News

To say that Chris Horner is on a roll this spring is something of anunderstatement. A week after winning the Redlands Classic, he and his PrimeAlliance team stormed through the road events at Sea Otter. Now, Hornerseems in complete command of the Solano Classic. VeloNews’s NealRogers caught up with Horner both before the start and after the finishof Thursday’s road race at Solano.Thursday, March 28, 2002 - 8:30 a.m.VN: You’re off to an amazing start, winning the overall at Redlandsand the Sea Otter. What’s the secret to your early season success?Horner: [smiling]Totally relaxed…VN: Yeah? You

Lance Armstrong heads the lineup at the Criterium International, theso-called "mini-Tour de France" because the race features a flat stage,a climbing stage and an individual time trial, all the features of a majorstage-race.After a virus postponed his season debut until Milan-San Remo last weekend,it will be Armstrong's second appearance this season. Held this year near the French-Luxembourg border, Criterium International's climbing section the through the French Ardennes will be good preparation for the upcoming Classics. Saturday opens with a 192-km rolling stage starting and

Wohlberg

Tina Mayolo-Pic got a boost from the wind and then got to fight it back to the finish.

A slipped seatpost slowed Horner\'s progress.

World\'s number one, Judith Arndt

Wohlberg managed a strong start

In fourth place, Palmer-Komar (left) earned the top non-Saturn spot on the results sheet.

Defending Giro d'Italia champion, Gilberto Simoni will be out of competition for at least two weeks, because of injuries sustained in a crash at Setmana Catalana, his team reported Thursday. Results of a medical exam earlier in the week suggest that the Saeco rider apparently suffered a small fracture in his leg as a result of the crash that forced his withdrawal from the early season stage race. “After carefully studying the scan (of the injury) we've discovered a micro fracture of the inside of the end of the thigh bone of the right knee," according to Simoni’s doctor Flavio

A member of the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame who spent nearly 30 years on the lam from a drug-smuggling rap has pleaded guilty to federal charges of trafficking cocaine and failure to appear. Richard Gordon Bannister, 61, - better known to mountain-bike historians as Neil Murdoch, renowned for adding knobby tires and low gears to old coaster-brake bikes during the 1970s in Crested Butte, Colorado – entered his plea March 13 in federal court in Albuquerque, New Mexico. According to The Taos News, Bannister was charged in 1973 with smuggling 26 pounds of cocaine after U.S. Customs agents seized

Fraser and Sayers were convinced their teammates' break would stick

When all was said and done, only Mario Cipollini was faster than reigning U.S. champion Fred Rodriguez in the hotly contested 93rd Milan-San Remo on March 23. It was a dazzling result for the multi-lingual American now in his second season with Domo-Farm Frites. VeloNews's Andrew Hood spoke with Rodriguez from his home in Girona, Spain, on Monday about the race and his expectations for the 2002 season. Here are some excerpts from that conversation: How did you celebrate your ride at Milan-San Remo? "We drove back to Spain, not very exciting. My wife and Floyd Landis's wife came

Defending Giro d'Italia champion Gilberto Simoni (Saeco) didn'tstart Wednesday's stage of the 39th Setmana Catalana following his spillin the morning stage of Tuesday's two-part stage. Simoni crashed hard onhis right knee in the first sector and his knee didn't respond well toanti-inflammatories overnight.Saeco officials said it was better that Simoni not start than risk furtherinjury to the knee … With Simoni out, the SetmanaCatalana is with one less star in a race that many top riders choseto avoid, something that grates Vuelta a Espana director Enrique

Reigning World Cup and world mountain bike champion Roland Greenwas named Canadian Male Athlete of the Year on March 26th at the 29th AnnualCanadian Sports Awards sponsored by the Spirit of Sport Foundation. The 27-year-old native of Victoria, British Columbia, received the awardafter completing a year that included winning the World Mountain Bike Championship and the overall World Cup.The formal gala in Toronto featured a “who’s who” of Canada’s top athletes.The other nominees for Male Athlete of the Year included Olympians JeremyWotherspoon and Jasey-Jay Anderson. The Canadian Sports Awards

Training Bible Studies with Joe Friel

A conversation with Fred Rodriguez

Rodriguez likes the outfit and wants to keep it for another year.

Guerini held off Mercado up the Col de Pal.

Mercado holds the jersey

According to German television reports, Jan Ullrich’s knee injuryis more serious than originally thought. Ullrich didn’t start at Milan-San Remo after over-training caused pain in his knee. Team Telekom officialshad hoped Ullrich would be able to return to competition in April, butGerman TV reports that the 1997 Tour de France champion still has not trainedseriously on the bicycle and has been limited to working out in a swimmingpool. Mapei pushed to victory in the morning team time trial at the opening day of the five-day Coppi-Bartali in Italy on Tuesday. The five-man team, powered by none

Juan Carlos Dominguez

Simoni remounted and was able to finish the stage

Still basking in the afterglow of his dramatic victory at the93rd Milan-San Remo on Saturday, Mario Cipollini now says he willcertainly compete in the world championships in Zolder, Belgium in October."The worlds will be my Milan-San Remo of the autumn," Cipollini toldLa Gazzetta dello Sport. "It's a course well-suited for a sprinterand I will prepare 100 percent for it."Now that Super Mario is overall leader of the 2002 World Cup, Cipollinisaid he will race at Tour of Flanders (April 7) and possibly Paris-Roubaix(April 14). He said he will also race Ghent-Wevelgem, a race he's won

Rabobank's Erik Dekker, who broke his femur during last week's Milan-SanRemo Classic, took the number one spot in the world cycling rankings for the first time in his career Monday.The 31-year-old Rabobank rider pushes Germany's Erik Zabel out of thespot he has held since last year into second thanks to his win in the Tirreno-Adriatico race last Wednesday.Dekker, who turned professional ten years ago, is the current World Cup leader, but could lose ground as he will miss all the spring classicsnotably the Amstel Gold Race which he won last year and the Tour of Flanders,where he

Chausson chases down Miller.

King is examined after his crash.

King's loaded onto an ambulance.

Hesjedal leads the short track.

Brentjens remains the overall leader.

The final six in the women's race.

Besssette

Rings around Genevieve. Everywhere Jeanson looked there would be a Saturn jersey.

Chausson wins again.

Rennie earned his second Sea Otter win.

What happens when you land on your face.

Green leads early.

Alexander leads the ladies, with Dunlap right on her wheel.

The lead group in the men's race.

Chausson won her second-straight Sea Otter slalom.

Gracia made it a VC sweep.

Mari Holden, Sue Palmer-Komar and Kimberly Bruckner

Jeanson gambled and lost.

Cipollini beats out U.S. champ Rodriguez

Rodriguez, Cipollini and Zberg

On the road to San Remo

McCormack

O'Bee

And the winner is....

Herr San-Remo, aka Erik Zabel, says he's ready for the race he's won four times since 1997. Zabel, 31, told La Gazzetta dello Sport he thinks he can win again despite winning just the opening stage at Tirreno-Adriatico. "I've already ridden 5000 kilometers this season and I feel strong. I felt strong in the climbs at Tirreno, and although I didn't win a stage [after the first day], I just lost to Bettini and Cipollini in sprints, but I was close." Zabel is one of 200 riders from 25 teams lining up for the 93rd Milan-San Remo. Zabel called Milan-San Remo the "the world’s of the

In pursuit: Barry put in a heroic effort to protect Zabriskie's hold on the lead.

Alexander won the time trial.

Tina Mayolo-Pic

Damon Kluck

Saturday's World Cup opener Milan-San Remo promises to be one of the most competitive in years. A baker's dozen of cycling's biggest Classics riders are roaring into the traditional kick off to the European racing season. Topping the list of favorites is Mario Cipollini, hot off his impressive victory in the final stage of Tirreno-Adriatico on Wednesday. The 35-year-old Tuscan has new colors (check that zebra-striped kit), a new bike (Specialized) and a new lease on life (Acqua e Sapone). Cipo is desperate for a victory at Milan-San Remo. Erik Zabel has owned Milan-San Remo,

Jeanson prepares to take on the TT.

Zabriskie on the downtown streets of Monterey.

New colors, same old Gord

Berger timed her move just right

Seems like old times. Tilford has a knack for these things.

Cannery Row

 VeloNews.com welcomes your letters. If you run across something inthe pages of VeloNews magazine or see something on VeloNews.comthat causes you to want to write us, drop us a line at WebLetters@7Dogs.com.Please include your full name and home town. By submitting mail to thisaddress, you are consenting to the publication of your letter.Cycling can clean up like football and baseball didWe all reallyneed to decrease our focus on the UCI to help solve thedoping issue in cycling, and look far more to the team ownership and sponsors.Like the NFL, or Major League Baseball, the anti doping rules

George Hincapie enters what will be his most important World Cup campaign at the Milan-San Remo season-opener Saturday, March 23. It will be the eighth time Hincapie's entered the traditional start of the European racing season. Following his breakthrough season last year, when he won Ghent-Wevelgem and the San Francisco Grand Prix as well as helped teammate Lance Armstrong win a third-straight Tour de France, Hincapie has high hopes for 2002 season. Last week, however, Hincapie was sidelined by a stomach virus that struck March 12 and kept him in bed for two days and out of the

Ghent-Wevelgem

Friel

Health woes continue for Jan Ullrich. According to a statementreleased from Team Telekom on Tuesday, the 1997 Tour de France championwill not start the Tour de la Sarthe in France on April 9 because he isrecovering from a stress injury to his right knee.Team Telekom doctor Lothar Heinrich said Ullrich will ease on up ontraining schedule to take pressure off the knee in the coming weeks. Ullrichhas been plagued with minor injuries and illnesses since winning the Tourin 1997.Ullrich seems to have reined in his off-season eating problems, buthe continues to struggle to find the winning formula

A proposal to introduce further transparency in the Tour de France by allowing independent doctors to rule on the use of medically-prescribed products by riders was rejected by the president of the sport's governing body Tuesday. It effectively means no new anti-doping measures will be introduced for this year's Tour de France. "We have ruled out accepting the idea of such a (doctor's) panel exclusively for the Tour de France," Hein Verbruggen, the president of the International Cycling Union (UCI), told AFP following a meeting Tuesday with the French sports minister

Dr Michele Ferrari, alleged to be at the hub of a widespread doping operation in cycling, entered the witness box Tuesday to give evidence in his own defense against charges of knowingly administering illegal products to riders. Ferrari, who counts three-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong among his many reported clients, spoke for about an hour. "Being a professional cyclist is a tough job which is bad for your health," said Ferrari who denies the charges. "There are products, not necessarily doping products, which can limit these damages." In a marathon day, which lasted nine

Italian cyclist Fabio Sacchi, suspended by his Saeco team after banned substances were found at his home at the weekend, needed the products to help his wife become pregnant, his teammate Mirko Celestino said on Tuesday. Sacchi was one of six riders whose hotel room at Rieti was raided Sunday morning at Rieti before the fourth stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico but the products were found at a simultaneous search of his home. Amid reports that the substances found were gonadotropina and profasic - which help stimulate testosterone - Celestino revealed that his teammate had confided in him that

Polish cyclist Piotr Wadeckj, who needed brain surgery after a horrific fall in the first stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico cycling race last Thursday, says he will return to the saddle when he can, Gazzetta dello Sport reported Tuesday. Wadeckj had been kept in an artificial coma by doctors amid reports that his career might be ended by the fall near the finishing line at Sorrento but, speaking from his hospital bed, he made it clear he intended to carry on riding. The bruised-and-battered-looking Pole said: "I am already thinking of the day when I can start again. It's not just a job, it

Saeco's Fabio Sacchi -- one of six riders who had their hotel rooms and homes searched by anti-doping investigators in Rieti, Italy on Sunday -- has been suspended by his team following the “presumed discovery of illegal performance enhancing drugs” in the search of his home. Police have also announced that Sacchi and the other five riders -- Italians Stefano Casagranda, Davide Rebellin, Davide Casarotto, Endrio Leoni and Slovenian Gorazd Stengelj – have been placed under formal judicial investigation. Padua prosecutor Paola Cameran, who is conducting one of two judicial probes into

Editor's Note:VeloNews’s European correspondent Andrew Hood has landed back at his home base in Spain, just in time for the kick-off of the World Cup season.Once he gets his feet on the ground, Hood will be heading to Milan, for this weekend's Milan-San Remo, the first of the major Spring Classics.Throughout the coming months, Hood will be sending back daily reports on what’s happening in the European peloton.Italy's Danilo Di Luca got some revenge a day after losingthe overall lead of the 37th Tirreno-Adriatico, winning the 150-km5th stage from Rieto to Torricella Sicura. The

Riding in her first season in the senior ranks, Britain’s Nicole Cooke (Deia-Pragma Colnago) has won the 12th Trofeo Citta' Di Rosignano, a major event on the women's road calendar in Italy. The 19-year-old Cooke, a winner four rainbow jerseys as a junior, dominated the race which had over one hundred starters, including some of the best of the women’s peloton. Cooke rode aggressively throughout the hilly course, but it was on the final climb that she truly showed her strength and forced the pace. Only one-time world champion Rasa Polikeviciute (H2O-Pasta Zara) could follow. The

Taj (left) and Habibullah unwrap new bikes

Afghanistan is slated to compete in Athens in 2004. This could be the road squad.