News

Stella, the Belgain version of Budweiser.

"Cycling in the News" is a regular service of VeloNews.com. Readers,reporters and friends are encouraged to send links to current stories aboutcompetitive cyclists and cycling that appear in the mainstream media. Ifyou come across a news item that you believe may be of interest to otherVeloNews readers, we would be grateful if you choose to send it to Rosters@InsideInc.com.Cyclist killed in storm identifiedSan Jose Mercury NewsJan. 3 — Eric Saltzman heard a loud snap as he and a friend rode their bikes on a familiar narrow road in the Los Altos Hills. He turned around and saw a eucalyptus

A fund-raising dinner to help send Bjorn Selander to the UCI cyclo-cross world championships will be held Saturday, January 7, in Hudson, Wisconsin. The fund-raiser will be 5-9 p.m. at Alwins Northside Service, 413 6th Street North. It will include a 2005-season recap by Selander; dinner catered by Mama Maria’s; and a silent auction for items donated by sponsors and the local community. Tickets are $12. All proceeds will go to pay Selander’s expenses — estimated at more than $4000 — for the trip to world’s January 28 in Zeddam, Netherlands. For more information, call

Will '06 be Ullrich's last good shot at the Tour?

Sven and his son doing a little pre race warm up.

These are just a few of Belgian fans that called in sick to work today.

One member of the Sven Nys Supporters Club.

All the members of the Erik Tonkin Supporters Club.

Belgain fans are never far from the beer tent.

Elisabeth, cooking up another fabulous meal.

The Afghan Peloton

Belgium: gray and beautiful

Watch out for that tree!

A tribute to Bim

Where's the fire?

Another day, another load of laundry

Mancebo

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. It was a tough choice for us last week, be we settled upon Eric Clemensen’s “Afghan Peloton,” a photo that just had us looking through and appreciating an interesting set of details. Congratulations Eric! Drop us a note at Rosters@InsideInc.com to work out the details and we’ll send you a copy of Graham Watson's

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.Dwight’s column is a present you can unwrap again and againEditor:The best Christmas present has been Brandon Dwight's columns. I really enjoy reading them. Thanks. Jim KirsteinFolsom, California But he may have gotten his beers mixed upEditor:Add me to the list of those enjoying

Cannondale is joining forces with the Barloworld squad for 2006 — not as a mere bicycle supplier, but as part owner of the team. "We have no intention of just supplying product," said Cannondale CEO Matt Mannelly. "With Barloworld we’ll be rewriting the rules on traditional sponsorships. Our goal is to create a full-blown ‘experience’ that will touch consumers on many levels." Cannondale will provide Six13 and Slice Aero TT bikes as well as team kit for the squad, which will be managed by Claudio Corti, who was instrumental in bringing Cannondale into the pro peloton with Saeco in

Start 'em young.

Bobby Julich joins Mark McCormack on one of his patented late attacks during the Wachovia Invitational in Trenton, NJ

Lyne Bessette cleans up before her podium appearance.

Thousands of fans and flags welcome the peloton to Ben Franklin Parkway in the last USPRO Championship in Philadelphia.

With mud like this...

Chris Wherry puts the hammer down and takes the last corner on his way to winning the USPRO National Championship.

...power washers are a necessity.

With the grasses of the Great Salt Lakes' Antelope Island providing a background, Chris Baldwin wins the time trial national championship.

This blonde definitely has more fun.

Stage three of the Tour de France takes the peloton through some beautiful rural scenes.

Discovery Channel rolls through the green hills of California, with their best season ever ahead of them.

George Hincapie stalks Oscar Pereiro up the final climb of Stage 15 for the biggest win of his career.

A young Malay girl entertains the crowd with music at the start of a stage of the Tour of Langkawi.

While Johann Bruyneel takes a question during the final press conference of the 2005 Tour de France, Lance Armstrong lets his guard down for one brief second as he contemplates the end of his career.

Michael Barry toils in the fog on the climb to Genting Highlands.

Riders take a corner at twilight during the Charlotte Criterium.

The San Dimas Stage race provided a great opportunity for crit photos, and Gord Fraser the perfect subject.

Tina Pic and Laura Van Gilder take a corner together and go on to dominate and win the Women's criterium championship.

The peloton rolls past a reservoir during the classic stage of the Redlands Classic, the climb to Oak Glen.

In one of his final races, John Lieswyn shows the determination that defined his career during the USPRO criterium championship.

Mike Sayers leads the Health Net team to a dominating performance, one of many, in the Sunset Stage of the Redlands Classic.

One view that never gets old, but might be gone in 2006: The peloton climbing towards the summit of Taylor street and the biggest, loudest crowds in US cycling.

Don't try this at home, campers. Crystal Yap gets seriously aero on the very smooth track at Laguna Seca during the Sea Otter Classic.

Saul Raisin leads the break that stayed away for more than 100 miles at the World Championships in Madrid.

Andrea Tafi rode his last race at the Tour of Georgia, and made it classic Tafi. Attacking at every opportunity and giving it his all.

Page at last month's national championship race

The peloton rolls through a pecan grove in central Georgia, one of the many beautiful panoramas in the spring time race.

Aside from the streamers, the midnight revelry and the inevitable morning-after hangover, New Year’s does serve a few other purposes. For one thing it lets us stop and look back at all that’s happened since the planet passed through the same spot 12 months ago. In the world of cycling, few others have been to as many places and seen as much as our own Casey Gibson did in 2005. Whether it was sweating his way through the jungles of Malaysia, cruising through the back roads of Georgia or waiting for the peloton in rural France, Gibson was there (racking up more frequent flyer miles than anyone

With teammate Tom Danielson tucked under his arm, Lance Armstrong sets the pace up the mountains in Tour de Georgia's Stage 5.

US Junior champ Danny Summerhill had a top ten finish.

A month later, and its spring in Connecticut. Very green and rainy for the Tour of Connecticut's climbs.

Doctor, is there anything we can to do save this crappy episode?

So, uh, what'd you do with your winter break?

Liam Barry to the world: Yeah, I'm cuter than you.

The time-trial gods must be crazy

Two, two, two gloves in one

How much is that German in the window?

The next Paris-Roubaix winner? Naaaah ... but he did enjoy his ride

She's a fine cyclist ... a fine cyclist

Friends in Morbegno: Giuseppe and Norma Morelli

Step 1: Breakfast and coffee.

Step 2: Write my diary for VeloNews.com.

Step 3: Go for a ride.

By now you’ve probably seen the VeloNews 2005 awards issue. If you are a subscriber, you received an issue with Tom Boonen on the cover; newsstand copies featured Lance Armstrong.If you have seen the issue, regardless of which cover it wore, then you know who and what the VN editorial staff has deemed best and worst from the past year in cycling. If you haven’t seen it yet, well, shame on you. Get on out there and pick up a copy — or better yet, do yourself a favor and start up a subscription for 2006. For everyone else, the proverbial cats are long since out of the bag: Boonen was voted our

Step 4: Clean the bikes.

Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood: The best, worst and weirdest of 2005

Step 5: Rehydrate!

A must-see for cycling fans

Frazz, decked out in 2006 Health Net-Maxxis team gear before the team's riders even have it

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.Keep Brandon's stories comingDear VeloNews,Hey I'm really enjoying Brandon Dwight's diary entries. Keep ‘em coming.As far as the Lion of Flanders flags; it was explained to me by a Belgianfriend of mine that the flag with the red claws and tongue is the provincialflag of

A new stage race, La Tropicale Amissa Bongo Ondimba, will make its debut next month in Gabon, organizers announced Friday in the African nation’s capital of Libreville. The race, scheduled January 12-15, will include 15 teams comprising some 90 cyclists, according to technical director Philippe Crepel. Among those set to take the start include Française des Jeux, Jartazi, Luxembourg, Capec Kazakhstan, VC Roubaix and VC La Pomme Marseille. Eight African teams also will participate, representing Angola, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Bénin, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Sénégal and the host nation,

How come you never call me any more?

I'm da boss, I'm da boss ...

Friday's mailbag: Diaries, Flags and Belgian brew

Friday's mailbag: Diaries, Flags and Belgian brew

Cold and snowy, but beautiful, too.

The food that made Belgium famous.

Mussels, frites and beer. All we're missing is the chocolate!

Besides racing cross, this is another way to keep warm in Belgium.