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Nijs and Kupfernagel tops at world cyclo-cross championships

A day after his Ceramica-Panaria teammate Graeme Brown grabbed the opening stage of the 2005 Tour de Langkawi, Argentine Ruben Bongiorno fired back with a win of his own on Saturday. And just as they did the day before, the pair of teammates went wheel to wheel all the way to the line, with Brown settling for runner-up status this time around.

There were plenty of pre-race favorites going into Saturday afternoon's under-23 race at the 2005 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in St. Wendel, Germany. And Czech Zdenek Stybar was neither at nor near the top of that list. But after soloing away from a select lead group with four laps to go, the 19-year-old from a small town near the German border showed he belonged on that list of chosen riders. Stybar wasn't even the best-known racer on the Czech squad coming into the championships. While Stybar had won his country's elite championship this year, against international

Moreau hoping for more at Credit AgricoleAfter an up-and-down career, French veteran Christophe Moreau is hoping to be on the upswing again in 2005. Fourth overall in the 2000 Tour de France, he’ll lead Credit Agricole once again in the Tour, where he hopes to nudge closer to the final podium. “I know that I can do a lot better than these last years. 2000 remains my reference year. I was not on the podium, but fourth of the Tour, I wouldn’t have believed it,” Moreau said in an interview on the team’s web page. “Since then I have not always been very lucky, but I know that sooner or later I

The junior podium

Malacarne on the march

The start of the juniors race

Espoirs on the podium

The U-23s tackle the staircase

Powers had a poor first lap, but bounced back into the top 20

Simunek leads the U-23s

Stybar wins the U-23 title

Imagine that if besides the backbiting that so often characterized the Kobe-Shaq era, the pair of NBA stars had literally fought for the ball during their stint with the L.A. Lakers. Sounds preposterous, but don’t think it never happens in the world of sports — including cycling. Take for example, the pair of speedsters from Italian pro squad Ceramica Panaria. Though Graeme Brown and Ruben Bongiorno sport the same bright orange jerseys, when it comes time to sprint one might as well be riding for the Hatfields, the other the McCoys.

Casey - Stage 1

Not so long ago, English-speaking racers were non-existent in professional road racing. Now they are one of the strongest elements in the sport. The evolution has been long and complicated. Over the past few weeks, I’ve written about some of the pioneering efforts of British cyclists in the 1940s and ’50s, how they established true road racing in the British Isles and then started competing in major international races. This week, I will show how those developments continued and how they eventually influenced road racing in North America. But first let’s backtrack a little…. Prior to World

They may be racing in sleeveless jerseys at the Tour of Langkawi, but don't expect to see a lot of bare skin at the 2005 UCI cyclo-cross world championships this weekend in St. Wendel, Germany. Despite the cold, snowy conditions, however, the forecast is for plenty of sweat, if Chris Milliman's pictorial tour of the rolling, 2.8km course is any indication.

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.Outbursts aside, DeCanio is honestEditor:In regards to your article about Matt DeCanio being fired from Ofoto: Yes, there are occasional outbursts of incoherent jargon and outlandish claims on DeCanio’s site, but that is part of the fun. Within the site there is honesty and validity. His

Well, training camp part deux is officially over. It was a good experience, all in all. Got the miles in, plus intensity, and we were treated to some great Italian food. The quality of food in Italy is second to none, and we had plenty of it. In fact, Dave Z was feeling quite nervous since the hotel cafe asked for his room number every morning. He was envisioning a Starbucks-size bill for 100 cappuccinos when he checked out. I do love Italy for the food and the culture, and I kind of laugh at their driving – until I'm on my bike. Then I realize why people get hit by cars every day. The

Azevedo: Ready for Tour with or without LAFollowing his impressive fifth place last year, it’s no surprise Portuguese rider José Azevedo is putting everything into the 2005 Tour de France. The big question now for Azevedo is in what capacity he will ride. All that depends on team captain Lance Armstrong, who said he won’t decide until this spring whether he’ll race for a seventh Tour crown. If Armstrong does race, Azevedo will once again be the Texan’s faithful lieutenant in the high mountains. But if the six-time champion skips this year’s Tour, Azevedo will be the natural heir to the

U.S. Olympic Committee chief executive Jim Scherr competed in wrestling when Seattle staged the Goodwill Games in 1990. He returned to Seattle on Wednesday to drum up support for another Olympic-style event. The Pacific Rim Sports Summit will be held June 7-12, with 900 athletes from nine countries: Australia, Canada, China, Japan, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia and the United States. “I'm going to stay on the sidelines for this one,” Scherr said. Athletes will compete in archery, track and field, basketball, track cycling, diving, gymnastics, softball, synchronized swimming and

The opening stage

Stage 2 map

Grajales doing his best Tom Hanks imitation.

Langkawi - Stage 1 Photo Files

Langkawi - Stage 1 Photo Files

Langkawi - Stage 1 Photo Files

Langkawi - Stage 1 Photo Files

Langkawi - Stage 1 Photo Files

Langkawi - Stage 1 Photo Files

Inside Cycling with John Wilcockson: Over There

Inside Cycling with John Wilcockson: Over There

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The winner

Joseba Beloki came to Malaysia in hopes of regaining his once-great form

A High School English teacher from Helena, Montana and self-proclaimed “Europhile,” Geoff Proctor gives what most U.S. cyclo-cross racers will tell you is their greatest opportunity to gain valuable European racing experience in preparation for the international stage and especially for the world championships. Held over the Christmas-to-New Years holiday out of the USA Cycling U23 house in ‘cross-crazy Belgium, Proctor’s Euro ‘Cross Camp allows twelve Americans the chance to eat, sleep, breathe and race ‘cross. We caught up with U.S. National Cyclo-cross coach and former world-class

The 10th edition of the Tour de Langkawi stage race is set to commence on Friday with an 106.9km romp around this resort island off the northwest coast of Malaysia. The stage will be over almost exclusively flat terrain, leaving the inevitable field sprint to decide the opener. This year’s race features one of the strongest fields that has ever made the trip to this predominantly Muslim nation of 22.7 million in Southeast Asia. Four ProTour squads, Credit Agricole, Discovery Channel, Domina Vacanze and Liberty Seguros, will start the 10-day affair that concludes February 6 in downtown Kuala

We just received word from Zipp that the company has chosen to go ahead and “dimple” many of its popular carbon road wheels. In fact, everyone of its Deep-V wheelsets will receive what company says is a major aerodynamic enhancement. “In every wind, speed and direction ZIPP's dimpled wheels are more aerodynamic our same wheels without the dimples. In 90 percent of riding conditions the innovation will save you between 1 and 4 watts of energy," Zipp claims. "The aerodynamic benefit mimics the reason golf balls have dimples, aircraft wings and race cars use trip strips and vortex

Bobby Julich says he wants his season to unfold just like last year when the veteran American rediscovered his winning touch. Julich returned to his best last year, winning a stage at the Vuelta al Pais Vasco, finishing third overall at Paris-Nice and taking home an Olympic time trial bronze medal from Athens. This year, the 1998 Tour de France podium man will be roaring out of the gates with early season goals at the Tour de Mediterranean and Paris-Nice before preparing for the Tour de France. “I want to do exactly the same as last year. One the mistakes I made after a successful season in

The local weather forecast for this Sunday in St. Wendel, Germany, host of the 2005 UCI World Cyclo-cross Championships, calls for near-freezing temps and snow, which should appeal to pre-race favorite Sven Nijs (Rabobank). A slippery, muddy track plays right into the hands of the most dominant rider on the elite ‘cross circuit; then again, Nijs has shown he can win in any conditions in the 2004-05 campaign. Snow, rain, sand, mud, grass, pavement: Sven Nijs can win, and has won, on everything. Having won a total of 20 ‘cross races this season, including six World Cups and the Belgian

Tech Report: Especially Zippy wheels; Custom pedals; Small guys

Tech Report: Especially Zippy wheels; Custom pedals; Small guys

Tech Report: Especially Zippy wheels; Custom pedals; Small guys

Joe and Dirk answer questions on cross-country skiing for cross-training and shelving the competitiveness to get through base

Former world time-trial champion David Millar has asked the Court of Arbitration of Sport in Lausanne to redefine his two-year ban for doping in a manner that allow him to ride in the 2006 Tour de France. Millar, who admitted last June that he had taken EPO, is not appealing the penalty imposed on him, but rather asking that his two-year suspension be calculated from the point at which he made his confession, rather than from the date of his original hearing on the matter. Miller made the confession while in police custody on June 24, 2004. However, despite the fact that the one-time Tour

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.Matt's right, the team's off the markVeloNews,I will no longer consider purchasing any products from the sponsors of the Ofoto-Sierra Nevada Cycling Team as long as Matt DeCanio is treated as an outlaw for freely expressing himself in his public opposition to doping in the sport.

Italy’s jet-set cycling superstar Mario Cipollini made Milan a pit-stop Tuesday evening for his new team’s Liquigas-Bianchi official presentation en route from training in South Africa before flying off to Qatar to make his 2005 season debut. Super Mario looked ever the media maven decked out in the lime-green Liquigas-Bianchi kit as he was the star attraction during presentation of Italy’s newest super team that includes, among others, Stefano Garzelli, Danilo Di Luca, Dario Cioni and Paris-Roubaix champ Magnus Backstedt. “After two irregular seasons, I’m ready to get back to the top level

When Tom Danielson arrived on the Malaysian resort island of Langkawi two years ago, he was a little-known American climbing specialist making his debut with the Saturn team. A little more than a week later the former collegiate mountain-bike racer had announced himself to the world, winning the 10-day stage race in decisive fashion. Danielson would go on to parlay his win in Southeast Asia into a contract with Italian Division I power squad Fassa Bortolo where he was supposed to begin his ascension of pro cycling’s elite ranks. But the 2004 campaign was mostly a dud for the 26 year old.

Garzelli, Cipollini and Di Luca are aiming for a big year

Magnus pines for the Arenberg

Danielson and Discovery will kick things off in Malaysia

Touching down on the island of Langkawi.

The Discovery Channel team loads up at the airport in Langkawi.

Danielson was the star of the Langkawi show in 2003.

In an attempt to revive its struggling World Cup mountain-bike property, the UCI is set to turn over day-to-day operations of the series to 23 Degrees Management and Gestev Inc. starting with the 2006 season. The deal, which has already been approved by the UCI mountain bike commission but is still pending approval from the UCI management committee, runs through 2010. According to a press release issued by the UCI, 23 Degrees president and former UCI mountain bike coordinator and technical director Martin Whiteley, and Gestev boss Patrice Drouin, will take over "full management, research

Shimano recalls road brake cablesShimano has recently become aware of a potential problem with RoadBrake Cables sold as after market product and is conducting a voluntaryrecall. Please read the following for details.Name of product: Brake Inner Cables for adult bikes with dropstyle handlebars (road racing bicycles) – Part#Y80098300/Z80098300, anddouble end brake cables Y80098110/Z80098110 and Y80098400/Z80098400 (10-pack).Potential Hazard: The road cable end could detach from the cableduring braking, possibly causing the rider to losecontrol and fall.Description: Part #Y80098400/Z80098400 is

Straight blades?Dear Lennard,Thanks for the discussion on rake and trail and various geometry issues in your December 21st column. I have a follow-up question: Since it appears you can achieve trail change via head tube angle and fork geometry, what are the implications of a straight fork like a Colnago Star, versus a fork that has blades that curve as they near the axle?Jeffrey Dear Jeffrey,I should have put something about this in the book, because it is such a common misperception. Straight forks do have rake (i.e., offset of the front hub from the steering axis)! Look at your

Technical Q&A with Lennard Zinn - Straight rake? Stuck on you

Technical Q&A with Lennard Zinn - Straight rake? Stuck on you

"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.i>New Straits Times - Malaysia - January 24, 2005LTdL: Champions check inby Arnaz M KhairulIGOR Astarloa arrives today with defending team champions Barloworld,as teams begin to flood Langkawi as the start of the 10th

American racer Matt DeCanio, who created waves throughout the cycling communitylast summer by admitting he had used EPO during the 2003 domestic racingseason, was released late last week by the California-based Ofoto-SierraNevada Professional Cycling Team without ever participating with the team. DeCanio, 27, who raced with the European Linda McCartney team as wellas Saturn and Prime Alliance domestically, sat out the 2004 season buthoped to return to racing in 2005 with Ofoto-Sierra Nevada. Though DeCaniohad admitted last June to EPO use during the 2003 Tour of Connecticut stagerace, he had