom Danielson and Jason McCartney (Discovery Channel) are also penciled in for the start. Alberto Contador – fresh off winning

Our latest reader-submitted Photo Gallery is now ready for your viewing pleasure. Of course, a new gallery also means the naming of the winner of our most recent contest. This year’s Tour of California has provided us with a remarkable collection of images. One very popular subject of those photos this year has to be world and Olympic champion Paolo Bettini. Darrell Parks’ shot “It’s Good to be King” was among the best. Californians clearly enjoyed his presence at the race and Bettini certainly enjoyed his first trip to the U.S. Congratulations, Darrell. Please drop us a note at

The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you havea comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen incycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write toWebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name andhome town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Writersare encouraged to limit their submissions to one letter per month.The letters published here contain the opinions of the submittingauthors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, policies or positionsof VeloNews.com, VeloNews magazine or our parent company, InsideCommunications,

The rider list for the 2007 Absa Cape Epic speaks volumes of South Africa’s appreciation for off-road racing. Fully three-quarters of the 1200 competitors hail from the host country. Fewer than 50 cyclists from the United States and Canada made the journey to Africa’s southernmost nation for the Cape Epic, yet the event boasted its highest ever population of North Americans. From 'cross racing in Carolina to...Jason Morgan and Tim Hopkin are two Americans currently tackling the 900km race. The two are riding partners, and race cyclo-cross in North Carolina. Hopkin and Morgan are not

Paris-Nice winner Alberto Contador is among those lining up for the Vuelta a Castilla y León.

It's Good to be King

McDowell-Larsen

Thundering herd: Stage 3 kicked off promptly at 7 a.m. from Oudtshoorn

Cannondale-Vredestein pushed the pace early

Race director Kevin Vermaak (right) talks with Christoph Sauser about his penalty

Vermaak then turned to David George

Stefan Schumacher is one of Germany’s brightest hopes for the future. The burly Gerolsteiner is an all-rounder who can sprint as well as climb, as he revealed in his grand tour debut in last year’s Giro d’Italia with two stage wins. “Schumi” returned to the elite ranks last year after racing in smaller German continental teams when his two-year run at Telekom (now T-Mobile) didn’t pan out as well as hoped in 2002-03. He made the most of his chance, taking the overall at the Circuit de la Sarthe, the Tour of Poland and his controversial victory at the Benelux Tour when he swiped out George

VeloNews associate editor Fred Dreier is spending the week in South Africa, attending the Absa Cape Epic mountain-bike race. In addition to regular coverage of this growing event, Dreier has been sending a selection of images from his first trip to Africa.

The first stage of the 2007 Absa Cape Epic produced an unpredicted twist when defending champion, Switzerland’s Christoph Sauser, fell out of contention for the overall on the 101km journey from Knysna to Uniondale. The two-time World Cup champ and his partner, Italian Johan Palhuber, crossed the line nearly 10 minutes down on the Bulls team of Karl Platt and Stefan Sahm, and the Cannondale-Vredestein squad of Roel Paulissen and Jakob Fugelsang. Sauser’s legs weren’t to blame for the time gap. While trying to hold pace, Palhuber, a last-minute replacement for the ailing Liam Killeen,

At 40 years of age and in his 19th season as a professional, Scott Moninger thought he had seen it all. He began his pro career at Team Crest with an overall victory at the Redlands Classic in 1989, and he has since done the rounds with American pro teams: four years with Coors Light, two with Chevrolet-L.A. Sheriff, four years with Mercury, three with HealthNet, and now his first season at Team BMC. Moninger has taken some 250 victories in his incomparable career, and it looked like he had his hands on one more trophy — it would have been his third overall win at Redlands — going into

Amber Neben was simply too strong for the opposition at the Redlands Classic. Wearing the yellow jersey since the prologue on Thursday, she crowned her second overall win in two years by answering every attack from the powerful Webcor Builders team on Sunday’s final stage around nine laps of the grueling Sunset Loop. Runner-up Mara Abbott of Webcor eventually broke away with Neben, and after a long chase they were joined by T-Mobile’s Kim Anderson and Team Lipton’s Kori Seehafer. These four fought out the stage win in downtown Redlands, with Seehafer looking the likely winner until she

Schumacher has big goals for 2007

Schumacher started his season in Mallorca

Schumacher wins ugly at the Eneco Tour

The situation was bad for both, said Schumacher.

It required more than four minutes for the 1086 mountain bikers to pass under the starting line in Knysna.

A modern sporting event gets a traditional send-off.

Along with the usual scrum of reporters, local Knysna school children attended the pre-race press conference

South Africa's downhill great Greg Minnaar hangs out in the tent village in Uniondale prior to the start of stage 2.

Team Rwanda: American Jonathan Boyer and his Rwandan teammate prepare for the first stage in Knysna.

Absa Cape Epic race director Kevin Vermaak talks about the guiding philosophy of the annual event.

Stage 1 winners Karl Platt and Stefan Sahm of Germany

One team mechanic conducts a maintenance workshop for local children in Oudshoorn.

Stage 1 winner Karl Platt high fives the crowd in Uniondale

Riders ready for Stage 2 in Uniondale