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The final day of racing at the world track championships in Carson, California, featured two themes which had been gaining momentum throughout this four-day event. One was good for Great Britain, the other not-so-hot for the host country. On the upside was the continued rise of the British squad. After placing a solid second behind the Australians on the track at last summer’s Olympic in Athens, the Brits climbed the final hurdle in Southern California, snagging four gold — double that of any other nation racing at the ADT Event Center velodrome. The final win came courtesy of Rob Hayles

The British pursuit squad: Silver no more

Vicky Pendleton came out of nowhere to take gold in the sprint

This time it's gold for Mactier

Carney takes a gamble

Carney on his own, getting encouragement from Danny Van Haute

Rusmussen had a perfect race

Dekker scrambles ahead for the win

A grey day in the Ardennes

Dekker's teammate Michael Boogered tries to bridge

The escape

Jakshe set the pace for much of the day

After winning Paris-Nice, Julich was a favorite

Still favored in the TT, Julich may face a fight from Dekker

T-Mobile tries to chase... but it's a little too late.

Phonak's Floyd Landis encounters a bit of trouble early in the day

Dekker has the jersey... for the first half of the day at least

Julich vaulted past the surprising Dekker on GC

Dekker showed great form in the yellow jersey, but lost 11 seconds to Julich.

Kurt-Asle Arvesen takes third in the TT

Jens Voigt finishes second.

American Levi Leipheimer

Julich wins CI for the second time in his career

Freire makes it look easy.

Britain's Rob Hayles on his way to victory in the Madison

The U.S. now boasts one of the world's best track venues.

Pearce took a shot, but the Americans dropped the ball.

The British team of Hayles and Cavendish went on to win

Mickaël Bourgain and Grégory Baugé in the semi's

Bourgain meets Wolff in the final

Wolff takes the win

In 6th, Reed becomes the top U.S. finisher at world's

Quinn started as one of the U.S.'s top hopes for a medal

Never in the 40-year history of the kilometer time trial or 25-year history of the keirin had a Dutchman won a world title. Remarkably, within the space of a few minutes on Friday night at the ADT Center velodrome in Carson, California, the men in orange raced to gold medals in both of those disciplines. First Theo Bos, 21, won a superb kilo competition in 1:01.165, a record performance in North America, and then Teun Mulder, 23, took a dominant win in the keirin. “We can train together now in the same jersey,” quipped Bos, whose latest rainbow jersey complements the world title he won in

Normally if a group of event organizers announced a multi-day bike race that was slated to commence in less than year, but had no title sponsor, a route or even exact dates, you’d chalk it up as the standard baseless hyperbole that has so often characterized proposed cycling events in the U.S. But when AEG president and CEO Tim Leiweke backed up the announcement of what will be the inaugural Tour of California with the boldest of statements, you have to believe this event is actually going to get off the ground as planned come February 2006. “The decision we had to make at AEG, and with

Boonen takes E3 Prijs VlaanderenBelgian sprinter Tom Boonen coasted to victory in the E3 Prijs Vlaanderen Saturday as he warms up for next weekend's Tour of Flanders, the fourth race in the 27-leg Pro Tour series. Boonen, who rides for Quick Step, crossed the finish line of the 200km race ahead of Germany's Andreas Klier (T-Mobile), who had been the 24-year-old Belgian's breakaway companion for nearly a third of the race. Belgian Peter Van Petegem (Davitamon-Lotto) crossed 10 seconds later for third. Boonen's second consecutive victory here, his fifth win this year, followed

Spaniard Isaac Galvez (Illes Balears) drew first blood on Saturday as the three-stage Critérium International opened in Charleville-Mezieres. In claiming his first victory on French soil, the former track racer handed another disappointment to one-time sprint king Erik Zabel (T-Mobile), who crossed in second place. Robert Forster (Gerolsteiner) took third. Illes Balears was looking to add another Mallorcan to the roster when it recruited 29-year-old Galvez, a 1999 world track champion in the Madison. And after pulling out of the UCI world track championships being held in Los Angeles

Australia is assured of the gold medal in the women's 3km individual pursuit at the UCI world track cycling championships after Katie Mactier and Katherine Bates qualified for the final. Theo Bos of the Netherlands, meanwhile, rocketed to a 10.192 in 200-meter sprint qualifying and will look to add a second gold medal to the one he collected on Friday in the kilometer time trial. Mactier posted the best time of the Saturday-morning session at the ADT Center velodrome in Carson, California, finishing well ahead of her compatriot in 3 minutes, 38.325 seconds. Bates was second in

I want to start this week’s column off by saying thanks to Health Net-Maxxis riders Gord Fraser and Tyler Farrar. Since the pair of sprinters appeared on the cover of our domestic road season preview, both are having a great start to the season, taking multiple wins and making us editors here at VeloNews look like we know what we’re talking about. Resplendent in the Canadian national champion’s jersey, Fraser has won three races this year, one each at the McLane Pacific in Merced, the Central Valley Classic in Fresno and the San Dimas Stage Race in, well, San Dimas. Farrar has won twice,

Teun Mulder celebrates a first-ever Dutch win in the keirin...

... while Teammate Bos takes the kilo

Jobie Dajka tried to put on the brakes in the kierin, but too late. He goes down and takes out Tournant.

Mulder gets the win.

Mirabella

Bartko still has it

AEG president and CEO Tim Leiweke

USA Cycling CEO Gerard Bisceglia

Galvez takes the win ...

... and the leader's jersey

Finot has a go ...

... and collects some company

Levi enjoys a day in the saddle

And why not? It was beautiful in the Ardennes

There's art (here) and real life (click the image), and Fraser and Farrar can handle both

Stahl's collarbone-popping crash

Mactier qualified fastest in the women's individual pursuit

Bos was the man in sprint qualifying

Mirabella was feeling the effects of Friday's racing

Massie was having an off day, too

The Brits rocked the team pursuit . . .

. . . the Netherlands were right behind them

It won’t be official until Friday afternoon, but no one at the world track championships was trying to hide the fact that the inaugural Tour of California will get rolling in February 2006. Big sponsors’ banners touting the event were draped all over the ADT Event Center velodrome, and a news release noting the looming announcement of a “significant international cycling initiative” was passed out to the press on Thursday, the first day of the 2005 championships being held in Carson, California. Attendees at Friday’s 3:30 p.m. announcement will include UCI president Hein Verbruggen, USA

The fans that almost filled Carson, California’s ADT Event Center velodrome on Thursday night had come hoping to cheer homeboy Colby Pearce to a world championship medal in the points race. But when the Colorado rider failed to break into the top 10, the crowd turned its attention to the last race of the night: the men’s team sprint. With no American team entered, locals chose Great Britain’s Jamie Staff (also a world BMX champion) who lives just down the road, near San Diego, as a local favorite. Staff has been something of a fixture at the new Carson velodrome, training two or three times

Liquigas’s Magnus Bäckstedt charged into the public eye last year when he won the most revered of all the spring classics, Paris-Roubaix, the Hell of the North. In preparing an in-depth feature for thecurrent issue of VeloNews European correspondent Andrew Hoodsat down with Bäckstedt earlier this year at Liquigas's team camp.In this, the second part of a two-part interview (clickhere to see Part 1), Bäckstedt recalls the experience of winningwhat has become the most prestigious single-day bicycle race in the world.VeloNews: Were you tapped to be the guy for the cobbles? Magnus

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. Letter on Simpson was ‘sanctimonious bilge’Editor:I feel sure you have received many letters critical of Mr. Wilcockson's piece "Death on the Ventoux" that were suitable for publication. Shame on you for choosing to publish the mean-spirited, sanctimonious bilge attributed to Tim

Contador wins Setmana CatalanaSpaniard Alberto Contador (Liberty Seguros) won the Setmana Catalana on Friday. Swiss rider Fabian Cancellara (Fassa Bortolo) edged American Tom Danielson (Discovery Channel) by just seven seconds to won the fifth and final stage, a 17km time trial around Palau-Solita i Plegamans, near Barcelona. Contador crossed in fourth, good enough for the overall title. Danielson, meanwhile, wound up fourth overall. Setmana CatalanaStage 5, Palau-Solita i Plegamans1. Fabian Cancellara (Swi), Fassa Bortolo, 17km in 19:292. Tom Danielson (USA), Discovery Channel, at 0:073.

Morgan Hill, Calif. - Specialized Bicycles will bring Liam Killeen and Sid Taberlay, the British and Australian national mountain bike champions, to compete at the Specialized Morgan Hill Grand Prix, Sunday April 10, for a day's racing that is expected to attract over 1,000 spectators for events studded with top national and international racing cyclists. Amateur races are also scheduled. In a move to accommodate requests from pro mountain bikers looking for a pre-Sea Otter Classic leg-sharpener, this week organizers extended the race categories to include the Morgan Hill Fat Boy Crit, a

Inside Communications (parent company of VeloNews, Ski Racing and Inside Triathlon) seeks experienced, hands-on controller to run financial operations for complex multi-title operation. Ideal candidate will have monthly financial statement preparation, cash-flow & cash management, audit, budget, AP/AR, and management experience in a time-sensitive, deadline-oriented atmosphere. Publishing industry experience preferred but not required. Reports directly to company president. Resume and cover letter to Attn Human Resources, Inside Communications, Inc., 1830 N. 55th Street, Boulder CO

Horsepower: With two world kilo champs and BMX champion in the mix, the Brits came out charging.

Chris Hoy anchors the British Team Sprint to first place.

UCI President Hein Verbruggen is in attendance

USACycling president Jim Ochowicz

Pearce was disappointed with what might be his last world's

Pearce will do the Madison with Marty Nothstein

Tsylinskaya wins the women's 500 tt.

American Becky Conzelman finishes 13th.

Magnus Bäckstedt turned a childhood dream into reality at Paris-Roubaix last April. To just about everyone watching the Hell of the North that day, the big man from Sweden was a surprise winner, but when you listen to Bäckstedt and appreciate the hard work and focus he brings to his job, that win over the cobbles to Roubaix may not have been such a long-shot after all. In preparing an in-depth feature for the current issue of VeloNews European correspondent Andrew Hood sat down with Bäckstedt earlier this year. In a two-part interview on the eve of the spring classics, Bäckstedt recounts how

Lance Armstrong will return to European cycling next week in a bid to relaunch his Tour de France preparations following an early setback at Paris-Nice earlier this month. Armstrong dropped out of the French stage race, the first of the 27-race Pro Tour circuit, due to illness. However the 33-year-old will get his preparations back on track by racing Sunday's Fleche Brabanconne in Belgium, his Discovery Channel team announced Thursday. Two days later the six-times Tour de France winner, who will bid for a seventh yellow jersey in July, will ride the popular one-day Paris-Camembert race,

Editor's Note: Nineteen-year-old Larssyn Staley - the 2003 world champion in the junior women's points race - is the only American riding for theSwiss-based Andeer team. Throughout her first season on the continent,the Beaverton, Oregon, native will be sending us updates about life inthe women's peloton and providing a newcomer's perspective on racing in Europe.It’s spring here in Switzerland and the air is filledwith… with… well, it’s filled with fertilizer.It seems like every field I ride past is getting covered in fertilizerby the same means by which we water our fields.