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MTB News and Notes: Moving on and breaking out

MTB News and Notes: Moving on and breaking out

MTB News and Notes: Moving on and breaking out

O’Neill in front of the Natural History Museum in Manhattan, his last day in the “halo” neck brace.

Sydor gives Haywood the thumbs-up

The Durango fans were really into the racing

Lusby atop Mount Evans

Magen Long, at the Cascade Classic

Just back from the final round of the NORBA NCS Series, held in Durango, Colorado, and I think I can speak for my fellow VeloNews associates Miguel Santana and Jason Sumner that the weekend was a complete jam. The three of us managed to sandwich the race coverage with a few fun mountain-bike rides and the occasional visit to a few of the local taverns. The racing was exciting, particularly in the spectator-friendly men’s short track and mountain cross. RLX Ralph Lauren rider Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski’s suicidal move between Geoff Kabush (Kona-Clark’s) and the barriers in the final 10 meters

Horgan-Kobelski left it all on the STXC course

A bike is born: Brown's funky ride

Petacchi picks up right where he left off.

Men's 2003 short track overall champs, from left: Chris Sheppard, Paul Rowney, Seamus McGrath, Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski, Geoff Kabush

Sydor makes it two in a row

Women's 2003 short track overall champs, from left: Dara Marks, Chrissy Redden, Sue Haywood, Katerina Hanusova, Mary McConneloug

Minnaar toasts teammate Seamus McGrath, who won the short track overall.

Kovarik nearly caught the rider in front of him.

Carter and Streb are the national champs.

Griffiths soaks in the glory.

Nardello outlasts a late charge from Ullrich

Bettini was content to let others make the race

Hincapie made two bids for freedom

Nardello burns his matches

Ullrich was a marked man

McGrath leads Horgan-Kobelski on the first lap

Horgan-Kobelski running his bike across the finish line

The weather kept Danielson from breaking his record and blew Jeanson off her bike

Hesjedal rolls through the DMR village.

Your 2003 national cross country champions.

Vanlandingham won in her hometown.

With a base elevation of 8793, the Durango cross country was a lung buster.

Florit was gassed from the altitude, but still won the overall.

Carter on his way to the overall title.

King settled for second overall.

The 2003 national mountain cross champ.

Danielson powers his featherweight bike up Mount Washington

Jeanson tried to stick with Danielson, but couldn't match his speed

There will be a subtle change at this year’s USPRO Criterium Championship in Downer’s Grove, Illinois, this weekend, but it could make an impact on the competition. In a departure from years past, the race organizers have pared the maximum team size down from 10 riders down to eight riders, while the minimum team size goes from six to five. By limiting the team sizes, USPRO Crit hopes to level the playing field and keep the big teams from completely dominating the action. While the difference between eight and 10 may not seem like much, it will add up over the course of a 100km criterium.

Hi Bob,My racing bike was stolen from my garage and my insurance company hasasked for the original purchase receipt, which I no longer have. What shouldI do?Tim J.Dear Tim;I am assuming you have made a proper claim with your insurance carrierand that you have standard homeowner’s coverage. You are not required toproduce the original receipt in order to recover for your loss.You should go to a shop that sells the make and model of bicycle thatwas stolen and ask if they can provide a replacement cost estimate. Schedulea time for your visit and be ready to provide the make, model and yearof the

Hesjedal is the men's XC leader.

Green was slowed in the early season, but has been hot lately.

Florit could win back-to-back crowns.

Haywood is the short track leader.

Griffiths must make up some ground.

Carter has his sights on the mountain cross.

OVERALL GAME WINNER     Team Maxigaz   34050       OVERALL SPRINT WINNERS   18th Green   2106

It seems that pro mountain bike racers will finally be racing for more than bragging rights now that USA Cycling and GaleForce have signed a new sponsor, adding cash prizes to the final round of the 2003 NORBA National Championship Series. Mountain Bike TV and The 9to5 Race Day, a new Florida based mountain bike marathon racing series, will provide cash at the NCS final for top finishers in all pro disciplines – cross country, downhill, short track, and mountain cross. A full announcement will be made at the NORBA series final at Durango Mountain Resort, August 14-17. Mountain Bike TV

Pecharromán at Catalunya

Mr. Rogers' neighborhood: Pardon my French

Spectacular...and pretty darn quiet.

Power Up!

C’était un très mauvais coup pour George Hincapie d’avoir du renoncer aux Classiques du printemps. Le New-Yorkais de 30 ans, qui habite en Caroline du Nord à présent, se sentais capable de remporté une de ses courses d’avril préferée: Paris-Roubaix ou le Tour des Flandres. Mais il a été battu par un parasite, tellement qu’il avait du mal à respirer, et il a manqué trois mois de compétition. Pardon moi, but I — like the rest of the VeloNews editorial staff — seem to be stuck in the language land of the French. No, not because we’re suffering withdrawals from Le Tour, but because we have been

Tranquility. It is not something I would always associate with a densely populated county like Belgium. According to my handy CIA Factbook, there are 10.2 Million Belgians in a country the size of Maryland. Yet, more often than not I am astounded by how quiet it can be here. Tonight we are cooling off from a “heat wave” that equates to standard summer temperatures in the Midwest. The air is perfectly still and out in the fields you might here a tractor cutting hay but beyond that all you hear is the clatter of bicycle chains. Enjoy the national pastime: a bicycle ride. How quiet it can

Miguel Garcia, of Peoria, Arizona, won a Giant TCR Composite Tour 100 through our online drawing, which more than 22,000 people entered. The Giant TCR Composite Tour 100 road bike retails for more than $12,000. "Being a cat. 4 road racer, this bike might be a little above my level, but I'm extremely happy to have won it," Garcia said. Giant produced 100 of the bikes to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Tour de France.

None of the other runners waited when Mary Decker fell after colliding with Zola Budd in the final of the 3000-meter race at the 1984 Olympics. Nor did rival jockeys slow the pace after War Emblem stumbled out of the gate at the 2002 Belmont Stakes, ruining his chance to win the Triple Crown. But when Lance Armstrong caught his handlebars on a fan's tote bag and crashed to the pavement last month during the 15th stage of the Tour de France -- a crucial climb to the Pyrenees ski village of Luz-Ardiden -- Armstrong's rivals slowed down and waited for him to recover, forsaking the chance to

Americans Jeremiah Bishop and Mary McConneloug scored cross-country medals Sunday as the Pan American Games came to the mountains of Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic. Bishop, of Harrisonburg, Virginia, took the gold among what USA Cycling’s Andy Lee called “a small but competitive field,” while McConneloug, of Fairfax, California, took silver behind Argentina’s Jimena Florit. Team USA’s other entry, Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski of Boulder, abandoned on the first lap with a stomach infection. The 4.4km course, which wound its way through the local villages, began with a brief but technical descent,

Jaksche, Garcia Acosta, Hoste and Portal got the ball rolling early

Cañada and Hincapie survived an early selection on the Cat. 1 Alto de Jaizkibel

But the battle boiled down to Bettini and Basso

And it was Bettini at the finish

Germany's bid to defend its Olympic men's team-pursuit title in Athens next year will have to start from scratch after suspensions were handed out to bickering riders Friday in Frankfurt. The German Cycling Federation (BDR) did not hold back in its punishment of its top track riders, whose internal quarreling led hosts Germany not to present a team for the event at the recent world track cycling championships in Stuttgart. The BDR's decision to disband the team and start afresh came after some nasty nitpicking between Robert Bartko and Jens Lehmann at the recent world

A week ago we posed the question in this space: "How many donuts is too many?" Well, after poring over the responses, we came up with a concrete answer: 4.625. So, don’t tell my wife, but that means I’ll consider it acceptable to down four donuts on any given morning at work. As for those of you who responded that one donut is too many, or that I should eat a good, hearty breakfast and lay off the donuts, I’m sorry that your Web browser accidentally took you to this page. If you go back to the VeloNews.com home page, I’m sure you’ll find what you were looking for. I’ll leave the last word on

Tyler Hamilton came in fourth in the Tour de France, but to the crowd that showed up to honor him at his hometown Wednesday, he might as well have been the winner. "He completely endears himself to the Marblehead community, not just because he's a native son, but also he showed this courage in one of the hardest sporting events in the world. There's just a lot of awe and pride here today," said Wendy Booher, one of the organizers of a parade for Hamilton in the Massachusetts town. Even after breaking his right collarbone in the first stage of the cycling race last month, the 32-year-old

Nothing 'national' about this podium.

Sher was the '02 U.S. downhill champ despite finishing third overall.

Since when does 8=1.

Back with Bianchi.

Dear Bob, I was commuting to work two months ago and a guy pulled out of an apartment parking lot just as I was passing. I hit the side of his vehicle and went face first into his windshield. I have been left with large medical bills and several large scars on my face. His insurance company has offered up $50,000 policy limits, which I am about to accept. They told me I have to sign a release before cashing the check. What should I know before I sign? Dave C.Austin, Texas Dear Dave, The release the insurance company will require you to sign before you can accept the policy limits is a

Jacques Hanegraaf, general manager of German Olympic champion Jan Ullrich's Bianchi team, on Wednesday blasted rumors in the German press that the cycling team is in financial difficulty. "We don't have any problems, otherwise we wouldn't have obtained our license,” he said. As to rumors that Bianchi was not paying its riders, Hanegraaf added: "Evidently, we pay our riders' wages. If not, we wouldn't be allowed to take part in races.” Hanegraaf confirmed that Bianchi is looking for a co-sponsor. "We're in some very good negotiations,” he said. “But it makes no sense to announce a sponsor

Time trial world champion Santiago Botero's season has drawn to a premature close as he struggles to shake off persistent stomach problems. The Colombian, who rides for Telekom, withdrew from the Tour de France before the 18th stage when he was placed 70th with a two-hour deficit over eventual winner Lance Armstrong. Before he returns to racing, according to team doctor Lothar Heinrich, "He's going to have to make a complete recovery." Botero, who finished fourth in last year's Tour de France, signed for Telekom from Kelme last November. The previous month he had become the first Colombian

First, a moment of silence for my lost youth, at least the 12 years of sunny afternoons spent standing around a baseball diamond shagging ground balls and spitting sunflower seeds when I could have been building up a sorely-missed lifelong base of cardiovascular fitness. Not buying it, sports fans? Okay, then how about a moment of silence for the loss of the 140-mile Boulder-to-Breckenridge one-day epic that had been scheduled to run this Saturday, August 9, but was cancelled several months ago after two-year title-sponsor Saturn pulled its sponsorship in the spring. After an admirable