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Vogels held his own on the climbs and nailed them all in the sprint

Starting a U.S. with a full crew of Navigators in the mix was new to most of the field.

The sprint at Meza

Aussie in yellow

This time, the Nav's had the full crew at the start

Miguel Meza

Vogels held his own on the climbs and nailed it in the sprint.

Damon Kluck and fan

Rabobank’s Levi Leipheimer will be at the start line for this week’s Ardennes classics to cap what’s been a solid buildup throughout the spring for the American. The hilly courses suit Leipheimer’s strengths better than the cobbles and Liege-Bastogne-Liege will be his World Cup debut. Leipheimer said his role will be to help Rabobank teammate Michael Boogerd as much as possible and perhaps look for an opportunity if it presents itself. Otherwise, Leipheimer said he’s happy with his form coming out a series of Spanish races and he’s already looking ahead to the Tour de France. “I’m happy

Dear Lennard Zinn,I just upgraded from Ultegra 8-speed to Ultegra 9-speed. I replacedthe shifters, cassette, chain, and crankset/BB. I checked the derailleurmodel numbers and they didn't need replacing. My problem is that with thechain on the small chainring it rubs on the large chainring when I shiftto the 7th or 8th cog on back. I don't mind losing the 9th cog and maybethe 8th, but not having the 7th really cramps my shifting style. Any suggestions?--Bob Dear Bob,You can eliminate the rub by moving the crank outward by putting aspacer between the BB drive-side cup and the BB shell to

As he sat under a shade tree along the start-finish straight of the Tour de Georgia prologue, John Lieswyn couldn’t help but reflect on the last major professional stage race in the U.S., the Tour du Pont. "This is just as professional as the Tour du Pont, and it’s only the first year. They’re obviously using the same blueprint for this race," he said. And while the Georgia race has a long way to go before it reaches du Pont proportions, it still had Lieswyn and all of the other 139 starters excited for the upcoming six days. "I don’t get nervous before a race anymore very often," Lieswyn

Three days after Alexandre Vinokourov of Telekom clipped the wings of the climbers at last Sunday’s Amstel Gold Race, and four days before the more prestigious Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the 67th edition of the Flèche Wallonne has a very uncertain outcome this Wednesday. What we do know is that after his impressive Amstel performance Lance Armstrong is back home in Spain preparing himself for an assault at Liège, while his perennial Tour rival Jan Ullrich is using the Flèche as a tune-up for Sunday after scoring a stunning solo victory at Tuesday’s Tour of Cologne. Other stars who have said they

Still reeling from the product overflow that was this year's Sea Otter. Sure, the racing action was great and all, but for the die-hard tech head, it's hard to beat the "Otter" for an opportunity to see the latest and greatest componentry and bikes. While the masses are content perusing the rows of exhibitors tables, really sharp tacks head deep into the pits for sneak-peeks at 2004 prototype equipment gracing racer's steeds. In fact, thinking more about it, those intent on catching a glimpse at future innovation are better served venturing out to Monterey in early April instead of trying

Leipheimer

O'Neill

Hamilton will be there.

Tim Johnson

Green

Fred Rodriguez

Leiswyn

Henderson

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Sub-16 pounds and steel? You betcha!

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Flèche-Wallonne: A tough one to call

More from Sea Otter; Lance's glimpse of the future

More from Sea Otter; Lance's glimpse of the future

More from Sea Otter; Lance's glimpse of the future

More from Sea Otter; Lance's glimpse of the future

Jan Ullrich, of the Coast team, claimed his first victory in 18 months on Monday attacking 55km from the finish to win the 88th edition of the Tour of Cologne. Ullrich, the 29-year-old Olympic champion and the only German to have won the Tour de France (1997), recently returned from a long lay-off due to a drugs ban and undergoing operations on a troublesome knee. In his first competition on native soil in 19 months, a slimmed down Ullrich showed he could soon be a force to be reckoned with by initiating a breakaway with around 55km to go on one of the 203km course's numerous small

The inaugural Dodge Tour de Georgia begins Tuesday with a short, technical prologue through the streets of Savannah, kicking off the 605.7-mile journey that starts in Savannah and finishes five days later in Atlanta. Tuesday’s prologue will set the early tone for the race before things get underway in earnest on Wednesday, with a 136.4-mile road race between Augusta and Macon. If the racing goes anything like the early-season U.S. races, the top of the leader board could be colored red-and-yellow by the end of the day, as the Saturn men hope to continue the run that saw them take 1-2-3 sweeps

Over the last few days I've been reading letters a few of you have writtenin response to my column regarding the situation in Redwood city (see“ Vaughters' view: Safety first!"). Most of them are positive and complimentary, but a few promoters have expressed concern about my painting the whole group with a very broad brush. Well, not to contradict myself in the same week, but some of these concerns voiced are valid. I will be the first to admit that I threw all race promoters in thesame bin by suggesting that they had their priorities skewed by not appearingto care about rider safety and

Vinokourov dedicated this one to Kivilev, too.

Ullrich, Mikael Reihs (Fakta) and Bert Scheirlinckx (Iteamnova) ride through Bensberg near Cologne on Monday.

They don't all end up like this.

The Tour of Aragon seemed stuck on rewind for Sunday's final stage. Leonardo Piepoli finished safely in the middle of the bunch sprint to wrap up his third overall title while Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo) finished at the front of the mass gallop to win his third stage of the week. Piepoli won Wednesday's opening stage up the Category 1 summit finish to Cerler and saluted to the heavens with three fingers held high. The rest of the week became nothing more than a defensive battle for iBanesto.com to keep a lid on things until everyone arrived to Zaragoza for the final stage. Winds

No one expected Telekom’s Alex Vinokourov to win Sunday’s 38th Amstel Gold Race. Least of all him. “I’ve never won a one-day race until today,” the 29-year-old Kazakh said after the finish. [nid:24206]That is, except for a criterium or two in post-Tour de France appearances. But a criterium is little league compared with the mega-status of a classic like Sunday’s. “I rode the last 80km of the course on Friday,” Vinokourov said. “I learned that you have to be at the front all the time. It’s very technical, turning, left, right, up, down, on very narrow roads.”

Former two-time world junior road champion Nicole Cooke of Great Britain won the biggest event of her young pro career on Sunday: the Amstel Gold Race, fourth round of the 2003 World Cup. The 20-year-old Welsh rider on the Ausra-Safi team – which is affiliated to the Italian Acca Due O squad – bridged up with the Spanish rider Teodora Ruano of Prato-Marathon to solo leader Oenone Wood of Australia, who went clear on the Keutenberg with 11km to go. The three joined forces on the descent of the Sibbergrubbe with 4km to go, then Cooke attacked on the finishing climb, the Cauberg. “We could

With 5km remaining, Vinkourov gambles all... and wins.

Armstrong and Boogered

Sacchi leads

Casagrande attacks

Rubiera was in the first break

On the Cauberg

The peloton was together for much of the day

Vino's Victory

Celebration

The podium

Cooke gets her first big win

Dear Editor;I hope you can help me out. On Wednesday, April 16, I was involved in a hit-and-run while riding my road bike. The accident took place on Cherryvale Road, near Boulder, Colorado, as it crosses over Route 36. Here is a summary (from a letter of thanks I wrote to Bell Helmets) of what happened:Ths is just a short note to say thanks to all the designers and engineers at Bell Sports. Two days ago, I was struck from behind while riding my road bike. According to an eye witness, the initial impact sent me backwards onto the hood of the car, where my head, encased in a Bell Ghisallo

Fassa Bortolo's Alessandro Petacchi won his second stage of this year's Tour of Aragon, easily taking the bunch sprint in Saturday's 168km fourth stage from La Muela to Borja. Petacchi pushed Spanish rider Angel Edo (Milaneza-MSS) into second place for the third straight day. iBanesto.com's Leonardo Piepoli finished safely in the main bunch to retain the overall lead going into Sunday's finale. The defending champion will only have to worry about strong winds that could cut up the main bunch, because otherwise the final stage presents little challenge to his hold on the lead. Sunday's 149km

The Amstel Gold Race is Lance Armstrong’s favorite spring classic, and he would dearly like to win the Dutch event’s 38th edition on Sunday. He has twice finished second, in 1999 and 2001, and last year came in fourth after triggering the winning breakaway with Dutchman Michael Boogerd. In each of the four years that he has won the Tour de France, Armstrong has tested his late-spring form at the Amstel Gold Race. This year is no exception, and perhaps he has his best chance yet of taking the victory. For the first time, the finish will no longer be on the flats, but near the summit of the

Until recently, the Superdrome in Frisco, Texas, wasn’t really looking all that super. When the 250-meter EDS Superdrome opened in 1998, it was deservedly touted as one of the best outdoor velodromes in the country, if not the world. Financed in large part by the information technology firm, the track featured an impressive collection of hi-tech equipment, including a huge score and video board and on-site, computerized physiology training facilities. But with a new CEO and the bursting of the hi-tech bubble, EDS’s interest in cycling began to wane. Troubles were then exacerbated when the

Had a couple of friends over for a little spring barbecue the othernight and one of them showed up with a box full of Ding Dongs and a six-packof Miller Lite in plastic bottles. Nice to know there are still some goodpeople left in the world. Two weeks ago I wrote about hot dogs, baseball, bike racing and food.Now I’m off to the Tour de Georgia in search of some good finish-line foodin Savannah, Macon, Columbus, Rome and Gainesville, although I have a feelingI’m going to be itching to head to Athens by Saturday night for some finecurb-side dining at Athens Twilight. If anybody has any

Kelme’s Alejandro Valverde just keeps on winning races. The 22-year-old Kelme rider, already a winner at the Mallorca Challenge, a stage at Pais Vasco and the Clasica Primavera, won his fourth race of the spring in Friday’s third stage of the Tour of Aragon. “Everything’s been going well and I’m hitting my strongest form right now, so I have to take advantage of it,” said Valverde, who jumped with 200 meters to go to beat Angel Edo (Milanezz-MSS). iBanesto.com’s Leonardo Piepoli finished sixth in the fast, climbing finish into Illueca to retain the overall lead. Mikel Astarloza (Ag2r)

They’ll never forget you ’til somebody new comes along. – The Eagles, “New Kid in Town” There’s a new kid in town this month - the Dodge Tour de Georgia, a prologue and five stages. According to the official web site, it starts in Savannah and ends in Atlanta, traversing “the rolling hills of central Georgia and the state’s rugged northern mountains … a beautiful and ever-changing landscape for the cyclists as they do battle in breathtaking sprints and grueling climbs.” Sounds great. New races are great. In the Land of Golden Arches, where NASCAR is king, all bicycle races are great, even

I’m working on my tan. Oh, man. Working on my tan.– Tim Curry, “Working On My Tan” Colorado just sprinted past spring and plowed straight into summer,like Tom Boonen center-punching a finish-line photographer. This wouldbe a marvelous thing indeed, were it not for this pigmentation problemI seem to have developed over the winter. Where does this unearthly skin tone come from, this Day-Glo, über-ofayeggshell white, a pallor one might expect in the time-machine love childof a Wellsian Morlock and Bruce Willis in “Twelve Monkeys?” If a guy had something like an actual springtime to work with,

Off with the old! Volunteers remove boards on the backstretch of the Superdrome in Frisco. The first step in renovations is to remove over 700 old boards from the framework.

Ryan Crissey hangs on corner 2 to remove old boards at the Superdrome. The corners of the velodrome are banked at 45 degrees, making a climbing harness a necessity.

Father and son volunteers drill out the screws holding old boards at the start of the homestretch. More than 15,000 screws hold the boards to the metal framework.

Work continues in corner 3 to remove the old boards. After boards are removed the steel frame must be sanded and repainted to prevent future rust.

Volunteers pry off the top level of boards from the north end of the Superdrome. The step banking makes it a quick job to slide the removed boards off the frame.

Looking down the homestretch at corners 3 and 4, a new coat of anti-rust paint has been applied to the exposed metal frame. Additional cross supports must be added to hold the new, smaller boards.

Half of the new boards sit outside the Superdrome in Frisco waiting to be installed by volunteers who have traveled from as far away as Tulsa, Oklahoma to help.

Progress! The first section of new surface is installed.

Notes from the road: The Breakfast of Champions!

Bisbee was a new kid once, too

Dog breath* Blinded by the white

Add two-time Olympic champion Paolo Pezzo to the growing list of riderswho are setting their sites on the first-ever mountain-biking marathonworld championship. And don’t be surprised if Pezzo follows that with arun at a third Olympic title in the summer of 2004. According to Gary Fisher’s Dean Gore, while Pezzo will not be “an officialmember of the Subaru-Fisher team” this season, she will be “structuringher own European-based program that will focus on European Grand Fondosand marathon events, with the new UCI sanctioned marathon world championshipsdate highlighted on her calendar.”

Angel Casero won the 2001 Vuelta a España, but suffered through injuries and poor form in 2002. The proud Spanish rider is committed to returning to top form in the 2003 season and vows to challenge for the Tour de France podium. Despite problems at his Team Coast, Casero said he’s confident the team will be shining at the season’s major races. VeloNews European correspondent Andrew Hood caught up with Casero earlier this season. Here are excerpts from the interview: VeloNews: What are your sensations now that Coast is assured of going to the Tour de France and facing Lance Armstrong?

Hello Bob,At what point does a Canadian athlete need to pursue an American visato compete in the USA? If one receives a small stipend from a company,does that mean they are "working" in the U.S.? What are the tax laws surrounding winning prize money? It seems some athletes have been having problems with crossing the U.S.border as border agents seem to think they need visas, and I was wonderingif you could clarify who needs a visa, and who doesn't. -- M.M. Dear MM;I am assuming that you are a Canadian citizen. The United States Codeprovides for two categories of entrants into the United

Fassa Bortolo’s Alessandro Petacchi easily won Thursday’s second stage of the Tour of Aragon in Spain, scoring his fourth win of the season. Leonardo Piepoli (iBanesto.com) safely finished in the front group to retain the overall lead in the five-day stage-race in northern Spain. Scores of riders tried to escape in the final 20km coming into Sabinanigo, but Banesto, Fassa and Euskaltel worked to keep things together. Petacchi had a nice set-up and bolted across the line with both arms in full victory salute a full bike length ahead of Angel Edo (Milaneza-MSS). Petacchi safely negotiated the

I’m a curious person. I raced my bike quite successfully after my two kids went to kindergarten and I no longer had to hire a sitter just so I could sneak out and train. Women in the peloton are always amazed to find out that I have a white-collar high stress day job, two special needs boys, and still manage to get by as a Cat. 2. But I know I’m hardly alone. On the podium of a mountain bike race a couple years ago the woman in third place tried to say something smug to my friend and I who were first and second. “Well I have to go home now to my husband, job, and 3 kids.” We laughed. As if!

Maps and such

Paola wants another?

Sheppard offers an opinion

New pedals