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It’s Wednesday, the day before the start of the 2005 Sea Otter Classic, and the Laguna Seca start area is already jammed with intricately decaled tents, trailers, trucks, team cars, vans and Winnebagos. Anything and everything that can possibly display a sponsorship logo is here, shining in the California spring sun. But this annual conglomeration of corporate garb is what helps make the Sea Otter the premier bike festival in North America. Tens of thousands of spectators don’t just come to watch the races. It’s time to gawk at new product and to do a bit of shopping, too. Teams and

Dear readers,This week’s column offers a slightly different perspective on a problem described in last week’s (See “LegallySpeaking - with Bob Mionske: Bad Shipping News: Part 1”). While the circumstances may appear to be similar and some of the same case law applies to both situations, the details are not exactly the same and hence my reason for doing two columns on troubles with shipping.BobDear Bob,I brought a road bike in to a local bike shop and asked them to box up and ship my bike via FedEx. I specifically asked for insurance, as I had done before when I had them do the same thing. I

Editor's Note: Ordinarily a regular feature in VeloNews magazine, we figured that Chris Horner’s most recent “Talking the talk” column is timely enough to warrant a bit of attention on VeloNews.com and would go a long way toward answering the spate of "Where's Horner?" letters filling up our mailbox. We'll post this one on-line, but for die-hard Horner fans, you'll usually have to check the magazine, where his column will appear throughout the 2005 season.Now we’re into the season and we’re starting to see which teams have started the year with good form and which teams are

Former Olympic and world champion Bart Brentjens isn’t showing any signs of slowing down after soloing to victory in the men’s Super Cross-Country to open the 2005 Sea Otter Classic. At 36, the Dutchman is more than fifteen years older than some of his competitors, including 20-year old Trent Lowe of Subaru/Gary Fisher, who was in the lead group that tried in vain to chase Brentjens down for three of the race’s six laps. The five-mile laps were divided evenly between dirt and pavement, with a tough climb up asphalt to the top of the famed “corkscrew” of the Laguna Seca raceway. At the top,

The 2005 Sea Otter road stage race got off to a 60 kph start on Thursday afternoon when the pro men and women tackled the unique 3km stage 1 time trial, covering a stretch of the Laguna Seca race track in Monterey, California. In a race that took less than three minutes for the fastest riders to complete, Health Net’s Gord Fraser improved on his 2004 showing of second place, clocking a time of 2:47 on the wind-blasted, mostly downhill time trial. Known more for his finishing kick than his ability to race against the clock, Fraser said the shorter time trial format favors him. “There’s a lot

Seattle (AP) - It was supposed to be a grand affair: 900 athletes from nine nations competing in nine sports, including cycling. But just two months before the Pacific Rim Sports Summit was scheduled to take place June 7-12, the event was canceled Thursday, apparently over a lack of funding and a lack of sports. The Colorado-based U.S. Olympic Committee said it received word from the Seattle organizing group, led by former Goodwill Games organizer Bob Walsh, that it was pulling the plug. The Seattle Times had reported in Thursday editions that governing officials with two of the four

Apparently, UCI president Hein Verbruggen and the Giro's Carmine Castellano aren't hearing each other.

Lunch is served.... or will be, starting Thursday

Support vehicle for the support vehicles

Our own shameless commercial plug...

Packing into Laguna Seca: Sea Otter's ready to roll

Packing into Laguna Seca: Sea Otter's ready to roll

Wherry

Teutenberg took second

Quark's Tina Pic takes fourth

Fraser focuses on the task at hand

David Clinger

A week after abandoning the Vuelta al Pais Vasco, last year’s Tour de France runner up Andreas Klöden will make changes to his training program ahead of July’s Grande Boucle. His racing program, however, won’t change and he’s expected to race next week at Flèche Wallone and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. The 29-year-old underwent extensive testing at a clinic in Freiburg on Monday which showed the German all-rounder is behind in his preparation for the Tour. “Andreas’s test results are not bad at all,” reported team doctor Andreas Schmid on T-Mobile’s web page. “Based on these insights, we will now

Lance Armstrong is set to drop a bombshell on the cycling world in a press conference before the start of the Tour de Georgia. Or is he? According to hints to the French press last month, the six-time Tour de France champ coyly suggested the Euro media might want to show up in Georgia on April 18 to get the real story. Ever since Armstrong took his time before committing to racing in this year’s Tour, any hint of retirement sends the cycling press spinning into a speculating frenzy. Especially in Europe, where cycling is one of the major sports and platoons of journalists cover the sport

The team start list for the third annual Dodge Tour de Georgia reminds me of the guest list for a trendy Hollywood club on a Friday night. In are the superstars, hometown heroes, good-looking up-and-comers, more Euro-trash than a Kraftwerk concert and a few darn lucky regular Joes. Who's out? The somewhat jaded schmoes of the domestic peloton. Now, being kept out of a club is an easy enough concept to grasp – it’s usually explained by a beastly man with forearms as big as your thigh. But being shot down by the Georgia crew is a tad more on the subtle side. Take the Webcor Builders

As your training program progresses to a build phase and your trainingrides increase in time and especially intensity for development of speedand strength, your nutritional requirements also move up a notch. Hardertraining burns more fuel, and the amount of carbohydrate you consume hasa direct impact on your muscle glycogen levels and recovery. Hard trainingdays and heavy training weeks, also require a step-up in your protein intaketo build and repair muscle tissue. Putting it all together nutritionallyduring a build week in your training cycle, means not only consuming adequatecalories,

Boonen Storms Roubaix on HutchinsonApril 11, 2005—Boulder, CO— It’s hard to find a more demandingtest of both rider and equipment than the brutal Paris-Roubaix.  After258km and 26 sections of cobbles Tom Boonen out sprinted George Hincapieto win the 103rd addition of this great spring classic and in doing sobecame only the 9th rider in history to pull the Tour of Flanders/Paris-Roubaixdouble, all on Hutchinson tires.In a race that is often decided by untimely punctures, last year beinga perfect example when Johan Museeuw’s late race flat tire crippled hischances at a record fourth

The United States Anti-Doping Agency announced Wednesday that an independentthree-member arbitration panel from the Court of Arbitration for Sport(CAS) has handed down a two-year suspension to former Jelly Belly riderAdam Bergman after he tested positive for EPO more than a year ago.The 24-year-old Bergman tested positive for recombinant human erythropoietin(r-EPO) during an out-of-competition test conducted by USADA on April 6,2004, in advance of the 2004 Tour de Georgia.Natural erythropoietin is produced by the kidneys and, like synthenticr-EPO, stimulates the production of red blood cells,

PRESS RELEASEThe organisers of the three major Tours (Giro d´Italia, Tour deFrance, Vuelta a España) wish to make the following observationsin response to the UCI's pressrelease dated 12 April 2005:1. The organisers of the three major Tours remain completelyunited in responding to the manoeuvers of the UCI designed to divide them.2. The organisers of the three major Tours can not and do notintend to accept the authority of a new organisation named the CUPT, designedto replace the current CCP and supposed, according to the UCI, to "representall players in professional cycling", and which

Klöden

Bergman gets two-year suspension

American Tyler Hamilton has returned to Europe, still awaiting a decision in the case concerning his disciplinary hearing before the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. It’s been more than a month since Hamilton presented his case before a three-person panel in Denver. Hamilton is facing up to a two-year ban, charged with homologous blood doping – the injection of red blood cells from another person - after failing a doping test at last year’s Vuelta a España. In a diary entry posted April 6 on his personal web page, Hamilton said he’s patiently waiting for an announcement, just like everyone

Crank optionsDear Lennard,I am going to Corsica in September. My bike has a standard Dura-Ace10-speed drivetrain with a double chainring. I would like to put on a compactcrankset for the trip, then reinstall the original after I return. My preferencewould be to not install a new bottom bracket. I could go to a triple. Doesany compact crank fit the Dura-Ace outside bearing bottom bracket? CanI run a triple Dura-Ace or Ultegra as a double without changing out theread end? I would rather not have to get a new crank and bottom bracket(like an FSA) just for one trip.Many thanks.BobDear Bob,The

He’s getting closer. Discovery’s George Hincapie has always ridden well in the classics. Wins at Ghent-Wevelgem, Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne and consistently strong performances in the “Queen of the Classics,” Paris-Roubaix, underscore the fact that the man from New York is well-suited to riding on rough and slippery roads in northern Europe in the spring. Nonetheless, it’s that top spot at Roubaix and its hefty cobblestone trophy that have eluded Hincapie since he first rode the Hell of the North in 1995. This year, he got closer than ever, finishing in the velodrome at Roubaix right behind the

Sparta Cycling Announces 2005 Tour of ConnecticutCyclosportif Ride Added to Three Day Event Waterbury, Connecticut - The Northwest Connecticut Conventionand Visitors Bureau and event organizer Sparta Cycling of New York Cityis pleased to announce the 2005 Tour of Connecticut professional cyclingrace, from 20-22 May. The 2005 Tour of Connecticut features stops in NewHaven, Waterbury and Torrington, and the televised three-day stage racewill be featured on OUTDOOR LIFE NETWORKS’s Cyclysm Sunday bicycle raceTV series. The 2005 Tour of Connecticut will also be broadcast locallyon

Hamilton at the '04 Vuelta

Focused: Hincapie negotiates the Arenberg forest in 2001

Those last 150 meters: Boonen was just too strong.

One step to go...

"Cycling in the News" is a regular service of VeloNews.com. Readers,reporters and friends are encouraged to send links to current stories aboutcompetitive cyclists and cycling that appear in the mainstream media. Ifyou come across a news item that you believe may be of interest to otherVeloNews readers, we would be grateful if you choose to send it to Rosters@InsideInc.com.Easylistening - with George WThe Scotsman - Glasgow - April 11, 2005By Victoria Ward, PA, in New YorkWhen it comes to the latest trends, US President George Bush knowshow to keep up with the kids – but what exactly does the

Top Pro Cyclists Take the Stage at Specialized Morgan Hill Grand Prix       Amateur and Family Events CompleteFamous Race Revival Morgan Hill, Calif.-Specialized Bicycles, one of the pioneeringcompanies of the Mountain Bike, recently hosted a crowd of 1,000 spectatorsand entrants in its hometown for a warm Sunday filled with cycling entertainment.Some of the strongest pro cyclists and teams were breaking the speed limitsof downtown Morgan Hill as men and women riders were rounding the 1.2-milecourse at more than 35 mph in the revival of the once-famous

The second annual Garrett Lemire Memorial Grand Prix in Ojai, California, got a little extra star power on Sunday courtesy of a visit by six-time Tour de France champ Lance Armstrong and his companion Sheryl Crow. According to the Ventura County Star, (requires registration) Armstrong glided up to the line shortly before the start of the 90-minute pro men’s criterium. He apparently heard about the race from an old buddy, Dave Lettieri, the former manager of the Chevrolet-L.A. Sheriff’s team, now owner of FasTrack Bicycles in nearby Santa Barbara. And while, like his Roubaix-bound teammate

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.Where’s Mike Creed?Editor:What's up with Mike Creed? He hasn't started any races since Langkawi, and is not even on the roster for Georgia. Is he still with Discovery? Injured? Doghouse? He had some promising results last year, rode well in support at Georgia last year and

Well, we’re embarrassed. Many of you keeping track of Sunday’s live coverage of Paris-Roubaix were left without access to updates for what turned into an exciting finish. We apologize for those we left hanging. The dog didn’t eat our homework and our editorial crew didn’t step out for coffee… but we do have an explanation. Near the end of the race our servers crashed, rendering our coverage non-existent. Like you, we were frustrated, even angry at times, but we have since had a chance to trace the problem, address it and make certain that it doesn’t happen again. It was a software issue and

For every high in bike racing, like George Hincapie’s first podium at Paris-Roubaix, it seems there’s an equivalent low. Just ask Hincapie’s Discovery Channel teammate Mike Creed, who’s back in the States for a medical checkup after suffering through an extended bout of fatigue. After wrapping up the January 28-February 6 Tour of Langkawi in Malaysia, where he finished 37th overall, the young pro returned to his home in Girona, Spain, rested up for a couple of weeks and then resumed training. “Training was going good,” he said during a phone chat with VeloNews from his old hometown of

Tom Boonen (Quick Step) shot to the top of the ProTour standings following his dramatic victory in Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix. The 24-year-old Belgian slipped ahead of Milan-San Remo winner Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo) with wins at Flanders and Roubaix. George Hincapie (Discovery Channel) moved into fourth with 75 points while Bobby Julich (CSC) sits in eighth with 50 points. Boonen was crowned king of the cobbles on Sunday and the feat made the covers of all the major Belgian dailies. Wednesday’s GP Scheldeprijs will be Boonen’s last race before he takes a “mini-vacation” before

Hundreds of collegiate cyclists from the Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference (ECCC) convened on the Boston area for the 6th annual Boston Beanpot Classic. The three race event once again set a new record with over 470 collegiate racers from 60 colleges and universities across 11 states and two countries. The large turnout makes the 2006 Boston Beanpot Classic the largest collegiate race in U.S. history for the third straight year.

Boonen got the cobble and a new jersey on Sunday.

With baby daughter Julia Paris cradled in his arms, a physically and emotionally drained George Hincapie finally stood on the Paris-Roubaix podium he’s doggedly pursued for so many years. Standing one step higher was Tom Boonen, the Belgian bomber who swept to an emotional victory in a three-up sprint that also included Spanish charger Juan Antonio Flecha.

Cycling-mad Belgians appear more than ready to embrace yet another hero as 24-year-old Tom Boonen claimed victory in the grueling Paris-Roubaix one-day classic on Sunday, his second major win in a week. It was a race for which Boonen became the favorite after his stunning victory in the Tour of Flanders last Sunday, where he decided not to rely on his formidable sprint powers to put his rivals to the sword. And after claiming victory in the 259km seventh race of the ProTour series on Sunday, in which his illustrious predecessors Roger De Vlaeminck, Eddy Merckx and Johan Museeuw have shone

American George Hincapie took a couple of steps closer to realizing a career-long dream on Sunday but the Discovery Channel rider was pipped at the finish line of the grueling Paris-Roubaix one-day classic. Hincapie, who has been a teammate of Lance Armstrong's since the early days of U.S. Postal, has twice come close to winning the race known as the Hell of the North - and twice, in 1999 and 2000, he finished in fourth place. This year the 31-year-old New Yorker grabbed his chance at victory with both hands, getting into the decisive breakaway with all the top contenders with 80km of

The Cobbles of Paris-RoubaixSectionDifficulty (on a scale of 1-5)26. Troisvilles (km 97.5 - 2200 meters)***25. Viesly (km 103.8 - 1800 meters)***24. Quievy (km 106.4 - 3700 meters)****23. Quievy – Saint-Python (km 111.1 - 1500 meters)**22. Escarmain (km 122.7 - 1500 meters)*21. Vertain (km 126.9 - 1900 meters)***20. Du Buat (km 133.6 - 1700 meters)***20. Preseau (143.8 - 2000 meters)*19. Aulnoy-lez-Valenciennes (km 149.7 - 2600 meters)*****18. Famars (km 153 - 1200 meters)***17. Artres - Querenaing (km 155.8 - 1400 meters)***17. Querenaing - Maing (km 157 - 2500 meters)***16.

Dominican national road champion Wendy Cruz captured the inaugural edition of the Tour of Puerto Rico Sunday, finishing third in an 84km criterium through the streets of Hato Rey. Cruz took the race lead on Friday by finishing second in the 152km race from San Juan to Mayaguez. The following morning, he won a difficult 68km mountain stage by outsprinting American Jonathan Baker, who jumped from eighth to second overall. Cruz’s margin of victory was 1:29 over Baker and 1:46 over third-placed Dominican August Sanchez of the Dominican national team. Cruz, 28, also won the race’s points and

Boonen gets another of the greats

Hincapie wants that top step

The day's early escape

Hincapie and Boonen driving the day's winning break.

Boonen now also leads the ProTour

Van Petegem and others were caught up in this big tumble

Flecha sees the day's move is being made.

Tafi at the start.

Wesemann, Hulsmans and Van Bon in pursuit

Michaelsen drives the break.

Belgian star Tom Boonen will saddle up as a major favorite for Sunday’s 103rd edition of Paris-Roubaix, the rugged one-day classic that could put the charismatic Quick Step rider on the road to emulating former three-time winner Johan Museeuw. Despite his youthful features, Boonen proved in last week's daring win in the Tour of Flanders that he has no qualms about putting some of the world's toughest and more experienced one-day riders to the sword. And a victory in the Roubaix velodrome would send his growing army of fans into an even bigger frenzy. "We saw it last week - age is

The second annual Garrett Lemire Memorial Grand Prix is scheduled Sunday in Ojai, California. This race, which honors the late Ojai resident and racer, who died in a collision with a car while participating in the 2003 Tucson Bicycle Classic, is part of USA Cycling’s National Racing Calendar. Pro women race at 11:30 a.m. followed by the pro men’s at 12:35 p.m. After Lemire’s death, his friends and family created the Garrett Lemire Memorial Foundation, a non-profit organization working in the local school system to educate students about cycling safety, fitness, bicycle maintenance and the

Harrisonburg, VA, March 29, 2005—Gripped Films is pleased to announce the world premiere of its feature-length documentary, "Off Road to Athens." The film will be shown during the Sea Otter Classic at 7 p.m. April 15 and 16 at the Golden State Theater in downtown Monterey, California. At Friday's showing, all eight athletes featured in the film will arrive via limo and will be taking photos with fans and signing movie posters. "Off Road to Athens" is a powerful documentary covering the tumultuous path taken by eight athletes hoping to make the U.S. mountain-biking team headed to the

LIQUIGAS - BIANCHI1 - BACKSTEDT Magnus SWE2 - ALBASINI Michael SUI3 - GEROSA Mauro ITA4 - LJUNGQVIST Marcus SWE5 - LODA Nicola ITA6 - RIGHETTO Marco ITA7 - SIRONI Gianluca ITA8 - ZANOTTI Marco ITAFASSA BORTOLO11 - CANCELLARA Fabian SUI12 - AUG Andrus EST13 - BALDATO Fabio ITA14 - CHICCHI Francesco ITA15 - CORIONI Claudio ITA16 - FLECHA Juan Antonio ESP17 - ONGARATO Alberto ITA18 - PETITO Roberto ITADAVITAMON - LOTTO21 - VAN PETEGEM Peter BEL22 - DE VOCHT Wim BEL23 - MATTAN Nico BEL24 - ROESEMS Bert BEL25 - STEELS Tom BEL26 - VAN BON Leon NED27 - VIERHOUTEN Aart NED28 - VOGELS Henk AUST-MOBILE

O'Bee scores in Hell of the North (Way North)Navigators Insurance's Kirk O'Bee scored the 2nd step of the podium today in the 43rd Ronde Van Drenthe, held in the far northeastern corner of Holland. The race, modeled after a similar event held in France, is known as much for its 12 sections of demanding pave, totaling 28Km, as for the 4 trips up the 23% Vamberg climb. On his way to 2nd place in the race, Kirk also took the KOM jersey for his display of power on the steep pitch of the "Vam." The race, officially titled: 43rd Internationale Albert Achterhes Profronde Ronde Van

Last week, I told the story of how Californian Audrey McElmury in 1969 became the first-ever American to win a world road race championship. Emphasizing the enormity of that rainbow victory is the fact that her feat has since been repeated by only one woman, Beth Heiden in 1980, and two pro men, Greg LeMond in 1983 and 1989, and Lance Armstrong in 1993. McElmury’s breakthrough was a giant step for American cycling, and was confirmation that California — where McElmury often raced with the men — was producing high-quality U.S. riders. We had already seen the limited success in Europe of men

Boonen's the favorite - but Paris-Roubaix has been tough on the big names

Tafi en route to victory in 1999

Paris-Roubaix race organizers, forced by a sinkhole to abandon the infamous cobbles of the Arenberg forest, have unearthed a series of tracks that they say will be just as intimidating in Sunday's Hell of the North. Roger de Vlaeminck who outrode Eddy Merckx in a series of mighty battles to chalk up record four wins in the 1970s has warned riders to be ready for a day of pain. “You need to be fairly agile to avoid the bumps and pitfalls but at the end of the day you've just got to accept you're going to take a fall, dust yourself down and get on with it," said the Belgian who

It had been a long hot day in the Auvergne region of central France. 237km in six hours – the longest stage of the 2004 Tour - and the July sun had baked the roads mercilessly. But the climate and the physical strains of the day were not the only reason why Erik Zabel was steaming. Clearly his temper had passed the boiling point: Having torn off his sweaty jersey, Zabel stood shirtless next to the team bus in a side street of the medieval town of Saint-Flour, screaming furiously at team director Mario Kummer until veins popped out of his neck. Only 10 feet away Andreas Klöden was calmly

Looking at the list of casualties from Ghent-Wevelgem, I couldn't help but shudder. Broken bones; people hitting poles, cars and other riders - I know the feeling. Even the slightest injury or smallest crash has consequences. And the older you get, the more the little things mean. The back gets tight, you pull a hamstring, and bang: You’ve triggered an old injury. Then you can't train properly, or race the next race that will help you achieve your top form when you need it, and you start to worry that you’ll never get back on track. When you’re young, climbing back on the bike is

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.Let’s hope the motos don’t affect Paris-RoubaixEditor:Looks like another race may have been decided by the motos (see “Mattan takes a messy Ghent-Wevelgem”). First Andreas Klier is taken out by a moto, and then apparently Nico Mattan got an assist from them while chasing down Juan

Di Luca seals VPV dealDanilo Di Luca started Friday’s 9.3km final time trial of the Vuelta a Pais Vasco with a 23-second head start on Bobby Julich. Making up that much time seemed unlikely on such a short course that favored the climbing legs of Di Luca, but with the way Julich’s been riding these days, you just never know. The Liquigas-Bianchi star only needed a quarter of that cushion to score the overall title in the hilly ProTour race in Spain’s Basque Country region. Di Luca finished a strong fourth at just four seconds slower than CSC’s Julich in a rainy, challenging time trial to

I’m gonna whittle you into kindlin’Black Crow 16 shells from a thirty-ought-six.–Tom Waits, “16 Shells from a .30-06” It had been a long Friday morning in the service of cycling journalism, or whatever the hell it is that I do here, and so when I saw a gap in the workload I decided to slip out for a ride. One glance at the sky and I grabbed a ’cross bike, thinking I’d do a few quick turns in the park before the clouds cut loose. The weather had that monster-movie look to it, and around here that can mean anything from electrical storms to blizzards to nothing at all. On the way to the park

The most demanding, exhausting one-day race of the professional road-racing calendar starts at 11 a.m. Sunday in Compiegne, France, just north of Paris. Indeed, more than 20 percent of the course used for the 103rd Paris-Roubaix hardly qualifies as a “road” at all, in modern terms. Nearly 55km of the 259km route consists of 26 sections of bone-rattling, sometimes dangerously slick cobblestones. Known variously as the “Hell of the North” and the “Queen of the Classics,” Paris-Roubaix is one of the most dramatic events in professional cycling. Partly cloudy skies are forecast for race day,

Augusto Sanchez outsprinted fellow Dominican Wendy Cruz to win the second stage of the inaugural Tour of Puerto Rico Friday in Mayaquez. The two were part of a breakaway of seven riders who escaped the field 60km into the 152km race, which traversed the northern coast of the island. The break had a gap of nearly two minutes before the challenging terrain and 90-degree heat clipped it down to 50 seconds and a long climb in the final 15km shattered it altogether. Then, when police could not clear traffic clogging the finish area, commissaire Pablo Antonio Fana Joaquin ordered that the race be

Favorite Tom Boonen (r) prepares for Sunday's run into the Hell of the North

Stuart O'Grady and the Cofidis crew try out the new stretch of pavé at the Hameau du Buat

Weather conditions are expected to get worse by Sunday

Zabel was particularly aggressive at this year's Flanders

Getting the bird once again