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Mercury’s Gord Fraser and Diet Rites’s Tina Mayolo-Pic each took the top spot in the Downtown Grand Prix Criterium in Merced, California on Saturday. The men's race was the typical early season barn burner with every team trying its hand at escaping the main group. But with the racing so aggressive, the peloton was strung out from the gun and no breakaways were allowed to escape. Saturn, Mercury, Prime Alliance, Navigators and 7-Up-Nutra Fig all contributed to the last 15 laps of furious tempo riding to keep their lead-out trains near the front. With two laps to go Prime Alliance was in

Germany's Petra Rossner (Saturn) won a bunch sprint in the 103.1km women's road cycling World Cup race from Cooma to Thredbo, Australia on Sunday. Australia's Rochelle Gilmore and world No. 3 Mirjam Melchers of the Netherlands were second and third after a punishing race culminated in an exhausting 35km climb to this ski resort in the Snowy Mountains. The 35-year-old, who took gold on the track at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona and is the reigning German national road champion, won in 3:14:25. "The race was fantastic in that I had the strongest team," said Rossner. "I might not have been

Rossner takes the win.

The peloton heads up towards Thredbo.

The podium.

Team Coast’s Alex Zülle won the final stage and the overall title at the 60th edition of Spain’s Tour of Valencia, winning a 23.5km time trial through the streets of Valencia with a time of 28:34. Zülle beat second-placed Jörg Jakshe (ONCE) by 20 seconds and bested Antonio Colum, the man who began the day in the race leader’s jersey, by well over a minute. This edition of the Tour of Valencia was marked by a three-stage winning streak in the opeining stages by Fassa Bortolo’s Alessandro Petacchi. Petacchi was finally bumped out of the lead Friday when Saeco’s Danilo Di Luca scored a win in

Lotto’s Peter Van Petegem won Circuit Het Volk, the traditional opener of the Belgian road season in Belgium. The Belgian, who was one of the so-called ‘killer V’s” of last year’s Mercury squad, won a 10-rider sprint for the finish into Lokeren, the northern Belgian community at the end of the 202km race. Copyright AFP2002

The 23rd edition of Oregon’s Tour of Willamette has been canceled — not for lack of interest, but for lack of money, according to race director Larry Smith. “While we have the infrastructure and volunteers ready and willing, the Tour of Willamette remains far from adequately funded to present a top-quality and safe event for competitors, the community, and committed followers,” Smith wrote in a posting to the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association’s listserv. “And the economic downturn of recent months wreaked havoc not only with the sponsorship budgets of businesses here in Lane County, but

VeloNews.com welcomes your letters. If you run across something inthe pages of VeloNews, or see something on VeloNews.com that causesyou to want to write us, drop us a line at WebLetters@7Dogs.com.Please include your full name and home town. By submitting mailto this address, you are consenting to the publication of your letter.In the end, what do they win?Is this drug use and abuse ever going to end?I want to think that, yes, it will end sometime...I just wonder with what face these cheaters will look at their grandsonsand say: "I won that race," when deep inside (or not so deep) they

Saeco’s Danilo Di Luca finally broke the three-stage winning streak of Alessandro Petacchi at Spain’s Tour of Valencia, Friday, winning the fourth stage, a tough 148km ride from Tavernes to the mountain-top finish at Sommet De Campello. Spain’s Antonio Colom (Colchon-Relax) moved into the overall lead. Di Luca again showed the good form that recently gave him a victory at the Trofeo Laigueglia, winning what is surely the toughest stage at this year’s Tour of Valencia. the hardest stage of the Vuelta Valenciana from Tavernes to Alto del Campello on Friday. The Saeco attacked with 40km to go

Di Luca

Colum now leads by 1 second

Domo Farm Frites’s troubled cyclist Frank Vandenbroucke and his personal coach have been charged with possession of drugs in Belgium, after police discovered a substantial stash of doping products during a Wednesday night search of his home. The Domo-Farm Frites team quickly fired Vandenbroucke after news of the search became public. Following the arrest of his French trainer, the infamous Bernard Sainz, Belgian police conducted a search of Vandenbroucke's home and found a variety of banned performance-enhancing and other substances, a prosecutor's office spokesman in Termonde,

VeloNews.com welcomes your letters. If you run across something inthe pages of VeloNews, or see something on VeloNews.com that causesyou to want to write us, drop us a line at WebLetters@7Dogs.com.Please include your full name and home town. By submitting mailto this address, you are consenting to the publication of your letter.It's all about winning, right?Editor;How come you have so many readers that think nobody in the pro pelotondoes drugs?The plain and simple truth is everyone does drugs!!! Its called"competitive advantage."Ask yourself would you not create a competitive advantage

Fassa Bortolo's red-hot sprinter Alessandro Petacchi won his third straight stage of the Tour of Valencia, a 157.9 kilometer run from Castellon to Segorbe, on Thursday. Like his earlier two victories of the week, Petacchi charged to the line, winning a tough sprint, this time at the head of a group of 38 riders as the charged to the finish at the end of , a 157.5km stage from Castellon to Segorbe. The stage was marked by a series of unsuccessful escape attempts, particularly on the day’s climbs: the Category 1 Eslida; Montana Toras (Cat. 3), Sacanet (Cat. 2) and Montemayor (Cat. 3). The

Does this look familiar? Pettachi makes it three straight

Vandenbroucke

VeloNews.com welcomes your letters. If you run across something inthe pages of VeloNews, or see something on VeloNews.com that causesyou to want to write us, drop us a line at WebLetters@7Dogs.com.Please include your full name and home town. By submitting mailto this address, you are consenting to the publication of your letter. What goes around comes aroundEditors,Regarding the Ibisbankruptcy:Karma, Roger, Karma.Michael SylvanSeattleP.S.  My most sincere condolences to Scot Nicol and all the goodpeople who worked at Ibis.  Your bikes were beautiful, and the companyitself did not deserve this

Fassa Bortolo’s Alessandro Petacchi clinched the second stage of Spain’s Tour of Valencia on Wednesday; a 216km run from Calpe to Castellon. The Italian rider had also claimed the opening stage on Tuesday. The Italian rider also claimed the opening stage on Tuesday and both wins came after a sprint finish although Wednesday's lacked the first day's drama when world road race champion Oscar Freire and Mario Cipollini fell. Italian sprint king Cipollini grabbed second with German Erik Zabel in third. "I wasn't expecting a second win but I felt good at the end and I was able to exploit the

Representatives of the Société du Tour de France and the mayor of Paris are in preliminary negotitations over the possibility that next year’s centenary edition of the Tour de France will both start and finish in the French capital. Thus far, no agreement has emerged, but, if successful, the arrangement would mark the first time in 40 years that France’s grand tour began and ended in Paris. – Copyright AFP 2000 A new Postal Pedal with Lance in Mind? It looks like this year's Tour de France may mark something of a first... the first time Lance Armstrong puts some new pedals on his

Petacchi outsprinted a stellar field.

Fassa Bortolo’s Alessandro Petacchi won the opening stage of the Tour of Valencia in Spain on Tuesday. The Italian won a sprint at the end of a 126km stage that finished in Calpe. Petacchi came out on top in a sprint ahead of Russian Dimitri Konychev in second and Angel Vicioso of Spain in third. Spaniard Luis Perez tried to slip the peloton during the final fourth category climb 24km from the finish, but he was caught at the foot of the hill. Petacchi's Fasso Bortolo teammates, aided by riders from Acqua Sapone, Mapei and Telekom cranked up the pace to carry the specialist sprinters to

The 2002 Luna Chix mountain-bike team was officially unveiled this week in Calistoga, California. And though the collection riders — Alison Dunlap, Marla Streb Kelli Emmett and Gina Hall — weren’t news, a late addition to the team was announced by an almost-live video greeting. The newcomer was Czech Republic rider Katerina Hanusova, who attended the event remotely from her home in Truckee, California, just after returning from Salt Lake City. Hanusova was in Utah representing her country in cross-country skiing. She and her team took fourth place in the 4x5km relay last week. This was

Ibis LLC, the maker of Ibis bicycles, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on February 21 with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court’s Northern California Division. Founded by Scot Nicol in 1981, the company moved to Sonoma County in 1983, where it manufactured bikes for the next 18 years. Last year, in a bid to cut the rising cost of Northern California wages, Ibis entered into a co-production arrangement with Strong Frames of Bozeman, Montana. “As the cost of living has increased here, we decided that we cannot provide living wages any more,” Nicol told the North Bay Business Journal in 2001. “Our workers

VeloNews.com welcomes your letters. If you run across something inthe pages of VeloNews, or see something on VeloNews.com that causesyou to want to write us, drop us a line at WebLetters@7Dogs.com.Please include your full name and home town. By submitting mailto this address, you are consenting to the publication of your letter.Letters for MondayFabio and others like him are an inspirationDear editors:I was quite moved by your articleon Fabio Selvig, the racer run down by an oil truck in Massachusetts,in no small part because it parallels the stories of some close friends.Sabine Pater, tibia,

U.S. Postal Service’s George Hincapie had another near miss on Sunday, finishing second to Jaan Kirsipuu (AG2R) at the one-day Classic Haribo, the second race of the French Cup series, 203km between Uzes and Marseille. At the 127km mark of the 203km race, Kirsipuu, Hincapie, Johan Museeuw (Domo-Farm Frites), Ludo Dierckxsens (Lampre-Daikin) and Enrico Cassani (Domo-Farm Frites) escaped from the lead group. The quintet of riders would eventually build up a lead of over five minutes. With no attacks gaining any ground at the front of the race, the day was decided in a five-man finish, with

Germany's 1997 Tour de France champion Jan Ullrich is one of 47 people whose files have been handed over to the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI), Corriere dello Sport reported Saturday. Over 100 people - snared in the 2001 Giro d'Italia police dragnet - are under formal judicial investigation by Florence magistrate Luigi Bocciolini. However while charges in the courts will be a long drawn out affair the sporting disciplinary process by CONI's anti-doping czar Giacomo Aiello will be a lot quicker and could be concluded within weeks. Bocciolini has now transmitted 47 dossiers to

VeloNews.com welcomes your letters. If you run across something inthe pages of VeloNews, or see something on VeloNews.com that causesyou to want to write us, drop us a line at WebLetters@7Dogs.com.Please include your full name and home town. By submitting mailto this address, you are consenting to the publication of your letter.No more dope (articles)I love the sport of road cycling, and all the Zen it represents in myworld. I have a comment I would love to share with my favorite cyclingmagazine...Some Thoughts:1.  Why as nobody written about the still record VO2 Maxlevels Armstrong recorded

Think you’re having a bad day? Well, Seven-sponsored multi-sport athleteFabio Selvig’s story will help you keep things in perspective. Hit by anoil truck while riding his bike and subsequently given virtually no hopeof living, Fabio can teach us all a lesson or two about what’s really important.BackgroundIn September 2000, then 33-year old Fabio Selvig had just returnedto a job in high-end sales at nationally renowned bicycle retailer BelmontWheelworks of Belmont, Massachusetts. At the time, Fabio was an active,successful multi-sport competitor, averaging 15 hours of training a weekand racing

Euskaltel's Txema Del Olmo was hit with a three-year ban from competition in France by the Council for the Struggle Against Doping (CPLD) after testing positive for erythropoietin EPO, it was announced in Paris on Friday. Del Olmo failed a urine test for the red-blood-cell-boosting drug EPO during the 2001 Tour de France prologue. The ban applies only in France as CPLD is a French organization with no power to impose international penalties. "The analysis taken at Chatenay-Malabry and complying with the detection method of the national laboratory for doping tests revealed the presence

Following a final meeting between organizers and promoters, NORBA has made a few small changes to this year’s national championship series schedule. The series will kick off May 9-12 at Snow Summit Resort in Big Bear Lake, California. This is a week earlier than originally scheduled, a move that was made to avoid a conflict with a World Cup event in Madrid. The dates for the NORBA in Durango have also been changed. After going back and forth between several weekends, the dates are now finally set for August 1-4. Here’s a look at the full schedule for both the NORBA and World Cup

Friday Feature:Near-Fatal Accident Can’t Break an Athlete’s Spirit

With a total of four world junior titles to her name, Britain’s Nicole Cooke has taken the next step and signed a professional contract, joining forces with the Italian Dela Pragma-Colagno team, which is based near Bologna. Cooke currently holds the rainbow jersey as reigning world junior champion in three disciplines: time trial, road race and mountain bike. Still just 18 years old, Cooke has been heavily recruited by pro teams for the past year. "I've taken my time in finding a team for this year but I know that I've made a great choice," Cooke said. "I will be basing myself in

SRAM Corporation announced Tuesday that it has reached an agreement to purchase RockShox Inc, a deal expected to be finalized by mid-March In a press release issued on February 19, SRAM president Stan Day said the acquisition will contribute to his company’s goal of “being the most valuable supplier to the industry." "We believe that our new larger organization with full product lines in drivetrain, suspension, and brakes will better serve our customers,” said Day. “The timing is perfect as issues of supply chain management are a top priority to bike factories and aftermarket distributors

VeloNews.com welcomes your letters. If you run across something inthe pages of VeloNews, or see something on VeloNews.com that causesyou to want to write us, drop us a line at WebLetters@7Dogs.com.Please include your full name and home town. By submitting mailto this address, you are consenting to the publication of your letter.A big Thanks! to those who make North American racing specialDear Editor;I would like to thank - and invite others to thank- in this public forum,a long neglected key player in the world of bike racing: Host Housing Families.It would be nice to hear from other racing

Danilo Di Luca(Saeco-Longoni Sport)won Tuesday's Trofeo Laigueglia in a sprint finish over 172km, in what is considered the opening round of the Italian cycling season. Di Luca outsprinted compatriot Eddy Mazzoleni (Sacconi-Caldirola)and Lotto’s Serge Baguet to win the 39th running of the race in his first season with the Saeco team. The race, characterized by a duel between Di Luca and Mediterranean Tour winner Michele Bartoli (Fassa Bortolo), blew apart on the slopes of the Paravenna -the last climb of the race. Di Luca powered clear and went over the top with a ten-second advantage over

Italian prosecutors say they will now investigate cyclist Gianluca Bortolamifor alleged misrepresentation and false testimony after he gave evidenceTuesday in the trial of accussed doping mastermind Dr Michele Ferrari.After Bortolami had given his account of events Tuesday to the courtthe prosecutor, Giovanni Spinosa, requested that the minutes of his testimonybe sent to local investigators who will decide whether to take action.Bortolami's evidence contrasted strongly with testimony presented lastweek by FilippoSimeoni who became the first cyclist to admit he was knowingly dopedby the

Valley of the Sun has grown into the American racing season’s “opening day.” The warm Arizona weather, relatively flat terrain and consistently enjoyable racing has made it a natural for early season race miles in preparation for the California races in March. This year’s edition, however, won’t be remembered for Chris Wherry’s (Mercury) overall victory, or another dominating ride by Rona’s Genevieve Jeanson. Instead, controversy plagued the event from the start of the professional men’s road race, Saturday afternoon in Casa Grande, south of Phoenix. Two words: Mercury, Jeanson The

Michele Bartoli (Fassa Bortolo) won the 29th edition of the Tour of the Mediterranean, after finishing in the field in the fifth and final stage, won by his teammate Alessandro Petacchi. The Italian team had dominated the Med Tour from start, winning the opening team time trial and maintaining procession of the yellow leader’s jersey throughout. Petacchi won a field sprint into the French city of Marseilles at the end of a 120km stage that began in Rousset. Bartoli locked up the win on Saturday as won the race’s toughest stage, a 167km race that ended atop the steep slopes of Mount

Desert Solitare

Kent Bostick still crankin'

Jeanson set a standard in the TT

John Leiswyn

Valley of the Sun does attract a crowd

Jeanson

Tuft and Wherry

Navigators at work

We don't know why they parked there either

Time to pack up and head home

Fassa Bortolo and Michele Bartoli scored a double win Saturday as the Italian won the fourth stage of the Mediterranean Tour, 1:07 ahead of his own teammate and regained the yellow leader’s jersey he earned on the opening day of the five-day French stage race. Under cold, wet and windy conditions Bartoli soloed in for the win at the end of the 147km stage between Londe and Toulon, finishing well ahead of teammate Paolo Tiralongo. With his win, Bartoli moves solidly into the lead, 1:11 ahead of Tiralongo and 2:05 up on Rabobank’s Michael Boogerd. A field of 166 riders contested the difficult

Bodrogi and Virenque got things started

Acqua e Sapone’s Giovanni Lombardi won the third stage of the MediterraneanTour, Friday, sprinting in ahead of a group led by Australian Robbie McEwen(Lotto) and La Française Des Jeux’s Baden Cooke. Alessandro Petacchi(Fassa Bortolo) maintains his hold on the overall lead.Starting in Villeneuve-Loubet, 170 took on the 142km stage to Hyeresriding toward the day’s first climb, the col de l'Esterel at 38km. On thedescent, none other than cycling’s most regular early escapee, Jacky Durand(La Française Des Jeux), joined forces with Philippe Gaumont, buildinga lead of 1:45, by the 65km mark. The

Bartoli and Jalabert drive an escape.

Mario Cipollini added another check in his win column Thursday as the Acqua e Sapone sprint star edged-out Crédit Agricole’s Thor Hushovdat the end of the 176km second stage of the Mediterranean Tour.The rain-soaked stage from Bouc-Bel-Air to Cannet got off to a quickstart when Thierry Loder (AG2R) launched an early attack just 9km fromthe start. The French rider built his advantage to more than three-and-a-halfminutes by the 80km mark. But racing alone in the rain against a pelotondriven by the Fassa Bortolo squad of race leader Michele Bartoli took itstoll and Loder was reeled back in by

A new uniform; a familiar pose

With the finish line in mind, Acqua e Sapone worked to set up their top sprinter

The Italian Fassa Bortolo team won the opening stage of the 29th Mediterranean Tour, besting Creddit Agricole by seven seconds in a 36km team time trial from Salon-de-Provence to Berre-l'Etang. The team’s Michele Bartoli assumed the race leader’s jersey on the strength of the team’s performance as they covered the stage in 38:10. Italy’s Mapei-Quick Step squad rounded out the top three, finishing 10 seconds behind the winning team. The 176 riders, representing 22 teams left the start in Salon-de-Provence at three-minute intervals. A small Category III climb two kilometers after the start

American George Hincapie got his season off to a strong start this weekas the U.S. Postal Service rider took third overall in Portugal’s Tourof Algarve, which ended Wednesday in Loule.Hincapie finished fourth in the 166.8km fifth and final stage of theearly season race. The American nearly pulled off the overall win, whenhe escaped from a lead group that had included the race’s overall leader,L.A. Pecol's Candido Barbosa. Hincapie started the day nearly seven minutesbehind the overall leader.At one point in the final stage Hincapie's escape group of four enjoyedenough of an advantage to make

Bartoli

Filippo Simeoni broke professional cycling’s so-called code of silence Tuesday when he testified in an Italian courtroom that he had taken banned products, including EPO, under the direction of Dr Michele Ferrari. Ferrari, currently on trial in Bologna, stands accused of allegedly administering banned substances to athletes under his supervision. The 30-year-old Simeoni, now riding for Acqua e Sapone, told the court in Bologna on Tuesday that Ferrari had offered detailed instructions on the use of substances and how to avoid triggering positive test results. Simeoni was a client of

VeloNews.com welcomes your letters. If you run across something in the pages of VeloNews, or see something on VeloNews.com that causes you to want to write us, drop us a line at WebLetters@7Dogs.com.Please include your full name and home town. By submitting mailto this address, you are consenting to the publication of your letter.TUESDAY LETTERSSimeoni should be applaudedHi VeloNews-ers,Filippo Simeoni is a hero in my book, because he's broken the very unethicalcode of silence among cyclists (see "Cyclistbreaks code of silence in Ferrari trial"), which pre-dates Coppi andBartali.

With the 2002 Tour de Langkawi now in the books, it was time to empty the contents of the digital camera. Here’s a sampling of the sights and scenes from the final six days of racing at this 10-day race in Malaysia.

Surely Robbie Hunter would have preferred the overall title, but a look at the prize payout list for the 2002 Tour de Langkawi shows that second place isn’t so bad. Even though Hunter finished behind overall winner Hernan Dario Munoz in the standing, he made out far better in the bank account. After winning three stages and the green point’s jersey, the 24-year-old South African pocketed 119,750 ringgit ($31,513 based on exchange rate of RM3.8 to $1). Munoz was a distant second on the list, earning RM78,925 ($20,769). Third was South African national team member David George, who banked

Italian cyclist Gianluca Bortolami is set to appear as a witness on Tuesday when the trial of alleged doping mastermind Doctor Michele Ferrari resumes in Bologna. In evidence already submitted to investigating magistrates Bortolami, the 1994 World Cup winner and last year’s Tour of Flanders champion, blames former Festina soigneur Willy Voet for the discovery of vials of EPO found in his possession. Voet’s 1998 arrest was the trigger for the now-infamous Festina affair that nearly resulted in the cancellation of the Tour de France that year. Prosecutors, however, point to Ferrari’s medical

The official TDL bikes.

A warning to careless drivers.

A big crowd at the downtown criterium.

Part of the post-race show at Stage 7.

Remnants of a palm-oil plantation.

Tafi turns the tables.

A Hindu temple.

A young fan.