All Content

Following an excellent neo-pro season, which includes the best climber’s jersey at the Tour de l’Avenir and ninth overall at the Tour of Germany, Saul Raisin has decided to stay where he feels most comfortable. The 22-year-old Georgian signed a two-year extension with Crédit Agricole that will keep him on the French team through the 2008 season. “I had a lot of offers from other teams after the Tour of Germany, I decided I just wanted to stay focused and not have to worry about changing teams,” Raisin told VeloNews after his impressive world’s debut when he was part of the day’s early

We were intimidated

Interbike kicks off with Outdoor Demo'

Interbike kicks off with Outdoor Demo'

Interbike kicks off with Outdoor Demo'

Interbike kicks off with Outdoor Demo'

Interbike kicks off with Outdoor Demo'

The Santa Cruz VP Free

The 7.5

Interbike '05: A fine day in the desert with speedy mechanics and a 40-pound bike

Cannondale's Dalton flies through repairs

Raisin on Sunday

Britain's David Millar, currently serving a ban for drug use, will make his professional cycling comeback at next year's Tour de France after signing for the Spanish team Saunier Duval, the Italian news agency ANSA reported Monday. Millar was banned for two years after admitting using the banned hormone EPO (Erythropoietin) but his two-year sanction ends in June 2006. Millar has now signed to race the Tour with the Spanish team that is run by Italian brothers Pietro and Vittorio Algeri. Millar said last week he has been studying a number of offers from teams, reportedly

Before the fall: Millar had the rainbow jersey of the world TT champ... before it was taken away.

Tom Boonen was among the top-line favorites for the 2005 world road cycling championships, but with less than three kilometers to go in Sunday’s 272km race, it didn’t look like he, Alessandro Petacchi or Robbie McEwen had a chance. A six-man break had slipped away from the sprinters in a chaotic, attack-filled final lap, but Boonen’s Belgian bodyguards saved the day, hurling him onto the finishing straight to catch the attacking Alexandre Vinokourov with 600 meters to go. Boonen finished off the job with a long, 300-meter sprint and roared across the line to claim the coveted rainbow

It was a big day in Madrid on Sunday. Casey Gibson was there to capture some of the day's best moments on film.

At the CD&P Bermuda Grand Prix racers come with two priorities: racing hard and having a bit of fun in the process. This is, after all, Bermuda. The four-day stage race is the final stop of the Women’s Prestige Cycling Series. The top ten teams after the International Tour de Toona are provided free airfare and accommodations to come race on the remote tropical island. The relatively short stages allow plenty of time for the competitors to experience the island, but the demanding courses provide exciting racing action. In Thursday’s first stage, a criterium through the streets of downtown

Boonen shows why he's one of the best one-day racers in the world

Italy worked for Petacchi... much to the frustration of Bettini

Raisin and Muravyev joined the two escapees at the front...

... and then went off on their own, building a lead of nearly 10 minutes

Bettini and Vinokourov: Now there's a dangerous combination

Gilbert and Devolder joined in to ensure a Belgian presence

A long day ahead.

Spain gambled big on this break

Zajicek

Lieswyn's last race

Krasimir Vasilev tries his hand..

Bettini in the peloton racing through the park.

Boonen celebrates on the podium.

The Boonen Fan Club was a very happy group, and he was smiling again.

Boonen on the podium with the gold.

Boonen wins the field sprint easily.

Italian fans were crazy, with disappointment.

Boonen really loves his medal.

Peloton flashes past the towers in Plaza Castilla.

Peloton climbs through the park.

Fans finally came out today, for the pros.

Peloton rounds a corner in the park.

Just a few of the guys waiting for the finish.

Saul Raisin leading the break, for about 200 Km.

Amber Neben dared to try to hold off the sprinters in Saturday's elite women's road racing world championships on the 21km Madrid circuit course that almost everyone agrees favors a mass gallop. Neben, winner of the Tour de L'Aude earlier this season, sprung away after the second climb with about 7km to go to nearly catch the sprinters by surprise. Neben clung to a five-second gap, but was reeled in with 4km to go before the powerful German team sling-shot Regina Schleicher into the rainbow jersey. "I was able to get a gap there, but I didn't have the legs to stick it," said

It was a double dose of disappointment Saturday for the American U-23 men's team in the 168km world championships as Ukraine's Dmytro Grabovskyy soloed to an impressive victory. The motivated five-man team missed an early breakaway in the second of eight laps and then American captain Tyler Farrar crashed out in a high-speed pileup in the final kilometers. U.S. team doctor Eric Heiden reported Farrar had some "pretty bad road rash," but no broken bones, but the disappointment was obvious when teammate John Murphy led the Americans across the line 119th some 11 minutes down. "We were

Most observers agree there are three favorites for the elite men's road race: Alessandro Petacchi, Robbie McEwen and Tom Boonen. But every world's delivers at least one surprise. Here's a look at some of the characters who could rock the sprinter's boat: Alejandro Valverde, SpainThe enigma of this year's world's, the 2003 silver medalist has only raced once since pulling out of the 2005 Tour with a sore knee. With three-time defending champion Oscar Freire sidelined, the Spanish team will be doing everything to avoid a sprint. Valverde and other Spanish riders such as

The world championships always provide provide photographers with ample subject matter, especially when they're in a city like Madrid.

Neben tried her hand at an attack with 7km to go

It may take some time to settle in

Saturday provided the first real test of the road course

Somarriba goes on the attack

Neben tries as well

Despite a few early crashes, Saturday's race was generally a smooth affair.

Farrar: It just wasn't a good day for the American squad.

The attacks started early

Grabovskyy and Dall'Antonio cooperated to catch the break

Walker's effort came a little too late

Ukrainian Grabovskyy takes U23 road title

One taste of Spanish ham and you'll soon understand why the stuff is worthy of its own museum.

The Madrid Metro comes complete with its own Diorama to give you a scenic view while waiting for the next train

The U23's first break

The peloton in hot pursuit.

American Steven Cozza leads the peloton through the park on Lap 2

The pasta banner was apparently overcooked, and collapsed about 10 minutes after the peloton passed through. Good timing.

Grabovskyy gives chase...

... and it pays off.

So now we see where that football helmet character who shows up the Tour got his inspiration

Morning sign-in

Neben gives it a shot

Irishman Pat McQuaid was elected the new president of cycling's world governing body at the 174th congress of the UCI at the world road race championships in Madrid on Friday. McQuaid, 56, replaces 64-year-old Dutchman Hein Verbruggen, who has been world cycling's chief for the past 14 years but was nominated an honorary life-long president. Four candidates were originally scheduled to stand for election, although Malaysian Darshan Singh withdrew his candidacy during his 10-minute presentation. Spaniard Gregorio Moreno, supported by the Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC), was

PRESS RELEASE - Phonak forges new talentsThe Swiss UCI ProTour team signs on additional future hopefulsThe team's commitment towards the future couldn't be any clearer: After already having signed on two young pros for the new season, Florian Stalder (23 years old/SWI) and Fernandez Oliveira (25 years old/ESP), ARcycling AG is now giving three more young riders the opportunity to distinguish themselves on one of the world's best cycling teams. The latest recruits for the 2006 squad are David Vitoria (21 years old/SWI), Jonathan Patrick McCarty (23 years old/USA) and Ryder Hesjedal

Italy’s national team manager Franco Ballerini made his name as a tacticalgenius in 2002 by building his world championship squad around sprinterMario Cipollini. Boldly, Ballerini did not include four riders whowere in the top 10 of that year’s UCI world rankings — Michele Bartoli,Davide Rebellin, Franco Casagrande and Dario Frigo — because he wantedriders who could unselfishly set a fast tempo for 250km and set up Cipollinifor the win. The gamble paid off beautifully, with the Lion King roaringhome on Belgium’s flat Zolder circuit well clear of two other world-classfield sprinters, Robbie

The Italians have a great word for athletes who have intrinsic ability that allows them to be instant winners: fuoriclasse, literally “of superlative quality.” The French describe these competitors as surdoué, or “exceptionally gifted.” The closest we can come to that in a single English word is probably Superman — but that implies something supernatural. Fuoriclasse means much more than being gifted. In cycling, it is someone who has a slow pulse, large lungs, perfectly proportioned limbs, lean muscles, and, above all, the brain and mindset to utilize all those attributes to win the world’s