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Verge series resumes SaturdayRounds three and four of the 2006 Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series are slated this weekend with the Chainbiter 8.0 on Saturday in Farmington, Connecticut, and the 16th annual Cycle-Smart International Sunday in Northampton, Massachusetts. Saturday’s Chainbiter takes place in Farmington’s Winding Trails Park, while Sunday’s Cycle-Smart International uses the two-tiered Look Park course. "We’re on target for record fields this weekend," said Cycle-Smart International organizer Adam Myerson. "This will be our 16th edition and it’s come to be

National-level cyclo-cross racing returns to Colorado’s Front Range this weekend as the second round of the Crank Brothers U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross lands in Longmont and Boulder, 30 minutes north of Denver. Round 3 of the USGP, the Xilinx Cup, will be held Saturday in Longmont, with round 4, the Boulder Cup, slated Sunday in the talent-rich racing community of Boulder. This weekend marks the first national-level cyclo-cross event held in Boulder, home of VeloNews, since the November 2000 round of the former SuperCup, when then-national champion Marc Gullickson defeated Tim Johnson.

Scott Addict - Official Team Bike Team Saunier Duval Prodir 2007 Already in the development stage we lived up to and exceeded the high expectations and needs of the Saunier Duval Prodir team. For riders like Gilberto Simoni and Leonardo Piepoli it’s indispensable to be able to rely on a light and rigid bike, which is still comfortable and agile in riding. Two years ago we and our engineers joined together and continued the development of the established CR1 carbon technology. The result was to set yet another milestone in the Scott hi-end bike range. Staying true to the CR1 Innovation and

It’s still the same old story,A fight for love and glory,A case of do or die!The world will always welcome loversAs time goes by. — "As Time Goes By," Herman Hupfeld This isn’t much of a rant; it’s more of a rave. I love cyclo-cross. When I stumbled into this sport back in the 1980s, my first love was road racing. But she was too classically pretty and refined to pay much attention to the likes of me. I followed her around like a retarded puppy, but she hardly knew I was alive, barring one sidelong glance at the state road championships in New Mexico back in 1991. All the jocks were crazy

Playa Jacó, Costa Rica.- Colombian Leonardo Paez (Full Dynamix)won the first stage of the 14th edition of La Ruta de los Conquistadoreslater this morning at 6:00:25. Paez crossed the finish line 15 minutesahead from the second place, Jeremiah Bishop (Volkswagen-Trek). Today’sroute departed from the Pacific Coast into Carara National Park, towardsthe heart of Costa Rica. After arriving, Paez explained he had some problemsclimbing and decided to walk several paths of the race, instead of fightingit. This is the first time Paez does La Ruta. “I thought it would be tough,but not this

National champ Todd Wells (GT) leads Danish champ Joachim Parbo in last weekend's Boulder Cyclocross race

Press Release - Scott and SRAM team up to equip Saunier Duval

The last time O'Grady and cyclo-cross were seen together

ProTour champion Alejandro Valverde is enjoying a vacation this week in the Caribbean island of Curacao, but he’s already thinking about the 2007 season. Valverde will take another two weeks’ break before getting back into serious training to prepare for the upcoming year where he hopes to confirm the success of his breakout season. “I had a great season this year despite the disappointment at the Tour. I was the most consistent all year long and I was able to win some big races,” Valverde told VeloNews. “My season next year will be the same as this year, except that maybe I won’t race the

I haven’t raced in my home state of Colorado for more than a month, so it was nice to not have the weekend hassles of traffic, parking, shuttle buses, security checks, disgruntled airline employees, crappy airport food, rental cars and long drives to races. This time, it was just down the road. Unfortunately, I had some heavy – and unrelated – work to do before race day. As a bike shop owner in Colorado, one thing I couldn’t avoid this past weekend was VeloSwap. VeloSwap is a massive annual swap meet for all things related to cycling. If you are looking for a deal on a new bike, a

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (November 1, 2006) - California Giant Berry Farmshas been named presenting sponsor of the 2006 USA Cycling National Cyclo-CrossChampionships being held Dec. 15-17 at Roger Williams Park in Providence."This entire committee is devoted to the promotion of an active, healthylifestyle," said Lyle Fulkerson, operations director. "To have a sponsorsuch as California Giant Strawberries is a perfect fit.

Austin International to be included in new USA Cycling ProfessionalTourThe inaugural event has also received a 1.1 ranking from InternationalCycling Union(Lebanon, NJ) – November 2, 2006 – g4 Productions, LLC, organizersof the Austin International scheduled for June 2007, announced that theinaugural event will be included in USA Cycling’s new Professional Tourand has received a 1.1 license from the International Cycling Union (UCI).“We are very proud that the Austin International has received a 1.1from the UCI. It is rare for a first year event to receive such a highranking but we have put a

Lance Armstrong trades pedal power for pavement-pounding Sunday in the New York Marathon, but the seven-time Tour de France winner holds no illusions about winning his debut at the distance. The 35-year-old American has not run beyond 16 miles at a time in practice but is confident he can finish the 26.2-mile journey in about three hours. "I have been able to average six-minute miles for 10 miles but they say the 20-mile mark is just halfway," Armstrong told USA Today. "I have no delusions of grandeur about my finish. It's too late for any crazy marathon training. It's just too

One might think that after a long summer of racing mountain bikes in the U.S. and abroad, Adam Craig would be ready for a little down time. You’d also figure a three-day race with a Mount Everest’s worth of climbing wouldn’t be something the average cross-country pro would be up for.

Valverde - here on the podium in Madrid - aims to make Paris next year.

I'll give you $5 bucks for that Scott CR1 Team Issue

Colby Pearce leads 'em through the sand.

Another day at the beach for Danish rider, Joachim Parbo.

Todd Wells: doing Durango proud.

Halloween attire at Boulder Cycle Sport.

Why Costa Rica? Adam Craig explains why his season continues

Why Costa Rica? Adam Craig explains why his season continues

Why Costa Rica? Adam Craig explains why his season continues

Why Costa Rica? Adam Craig explains why his season continues

Why Costa Rica? Adam Craig explains why his season continues

Thirty years after making the United States Olympic Cycling team and twentyyears after winning the DuPont Prize for human powered speed and ten yearsafter retiring from professional cycling, Fast Freddy Markham has stunnedthe cycling community by winning the Dempsey-MacCready Prize at the NissanOne Hour Challenge in Casa Grande, AZ, on July 2 2006. Markham won the event with a new world record speed and brought theOne Hour Title back to the United States for the first time since 1990,the last time Markham held it. Markham averaged a record 53.43 miles froma standing start, this beat the old

Interbike Confidently Welcomes Eurobike to U.S.A. Trade Show MarketFollowing a successful 2006 Interbike OutDoor Demo and InternationalBicycle Expo, Interbike responds to announcement of a competing trade showSAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, California – November 1, 2006 – Interbike,a division of VNU Expositions, today responded to Eurobike’s announcementof its plans to launch a competing show in Portland, Oregon in fall 2007.“I was interested to hear the news of Eurobike’s proposed show,” saidLance Camisasca, Interbike's group show director. “We welcome competition,as it will help us do a better

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.Saiz got a what?Dear VeloNews,So riders who are implicated in an investigation cannot sign for aProTour team because of their Code of Conduct, yet Manolo Saiz - himselfimplicated in Operación Puerto - can be granteda ProTour license to run a team?With the fox guarding the henhouse

MABRAcross finale a double-headerThe BikeReg.com MABRAcross Series concludes this weekend with a double-header: Club Squadra Coppi’s Tacchino Ciclocross on Saturday in Leesburg, Virginia, and the Race Pace Cyclocross on Sunday in Sykesville, Maryland. Traditionally run near Thanksgiving, Saturday’s Tacchino (that’s Italian for "turkey") Cyclocross gets a new location in Leesburg’s Ida Lee Park. "The park staff are very supportive of our efforts, and I get the feeling when dealing with them and the town management that they would like to see this event become even more closely tied with the

It seems the upstart Tinkoff team isn’t shy about courting tainted big names and the baggage that might come with them. The Russian-Italian continental team – already having signed German sprinter Danilo Hondo and courting Tyler Hamilton – has reportedly offered 1997 Tour de France champion Jan Ullrich a multi-million-dollar contract to ride for the 2007 season. The German daily Bild is reporting that a 3.8 million euro offer is on the table for Ullrich, who was among nine riders from four teams kicked out ahead of July’s Tour for links to an alleged blood-doping ring based in Spain, a

Concerns about fire danger have forced the cancellation of the 2006 Red Bull Road Rage in Tuna Canyon at Malibu, California, according to organizers. "After close evaluation of the current fire-danger conditions by the Malibu City fire chief, the decision was made today to cancel the event," organizers announced via press release on Tuesday. "While disappointed, everyone at Red Bull is in full support of whatever action is necessary for the safety of the local community. Red Bull would like to thank all of the athletes, media and bike industry for their support of the event." Organizers

Press Release - Markham nails Dempsey-MacCready Prize

Press Release - Markham nails Dempsey-MacCready Prize

Press Release - Markham nails Dempsey-MacCready Prize

Tinkoff is said to be courting Ullrich

Is Stan the solution?Dear Lennard,I read the article in the latest issue of VeloNews about Hutchinson's tubeless road tires and up and coming new tubeless road rims.What prevents me from using a Stan's No-Tube kit along with Mavic Ksyriums and a pair of new Michelin Pro Race tires or even a new pair of cross tires. Is it a safety issue?By the way, I have used Mavic Crossmax SL, a Stan's No-Tube kit with my tire of choice with great success off road.JoeDear Joe,Yes, it most certainly is a safety issue! I had the same idea whenI got my first bottle of Stan’s NoTubes. I slapped a

Edmonton, Alberta (AP) — Olympic champion cyclist Lori-Ann Muenzer has decided she won't try to defy the odds one more time. Muenzer, who won the sprint gold medal at the 2004 Athens Games at the age of 38, announced on Monday she is retiring from cycling. She plans to concentrate on her company Pure Momentum Inc., which promotes Canadian female motivational speakers, and devote time to a program she's established to develop young cyclists. “I really thought long and hard about it,” Muenzer said. “To be able to have the ultimate performance you have to have so many things in

Cody Peterson (3D Racing-SRAM-LFP&CO) and Kris Walker (Intermountain Sports Medicine-LCR) won their respective men’s and women’s Idaho state cyclo-cross championship races Sunday October 29 held at Sun Valley ski resort. The event, dubbed “Crosstoberfest,” had a festival feel. Loud polka music and hip-hop took turns entertaining the large crowds. While, free cowbells and gigantic authentic beer steins filled to the brim kept spectators loud and rowdy. Peterson, an Idaho native and in his first year racing cyclo-cross, used a small hill leading into a windy open field as the springboard for

"If someone calls me up and says their toaster is talking to them, I don’t refer them to professional help, I say, ‘Put the toaster on the phone.’"—Sal Ivon, former manager of the Weekly World News Okay, let me see if I’ve got this straight: Manolo Saiz is said to have been found in possession of 60,000 euros worth of mixed currencies and a "cold bag" containing four packets of a no-no called Synacthene, and five months later the UCI Licenses Commission hands him a ProTour ticket, leaving him with a fat grin and a double fistful of Alexandre Vinokourov’s chamois with a downhill pull? Venga,

Colorado Springs, Colo. (October 31, 2006)--Beginning with the 2007competitive cycling season, USA Cycling is introducing a new mountain bikecalendar designed to recognize and support top-level regional, nationaland international events through a season-long calendar similar to theNational Racing Calendar model that is currently utilized in road cycling. The new USA Cycling National Mountain Bike Calendar is specifically designedto provide a more open access opportunity for those top-level events thathave, for one reason or another, not participated in the traditional “NORBANational

With less than three days before the 14th edition of La Ruta de los Conquistadores commences, organizers of the three-day mountain bike race across Costa Rica unveiled final 2006 course details on Tuesday. As usual the numbers are mind numbing.Total distance: 176.4 miles.Total climbing: 28,858 feet.Total maximum finish time: 35 hours.“It’s going to be an interesting three days,” said American Adam Craig, who was joined by Jeremiah Bishop and Colombian Leonardo Paez at the pre-race press conference held at the San Jose Hampton Inn on the outskirts of the Central American country’s sprawling

Muenzer celebrates gold in Athens.

Cody Peterson took men's honors at the Idaho State Championships

Kelli Emmett won the women’s event

Emmett also showed up for the Shimano kids race

The Scott Cyclocross Team Bike

Compton’s custom Primus Mootrys were stolen Sunday night

An unidentified UCI spokesman

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. We found Paul Debacker’s “The View” to be the one image we kept coming back to. What a shot and what a spot on the planet. Nice work, Paul. Let us know some details surrounding that shot, if you get a chance. Drop us a note at Rosters@InsideInc.com to work out the details and we’ll send you a copy of Graham Watson's

A friend full of lifeEditors,The article on Karen Hornbostel brought back a flood of memories. Karen was one of the people who I first contacted when I briefly lived in Boulder in the mid 80’s, it turned out she was a friend of a lady I knew in Albuquerque at the time. Karen proved to be very helpful in finding me a cycling team, at that time she was pretty much the Grand dame of the Alfalfa’s women’s cycling team that Lennard Zinn sponsored.Years later after I had moved away from Boulder I bumped into Karen at the Snow Mountain Stampede Nordic Ski race. We had both aged some but she was

Tom Danielson and Lee's Cyclery to Host Fundraiser for Colorado JuniorCycling Development and Cycling Advocacy in Fort Collins, Colorado, November9th.Tom Danielson of the Discovery Channel Professional Cycling Team andLee's Cyclery will hold a benefit to raise money for junior cycling developmentprograms in Colorado. Admission is free to the public. There will be raffles,a silent auction, door prizes, and more. Food and beverages will be available.Tom will discuss various topics with Dave Towle — the voice of North Americanracing. An audience Q&A will give attendees a chance to ask

U.S. champs rule Boulder CyclocrossA pair of U.S. national champions took top honors on Sunday at the Boulder Cyclocross race at the Boulder Reservoir. Todd Wells (GT) won the open men’s race, attacking halfway through the hourlong race to finish solo. A minute later, Danish ’cross champion Joachim Parbo edged Boulder’s Jonathan Baker (Harshman Wealth Management) for second in the sprint to the finish. Wells was the only guy bunny-hopping the boat-dock obstacle, and it paid off. "[The barrier] was the only place to really open up a gap, because there were so many straight, paved sections

Meet Bob Roll and Tom Danielson at Grand Opening of Bike World SanAntonioRoll and Danielson Panel Discussion, Q&A, and Book Signing HelpIntroduce the First Trek Concept Store in TexasBoulder, CO, October 30, 2006 — Get to know Bob Roll and TomDanielson during a panel discussion, Q&A, and book signing at BikeWorld San Antonio on Saturday, November 4 from 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Rolland Danielson are guests during the four day grand opening of Trek's firstconcept store in the state of Texas. Roll will autograph copies of hisbook, BobkeII. Roll is known for his wild antics as an OLN Tour de

Manolo Saiz, implicated in the Spanish doping scandal Operacion Puerto, was granted a ProTour license for his cycling team on Monday by the Union Cycliste Internationale. The team, formerly called Liberty Seguros, then Astana-Würth, and now Astana, is led by Vuelta a España champion Alexandre Vinokourov. The team is owned by Active Bay, and Saiz is a major shareholder of that company. Saiz resigned as team director in June, a month after being swept up in a raid in which police seized bags of blood and doping substances and equipment. He was questioned by police in Madrid after reportedly

The organizers of the Eurobike trade show in Germany reportedly have announced plans to launch a U.S. show next fall in Portland, Oregon, going head to head with the annual Interbike show in Las Vegas. According to the European trade journal Bike Europe, Eurobike owner Messe Friedrichshafen has not settled on a name or exact date for the show, but is shooting for a period between the middle and end of September. The 2007 Interbike show and its Outdoor Demo are scheduled for September 24-28. Erich Reiss, the U.S. representative for Messe Friedrichshafen, told Bike Europe that "discontent

The View

Friends: Beth Estes (l) and Karen Hornbostel

Wells sand-surfing

Parbo enjoys his first U.S. outing

The women's podium

Press Release- Roll and Danielson in San Antonio

Saiz is back in business

Next year’s Tour de France doesn’t include any of the rumored features. No Paris-Roubaix cobbles. No team time trial. No Puy-de-Dôme. No climb over the unpaved Colle della Finestre in Italy. No Mont Ventoux. Even so, the 2007 Tour route announced last Thursday in Paris does include a host of unexpected challenges that could produce a race as tumultuous as any Tour in the past decade. But the bigger questions, particularly for American fans, are: (1) can the 2006 Tour-champion-in-limbo Floyd Landis win his appeal against a drugs violation, fully recover from his hip surgery, and find a team

Will the 2006 winner - whoever he might be - show up in '07?

World cycling chief Pat McQuaid has launched a broadside at the handling of a doping investigation which has left the UCI virtually unable to sanction riders suspected of cheating. A police investigation in Spain last May, dubbed Operación Puerto, allegedly uncovered a drug and blood doping network being run by a Madrid-based sports doctor, Eufemiano Fuentes, which implicated 58 professional riders, some of them top names in the peloton. Yet three months after an apparently explosive scandal, cycling's world ruling body may well be forced to allow most of those implicated to return to

Twenty-three-year-old Radomir Simunek Jr. (Palmans-Collstrop) won the third round of the UCI World Cup cyclo-cross series held Saturday in the Czech Republic. Simunek celebrated his first World Cup win in front of a Czech crowd at the site of the 2001 World Championships in Tabor. Simunek joined an early attack by Bart Wellens (Fidea)and rode with the former world champion for the bulk of the hour-long event. Simunek, however, proved to be the stronger of the two on Saturday and he powered away from the Belgian on the final lap. "I tried a little acceleration," Simunek said, "and I found I

McQuaid has grown increasingly frustrated by authorities' handling of Operación Puerto.

Tour de France officials assured an overall winner to the 2006 edition will be named and discounted speculation that the race would be left without a victor if Floyd Landis fails in his efforts to beat back doping charges. “Of course there will be a winner. I don’t understand this debate. This is sport, not just a ride,” said ASO president Patrice Clerc at Thursday’s presentation of the 2007 Tour route. “The Tour is the most important bike race of the world, so it’s obvious there will be a winner. If someone cheats and it’s confirmed, then the cheater is not the winner and the second-place

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. On missing KarenEditors,After reading LennardZinn's article on his friend Karen, I just felt I had to write.Until today I had never heard of Karen Hornbostel. I didn't knowabout her cycling career, job or her battle with cancer, but afterreading Lennard's piece, I just had

Oh, Colorado's calling meFrom her hillsides and her riversAnd her mesas and her trees.When blizzards snap the power linesAnd all the toilets freezeIn December in the Colorado Rockies.— "Colorado," by Christopher Guest, Sean Kelly and Tony Hendra, from "Lemmings" Nothing says "Colorado" quite like riding your cyclo-cross bike in bibs and short-sleeve jersey on Wednesday, then huddling sweat-suited in the snowy darkness on Thursday. Colorado Springs got its first real winter storm in years yesterday, a heavy, wet dumper of a blizzard that closed roads, highways and schools, snapped tree

No one who saw the dramatic highlights reel the Amaury Sports Organization presented on Thursday will say that the organizers of the Tour de France are downplaying the doping that has so undermined the event’s image. The eight-and-a-half-minute video, which played at the unveiling of the 2007 route, began and ended with the subject of doping, just as the three-week race did last July. There were 40 seconds of footage of the chaotic disqualifications of so many top riders at the start of the race (allegedly snared in the Spanish Operacion Puerto doping plot) and 40 seconds more of Floyd

Manolo Saiz, the team manager implicated in the Operación Puerto doping investigation, was told on Friday that his ProTour license remains valid for the time being at least. The decision to allow Saiz to provisionally continue operating was taken by the Union Cycliste Internationale's licensing commission. But in a statement the UCI made clear its displeasure at the lack of vital information from the Spanish authorities heading Operación Puerto to help it in its ruling on Saiz. Operación Puerto is the wide-ranging police inquiry into an alleged blood doping network run by Madrid-based

The Italian cycling federation dropped doping allegations against Giro d'Italia champion Ivan Basso on Friday. The organization upheld the Italian Olympic Committee's recommendation that the case against Basso be dismissed, the federation said in a statement. Basso was excluded from this year's Tour de France after being linked to the Spanish Operacion Puerto doping investigation. "It's the right outcome," Basso's lawyer, Massimo Martelli, told The Associated Press. "More than being happy, we feel it was deserved."

Michigan CX circuit visits the ‘Devil’s Soup Bowl’Michigan cyclo-crossers will be in for an extra helping of pain and suffering on Sunday as the state series visits the "Devil’s Soup Bowl," better known as Veterans Park in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The park, with its natural amphitheater layout, has featured run-ups of 75 to 100 meters, sections incorporating deteriorated flights of cement stairs, off-camber switchback climbs with 15 percent grade, and muddy sections of soft grassy soil. Sunday’s race promises more of the same, including last year’s "L’Alpe d’Huez" section of

Pereiro cautions that Landis is still the official winner.

Karen, we're going to miss you.

Brrrr . . . .

Prudhomme announcing the 2007 Tour route

Livingstone has high hopes for the Tour start in London

Veterans Park