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It was a battle of the bumping elbows on the mean streets of Santa Maria del Cedro in southern Italy, but fearless Robbie McEwen (Davitamon-Lotto) slipped through unscathed to claim both the win and the maglia rosa. The first 181 kilometers of the 182km second stage along the absolutely stunning Calabrian coast unfolded pretty much as can be expected, but then things got downright ornery as the peloton bore down on the final 1000 meters. There was an outright rebellion as Crédit Agricole and Davitamon-Lotto refused to step aside for Fassa Bortolo and undisputed sprint king Alessandro

Paolo Bettini couldn’t be happier asking scoring his first career Giro d’Italia stage victory and snagging the maglia rosa for good measure in Sunday’s action-packed first stage. The Olympic champion lived up to his signature nickname, the Cricket, and jumped away from the bunch with a perfectly timed attack to derail Fassa Bortolo’s feared Silver Train in the opening stage of the 88th Giro. “Winning everything together -- the first road stage, my first [Giro] stage and the pink jersey -- is great,” said Bettini, who bounced into the lead ahead of prologue winner Brett Lancaster thanks to

Jackson Stewart (Kodak Gallery-Sierra Nevada) and Christine Thorburn (Webcor Builders) won their respective races in the 32nd Testarossa Vineyards Cat's Hill Classic on Saturday in Los Gatos, California. Los Gatos native Stewart outsprinted his longtime friend, former teammate, and 1998 Los Gatos High School classmate Zach Walker (McGuire-Langdale) for the win. Stewart and Walker, with Ben Haldeman (Webcor Builders) and Glen Mitchell (Kodak Gallery-Sierra Nevada), had broken away with 15 laps remaining. Mitchell lost contact with four laps remaining and drifted back to a chasing trio -

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.Lance talks the talk and walks the walkEditor:Come on, people, whether you like him or not, you have to realize talking trash and backing it up is what has made Lance Armstrong who he is today, way before cancer came along. Think back over the last few years: When Italy's Gilberto

Well you folks never cease to amaze us.We thought the response to lastweek's photo contest was overwhelming, both quantitatively andqualitatively, but our readers have outdone themselves againthis week. Indeed, so many of you have submitted entries, that we'vebeen forced to spread the wealth a bit and add a gallery a day for at leastthe next three days. As we post a host of images over the next few days,we'll be soliciting your opinions - and the opinions of our panel of volunteerjudges - as what your favorites and their favorites might be. On Thursday,we'll announce another

The prologue and the first two stages of the Giro are now completed and the riders are beginning to settle into the rhythm of the grand tour. For the next three weeks, they will pedal, eat, get massage, and try to recover. Being a part of the race is like joining a traveling circus, as everyone moves from one town to the next each day, putting on a show. The same faces appear each day in the peloton, but in a different order, and the ups and downs encountered make each day unique for each rider. The fans along the roadside are often dressed in pink, and even decorate their towns in pink.

I have to say the Giro is really cool. It’s my first time in this race … in fact, it’s the first time for a bunch of guys, everyone from 20-year-old kids, in their first year, up to Erik Zabel, who is making his first appearance at the Giro at the age of 34. He’s done something like 12 Tours de France, but never the Giro, until this year. The ProTour is part of the reason. Every top team has to be here and riders are looking at the season a little bit differently. Instead of spending May training, they come here to help the team, spin the legs and get some nice weather to boot. I figure

Tonkov delivers a win - and a message - at the 2004 Giro.

Hey, who wouldn't be happy?

McEwen emerges victorious

Bettini and his team car were in the pink today

The escape

Lopez de Munain suffered a horrific crash

McEwen in the maglia rosa

Some travel brochure, eh?

Barry and Vande Velde enjoy the stage

Gunn-Rita Dahle wasn't about to lose again. After all, the reigning mountain-bike queen hadn´t lost a World Cup since 2002 until Canadian phenom Marie-Helene Premont ended the streak two weeks ago in Spa. The Norwegian blasted away on the first of five laps and Premont simply didn´t have the legs to follow under a hot Iberian sun on a fast, dusty course in Madrid´s Casa de Campo in front a rowdy, cheering crowd. "I'm a sore loser," Dahle said after crossing the line with bike in hand. "After Spa, I really wanted to win again and I really like this course, so I came here extra

Finishing on the podium Saturday night and just two seconds behind Australian maglia rosa Brett Lancaster, the smart money was on Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo) to earn a stage win and take over the leader's jersey at the end of Sunday's 208 kilometer stage from from Reggio Calabria to Tropea. But a short, but steep, final rise to the finish seemed to nearly derail the Silver Train of Fassa Bortolo, opening the door for a well-timed final kilometer attack from QuickStep's Paolo Bettini. Timing his jump to perfection, and reminiscent of the attack that led to his Olympic

It’s not that Julien Absalon and Jose Antonio Hermida don’t like each other. In fact, it’s quite the opposite, they are very good friends. But come crunch time in a big mountain-bike race, there’s no room for feel-good hugs when the victory is prime for the picking. So, with less than one lap to go in the seven-lap battle of attrition in Madrid’s balmy Casa de Campo, the knives came out. “It was like a war out there without borders,” Hermida said after finishing second again to his French nemesis. “Everyone was attacking each other and it was really vicious there in the end, but that’s the

Fedrigo claims Dunkirk; Rodriguez third in finaleFred Rodriguez (Davitamon-Lotto) finished third in Sunday's final stage of the Four Days of Dunkirk in northern France. Adam Wadecki (Intel Action) won the mass gallop to wrap up the five-stage race, with Tomas Vaitkus (Ag2r) second. Pierrick Fedrigo (Bouygues Telecom) finished safely in the main bunch to sew up the overall title. Stage 5 results1. Adam Wadecki (Pol) Intel Action, 165.5km in 3:43:192. Tomas Vaitkus (Lit), Ag2r Prevoyance, same time3. Fred Rodriguez (USA), Davitamon-Lotto, s.t.4. Crescenzo D'Amore (I), Acqua & Sapone,

Since starting “Inside Cycling” a few months ago, I’ve written about dozens of people instrumental in expanding modern road cycling in North America. For many readers, those pioneers are just names on the paper (or screen, in this case). So I feel privileged that I’ve known nearly all of the people I’ve written about in this column, including those who live (or have lived) in my current hometown. Boulder, Colorado, as I hinted last week, has been one of the most influential places in expanding the sport this side of the Atlantic. Among the reasons for its influence — besides it being the

Bettini won by a very comfortable margin

Bettini e buonissimo!

Veneberg tries to go it alone

Dahle roars back to the fore

Premont couldn't hang

Spitz had a slow start, but finished third

Absalon profits from Hermida's bobble

Hermida settles for second in 'a really good race'

Giro Images

Aussie Brett Lancaster (Ceramica Panaria-Navigare) put his gold-medal track skills to good use Saturday evening, winning the short prologue to kick-start the 88th Giro d'Italia and grab the first maglia rosa. The 25-year-old from Victoria posted a time of 1 minute, 20 seconds for the 1.15km prologue, run under brilliant spring skies in Reggio Calabria, with Sicily and the brooding Mt. Etna in the backdrop. The course was peculiar for a grand-tour prologue; long and straight, with nary a curve, it was a drag strip for the start of what should be an exciting corsa rosa. But it suited

Tonkov wins in SpainInstead of racing in the Giro d’Italia, Russian veteran Pavel Tonkov won the opening stage of the Clasica de Alcobendas in the suburbs north of Madrid on a hot Saturday afternoon. The 36-year-old won the opening stage of the so-called “mini-Vuelta a España,” which finished with a Cat. 1 climb atop the Puerto de Navacarrada. The “czar” punched the accelerator with 500 meters to go to finish ahead of José Angel Gómez Marchante (Saunier Duval) and Fran Pérez (Milaneza). “I’m very pleased with this victory. I felt my condition improving by the day and today I proved it,”

2005 Giro d'Italia CoverageTime Trial - May 7Stage 1 - May 8Stage 2 - May 9Stage 3 - May 10Stage 4 - May 11Stage 5 - May 12Stage 6 - May 13Stage 7 - May 14Stage 8 - May 15Stage 9 - May 16REST DAY - May 17Stage 10 - May 18Stage 11 - May 19Stage 12 - May 20Stage 13 - May 21Stage 14 - May 22Stage 15 - May 23REST DAY - May 24Stage 16 - May 25Stage 17 - May 26Stage 18 - May 27Stage 19 - May 28Stage 20 - May 29Live CoverageLive CoverageLive CoverageLive CoverageLive CoverageLive CoverageLive CoverageLive CoverageLive CoverageLive CoverageREST DAYLive CoverageLive CoverageLive CoverageLive

Giro Images

Lancaster snags the short prologue

Efimkin wins

Runner-up Tosatto

A long sprint to third place for Petacchi

Big Bird meets Super Mario

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Climb 5 - Monte Urano

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From this Saturday’s prologue in REGGIO CALABRIA all the way through to the final sprint in Milan on Sunday, May 29, VeloNews.com is pleased once again to offer live up-to-the-minute coverage of the 88th edition of the Giro d’Italia. With commentary from VeloNews reporters, photos and even contests, viewers can be kept abreast of developments in Italy’s national tour, the first major three-week race to be conducted under the auspices of the UCI’s new ProTour.

Voeckler wins in Dunkirk, Gerdemann takes overFrench champion Thomas Voeckler (Bouygues Télécom) won Wednesday’s third stage of the Four Days of Dunkirk, but the real story was new overall leader Linus Gerdemann. The 22-year-old German moved into the yellow jersey (as well as the best climber’s jersey and the young rider’s jersey) in his first race with Team CSC. Talk about some serious podium time. “I have three jerseys, I have three jerseys,” was all Gerdemann could muster after leaving the podium, trying to convince himself what had just happened was real. Gerdemann wisely followed an

I love the tropics. Before Sea Otter, Meg and I took a trip to Rincon, Puerto Rico, for the Ultimate Dirt Challenge mountain bike race. Rincon is a small town on the northwest side of the island that is legendary for its incredible waves, but for a week it was taken over by mountain bikers. I was lucky enough to find out about this race last year while chasing points for the Olympics and looking for races that were warm and dry as opposed to the wet and dreary Euro races. I can’t say enough good things about the promoters, Doel and Jorge. These guys put on the best race I go to all year. The

Remember the adage, “Start drinking before you get thirsty?” Perhaps this is a medical truism that isn’t. A surprising article about a study of hyponatremia among marathon runners in the April 14 New England Journal of Medicine may inspire Velonews.com readers to rethink how they drink. Thirteen percent of Boston Marathon finishers who participated in the study by Dr. Christopher Almond et al suffered hyponatremia (abnormally low blood sodium), mostly caused by overhydrating. 1 Three participants had dangerously low levels of blood sodium. The early symptoms of hyponatremia - confusion,

Cunego 'ready' for Giro defenseDamiano Cunego said he’s arriving in peak form just in time to defend his Giro d’Italia title. Like arch-rival Ivan Basso, Cunego is also planning on racing in the Tour de France, so both riders are arriving to the Giro a little off peak fitness with the idea of being able to hit their stride for the decisive second half of the Giro. “The victory at Romandie lifted the pressure from me for not having a win so far this season,” Cunego told Datasport. “I had some good feelings in the time trial in Lausanne, but obviously my condition wasn’t at the top. I

With 12 Aussies, five Americans, two Canadians, a Brit and a New Zealander, there may be a record number of English-speakers starting the 2005 Giro d’Italia on Saturday. The teams arrived on Wednesday evening for UCI medical testing and the team presentation. The race itself gets under way with a 1.5km prologue Saturday evening in Reggio Calabria. After three days of relaxation in their hotels, facing a course whose end you can see from the beginning, riders will be exploding out of the start gate. Discovery Channel’s Michael Barry said everyone is “very eager to get started.” The Discovery

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.Armstrong has given hope to millionsEditor:I am writing in response to Mr. Ostermann's letter degrading Lance (See Wednesday’s Mailbag, “. . . but what’s with the trash talk?”). I must say, you are absolutely correct. Lance is a bully, and he is arrogant. He may even be cocky, as most

Raisin at this year's Tour de Langkawi

Voeckler takes the stage

There’s no stopping Belgian phenom Philippe Gilbert in France. After taking a pass on the Giro d’Italia because he felt he wasn’t in top form to compete in the season’s grand tour debut, the Française Des Jeux rider scored an impressive victory in Thursday’s 204km second stage to grab the overall lead at the Four Days of Dunkirk. Overnight leader Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole) slipped to second after finishing eight seconds back in fifth place. Gilbert charged away from a 19-man breakaway with just three kilometers to go on the course that pounded over two sections of pavé featured in

Tentative start list for 2005 Giro d'Italia - as of Thursday May 5.North American riders in BOLDLampre-CaffitaDamiano Cunego  (I)Gilberto Simoni  (I)Paolo Fornaciari  (I)Evgeni Petrov  (Rus)Andrea Tonti  (I)Marius Sabaliauskas  (Lit)Gorazd Stangelj  (SLO)Sylvester Szmyd  (Pol)Francisco J Vila Errandonea  (Sp)Bouygues TelecomWalter Beneteau (F)Giovanni Bernaudeau (F)Olivier Bonnaire (F)Mathieu Claude (F)Christophe Kern (F)Laurent Lefevre (F)Rony Martias (F)Franck Renier (F)Didier Rous (F)Ceramica PanariaEmanuele Sella (I)Luca Mazzanti (I)Julio Alberto Perez Cuapio (Mex)Paolo Tiralongo

Portuguese rider Nuno Ribeiro has been excluded from the 88th Giro d’Italia after blood screenings conducted Thursday revealed hematocrit levels at 52 percent, two points above the UCI’s permissible 50 percent “speed limit.” The Liberty Seguros rider was the only one of the 198 scheduled starters to fail the routine blood tests carried out by UCI officials in Reggio Calabria ahead of Saturday’s prologue start of the season’s first grand tour. A fifth-year pro, Ribeiro was deemed “inapt” and will take a forced 15-day “health stop,” leaving Liberty Seguros captain Michele Scarponi with one

While working on an upcoming profile on recent Dodge Tour de Georgia best young rider Trent Lowe, the young Aussie asked me, “Are you still doing your Web column, Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood?” It was at that moment that I realized that it had indeed been quite a while since I’d put together a collection of ramblings for velonews.com and called it my own. (Note: Our Web editor has also been hitting me up with a consistent barrage of “What gives?” for quite some time now, so he has been holding up his end of the deal, heartless, unsympathetic tyrant that he is.) The answer to Lowe’s question

Team TIAA-CREF is ecstatic to announce that it will be participating in the 2005 Route du Sud. After solid results in both the Tour of Normandie and the Tour de Georgia, the organization of the Route du Sud decided to invite The American based Continental team to the race who's former winners include Laurent Jalabert and Levi Leipheimer. This will be the major summer objective for Team TIAA-CREF, and will hopefully give a few of it's riders the opportunity to perform in front of ProTour teams looking for young talent. Former Route du Sud winner, and Team TIAA-CREF director Jonathan

Coming of success in Georgia, Danielson is ready for a support role at the Giro

Ribeiro at this season's team presentation

Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood: Playing catch-up, watching rock stars and answering questions