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Facing a lawsuit charging that he diverted more than $370,000 of AltoonaBicycle Club funds to his own use over a 12-year period, former Tour de’Toona race director Kirk Leidy defended himself during a series of televisioninterviews last week. During the interviews, Leidy leveled allegations of his own, chargingthat ’Toona was operating as a non-profit corporation while paying itsrace committee members high commissions from sponsorship money. Leidy alsosaid he plans to bring a defamation action against Tour de ’Toona promoterRick Geist, race director and club president Larry Bilotto, and

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.We’re all cyclists – even downhillersEditor:I live in San Diego, and have had quite a laugh at many of the letters from readers regarding the recent ban on downhilling at Big Bear. All I can say about my fellow cyclists is this: All forms of cycling are related. I'm personally not fond

You don’t really need to find out what’s going onYou don’t really want to know just how far it’s goneJust leave well enough aloneEat your dirty laundry–Don Henley, Dirty Laundry It’s the slow time of the year, which means there’s not much going on in the cycling world outside of the gravity gang getting the bum’s rush from Big Bear, extortionists with false mustaches skulking around at Tyler Hamilton's website, the UCI’s ProTour galloping off in three different directions at once, and unicyclo-cross in Oregon. Jeez, what the hell is a guy supposed to write about? The big news out of Big

Francesco Moser (L) has written to UCI president Hein Verbruggen (R), to ask that riders be given a voice in the ProTour talks

'I say, one goes around with a big black mustache...'

Dear Bob,While I was away for a long weekend, I brought my bike with me on a rooftop rack. About a mile from my home, as I came down an exit ramp from the highway, an overhead telephone wire snagged my bike from the carrier. I watched my bicycle tumble across the road in my rear-view mirror. I’m now sure how much damage was done—the rear wheel is definitely bent, and the bike rack is pretty twisted. Do I have any recourse with the utility company or am I on my own?C.O.,Massachusetts Dear C.O.,There are actually two important questions here: 1. Can you go after the utility company? It is

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.Hincapie lends a hand to fund-raiserEditor:Thank you for your part in sponsoring the fund-raiser at the Frostig School in the Pasadena area this past Sunday with George Hincapie as the guest. As an amateur rider it was a a thrill to take a 20-mile ride with George, get an autograph, ask

Durand during the 2004 Giro

The 2005 Vuelta a España

George and the gang at Frostig School

The 2005 USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships will return to Mammoth Mountain, California, the U.S. governing body announced Tuesday. The championships will be held September 15-18. More than 1400 athletes raced at Mammoth this past September as USA Cycling unveiled its new one-day format for crowning national champions. “We were very pleased with the outcome of the first one-day national championships in 2004,” said USA Cycling CEO Gerard Bisceglia, “Mammoth is an ideal location and we look forward to another great event in 2005.” The resort's management was happy,

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.It's all two-wheeled joyEditor:I just couldn't help but respond to the two letters you posted fromMichael Jones and Chris Whippern (see "Friday'sMailbag").First of all I would like to thank Pat Follett and Tom Spiegel for givingus the chance to do what we love, and that is to ride and

For the first time, a state east of the Mississippi River has taken top-honors in the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) Report Card. West Virginia received the highest grade in the 2004 edition of IMBA's annual survey of mountain biking. The Mountain State has everything a mountain biker could want: endless miles of backcountry singletrack, stunning Appalachian Mountain scenery and a community of avid riders. The West Virginia Mountain Biking Association has emerged as one of the top mountain bike advocacy groups in the nation, balancing trailwork, advocacy, riding and

Sand City, CA – Effective immediately, Veltec Sports, Inc. will extend its distribution of Look Carbon Fiber Frames, Pedal Systems and Components into Canada. Veltec Sports and Look Cycle reached this agreement after reviewing the needs and opportunities of the Canadian market. “With Veltec’s proven success with the Look brand in the United States and the strength of their sales force in Canada, it is a natural expansion of our relationship” says Christophe Jouffret, Sales Director for Look Cycle of France. “Increasingly the North American market is seen as one market, so this was a

'Cross nats: Page makes it three in a row; Compton surprises 'em

Pearce gives the U.S. its second podium of this World Cup

The points race drew a big crowd

Mirabella just missed medaling in the individual pursuit

That win went to Mactier

Bourgain took the sprint

The team pursuit went to Germany

Now that's what we call a velodrome

Bos and the Dutch charge to a team-sprint win and the overall victory

Germany took the Madison

Nothstein and Pearce began strongly, but saw the Germans lap the field

Reed led it out in the keirin only to see her competitors rocket past

Arustamova took the scratch race ...

... while Pendleton got the women's keirin

Colorado's Compton surprised the field

One more time!

Fort Lewis's Shriver won the men's collegiate championship

Mirabella took gold in the points race

Tsylinskaya won the women's sprint

Mulder took the keirin

Bos was boss in the kilo

Jesse Anthony makes it six in a row

Powers got caught in the middle

"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.The Oregonian, December 10 Cyclo-cross riders return to face tougher course By Abby Haight The first time the USA Cycling National Cyclocross Championships churned into Portland, racers had to contend with mud thick as

The Mail Bag 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.Predictions for ‘cross natsEditor:Regarding cyclo-cross nationals: Jonathan Page will win the men’s elite race hands down so long as his bike stays together in the mud. Todd Wells and Ryan “Treefarm” Trebon will fight it out to the end for the second and third spot. Ann Knapp and Gina

"Lausanne Recommendations" on "Sudden Cardiovascular Death in Sport"adopted10 December 2004The "Lausanne Recommendations", a consensus paper on the preventionof sudden death, has been adopted today under the umbrella of the IOC MedicalCommission at the meeting on "Sudden Cardiovascular Death in Sport" inLausanne. The meeting of the ad hoc working group on Sudden CardiovascularDeath in sport, coordinated by Professor Erik J. Meijboom of the UniversityHospital Centre in Lausanne (CHUV) brought together a group of experts.Dramatic"Sudden death" in sport is always a dramatic event and has to be

Hospitals are removing or taping over patients' LiveStrong bracelets for fear of a fatal mix-up. The yellow bands are the same color as the "do not resuscitate" bands a hospital chain puts on patients who don't want to be saved if their heart stops. No mix-ups have been reported, but BayCare Health Systems officials don't want to take any chances. The popular rubber bracelets are sold through the Lance Armstrong Foundation. It's part of the champion bicycle racer's efforts to raise money for cancer education and research. Hospitals use colored bracelets to quickly tell doctors, nurses and

Portland means mud: Just ask Ann Knapp, seen charging through the goo at the USGP opener

Metzger mud-surfs to the collegiate crown

Much crashed a ton, had plenty of fun ... and won the under-23 title

Can you say '45-degree banking?'

1st Annual North American Handmade Bicycle ShowHouston Texas will host the first ever “North American Handmade BicycleShow” the weekend of January 15th 2005.  This is a milestone eventthat brings together some of North America's Finest Custom Bicycle FrameBuilders Notorious Builders such as Richard Sachs, Darren Crisp, Don Ferrisof Anvil Bicycles and many others will be on hand to display their craftTrue Temper will also be on hand displaying and talking about their mostrecent development, the "S 3 tubeset"A Q/A session will be beneficial to Amateur Bicycle Framebuilders whoattend regarding

Jeremy Powers: International Man of Mystery

The Mail Bag 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.All dressed up and no where to go (down)Editors,Wow, what sad news that Big Bear is banning downhill bikes (see"Gravityracing (and riding) to be banned at Big Bear").While there are other places for DHers to ride, this means the nearestNORBA NCS DH race from the Bay Area is 800 miles

Downward bound

Tech Report: Maintaining perspective

Tech Report: Maintaining perspective

Tech Report: Maintaining perspective

Answer Kashmir winter boot

Answer Kashimir boots beg for fresh powder

And away goes trouble, down the drain

Schauer has an eye on collegiate title, too

Gould got an early jump but was reeled back

Storm on the attack that led to his win on Sunday

Vandenbroucke speaks with friends during an earlier court appearance in Dendermonde

Baden Koch, future Paris-Roubaix star

Dendermonde, Belgium (AP) Belgian Frank Vandenbroucke wassentenced to 200 hours of community service on Monday after police foundillegal performance-enhancing substances during a raid on his home two yearsago. Police discovered endurance-enhancing EPO, muscle-boosting Clenbuterol andmorphine during the 2002 search, and Vandenbroucke was suspended for sixmonths. Vandenbroucke admitted to police during an interview that he had used the drugs. Vandenbroucke's lawyer, Luc Deleu, had argued that the suspension waspunishment enough for the cyclist and that there was no need for

The Mail Bag 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.There’s hope for a U.S. pursuit squadEditor:I recently read a letter from one of your readers noting that the U.S. once again will not have a team pursuit team in the upcoming World Cup (see Friday’s mailbag: “In (four-man) pursuit of excellence?”). I am writing to inform you that we

Leech wraps up the men's title

Weekend 'CrossWrap: Hall and Frischknecht tops in San Mateo

Hall is in top form

IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS OF BLAIR COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIAALTOONA BICYCLE CLUB,  :        Plaintiff   : No.  2004 GN 1006        :       v.     : CIVIL ACTION - LAW      : :KIRK V. LEIDY and SHAWN M. LEIDY,  :husband and wife, trading and doing   : JURY TRIAL DEMANDEDbusiness as PHOTO SPECIALISTS,  :     Defendants   : COMPLAINT AND NOW, comes the Plaintiff, ALTOONA BICYCLE CLUB, by and throughits attorney, Stephen D. Wicks, and files this Complaint against the Defendants,KIRK V. LEIDY and SHAWN M. LEIDY, husband and wife, trading and doing businessas PHOTO SPECIALISTS, alleging the

What do famous cyclists do when they hang up their cleats? A few become team directors, some start touring or coaching businesses, while others take up marketing or even race promotion. In the case of Marion Clignet, who won three world pursuit and two points race championships in a career that spanned three decades, she’s moving in more than one of these directions. Clignet, 41, ended her illustrious career this summer after failing to make the French team for the Athens Olympics (she took silver medals in 1996 and 2000). All her world and Olympic medals were earned for France, but Clignet

McCormack lights it up

McCormack was working on following the wheels

Powers found himself playing McCormack's game

McConneloug was racing herself, building power for nationals

"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.Denver Post - December 3, 2004Hamilton supports PhonakBoulder rider says it was his idea to leave team to appease InternationalCycling UnionTyler Hamilton went on a long training ride Thursday around his Boulderhills home.

Dear Bob,A few years ago I bought a racing bike in Seattle after not having bought one in the United States for over twenty years. As a lefthander, I had in the past always asked the bike shop to “reverse the brakes,” so the left brake lever works the front brake. I was told it was against the law in Seattle to do this. I have since bought a new bike in North Carolina. The bike shop said there was no such law. Who is right?D.D.North Carolina Dear D.D.Um, well . . . .they both are! In the United States, federal laws are contained in a set of volumes called the United States Code (USC), which

The Mail Bag 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.In (four-man) pursuit of excellence?Dear Editor,I recently read that the United States is again not sending a teampursuit squad to a world track meet. I'm wondering why? The Australianand GB endurance models seem to be winning medals as well as developingtalented road riders. What are

Friday's mailbag: Why no team pursuit? Mr. Spellcheck; Predicting natz

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