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Allan Davis christened the 2004 European road season with a sprint victory in Sunday’s Trofeo Mallorca to give his new Liberty Seguros team the best possible start to the year. The Australian fought hard to get back in position after being boxed out in the final kilometer of Sunday’s 82.5km circuit course along the harbor at Palma de Mallorca to open the five-day Mallorca Challenge. Davis overcame a strong effort by Rabobank to set up former two-time world champion Oscar Freire to grab the victory. Erik Zabel (T-Mobile) ill-timed his sprint and came through to take third. Racing was

Kupfernagel sure wasn't getting any help from Salvetat

Leboucher wanted to win at home

Knapp turned in a strong performance

French women go 1-2 at ’cross world’s

Pontoni leads Dlask. The Italian was the only non-Belgian to break into the top six

Page and Jacques-Maynes (front)

A familiar sight

It was clear that Saturday afternoon’s under-23 men’s race at the cyclo-cross world’s in Pont-Château, France, was going to be dramatic and highly tactical when there was a crash on the first turn. This was not just another of those crashes caused by a traffic jam of riders when they are still grouped together. This crash happened right at the front when the first six riders tangled wheels and fell on a muddy, off-camber slope as they emerged from the long bend. Among the six fallers were the three top favorites: defending champion Enrico Franzoi of Italy; Belgian champion Wesley Van der

UCI president Hein Verbruggen, road committee chief Pat McQuaid and cyclo-cross committee chair Sylvia Schenk emerged from an all-day session of the UCI management committee on Friday evening to reveal large-scale changes to both the world road-racing and cyclo-cross calendars, while Verbruggen made a scathing appraisal of the current doping situation in cycling. The most far-reaching proposals concern the much-trumpeted UCI Pro Tour that will start in 2005. McQuaid confirmed that only 20 teams will compete on this circuit, which replaces both the UCI World Cup and UCI world rankings system.

The 2004 European bike racing season kicks off Sunday with the five-day Mallorca Challenge, the continent’s first major race of the road season. Many big-hitters are starting the series among the 19 teams and 300 riders, including such big guns as Erik Zabel (T-Mobile), Oscar Freire (Rabobank) and Alejandro Valverde (Comunidad Valenciana-Kelme). Held over five stages, the races are held as a string of one-day races rather than accumulative time. Races: Day 1: Palma to Palma, 82.5km; Day 2, Alcudia-Port d’Alcudia, 159km; Day 3: Soller-Port de Sóller, 150,6km; Day 4: Calabona-Manacor,

Gil, Pauwels and Zlamanik (l-r) took a rough and tumble U23 race.

The U23 men's race got off to a rough start

Minard

Pauwels

Powers

Niels Albert

Lhotellerie

Driscoll, tops for U.S. in 22nd

Dear Readers,In this weeks column I have chosen to highlight a critical bicycle rights case handled by fellow “bike attorney” Steve Magas. I am including Steve’s personal account of this important case for cyclists throughout the U.S. in its entirety.Enjoy,BobDear Bob,In the summer of 1999 I was asked to become involved in the case ofa young man who had received a traffic ticket for “impeding traffic” inTrotwood, Ohio. Little did I know that the case would ultimately garnerinternational intention, cause countless e-mails to be sent to the Cityof Trotwood, and generate an appellate court

There’s plenty happening around VeloNews headquarters in Boulder, Colorado, as our editorial crew ramps up for the upcoming season. We’re just midway through production of issue No. 2, a packed preview of the international road season, but already production has begun on issue No. 3, our Buyer’s Guide. Good thing those Buyer’s Guide pages will be glossy, my friends, because you’re guaranteed to be drooling over the gear splashed across the pages. Carbon, titanium, aluminum – oh my! Myself, I’m trying to get all my ducks in a row, finishing up assignments for both issues while preparing for

With the race calendar about to kick off, it’s season preview time here at VeloNews. Over the next couple of issues, the print magazine will feature previews of the European road season, the European and U.S. mountain-bike seasons, and the domestic North American road season. We’ll have first looks at the new teams, all the key players and the races. Since that territory will be covered ad nauseam, I thought that this week I’d present a season preview from a little different perspective. So, without further explanation, here’s the Notes from the road “to do” list for the upcoming year: Get

Former world cycling champion Mario Cipollini wants the Tour de France to grant him a final farewell appearance before the end of his career, Reuters reported Friday. Speaking during the presentation of his Domina Vacanze team on the shores of Lake Como, the 36-year-old Italian said he deserved a place on the Tour because of his 185 victories as a sprinter over the last 15 years. “I'm convinced I can still win stages in the Tour de France and I think I deserve a place in this year's race as a kind of lifetime achievement award," Cipollini said. “I don't know how much chance we've got ...

When most of the 190 riders who will compete in the four events at this weekend’s world cyclo-championships had departed the circuit Friday afternoon, one man remained on his bike, plying a lone furrow around the hillside course. You might guess that it was a junior or under-23 participant making the best use of late-afternoon sunshine to take one more look at the 2.65km Coët-Roz course in Pont-Château, France. But, no, it was the oldest rider here: three-time world champ Mario De Clercq, who will be 38 next month. De Clercq had toyed with the idea of retiring last year, but the stone-faced

Depending on how things shake out, downhiller Chris Kovarik’s 2004 racing campaign could be spent in either Intense or Haro team kit. But both of those scenarios depend on the 25-year-old Aussie making a full recovery from a motocross accident in September that left him with a badly broken ankle. According to Intense president Jeff Steber, Kovarik cased a jump on his motocross bike, breaking his ankle so badly that he’s been outfitted with a leg halo and pins just to hold his bones in place. “My understanding is that it’ll be another month before they can even put a cast on him,” said

“This is the strongest I’ve been for a ’cross world’s … ever,” said Alison Dunlap Friday night, “and that’s because this is the first season that I’ve actually raced a full season, starting in September.” The reigning U.S. national cyclo-cross champion was both confident and relaxed when she spoke with VeloNews at the Ibis-St. Nazaire Hotel, where the American team is based for this weekend’s world cyclo-cross championships in Pont-Château, France. “It’s a really fair course,” Dunlap said. “It’s wide-open, not super technical, only two short runs, and so the strongest person will win.

Surfer dudes Chris Wherry and Walker Ferguson at the Health Net camp

T-Mobile's lineup

Landis meets the press

Demonic possession? No, it's just Creed being Creed

Mario DeClercq was getting extra practice in on Friday ...

... but Bart Wellens has to be the favorite to defend his title

Chris Kovarik: Intense, Haro – or sidelined?

Aussie Niki Gudex has signed up with Intense

Alison Dunlap is ready to race, come rain or shine

Right from the gun, I gotta apologize because I missed last week’s column. I swear; it was the damn 2004 VeloNews Buyer’s Guide that made me (not) do it. You see, it falls upon my (and Lennard Zinn’s) shoulders to put this puppy out every year and, since last year’s edition was something of a success, the beast has gotten even bigger this time around. Of course, that means more pages to fill; more bikes and components to write about; more (hopefully) insightful features to generate. So getting back to last week’s excuse, I found myself with VeloNews photo editor Galen Nathanson

The international governing bodies of soccer and cycling remain the two most prominent and vocal holdouts when it comes to embracing new anti-doping rules the World Anti-Doping Agency suggested on Thursday.

Dear Joe and Dirk,I'm a mountain-bike racer and have just started my off season. I'dlike to do some running and maybe do a couple running races. I know thatif I do race these I will probably push it to the max. Is it counterproductive for me to be doingrun races in what is normally my off season?I know that working to maximum during these events will do little forme in June, but I'd like to stay active and keep things interesting.ThanksFeeling competitive in JanuaryDear January,We actually encourage cyclists to do cross training activitiessuch as running, snow shoeing, hikes, etc. As long as

Photo Editor Galen Nathanson and Stylist-To-The-Stars Miguel Santana rig-up another bike

Nathanson lines 'em up, and knocks 'em down

Dear Monique,I am a 47 year old woman. I have heard for years that weight liftingwas beneficial to keep our bones dense, as was running and any other weightbearing sport.What confuses me is that they say cycling is not and yet when I am doinga long sustained climb, it sure feels like I'm doing leg press's. Samewith a long hard flat ride. My legs begin to burn and it often feels likeweight lifting after awhile.When climbing on the mountain bike, I lift on the bar-ends and use themotion of my arms and upper body to help me get up the climb. Why is thisconsidered not weight bearing when my arms

Last year’s Tour de France prologue winner Bradley McGee has taken his first step in a year in which he hopes land double Olympic gold - and another shot at wearing the Tour de France yellow jersey. McGee, the de facto team leader of FDjeux.com, who won last year's Tour de France prologue in Paris, admits that winning Olympic gold is his biggest priority of the year. And that opens up the possibility of a duel with David Millar, the world time-trial champion who this year is aiming to add an Olympic gold to his rainbow jersey. Millar, the 27-year-old Scot, is considering making his first

Another race season is quickly approaching and I have spent this past week preparing for it with my T-Mobile teammates in Buellton, California. It is always interesting showing up for training camp, as there are some strong indicators of who has been working hard through the winter months and who might have put back a few too many Christmas cookies. Training camp is often the only time in a season that puts all of the team’s riders and staff in one place at one time. This gathering forced me to reflect on my first races as a member of T-Mobile and on how much the team has progressed since

Former Cofidis pro Marek Rutkiewicz has been suspended by the Polish Cycling Federation over his alleged role in the ongoing drugs scandal in France, it was revealed on Wednesday.The 23-year-old was arrested on January 12 by French police along with compatriot and Cofidis soigneur Bogdan Madejak after former team member Robert Sassone, who won a world track title in 2001, was placed under judicial investigation when a cache of drugs were found in his home during a police search."Marek Rutkiewicz has been suspended until his part in the Cofidis affair has been clarified," said federation

McGee storms Paris in 2003

Cofidis’s Philippe Gaumont has, during police interrogation, admitted taking the banned substance EPO and admitted that he had supplied EPO to another cyclist, the AFP reported. “Philippe Gaumont has admitted to doping,” said his lawyer Olivier Combe on Monday. “He also explained some unfortunate things that are happening in the (cycling) system." "I have admitted to taking illegal substances. What cyclist could say anything to the contrary?" the 30-year-old Gaumont told French police. Police have questioned several riders from the Cofidis team and have seized human growth hormones,

WADA president Dick Pound is once more taking UCI president Hein Verbruggen to task in the wake of the Cofidis doping controversy, France’s Le Monde newspaper reported on Tuesday. World Anti-Doping Agency boss Pound of Canada has continually been focusing on cycling as a problem area and Verbruggen, the world's top cycling official, is once more in his sights. "Even the UCI president must admit there is a problem in cycling and that it has been going on for a 100 years," Pound was quoted in Le Monde as saying. "To eliminate doping is a challenge generally but cycling is a sport where the

Hi Lennard,I have an opportunity to buy a new frame (steel with carbon fiber rearstays) that has a 1-1/8-inch head tube for an integrated head set. A coupleof years ago I bought a 1-inch threadless carbon fiber fork -- with steelsteerer tube -- that I'd like to use rather than having to buy an 1-1/8-inchfork.I have three questions:1. Is there a product (headset or adapter) on the market that fits 1-inch forks to a 1-1/8-inch frame?2. Are there any shims that can be used with a 1-1/8-inch head setto fit 1-inch forks?3. Do you have any other suggestions or do I have to buy a 1-1/8-inch

When you feel the cold blast of the Mistral on your face in this final week of January or skid on the ice that formed overnight on the roads above the French Riviera, it doesn’t seem like a new European road season is about to get underway. But this coming Sunday, the day that cyclo-crossers will be battling for their world title in Brittany, 15 pro teams will line up for the first of five days of racing on the Spanish island of Mallorca. “Mallorca is always hard,” said American Christian Vande Velde earlier this week at his Spanish base of Girona, prior to attending Tuesday’s media

Gaumont contends cycling is still a dirty sport

Cofidis's Cedric Vasseur, questioned by police last week in the latestdoping affair to hit French cycling, claims drug cheating is no longersystematic.However, former Festina manager Bruno Roussel says it's time for theauthorities to wake up to reality.Cycling was discredited in the 1998 Tour de France when the Festinateam was expelled after police uncovered stocks of prohibited substances.The scandal effectively prompted the creation of the World Anti DopingAgency (WADA).Vasseur was taken into custody with team-mate Phillipe Gaumont - whowill be charged after he admitted using the banned

Despite earlier reports that Lance Armstrong will race in the Tour de Georgia, the five-time Tour de France champion won’t decide on his domestic racing program until later this week. “Armstrong will have a decision on his North American race calendar this week. Despite earlier news reports, no decision has been made regarding the Tour de Georgia,” said Bill Stapleton, chief executive officer of Tailwind Sports and Armstrong's agent. Stapleton was quoted on Armstrong’s official web page (www.LanceArmstrong.com). Armstrong has said he’d like to race and train more in the United States this

It’s not quite the Champs-Élysées, but for the tens of thousands who turned out for the final stage of the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under on Sunday it was a race finale to rival anything on the world stage. Not only did top sprinters Baden Cooke and Robbie McEwen take the top-two finish spots for the day, one of Adelaide's favorite sons, Patrick Jonker, duly bowed out a winner after a distinguished 14-year career in the pro ranks. Jonker, 34, earmarked this year's event as his last as a professional cyclist, and in a fairytale ending he achieved a dream result.

After three months away from the team, we are all back together again – with a few new additions – to prepare for another season. We are in southern California, just outside of Santa Barbara. We have enjoyed solid sunshine throughout the week (at least until Saturday) and have been taking advantage of the quiet winding roads and surrounding hills to improve our fitness before heading back over to Europe for the start of the season. For the past three months Dede and I have enjoyed several months at home in Boulder. It has been nice being settled in one spot, together. The last few years we

Alejandro Valverde has received a nice pay raise and will earn closeto 1 million euros per season in a new deal signed with the Comunidad Valenciana-Kelmeteam (formerly Kelme) and will lead the team until at least 2007.Valverde was Spain’s revelation last season, winning two stages andfinishing third in the Vuelta a España and taking silver at theworld road championships in Canada.Despite efforts by other teams to lure Valverde away from the troubledKelme team, the Valencia regional government stepped up to ensure the team’sfinancial future and secure Valverde’s services, the Spanish daily

Spaar Select’s Erwin Vervecken won the sixth round of cyclo-cross’s Superprestigeseries in Hogstraten, Belgium.Vervecken beat a trio of fellow Belgians in this final major event beforenext week’s world championship race in Pont-Château, France.Defending world and Belgian champion Bart Wellens came back from mechanicaldifficulties but was too exhausted to contest a three-up sprint, satisfiedwith third and a victory by his Spaar Select teammate.American Jonathan Page finished 18th, while his U.S. teammate Jackson Stewart trailed in at 40th and Andy Jacques-Maynes did not finish. American Jeremy

Cooke and McEwen - a familiar battle

81km in Adelaide

Jonker glides into retirement

Vervecken

Wellens chases after mechanical

Sven Nijs

Tom Vannoppen

Holland's Gerben de Knegt

The Clif bar duo of Jackson Stewart and Andy Jacques-Maynes

A full field in the warm-up for world's

Another Belgian Sweep

Ben Day, Queensland’s time-trial champion, led home an all-Aussie trifecta in the penultimate stage of the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under at Willunga on Saturday. While the Team Australia rider won in style, beating Tour de France sprinters Robbie McEwen (Lotto) and Baden Cooke (FDJeux.com)after attacking 3km from the finish, it will be South Australian Patrick Jonker who will be acclaimed the overall victor when the Tour ends on Sunday. Jonker, 34, riding in his swansong tour after a distinguished career, holds a nearly unassailable 1:34 lead over McEwen with Belgian Philippe Gilbert

French cyclist Cedric Vasseur, held by police for 48 hours while questioned on suspicion of doping, pleaded his innocence on Saturday. "I have nothing to do with what's going on. I have my line of conduct and I stick to it," the 33-year-old Cofidis rider, who wore the Tour de France yellow jersey for five days in 1997, told a media conference. "This affair is not a Cofidis problem, it's a problem for some individuals." Vasseur was arrested for questioning last Tuesday alongside teammate Philippe Gaumont after police raided Cofidis headquarters and the office of one of the team doctors.

Photos from Saturday's race in Zonnebeke, Belgium.

Attack early if you're with the sprinters

Summer time and the livin' ain't all that easy

Figueras and Tiralongo set a tough pace on the climb up Willunga

Jonker: Almost there

U.S. national champion Alison Dunlap (Luna)