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Zabel takes a narrow victory at the line

Zabel hoists his third Paris-Tours trophy

Gutierrez, Berges and Posthuma enjoyed a long break

Posthuma and Gutierrez

Scenic? Naaaaah. . .

The trees you can't see the forest for

Devolder and Gilbert dropped the lead trio and soldiered on together

The twosome looked a lock - until they were swallowed up 150m from the line

Gerolsteiner was chasing

So was Lotto

Levecot has a go

DiLuca couldn't care less - he sewed up the ProTour title last weekend

Zabel, on the other hand, cared very much

And he got to hoist this trophy for a third time

Bessette put on the gas early on the first run up...

... leaving the rest of the field to race for second.

McCormack, Bessette tops in Tacoma 'cross

McCormack

Bjorn Selander takes the juniors' race

The men's race was a battle among six

Dr. Prentice Steffen, interviewed last week in a sidebar to a dopingstory in the French sports daily, L’Equipe has “retracted andclarified” comments in which he characterized seven-time Tour de Francewinner Lance Armstrong as one of the “bad guys” and guilty of doping.Steffen apologized for his comments and resigned from his post as teamdoctor for the American TIAA-CREF team, a program with the expressed missionof proving that riders can compete and succeed without using performance-enhancingsubstances.Steffen’s letter of apology and resignation was e-mailed to reportersby team director

One winner of the opening round of the Crank Brothers U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross was last year’s defending series champion; the other was the only competitor, man or woman, to have won a World Cup cyclo-cross event. So when Ryan Trebon (Kona) and Canadian Lyne Bessette (Cyclocrossworld.com-Louis Garneau) took convincing solo victories at the Cannondale Stumptown Classic in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday, it shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise — except that both brought to the start line extenuating circumstances that led many to question whether either rider could dominate a

The Kona boys show 'em the way

Open the Champagne!

Bessette got off to a good start

Heck of a way to spend a Saturday

The Kona duo towered above the rest of the field

T-Mobile’s Erik Zabel said Friday that he enters the 84th edition of Paris-Tours on Sunday with mixed emotions, realizing that it will be his last event racing under the magenta colors of a team he’s been part of for 13 years. The 35-year-old Zabel said Friday that it was “almost beyond comprehension” that he would be riding for another team – the German/Italian Milram squad – after being part of the Deutsche Telekom/T-Mobile program since its inception. “For a long time, I couldn’t even imagine having to find a new team after 13 years in the same program,” he said. Zabel said it was only

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.Steffen knows nothing, should leave sportEditor:What is with Prentice Steffen? I read the David Walsh article in the Sunday Times years ago, where if my memory serves, Steffen makes his original allegations. I recall that the riders in question asked Steffen how they could improve their

Four-time Vuelta a España winner Roberto Heras has put the goldenbicycle he used for his triumphant ride into Madrid this year up forauction on eBay's Spanish web site with hopes of raising money to helpthe victims of Hurricane Katrina in the U.S.Heras, who won his fourth Vuelta on September 18, rode a special editioncarbon frame from BH with gold-highlighted components into Madrid on thefinal stage of the Spanish tour.Bidding began at 1.00 euro on Friday, with early estimates suggestinga final price of around 18,000 euros, but bids had already reached 11,800euros after just five hours.

Brimming with confidence after becoming America’s first world pro road champion on September 4, 1983, Greg LeMond took aim at the final weeks of the season with great form and big ambitions. He had a good chance of becoming the first American to win not only a European classic but also the Super Prestige Pernod competition (equivalent of today’s UCI ProTour). The remaining three Super Prestige races were the Grand Prix des Nations time trial and the one-day classics Paris-Tours and the Tour of Lombardy. His main rival for the truly prestigious Pernod award was Sean Kelly, the Irishman who

The second Crank Brothers U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclo-cross kicks off Saturday with a pair of Northwestern races – Saturday’s Cannondale Stumptown Cyclocross Classic in Portland, Oregon, and Sunday’s Rad Racing Gran Prix of Cyclocross in Tacoma, Washington. The six-race national series rewards overall winners in the elite-men, elite-women, under-23 and junior-men categories with automatic selection to the U.S. team that will contest the world cyclo-cross championships on January 28-29, 2006, in Zeddam, The Netherlands. All six races will be held under UCI regulations, and leaders’ jerseys will

Zabel celebrates his win at the Rund um den Henninger Turm earlier this year

Zabel and his new teammate, Alessandro Petacchi, at this year's world's in Madrid

Heras auctions golden bike for Katrina relief

LeMond and Kelly, two soldiers in the Anglo invasion

Hi Bob,Occasionally while riding on the road, a rock will go sailing fromthe sidewall of my tires to a car driving next to me.  I cringe everytime this happens, and I’m waiting for the day a motorist decides to dosomething about the new dent in their car.  If this did become a legalmatter, would I be responsible for the rock hitting their car?T.D.Santa Barbara, CaliforniaT.D.,You have heard of the “Perfect Storm,” but what about the “PerfectStone?”  One day I was on a training ride, minding my own business,when I hear someone yelling and I turn to my left and see a man drivinga

Aigle, Switzerland (AP) - The Union Cycliste Internationale has appointed a Dutch lawyer to conduct an independent investigation into allegations Lance Armstrong tested positive for EPO during the 1999 Tour de France. The cycling body said Thursday that Emile Vrijman and his law firm would “undertake a comprehensive investigation regarding all issues concerning the testing conducted by the French laboratory of urine samples” from the '99 Tour. Vrijman's firm is based in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and he is a former director of the Netherlands' national anti-doping agency. In

A former doctor with the U.S. Postal Service cycling team has reiterated earlier allegations that he says support claims that American Lance Armstrong used EPO (Erythropoietin) to win his first Tour de France in 1999. Prentice Steffen, a 44-year-old emergency room physician, claims U.S. Postal fired him in 1996 when he refused to administer doping products to certain riders. And although he says he has received threatening phone calls warning him not to speak out from Armstrong, who in recent weeks has been forced to deny reports that he used EPO in 1999, warning him not to speak out,

The L'Equipe story isn't going away for a while.

Thursday's L'Equipe featured Steffen's allegations from 1996

At the ripe age of 22, Saul Raisin is putting the finishing touches of his first season in the elite ranks inside the European peloton. The Georgian rode to impressive results in his neo-pro season with Crédit Agricole, finishing ninth overall at the Tour of Germany and winning the best climber’s jersey at the Tour de l’Avenir. All that came after overcoming a horrible crash at the Four Days of Dunkirk in May when he was hit by a motorcycle in the race caravan that left him with several broken bones. The strong late-season results only fuel the fire within Raisin, who is looking ahead to

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.An auction for a friendDear VeloNews,As many of you have heard, Allan Butler, of the Healthy Choice-GobleKnee Clinic Cycling Team and Utah Cycling Association's top cyclist for2005, was tragically killed while attending Interbike in Las Vegas.Several pros have stepped up to help

In an industry increasingly dominated by mega-corporations, pumping outhi-tech, relatively affordable, but admittedly soulless bikes, you haveto wonder if there’s still a place for the small frame builder.How does a guy in a worn shop apron, often operating out of a garage,manage to compete against a sub-$1000 Chinese-made carbon frame?Quite nicely, thank you.“I do maybe 100 frames a year,” notes Ashland, Oregon's Mike DeSalvo.“That's not a lot for Specialized, maybe, but I sure stay busy.”DeSalvo Cycleswill never rival any of the biggies, but its owner and founder says that’snot the

During her 10-year career as a professional mountain biker, Jimena Florit twice won the NORBA cross-country overall title, as well as a pair of overall short-track championships, a Pan American Games gold medal and represented her home country of Argentina at two Olympic games. But after the 2004 season, the 33-year old was suffering from a case of burnout and decided to turn her attention elsewhere. Florit spent 2005 living the multi-sport lifestyle, training for and competing in adventure races and Xterra triathlons. While swimming and running don’t exactly come easy for Florit, her

Geneva, Switzerland (AP) - The Court of Arbitration for Sport hopesto reach a decision on Tyler Hamilton's appeal by the end of the year orthe beginning of 2006.A first hearing was held in Denver on September 6-8 but, because notall the evidence could be presented at the time, it was decided arbitrationwould resume at a later date."We still need to co-ordinate the date of the second hearing with allthe parties involved, the witnesses, the members of the tribunal, the experts,etc., which can be difficult," CAS secretary general Matthieu Reeb toldThe Associated Press in a telephone

Raisin in Madrid

DeSalvo's 12-pound steel track bike got some attention in Vegas

A mustache-barred commuter won't usually appear in most big company catalogues...

...nor would something like a Jones hardtail

Interbike '05: Taking on Goliath

There may also not be enough demand for an S-and-S coupled titanium track bike to interest Trek or Specialized, but DeSalvo has made quite a few of 'em.

The Brits are already hyping the expected showdown between Bradley Wiggins, the good trooper who won gold, silver and bronze medals for Queen and country on the Olympic track, and David Millar, the dark star and confessed doper. Wiggins, 25, will leave Crédit Agricole next year in a two-year deal to join Cofidis, which just happens to be Millar’s former team. Millar, 28, penned a deal to return to the elite ranks with Saunier Duval when his two-year racing ban expires just days head of the start of the 2006 Tour de France. Millar admitted he took the banned blood booster EPO and later had

FOCUS to Reward Fast Starters in 2005 U.S. Gran PrixA fast start is always a good thing in a cyclocross race and in the2005 Crank Brothers U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross a fast start will alsobe a profitable thing. FOCUS Bikes, a German bike builder best known assponsor for 2005 Cyclocross World Champion Hanke Kupfernagel, will sponsorthe FOCUS First Lap Competition for all six stops of this years U.S. GranPrix.Awarded in four race categories - Elite Men, Elite Women, Juniors, andMasters 35+ - the FOCUS First Lap Competition will award cash prizes tothe leading rider through the start/finish

Wiggins at Madrid

Former world champion Johan Museeuw Belgium was charged Monday with possession of banned doping substances, Belgian prosecutors said. The 1996 world road race champion was accused of possessing 2000 units of the banned blood booster EPO (erythropoietin) and two other banned performance enhancers. Museeuw was suspected of being at the head of a ring of drug traffickers including a veterinary surgeon and three-time world cyclo-cross champion Mario De Clerq and eight other riders and go-betweens. They are suspected of supplying human growth hormones, stimulants, steroids and testosterone to

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.Classic stylingDear VeloNews,I knew that newUSA kit looked familiar. It just took me a few days to place it.Jon IrickSan Francisco, CaliforniaAt least he admitted itDear Velo,I have known Canadian rider Chris Sheppard for more than 15 years andwas shocked as anyone when I found out that

We admit that it's been a while since we've had one of these and now thatthe grand tours and trade shows are done for a while, we'll do our bestto get back in the habit of posting our once Weekly Photo Contests. Towardthat end, we are now posting thisweek's gallery and planning to get these up each Monday for the foreseeablefuture.Of course, a new gallery also means the naming of the winner of ourmostrecent contest. There's something about Bob Cullinan's "Chengdu chaos" that has stayed with us ever since we first saw the shot. Congratulations, Bob! You win a copy of

Say it ain't so, Jo'

As VeloNews.com has shown over the past week, Interbike offers a smorgasbordof cutting edge, high-end bikes and related goodies. It’s also filled withbizarre, who-would-possibly-buy-that type gizmos. Wading through the blinkingplastic safety vests to find the 100-gram rear derailleur is just partof the fun.

Paolo Bettini pumped all the frustration and anger from last weekend’s road world championships into his pedals Sunday to score his biggest win of the 2005 season at the 92nd Championships of Zürich. The “Cricket” wasn’t given the freedom to jump until it was too late in last week’s battle in Madrid, but no one was holding him back in the rainy, 241.8km race over the hills near Zürich. The Olympic champion attacked with 38km to go, and by the time the main bunch reacted, it was game over. “I am over the moon,” Bettini said after taking a dramatic solo win. “The weather today was dreadful,

Redmond, WA - What do mail carriers and ‘cross racers have in common? Rain, hail, and unwavering dedication to their chosen courses. Nearly a thousand spectators proved just as passionate to the sport as true northwest-style (read: “muddy”) cyclocross reigned at the Group Health Velodrome Saturday night.Despite the drenching downpour on the early races at King County’s MarymoorPark in Redmond, WA, our hardy bell-clanging fans still packed the windingcourse and Toña Cerveza Beer Garden, letting riders know they wereall in it together.In stark contrast to last year’s balmy event, this year’s

Crank Brothers now offers the Candy in Ti

The Deuter Attack Hydration pack creates a new category for itself. Besides housing a 100oz bladder and ample gear storage space, it has been specifically designed as a piece of body armor.

Even in Las Vegas, Eddy is the real King

Sometimes you get celeb's, other times you get celebrity bikes

Chris Wherry models the newest Oakley Thump MP3 player.

Pearl Izumi's new road glove is bomb proof

Combining carbon and titanium makes sense

Ridley's new Noah

The San Marco Magma...

... and grill work that reminds of the new Charger

Scott takes a jump into cyclo-cross... and quite nicely, if we say so.

The Look 486 is a pure road machine...

... while Look’s new 496 is a triathlon bike but a lot of this technology will find its way into the peloton before too long. Note the proprietary fork and beefy bottom bracket.

Tinker takes a break from 24-hour racing

Mary McConneloug works the booth at Kenda

Yes officer. SRAM tried to make the point that details of its new road group are embargoed unti October 13.