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The Mapei team held its official team launch Saturday, revealing a massive outfit that enters the 2001 season with an emphasis on young talent and internationals. Twenty-four of Mapei’s 41 riders are Italian, but this year’s line-up includes athletes from 12 different nations. Mapei’s youth movement is carried by eight new professionals, including teenagers Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland and Bernhard Eisel of Austria. Other promising young riders making their debut in the professional ranks include under-23 world champion Yevgeny Petrov of Russia and Czech hope Pavel Zerzan. Petrov, 22,

A listing of product sponsors for the newly-formed Global Racing downhill team includes one stand-out surprise: Missy Giove and Co. will ride Orange downhill rigs. Until now, the British bike manufacturer Orange hasn’t had much visibility on the World Cup circuit, though one of its biggest success stories -- South African Greg Minnaar, who was ninth overall in the 2000 World Cup -- is one of the riders on the Global team. "After seeing Greg Minnaar’s excellent performances in 2000, we sent our head mechanic Patrick Griessen to make an evaluation of the Orange program, and he was extremely

U.S. Olympian Erin Mirabella has been added to the Jane Cosmetics cycling team. The 22-year-old track racer has won seven U.S. championships and competed with the U.S. Olympic team in Sydney last September. "With everything that’s happened at USA Cycling, I was a little worried about the 2001 season, but this is just great," Mirabella said in a statement released by the team on Friday. "I rode with Odessa Gunn on Timex last year, and I know Julie Hanson and Jane Quigley really well." With Mirabella added to the team, the Jane Cosmetics line-up is now as follows: Catherine Cardwell,

The Prime Alliance cycling team continued its whirlwind winter dealing on Friday, announcing that it had added Roy Knickman to the team's management group. "He just saw it as an opportunity to come into a rapidly expanding program," said team director Kirk Willett, Knickman's former teammate on the Mercury cycling team. "It gives him a position where he can be really pivotal in the team's development." Knickman, who was named general manager, was unavailable for comment, but in the team press release he stated: "I am very excited to be involved with the Prime Alliance Cycling

Future kingpin Roy Knickman

We received word on Thursday from John Deering, the spokesman for Britain’s Linda McCartney Foods pro cycling team, that the squad has folded after encountering serious financial problems. Deering denied reports that the team’s collapse was related to the alleged embezzlement of funds by a member of the team’s management. Instead, Deering attributed the failure to a combination of factors including "a low level of support” from Linda McCartney Foods, a vegetarian food producer based in Great Britain and owned by former Beatle, Sir Paul McCartney. Despite its relatively small budget, the

The Saturn cycling team unveiled its new look, and it hopes a new attitude, earlier this week as its pre-season training camp began in California. The camp opened with a one-day photo shoot at Universal Studios on Monday, and the following day the team moved to its camp base of Buellton, California, north of Santa Barbara. The men's team underwent a lot of turnover over the off-season, losing Bart Bowen, Brian Walton, Antonio Cruz, Seth Pelusi, Chris Wherry and Robbie Ventura, while adding Matt DeCanio, Eric Wohlberg, Tim Johnson, Chris Fisher, Søren Petersen and last year's

No more checkers: Saturn's new look.

Frank McCormack returns for his seventh season with Saturn.

New color scheme for the bikes, too.

Wilson (l) and Bessette (r) are key returnees.

Day 2: Atop Figueroa Mountain

DeCanio (l) and Johnson (r) join veterans like Michael Barry (c)

Marco Pantani learned Wednesday that he is again the target of a fresh criminal investigation - just weeks after receiving a suspended jail term for using performance-enhancing drugs. Italian prosecutors said the 31-year-old 1998 Tour de France and Giro d’Italia winner, is being investigated over the abnormal red blood cell levels — hematocrit — revealed in a test prior to the penultimate stage of the 1999 Tour of Italy. Those test results forced him out of the race and derailed what appeared to be a certain win and a promising season. Prosecutor Bruno Giardina said on Wednesday that

The Linda McCartney-Jacobs Creek team was in crisis talks Wednesdayafter parting company with its management, OC Racing & Promotions. News of the split with OC Racing came hours after the team postponed itslaunch, which was due to be held in London's Trafalgar Square on Friday,January 26. Press officer John Deering said, "Talks continue between Linda McCartneyand the team's representatives, Max Sciandri and Sean Yates, about forming anew management structure to continue operating the team. "All riders and staff have given their approval and support to Max andSean. There is an

Not a happy camper - Pantani (seen here at the 2000 Tour) is facing still more troubles.

Mountain-man look: Keep it or lose it?

His training clothes sodden, his face flushed from riding in two hours of glacial rain, Lance Armstrong burst into the lobby of Tucson's swank Westin La Paloma hotel, dropped off his Trek with a bellhop and, shivering from the cold, asked for his room key. Welcome to "sunny" southern Arizona, the place chosen for this month’s U.S. Postal Service team get-together and sponsor weekend. "That was as cold as my hands have ever been," the Texan said in response to the first question of an interview he extended to VeloNews. Already, the cold ride was a memory. Now, installed on a comfortable

When the Mercury camp kicked off in Woodland Hills, California, last Monday, there were some big changes from years past. One big change was the move from team director John Wordin’s old house in West Hills to his spacious new digs. No longer does Wordin’s dining room serve as the team’s office, and gone are the days of the huge semi-trailer parked outside of his house, with mechanics laboring away in his garage. Team mechanics did most of the work in building the new garage-warehouse, and the concrete around the facility was poured just days before the start of training camp last week, but

For the first time since being knocked off his bike in Florida 10 days earlier, Fred Mengoni sat up in his hospital bed to eat a real meal on Sunday evening. A friend at his bedside in St. Mary's Hospital in West Palm Beach, Florida, said that the 77-year-old president of USPRO was "doing good." In the road accident, Mengoni was knocked unconscious, broke his pelvis and several ribs; and after surgery was placed on a respirator at the hospital's intensive care unit. During his stay, the Italian-born Mengoni has been swamped with get-well messages from friends around the world,

The new headquarters

Plenty of work and storage space

Van Bon is one of many European additions

Mercury-Viatel's new LeMond bike (click photo for large image)

Kim Smith models AutoTrader.com's new look

Australian Baden Cooke gets tested

Australian Stuart O'Grady celebrates his victory.

Australian David McKenzie crosses the line, winning the final stage of the Tour Down Under.

One of the many fans who lined the Tour Down Under course on Sunday displays her allegiance.

Members of the Telekom team make a move.

David McKenzie gets the obligatory winner’s kiss.

Germany’s Kai Hundertmark captured the yellow jersey on Saturday.

Australian fans show their colors.

Nicolai Bo Larsen has a 13-second lead in the overall standings.

South Australia's Luke Robert's wins the fourth stage of the Tour Down Under.

Another castoff from the disbanded Specialized downhill team has landed. Kirt Voreis, 12th in the final World Cup standings last year, has inked a deal with the Haro-Lee Dungarees squad. Besides his strong overall finish in last year's World Cup, Voreis had three top-10 finishes, including a fifth at Maribor, Slovenia, and a sixth at Arai, Japan. The 26-year-old Californian’s first race with his new team will be at this year’s Sea Otter Classic in March.

Seven days after crashing his bike while trying to avoid an oncoming car, Fred Mengoni was listed in stable condition at St. Mary's Hospital in West Palm Beach, Florida. In the accident, which happened January 11, Mengoni broke his pelvis and several ribs, and suffered a severe concussion. At the time of this report, Mengoni was on a respirator in the intensive care unit. The 77-year-old New York City resident is considered one of American cycling’s greatest patrons. Some of the riders he’s helped develop include Lance Armstrong, Greg Lemond, George Hincapie, Steve Bauer, Mike McCarthy

Stuart O'Grady dons the yellow jersey.

Australian fans show their support during the third stage of the Tour Down Under.

Alessio Galletti wins the third stage of the Tour Down Under.

Nicolas Vouilloz is looking to dominate another speed sport.

With just two weeks left before the polls close on the Readers' Choice Awards, some of our contestants are in big trouble, while others are running away. Here’s a quick look at some of the early returns. In the battle between Phat and Fat relating to the upcoming season of Telekom's Jan Ullrich, Phat holds a commanding lead with 66 percent of the vote, while Fat has just 22 percent. Twelve percent of the voters abstained. On the question of who’s a scarier driver, Marco Pantani or your grandma, it’s no contest. Pantani has garnered nearly 70 percent of the votes, pulling away

A new bill introduced by Texas state senator Jeff Wentworth proposes to amend the state transportation code and make life very difficult for groups of cyclists riding on the roads of Texas. SB238 would require cyclists to ride single file on roadways, and would restrict groups of three or more from many small rural roads. The bill would also require cyclists to have a "slow-moving-vehicle emblem" when riding on roadways. The bill has been sent to the Texas senate's State Affairs Committee. The Texas Bicycle Coalition is urging that Texas cyclists write to their own state senators and

Fabio Sacchi nips Stuart O'Grady at the line.

Fabio Sacchi enjoys the spoils of victory.

Last week Prime Alliance unveiled its roster for a new Division III road team. Included on the roster were some heavy hitters, including Jonas and Jame Carney, Colby Pearce, Danny Pate, Mike Creed and NORBA national champion Steve Larsen. The day after the team was announced, VeloNews spoke with team owner and Prime Alliance CEO Tom Irvine, team director Ian Birlem and rider-manager Kirk Willett about how the team came about and what its outlook is for the coming season. VeloNews (to Tom Irvine): How did you get involved, and what’s the major thrust for Prime Alliance to get into

Birlem (l), Irvine (c) and Willett

Willett

Wordin had a busy off-season

The International Sports Arbitration Tribunal (TAS) decided on a six-month suspension, but retroactive to November 24, 2000, and with three months of the sentence suspended, for French mountain biker Jérôme Chiotti. Chiotti admitted last April that he won the 1996 world mountain-bike championships while taking the performance enhancing drug erythropoietin (EPO). The French cycling federation (FFC) had suspended Chiotti for one year beginning July 11, 2000, but the Union Cycliste International appealed that punishment to TAS in August. The UCI challenged the initial French sanction because it

Stop No 4. of the 2001 mountain-bike World Cup has been cancelled and there is no word yet on whether the event will be rescheduled. The season’s first triple — cross country, downhill and dual slalom races were all to be contested — was originally slated for July 7-8, in Whistler, British Columbia, but organizers backed out, citing financial concerns. The cancellation follows a complicated stream of events that according to event organizers TEAM Management, began when the UCI instituted a new rule in April of 2000, requiring first-time "triple" World Cup organizers to get their contract

Richard Virenque has filed an appeal seeking to overturn a nine-month ban for doping with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland, a court spokesman said on Thursday. Spokesman Mathieu Reeb, said the appeal was received via certified mail on Wednesday. Lawyers for Virenque, the five-time winner of the King of the Mountains competition at the Tour de France, must submit their written arguments within 10 days. The 31-year-old Virenque was given a nine-month suspension by the Swiss cycling federation after he admitted during the recent Festina trial that he had used

The Canadian Cyclist of the Year award for Best Newcomer has been renamed the Roger Sumner Award, in honor of long-time cycling mentor Roger Sumner, who passed away last December. The first recipient of award is Clare Hall-Patch, the junior woman who rode brilliantly to a bronze medal at the 2000 Road World Championships in Plouay, France. Sumner was particularly active in the coaching, managing and of newcomers to the sport, so the editors of Canadian Cyclist believe that this award is best suited to his memory. This award will be not be voted upon as part of the magazine's People's

Some of America’s top cycling stars, past and present, will gather together on Friday night in Denver for Wheat Ridge Cyclery’s 3rd annual Pro Night and Expo. The event benefits the Front Rangers Cycling Club and the Nicole Reinhart Foundation. Wheat Ridge Cyclery’s annual Pro Night expo gives the general public a rare opportunity to mingle in an intimate environment with the cycling industry’s most influential leaders. Throughout the night professionals will share their training and motivational expertise, cycling legends will tell their stories of the most exciting moments of the sport’s

The domestic men's road scene got another boost on Tuesday with theannouncement of a new UCI division III squad, the Boulder-based PrimeAlliance Cycling Team. On paper, the squad looks like it will be a bigplayer in the U.S. races. The roster includes Jame and Jonas Carney,Colby Pearce, John Walrod, Danny Pate, Michael Creed and Kirk Willett,who will also manage the team. In addition, NORBA national championSteve Larsen will race selected road events for Prime Alliance. The brainchild of Prime Alliance CEO Tom Irvine, the team did not decideto seek UCI status until December. After a fall

VeloNews is once again accepting submissions of North American team rosters. These listings will appear on our website. The deadline for submission is February 28, 2001. Rosters sent after that date will not be accepted. Please include team name, sponsors, riders' names –listed alphabetically by last name and by category/class – and riders' ages . The format should be as follows: Team SupremeSponsors: Capitol Bike Shop, Washington Cleaners. Cat. I: BREYER, Steve, 61; GINSBERG, Ruth, 66; O'CONNOR, Sandy, 69; STEVENS, John, 79; Cat.II: KENNEDY, Tony, 61; REHNQUIST, Bill, 75;

It’s taken a bit of scrambling, but it looks like Dave Cullinan will be riding a Diamondback this year. Word is a verbal agreement has been reached and it’s just a matter of pushing the paperwork through. The deal — assuming it happens — will provide much relief for the 31-year-old gravity rider, who unexpectedly found himself without a team in late December when Schwinn dumped him in favor of 20-year-old Frenchman Mickael Deldycke. Cullinan had been with Schwinn for nearly four years. "If I get through all this, racing will be easy this year," said Cullinan, who added that he wasn’t

Facing a "serious budget shortfall," USA Cycling has eliminated both its endurance track and women's road programs as well as eliminating nearly 20 percent of its total work force. The organization's staff and administration met Thursday afternoon to review a series of personnel and program cuts designed to lower costs in what USA Cycling CEO Lisa Voight attributed at least in part to "a post-Olympic reduction in sponsorship dollars." Hardest hit, in what chief operating officer Steve Johnson referred to as a "reorganization," was USA Cycling's athlete performance department. Several coaching

Genevieve Jeanson will head a new Canadian women's team that will contest the major road events in North America. Jeanson, who won the Tour de Snowy and the Flèche Wallonne World Cup in her first season as a senior, will be joined on Team RONA by five other Canadian women: Amy Jarvis, Manon Jutras, Raphaele Lemieux, Melanie McQuaid and Melanie Nadeau. Among the races on the schedule for Team RONA are Redlands, the Montreal World Cup, the First Union Liberty Classic, Fitchburg-Longsjo, the Grand Prix of Quebec and the Killington stage race. Jeanson will continue to race for the Canadian

When Greg Strock looks back at what could have been an outstanding pro cycling career, he says he feels more than nostalgia. Along with the good memories is a mix of frustration, disenchantment and even anger. In 1990 Strock hit Europe as a 17-year-old racer and began tearing up the roads in Spain. By April of that year, he traveled to Brittany, France, joined up with the U.S. national junior squad and started down a path that he now says stopped his career in its tracks. Not long after moving into the senior ranks -- with a spot on the U.S. national team's A squad and an amateur deal

Can you name the largest "investor" in American bike racing? Hint: It's the folks who deliver cycling fans' "must see TV" on Thursday nights. That's right, Outdoor Life Network. In 2001, VeloNews estimates that the sports cable television broadcaster will invest approximately $7 million in broadcasting, marketing, and promoting major bicycle events such as the Tour de France, Sea Otter Classic, Giro d'Italia and the NORBA NCS Series. Since its founding in 1995, OLN has made a steadily increasing commitment to bike racing. It's spending $3 million for rights fees alone for the Tour de

2001 Giro route unveiled

Full of promise: Strock had an amateur contract with Banesto

Frankie Andreu, a teammate of two-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, has announced his retirement from professional cycling. "After racing nine Tours de France and spending eleven years as a European professional I have decided to retire," Andreu announced Saturday, posting a statement on his personal website. Andreu has spent much of the fall season considering his options after his U.S. Postal contract wasn't renewed. "After the highlights of the last two years my thoughts were that I should retire while I'm still at the top. As much as I will miss racing I am looking

It was a question that wasn't exactly answered at cyclo-cross nationals in Overland Park, Kansas. There were a few automatic slots opened for the winners, but a lot of it rests on that ever-popular "coach's discretion," and this year, more than usual, a lot seems to depend on rider's discretion. As newly crowned men's elite champion, Tim Johnson is a shoo-in for a trip to Tabor in the Czech Republic in February. The man from Middleton, Massachusetts, has been a fixture on the world's squad ever since he first qualified in 1995, even showing up to lend a hand to the team last year when a

Hard to believe, but that December 17, SuperCup final in Overland Park, Kansas, was the last time Bart Bowen lined up for a race in a Saturn jersey. The 10-year road pro has been a fixture on the squad since 1994 -- just a year after the team moved from the amateur ranks up to professional. But at the end of 2000, his contract was set to expire. Bowen shrugged when asked why he wasn't riding for the team in 2001. "We just never got an agreement," he said. "I'm not all that sure what happened." Frustrating as it might be, Bowen said he is not fixating on what might have been.

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