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Doping is cheating, periodEditor:I've been reading the exchanges on doping in your mailbags. Some interesting points are being raised on both sides, but it seems to me we're making this issue more complicated than is necessary. Doping is cheating, period. There are plenty of good reasons for a person to cheat on final exams (better grades), aptitude tests (better college), performance reports (bigger profits), the Friday poker game (bigger winnings), or the weekend bike race (better results). But the plain truth is, it's still cheating. Period. One who cheats to get something does not

Not a bad spot.

The commuter train.

The media compound is well fortified.

The new digs.

The starship v-drome.

Office space.

The U.S. women's road team.

Hamilton's back bears the scars of the Tour.

Julich meets the press.

Teammates in '05?

Hamilton sporting Tugboat's tag.

Hincapie doing a phoner interview.

The Olympic mascot thingy.

One of the country's leading exports.

Sunset from the burbs of Athens.

The king of the pin collectors.

Don't bring the Amex here.

U.S. softball starlet Jennie Finch.

The torch is passed.

Striking a pose.

The U.S. men get ready to reconnoiter

Levi Leipheimer and Tyler Hamilton lead the way

VeloNews diarist Dede Demet Barry joins the Dutch women for a spin

Bobby Julich and Michael Rasmussen get in a few miles

Cunego wins Due Giorni Marchiagiana-GP Fred MengoniDamiano Cunego (Saeco) was back to his winning ways on Tuesday, outsprinting Team Italia’s Daniele Nardello and Cristian Moreni to win the Due Giorni Marchigiana-GP Fred Mengoni in Castelfidordo, Italy. It was the 11th win of the season for the young winner of the Giro d’Italia, who now is looking forward to the final part of the season, with his big objective the world championships in Verona. “Even I didn’t think I’d get back to form and win so quickly, even if I rode well at Camaiore and San Sebastian,” said Cunego, who capped his

Master cycling technician, Lennard Zinn, will make a special presentation at the REI Oakbrook Terrace at 7 p.m. on Friday, August 20th. Visit the REI Oakbrook Terrace to get the inside scoop on your bike fit, physical conditioning and have Lennard sign your copy of Zinn’s Cycling Primer. Admission is FREE. Seating is limited. REI Oakbrook Terrace17W160 22nd St.Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181Phone: 630.574.77007:00 PM About the book:Lennard Zinn does it again, taking you through the basics and particulars of bicycle maintenance and skill building to refine your bike and body. Zinn evaluates

Former world champion Oscar Camenzind (Phonak) has tested positive for EPO and was immediately removed from the Swiss Olympic team, according to information released Monday by the Swiss Olympic committee. Camenzind, 32, showed traces of the banned blood booster in a urine sample from a July 22 test conducted by the Swiss anti-doping agency. Under Swiss cycling rules, a rider can be suspended without a second follow-up test being conducted. Phonak also immediately suspended Carminzind from the team. “Every rider that gives a positive test during a race or during training for a product that

To revisit the COVERAGE OF THE 2004 TOUR DE FRANCE.

The Mail Bag 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.Link racers’ pay to drug-free performanceEditor:It seems as though every single cyclist who has been caught doping or trafficking has recited the same excuse: "I had to succeed because my livelihood depended on it.” And it's hard to argue against their course of action. Mr. Millar

here is a new poll:

Camenzind has been dropped from the Swiss Olympic team and sacked by Phonak

Arvesen wins Tour of DenmarkNorway’s Kurt-Asle Arvesen (CSC) won the Tour of Denmark on Sunday, finishing just two seconds ahead of German teammate Jens Voigt. Arvesen overhauled Voight by taking three bonus seconds in the final 195km stage, which was won by France’s Jimmy Casper (Cofidis). Australia's Stuart O'Grady (Cofidis), winner of the fifth stage of last month's Tour de France, finished third overall. Tour of Denmark1. Jimmy Casper (F), Cofidis, 195km in 4:34:502. Tomas Vaitkus (Lit), Landbouwkrediet-Colnago3. Stuart O'Grady (Aus), Cofidis3. Giosue Bonomi (I), Saeco5. Jeremy Hunt

Alison Dunlap (Luna) held off an impressive late-race charge by Jimena Florit (RLX Ralph Lauren) to collect her 14th career NORBA short-track win Sunday at Snowmass Village near Aspen, Colorado. With a stiff wind kicking up clouds of dust on the slopes of Snowmass, Dunlap's Luna team put in a show of power that only Florit was able to challenge. After two laps on the dry, dusty course, which climbed one of the lower ski slopes and then descended through a series of loose, rocky S-turns, Dunlap launched a vicious attack. “I could just tell there wasn't anyone feeling really gung-ho today,”

Overcoming the disappointment of mechanical problems that might have cost him the win in Saturday's cross-country race at round seven of the NORBA series in Snowmass Village, Colorado, Maxxis rider Geoff Kabush put in a show of power to win the men's short-track event on Sunday. Riding his gold full-suspension Turner bike, Kabush wasted little time fighting his way to the front, while the other 55 pro men swapped elbows and swallowed dust behind him. “I watched the women's race and saw that there wasn't going to be much drafting in this race,” said Kabush after beating GT-Hyundai's Todd

You may think of cyclo-cross as a winter sport, but while you were sweating your way around a crit course somewhere in America, Sven Nijs (Rabobank) was winning the GP Eric De Vlaeminck, the summer edition of a winter sport. During a warm race in Zolder, Belgium, Nys had no competitors. Ben Berden finished second after a big gap while Wim Jacobs finished third. Bart Wellens, who won the race this year, abandoned due to the enormous heat. Now, Wellens leaves for a monthlong training camp in St-Moritz, Switzerland, before the real cyclo-cross season begins in September . . . when the weather

Kathy Pruitt completed the Luna-team double at Snowmass Village, Colorado, on Sunday, winning the women’s NORBA downhill race and adding to Alison Dunlap’s win in the short-track earlier in the day. In the men’s downhill, Australian Nathan Rennie (Santa Cruz Syndicate) ended Greg Minnaar’s three-race unbeaten streak to collect his second career NORBA downhill win. On a super-fast course that reminded riders of NORBA downhills of old, Pruitt edged her Luna teammate Marla Streb by 1.79 seconds for the win. “The key was to be consistent and not go off the course,” said Pruitt, the 2000 world

On Saturday in downtown Charlotte, North Carolina, Ivan Dominguez displayed his knack for winning big-time money criteriums, as he took the win at the inaugural Bank of America Invitational, featuring one of the biggest one-day payouts in the world. With $125,000 in prizes on the line, including $25,000 for first place, the Colavita Olive Oil rider beat out Health Net-Maxxis's Gord Fraser and Navigators Insurance's Henk Vogels in the mad dash to the finish. In the closing 10-laps of the 44-lap, 53-mile race, Health Net took control of the race, chasing down the late-race break that included

CSC had a good Tour of Denmark, claiming the top two spots on the podium

Mario de Clercq gives it a go

But it wasn't a day at the beach, even if it was hot enough for swimming

Sven Nijs had a better time of it

But then again, winning is always nice

Kaboom: Kabush rode away with another short-track win.

One time: Craig finished third on a single-speed

14 and counting: Dunlap chalked up another short-track win.

The other blue train: Luna was unstoppable.

Close call: Rennie won by a whisker.

Leading lady: Pruitt leads the DH series with one to go.

Out of the shadows: Rockwell made a surprise showing.

Spanish rider Miguel Angel Martin Perdiguero (Saunier Duval) uncorked a vicious sprint with 250 meters to the line in Saturday’s Clasica San Sebastián to surprise pre-race favorite Paolo Bettini (Quick Step) for the biggest win of his career. Martin Perdiguero was part of a seven-man break that cleared the always-decisive Category 1 climb up Alto de Jaizkibel with 31.5km to go in the sweltering 227km race across the verdant hills of northern Spain’s Basque Country. “I sprinted at 250 meters, it wasn’t too far,” said Martin Perdiguero, the first Spanish winner since 1990. “I was confident I

George Hincapie will ride for the next three seasons with Discovery Channel after penning a contract extension to stay with the American team during the recent Tour de France. Hincapie has raced in the U.S. Postal Service colors since 1997 and decided it was best to continue with the team as cable giant Discovery Channel is set to take over the sponsorship for the 2005 season. “I’ve signed for three more years. I’m staying,” Hincapie told VeloNews after finishing 56th at 5:24 back in Saturday’s Clasica San Sebastián. “I had some offers and we didn’t know if the team was going to continue,

Ongarato sprints to win in PortugalAlberto Ongarato (Fassa Bortolo) won the 147.2km ninth stage of the Tour of Portugal between Figueira da Foz and Alcobaca on Saturday. The Italian outkicked Pedro Costa (ASC-Vila do Conde) and Ramon Zaragosa (Imoholding-Loule Jardim Hotel) to win in 3:18:48. With only Sunday’s final stage remaining, David Bernabeu (Milaneza-Maia) held onto his eight-second overall lead on David Arroyo (L.A. Pecol), with Rui Lavarinhas (Milaneza-Maia) third at 0:36. 66th Volta a Portugal (POR 2.2), Figueira da Foz to Alcobaca, 147.2km1. Alberto Ongarato (I) Fassa Bortolo,

It was a good day for Olympians at the Snowmass NORBA National event near Aspen, Colorado, on Saturday. Todd Wells (GT-Hyundai) and Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (RLX Ralph Lauren), the two American men selected for the Olympic mountain bike race in Athens later this month, finished first and second in the 24.6-mile men’s cross-country race. Jimena Florit (RLX Ralph Lauren), who will represent Argentina at the upcoming Olympic Games, won the 20-mile women’s cross-country race to move into the overall series lead in the women’s standings. It was the climbing strength of the 29-year-old Wells that

Perdiguero claims his first World Cup win

Leipheimer had a go after shelling an early break

Rebellin crossed third to hold onto the World Cup lead

Totschnig tows the break

Ullrich chased until sidelined by a mechanical

Garate

The top three

Long time coming: Wells finally won his first NORBA cross-country

On target: Florit said she's ready for Athens

BERKELEY, Calif., August 5, 2004 - Clif Bar Inc. announced today that George Hincapie has won fan balloting for the third annual Beyond The Podium Award, earning a $10,000 first prize from the company. Riding in his 10th career Tour de France, Hincapie came through with his most impressive effort to date, finishing 33rd overall, but more importantly playing a key domestique role in helping his U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team leader win an unprecedented sixth straight yellow jersey at this year’s Tour de France. The Clif Bar Inc. award honors domestiques - the unsung heroes of cycling -

The Mail Bag 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.Stop paying attention to all this crapEditor:If you pay attention to the ratio of articles posted on your site (which has always been my favorite, by the way, and I go to it several times a day), about half of them are about drugs. Everyone keeps saying, “Show something else other than

Bernabeau seizes lead in PortugalDavid Bernabeau (Milaneza-Maia) grabbed the overall lead from José Miguel Eliaz (LA Pecol) after finishing second to Elias’s teammate David Arroyo on Friday in the Tour of Portugal. Bernabeu now leads Arroyo by eight seconds with two days of racing remaining. His teammate, Rui Lavarinhas, finished third on the day and sits third overall at 36 seconds back. 66th Volta a Portugal (POR 2.2), Fundao to Torre, 143.4km1. David Arroyo (Sp) L.A. Pecol, 4:13:052. David Bernabeu (Sp) Milaneza-Maia, at 0:153. Rui Lavarinhas (Por) Milaneza-Maia, at 0:354. Nuno Ribeiro

After six months of chasing UCI points, a weeklong delay in the initial announcement, an arbitration hearing and an appeal of that decision, the battle for the lone women’s start spot on the U.S. Olympic cross-country team is finally over. On Friday afternoon in a federal courthouse in downtown Denver, Judge Phillip Figa denied a motion filed by Sue Haywood’s attorney asking the court to vacate the original arbitration decision that awarded that lone start spot to Mary McConneloug, and allow for another arbitration hearing. Haywood (Trek-Volkswagen), who was at the courthouse in Denver,

The seventh round of the 2004 NORBA National Mountain Bike Series got under way with amateur racing Friday at Snowmass Ski Resort near Aspen, Colorado. As the second-to-last event before the finals in Durango (August 27-29), pro series leaders will be looking to solidify their placings at Snowmass over the weekend. Trek-Volkswagen pro Travis Brown, having his best NORBA season since he won the National Championship Series title in 1999, spent Friday inspecting the 12.3-mile cross-country course. The long climbs and rugged single-track will present riders with tough decisions on equipment.

Italian cyclist Massimiliano Lelli (Cofidis) was charged Thursday with drug importing and trafficking, and with inciting the use of doping products, French judicial sources said. The 36-year-old was one of nine subjects of a judicial inquiry into the alleged use of illegal substances by the Cofidis team, which has been under investigation in France since March 2003. Lelli was implicated by British rider David Millar and French rider Philippe Gaumont, both of whom have been sacked by Cofidis. Millar was handed a two-year ban and stripped of his world time trial title by the British cycling

Clerc takes Burgos finaleAurélien Clerc, a Swiss flier on the Quick Step team, sprinted to victory in the final stage of the Vuelta a Burgos in northern Spain on Thursday. Clerc was a clear winner ahead of Alexandre Usov (Phonak) and Roger Hammond (Mr Bookmaker.com) in the rolling stage to cap the four-day Burgos tour. Alejandro Valverde (Kelme) finished safely in the main bunch, choosing not to contest the final sprint after charging to three consecutive victories to claim the overall title for his 14th win of the 2004 season. Early in the rolling stage a group of 16 riders tore away from

Dear Bob,Here in Massachusetts, we have several off-road trails that cross roadways in mid-block using crosswalks. The trail has a regular stop sign facing the path, only smaller, and the crosswalk has the usual street markings. The roadway doesn't have a stop or yield sign, but it does have a yellow warning sign. Some cars stop, some don't. Who really has the right-of-way, a cyclist or a motorist? Is the stop sign legitimate, or just advisory?E & C Dear E & C,This is a good question, and it's becoming a hot topic among off-road trail planners. Many motorists think that they only have an

Lelli has been charged wiith drug trafficking

The British cycling federation on Thursday banned David Millar from cycling for two years and stripped him of his world time trial for taking the banned performance enhancer EPO. The 27-year-old Scot's use of the blood booster erythropoietin was uncovered when French police raided his Biarritz home in June as part of their drug investigation into his team, Cofidis. Two empty capsules of Eprex, a commonly used form of EPO, were found in his flat. He later confessed to taking the prohibited substance in 2001 and 2003, an admission that led to his sacking by Cofidis. After the British cycling

Dave Fuentes tested positive for oxymetholone metabolites at the Redlands Classic on March 25, the U.S. Olympic Committee has announced. The 31-year-old from Berkeley, California, who had 12 wins in 2003, disputes the test results. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) is investigating. "If a sanction is imposed, USADA will make the announcement at a later date," the USOC said in a statement. Long-term, high-dose use of oxymetholone, an anabolic steroid used to treat certain types of anemia, has been linked to tumors of the liver, liver cancer and peliosis hepatis.

Dear Monique,In your recent article regarding daily fluid consumption (June 10, 2004) you briefly mentioned alcohol. I was wondering if studies have been made that confirm whether alcohol is beneficial or detrimental to athletic performance. I drink beer and wine regularly and am more concerned with the caloric aspect of the beverage rather than the chemical aspect. What are the effects on muscular recovery when consuming alcoholic beverages? Does consuming alcoholic beverages affect the body’s physiology during performance? What are the diuretic effects of alcohol

Spanish sensation Alejandro Valverde earned a hat-trick Wednesday in the Vuelta a Burgos after taking his third consecutive stage in the difficult 139km climbing finish up the narrow, twisting roads to Lagunas de Neila. Valverde, a winner of the opening two stages of the four-day Burgos tour, faltered within the final kilometer of the steep climb with ramps as steep as 14 percent, but bounced back to catch the wheel of Italian Leonard Piepoli (Saunier Duval) and Denish Menchov (Illes Balears). Valverde caught back on with less than 200 meters to go and shot ahead of Menchov to score his

The Mail Bag 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.Sign petition asking OLN to air VueltaEditor:Please add to your mail that there is hope for the Vuelta a España on OLN. There’s an online petition asking OLN to reconsider its decision to air only a one-hour highlight show. It’s at http://www.petitiononline.com/vuelta3/. The more who

Chris Stockburger (U.S. National Team) rode to victory in the 36th edition of Le Tour de l’Abitibi after seizing the lead on the fifth of nine stages in the weeklong race. The race, run July 19-25 in Québec, Canada, is the only UCI Junior World Cup Race in North America. Stockburger, of Fort Collins, Colorado, took an eight-second lead on Zach Taylor (Hot Tubes) after the 83.5km road race from Senneterre to Val-d’Or, Québec. As part of a 14-rider breakaway, Stockburger picked up 1:31 on the rider from Marietta, Georgia, who had held the brown leader’s jersey since the first-stage team time

Merckx: Teammates with Armstrong again.

Millar at the Dauphine: One of the last times he wore the Arc en Ciel