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Bettini tests the waters

FDJ's Jacky Durand was an another early break

A beautiful day in the neighborhood

Mail: Put a sock in O'Grady

Horgan-Kobelski takes the win.

The men's lead group rolls through the Arizona desert.

The women's winner.

Racing gets rolling.

Pile-up at the start.

I hate to make light of anything related to the war, but last night, the 9 o'clock local news on Channel 2 here in the Boulder/Denver area opened with the two anchor-people in a map of Iraq. Not with a map of Iraq behind them. Not standing beside a map of Iraq. No, somehow, through the magic of technology, they were actually in the map, walking around on Iraq and showing us what was happening with the war, and where. I couldn't believe my eyes, and I couldn't believe someone actually thought this was a good idea. Of course, I'm sure the local TV newsfolk were exhausted from

The place to be about 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon will be right behind the wheel of Mario Cipollini. The world champion enters the 94th Milan-San Remo race as the favorite to repeat and the only way to beat the Domina Vacanze rider will be to be on his wheel and come around him. Of course, that's assuming the 297km World Cup opener comes down to a sprint... and that most of Cipollini's powerful train makes it with him over the Poggio climb just 5.5 kilometers from the finish on the famed Via Roma in San Remo. And, that's assuming, Cipollini's threat not to start Milan-San Remo

VeloNews’s parent company, Inside Communications, Inc. and Ski Racing magazine publisher, Ski Racing International, have reached a merger agreement that will bring the Vermont-based skiing magazine to Boulder, Colorado. The deal, which will see Ski Racing make the journey west to be united with ICI's cycling and triathlon titles VeloNews and Inside Triathlon, is expected to close within 30 days. SRI's publisher, Gary Black, Jr., will become a vice-chairman of ICI and a member of ICI's board. He will continue to stay heavily involved in ski racing, the sport that has been his

“Where have all the flowers gone?” – Pete SeegerYour mileage may vary, they say. Especially when you’re a cyclist and it’s “springtime” in the Colorado Rockies. As most of the rest of the nation traded its hoodies for Hawaiian shirts and toddled off to get struttin’ drunk in the spring-break sunshine, Coloradans found themselves up to their American-flag lapel pins in real snow for the first time since “Wag the Dog” lit up the silver screen with its utterly fantastic, completely over-the-top tale of a president whose spin doctor whips up a war abroad as a distraction from woes at home. For

The good news is that high-level mountain-bike racing returned to the desert northeast of Phoenix on Friday. The bad news is the AMBC event, the Nova Desert Classic, was plagued by disorganization and timing problems on its first day. When the racing ended and times were calculated, Chris Sheppard and Sue Haywood were declared the winners of the stage 1 time trial. But the outcome on the men’s side was suspect, especially considering that several riders — Travis Brown and Dave Wiens among them — weren’t even on the results sheet. “When I left the word was check back in the morning and

Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick...

Haywood early in her TT.

The hunt for results.

Green settled for third.

Florit in the start house.

My emotions are mixed as I write this latest column from the partly sunny climes of Sedona, Arizona. On one hand I am ecstatic to be here in the desert southwest for the combined Trek-Volkswagen/Subaru-Gary Fisher training/media camp powwow. My two days here have included lots of face time with some of the world’s best mountain-bike racers (Green, Hesjedal, Sydor, Grigson, Redden, Bootes, Ferguson, etc.). And I’ve managed to sneak in a few rides on the labyrinth of sweet single-track trails that wind their way all around the outskirts of this picturesque town, two hours north of

Hi Bob;How much (legal) trouble can a person get into for taking a leak by the side of the road?- D.B. Dear D.B.;In law school, one learns that there are only two hard-and-fast rules: 1. Look thoughtful, never look puzzled.2. If you are asked a question and you don't know what the hell to say, answer "it depends." Therefore, I can, categorically and without reservation, definitely advise you that it depends. A few places, mostly big cities, have a specific ordinance against urinating in public. Most of the time, however, taking a leak is either going to get you busted for indecent

I have been in Belgium for two weeks now, and I can already feel the difference between this year and last. At this time last year, I had not yet finished a race. This year, I have yet to finish a race, but for very different reasons. The difference between this year and last is in the familiarity of the process. I feel like I am reading a novel for a second time and I am able to focus on all the details that escaped my attention on the first read. I also have the benefit of being able to watch the new riders step into this world and share their feelings of awe and enthusiasm. Eric

Germany’s Team Coast announced Thursday that its big Tour de France hope, Jan Ullrich, will make his first appearance in the peloton at the Tour of Sarthe in April. The stage race in central France is scheduled for April 8-11. The 29-year-old German is suspended from competition until March 23 after testing positive last June for amphetamines which he said he took in a nightclub. The positive drug test was just the last chapter in a terrible year for the 1997 Tour winner. Earlier, after undergoing the first of two knee surgeries, Ullrich was convicted of drunk driving charges after running

For a handful of pros and about 1000 amateurs, the 2003 mountain bike season is set to commence Friday at the Nova Desert Classic in Fountain Hills, Arizona. The three-day AMBC event kicks off with a time trial at the McDowell Regional Park, the same site that was used for the last edition of the now-defunct Cactus Cup series. The TT will be contested on an 8-mile loop, which includes a section that’s been dubbed the “brain rattler.” Racing continues Saturday with a short track (20 minutes plus one lap for the pros), and then finishes up Sunday with a cross country (30 miles for the pro men,

While you were out.... The folks back home had other things to enjoy

The oft confused Liam Killeen and Walker Ferguson

Dad

Grigson fuels up after a morning training ride

An up close look at the paint jobs on the 2003 Trek Team bikes.

Desert solitaire?

Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski

What a week this is shaping up to be, and it’s not even half-over. After a glorious weekend of sunny skies and 70-degree temperatures, Colorado’s Front Range is currently being blanketed by a wet, sloppy snowstorm that meteorologists are predicting will be measured “in feet, not inches.” Considering the aftereffects of a 30th birthday weekend, followed by a (somewhat) subdued St. Patrick’s Day celebrated with margaritas, a real-live Presidential ultimatum, and a first screening of Cameron Crowe’s mind-bender “Vanilla Sky,” it’s starting to look like your less than average week. After

With something like 24 inches of snow expected over the next two days, I figure that now is the perfect opportunity to talk about an oft-overlooked product: The lowly fender. I know, not cool, not fast, but I'll let you in on a little secret: They work! On top of that, they are a cheap investment if you ever use a bicycle for anything other than racing. Maybe it was the "skunk tail" on über-commuter Bryan Jew's butt or the chest/neck/face splattering I received on my way into work Tuesday morning, but fenders are mandatory equipment for a splatter-free commute. As luck would have it, SKS

Dear Monique;During the winter, I usually take about 3-6 weeks off the bike andwork out strictly with weights. I generally supplement with creatine, protein,glucosamine, and some ephedra product. I strictly use ephedra for energyin the gym. I have tried various ephedra containing products. I take one30 minutes before hitting the weights and have found that it makes a hugedifference in my lifting. Recently I have been on the trainer everyday due to the weather. I triedsome ephedra and noticed that I maintain about 7 to 10 beats per minutehigher heart rate without any more perceived effort. Is

The Union Cycliste International on Wednesday announced that it had reinstated the German Coast team, suspended earlier this month because of doubts about its financial situation. The reinstatement of the German squad, which had aggressively recruited 1997 Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich, comes just three days before the World Cup kicks off on Saturday with Milan-San Remo. "A thorough examination of documents provided by Team Coast, has enabled us to determine that prior conditions set when the team was registered for the 2003 season have been respected," UCI said in prepared

Rabobank's Oscar Freire won Wednesday's final stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico to send a very strong message to world champion Mario Cipollini. Just days before the World Cup opener at Milan-San Remo, Freire got around Cipo and his formidable train to upset the world champion. “Guess I got lucky and Cipo made a mistake,” Freire said. Cipollini came in second, but won two bunch sprints during TA, Italy's first major stage race of the season. German Erik Zabel came across third, a good sign for the struggling Telekom veteran who's only won once this season on the eve of his major

Yes, it was a dream. Except for the whole 'war' part — that was real.

The Church of Funk — where the truly funky go to worship

'I wonder if Postal will still let me ride if I grow a mullet?'

Tech report:Storm Watch '03

Tech report:Storm Watch '03

Tech report:Storm Watch '03

Dear Lennard Zinn;To date I have not had much experience with threadless headsets. Howdoes one adjust (raise) the handlebar height on a threadless headset system?--Craig Dear Craig;If you have spacers on the steering tube above the stem, you canraise it. You pull off the top cap and the stem and move spacers from abovethe stem to below it. If there are no spacers above the stem, you do nothave enough length of steering tube to allow raising it. If you have adown-angled stem, you can flip your stem over so it angles up. Or you getanother stem that has more up angle to it. --Lennard  That

Quick Step's Paolo Bettini saw his chances for overall victory at Tirreno-Adriatico slip away after he got caught up behind the final sprint coming into the finish line of Tuesday's 181km sixth stage from Teramo to Torricella Sicura. Bettini was about eight riders back when two-time world champion Oscar Freire (Rabobank) clipped tires with Quick Step's Luca Paolini with about 600 meters to go. Freire went down and both Bettini and Paolini got caught up in the pile-up and fell out of contention. But Bettini's loss was Danilo Di Luca's gain. The Saeco rider was just ahead of Paolini and

Editor:While reading the responses endorsing free choice I found myself agreeingwith the rider's right to choose a helmet. But then I thought back to mydays working in a rehabilitation hospital. Seeing the drooling, babblingeffects of a head injury was a powerful image, but the bills and financialimpact on the family and society made just as big an impact. When making a choice, one should consider one’s commitment to his orher family, and if one really wants to be supported as a gorp by Medicaid. Wes Hunter,Alma, CO Bad timing, bad choiceEditor:I was very shocked to hear about the

Citing a shift in its marketing priorities, the Saturn division of General Motors has announced that it will no longer sponsor the Cycling Classic, the difficult and mountainous one-day race from Boulder to Breckenridge, Colorado. The three-year-old race, considered by many to be the hardest single day of racing in the U.S., covers a challenging 140-mile route that involves more than 14,000 feet of climbing. In a company press release issued Tuesday, Saturn sponsorship and sales promotions coordinator Christine Rivers said the company had benefited from its sponsorship but wanted to shift

2001 winner Jonathan Vaughters gave his prize to his dad

Chris Wherry on Guanella Pass in '03

Italian cyclist Massimiliano Mori of the Formaggi Pinzolo team was thrown out of the Tirreno-Adriatico cycling race on Monday for violating anti-doping regulations. Miro was caught trying to pass off a urine sample of the team doctor as his own when called for testing by the race's medical inspectors. Monday's fifth stage goes from Monte San Giusto to Rapagnano over a distance of 181 kilometers. Icy conditions forced the cancellation of Sunday's fourth stage. Illness will force Hincapie to skip the classicsAn ongoing viral infection has forced the U.S. Postal team’s George

Italian Ruggero Marzoli (Alessio) won a sloppy uphill sprint into the scenic hilltop town of Rapagnano Monday as the Tirreno-Adriatico pedaled into sunny skies a day after Sunday’s stage was snowed out. Monday’s 181km fifth stage from Monte San Giusto to Rapagnano brought the “Race of Two Seas” closer to the sea after Sunday’s snowy, cold weather forced race officials to cancel the fourth stage over 800-metre Valico Colfiorito climb. Racers woke up to sunny but cool temperatures for the rolling stage ending with a 3-kilometer climb. Ukraine Sergiy Matveyev (Panaria) made the day’s big move,

Tyler Hamilton is no longer in Lance Armstrong’s shadow. The 32-year-old CSC team captain has the Tour de France as his top goal for the season. And while he might not beat his former teammate, Hamilton has a legitimate shot at the podium. Hamilton made his season debut at Paris-Nice, his first race since the GP Eddy Merckx last August. Hamilton had a strong season debut, finishing second in the opening prologue, third in Thursday’s time trial and then won the King of the Mountains jersey. Here are excerpts from an interview with Hamilton conducted just after he finished his third-place

Editor:While pedaling 16-18 mph on a bike trail alongside a waterway I yelled,"Nice boat!" to those aboard a beautiful all-teak schooner. I just hadto keep looking to see if they heard me, and came to an abrupt stop ata post. I did a perfect full gainer directly onto my head.I sent it to Bell – all internal ribs well cracked - in exchange fora new helmet for $30 and a "Saved By The Bell" certificate.Marshall BrownMountlake Terrace, WAAvast thar, Cap’n, post off the starboard … owwww. - Editor Preachers should keep sermons to themselvesEditor:I find it somewhat shameful that so many of your

Category 2 road racer Garrett Lemire (KB Home) died Saturday in a head-on collision with a car while trying to avoid a crash in the second stage of the Tucson Bicycle Classic. The 22-year-old University of California-Los Angeles student reportedly swerved across a double-yellow line and into oncoming traffic during a descent along Gates Pass Road, striking a Toyota Camry driven by 71-year-old Mary Conners. Lemire was pronounced dead at the scene. Conners and three of the cyclists involved in the earlier crash were taken to area hospitals with injuries described as

An emotionally spent Alexandre Vinokourov was more relieved than happy after wrapping up the 61st Paris-Nice on Sunday. It was a tumultuous week for the quiet Kazakh, who fulfilled his promise to win the race in honor of his fallen compatriot and friend, Andrei Kivilev, who died from injuries in a spill in Tuesday’s third stage. “It’s been a very hard week and I’ve given all my concentration to winning the race for ‘Kivi,’” said Vinokourov, who finished 43 seconds ahead of ONCE’s Mikel Zarrabeitia. Spanish rider David Bernabeu scored a big win for his Portuguese-based Milaneza team to

The Col d'Eze

Bernabeu has reason to smile

Kelme's Ivan Parra is outnumbered by the boys from Milaneza

Telekom at work

World champion Mario Cipollini won the third stage of Tirreno-Adriatico on Saturday, a 175 kilometer run between Tarquinia and Foligno. The Domina Vacanze team's sprint ace, who added to his first stage win in Sabaudia on Thursday, prevailed in a charge to the line over Telekom’s Erik Zabel and Dario Pieri. Quick Step's Paolo Bettini, boosted by a good set of bonus points, snagged the the overall lead away from Filippo Pozzato (Fassa Bortolo). Cipollini set the pace throughout the stage which was marked by several accidents with the going made tougher by the cold and biting wind. The

Alexandre Vinokourov pushed one day closer to delivering victory in the 61st Paris-Nice after surviving a cold, blustery day along France’s Cote d’Azur. CSC’s Tyler Hamilton lit up the 194km sixth stage from Toulon to Cannes in what he called a “suicidal attack,” riding solo for more than 100 kilometers. His escape, which he described as “a training ride,” gave Hamilton the best climber’s jersey for his efforts. ONCE’s Joaquim Rodriguez won coming into classy Cannes in a five-up sprint on the famed Boulevard de la Croisette after attacking on the Category 2 Col du Tanneron with 23km to

Vinokourov

Spring Training: Hamilton thought he'd give it a shot

The effort left him spent, but he earned the climber's jersey

The Col du Tanneron

After his crash, Julich got help to make the time cut

Brochard on the attack

Two recent columns, one from Neal Rogers and another from Dr. DawnRichardson elicited a veritable flood of letters applauding their defenseof the humble, utilitarian brain-buckets so disliked by pros and theirwanna-bes. We’ve collected a few of the best here.- Editor Fignon’s head hardly needs protectingEditor:I can completely understand why someone as bold and audacious as LaurentFignon would be so opposed to wearing a helmet(See "Mr.Rogers' neighborhood: Wear your damn helmet!"). If I had my headlodged up my ass as far has he does, I would feel impervious to head injuriesas well. Brad

An emotional Alexandre Vinokourov rode to victory atop Mont Faron Friday to take the overall lead of the 61st Paris-Nice, a race he now vows to win in the name of his fallen friend Andrei Kivilev. It was another tumultuous and exciting stage in the “Race to the Sun,” with race leader Dario Frigo (Fassa Bortolo) not starting after team officials said he came down with a sudden attack of stomach flu overnight. With Frigo gone, the second-placed Vinokourov became the leader, but he declined to wear the maillot jaune in the Italian’s absence. He started the difficult 152.5km from Aix en

Walked into the office today and what did I see? Two dozen Krispy Kremedonuts staring up at me. Nothing like those little glazed wonders to geta column started, although I’m still partial to my neighborhood DaylightDonuts. This brings up my question for the day: If Tim Horton’s can stepup and sponsor the Canadian national team, and the Canadian national championships every year, why hasn’t someone gotten Dunkin’ Donuts to do the same for the U.S.? It’s a natural. Cyclists love donuts. At least this one does. Anyhow, USA Cycling finally announced the date and location of the 2003elite road

Fassa Bortolo rider Filippo Pozzato won Friday's second stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico stage race, a 215km stage from Sabaudi to Tarquinia. Pozzato took over the lead from fellow Italian Mario Cipollini after the longest stage of the Italian stage race. The 21-year-old Pozzato, a rising star in his homeland, won a sprint finish to beat Italian Paolo Bettini and former world champion Romans Vainsteins of Latvia after negotiating the 484-meter Tolfa climb at the 160km mark. Pozzato waited patiently for his moment before attacking in the final 100 meters to edge out Bettini and

Vino' makes his move

A match made in Heaven