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World Cup skiing champion Bode Miller of the United States and Belgian cycling legend Eddy Merckx have called for the clampdown on doping to be eased. Miller, double world champion and last year's World Cup series winner, supports the use of the blood-booster erythropoietin or EPO. "I'm surprised it's illegal, because in our sport, it would be pretty minimal health risks, and it would actually make it safer for the athletes, because you'd have less chance of making a mistake at the bottom and killing yourself," the 27-year-old American told VeloNews’s sister publication, Ski

Wednesday's Mailbag: The letter; The ProTour and more

Wednesday's Mailbag: The letter; The ProTour and more

Simoni is among the top names racing the Giro di Piemonte

DiLuca may not be in Lombardia on Saturday... but he really doesn't have to be

Kortrijk, Belgium (AP) - Former world champion Johan Museeuw and six other Belgian cyclists won't find out until early next year whether they will have to stand trial on drug charges. Museeuw, widely recognized as the top one-day specialist of the past decade, and the others are accused of possessing the endurance-boosting drugs EPO and Aranesp. Museeuw and the others have denied the charges. The 39-year-old Museeuw, who won the world road championship in 1996, says he has never failed a doping test. A judicial hearing into the case opened Tuesday at a local court, with defense lawyers

2005 Verge New England Cyclo-Cross Series Ready to RollFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEOctober 10, 2005Building up to the crescendo of December’s National Championships inRhode Island, the 2005 Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Serieswill provide a perfect season-long proving ground for regional and nationalcyclo-cross talent. As always, healthy purses and excellent UCI courseswill greet the legion of racers that flock to New England Series, startingOctober 15 in New Gloucester, Maine with the Downeast Cyclo-Cross. Allsix Verge NECCS races boast prize lists of at least $5,000, with overallElite

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.LeMond pieces are greatEditor:I'm really enjoying the John Wilcockson articles about Greg LeMond. This is great stuff. Thanks. John BrownOrange, Connecticut Wilcockson’s recollections deserve bookEditor:So John, when are you going to put this all down in a book? I'd buy it.

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. We really appreciated the intensity in “Breathing at St. Eti,” and almost felt like we were ready to ride down the starting ramp at the Tour ourselves. Congratulations to the photographer. Contact us and you win a copy of Graham Watson's "Landscapes of Cycling."Go ahead and take a look at our latest gallery,decide what you like and let us know what you think by dropping a noteto Rosters@InsideInc.com. If you would care to

Gerolsteiner was chasing

So was Lotto

Levecot has a go

DiLuca couldn't care less - he sewed up the ProTour title last weekend

Zabel, on the other hand, cared very much

And he got to hoist this trophy for a third time

Bessette put on the gas early on the first run up...

Request for Participants in Research ProjectA researcher investigating the growth of personal brands such as LanceArmstrong is asking for participants who are willing to spend 3-5 minutescompleting anonline survey.  The survey is completely anonymous and can befound at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=420081328396

... leaving the rest of the field to race for second.

Zabel takes a narrow victory at the line

McCormack, Bessette tops in Tacoma 'cross

Zabel hoists his third Paris-Tours trophy

McCormack

Gutierrez, Berges and Posthuma enjoyed a long break

Bjorn Selander takes the juniors' race

Posthuma and Gutierrez

The men's race was a battle among six

Scenic? Naaaaah. . .

The trees you can't see the forest for

Devolder and Gilbert dropped the lead trio and soldiered on together

The twosome looked a lock - until they were swallowed up 150m from the line

Dr. Prentice Steffen, interviewed last week in a sidebar to a dopingstory in the French sports daily, L’Equipe has “retracted andclarified” comments in which he characterized seven-time Tour de Francewinner Lance Armstrong as one of the “bad guys” and guilty of doping.Steffen apologized for his comments and resigned from his post as teamdoctor for the American TIAA-CREF team, a program with the expressed missionof proving that riders can compete and succeed without using performance-enhancingsubstances.Steffen’s letter of apology and resignation was e-mailed to reportersby team director

The Kona boys show 'em the way

Open the Champagne!

Bessette got off to a good start

Heck of a way to spend a Saturday

The Kona duo towered above the rest of the field

LeMond and Kelly, two soldiers in the Anglo invasion

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.Steffen knows nothing, should leave sportEditor:What is with Prentice Steffen? I read the David Walsh article in the Sunday Times years ago, where if my memory serves, Steffen makes his original allegations. I recall that the riders in question asked Steffen how they could improve their

Four-time Vuelta a España winner Roberto Heras has put the goldenbicycle he used for his triumphant ride into Madrid this year up forauction on eBay's Spanish web site with hopes of raising money to helpthe victims of Hurricane Katrina in the U.S.Heras, who won his fourth Vuelta on September 18, rode a special editioncarbon frame from BH with gold-highlighted components into Madrid on thefinal stage of the Spanish tour.Bidding began at 1.00 euro on Friday, with early estimates suggestinga final price of around 18,000 euros, but bids had already reached 11,800euros after just five hours.

Brimming with confidence after becoming America’s first world pro road champion on September 4, 1983, Greg LeMond took aim at the final weeks of the season with great form and big ambitions. He had a good chance of becoming the first American to win not only a European classic but also the Super Prestige Pernod competition (equivalent of today’s UCI ProTour). The remaining three Super Prestige races were the Grand Prix des Nations time trial and the one-day classics Paris-Tours and the Tour of Lombardy. His main rival for the truly prestigious Pernod award was Sean Kelly, the Irishman who

Zabel celebrates his win at the Rund um den Henninger Turm earlier this year

Zabel and his new teammate, Alessandro Petacchi, at this year's world's in Madrid

Heras auctions golden bike for Katrina relief

Hi Bob,Occasionally while riding on the road, a rock will go sailing fromthe sidewall of my tires to a car driving next to me.  I cringe everytime this happens, and I’m waiting for the day a motorist decides to dosomething about the new dent in their car.  If this did become a legalmatter, would I be responsible for the rock hitting their car?T.D.Santa Barbara, CaliforniaT.D.,You have heard of the “Perfect Storm,” but what about the “PerfectStone?”  One day I was on a training ride, minding my own business,when I hear someone yelling and I turn to my left and see a man drivinga

Aigle, Switzerland (AP) - The Union Cycliste Internationale has appointed a Dutch lawyer to conduct an independent investigation into allegations Lance Armstrong tested positive for EPO during the 1999 Tour de France. The cycling body said Thursday that Emile Vrijman and his law firm would “undertake a comprehensive investigation regarding all issues concerning the testing conducted by the French laboratory of urine samples” from the '99 Tour. Vrijman's firm is based in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and he is a former director of the Netherlands' national anti-doping agency. In

A former doctor with the U.S. Postal Service cycling team has reiterated earlier allegations that he says support claims that American Lance Armstrong used EPO (Erythropoietin) to win his first Tour de France in 1999. Prentice Steffen, a 44-year-old emergency room physician, claims U.S. Postal fired him in 1996 when he refused to administer doping products to certain riders. And although he says he has received threatening phone calls warning him not to speak out from Armstrong, who in recent weeks has been forced to deny reports that he used EPO in 1999, warning him not to speak out,

The L'Equipe story isn't going away for a while.

Thursday's L'Equipe featured Steffen's allegations from 1996

...nor would something like a Jones hardtail

Interbike '05: Taking on Goliath

There may also not be enough demand for an S-and-S coupled titanium track bike to interest Trek or Specialized, but DeSalvo has made quite a few of 'em.

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 auction for a friendDear VeloNews,As many of you have heard, Allan Butler, of the Healthy Choice-GobleKnee Clinic Cycling Team and Utah Cycling Association's top cyclist for2005, was tragically killed while attending Interbike in Las Vegas.Several pros have stepped up to help

Raisin in Madrid

DeSalvo's 12-pound steel track bike got some attention in Vegas

A mustache-barred commuter won't usually appear in most big company catalogues...

FOCUS to Reward Fast Starters in 2005 U.S. Gran PrixA fast start is always a good thing in a cyclocross race and in the2005 Crank Brothers U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross a fast start will alsobe a profitable thing. FOCUS Bikes, a German bike builder best known assponsor for 2005 Cyclocross World Champion Hanke Kupfernagel, will sponsorthe FOCUS First Lap Competition for all six stops of this years U.S. GranPrix.Awarded in four race categories - Elite Men, Elite Women, Juniors, andMasters 35+ - the FOCUS First Lap Competition will award cash prizes tothe leading rider through the start/finish

Wiggins at Madrid

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.Classic stylingDear VeloNews,I knew that newUSA kit looked familiar. It just took me a few days to place it.Jon IrickSan Francisco, CaliforniaAt least he admitted itDear Velo,I have known Canadian rider Chris Sheppard for more than 15 years andwas shocked as anyone when I found out that

We admit that it's been a while since we've had one of these and now thatthe grand tours and trade shows are done for a while, we'll do our bestto get back in the habit of posting our once Weekly Photo Contests. Towardthat end, we are now posting thisweek's gallery and planning to get these up each Monday for the foreseeablefuture.Of course, a new gallery also means the naming of the winner of ourmostrecent contest. There's something about Bob Cullinan's "Chengdu chaos" that has stayed with us ever since we first saw the shot. Congratulations, Bob! You win a copy of

Say it ain't so, Jo'

Sometimes you get celeb's, other times you get celebrity bikes

Cunego was left to chase...

Chris Wherry models the newest Oakley Thump MP3 player.

...but he had Bettini for company, which proved costly.

Pearl Izumi's new road glove is bomb proof

DiLuca and the UCI's new president, Pat McQuaid.

Combining carbon and titanium makes sense

Horner

Ridley's new Noah

Phonk's Clerc leads the day's early break

The San Marco Magma...

Schleck's second place helps CSC lock up the team competition.

... and grill work that reminds of the new Charger

Long, wet and winding roads for the boys in the break

Scott takes a jump into cyclo-cross... and quite nicely, if we say so.

The Look 486 is a pure road machine...

... while Look’s new 496 is a triathlon bike but a lot of this technology will find its way into the peloton before too long. Note the proprietary fork and beefy bottom bracket.

Tinker takes a break from 24-hour racing