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Levi Leipheimer is upbeat after winning his first bike race since he took the French stage race, the Route du Sud, in June 2002. He’s psyched because the race he won on Thursday was the toughest, and the only true mountain stage, of this week’s Setmana Catalana. The five-hour stage took in two climbs (including the one to the finish) to the remote ski station of the Port del Comte, a Cat. 1 ascent that peaks out at 5709 feet elevation, deep in the Spanish Pyrenees. The significance of his win was obvious, particularly in the context of this year’s upcoming Tour de France. To win the stage,

Friday’s foaming rant: Bread, water and circuses

Kelme riders lead a protest before Friday's final stage

Rodriguez hoists his prize

Edo gets the stage

Levi Leipheimer's glad to join the Rabobank winner's club

T-Mobile's Armstrong savors a stage win

Bessette puts the hammer down

Racer leader Jeanson felt flat

Health Net took another run at Horner with Pate off the front

...and Horner wins on his own - again.

Thorburn and Bessette eventually left Jeanson on her own

Dear Bob,I have an idea about a new device to be used by competitive cyclists. Ireally think it is a good product and no one else has thought of it (asfar as I know). Should I try to get a patent before I talk to prospectiveinvestors?Anonymous Dear Anon,Before you contemplate seeking out investors it is in your best interestto know a little bit more about the process for obtaining a patent, thecosts involved and the potential for disappointment. This being said, apatent can richly reward you for your inventiveness by granting you a temporarymonopoly. Prior to speaking with investors, you

Former Kelme rider Jesus Manzano on Thursday said that professional cycling is awash with growth hormones, the banned blood booster EPO and host of other products often not intended for human use. Manzano’s interviews are appearing in the Spanish newspaper AS in a bid to avenge his sacking by the Kelme team last year, said for many riders the practice was openly available. "It's like an open bar when it comes to growth hormones, and you get injected with EPO (Erythropoietin) almost every day," said the 25-year-old Spaniard in the second part of his interview with AS. Manzano backed up his

The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced Thursday that AdhamSbeih, a cyclist from Sacramento, Calif., was suspended for two years aftertesting positive for recombinant human Erythropoietin (rEPO).  Itis the first suspension of an athlete in the United States for an rEPOpositive.The suspension followed a hearing before a three-member panel of theAmerican Arbitration Association (AAA)/North American Court of Arbitrationfor Sport (CAS), which concluded in part that “The methodology utilizedby the UCLA Lab for testing rEPO is scientifically sound and the resultsproduced by the tests

Legally Speaking - with Bob Mionske: I have an idea. Now what?

Illegal speed: Giro's Rev IV is now a relic of the past

Postal's Floyd Landis has legal head gear

Bessette makes her move

Moninger and Pate

Horner and Grajales team up...

...and Horner wins on his own - again.

Thorburn and Bessette eventually left Jeanson on her own

Moninger and Pate

Horner and Grajales team up...

Klasna and the rest of the original break were now in chase mode

Time to go...

Former Kelme rider Jesus Manzano has charged that his former team has long conducted an organized doping program with little regard for riders’ health or safety. Manzano’s claims come a week after he promised to lift the lid on the Spanish team's unsavory doping practices, including blood transfusions and the use of experimental substances. The 25-year-old Spaniard, who was fired by Kelme after last year's Vuelta a España for allegedly having sex with a woman in his hotel room, openly admits he is seeking revenge because he is currently living a hand to mouth existence. The 25-year-old

Manzano and Virenque attack in Stage 7 of the 2003 Tour

Capelle on his way to Waregem

Horner

Webcor kept the gap small on a fast ride across the desert

Only Grajales could stay with Horner

Okay, now, watch the dancing lady...VeloNews,So, the sport of cycling has this allegedly rampant drug problem,and riders are getting sacked for getting a little in the sack? (See"Ex-Kelmerider promises doping revelations") There's nothing likea little sex scandal to get everyone to forget about life's realproblems, no?Neil HickeySeattle, WashingtonYoung guns!Editors,That is some awesome writing! (See "Youngguns: Playing poker with Team Money") I will definitely befollowing these guys.Tschuss!Steve O'DellGeorgiaHe an icon of what?VeloNews,Your characterization of Marco Pantani as an "icon" is

Tuesday's mail bag: Drugs, sex, icons and Mullets

Susan Palmer-Komar

Zabriskie takes second

Postal's Jurgen Van Den Brouck

Brian and Jennifer Maxwell

Brian Maxwell, founder of the multimillion-dollar PowerBar empire and a former world-class marathon runner, died in San Anselmo, California, of a heart attack at the age of 51 on Friday. According to friends, Maxwell collapsed at a post office near his home. Emergency personnel called to the scene were unable to resuscitate him and he was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Maxwell and his wife Jennifer, a nutritionist, co-founded the popular energy bar company in 1986 and began selling PowerBars out of their kitchen. Over the next decade, the Berkeley, California-based

Give the boy some poker moneyEditor,Just writing to say that the Team Money essay/blurb/bit from Ang’ Sheldrakewas brilliant ( see "Youngguns: Playing poker with Team Money"). You should publish moreof him. Hell, are you paying these people? If not, you should even payhim.Thanks,Elliot Dickerson All I know is that I like what I likeEditors,I have no idea what I just read, but I liked it. Just thought I'd voicemy approval in case you get some differing opinions of this rather abstractpiece.Ryan RasmussenBozeman, Montanaand Calgary, Alberta What the....?!?!Sirs,Regarding Mr. Agnetti

Laurent was a pioneer?

Hushovd still leads the Coupe de France

Bessette was in control

Uhl's win was a bonus for Quark

Grajales fought hard to hold his place on GC

Postal's young gun Patrick McCarty made the break

Friedick's final push paid off

...but a strong chase brought her back to the field on the final lap.

Ted Huang of Webcor controlling the break

Trent Klasna

Zabel celebrates but Freire wins at Milan-San Remo

Cipollini makes adjustments for the day's changing weather

A cool day along the Mediterranean

Ooops!

Zabel celebrates, but Freire wins

Horner heads up the hill

Armstrong seems to be enjoying the ride

Bessette rides into the overall lead

Moninger put in a strong ride for third

Horner again

Candace Blickem was out on a break all day...

It’s been a beautiful week in the neighborhood here in Boulder, Colorado, as spring is clearly upon us. Friday’s forecast calls for 78 degrees and sunny skies, with no snow on the horizon — bad news for the skiers in the area, but welcome news for those of us ready to get back into a riding routine. For me personally, the past week brought a 31st birthday, shared with VeloNews technical editor Andrew Juskaitis and celebrated with some good old-fashioned tricycle racing at The Dark Horse, a local saloon sometimes referred to as “The Dork House.” The week also heralded the arrival of a much

An inquest into the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of fallen Italian cycling hero Marco Pantani has found that he died of a cocaine overdose, the Ansa news agency reported Friday. "The death of Marco Pantani was caused by acute cocaine intoxication," according to the draft report by doctor Giuseppe Fortuni for prosecutor Paolo Gengarelli. The report found that there was not enough evidence to support the theory of suicide and that Pantani died as a result of swelling to the brain and lung tissue as a result of cocaine poisoning. "Acute cocaine intoxication provoked a

“You may as well call us Team Money.” Who ever said cyclists were humble? And why should we be? We deserve recognition, respect, sex, rock stardom, little poodles with American bandanas and Gucci booties. Yeah, and trading cards and tanning beds and … and … and leather pants and capes – it all comes rushing to the head like the initial stroke of a sprint, full of commitment and devoid of thought. Looking inside the head of a cyclist is like fracturing a carnival sky with the hands of an innocent child and scattering the pieces in waving strokes of glory. For the cyclist is a legend in his

Cocaine killed Pantani, a doctor's report says

Baden Cooke and Lance Armstrong, shown in last year's Tour, are a bit under the weather as Milan-San Remo approaches

Bessette and Holden

Bessette and eventual winner Van Gilder

Eventual runner-up Megan Long guts it up that long climb

Another view of the climb, as the men parade upward

Hi Bob,I own a vacant lot of land and I occasionally see tracks from mountainbikes in the dirt. I am an avid cyclist, but wonder if I am at risk ofa lawsuit by allowing them to ride on my property. I do have a NO TRESPASSINGsign posted.TimSpokane, Washington Dear Tim,When I was a kid we had a great stretch of woods, with a beautifulstream running their length, near my home. The woods happened to be ownedby a mean old farmer who asserted his property rights by way of shotgunwith rock salt filled shells. We would hear the old man shooting off hisgun, but figured he was shooting skyward as a

Treviso, Italy (18 March, 2004) - On the eve of Milano-San Remo, Cicli Pinarello Spa has created some special new bicycles for their top teams, Fassa Bortolo and Illes Balears-Banesto to have the best possible material to use in the “la Classicissima di Primavera” this coming Saturday, March 20th. New Pinarello Dogma bicycles in magnesium for super sprinter Alessando Petacchi and his leadout train, who’ve just returned from Tirreno-Adriatico with three stage wins, and for Filippo Pozzato, recent protagonist in the Giro di Liguria and Trofeo Laigueglia. Both Petacchi and Pozzato will be team

IRON HORSE BICYCLE CLASSIC CELEBRATES 33rd RUNNING in 2004Registration Now Open for Memorial Day Weekend EventDURANGO, Colo. (March 18, 2004)--The registration forms,schedule and pertinent information for the 33rd annual Iron Horse BicycleClassic are posted on the website www.ironhorsebicycleclassic.com.The event is focusing on on-line registration in an effort to save paperand trees. Registration forms can be downloaded and mailed to the office,in addition to registering at http://www.active.com.This is the 33rd anniversary of one of the largest and longest continuouslyrun bicycling events

Treviso, Italy (18 March, 2004) - Opera Bicycles, created by Cicli Pinarello will be the racing partner in 2004 with Team Manager Maurizio Fabretto’s new squad SAFI-PASTA ZARA-MANHATTAN The new squad will consist of 14 riders, led by two of the top names in womens cycling, Nicole Cooke (UK), winner of the 2003 Womens World Cup, and the Lithuanian athlete Diana Ziliute, bronze medalist in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Other riders include Italians Giorgia Bronzini, track specialist with the Italian National Team and Anna Zugno, Jr. World TT champion in 2002 at Zolder, German rider Regina