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"Go get him." "No, you get him...." And so it went.... The last 15km of the 60th edition of the Omloop Het Volk presented the peloton with a classic dilemma: Chase the one man off the front and risk setting up a win for the competition, or hope someone else chases and risk losing if no one does. They opted for the latter, and that gave 25-year-old Nick Nuyens all he needed to stay away to claim victory, just seconds ahead of a field of pre-race favorites, including his Quick Step teammate and compatriot Tom Boonen.

Italian Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo), stamped his final mark of authority on the sixth edition of the Volta Communidad Valencia on Saturday, winning the fifth and final stage and claiming the overall victory to boot. It was the Italian speedster’s third stage win of the Volta. "For me, with my characteristics, it is very difficult to win a small tour like this one, but I have been very fit since the beginning of the season and I knew that I could race a good tour,” Petacchi said. Spain’s Francisco Ventoso (Saunier Duval) was second on the stage, a 149.5km circuit around Valencia,

Nuyens celebrates his bold victory

CSC's Tristan Hoffman broke his left leg in a crash while descending the Mur de Grammont

The Piil escape

Eki' at the front

Nuyens goes it alone

Up the Grammont

Tom Boonen (Quick Step) and Peter Van Petegem (Davitamon) are among the favorites in the traditional Belgian season-opener, the Omloop Het Volk, on Saturday. The 200km course between Ghent and Lokeren includes plenty of climbing along with 19km of cobbles, and forecasters are predicting unpleasant weather, perhaps even some snow. Last year’s edition was canceled due to heavy snow and bitter cold, but this time organizers guarantee that the race will come off regardless of the temperatures. Though it’s not included in the new UCI ProTour, Het Volk remains a monument for Flamands, the first

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.We got the predictable ton of letters regarding Fred Dreier’s inaugural column on a pair of ugly motorist-cyclist conflicts. Some readers proposed vengeance via violence and/or vandalism, others counseled peace, still others recommended leaving enforcement to the law, and a few even

Spaniard Juan Antonio Flecha defied a spirited chase and wintry weather to claim stage 4 of the sixth annual Volta Ciclista Comunidad Valencia on Friday Bitter weather, a mixture of rain and snow, marked the stage from Alzira to Valada, and though organizers trimmed the route from 161km to 156km, the conditions nevertheless took a heavy toll on the field. Among those who abandoned were Christophe Moreau, Andreas Klöden, Erik and Thomas Dekker, and Stefano Garzelli, along with seven of Kaiku’s eight riders. Flecha and fellow Spaniards Xabier Zandio (Illes Balears) and Rafael Casero (Saunier

Just got back in the office after a five-day trip (or was it six? I’ve never been good with time travel) to check out a bit of Manitou’s 2006 suspension technology. While trapped on Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, one of the Canary Islands, just off the coast of Morocco, I’m pretty sure I signed a piece of paper promising I wouldn’t spill the beans on the new fork. So I’ll be particularly brief and vague here; the full story can be told on March 1. Manitou, which in my opinion has set the standard for freeride and downhill suspension over the past five years, has chosen to dump a ton of R&D into

Last week, I wrote about some of the pioneer American racers who had ambitions of professional careers in Europe. One of them was Michael Hiltner, who was sampling the Italian cycling scene in the early 1960s at the same time as several cyclists from the British Isles were already breaking into the then-exclusive ranks of continental pro racing. Among the most successful were Englishmen Brian Robinson and Tom Simpson. Robinson was the first English-speaking rider to win a stage of the Tour de France (in 1958), while Simpson was the first to win a monumental classic and the first to wear the

Flecha clings to a nine-second lead and gets the win

Peter Van Petegem celebrates his third win at Het Volk

Johan Museeuw winning Het Volk in 2003

Another lousy day for a tech editor . . . .

Saunier Duval's Paris-Roubaix machine

More clearance for bigger rubber . . .

. . . in this case, custom Conti' tubies

Bigger chain rings

And top-mounted brake levers

Dear Readers,Over the last two columns, (see "Part1" and "Part2" )attorney Bruce Epperson has been describing how Colonel AlbertPope, the “Rockefeller of Bicycles,” used the 1866 Lallement patent, thebasic patent covering all bicycles made in the United States, to monopolizethe then-infant bicycle industry, and how this monopoly was threatenedby an obsure patent lawsuit dealing with, of all things, whale-oil lamps!This week, in the last of three parts, we look at how Pope’s lawyers triedto save the Lallement patent by creating a monopoly that would not onlylast until the patent expired in

T-Mobile star Jan Ullrich will re-start his preparation for the 2005 Tour de France on April 5 in the Circuit de la Sarthe, his manager Rudy Pevenage confirmed on Thursday. T-Mobile rider Ullrich, 31, suffered a setback in training and will miss the Tours of Murcia and Cologne on March 3 and March 28 respectively. "Jan will start with the Tour of Sarthe on April 5 and then onto Aragon," said Pevenage. "It is the same preparation as two years ago." Ullrich has finished runner-up five times in the Tour, four since his victory in 1997, and is determined to end the dominance of American Lance

It seems the biggest news of the past week is Lance Armstrong’s decision to race at the 2005 Tour de France. His announcement on Tuesday, February 16th, confirmed, changed or confused the plans of racers, product managers, publicists, tourists, executives and journalists everywhere. Oh, like he wasn’t going to race. Come on, Lance! You couldn’t really skip the Tour, could you? Even if he had announced he wasn’t planning on racing, couldn’t you see him having a change of heart some time around the Dauphine Libéré? I can picture him watching Iban Mayo, Ivan Basso and Roberto Heras battle it

Some days it pays to take chances and in the third stage of the Volta ComunidadValenciana on Thursday an early gamble paid off nicely for Kaiku’sAndoni Aranaga and David Blanco (Valencia-Kelme).Blanco charged out of the main field just 2.5km into the day’s stage. He was joined by Aranaga at 10km and the two set about building what turned into a solid 15-minute lead.Usually able to calculate precisely when to pull in a break, the FassaBortolo team of race leader Alessandro Petacchi waited just a little too long to begin its chase and the two escapees managed to reach the finish with a margin

February 21, 2005—Trenton, NJ—Hutchinson Tires North America announcesthe arrival of Marc Gullickson as the new manager of marketing and communicationactivities.  After recently retiring from a successful career as aprofessional Mountain Bike and Cyclo-Cross racer, Gullickson will jointhe French bicycle tire manufacturer in an effort to strengthen their NorthAmerican consumer and media presence. Having spent the past 12 years as a professional cyclist highlightedby a win at the 1999 Cyclo-Cross National Championships, Gullickson wrappedup his racing career at the recent Cyclo-Cross

Ullrich at team camp in January

Phil turned on the charm at Adega

Aranaga takes the win

Working together, Blanco and Aranaga built their lead to 15 minutes

Petacchi begins to realize the gap may be too big

Fassa Bortolo begins to chase...

... with help from Saunier Duval and Liberty Seguros

Iban Mayo is here to get in shape for July

Dear Joe and Dirk,I seem to recall once reading about not going into the Red Zone too early in one’s training season. Although I am new to mountain biking - the season I am focusing on - I do have a couple years under my belt of triathlon and cyclo-cross racing, so this won’t be my first year of following a training program. Presently, I am in my Base 1 phase and I’m wondering about entering a “C-priority” race (or two) that fit into my Base 3 timeline (April). Will going into the red zone so early hurt my training program, which is being built around peaking in July for my “A-priority”

With frame materials and production processes becoming so advanced,one must wonder if there is room for the custom frame builder to competewith major manufacturers. Dotting the map from coast to coast, custom buildersare often individuals working in their garages making one frame at a time.These individuals rarely have home offices to visit, so to get a read what’snew with custom builders, VeloNews visited the 1st Annual HandmadeBicycle Show, held in Houston, Texas, in January.Aftera lap of the show floor, it was evident that these builders favor variety.The 30 craftsmen who went to Houston

Alessandro Petacchi continued to show-off his early season form Wednesday,winning his second successive stage at Spain’s Volta Ciclista Comunidad Valenciana. With a day of frequent attacks ending in another field sprint, Petacchi easily beat Isaac Galvez (Illes Balears - Banesto) and Liquigas’s Luciano Pagliarini to the line.The day's stage featured a largely flat, 178-kilometer route from largely flat route from Xàbia to Port de Sagunt. The only rated climb was a Cat. 2 ascent with 33km remaining.The day featured several attacks, with the Saunier Duval team of race leader Constantino

Astarloa sidelinedSpain's 2003 world road race cycling champion Igor Astarloa is set to be on the sidelines for the next two months due to a double fracture of his right arm and wrist, his Italian team Barloworld revealed on Wednesday. The 28-year-old suffered the injuries during a race in Marseille, France, last Sunday and will have to rest for a month before resuming training towards the end of March. It will mean Astarloa missing the opening classic races of the season including Milan-San Remo. Wesemann drops German citizenshipT-Mobile's Steffen Wesemann has announced that he

SPOT ON - Santa Cruz framebulder Rick Hunter is known for his fine fillet brazing.

Petacchi makes it look easy

Zaballa

Talabard leads the escape

Saunier Duval gives chase

Chavenel and Mayoz

Garzelli is riding into form

Petacchi moves into the leader's jersey

Make VeloNews.com a regular part of your surfing schedule:Mondays “ A Fred's Eye View" with Fred Dreier (weekly)Tuesdays“Continental Drift” with Andrew Hood (weekly)“Technical Q&A” with Lennard Zinn (weekly) Wednesdays ”Nutrition Q&A” with Monique Ryan (every other week) “Training Bible Studies” with Joe and Dirk Friel (every other week) Thursdays “Tech Report” with Andrew Juskaitis (weekly) “Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood” with Neal Rogers (weekly)“Legally Speaking” with Bob Mionske (weekly) Fridays”Inside Cycling” with John Wilcockson (weekly) “Friday's Foaming Rant” with

It could be Millar Time once again in the 2006 Tour de France after the Court of Arbitration for Sport gave David Millar something of a reprieve last week. Millar – who lost his 2003 world time trial crown after admitting to taking EPO – unsuccessfully asked the sporting world’s highest court to reduce his doping ban to one year, but won in his appeal that his ineligibility should begin from the date of his arrest by French police in June of 2004 rather than from his disciplinary hearing before the British Cycling Federation in August. By changing the date of the two-year ban, CAS opened

The Kona Bicycle Co. announces 2005 Kona Factory-Les Gets team rosterFormer XC World Champion and NORBA XC Champ, Roland Green, and four’crossexpert, Kamil Tartakovic, make squad strongest ever.KONAWORLD (February, 2005) – The Kona Bicycle Company today announcedthe roster for the 2005 Kona Factory – Les Gets team. The 2005 Kona Factory– Les Gets team includes the additions of 2001 cross-country World Champion,Roland Green, and Czech Four’Cross specialist, Kamil Tartakovic.Green joins the most dynamic team on last year’s cross-country circuitthat features Kris Sneddon, Ryan Trebon, Peter

Vitamin Cottage Cycling Team Announces 2005 Riders, Sponsors, andPlansThe Vitamin Cottage Cycling Team, Pro-1-2 winner of the American CyclingAssociation’s 2004 Best All Around Team Competition, has announced its2005 rider and sponsor lineup.The Men’s Elite Team will consist of Alan McCormack, Andy Bajadali,Brian Hludzinski, Chad Taylor, Christian McCarthy, Chuck Coyle, Dirk Friel,Joe Taddeucci, Joey Pinkerton, Jon Tarkington, Rob Holland, Michael Schilling,and Sean Bragstad.  The Women’s Elite Team will consist of JennerYaeso, Martha Meyer, Missy Thompson, and Renee Eastman.2004

Unwelcome floatDear Lennard,I have 1997 Campy chorus (9-speed) on my bike and other than the factthat I have to replace the right lever indexing spring every four years,I love it.My friend has '99 Chorus (also 9-speed) and is not as happy. It seemsthat sometime between those two years Campy changed the "balance" of thesprings in the right lever and the rear derailleur, so that instead ofclicking into one set position, the rear derailleur has about 1-2 millimetersof lateral "float" that allows you to center the chain on the selectedcog. Maybe they thought it was a good idea for folks who

SEA OTTER CLASSIC CREATES CYPRESS YOUTH FUNDFund Focuses on Combating Childhood ObesityMonterey, Calif. – Sea Otter Classic, LLC announced todaythe development of a philanthropic arm, the Cypress Youth Fund. The Fundfocuses on distributing funds to organizations that benefit their communitiesin the areas of Youth, Sports, Education, and Environment.“The mission of the Sea Otter Classic is to make peoples lives betterthrough participation in sport and recreation, and through celebrationof an active outdoor lifestyle”, says Frank Yohannan, President and CEOof Sea Otter Classic, LLC. Sea Otter

Zinoviev dies in OhioAlexandre "Sasha" Zinoviev, a captain of the Soviet team that won the world team time trial championship in 1983 and 1985, died at a Cincinnati hospital Monday of gastric cancer, his family said. He was 43. Zinoviev, who turned pro and raced on the Alfa Lum squad in the late 1980s, also coached the Soviet national team in 1990. He retired completely from the sport in 1992. He later emigrated to the United States and became a citizen in 2001. Zinoviev was a computer analyst for a medical resource company in suburban Blue Ash, Ohio. He is survived by his wife, Lora, and

Millar - seen here leaving court last fall - hopes to be wearing a team kit next year

Zinoviev

Gerolsteiner’s sprint ace, Danilo Hondo says, it’s only a matter of time before he scores a major win, with a victory in one of the major classics or a stage in the Tour de France topping his wish-list. “I am more self-confident now, that’s now doubt. Riding on this team is very helpful for me, because I am a team leader,” Hondo said during the team’s training camp last month. “When I was riding at Telekom (1999-2003), I was often the helper even though I won two stages in the Giro (in 2001). I was never given many chances to have the team working for me. That’s the way it was on that team,

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.Ride where you can, preserve where you can’tVeloNews,In response to Kurt Bickel’s letter in Friday’sMailbag. Poach if you have to, but don't oppose wilderness designation. Flawedas it is, wilderness designation affords the best possible legal protectionfor our dwindling wild lands;

Ina Teutenberg (T-Mobile) did it again on Sunday, winning the final stage of the Valley of the Sun, the Orpheum Lofts Downtown Capitol Criterium in downtown Phoenix. Teutenberg outkicked Magen Long (The Bicycle Store) and Genevieve Jeanson (Rona) on the figure-8-shaped, 1-mile loop to claim her second consecutive stage win. Teutenberg’s teammate Kristin Armstrong, meanwhile, finished safely in the field to claim the overall victory ahead of another teammate, Kimberly Baldwin. Jeanson rounded out the top three. In men’s racing, Tyler Farrar (Health Net-Maxxis) outsprinted Roberto Gaggioli

RECKLESS DRIVING: Any person who drives any motor vehicle, bicycle, or motorized bicycle in such a manner as to indicate either a wanton or willful disregard for the safety of persons or property is guilty of reckless driving. Colorado Driver Handbook. Pg. 24 sect. 12.5You hear the grumble of an approaching engine and ease closer to the shoulder’s white line, only to have your eardrums shattered by a long horn honk and an angry yell. Instinctively, you raise your hand and offer the irate driver’s rearview mirror the one-fingered international sign of goodwill, and a nice ear to ear grin.

Boulder, Colo. (February, 2005)  - This spring, only tenwomen will get the chance to spend a long weekend mountain biking withworld-class mountain biker Juli Furtado, in Fruita, Colorado, April 22through 24.A course for riders of all levels, the course is put together by TheWomen’s Wilderness Institute and offers the chance to ride trails in theKokopelli and 18-Mile road trail systems ranging from beginner to technical,all in the growing mountain bike community of Fruita.Though she has been mountain biking since 1985, this course is the firstthat Juli Furtado has ever hosted. She is the

Hondo tries his luck at a solo break in the 0th stage of the 2004 Tour de France

Wild Bill in 1979

The Netherlands emerged the overall winners of track cycling's World Cupafter finishing second to Australia in the fourth and final event in Sydneyon Sunday.The Australians ended the Sydney leg with 132 points after claimingfour gold, two silver and three bronze medals and six other top ten placingsto finish 12 points clear of the Netherlands.The Dutch came away from the final event with six gold medals and 120points but it was enough to crown them overall World Cup champion nationwith 360 points from Russia (324), Great Britain (297) and Australia (281).Australian Anna Meares won her

Portuguese rider Hugo Sabido (Paredes-Beira Támega) upset some biggernames to take the final stage and the overall title as the Tour of theAlgarve wrapped up Sunday. A year ago, U.S. Postal Service swept to victory with Floyd Landis.Discovery Channel tried to use the same strategy with José LuisRubiera, but “Chechu” couldn’t quite match the pace set by Sabido in thefinal ramps of the Cat. 2 climb in the 165km stage from Lagoa to Alto doMalhao. Rubiera earned a spot on the final podium thanks to his efforts, takingthird just behind Stuart O’Grady (Cofidis), who finished second overallto

The peloton was sparsely populated by the end

T-Mobile wasn't content to just phone it in as the Valley of the Sun stage race kicked off Friday with the Trek Individual Time Trial, held on a 12-mile course at Sun Valley Parkway west of Phoenix. Despite the unseasonably rainy weather, Kristin Armstrong won the race against the clock in 25:58 – and she was joined on the podium by two teammates, Kimberly Baldwin and Mari Holden. And three other T-Mobiles – Kori Seehafer, Rebecca Much and Lara Proepsch – made it into the top 10. In the men’s race, Brian Sheedy (Advantage Benefits) took top honors in 23:21, followed by Ryan Blickem

World sprint champion Theo Bos claimed his second win of the Sydney UCI World Cup track cycling meet in Sydney with victory over Australian Jobie Dajka in the sprint on Saturday. Bos won his final 2-0 and led another night of Dutch success at the Dunc Gray Velodrome with compatriots Marlijn Binnendijk winning the women's individual pursuit and Yvonne Hijgenaar claiming the 500m time trial. Bos, who won the world title in Melbourne last May, beat eight-time world champion Laurent Gane of France for the keirin title on Friday's opening night along with Levi Heimans win in the

Eisel back on top in AlgarveA day after slipping back into the overall lead, Austria’s Bernhard Eisel (FDJeux.com) emphatically won his second stage of the Tour of the Algarve to confirm his lead with one day to go. Eisel held off Stuart O’Grady (Cofidis) and Fabian Wegmann (Gerolsteiner) to take the victory and consolidate his hold on the overall lead. The win marked Eisel’s third win during his early season stop in Portugal, with one stage win in the GP Costa Azul and two in Algarve. Sunday’s finale ends with a climb, giving the climbers a chance to make up some lost time on the

Ina Teutenberg (T-Mobile) and John Murphy (Krystal-SCV) took their respective field sprints on Saturday to win the Landis Cyclery Road Race, stage 2 of the Valley of the Sun. The stage, run on a 16-mile loop in the desert near Casa Grande, south of Phoenix, was rolling to flat with a moderate climb to the finish line. Teutenberg handed T-Mobile its second consecutive stage victory in the 57-mile women’s race, beating Genevieve Jeanson and stage-1 winner Kristin Armstrong to the line. Armstrong held onto her overall lead, with teammates Kimberly Baldwin and Mari Holden second and third at

So we awoke this morning to the sound of rain again. Today (Saturday) was the 57-mile road race, held – not without some irony – in the desert of Casa Grande. The team was psyched and ready to start the day. We started with the normal team meeting where director Andrezj asked us all “so what are you going to do today team?” To which Brooke quickly replied “whatever we feel like, gosh.” I don’t think she got enough sleep last night. We decided that rain or shine we were going to race hard. Lesson Number 1 from the Rex Kwan Do School of fighting. We wanted to win and maintain our

Eisel takes the stage in the leader's jersey

The bunch barrels along

Alexei Markov (Milaneza-Maia) won the third stage of the Volta ao Algarve in Portugal on Friday, outkicking Bernard Eisel (Française des Jeux) and Hans Dekkers (Rabobank) in the bunch sprint to claim the victory. By finishing second on the 200km stage from Vila do Bispo to Lagos in southern Portugal, meanwhile, Austria’s Eisel collected a six-second bonus and took the overall lead from Belgian Tom Steels (Davitamon-Lotto). Steels, who crossed in 25th place, slipped to second overall, at two seconds behind. Australian Stuart O’Grady (Cofidis) sits third at three seconds back. –Agence France

MARBLEHEAD, Mass. – February 9, 2005 – The Tyler Hamilton Foundation today announced an online auction to raise money for the two causes closest to the gold-medal-winner’s heart: multiple sclerosis and youth cycling. The auction is now live at www.thfgala.cmarket.com and will be open through March 3; new items are being added daily. Anyone can log on and support the foundation with bids on vacations, sports gear and the once-in-a-lifetime experiences that make this auction unique. Among the priceless offerings is dinner for four at the home of Tyler Hamilton and his wife, Haven, with Tour of

World sprint champion Theo Bos led a Dutch hat-trick of victories on the opening night of the fourth and final UCI World Cup track event at Dunc Gray Velodrome on Friday in Sydney. Bos claimed the keirin title while Levi Heimans won the men's 4km individual pursuit and Wim Stroetinga took out the men's 15km scratch race. Bos beat eight-time world champion Laurent Gane of France in the ride-off for first and second place with Czech Republic's Pavel Buran beating Australian Joel Leonard for third. “We've trained very hard here and done a lot of kilometers on the road,” said

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.Making the UCI look goodEditor:I've been pretty upset about the state of cycling and its leadership lately. But then I read today's newspaper (February 17) and realized that the NHL's Gary Bettman makes the UCI's Hein Verbruggen look like the NFL's late, great Pete