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Kelly's back, and in blue

I have just been going through my photos from last weekend's Liberty Mutual U.S. national cyclo-cross championships in Providence, Rhode Island, and I found a few I thought I'd share. Granted, I'm not a professional photographer, but here are a few shots that capture some of the feel of the race. Next week: Mr. Rogers' best and worst from 2005.

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.Respect and rulesVeloNews,As the Technical Coordinator for this year's U.S. Cyclo-Cross Nationalsand the one responsible for enforcing the staging procedures at the event,I feel compelled to respond to MarcVettori's characterization of Katie Compton's call-up spot a

British cyclist David Millar, who is serving a two-year drugs ban, has signed to race for the Saunier Duval team next year, the Spanish outfit said Thursday. Millar agreed to a deal that will begin in June 2006 and finish at the end of 2007. "David Millar has signed a contract linking him to the team until the end of 2007," Saunier Duval said in a statement released on th team’s website. "He will be back on the road next June. David Millar is a great rider, and in Saunier Duval we believe he deserves a second chance to display his talent." The 28-year-old is serving a two-year ban for

Winter wonderland: Roger Williams Park was blanketed in snow following Friday's vicious winter storm.

Six-time national champion Jesse Anthony (Clif Bar) put in a valiant effort in the U23 race, chasing back to within 10 seconds of Troy Wells after a first-lap puncture set him back.

Russell Kappius attends to his son Brady's frostbitten hands after the juniors race. Kappius finished sixth behind Selander.

After battling with defending champion Bjørn Selander (Alan Factory) for most of the juniors race, TIAA-CREF-Clif Bar rider Danny Summerhill soloed in for the title following a tangle that left Selander off the back.

Ryan Trebon had some supporters of his own in Rhode Island.

Former national champions Tim Johnson (Cyclocrossworld.com-Louis Garneau) and Jonathan Page (Liberty Mutual-Cervelo) shook hands before heading into battle.

Kona's Ryan Trebon looking cold at the start of the elite men's race. Trebon finished second, but called it a less-than-stellar day: I’m not really happy with my race.

Three-time national champ Jonathan Page had supporters, but a stomach flu saw him relinquish his title to Todd Wells. Page finished an admirable third before heading back to the local hospital for intravenous fluids.

No one negotiated the slippery off-camber sections better than Todd Wells.

Linda and Pete Wells were proud parents after their sons took back-to-back national titles on December 10.

Canadian national champ Lyne Bessette was the only woman to race the Liberty Cup. Bessette had a good start, but abandoned the race after 40 minutes.

Nice shirt, bro: Elite champ Todd Wells and brother Troy, the U23 champ, were the first riders called to the front of the Liberty Cup.

Coming into the Liberty Cup race, a fair amount of hype surrounded Alex Coelho (Redline), who nearly won the Colorado elite cyclo-cross state championship on December 3. Coelho won the junior 15-16 national title by almost three minutes.

The sun shone most brightly on Katie Compton (Redline), who ran away with the elite women's race.

Dear Bob,I've Googled, and I’ve searched the Kentucky Legislature site, butthe only Kentucky "laws" I can find dealing with bikes on the road areabout lights, reflectors, etc. I can't find anything about cars havingto pass bikes with 3 feet of clearance (which appears to be the "universalstandard"). I've looked through both the Kentucky Revised Statutes andthe Kentucky Administrative Rules, and there's nothing other than"Wear a helmet" and "use a reflector.”I’ve tried asking cops. A local cop didn't know of any bike-specificlaws. I talked with a state cop. He had no idea

At Wednesday’s presentation of the 2006 Vuelta a España in Madrid, the race director Victor Cordero said how he was "outraged" by 2005 winner Roberto Heras testing positive for EPO, while the Spanish state secretary for sports Jaime Lissavetzky spoke about taking a more "rigorous" approach to doping and having a "clean and ethical" race next year. But the fact that Heras did test positive shows that the UCI’s stepped-up anti-doping program is working. Doping in sport has been around for decades; it’s not a problem that can be suddenly eradicated. At least Cordero said he was planning a

Sastre, shown in the 2005 Vuelta, hopes to defend his podium finish

Mancebo, also seen in the '05 Vuelta, calls the '06 route 'spectacular'

Valverde's attendance depends on how he does in the Tour

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.Here’s something for your listDear Velo,Hot:Katie Compton storming to her second national title from far back in the pack.Not:The decision to disrespect the current national champion, and deny her a call up.I wonder if next year a two-time national champion will get the same shabby

I had a recent experience in the medical care of an elite cyclist that,for me, became something of a baptism-by-fire education in sports physiology.Reviewing the results of an extensive set of blood tests on an elitecyclist who had recently fallen ill, I found myself at a complete lossto explain a mysterious abnormality that appeared on the charts.Was this a benign variation found in some elite cyclists or the firstdiagnosis of a serious or life-threatening illness? My God, could it alsobe doping? I felt I owed it to the athlete to figure it out. The investigationthat followed was a Pandora’s

Manuel Piñera, president and majority stock holder of the firm that manages the Liberty Seguros cycling team, has resigned in apparent reaction to the Roberto Heras doping scandal. "I'm leaving because there are things I do not agree with and that I cannot change even though I am president of the team," Piñera told Spain’s sports daily AS on Tuesday. Piñera is currently the largest shareholder in Active Bay, the management company that runs the Liberty squad, but in addition to his resignation, he said he plans to sell his shares to team directors Manolo Saiz and Pablo Anton. Piñera

The Navigators Insurance Cycling team is bigger than ever as it prepares for the 2006 season. New on the 17-man squad are Uzbekistan’s Sergey Lagutin, the 2003 under-23 world road champion and reigning Uzbek national road and time trial champion; former Ukrainian national champion Valeriy Kobzarenko; Australians Glen Chadwick and Ben Brooks; and two Americans, former Navigators rider T. Burke Swindlehurst and Bernard Van Ulden, third in the time trial at the 2005 U.S. national championships. Returning riders include sprinter Vassili Davidenko, 2005 Irish national champ David O’Loughlin,

The route of the 2006 Vuelta a España was unveiled Wednesday in Madrid with organizers calling for zero tolerance for doping following the recent Roberto Heras doping scandal. The presentation came only hours after it was reported that Liberty Seguros team president Manuel Pinera had decided to quit his post and would be selling his shares in Active Bay, which runs the team that employed Heras before the 2005 Vuelta champ was confirmed positive for EPO. Heras, who has protested his innocence and is appealing the decision that led to his sacking, has yet to be suspended for the expected two

Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong will go on trial for defamation after losing a preliminary hearing against Italian Filippo Simeoni. Armstrong called the Italian rider a "liar" in an interview with French newspaper Le Monde in 2003 after Simeoni had given evidence in 2002 to magistrates investigating disgraced Italian sports doctor Michele Ferrari. On Wednesday judge Nicola Insiti rejected a claim by Armstrong's defense and ordered a hearing to be held on March 7, 2006. Ferrari, who is alleged to have helped dozens of top athletes to safely administer illegal

A bunch of press releases, new products, and (gasp) a product alert have all piled up on my desktop over the past week. It’s time to purge. We first brought you the news a week ago, but we’ve since learned some more about the three-year deal between Health Net and Cannondale. The company will provide the team with Cannondale-branded clothing plus shoes and casual clothing from Diadora, a brand for which Cannondale owns North American distribution rights. "With the exception of Rudy helmets we’re head to toe," said Scott Struve, Cannondale’s product marketing manager. The riders have a

Ask the Doctor: A brighter shade of.... yellow?

Tech Shorts: Cannondale and Health Net; SRM and FSA; Scott plans new design; Serotta suggests stem check

The Belgian Cycling Federation said Tuesday that it feared losing the rights to hold two world championships after a high court suspended a doping ruling against former champion Ludovic Capelle. The Belgian Council of State on Monday suspended an 18-month doping sentence against the 2001 Belgian champion on procedural grounds, allowing the cyclist to race again. ''We do everything possible to keep the sport clean and then we see a decision like this,'' federation chairman Laurent De Backer told VRT television. He said the UCI might consider taking next year's world

Five riders have received automatic nominations to USA Cycling’s 2006 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships squad, the governing body announced Tuesday. Daniel Summerhill (TIAA-CREF-Clif Bar) of Englewood, Colorado, earned his automatic bid by winning the junior men’s national championship at the Liberty Mutual U.S. National Cyclo-cross Championships December 9-11 in Providence, Rhode Island. Troy Wells (TIAA-CREF-Clif Bar) of Durango, Colorado, and Jesse Anthony (Clif Bar) of Beverly, Massachusetts, earned automatic selections in the under-23 category. Wells rode to a national title on

Summerhill, shown winning at nationals in Rhode Island, is among the automatic nominations to the 2006 'cross-world's team

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. After looking through a remarkable selection of entries, we settled Michael Oryl’s “Crossing Loveland Pass In The Snow,” not because it was the most technically perfect photo submitted that week, but because it just reflected the lengths to which many of us will go to “enjoy” this beautiful sport of ours. Somebody get

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.It's all about the kidsDear Editor,Good for Lance, in the closing remarks of his interviewwith John Wilcockson, promoting bicycle racing for juniors.He knows what stimulated his interest in competitive sports, what weneed more of, and what is good for kids. Everywhere I turn in the

The 18-month doping ban imposed on Belgian rider Ludovic Capelle has been lifted by Belgium's highest legal body involved with administrative matters, Flemish television station VRT reported on Monday. Capelle was suspended in October after testing positive for the blood booster EPO (erythropoeitin) during a race in June, but it has now been ruled that the proper procedure had not been followed. No details were given. The former Belgian champion had been sacked by his Landbouwkrediet team, and manager Gerard Bulens told the Belga news agency on Monday: "We terminated Ludovic's

VeloNews Photo Contest: A new Gallery

Capelle in 2004

Britain’s Nicole Cooke will be sidelined for three weeks after breaking a collarbone at the UCI track World Cup in Manchester, England. Cooke, 22, crashed in points-race qualifications on Friday evening, and an examination confirmed two cracks of the left clavicle, without displacement or complication, according to team manager Doug Dailey. The young Briton should take two to three weeks to recover, but she could resume training at the beginning of January, Dailey said.

Belgian Bart Wellens soloed to victory in the sixth round of the UCI cyclo-cross World Cup Sunday in Igorre, Spain. Czech Petr Dlask and Italian Enrico Franzoi crossed second and third, respectively. It was a black day for world champion Sven Nys of Belgium, undefeated through the first five rounds. Nys had a good start but suffered mechanical problems on the muddy, sodden course, and had to be satisfied with eighth place. Wellens, by contrast, was delighted with his performance. "I always gave the best of myself, but Nys was too strong in the earlier races," he said. "I continued to

You just can't keep Katie Compton in the back of the bus. The reigning national elite women’s cyclo-cross champion - who started in 41st position after being denied a call-up at Sunday's race during the Liberty Mutual U.S. Cyclo-cross National Championships due to her lack of UCI points - tore straight through the field on the first lap, seized the lead and never let it go.

Compton shot from 41st to No. 1 in less time than it took to write this caption

Knapp fought valiantly, but wound up with silver

Bruno Roy drives into third

What is this, a casting call for the next 'Captain America' remake?

Just how bad was the snow, freezing rain, wind, sleet and more snow on Friday, the opening day of the 2005 Liberty Mutual U.S. national cyclo-cross championships?

There was no shortage of themes to come out of the second day of the 2005 Liberty Mutual U.S. Cyclo-cross National Championships in Providence, Rhode Island. On a day when, among others, collegiate men, under-23 men, junior men 17-18 and elite men all raced for stars-and-stripes jerseys, there was a handful of constants overlapping the day’s most prestigious races.

New Zealand edged Great Britain to take victory in the men's team pursuit Saturday at the Union Cycliste Internationale Track Cycling World Cup in Manchester, England. Great Britain had led the Kiwis into the dying seconds before just missing out on the line. The team's bid had been hampered by illness, with both Mark Cavendish and Rob Hayles falling sick with viruses this week. Hayles blamed his virus and also an incident at his local supermarket when he "clothes-lined" a bag snatcher attempting to escape on a bicycle. "That's got to be worth at least a couple of seconds,"

Slush, snow and speed. Chris Milliman was knee-deep in cyclo-cross nats on Saturday, and here's what he saw.

The ferocious weather froze racers to the bone and forced the postponement of two events

Todd Wells wins the elites

Troy Wells takes the under-23 race

Summerhill celebrates his junior title

Illness erased Page's edge

Jesse Anthony saw his unbeaten streak snapped

Brent Bookwalter took the collegiate race and laid down a serious challenge in the under-23 contest

Speaking of 'under-23' . . . .

Um, yes, the weather was inhospitable

Just ask this guy (and his laundry)

The course

'Treefarm' on the march

When Lance Armstrong strolled into the private air terminal at his hometown airport in Austin for this interview he was dressed down for the gig he was attending that night, starring his fiancée, Sheryl Crow. A small duffle bag over his shoulder, Armstrong wore designer jeans deliberately spotted with white paint, a black Nike-brand T-shirt bearing the gray silhouette of an eagle, thick-soled black punk-style ankle boots, and a sharp, black baseball cap advertising the “SIX Lounge, Austin, Texas.” In the couple of hours before he climbed into an executive jet, Armstrong spoke to VeloNews at

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.I ride because I rideEditor,I just finished riding the rollers for the evening. I had the `95 world’sin Colombia in the VCR, the volume turned down and the Ipod turned up.I had to, because if I hear Phil misidentify Oliverio Rincon as FernandoEscartin one more time I'm going to

Organizers of cycling's top three stage races pulled out of the UCI ProTour circuit Friday after talks with the sport's governing body collapsed. Organizers of the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España said in a statement issued Friday that the UCI's plans for the 2006 series imposed too many restrictions. Race operators and the UCI have been at odds over how races are organized and funded. Organizers said the ProTour limits their ability to select teams for their races and that extending a temporary accord reached for 2005 made ''no

Break out the cowbells, wool socks and long underwear, the second weekend of December has arrived, meaning the most important cyclo-cross race of the North American calendar is about to take place. Held in the natural amphitheater of the Roger Williams Park in Providence, Rhode Island, the 2005 Liberty Mutual U.S. national cyclo-cross championships is expected to host some of the most tightly contested battles for the stars-and-stripes jerseys in recent memory.

UCI president Pat McQuaid told VeloNews Friday that he was "not surprised" by the position taken by the organizers of the three grand tours, saying their decision to split from the UCI ProTour and return to a system of team invitations and wild cards for their events was "like going back to the Dark Ages." He believes that the grand tours made a pre-emptive move in view of a meeting planned this coming Monday between the UCI and the ProTour team sponsors. Speaking on a cell phone while transferring planes at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany, McQuaid said he had just heard of the grand

"So why should this weekend be any different? Snow." That was Chris Milliman, in an e-mail promising photos from this weekend's Liberty Mutual U.S. Cyclo-cross National Championships in Providence, Rhode Island. He's seen his fair share of the white stuff while covering 'cross races this fall, and from the look of the shots he sent our way today, he's not seen the last of it yet. The weather was bad enough that two categories – men 30-34 and collegiate men – had to be postponed until Saturday. So take a good, long look at the gallery posted below – and then go throw another

Sarah Hammer of Temecula, California, took gold in the women’s points race during the first day of competition at the Union Cycliste Internationale Track Cycling World Cup in Manchester, England. Hammer’s victory comes in her first World Cup since a one-year hiatus from cycling. Hammer, 22, lapped the field with China’s Yan Li to claim a majority of her points. Hammer will ride in the women’s pursuit in Saturday’s competition. Teammate Becky Quinn (Quakertown, Pennsylvania) consistently finished in the top four during the points race sprints, placing her sixth overall. Michael Blatchford

The only guy to do that.

Buddies. Bruyneel has played a critical role in Armstrong's success.

Armstrong had issues with Simeoni

Armstrong didn't like this one.

Can Page do it again?

Compton will start at the front this year - and this time, everyone will be watching her

Wells has been going for quality, not quantity

Johnson is renowned for his toughness in bad weather

And then, there are the Kona boys