News

Italian drug squad officers swooped in the early hours of Sunday morning on the hotel rooms of several cyclists competing in the Tirreno-Adriatico cycling race, the ANSA news agency reported. In scenes mirroring last year's drug-tainted Giro d’Italia, police searched the rooms of cyclists Davide Rebellin, Fabio Sacchi, Gorazd Stangelj, Davide Casarotto, Stefano Casagranda and Endrio Leoni at 0500GMT. But all six riders were later cleared to start the 12.7km time trial around the central town of Rieti, stage four of the Tirreno-Adriatico. An inhaler was found in Rebellin's room but

Old Teammates: Moninger and Horner both used to wear sea-foam green

Bessette in pursuit. Working with Arndt, the two Saturns eventually reeled Jeanson back in.

Prime Alliance worked to protect Horner's jersey.

Jeanson's escape didn't succeed this year

... as does Arndt.

A motorist was convicted of first-degree murder March 15 in the fatal shooting of a Denver, Colorado area cyclist during a traffic altercation two years ago, and is likely to be sentenced to life in prison without parole, according to The Denver Post. James Hall, 53, shot John Bray point-blank on May 5, 2000, after a chase that began when his pickup truck entered a crosswalk through which the 32-year-old cyclist was riding. Bray swerved around the truck, and Hall pursed him, pulling in front of the cyclist and forcing him to the ground. Witnesses said Hall then took a .25-caliber handgun

Estonian Jaan Kirsipuu, the leader of the French AG2R team, has been ruled out for several weeks after he was knocked off his bike by a car while training, his team said Saturday. Kirsipuu, who won the Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne Belgian classic race two weeks ago, injured his kneecap in the incident, which occurred while he was riding downhill close to his home at close to 60kph. "Jaan will be out for at least three weeks," said team manager Vincent Lavenu, who added he expects to be without his ace card at least until the end of May. The Estonian sprinter is highly unlikely to take part in a

Frigo seeking redemption

7UP sizzler: Dionne beat Gord Fraser for the win.

Rona's new weapon: Freedman gives Rona criterium speed

Horner still holds the overall...

It’s always a delight to see a new Bob Roll column in VeloNews,and not just because I like the feverish glint in his jaundiced eye. Like some biwheeled, mutton-chopped Quasimodo popping wheelies among the stony gargoyles, ringing the Big Bell with lusty strokes from Thor’s hammer,he draws the angry, torch-waving villagers away from me for a while, giving me a moment to catch my breath and plot new outrages of my own. His “At the Back” in the 30th-anniversary edition, “Eurotrash and theTexas Tornado,” (see VeloNews, March 18, 2002, page 106)  was vintage Bobke, a red flag brandished in the

Our Hero

Petacchi strikes a familiar pose.

Race leader Vinokurov and his shadow, Jalabert

Duel: It came down to Green and Horner on the climb

Worker bees: Prime Alliance did their job for Horner.

Shocker: Arndt took the overall from Jeanson with an 80-mile breakaway win.

Mari Holden (Cannondale-USA)

Lyne Bessette and Genevieve Jeanson

Horner's happy

Bernard Sainz, the cycling physiotherapist who was jailed after being caught up in another illicit drugs affair, remains behind bars in Paris after again being denied bail by a French court. Sainz, known in the milieu of cycling as "Doctor Mabuse" and the man once accused of supplying drugs potions for professional cyclists, was arrested in Belgium on February 27 after police found amphetamines and syringes in his car when he was stopped for a speeding offence. Upon his release from a Belgian jail, he was re-arrested in France for having broken the conditions imposed on him in 1999 in the

In its 73rd year of publication, the New York Public Library¹s Books For TheTeen Age List selects the best of the previous year¹s publishing forteenagers. Lennard Zinn¹s book, "Zinn And The Art Of Road Bike Maintenance"(VeloPress) has been selected for this year's list by the young adult librarians who read and review all of the titles chosen. Indeed, we were a bit surprised by the choice, initially assuming that Zinn's mountain bike book was the one chosen. Apparently, road bikes are not passé to all teenagers. The new books on the List will be on display at a reception for the

Familiar foes: Klasna and Horner were at it again.

Close but no cigar: Klasna couldn't hold them off at the end.

Headed home: Bessette hammers up the final climb.

Judith Arndt and Genevieve Jeanson

Klasna (c) on the attack

Confident: Horner said his team is ready to defend.

Mark Walters (Navigators)

Lyne Bessette (Saturn)

Tom Boonen (U.S. Postal)

Mark McCormack (Saturn)

Mari Holden (Cannondale - USA Cycling)

VeloNews.com welcomes your letters. If you run across something inthe pages of VeloNews, or see something on VeloNews.com that causesyou to want to write us, drop us a line at WebLetters@7Dogs.com.Please include your full name and home town. By submitting mailto this address, you are consenting to the publication of your letter.Drooling over RollDear VeloNews;Bob Roll is a hero.As an intern at VeloNews in 1998, I transcribed Roll's handwrittenscrawl of the story of a now famous trip he took to Boone, NC. with ChrisCarmicheal and a guy named Lance, and laughed so hard I drooled on my

Army Sgt. Phil Svitak, an avid cyclist, was killed March 4 in a shootoutwith al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters in eastern Afghanistan. He was amongseven Americans to die when enemy fighters targeted two Chinook helicoptersin separate attacks.Svitak, 31, was a member of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment,based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and raced for the YMCA/Sun & SkiSports Cycling Team, managed by Trinity Sports Group of Franklin, Tennessee,He was an expert-class mountain biker and occasionally raced the road asa Cat. 5.In a March 11 memorial service at the Campbell Club on post,

We’ve all seen those beat-looking guys lounging around the freewayexits, holding battered cardboard signs that read, “Will work for food,”or “Need gas money.” But how often have you seen one flourishing a placardreading, “Need $170,000 to put on national-championship bike race?”That’s what we saw posted alongside the Infobahn on March 13, as TrinitySports Group — promoter of the USCF’s 2002 Elite Road Cycling Championships,slated for July 18-21 in Nashville, Tennessee — put the event’s title andpresenting sponsorships onthe block at the Internet auction houseeBay.The minimum bid for the title

Jalabert and Rous

The race to the sun

Smashing: Jeanson beat her old course record by 22 seconds.

Fassa Bortolo’s Fabio Baldato won the Tour of Etna in Catania, Italy, Tuesday, sprinting clear of the peloton to triumph in the closing 100 meters.

French cycling coach Bernard Sainz, refused bail last week amid fresh dopingallegations, and then released on appeal, has been jailed again for non-compliancewith his bail conditions, Belgian judicial sources said Monday.Sainz, physiotherapist to Belgian cyclist Frank Vandenbroucke, was arrested10 days ago after police found amphetamines and syringes in his car whenhe was stopped for a speeding offence. He was taken into custody last Thursday. A court in Termonde, northernBelgium, on Tuesday ruled Sainz would remain behind bars because of theseriousness of the allegations, and because of

The U.S. Postal team’s Victor Hugo Pena won the Tour of Murcia as the five-stageSpanish stage race wrapped up with a time trial in the city of Murcia onSunday. Czech rider Rene Andrle (ONCE), won the 12.9km time trial. Full race report to follow Stage 5, Murcia TT1. Rene Andrle (Cze) 15:22.69;2. Rubens Bertogliari (Swi) at 0:02;3. Victor Hugo Pena (Col) at 0:09;4. Jan Hruska (Cze) at 0:105. Grisha Niermann (Ger), at 0:16;6. Thomas Liese (Ger) at 0:18;7. Levi Leipheimer (USA) at 0:19;8. Oscar Camenzind (Swi) same time;9. Javier Llorente Pascual (Spa) at 0:21;10. Claus Michael Moller (Dk) at

Edo

Three-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong will make his seasonal debut at the Milan-San Remo classic on March 23, his U.S. Postal team told AFP on Friday. Armstrong had been due to compete in this week's Tour of Murcia in Spain but withdrew with a stomach bug and now has switched his attention to Milan-San Remo. "Lance will race Milan-San Remo for his European season debut," USA Postal team director Dirk Demol told AFP on Friday. “Then he'll take part in the Criterium international (March 30-31), then the Tour of Flanders (April 7) and then also the Gand-Wevelgem (April

Kenneth Kwan Doc Jew

Sacchi in a familiar pose

Let's help out a friend.Friends of Kelli Turcotte, UCI Technical Delegate, former employee ofCastelli, GaleForce and the Alt Bike and Board in Minneapolis are gatheringitems for auction and donations to help pay for costly Cancer Treatmenttherapy that Kelli's insurance does not cover.Turcotte, who most recently was the Technical Delegate at the Downhilland Dual World Championships in Vail, has been fighting ovarian cancerwhich has now spread to her liver, lungs and lymph nodes. The type of chemotherapy recommended by her doctor is not covered by her insurance carrier. As she is not

VeloNews.com welcomes your letters. If you run across something inthe pages of VeloNews, or see something on VeloNews.com that causesyou to want to write us, drop us a line at WebLetters@7Dogs.com.Please include your full name and home town. By submitting mailto this address, you are consenting to the publication of your letter.Friday's mailApples, Oranges, Campy and SimplexEditor;Just got the latest print issue of VeloNews and loved the retrospective.But I had to take exception to your comparing the Peugot PX-10 to the latestand greatest from Specialized.My first "real" race bike was a

Sacchi

Di Luca was aggressive all day

VeloNews.com welcomes your letters. If you run across something inthe pages of VeloNews, or see something on VeloNews.com that causesyou to want to write us, drop us a line at WebLetters@7Dogs.com.Please include your full name and home town. By submitting mailto this address, you are consenting to the publication of your letter.Wednesday's MailJust a little too much information, thank youIs it just me, or do we know more about RomanVainsteins’s scrotum than we needed?This just in Pantani's halitosis debilitates small girl...Armstrongskips tour of Murcia due to case of green apple

The Navigators cycling team announced Wednesday that Olympic match sprint champion Marty Nothstein has signed on for the 2002 season. The 31-year-old Nothstein, who most recently raced for Mercury, won the match sprint gold medal at the 2000 Olympic games in Sydney, Australia, and was also a silver medalist at the 1996 Games in Atlanta. Nothstein has also earned three world titles, in the match sprint and Keirin. The Navigators signing continues Nothstein’s gradual shift in emphasis away from the track to the road. According to a news release issued Wednesday by the team, Nothstein has

Arndt

Three-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong has been ruled out of this week's Tour of Murcia after coming down with a stomach bug. The U.S. Postal team leader was due to make his first competitive appearance in Europe of the year in the classic, which gets underway on Wednesday, but has been weakened by a bout of gastro-enteritis. Armstrong's absence further depletes a field already missing 1997 Tour de France champion and 2000 Sydney Olympics gold medallist Jan Ullrich of Telekom. The German announced his withdrawal of the race on Monday after failing to recover from a

Bernard Sainz, the man whose arrest triggered a search of the home of Belgian cyclist Frank Vandenbroucke, was refused bail Tuesday after a judge determined that drug charges against the French horse trainer were too serious to allow his release. Sainz was arrested last week after police found amphetamines and syringes in his car when he was stopped for a speeding offense. Following Sainz's arrest, police raided the home of cyclist Vandenbroucke and seized banned substances, including the blood-boosting drug EPO, morphine, and the steroid clenbuterol. Sainz and Vandenbroucke were

Former world road race champion Romans Vainsteins is set to undergo an operation to remove an abscess from his scrotum in the next few days, his Domo-Farm Frites team announced in Brussels Tuesday. The Latvian rider will then be forced to take a rest from the saddle for at least two weeks, meaning he will miss the opening World Cup event of the season — Milan-San Remo on March 23. Copyright AFP 2002

Former 7-Eleven and Motorola team boss Jim Ochowicz was elected president of USA Cycling’s board of directors at the organization’s spring meeting Tuesday. Ochowicz, a representative of USPRO defeated National Bicycle League board trustee Nigel Blair-Johns. Ochowicz takes over from former Tour DuPont race director Mike Plant, whose term ended after seven years. The office carries a two-year term, with the next election slated for the spring of 2004. Former USA Cycling technical director John Tarbert, a trustee of the USCF was elected as the board’s vice president. Topping the agenda for

The peloton rolls through the Australian countryside.

Wright wins the stage 2 sprint.

The peloton heads across the Australian countryside..

Some of the day's selection survivors.

The peloton gives chase.

Starting Monday, March 4 at 7 pm ET, the Outdoor Life Network will broadcast a stage-by-stage recap of the 2001 Tour de France. Lance Armstrong sits down with OLN cycling experts Phil Liggettt and Paul Sherwen to review in detail the race that gave him his third consecutive Tour de France win and moved him into company of some of cycling's greats. "Le Tour Encore with Lance Armstrong: A Personal Look at the 2001 Tour de France" will air Monday through Friday from 7-8pm ET for the entire month of March, so there's little chance that you'll miss this important program. The Tour

Telekom’s Jan Ullrich has opted to postpone his re-entry to the European circuit due to a troublesome knee injury. Ullrich, the 1997 Tour de France winner and the reigning world time trial champion, pulled out of the Tour of Murcia in Spain Monday citing recurring pain while racing. "While in training I'm okay. But as soon as I'm cycling in race conditions the pain comes shooting back," said the 28-year-old German who is now set to undergo tests at a Freiburg clinic. Team spokesman Olaf Ludwig added: "The most important thing is not to strain the knee. There's no point in

Frank Vandenbroucke, who was chargedThursday with possession of drugs and fired by his Domo-Farm Frites team,could possibly return to action with another team if drug tests administeredby Belgian law enforcement turn up negative. Two Belgian Division 2 teams,Marlux-Ville de Charleroi and Palmans-Collstrop, have already expressedinterest in the troubled rider."Frank has never wanted to bring up the end of his career. At the sametime, the state of the judicial procedures doesn't permit anyone to saywhat his sporting future will be," said the company that has managed Vandenbroucke's

Melchers takes stage 1.

Rossner takes the win.

The peloton heads up towards Thredbo.

The podium.