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U.S. Postal’s Floyd Landis suffered a broken hip in a bike accident Saturday. In a press release issued Monday, the team reported that Landis suffered a complete oblique fracture of the right femoral neck when he went down hard on his bike returning from a workout at his local gym near his home in Murrieta, California on Saturday afternoon. Landis underwent 90 minutes of surgery at Inland Valley Medical Center in nearby Wildomar Saturday evening and had three titanium screws placed in his hip. "I was about 20 minutes from home and returning from the gym," said Landis. "I was riding down

National cyclo-cross championships were held throughout Europe on Sunday. As is usually the case, the most closely watched titles were up for grabs in Belgium and Holland, where Sven Nijs and Richard Groenendaal scored wins in the men’s events and Hilde Quintens and Daphny Van den Brand took the women’s titles.With Belgians taking four of the last five elite men’s world titles, Sunday’s race in Wielsbeke, Belgium, may be an indicator of the finishing order at the world championships in Monopoli, Italy on Febrary 2. Sven Nijs outsprinted fellow escapee Ben Berden, finishing 17 seconds ahead of

Groenendaal wins in the Netherlands

Jan Ullrich is poised to sign a three-year contract early next week with the German Coast team, his manager Wolfgang Strohband said Saturday. Strohband said that the 1997 Tour de France champion should be officially presented by the team in Essen on Wednesday, January 15. "Now I'm going to get together with Jan and Rudy Pevenage and we'll meet Coast at the beginning of the week," said Strohband. "Some details have still to be worked out." Belgian Pevenage, the sporting director of the Telekom team for eight years, recently left the German squad to join former team leader

He may have talent, but David Millar’s team thinks he hasn’t been living up to it. The top British rider in the European peloton has been told by his French Cofidis team to ramp up his effort this year and start living up to the potential that some believe might one day even win him the Tour de France. Cofidis manager Alain Deloeuil, speaking at the launch of the 2003 squad in Paris on Friday, said he wants Millar, who won a stage in last year's Tour de France to "start working harder". "David was a bit compromised last year because he was ill at the start of the season, but this

Everyone’s crazy except you and me, and I’ve been wondering about you lately.- AnonymousThe VeloNews.com letters column has been stuffed like a Florida ballot box of late with informed opinions about masters and juniors, rednecks and yuppies, and SUVs. Pretty much everyone agrees that one or another of these things sucks like a Hoover upright crosswired to a black hole, especially those SUVs. And it's true, the land-schooner commanders - soccer moms, George C. Scott-as-George S. Patton wanna-bes, and bondage aficionados with sweaty dreams of perpetual confinement in steel and leather

The UCI has released its list of 30 Division I road teams for the 2003season, taking the first major step in the process of determining whichsquads will participating in this year's major World Cup and three majortours. The 10 top-ranked teams among the Division I squads are automaticallyqualified for World Cup races and the season’s three major tours: The Girod’Italia, the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España.The UCI's "Top Club"ibanesto.com (Sp)Cofidis (F)Team Coast (G)CSC (Dk)Fassa Bortolo (I)Gerolsteiner (G)Lotto-Domo (B)ONCE (Sp)Rabobank (Nl)U.S. Postal (USA) Other teams (Tour

Fassa Bortolo’s Denis Zanette died after suffering an apparent heart attack at his dentist’s office in the northern Italian city of Pordenone in on Friday. Zanette, who had become a father for the first time shortly after the start of the Giro in May, collapsed suddenly and lost consciousness at his dentist’s office. He was declared dead soon after emergency medical personal brought him to Pordenone’s main hospital. Medical officials said preliminary reports indicated that the 32-year-old cyclist had died of massive heart failure. Investigating magistrate Antonella Dragotto immediately

Friday’s foaming rant: Juniors and masters and vans, o my!

It’s about as far away from a mountain bike race as you can get, but when the two-time reigning world cross-country champ decides to show up at Malaysia’s Tour de Langkawi it’s news. Roland Green has committed to ride in the 10-day road stage race in Malaysia as part of Canada’s national team. Joining the Trek-Volkswagen pro will be fellow mountain bikers Seamus McGrath and Peter Wedge, plus roadies Gord Fraser, Cory Lange and Alexandre Lavallee. And while it will surely be an uphill battle against a solid slate of Euro pros, you have to count Green as at least a dark horse candidate for

Greetings Mr. Mionske,I am a professional triathlete here in the U.S. I am Brazilian and moved here about two years ago and at first I stayed here as a tourist. Now I am a student in Florida. I am planning on applying for the p-1 visa. Can I do that by myself? If not, how much will lawyers usually charge for this service? F.B.Florida Dear F.B,The answer to your inquiry is located in section 214.2(p), C.F.R. A P-1 visa status applies to aliens who wish to stay in the U.S. temporarily "to perform at [a] specific athletic competition as an athlete, individually or as a team, at an

Editors,Given the volume of responses to my letter (see “Mostmasters agree”), I think it would be fair to let me reply. First,I have no political agenda, and I am certainly not one of the "spoiledvets" mentioned in Jay Kidd's reply (see “Biscegliais right”). I spend countless hours mentoring, training, promotingand racing with cyclists of all ages, including a number of juniors.What I get from some of these responses is a general impression thatmasters racers deserve less because some "17-year-old has a real chanceat cycling becoming a big and long lasting part of his/her life," and

Fassa Bortolo’s Michele Bartoli, who crashed during a pre-season training ride in Spain two days ago, has in fact fractured his pelvis, his team announced Thursday. "Michele has suffered a fractured pelvis and needs to relax," team spokesperson Miriam Nordman wrote in an e-mail to media, after confirming the rider's arrival back in Italy. "He will see a specialist tomorrow (Friday) to assess the extent of the damage,” she added. "We cannot say how long he will be out of action until he has seen a doctor. We will know more tomorrow." In his diary notes that appear on his personal

Legally Speaking - with Bob Mionske

Dear Monique;I had a question about glucosamine. I am trying to determine if I can save a little money by taking a smaller daily dose. Currently I take 1500 mg each of glucosamine and chondroitin, as instructed on the label. Thank you.-- KGDear KG;Glucosamine and chondroitin are two dietary supplements offered as alternatives to standard medical treatment of osteoarthritis, which affects 12 to 15 percent of all adults in the U.S. Researchers estimate that 90 percent of people over the age of 40 exhibit some evidence of this condition in the weight bearing joints. Sixteen million individuals

Despite a name change, Mario Cipollini’s Acqua e Sapone team will enterthe 2003 season largely intact as it aims to build upon its successes oflast year.Cipollini, who had toyed with the idea of forming a team with formerTour and Giro winner Marco Pantani, will again head a team that includeshis trusty lead-out man Giovanni Lombardi.The team, now sponsored by the Italian resort owner Domina Vacanze,will include most of the same riders as last year, and in similar RobertoCavalli-designed, zebra-patterned racing uniforms. One notable absencefrom the '03 team is American Guido Trenti, who

Editors,It may have played itself out in letters already, but I wanted to tossout a reply, as a master, and level the field a bit.I can honestly say that for every young rider with an attitude, I havecome in contact with a masters rider with not only a superiority complex,but also the unfortunate ability to make their comments and actions twiceas bad because they have the experience to pour salt in the wound withthe accuracy of a Navy SEAL sniper.I have met more than my share of "I am so above it all,” know-everything,critical-of-anyone, snobbish, nose-in-the-air,

Dear Lennard ZinnI'm 50 and have arthritis in my left hip. I've been riding a pretty laid-back road bike for years (A LeMond with a 72.5 seat angle, seat all the way back)I do Yoga regularly, and that has helped, but my hips ache when I ride. I’m wondering if sitting further back might be "working" my hips more. The second part is that I have another frame I could have built up, but it's radically different: 73.5 seat, 40.5 stays. The front end is almost the same as the LeMond. Both bikes are steel, the other frame is 753. I'm 6'2" and weigh240. Some people have said the shorter bike would

Well, things are certainly back up-to-speed here at the magazine after the holidays. I hope you had a good one. You'll be glad to know that even though we're all a little teary-eyed over Jeremy "Showtime" McGrath's sudden retirement, we're still focused on getting another issue out the door. It's NORBA's 20th anniversary and in the spirit of celebrating, we're working on a pretty interesting feature piece highlighting the highs (and some lows) of the governing body of mountain biking.Personally, I'm working on a few techy pieces that highlight just how far technology has come in the past 20

Former world No. 1 cyclist Michele Bartoli could face a long time on the sidelines amid fears he broke his pelvis in a heavy fall while training in Spain his team reported Tuesday. It would be a bitter blow for the 32-year-old Fassa Bortolo rider, who had roared back to form after a series of injuries to win the Amstel Gold Cup race and the Tour of Lombardy last year. "I don't know much about what happened," team spokesperson Miriam Nordeman said Tuesday. "I know he hurt his pelvis and perhaps he has fractured it, but we'll have to wait and see how it is when he returns

The U.S. Postal Service team released its 2003 roster on Tuesday, listingan experienced squad of 20 riders headed by LanceArmstrong and Roberto Heras.From the looks of the team for '03, the team appears to be followinga simple "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" philosophy, leavingmuch of the 2002 roster intact. As Armstrong aims for his fifth consecutiveTour de France win this year he has a roster of 17riders with some grand tour experience to chose from."For the first time in a long time, we have been able to retain everyonefrom the Tour de France team and almost everyone from the

Fausto Pinarello shows off his latest creation, the Prince SL

ITM laser-etches warnings, instructions and recommended tightening torques on all of its products

Dario Pegoretti shows off his much in-demand Luigino lugged frameset

In addition to stems and bars, ITM produces steel tubing which is peeled off in flat sheets from these humungous rolls.

Jan Ullrich lost out on a move to the CSC team run by former Telekom teammate Bjarne Riis because he asked for too much money the Dane revealed on Monday. Riis told the BBC Online he felt frustrated at the talks falling through after spending over six months devoted to luring the 29-year-old 1997 Tour de France champion to the team. It is believed CSC offered the four-time Tour de France runner-up and Olympic champion $1.5 million for a one-year contract but were unable to extend it beyond that because of uncertainties over future sponsorship in 2004. Their interest cooled further when

Belgian Sven Nijs took the third round of the UCI’s World Cup cyclo-cross series in Liévin, France on Sunday, after his Rabobank teammate, Dutchman Richard Groenendaal, encountered difficulties in the second half of the hour-long race. Groenendaal maintains the overall lead in the series and appeared set to win his second World Cup race of the season on Sunday as he powered out of an elite group of riders that included Nijs and world champion Mario de Clerq. Fast start-tough course The race began with a fast charge out of the field by Dutch champion Gerben de Knegt, but the Rabobank man

Nijs

Groenendaal: Lost the battle, still winning the war.

Most masters agreeDear VeloNews; Kurt Schmal's letter (see "Masters are the heart and soul of this sport" under Friday's letters, below) echoes the feelings of many masters racers. I was unaware of Mr. Bisceglia's comments. If USA Cycling truly wants to grow this sport with the youth of our country (see " Looking ahead: An interview with USA Cycling chief Gerard Bisceglia") they need to spend some of our money that is wasted every year (i.e. world championship efforts) on grass roots programs. The only way we will ever have a solid base of junior riders will be through

Dear Joe and Dirk:I have been reading some European studies on stationary trainers and how the inertia of the trainer affects the muscle fibers. The studies say thatlow inertia trainers cause the rider to use all fast twitch muscle fibers and high inertia trainers with large flywheels use slow twitch muscle fibersthe ones predominantly used in road racing and triathlon.I have spoken to some triathlon and cycling coaches and they all agreed. Do you guys have any information on this subject?Thank you,ChuckDear ChuckNeither of us has ever seen such research and tend to doubt that there is such a

USA Cycling announced Friday that it will be sending a full contingent ofqualified riders to the world cyclo-cross championships in Monopoli, Italy,on  February 1-2. The U.S. governing body named its 12 nominations Friday adding to the list of automatic qualifiers  namedlast month.The 20 athletes nominated earned their spots on the world's squad based ontheir UCI cyclo-cross points rankings and their performances at the Shimano-USCFU.S. national cyclo-cross championships in Napa, California on December 14and 15. The U.S. squad is headed by four newly-crowned national cyclo-cross

For as long as bike racing has existed, riders and teams have bent the rules,made secret deals and used questionable tactics to affect the outcome ofraces. Are the rules of cycling more susceptible to infraction than the rulesof other sports? In the current issue of VeloNews our editors seek the answer to that question by talking to the athletes and managers who have walked the sometimes blurry line between fair and foul. In VeloNews’s first issue of the New Year, you’ll read about someof the memorable and bizarre moments of indiscretion that have occurred incycling over the years. Our look

Speculation about Jan Ullrich’s future appears to have ended as German and Danish news services reported Friday that the 1997 Tour de France winner plans to sign a three-year contract within the next two weeks with Coast, the German squad that is a rival to Ullrich's former team, Deutsche Telekom. According to German news and wire reports, Ullrich’s signing and the team’s apparent reinvigorated financial picture will almost certainly guarantee the team a spot among the final round of teams to receive UCI approval for Division I status. Indeed, if Ullrich signs as expected both Coast and

Dear Mr. MionskeI am a professional triathlete and have a question about a company using my picture in an advertisement in a way that implies I endorse the product(which is not true). Do I have any legal rights? I live in California, which is where the advertisement was run and where the company that ran the ad is located.Name withheld by request Dear Tri-guyThe unauthorized use of a performer or celebrity name or image may be a violation of both state and federal copyright law. The tort of “invasion of privacy, false light may have been committed. Your right of publicity may have been

Legally Speaking - with Bob Mionske

I resolve to try and emulate daily in some small way the grace, dignity,humor, good nature, and integrity of two friends sorely missed by many, JohnPavlat and Chris Ethridge. MikeMaverick Sports PromotionsEditors;I resolve to:1) Start slow and ease off.2) Thank the Lord that I can still ride.3) Help those who can’t ride find something to channel their passion.4) Raise as much money as I can for my daughter’s Children’s Hospital.5) Tell my family and friends that “I love them” each day.6) Pray for peace.7) And “kick butt and win a race this year”.Ron Heimburger Tampa, FLEditors,I resolve to do

Long-time bike industry friend John Pavlat took his own life a week ago inSan Francisco. Several readers have written in and offered thoughts on hislife.If you would like to offer your own personal remembrances, photos or anythingelse, please visit www.JohnPavlat.comChristmas 2002 delivered more than a sleigh full of sorrow for many as itbrought the untimely passing of industry veteran John Pavlat. The task ofwriting words to remember a departed friend, words that pay adequate respect,and do justice to a fine man is difficult. A closer friend or member of thefamily would do better.  However,

Cyclists and triathletes are often advised to consider the glycemic index when consuming carbohydrates before, during, after exercise. Low glycemic foods are recommended before exercise, though research does not strongly support this recommendation.Moderate to high glycemic carbohydrate food and drinks are considered appropriate during endurance training, though cyclists and triathletes with diabetes may sometimes amend this recommendation to maintain optimal blood glucose levels. While these recommendations need to be verified with further investigation, the actual glycemic index of most

I am falser than vows made in wine. William Shakespeare, "As You Like It"New Year’s resolutions usually bring to mind the “Oh, God, I’ll never (insert vice here) again” class of vow taken upon awakening queasily on New Year’s Day under your truck in a friend’s driveway with a fresh cast on one ankle, your pants on backward and your mouth tasting not of sweet midnight kisses, but of feedlot mire, SuperFund sludge and baboon’s ass.OK, so maybe that’s just me. Whatever. These annual trench confessions, if I am making them, are about as reliable as a baby-kissing politician, particularly if the

Dogmobile

Hogmobile

Over December 14-17, the Saturn Men’s Team held a winter cross-training camp, near Winter Park, Colorado, to introduce new team members. Activities included snowshoeing, skate-skiing, and snowmobiling. VeloNews caught up with new Team Saturn member Phil Zajicek as he was loading up digital photos by the fireplace, after a day of snowmobiling. Velo News:Had you ever tired snowmobiling before?Phil Zajicek: Just once before, ten years ago. VN:What’s been the highlight of the camp so far?PZ: I'd have to say our hostess Chris at the Wild Horse Inn has been great. Her cooking has been

Dear Lennard Zinn; My right foot (third and fourth toes especially) goes to sleep after only a short time on the bike (10-15 minutes).  I've had the problem for quite a while, but just got new shoes (with plenty of toe room) and it's back - these shoes are stiffer than my others too.  If I stand or unclip for a few seconds it helps, but comes right back.  I use the same MTB shoes for road and MTB riding (recreational) - the problem is worse on the road.  What can I do to help?  --JeffAnswer: It sounds like perhaps you need custom orthotics. I have a similar problem, which in my case was

With the 2003 road season about to get underway, a number of Division 1 (andpotential Division 1) teams are still scrambling to complete their budgetsand rosters to become officially registered with the UCI. The delays arebeing caused by a number of different problems, headed by the uncertain economicclimate and the escalation in the number of professional riders in recentyears. With more riders available and with fewer sponsorship dollars to goaround, most teams have been cutting costs or signing fewer riders than inpast seasons.Indeed, when the UCI made its announcement of the Division 1

Phil Zajicek will be spending New Year's in an ice igloo

Final deadline looming for Division 1 teams

Jan Ullrich indicated Sunday that he will decide by January 15 if he willsign on with the Danish CSC squad or another team for the 2003 season.Ullrich’s agent Wolfgang Strohband told the Danish news wire service Ritzauthat Ullrich will decide no later than January 15 whether he will be theCSC team, headed by his former Telekom teammate, 1996 Tour de France winnerBjarne Riis.CSC director Alex Pedersen and Riis said Saturday that the team intends toconcentrate its efforts and energy on those already signed rather than tryingto try “at any price” to convince the 1997 Tour winner to join.Ullrich

News briefs: Ullrich ponders; De Clerq wins

Dear Mr. Friel;As a serious, mostly self-coached junior racer I have a couple questionswith regards to planning my season. This past year was my first season racing(as well as my first experience cycling seriously at all) and I found shortlythat I had some amount of potential, winning the senior sport classes inlocal mountain bike races, and doing well in group rides. Encouraged by thismodest success, I began putting in substantial miles of training on the road.I ended up riding an average of 500 miles a week (25+hrs) for a little overthree months of the summer, all at very low intensity,

After taking his fourth-straight Tour de France win, Lance Armstrong hasearned the title of the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year, beatinglast year’s winner Barry Bonds by 59 points.Armstrong and Bonds were the top two finishers for the second straight year, only this time U.S. Postal team star took top honors. Armstrong received 45 first-place votes and 292 points from sports writers and broadcasters. Bonds had 31 first-place votes and 233 points."Uh-oh, hopefully he's not mad," Armstrong told the AP, referring to Bonds. "It's nice to be recognized."Tiger Woods, who won the

Friday news briefs: Armstrong AP athlete of the year

Dear Mr. Mionske,My bicycle was totaled when it was run over by a truck. I was waiting at a red light on the right shoulder when the truck driver also waiting at the light, began a right on red turn. I saw that the trailer was going to hit me and tried to move out of the way. The wheel hit my front wheel and I jumped off the bike and was able to avoided being hit, but the bike was crushed under the rear wheels of the truck. The trucker’s insurance company offered to pay for the bike and asked me to get an estimate to replace it. My local shop provided me with an estimate for $3500, which is

Although this was not my first trip to Italy, this 12-day whirlwind was certainly the most eye-opening--not just from a tech perspective. My previous Italian experiences were limited to press functions where a manufacturer airlifts in a contingent of journalists, unveils a new product (sometime letting us ride it) and ships us back to the States ASAP. These trips usually end up being sterile slam-bang forays where one hardly spends enough time away from the office to adapt to the time change. While certainly not a summer backpack trip throughout Italy, this trip afforded me the opportunity

Legally Speaking - with Bob Mionske

The Italian connection

The Italian connection

The Italian connection

Intense training is a big calorie burner. In fact, many cyclists and triathletes, particularly those training for stage races and Ironman-distance events, work hard to fit in enough calories for optimal daily recovery. Yet despite their high energy output, it is not unusual for endurance athletes to experiment with weight-loss programs to determine their best race weight. Often, these intense efforts have demonstrated that becoming too lean diminishesstrength and power. Yet a middle-of-the-pack or even top competitor may stillbe tempted to shed a few pounds in order to enhance

Dear Lennard Zinn;Everyone knows you don't have to work as hard if you're drafting off the person in front of you. How does your work effort change if someone is drafting behind you?Here is why I ask: I always thought that if you were riding by yourself, then you had to work harder than if somebody was drafting behind you because as you move through the air, it flows past your bike and body and creates turbulence as it swirls around in the void of space behind you. This almost creates a suction behind you pulling you back against your forward progress (if my logic is correct).

One of the more frequent questions I get on my “Tech Q&A" column is why Campagnolo changed its 10-speed chain and eliminated the PermaLink and, therefore, the tool to install it, now requiring the purchase of a different chain tool. In late July, I visited Campagnolo in Vicenza, Italy, and I got the answer to this question directly from Mario Meggiolan, the engineer who designed the new chain tool as well as the carbon Hyperon wheel. Campagnolo first supplied the PermaLink with 10-speed chains because that was the best way it could see at the time to make such a narrow chain strong enough.

The U.S. distributor of Look Cycling products, Veltec Sports, has issued a voluntary recall of the French manufacturer’s “Carbostem” handlebar stems. According to a Veltec release issued Friday, there have been no accidents or injuries involving any of the stems, but Look has reported that the stems, constructed of carbon fiber and aluminum, are subject to failure as a result of fatigue. Obviously, if that were to occur, a rider could lose control and crash. Therefore, Veltec is overseeing a full recall of the small number of stems distributed in the U.S. Veltec’s vice president of

Technical Q&A with Lennard Zinn - The aerodynamics of drafting

Mario Meggiolan

The pin

Look issues stem recall

Look issues stem recall

Last summer 29-year-old climbing specialist Kevin Livingston announced hisretirement. The news, which came during the Telekom rider’s sixth Tour deFrance, was a surprise to many people around him, including long-time friendsFrankie Andreu and Lance Armstrong. Livingston, who turned professional in1994, said that he was ready to move on from cycling and to spend more timewith his family.After the Tour, Livingston completed his summer racing schedule and returnedhome to Austin, Texas, in September after competing in the San FranciscoGrand Prix. VeloNews correspondent Ted Arnold caught up with

Livingston rode his final Tour this year.

Richard Groenendaal finally broke the Belgian grip on international cyclo-crossSunday as he won the second round of the UCI World Cup in Kalmthout, Belgium.Racing in front of a crowd of 6000 spectators, the Dutch Rabobank ‘crossspecialist brought an element of suspense back into the discipline’s topseries, leaving the World Cup standings in a three-way tie between himself,Bart Wellens and world champion Mario de Clerq.Groenendaal celebrated his 12th ever World Cup in muddy conditions that areto said to be his specialty. Bart Wellens, winner of the opening World Cupround last month in

Jan Ullrich revealed Friday that he came close to retiring from the sport after testing positive for amphetamines earlier this year. The 1997 Tour de France champion, who admitted taking the party drug Ecstasy on a night out with friends while recovering from knee surgery, was suspended for six months earlier this year. His ban ends on March 23, 2003. "I made mistakes. I was frustrated because my knee wasn't healing and that's why I did some stupid things," he told Italian sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport on Friday. "But being suspended was unjust,” Ullrich asserted. “My ban was

Deck us all with Boston Charlie, Walla Walla, Wash., an' Kalamazoo! Nora's freezin' on the trolley, Swaller dollar cauliflower alley'garoo!– The late Walt Kelly, lampooning the Christmas carol “Deck the Halls,” in the classic comic strip “Pogo” Deck the halls, ’tis the season, jingle-bell rock – however you sing it,the song is of Christmas, that time of year when we are supposed to buryour respective hatchets not in each other, but in the quivering trunks ofspruces, pines or firs destined for festive decoration in our living rooms.God bless us every one. Happily, we don’t

Friday's foaming rant:Merry Christmas, woof, woof, woof

Attorney Bob Mionske handles sports-related legal issues. Mionske invitesreaders to submit legal questions faced by cyclists and other endurance athletesto info@bicyclelaw.com. Hewill answer a cross-section of questions each Thursday here on VeloNews.com.The information provided in this column is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute formal legal advice (see notice below).ContractsHello Bob,As a pro cyclist for the past eight years I have signed several different types of “riders contracts” and have always been a little confused by them.They always seem to protect

With the Sea Otter Classic moving to April this year, one of mountain biking's newest races looks to be reaping the benefits of an open calendar in March. The Nova Desert Classic - which is billing itself as the rebirth of the Cactus Cup - recently announced that Subaru America has come on board as the event's title sponsor. The race is also doing well when it comes to attracting big-time talent. According to a press release issued in mid-December, Subaru-Gary Fisher, Trek-Volkswagen, RLX-Ralph Lauren and the Luna women's team have all committed to showing up in Phoenix for the

USA Cycling has announced a revised National Racing Calendar schedule for 2003. Entering its seventh year, the NRC is comprised of the top road cycling events from all over the country and lends itself to a national ranking system. Over 20 new events have been added as the 2003 calendar expands to eight levels of event classifications. Several new events join the NRC in 2003, beginning with the Tour de Georgia, a six-day stage race scheduled for April 22-26. With title sponsor Daimler-Chrysler on board, the stage race is sure to attract a competitive international field. The 2003 Tour de