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No matter how you package it, the Wrench Science ad is stillobnoxiousTO: VeloNewsRE: Caitlin Aptowicz letter (seeWeekend mailbag letter"VNis porn")Nice attempt to justify your degrading ads by using a woman's letterto do it.Those ads are degrading and your shots of men, while beautiful, arenot the same thing and we all know it. Your continued running ofthose ads has lost you a bookmark not to mention lost that company a customer.Michele HarrisChange is goodEditors;This one is for Nate Simms (See Weekend mailbag letter "Discbrakes, schmisc brakes") and all the other disc brake naysayersout

The 16th Annual VeloNews Awards issue hits the newsstands this week, naming Lance Armstrong as the 2003 international cyclist of the year. Armstrong, who was selected over other finalists including Alessandro Petacchi and Tyler Hamilton, earned VeloNews's highest award for the third time in his career. Armstrong is the only athlete to have been selected International Cyclist of the Year three times. Other major awards winners in the December 8 edition of VeloNews include Tyler Hamilton as North American Male Cyclist of the Year and Geneviève Jeanson as North American Female Cyclest of the

Still under contract with Bianchi, Ullrich did not want to stir the pot.

Baal

Wellens went from the gun.

There was some seriious horsepower in the 1st chase group...

.. as well as the second.

Groenendaal took fifth

American Jonathan Page came to Gavere with high hopes...

.. but encountered troubles and did not finish.

Nico Mattan finished outside the top five

... but Erwin Vervecken 'crossed into fifth place

Vervecken punched in and on the job

Men's winner Jonathan Baker

Szabo in pursuit

The ditch was a barrier for some

Romans Vainsteins, the 2000 world champion, will race for the Italian team Lampre in 2004, according to sporting director Giuseppe Saronni. Vainsteins rode for the Vini Caldirola squad this season; his results included a sixth place at Paris-Roubaix and 18th at the Tour of Flanders. Sarroni hopes for great things from the pairing of Vainsteins and Gianluca Bortolami, particularly in the northern classics. –Copyright 2003/AFP

Get rid of the adDear VeloNews;I think it is time to move the “Wrench Science” advertisement. I really enjoy reading your web site and your magazine. But it is getting a bit boring to see that sex ad every time I look at your web site.You provide such minimal coverage of women in cycling and that is the only regular photo of a woman on your site.Maura FreemanSeattle, WAVN is pornEditor;The Wrench Science ads are porn for guys, but 99.9 percent of cycling coverage is porn for girls. Three elements contribute to this. First there is the raw material: prime-of-life men with unbelievably hot

Downhill mountain-bike racer Kathi Krause has been handed a one-year suspension after testing positive for a metabolite of marijuana at the NORBA National Championship Series race June 22 in West Dover, Vermont, according to the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). The Fair Lawn, New Jersey, resident tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol acid (THC), a substance prohibited under the rules of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). Krause's suspension began on the date of the positive test, and all results that occurred on or after that date have been declared invalid.

Bart Wellens and Sven Nijs dicing in Hooglede

Wellens off on his own en route to victory ...

... and by Jove, there Wellens is again, making it look easy

With the 40th anniversary of the John F. Kennedy assassination on Saturday, there will be endless discussion of the “defining moments” of each generation. That event, the Challenger explosion and 9/11 will all surely be brought up. I wasn’t thinking about any of that the other morning, but still got to wondering about how certain sports figures and events will be remembered and measured a few years down the road. The thoughts began to swirl as I was paging through “The Salt in his Shoes,” a children’s book that came packaged with a box of cereal a few months back. It’s the story of a young

Help Floridians get bike lane on A1AEditor:As an avid cyclist and long time reader of your publication, I am writing toask for your help in generating awareness about an important issue in PalmBeach County, Florida. Recently, a group of wealthy homeowners have banded together to form anorganization to prevent the installation of a bike lane on a state roadthough their town. This seaside road, State Road A1A, is by far the mostpopular road in the entire region with cyclists of all types - from familieson the way to the beach, to Olympic-caliber cyclists out training. The organization of

Bobby Julich has signed a one-year deal with CSC, according to the team’s website. The 32-year-old American was the second American to make the Tour de France podium, placing third in 1998, but since has suffered through a couple of less-than-stellar seasons. Still, team director Bjarne Riis says “we can get more out of him than he has shown in the previous years.” “Our team will give him the opportunities he needs, and I look forward to seeing him getting back to the level that he used to have," Riis says. "He is an experienced stage-race rider, and I think that he will be able to benefit

Bobby Julich must've liked Nicolas Jalabert's CSC jersey – because now he has one of his own

The former head coach of Finland's nordic ski team, Kari-Pekka Kyroe, was charged Thursday with smuggling illegal performance-enhancing drugs used by his athletes during the world championships in Lahti two years ago. Six of the host country's skiers, including renowned veteran Harri Kirvesniemi and triple Olympic champion Mika Myllyla, were caught illegally using hydroxyethyl (HES), a plasma-expanding compound. A report into the matter said that the skiers may have used the drug in an effort to mask their use of the stamina-boosting Erythropoietin (EPO). State prosecutor Pekka Koponen

Bob;Until a few days ago, I worked at a bicycle related business. I thinkI was fired, but the company says I quit.I ride at noon and am often late returning to my desk. My old supervisorrecognized that I worked more hours than my fellow employees and allowedme to be a bit late returning from the noon ride. I would take an hour-and-a-halftotal and then work through all my breaks, to make up for it.That worked well for my old supervisor, but his replacement was notas understanding. Anyway, I no longer have a job.Is it true that if I quit I am not eligible for unemployment, but ifI was fired, I

Dear VeloNews;I saw Andy Lee’s response to my diatribe yesterday (see O'Brien's letter, "I see no improvement," and Lee's response in Tuesday's mail bag) on the VN site this morning. Yes, he supplied a direct link to the “Forms and Applications” page, but I also clicked on the USA Cycling home page link he listed to look for a way to find that same page and … well, at the risk of appearing even less “computer savvy” than yesterday, I suggest that you try to find it off of the front page.It ain’t there.His patronizing, “everyone in the world is an idiot except us” attitude is what got the

“I’m hungry. I’m a determined man. I’m going to rip some legs off next year. If you see me in the leader’s jersey next year at ‘Toona… you’d better stay out my way.”Nathan O’Neill This quote of the week comes courtesy of Saturn’s Nathan O’Neill, whohad one hell of a rollercoaster 2003 but is currently without a team for2004. A four-time Australian national time trial champion, O’Neill had competedat both the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta de España riding with theItalian Panaria squad before heading to the States to sign with Saturnlate last year. In his first season of domestic racing, he

O'Neill, with Jittery Joe's team director Micah Rice

Mr. Rogers' neighborhood: That's one angry Aussie

It’s time for a little good news about women’s cycling -- some very successfulgrassroots programs are out there -- programs that are making the sportaccessible to hundreds of new women racers every year.  The varietyof these programs is impressive -- successful clubs, clinics, rides andseminars, all focused on getting more women involved with racing. Some of these are programs for women only and some are part of existing co-ed programs.At the 2nd Yoplait Women’s Cycling Summit held on October 13th, a taskforce was formed to identify these successful programs and to help developsimilar

She's innocent until…Dear VeloNews;Geneviève Jeanson took drugs (see “Jeansondenies EPO use”) well at least we think she did, so now we aregoing to cast a long dark shadow over her and give her no chance to proveher innocence.Hmmmm, what about the right to defend yourself, the right to face youraccusers, the right to counsel? Okay, I know these are principles of Americanjurisprudence, but there has to be a standard by which athletes are judgeddomestic or internationally.As it stands now the athlete's future is dependent on the whim of what ever Kangaroo panel wants to point a finger. Doesn't

Minnaar during his final run at world's...

... and Minnaar after his final run at world's

Drink enough of 'the good stuff' and win one of these.

Germans rejoice! SRAM triggers are now legal in the homeland.

Insisting that she has “never taken any banned substance,” Canadian cyclist Geneviève Jeanson confirmed Monday that she was the elite cyclist mentioned in charges against Montreal orthopedic surgeon Dr. Maurice Duquette, but denied that he had given her EPO. Jeanson had a called a news conference to ask that a publication ban against use of her name in connection with the case be lifted in order to allow her to publicly assert her innocence. Duquette recently pleaded guilty to a number of charges brought against him by the Quebec College of Physicians, most of them dealing with the

D’Alusio

Stewart

Wells

Jeanson with attorney Alain Barrette

Anderson case wasn’t relevant to real dopingEditor:Bryan Jew tries to compare drug abuse in cycling to the "major" U.S. sports (see "Notes from the road"). While I agree that cyclists and track athletes are given an unfair amount of the bad press for using performance-enhancing drugs, using Mike Anderson as the bad example for football is a poor comparison. There are plenty of examples of NFL and major college football players using performance-enhancing drugs, but Anderson was suspended for detection of marijuana (and in an amount that suggests it was second-hand smoke). Unless he is riding

Jimena Florit and Tyler Hamilton are among the cycling stars who have donated items for the International Mountain Bicycling Association’s 15th-anniversary auction on eBay, which begins today. More than 100 donated items are available, including: Florit's NORBA winning Tomac Buckshot (full bike)New Specialized Epic FRS Pro (full bike)A Hamilton-autographed photo and Tour de France race numberNew Yeti Scandium mountain frameFox suspension forksMavic Crossmax wheelsWestern Spirit mountain bike adventureRockShox Duke Race forkCrank Brothers pedalsCool mountain bike artworkOriginal Dirt Rag

Back in Deutschland...

Beloki has big plans for '04

Spain's Joseba Beloki is already basking in his new role as leader of the La Boulangere cycling team - which he hopes will provide him with the ammunition to challenge Lance Armstrong on the Tour de France. Beloki, who has spent the past four years fighting Armstrong for cycling's main prize as the leader of the ONCE team, created general surprise by signing with the little-known French team on Thursday. The 30-year-old Basque has claimed three podium finishes in the past four years on the world's biggest bike race, and, with five-time runner-up Jan Ullrich, was one of Armstrong's main

Some random thoughts on some random stories in the world of sports this week: Item No. 1: Kelme’s Javier Pascual Llorente, who tested positive for EPO at this year’s Tour de France, gets an 18-month suspension. Item No. 2: Four Americans and one British track and field athletes test positive for the newly discovered steroid THG, and face two-year bans by track and field’s governing body, the IAAF. Item No. 3: Major League Baseball announces that between 5 to 7 percent of anonymous drug tests of major league players in 2003 were positive for steroids, meaning that testing with penalties

“Save the ‘Drome ‘Cross Madness,” a fund-raiser for the endangered Ed Rudolph Velodrome in Northbrook, Illinois, kicks off on Sunday, November 23, at the Anets Golf Course. The velodrome may be forced to close after the 2004 season if improvements are not made. The Northbrook Park District, which owns the facility, has offered to fund half the project, if the local cycling community can raise approximately $150,000. The November 23 fund-raiser kicks off at 9 a.m. with a “steeple ‘cross” running race that will use the same course as the subsequent cyclo-cross races, which begin at 10 a.m.

For all those OLN-addicted race coverage fans currently suffering withdrawals, fear not. A full-length feature film of this year’s Giro d’Italia is headed your way December 8. Just in time for the holiday season, “The Quest” — sponsored by Cannondale and produced by the Santa Monica-based Spinning Wheel Productions — promises to be a rare “inside look” at life in the professional peloton, focusing on the Saeco team of Giro winner Gilberto Simoni. Although the film is still in its final editing stages, a viewing of the trailer (which premiered last month at Interbike) as well as a

Colavita-Bolla announced Thursday that it has completed its 2004 roster with the signing of Vic Roads Herald Sun Tour winner Tim Johnson. The former Saturn pro has been building a solid reputation as professional, not only winning this year’s Sun Tour but also the grueling 260km Classique Montréal-Québec, the Mount Washington Hill Climb and multiple national championships and world championships appearances. In 1999, Johnson surprised many with a breakthrough bronze medal performance at the under-23 cyclo-cross world championship in Poprad, Slovakia. “I feel really great to be joining a

A few minutes after the slide show celebrating the season of the 5280 development team, Jonathan Vaughters addressed the small group of attendees at Denver’s Adega restaurant on Sunday evening. “The 5280 team is the main focus of the evening,” Vaughters said, “but I also have a ‘surprise’ announcement to make … one that most of you already know about, since I’m such a blabbermouth. I’m using tonight to also announce my retirement from professional cycling.” And at that, the 30-year-old Prime Alliance man put a formal end to his career as a pro. “I’d really already made the decision this

Bob,I was hit by a beverage truck in late 1999 here in Connecticut. Itwas the driver's fault, as he pulled out of a parking lot just as I passedby in the bike lane. I hit the side of his truck and broke my collarboneand hurt my knee. His insurance company paid for the bike. I had healthinsurance and that covered my ER visit. I was going to let the matter go,but in the last sixweeks, the knee injury has started to hurt so much Icannot ride. Is it too late to do anything about this case?T.S.ConnecticutDear T.S.,The good news is that you are not a “cold one.” The bad news is thatit is almost

In yellow at the '99 Dauphine, Vaughters had some pretty impressive support.

Team Time Trial win at the 2001 Tour de France

Mr. Rogers’ neighborhood: 'The Quest' is on...

Four U.S. track and field athletes have had their back-up B test samples confirmed as positive for the new designer steroid THG, a spokesman for the sport's governing body said on Wednesday. The International Association for Athletics Federations confirmed that the samples taken from the athletes matched initial A samples which were made known last month. The four, who have yet to be named officially, are entitled to an appeals hearing before the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency prior to a possible two-year ban. The samples were taken in June at the U.S. Track and Field Championships at Stanford

Beloki on that fateful day in July

Editor’s Note: We have included a random selection of the more than 75 letters we have received in response to Andrew Juskaitis’s request to “translate” the letter from UCI technical consultant Jean Wauthier regarding the UCI’s decision to ban disc brakes from cyclo-cross events (see "OK, OK Lance, I'll do what ever you say..."). Placing responsibility where it belongsDear Editors;Andrew Juskaitis writes in response to Jean Wauthier's e-mail to CraigWright at Redline, "If anyone can make heads or tails of this response,I (as wellas Wright) would appreciate a letter back."First, let's keep

Gilberto and the gauntletDear Editors;I have a different challenge for Gilberto Simoni (see "Simonichallenges Armstrong to Giro-Tour duel").  How 'bout you skipthe Giro d'Italia, and then try to explain why you still can't beat LanceArmstrong in the Tour de France?Paul A. LandryNew Iberia, LouisianaLet your legs do the talkin'Editors;Simoni is a great rider, but he lets his mouth talk instead of hislegs.  Wasn't he 84th at the Tour this year? Didn't he talk about beating Armstrong?Until Simoni actually beats Armstrong, he needs to shutup and ride.Bill Battle,Richmond, VAHold your tongue

Yep, that’s right, cue up “Auld Lang Syne” and give me a big ol’ sloppysmooch. Happy New Year!Okay, okay, you and I both know that, officially speaking, New Year’sis still a couple of months off, but hear me out on this one. For mostpro cyclists these early days of early November are, indeed, the time forresolutions and a new beginning.A lot of us have now had close to six weeks of down time, doing prettymuch whatever it is that we wanted, while not being chained to our beastsof burden or, in my case, a Colnago. So what do pro riders do with theirfree time in the fall? Well, I can only speak

Barnholt

West and Horgan-Kobelski

Dunlap on a training ride

Not exactly stock, but you get the drift...

No. 6 for Wedge

Kabush gives chase

Simms and Nicholson in the lead group

2004 Giro route unveiled

Bill Bavasi got the job as Seattle Mariners general manager today, which means I’m writing my column for at least another week…. Speaking of hirings, Threshold Sports yesterday announced that former U.S. pro Anton Villatoro has been named commissioner of the Pro Cycling Tour. I hope his first acts as commish are to abolish the designated hitter and reinstate Pete Rose. Or at least reinstate Gord Fraser. * * * The big news items this week were the signings of David Clinger by Health Net and Mark McCormack and Ivan Dominguez by Colavita-Bolla. Look for Colavita to announce the signing of one

The Odin Plus rear shock gets it too

The Ronin fork with Albert Plus damping

Nice loaner