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Chris MacDonald suffers in the heat

A member of the CBFD team heads out on another lap at the 24 hour townie tour

This was one of three sweat suits that Than Acuff donned during the 24-hour townie tour in which he was the only rider to compete as a soloist.

A bib used at the Bridges of the Butte 24 Hour Townie Tour

The bikes come in all shapes and sizes here at Crested Butte Fat Tire Week

Three members of the 16-rider Crested Butte FD relay team that won the 24-hour townie race.

With Mount Crested Butte in the background, a racer heads toward the finish during the Wildflower Rush downhill race on Sunday.

A racer holds on for dear life during the downhill race at the Wildflower Rush at Mount Crested Butte.

Bike racks packed with clunkers and cruisers of all shapes and sizes are commonplace in Crested Butte.

Riders in the 24 hour townie race head down Elk Avenue in Crested Butte toward the finish, where much beer drinking quickly commenced.

Crested Butte local Than Acuff was the only rider to complete the 24-hour townie race as a soloist. He claimed that his secret to success were Backwoods Cigars, which helped him stay awake in the wee hours of the night.

Roberto Heras enters next week's Tour de France an enigmatic figure among the list of favorites. The three-time Vuelta a España champion has kept a very low profile so far this season, leaving many to wonder if he'll be ready to face Lance Armstrong and the other Tour contenders on the same level. During the recent Dauphiné Libéré, Heras hardly left any impression at all as he rode well back in the pack during the big climbs at Mont Ventoux and Joux Plane. He insists, however, he'll be ready for the Tour. "It's not something worrisome because the mountains in the Tour are

Kyle Gritters (Team Seasilver) won the under-23 criterium on Friday at Utah’s Park City Cycling Festival, while Kimberly Geist (Victory Brewing) claimed the 17-18 win with a last-minute attack. During the 37-mile U-23 race, Gritters lapped the field with last year’s road-race champion, Ian MacGregor (TIAA-CREF), then pipped his breakaway companion at the line. Geist, meanwhile, spent much of the afternoon in a five-woman breakaway, then used the final 400-meter ascent as a springboard to victory. Other winners on the day included Rebecca Much (U-23 women); Karla Lopez (junior women 10-12);

Going into the Mont-Ste-Anne round of the UCI World Cup mountain-bike series, the weather in Québec has gone through a substantial change. Friday morning's rain proved to be the leading edge of hot, hot air that has been hanging around the Great Lakes, and Saturday’s high temperature is expected to reach 31 degrees Celsius (87.8 Fahrenheit), with the humidity making it feel even warmer. Even at 9 a.m. Saturday the conditions were hot and sticky. With the heat in mind, the officials have decided the number of laps: six for pro men and five for pro women, plus a start loop for each. Most

It was easy to track where Marie-Helene Premont (Rocky Mountain-Business Objects) was on the cross-country course at the Mont-Ste-Anne World Cup - just follow the thunderous applause from the partisan crowd. People came streaming out of the woods in droves, trying to get a spot along the finish chute to welcome Premont to the winner's circle, after she dropped World Cup leader Gunn-Rita Dahle (Multivan Merida) late in the fourth lap to take the lead. Wearing her traditional ear-to-ear smile, Premont came across the line with arms in the air. She then stopped and lifted her bike in the

With the festival portion of the Crested Butte’s Fat Tire Bike Week winding down, attention turned to racing up at the ski area on Saturday. On the day’s slate was the Wildflower Rush cross-country, stop No. 5 in the Mountain States Cup. Competition commenced on an 8-mile loop that cut a figure eight across the front side of Crested Butte Mountain Resort. The bad news was that with the race starting at 9375 feet, any climb was painful. The good news was that nearly all the descents were on the windy single-track for which this mountain-biking Mecca is famous. In the pro races the women’s

Christoph Sauser (Siemens Cannondale) solidified his lead atop the men's cross-country World Cup standings with a strong ride in the fifth round Saturday in Mont-Ste-Anne, Québec. In the women's race, the field shredded early on, with Marie-Helene Premont (Rocky Mountain-Business Objects) and Gunn-Rita Dahle (Multivan Merida) swapping the lead back and forth. But the men's race became a two-man team time trial, with Sauser and teammate Fredrik Kessiakoff of Sweden building a strong lead together until Sauser pulled away on the large climb on the final lap. Sauser, the World Cup

As the Insight Race Across America rolls toward Atlantic City, Jure Robic seems likely to defend his solo title, while third-placed Marko Baloh abandoned with pneumonia. Robic, who last reported in at 2:20 p.m. EST from time station 38 in Marshall, Illinois, has fewer than 1000 miles to ride. Mike Trevino crossed the Mississippi River in second place at 1:33 p.m. Trevino has covered 2012.2 miles with 1039.5 to go. Meanwhile, Marko Baloh withdrew from the race with acute pneumonia, moving Fabio Biasolo into third place. Biasolo checked in from time station 34 in Marthasville, Missouri, at

Ian MacGregor successfully defended his U23 national championship title in Park City, Utah, Saturday with a win in the 125-mile road race at the national cycling festival. MacGregor called the victory a "100 percent team effort" after an overall performance that saw three riders from the TIAA-CREF squad in the top four. Health Net’s Tyler Farrar also rode a strong race, but in the end he was simply outnumbered by a 12-rider team that many expected to have a dominant presence on the podium by day's end. Battered by rain and severe winds, only 47 of the 117-rider field finished. After

Heras played it cool at the Dauphiné

Mighty mites at the start of the boy's 10-12 crit

Riders in the women's 17-18 crit

TIAA-CREF surrounds the eventual winner in the U-23 crit, Kyle Gritters (Seasilver)

Riders pass the flags at the entrance to Deer Valley

An outnumbered Farrar takes a corner in the U-23 crit

Geist leads the 17-18 crit

Gritters corners during the U-23 crit . . .

. . . en route to winning over Macgregor

Sarah Huang in the 10-12 race

Molly Mulch and Rebecca Much in the U-23 event

Karla Lopez wins the 10-12 title

Cesar Lopez Jr. in the boy's 10-12 crit, astride a very nice bike

Much leads the U-23 crit

The tree-lined opening climb of the Wildflower Rush in Crested Butte

With Whetstone Serving as the backdrop a rider tackles Saturday's cross-country

The town of Crested Butte seen from the Red Lady Chairlift up on the ski hill

A wet winter and spring has led to an abundance of skunk cabbage. Fortunately it doesn't smell

A racer heads into the woods along some of Crested Butte's ubiquitous single-track

A racer slices his way through a throng of Aspen trees during Saturday's cross-country

The long grind up one of several fire road climbs

Three mountain-bike racing's legends made the Hall of Fame cut in 2000

This is just one of the countless classic photos that can be seen at the MTB Hall. Can you find Gary Fisher? Hint: He doesn't have an afro

MacGregor defends

MacGregor figured the day's last climb was where he could beat Farrar

Mike Lange and Stu Gillespie on the final climb, after helping MacGregor ride to victory.

Jay Ku leads the peloton on the chase.

National pursuit champion Bobby Lea leads the survivors on the final climb.

Nicholas Reistad of Advantage/Endeavor shows the effects of the day's effort

Lance Armstrong has been quick to point out that while he holds the record for the greatest number of overall victories by any rider at the Tour de France, Johan Bruyneel has the best winning average of any directeur sportif in the history of the race, having started his career as a director in 1999, when Armstrong earned the first of his six consecutive Tour wins. He’s been the man behind the wheel of the team car ever since. Six-for-six. Indeed, the 41-year-old Belgian was the first to believe Armstrong could win the Tour and the pair has been inseparable in their passion, focus and, some

Gerolsteiner's Michael Rich claimed his fifth national title when he dominated the field in the German national time-trial championship Friday in Schweinfurt. Rich, 35, a specialist in the race against the clock, turned a time of 47 minutes, 10 seconds for the 40km race, leaving his teammate Sebastian Lang down in second place at 1:02. CSC's Jens Voigt finished third at 1:15. Results1. Michael Rich, Gerolsteiner, 40km in 47:102. Sebastian Lang, Gerolsteiner, at 1:023. Jens Voigt, Team CSC, at 1:15 Gutierrez takes Spanish TTJose Ivan Gutierrez (Illes Baleares) won his third title in

The Park City Cycling Festival continued in Utah on Thursday with a one-two finish by Team 5280 Magazine in the men's 17-18 race and a classy display of sportsmanship in the women's 17-18 competition. After 78 miles of racing, 5280's Peter Stetina of Boulder, Colorado, crossed the line hand in hand with teammate Tejay Van Garderen of Fort Collins, Colorado. Nick Frey (Hot Tubes) took the bronze. In the 53-mile women's race, meanwhile, Kimberly Geist (Victory Brewing) sat up and waited for breakaway companion Shannon Koch ((Team LaS'port) after Koch's chain derailed in

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 almost time to put up or shut upEditor:The time between the finish of the Tour de Suisse and the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré seems to bring out all the talk. Every race director thinks his guy will be on the podium in Paris. Well, only three gentlemen get that honor, and we

While there’s plenty of debate about the true origins of mountain biking, Crested Butte can stake a solid claim to one piece of fat tire history. For a quarter century now this Colorado mountain town nestled in the heart of the Rockies has hosted one of the sport’s best — and longest running — festivals. This year’s incarnation, dubbed the 25th Anniversary of Fat Tire Bike Week, kicked off in earnest on Thursday with the infamous Chainless Race. Competitors aboard every thing from legitimate 21st-century mountain bikes to Sixties-era clunkers convened on the top of Kebler Pass, then made

For Immediate Release Boulder, CO--Inside Communications (ICI) announces that Express Messenger International (EMI) will be handling all Canadian and international subscription distribution for its publications VeloNews®, Inside Triathlon®, and Ski Racing®, effective immediately. The move should improve Canadian and international delivery times by two to five business days. The faster service is a result of expedited pick-up and transit to the host country's postal system. For example, an EMI truck will pick up VeloNews at its printer in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin

Defending solo champion Jure Robic held a lead of nearly 10 hours over second-place soloist Mike Trevino as the Insight Race Across America continued on Friday. However, Robic is riding just short of an average speed record set in 1986 by Pete Penseyres. To break Penseyres' long-standing mark, Robic will have to pace himself at 15.40 mph or faster. So far, his average speed for this year's RAAM is 14.92 mph. Robic last reported in at 3:12 p.m. EST from time station 33 in Jefferson City, Missouri. In the team race, meanwhile, Team Beaver Creek-Vail - Mike Janelle, Jimi Mortenson,

Bruyneel and Armstrong at the Dauphiné

The junior men hit the road in the Kaman Valley with the Little Alps in the distance

The junior women's leaders, with Koch in the middle and Crowell out front

The 15-16 junior men climb with the reservoir in the background

Team 5280 and Hot Tubes marshal the 17-18 race

Danielle Haulman wins the 15-16 junior women

Koch leads the pack on the final climb

Koch solo on the climb

Koch edges the selfless Geist for the win

Stetina wins with teammate Van Garderen second

. . . and unveils a popular sentiment atop the podium

. . . before displaying the stars and stripes

While Friday's festivities were in downtown Crested Butte, events head up to Mont Crested Butte for the weekend where cross-country, downhill and Super D races will be contested

Bikes (and their pilots) come in all shapes and sizes

The next Olympic cycling discipline?

That's 30 pounds of rolling resistant weight

Prepping for the downhill? Actually this was the first leg of the team relay race

Balance is key in leg two of the relay race. He didn't drop it

Race ready complete with playing cards in the front wheel

The winning ride in the limbo. Notice this youngster's mechanical advantage. Smart kid

Rodic races eastward

ASTARLOZA Mikel - SPAge 25Turned Pro 2002 CALZATI Sylvain - FAge 25Turned Pro 2003 DUMOULIN Samuel - FAge 24Turned Pro 2002 GERRANS Simon - AUSAge 25Turned Pro 2003 GOUBERT Stéphane - FAge 35Turned Pro 1994 KRIVTSOV Yuriy - UKRAge 26Turned Pro 2002 NAZON Jean-Patrick - FAge 28Turned Pro 1997 PORTAL Nicolas - FAge 26Turned Pro 2002 TURPIN Ludovic - FAge 30Turned Pro 2000 Sponsor: Insurance companyWeb site: www.ag2r-cyclisme.comDirecteur sportif: Vincent LavenuAssistants: Giles Mas, Arturas Kasputis2005 budget: $5.9 millionTeam created (with current name): 20002003 wins: 24Past Tours:

BÉNÉTEAU Walter - FAge 32Turned Pro 2000 BROCHARD Laurent - FAge 37Turned Pro 1992 FÉDRIGO Pierrick - FAge 26Turned Pro 2000 GESLIN Anthony - FAge 25Turned Pro 2002 LEFÈVRE Laurent - FAge 29Turned Pro 1997 PINEAU Jérôme - FAge 25Turned Pro 2002 ROUS Didier - FAge 34Turned Pro 1993 SPRICK Matthieu - FAge 23Turned Pro 2004 VOECKLER Thomas - FAge 26Turned Pro 2001 Sponsor: Mobile phone serviceWeb site: www.equipebouyguestelecom.fr2005 budget: $9.1 millionDirecteur sportif: Jean-René BernaudeauTeam created: 2005Past Tours: third year participatingEQUIPMENTBike: TimeComponents:

BESSY Frédéric - FAge 33Turned Pro 1996 AUGÉ Stéphane - FAge 30Turned Pro 2000 VASSEUR Cédric - FAge 34Turned Pro 1994 CHAVANEL Sylvain - FAge 26Turned Pro 2000 MONCOUTIÉ David - FAge 30Turned Pro 1997 O’GRADY Stuart - AUSAge 31Turned Pro 1995 WHITE Matthew - AUSAge 31Turned Pro 1996 TOMBAK Janek - ESTAge 28Turned Pro 1999 MARICHAL Thierry - BAge 32Turned Pro 1996 Sponsor: Telephone credit companyWeb site: www.cofidis.fr2005 budget: not availableDirecteur sportif: Francis Van LonderseleTeam created: 1997Past Tours: 9th year participating, 6 stage wins, 1 KOM classification