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Friday's Mailbag: Names, Games and a Contest

TIAA-CREF takes the four-man pursuit

Reed gets another national title

A breif celeb' visit on Friday night

Don’t count cycling legend Eddy Merckx among the pessimists who think the sport is on the wane after a string of high-profile doping scandals.Speaking the London Telegraph, the 61-year-old Belgian said cycling retains its charm and appeal among the general public. “Cycling sometimes gets a bad press but it always comes through, in fact I am very optimistic as present,” Merckx told the paper. “Its dope testing is the most severe and frequent in the world, much more than any other sport. No wonder we catch people. Cycling has identified many culprits and they have been dealt with. Other

A mountain of pressure sits on Chris Eatough’s back this week, as the six-time solo 24-hour mountain-bike world champion prepares once again to defend his title. The 31-year old Eatough, who has made a career of dominating 24-hour events, knows he is expected to bring home number seven as he and others ready for this weekend’s world championships in Conyers, Georgia. The 2006 24-Hours of Adrenaline’s solo world championships are slated for this Saturday and Sunday in Conyers, the site of the 1996 Olympic cross-country race. Eatough’s primary sponsor, Trek Bicycles, would like nothing more

Lyon, France - Interpol, the world’s largest police organization, and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) have committed to work together to identify areas for collaboration in combating the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport. The need for stronger and more unified action in tackling the problem of doping was underlined as a key point during the meeting between Interpol Secretary General Ronald K. Noble and WADA Director General, David Howman at the General Secretariat on Monday 2 October. A global congress on combating doping in sport was among the proposals discussed during the

Morgan Hill, California – QuickStep-Innergetic announced theyhave chosen Specialized to supply their team bikes and select equipment for2007 and beyond. The team’s marquee riders—such as reigning world andOlympic champion Paolo Bettini and 2005 world champion Tom Boonen—will beperfectly served by the diverse range of technologically advanced bicyclescreated by the S-Works division at Specialized. Effective 1/1/07, Bettini’s choice will be the S-Works Tarmac SL for its razorsharp handling, minimal weight, and efficiency. Boonen, often known as The King of the Cobbles, will opt for the all-new

Carson, California - Three more national champions were crowned in Southern California Thursday night as the 2006 USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships closed the books on day two of the four-day event. In the men's kilometer time trial, Stephen Hill (East Point Track Club) clocked a winning time of 1 minute, 6.239 seconds to claim the national title ahead of silver medalist Steve Beardsley (Rubicon-Chinook Cycling) and third-place finisher David Espinoza (JC Investors). With none of the top-three finishers from 2005 returning, there was no clear-cut favorite in the 26-rider

Merckx (right) and Felice Gimondi at the VeloNews booth during last week's Interbike trade show.

Methodical: Eatough's success often comes as a result of meticulous preparation.

Reigning U.S. champion Cameron Chambers is one of the few to have beaten Eatough at his specialty.

U.S. short-track champ, Susan Haywood is giving a new discipline a try... on a really long track.

The S-Works Tarmac

The S-Works Roubaix

Not all the news coming out of Las Vegas at last week’s Interbike trade show was product related. Some North American teams and riders used the occasion to announce their plans for the 2007 season — a season that looks to see some big changes. Some had more immediate objectives, such as Fred Rodriguez’s announcement that he plans to race the final four events of the upcoming Crank Brothers U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclo-cross. And even when news wasn’t officially released, trying to quell a rumor on the Sands Convention Center showroom is about as likely as trying to find a ray of sunlight in a

Ouch. It’s been more than eight months since I suffered through my lastcyclo-cross race in Belgium and let me tell you it doesn’t take long toremember why ‘cross is such a tough sport. It also doesn’t take long toremember why it’s so much fun, either. A few weeks ago in Boulder, Colorado, we had our first group cyclo-crosstraining ride, which is called – for lack of a more creative description– the “Wednesday morning ‘cross ride.” For the past seven years, from Septemberthrough ‘Cross Nationals, I’ve rolled my body out of bed at the crack ofdawn every Wednesday morning for this group ride.

UCI president Pat McQuaid has vowed to take Jan Ullrich's case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) if the Swiss Cycling Federation provide him with a license for 2007. "If the Swiss Cycling Federation do not exclude Jan Ullrich we will consider going to the court of arbitration for sport," McQuaid told SportBild magazine. The 33-year-old Ullrich’s contract was terminated by his T-Mobile team during this year's Tour de France - which he was barred from racing in when the allegations weremade - after a Spanish investigation offered evidence that he was involved

After breaking an 11-year drought with a world title in the women's three-kilometer individual pursuit in April, Sara Hammer (Ouch Pro Cycling) eclipsed another 11-year-old mark Wednesday, setting a new national record inthe same event during the opening session of the USA Cycling EliteTrack National Championships at the ADT Event Center. In the ensuingfinals Wednesday evening, Hammer added another national title to herrésumé, catching silver medalist Katie Compton (Spike) six laps into the 12 lap race. Hammer clocked a time of 3:32.865 seconds to smash the previous national record of

Revamped schedule or not, GH is still the king of the American road... for now.

Who cares? It's a rental!

Sheriff Dave: coming to Michigan single-track near you.

The breakfast of champions.

Dialin' in the rigs.

One in front...

...and one in back

“I’m 49 and realized I’m halfway done,” my former boss Tom Ritchey told me wistfully at Interbike. “What am I going to do with the second half of my life?” His answer is Project Rwanda (www.projectrwanda.org), a development project designed to assist in lifting Rwandans out of the devastating financial conditions they find themselves in after their devastating 1994 civil war marked by tribal genocide and the deaths of nearly a million Rwandans in 100 days. At the heart of Ritchey’s involvement is a new bicycle he is designing from the ground up to make transportation in general and

Embattled Tour de France winner Floyd Landis reiterated his innocence against doping charges and promised he will return to racing following his rehabilitation from hip surgery last week. In an interview with the Associated Press, Landis said his rehab sessions will provide him focus following rocky months since winning the 2006 Tour that included doping allegations as well as the suicide of his father-in-law. “Things have been up and down for me,” Landis said Monday in an interview with the AP. “I’ll be happy when it's a little more simple. I’ll get through it though. I have a strong

Our latest reader-submitted Photo Gallery is now up for your viewing pleasure. Of course, a new gallery also means the naming of the winner of ourmost recent contest. Take the time to wander through that gallery and see if you agree or disagree with our choice of winner. Marmie Westihuff’s “Our Team Car” captures the joy of being part of a sport that, despite the big bucks and pricey equipment, really just comes down to riding bikes with your friends… and beating them. Nice work. Marmie! Drop us a note at Rosters@InsideInc.com to work out the details and we’ll send you a copy of Graham

Lo-tech, but hard-working, these rigs are built to haul

Steel bikes are often customized to carry more

Tech Talk: Real bikes for real people

Bikes by the cord

Stieda considers his Tour options

Race Day - The single-speeds mass to the line

Ritchey and Stieda try to hang...

...and are nearly lapped by the day's winner.

Ritchey at Interbike, explaining the thinking behind the new Project Rwanda rig.

Landis in happier times this July.

Our Team Car

Santiago Botero has been cleared by Colombian cycling authorities of possible sanctions for alleged links to the Operación Puerto doping investigation in Spain. The disciplinary committee of the Federación Colombiana de Ciclismo revealed that the dossier of evidence forwarded by the UCI wasn’t enough to punish the former world time trial champion. “There’s nothing to it,” said Ettore Sangiovanni, president of the Colombian federation, in wire reports. “There’s no real proof and only suppositions.” In June, Phonak suspended Botero along with Spanish brothers Ignacio and José Enrique

Each Monday, throughout the season, VeloNews.com will happily post race promoters' news releases regarding cyclo-cross races from around theU.S. and Canada. Please send releases and results to "Weekend 'Cross Wrap"in care of VNInteractive@InsideInc.com.Promoters are responsible for the content of those releases.2006 BikeReg.com MABRAcross Series “Ed Sander Memorial CyclocrossBuckeystown, Maryland - Lilypons Water Gardens inBuckeystown, Maryland, is renowned for its expertise in water gardeningand the wide variety of water lilies it grows. It also a beautifulgarden in its own right,

The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.Pictures worth a thousand words (or more)Editor:Thanks for continuing with the "Photo Gallery" pictures that you guys run. In an age where the majority of headlines focus on doping-related issues, your photo gallery captures the essence and excitement of this beautiful sport and is a

Botero, seen here at last year's Tour, is now able to ride... but his team has disappeared in the interim.

A week after busting open the world road championships to spring compatriot Alejandro Valverde onto the final podium, Spanish rider Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) punched his way to victory in Sunday’s rainy Züri Metzgete classic. Sanchez took the initiative again, jumping away from the lead breakaway with about 12km to go in the 241km hilly course and held off a fast chase featuring Stuart O’Grady and world time trial champion Fabian Cancellara (both CSC), Michael Boogerd (Rabobank) and Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner) to snatch his first classics victory. “The weather didn’t bother me

Solo win: Sanchez rides in on his own

A wet, wet day in Switzerland

Sanchez takes another last-minute chance... and this time he gets the benefit.

Bettini had a busy week

Discovery's Beppu leads the charge

CSC had two in the lead... but watch the orange jersey.

The Pfanensteil climb set up the day's most effective break..

Sanchez gets away...

... and stays away

Geoff Brown has seen some of the biggest stars come and go during his 14-year stint as one of Europe’s top professional mechanics, but he still loves the thrill of a bike race. For the first time since 1993 when he heads back to North America at the end of the season, he’ll stay there. Brown has decided it’s time to change gears. He’ll leave Discovery Channel to join the Canadian Symetrics team on the North American circuit. VeloNews.com: How did you get started as a mechanic? Geoff Brown: I started working in a department store putting bikes together. I come from a cycling family. My dad

Success in Las Vegas is all about playing the odds. Of the hundreds of thousands of people who gamble in the Nevada desert city each year, only a handful will hit it big. Similarly, of the thousands of new bikes and related products that crop up at Interbike each year, only a few will become huge hits. Only time will tell which will fly and which will eventually flop. As this year’s Interbike bicycle industry trade show wrapped up in Las Vegas on Friday evening, the display booths came down, bikes, products and clothing got packed into boxes and our crew headed back to the Rockies. Here’s

Brown is wrapping up his 14th season as a Euro-based pro wrench

Instant city. The whole show goes up in a few hours and disappears just as quickly

Crumpler, maker of packs and bags, had a completely recyclable booth. Made entirely of cardboard, the booth nonetheless displayed the products nicely in individual compartments.

FSA promoted ceramics by setting up two identical drivetrains on a stand. One utilizes ceramic bearings - rounder, and more uniform in diameter than steel - and the other using standard bearings. We noticed a big difference.

Tour de France champion Floyd Landis was absent in person but not in image.

Speedplay’s booth carried the roughened steel look down to the rotary-sanded refrigerator upstairs. “You know who built this booth with me?,” asked company president Richard Bryne. “Floyd Landis,” he said of his friend and San Diego neighbor.

DeFeet's Earth-E-ator socks are made from corn fiber in the cuff and the forebody and use minimal packaging.

Mike DeSalvo makes about 150 custom steel and titanium frames each year, painted in whatever design the customer can dream up.

The Floyd Bike. The things that look like green balloon tires are actually fenders – the fully functional wheels are hidden underneath.

Seigler Imports now imports carbon components from Karbona, a Taiwanese manufacturer that builds parts for many American owned companies. Its house brand full carbon clincher wheelset retails for $1299

Speaking of Seigler, the company now has its own line of bikes, built at the same factory that manufacturers BH Bicycles.

The Arko retails for $2799 as a frameset.

– Scott Peterson designed the $499 Rock and Roll Kinetic trainer, which allows the bike to tilt side to side, imitating road riding conditions like climbing or sprinting.

Dirt Dog MTB makes stems that probably wouldn’t look right on a Colnago.

continues to lead the charge of stylish cruisers.

You want color choices? They’ve got ‘em by the mile.

Interbike isn’t all about bikes. Every year there are always more than a few, um, innovative ideas shown

Most remote controls are used from your seat. This (silver lever) remote is used for your seat. Maverick’s Speedball telescoping seatpost’s remote lever is now available as a handlebar mount.

Travis Brown was inducted into the Mountain-Bike Hall of Fame this year

The miracle comeback of Saul Raisin took another step forward as he returned to Europe this week for the first time since nearly dying in a crash last April in France. Raisin, 23, hasn’t ruled out a return to the professional peloton next year if he continues to make positive steps in his recovery. He’s back in Europe this week for a month-long visit and he’s already climbed some of the big cols near his home in Monaco. “My goal is to move back to Europe in January and do some intense training and see how far I can go,” Raisin told VeloNews. “There’s no guarantee I can race again, but

Wasted and wounded, it ain't what the moon didI've got what I paid for now. . . ."Tom Traubert's Blues" by Tom Waits LAS VEGAS, Nev. — It’s easy to go cyborg at Interbike. After a long day of stalking the show floor, translating MarketSpeak® into English, and even longer nights spent consuming volatile liquids and denouncing various Enemies of the People, you don’t sleep so much as crash. Come morning, you reboot, hoping that your RAM reorganizes itself along tidy, functional little lines. This almost never happens. Thus, breakfast is a must, preferably within walking distance,

Raisin is cautious, but his recovery has been spectacular

The Casino of the Living Dead