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Adam Bergman drilling it

Tony Cruz takes the lead

Brad Huff on the road . . .

. . . and on the podium

Gord Fraser at the start

Pic will look to defend her '05 win at Downers Grove.

The arc en ciel, up front, where it should be.

Quinziato has time to celebrate

The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.An open letter from a Cat.4 regular guyDear VeloNews, fellow cyclists, my teammates and family,When I starting cycling three years ago, it was my ultimate goal toenjoy all that cycling had to offer. As of today, August 16th, 2006, Ihave achieved that goal.With the dedication and support

Pereiro concedes he'll get no 30-minute gifts this time around

UCI president Pat McQuaid has had his fair share of fires to put out since taking over as the head of cycling’s international governing body last fall. Squabbles over the ProTour and the shadowy undertones of the “Operación Puerto” doping investigation in Spain, however, have paled in comparison to the high-profile damage to cycling wrought by the Floyd Landis doping scandal. With the international media taking a mostly negative view at cycling, McQuaid has done his level best to react in a positive, constructive way to lead the sport through its darkest hours. McQuaid is calling for a

Dear Readers,Last week we looked at the process in an anti-doping violation case [See Thestraight dope on the Landis case]. I received more e-mail about this column than any other I have submitted for publication. Much (nearly all) of the correspondence was appreciative of the legal analysis (As always, I am grateful for the excellent research and brain power of my assistant Rick Bernardi ). Because there was so much interest in this subject I decided that I cannot possibly answer all these inquiries before leaving for the Vuelta. Instead, I’ll throw a bit more gas on the fire, by taking a

McQuaid calls Landis case ‘tragedy for the sport’

The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.Won't get fooled againEditor,Impressive. We now have three strong cycling teams have folded dueto doping scandals, costing dozens of riders, mechanics and other personneltheir livelihoods. Two of the teams were basically sponsored by Americancompanies - Liberty Seguros [Liberty

Leaders from the top ProTour teams huddled in Brussels on Wednesday and demanded swift action on a variety of issues, including the immediate suspension of the Phonak and Astana teams. In a communiqué released Wednesday evening by the AIGCP (International Association of Professional Cycling Groups), representatives from 17 ProTour teams insisted that the two controversial teams be kept out of further competition. “In light of the confusion and the disastrous image caused by the latest affaires, the ProTour teams unanimously demand that the UCI License Commission study the immediate

Floyd Landis’s father-in-law was found dead in his car after committing suicide, coroner's officials said Wednesday. The body of 57-year-old David Witt was discovered at a parking garage Tuesday afternoon, said Paul Parker, an investigator with the San Diego County Medical Examiner. He had a gunshot wound to the head, and the death was ruled a suicide, Parker said. "The Landises are devastated by the news of David's death," family spokesman Michael Henson told The Associated Press. "They loved him dearly, and they miss him." Witt was the stepfather of Landis's wife, Amber

The Swiss Cycling Federation confirmed Wednesday that it has opened an investigation into doping allegations against Jan Ullrich. Ullrich, who competes with a Swiss license, is accused of being supplied with performance-enhancing drugs by the Spanish doctor at the center of the Operación Puerto doping investigation in Spain. A former Olympic champion, Ullrich was barred from competing in this year's Tour de France after being implicated in the scandal. Ullrich is alleged to have been given EPO, steroids and human growth hormone by Madrid physician Eufemiano Fuentes, who is accused of

Sastre, finishing Stage 17 at this year's Tour de France. He's ready for another round.

Danielson - riding last year's Vuelta - will the Discovery crew at this year's race.

Following the announmentTuesday that the Phonak Cycling Team will cease operations at the endof the year, former team captain Floyd Landis posted an open letter tohis teammates, the staff, team owner Andy Rihs and manager John Lelangue.An Open Letter to the Phonak Professional Cycling TeamDear Andy, John, my teammates and staff:When I joined the Phonak Cycling team, it was our ultimate goal to winthe Tour de France. On Sunday, July 23rd, 2006, we achieved that goal.With the dedication and support of the entire team and staff, we overcameimpossible odds to make the 2006 Tour de France one of

Rihs celebrates in Paris with Floyd Landis in what turned out to be the calm before a fatal storm.

In Floyd we trust

Landis lost time on Stage 16, but he didn't lose hope.

Landis rode one of the most remarkable stages in Tour history. Was it too remarkable?

Our latest reader-submitted Photo Gallery is now up for your viewing pleasure. Of course, a new gallery also means the naming of the winner of ourmost recent contest. Take the time to wander through that gallery and see if you agree or disagree with our choice of winner. We were drawn to JF Sokolowski’s “In Floyd we trust,” largely because it captured that transient moment when we all did. Nice work! Drop us a note at Rosters@InsideInc.com to work out the details and we’ll send you a copy of Graham Watson's "Landscapes of Cycling."Go ahead and take a look at our latest gallery,decide

The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.One reader’s over itEditor:Okay, I’m over it. I’ve written my letters to the editor. Explained to friends the reasons that I doubt he did it. Felt anger toward the sensationalist media; frustration and confusion, at his own defensive statements, annoyance at Oscar Pereiro’s newfound

Lelangue (left), Rihs and Landis in happier days

The Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team gained a new member on Saturday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway when Andrew "A.J." Smith, a brawny 24-year-old former national junior track champion, won the opportunity to ride as an honorary member of the team at next month’s USPRO time-trial championship in Greenville, South Carolina. Smith was a promising track rider in the late 1990s who grew disillusioned with the sport while training for the 2000 Olympic sprint trials. After missing out on the Olympic team selection, the Florida native gave up cycling and became a personal trainer with a focus

The boss and his newest employee

Bikes on the Brickyard

The Disco boys sign autographs

Crowds were sparse at the Brickyard

The winning bike

Hincapie will race the U.S. national championships

Houseman celebrates

Nash takes the series

Schnell styles through the finale

JHK scores a win

Jimena had time to show of some handling skills as she crossed the line.

Bishop made his mark on the descents.

Former VeloNews European correspondent Rupert Guinness is now editor and publisher of PelotonPress.net but rejoins our crew each year at the Tour de France. Unlike past years, however, the story of the 2006 Tour is far from over and Guinness will continue to contribute to VeloNews.com over the coming months. Recently, Guinness spoke with fellow Australian, Union Cycliste Internationale vice-president Ray Godkin, who is still sorting through the fall-out from the doping scandals that book-ended this year’s Tour. In this conversation, which took place in Belgium just days before Landis’s B

Jan Ullrich may be forced to pay money back to his former team Coast, who he rode with in the 2003 season, with former team sponsor Gunther Dahms accusing him of a breach of contract. The 32-year-old former Olympic champion was barred from competing in this year's Tour de France after being implicated in a doping scandal when he was accused of collaborating with a doctor organizing a blood-doping network. Dahms is now keen to discover whether Ullrich breached his contract when he rode for the Coast team and could seek financial compensation if evidence is forthcoming. "In the Coast

There’s growing uncertainty about the future of the Phonak team following the Floyd Landis doping scandal and rumors are flying that the team’s new title sponsor – iShares – has pulled the plug on its commitment to take over the squad in 2007. Andy Rihs, the Swiss magnate who owns the beleaguered team, has scheduled a press conference this week as Landis faces the real possibility of having his Tour de France victory stripped away. Rihs and team manager John Lelangue are scheduled to outline the team's future at an 11 a.m. press conference in Zurich, but until then most riders and staff

UCI vice-president Ray Godkin

Florencio becomes the third Spanish winner here in as many years

A surprise winner.

Garzelli, Florencio and Kashechkin

A quiet moment before today's start

Garzelli showed good form on Saturday

Bettini has had a long season

Mayo - recovered from a poor Tour - is back

Zaballa scored in 2005.

The XC course is a toughy

More celbrations for the happy couple?

Pereiro may end up with a new jersey, too.

Burbank, California - Jay Leno didn't let Floyd Landis off easy, and the embattled Tour de France champion responded with yet another theory as to why he flunked a drug test. Questioned by the "Tonight Show" host Tuesday, Landis said he may have unknowingly ingested something that made him test positive for a high testosterone ratio. "I see you on these shows and I do want to believe you and evidence seems - I don't know if it's overwhelming - but it seems pretty conclusive, right?" Leno said. Landis said yes, if one goes by the tests, and Leno shot back, “Why should we not go

The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.Floyd’s neither stupid nor immoralEditor:After reading about the leak, the tests, the excuses, etc., etc., it all boils down to one thing. Whom do you believe? I choose to believe in Floyd Landis. Someone could have made an error marking the samples or someone could have slipped him

Dear ReadersThis week, because of all the legal questions raised by the racing news, we’ll be taking a look at a legal issue I haven’t covered before—the anti-doping code in professional cycling. The Anti-Doping Code has its origins in the Olympic movement; as a result of the International Olympic Committee’s concern about doping in sports, the World Anti-Doping Agency (“WADA”) was created, followed by the World Anti-Doping Code. The International Cycling Union (“UCI”) adopted the World Anti-Doping Code in July of 2004. Let’s take a look at how the system works. The UCI Anti-Doping Ruleshe

Team manager Olaf Ludwig was fired after sponsors demanded a major shake-up on the T-Mobile team.

T-Mobile seems prepared to stay in cycling... if major changes occur on the team.

A conversation with Melissa Buhl: A matter of balance

Vogels signs with Toyota-United

World cycling chief Pat McQuaid has vowed to conduct a sweeping review of the drug-tainted sport after a series of high-profile doping scandals that have left it in crisis. In an interview to be published Wednesday, McQuaid admitted that doping had been an "an integral part" of professional cycling for decades and that it was time for the sport to confront the scourge. The UCI president said the planned review could produce a major upheaval in professional cycling within two years. McQuaid told the Swiss weekly L'Illustre that the length of races, the number of rest days, the

Vinokourov will take on this weekend's Clásica San Sebastián

Voigt is on a roll

Chilean downhiller Bernadita Pizarro lies in a coma in Vancouver’s St. Paul’s Hospital after suffering complications during surgery to repair a broken leg. Pizarro, 20, was competing in last month’s Crankworkx Freeride Festival in Whistler, British Columbia, when she lost control during a warm-up on the mountain’s A-Line trail. Pizarro flew over her handlebars and landed on a large pile of rocks, breaking her right femur. According to Michelle Leroux, a spokesman for Whistler-Blackcomb quoted in the Vancouver Sun, safety patrollers set Pizarro’s leg in a splint and took her by ambulance to

A thing worth having is a thing worth cheating for.— W.C. Fields I have an announcement to make. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a Foaming Rant lauding Floyd Landis for beer-drinking his way to a Tour de France-winning comeback. I have subsequently tested positive for wine. White wine. French white wine. No doubt you feel shocked, astonished, perhaps even betrayed. But imagine my dismay when the Ancient and Honorable Brotherhood of Rounders, Roisterers and Rumormongers informed me that both my "A" and "B" samples — taken immediately after my having finished the column and traded it to

Ellis Kahn (7) downtube shifting on La Toussiure

Voigt makes a successful late charge

This beer tastes ... French

Floyd Landis, whose Tour de France triumph was followed by a positive doping test, ripped UCI and WADA officials over the public release of his "B" sample in an interview with USA Today. The newspaper posted comments Sunday on its website from the embattled U.S. cyclist after Saturday's release of his test results, Landis saying he has been treated unfairly and cannot properly defend himself against doping accusations. Landis tested positive, reportedly for synthetic testosterone, and showed a testosterone/epitestosterone ratio well above the level that triggers suspicion in a test

The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.The man is innocent!Dear VeloNews,Floyd Landis will be exonerated of all doping charges! I can only wonderwhy all the information that was "leaked" before any formal announcementswere made about this debacle was all negative.I still haven't heard anything about the results of the six

Our latest reader-submitted Photo Gallery is now up for your viewing pleasure. Of course, a new gallery also means the naming of the winner of ourmost recent contest. Take the time to wander through that gallery and see if you agree or disagree with our choice of winner. Maybe it’s just the timing, but for some reason, we were drawn to Anthony Kahn’s photo of his seven-year-old son Ellis riding an old road bike on La Toussiure. (For one thing, it’s good that Anthony is teaching the boy to shift like a real man before he graduates to integrated levers.) The shot just seemed to remind us

Leipheimer wins the shortened mountain stage

Bad weather triggered a rider protest and a shortened stage

Pic in the early going

Pic wins

Stewart leads as the rain starts