News

La Vuelta 2004: A route only a mountain goat could love

Two-time champ Roberto Heras gets the star treatment

Iban Mayo practices giving a Lancesque 'look'

Carlos Sastre: Is he already feeling the pain?

Pavel Tonkov sports an ... interesting ... hairdo

After his solo breakaway victory at the 2003 Univest Grand Prix, team rider/manager Ted Huang explained he was just pretending he was Chris Horner at the T-Mobile International. Next season, Huang and rest of the Webcor squad will have a much more intimate opportunity to work on their Horner impressions, as the 2002 and 2003 NRC winner has signed to ride for the Bay Area-based team in 2004. It’s a major acquisition for Webcor, a team that finished 16th in the 2003 national rankings, with Huang, ranked 39th, its highest-placed rider. “We’re looking forward to racing with him and for him,”

The Webcor Professional Cycling Team announced Tuesday that 2003 T-Mobile International Winner and NRC overall standings leader Chris Horner will join the Northern California-based team for 2004. “I look forward to racing with the Webcor Cycling Team and helping them bring it up to the next level,” said Horner. “This is a huge step forward for Webcor Cycling,” said Ted Huang, team rider and manager. “We’re looking forward to an epic season and to making Chris feel at home here.” “We’re going to have a great time,” Andy Ball, CEO of Webcor Builders, the team’s title sponsor added.”

Not yet available in the U.S., Tyler's bike will look similar to this production version.

Horner (left) with O'Neill and Roland Green after the 2003 Redlands Classic Oak Glen stage

Employed!

The agony of technologyEditors;There is no other sport that I know of (including alpine skiing, whichis crowded with "tech weenies") in which athletes/participants would writesentences like those offered by Keith, Metallurgist or Ben, (apparent)physicist (see "TechnicalQ&A, 12/16/03"), for publication in a magazine of general circulation.My head hurts - I think I'll go for a ride.Kevin KinnearBoulder, ColoradoSure, go ride, but will you know precisely how much drag your out-datedsteel bearings will be generating? - EditorGood luck TJ!VeloNews;Congratulations to Tim Johnson, I am so happy to

Tim Johnson, the Saturn rider who signed with the U.S.-based Division III Colavita-Bolla squad last month, is now poised to ink another deal with the new Spanish-based Division I Saunier Duval team. “This is the kind of thing I’ve been hoping to land ever since I started riding,” the 26-year-old Johnson told VeloNews on Monday. “I’ve always wanted to get on a European team, and suddenly this opportunity came up.” Johnson, who recently won the Vic Roads Herald Sun Tour in Australia, said he was pleasantly surprised when he brought word of the offer to Colavita owner John Profaci. “Man, my

Johnson at Dulles airport on Monday

Johnson wins the Sun Tour

Wellens

Sven Nijs

Erwin Vervecken

Britain's Roger Hammond

Mario DeClerq missed the big move

Czech Republic's Peter Dlask

Wellens leads the series

Page plows puddles

Dunlap digs deep

That's the face of a national champion under all that mud

Wet conditions made for a strongman's course

'Cross Nationals race director Brad Ross knows how to get into the spirit

I don’t know why there’s all this furor over the BCS. I’m confident the college football will come down to a satisfactory conclusion. After all, the BCS, co-created by ABC Sports, is really nothing more than reality-TV programming, and as we’ve seen in the past few years, there’s nothing reality TV likes better than changing the rules of the game as it goes along. Latest case in point — “Average Joe,” where model-good-looking “ringers” were introduced mid-show to go head-to-head with the average Joes wooing the show’s blonde beauty. Big surprise, one of the pretty boys won out over the No. 1

Armstrong meets the press in Brussels

Looks like rain...

Hi Bob;I was riding on a sidewalk in downtown Portland last month and a policeofficer, riding on the same sidewalk “pulled me over.” At first I thoughthe was kidding and said something like “how fast was I doing officer?”It turns out he wasn't all that amused and said it was against the lawto ride on sidewalks in downtown. I had entered the sidewalk to get arounda huge construction hole. Should I fight this ticket and what advice doyou have? By the way, the cop was also riding on the sidewalk!M. EisenhartPortland, OregonDear M. Eisenhart;In the words of Shakespeare you were “hoisted with your

Verge Sport and the American Cyclo-cross Foundation (ACF) have teamed up to help send American racers to the cyclo-cross world championships January 31-February 1 in Pont-Chateau, France. Verge has produced and is selling a commemorative ACF T-shirt designed by cartoonist and ’cross fiend Patrick O’Grady. The shirts go for $19.95, and $10 of every sale goes to the ACF’s fund for underwriting the U.S. team’s annual trip to world’s. USA Cycling will be financing six athletes’ travel to the world’s — one elite man, one elite woman, two under-23 men and two junior men. Any discretionary picks

Questioning the Jimenez diagnosisDear VeloNews;I was truly saddened and stunned in reading about the untimely passingof Jose Maria Jimenez at the age of 32. Not unlike Denise Zanette'sdeath last year at a similarly young age, it makes one come face-to-facewith the reality that youth and athletic fitness are not the only factorsin overall health.On this note, I did want to clarify something that I suspect regardingJose Maria Jimenez’s mental health condition leading up to his death. Fromreading about his stunning emotional and performance highs and the tremendouslows that followed, his

See ya

Indy Fab's new 'Top Secret' full suspender with 4 inches of rear travel 'might be' available in April

'Full of character,' those IF boys...

Ritchey's new Adjustable Stem has more angles than a Pan Anderson photo shoot

Never too late for 'cross goodies

Verge T-shirt helps cover 'cross-world's costs

Wehave just posted the on-line version of this year's edition ofGrandTours, a taste of what cycling vacations are all about. We callthem “Grand Tours” because they encompass the grandeur of breathtakingrides through some of the most beautiful and culturally rich locales onearth. They offer what you’re really looking for when you decide to takea bicycle vacation — the chance to make your dreams come true.You will need AdobeAcrobat Reader to enjoy the on-line version of "Grand Tours."

Looking for a Christmas gift for that hard-to-buy-for cycling enthusiastin your life? Interested in owning a piece of American cycling history?Either way, you’re in luck, as Rabobank’s Levi Leipheimer has two of his2003 jerseys up for auction on eBay, with proceeds to go to a pair of charities,Forgotten Felines Of Sonoma County and the USA Cycling Foundation."These auctions are important for my wife Odessa and me,” he said. “Sincewe have had our share of success, this is a way for all of us to give backand say 'thank you.'"The first item, Leipheimer’s  2003Vuelta Jersey, signed by the

Nijs leads Wellens through the barriers

A pro team is not a socialist organizationEditor:I find it rather silly that people can write things like, "Heras was always there for Lance in the Tour de France, but was Lance ever there for Heras in the Vuelta?"As we all know, Lance has not ridden the Vuelta in support of Heras. But where is it written that Lance is obligated to do that? Heras was signed to Postal as a support rider for the team leader, period. As it turns out, Heras is more than capable of being a team leader himself. But as far as I know, cycling teams are not socialist organizations where everyone has the same

Aussie David McKenzie will join the Navigators cycling team for 2004, the team announced Thursday in Hackettstown, New Jersey. The 2003 Tour of Queensland champion joins countryman Henk Vogels and former teammates Ciaran Power of Ireland and Vassili Davidenko of Russia as the 13th man to sign with the New Jersey-based TT2 squad. “David brings another dimension to what I believe will be a very competitive Navigators team,” said team director Ed Beamon. “He is a proven winner, and a tireless teammate, and he has a great nose for the finish. I expect his leadership qualities will add depth to

Three reasons for Heras's departureEditor:I think Heras was forced to make the decision to leave Postal for a few reasons. 1. Lack of support from sponsors. Lance breaks a fingernail and it's headlines. Trek didn’t mention Roberto's big win on their website for like three weeks, and even then it was buried. Lance gets new prototype wheels and bike for the Tour and Heras gets the big goose egg (not to say that a 5900 with X-Lites isn't all you need). That's gotta be good for the ol' morale. 2. The king is half undressed. The team may have lost some faith in Lance this year. Heras is in his

Early December is usually a relaxed time for the U.S. Postal Service team, but news of Roberto Heras’s imminent departure spoiled the quiet of the team’s annual kick-off training camp in Austin, Texas. The camp serves as a relaxed way to start planning for a new season and for new team members to get acquainted with each other. VeloNews correspondent Ted Arnold caught up with Johan Bruyneel in Austin on Thursday to discuss the rapidly unfolding developments. VN: When did the situation with Roberto begin to unfold? JB: About 10 days ago his agent called me and wanted to have lunch —

After four years with Wisconsin-based Team Sports, Inc., Saturn women’s team director Giana Roberge has announced that on Friday, December 5, she will amicably part ways with the organization that directed the now defunct but highly successful Saturn Cycling and Volvo-Cannondale Cycling programs. “It’s been an extremely difficult decision for me to make,” Roberge said, explaining that while she and Team Sports’ president Tom Schuler have secured a title sponsor for a scaled down women’s team in 2004, there will not be sufficient sponsorship for her employment. An official announcement of

Good luck Señor HerasEditors;I want to wish Roberto Heras much success and luck (see "Herasleaves Postal").Next year's Tour will be a dandy!Eric E. EssickA good decisionEditors!Good move for Roberto. He gave U.S. Postal some of his best years andpaid for it in less than stellar Vuelta performances the last couple ofyears. Yeah,  know he won this year but it was pretty close.Now he has the chance to shine again on his own and with a Spanish team.This just makes the 2004 Tour that much more exciting from a spectator'sview.Giny ChandlerHere come the résumésDear Editors;How do I get a hold of the

It’s not all Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Iron Hammer for theU.S. Army these days. Sometimes, it’s Operation Santa Claus. And sometimes, Santa needs a little help from the civilians. Just ask Sgt. David Wilson, the head elf for Operation Santa Claus’sbicycle-distribution program at Fort Bliss, Texas, near El Paso. “I decided to check out the Operation Santa Claus program that the Armydoes here at Fort Bliss, and it turns out they have hundreds of bicyclesand parts in need of a loving mechanic,” he said. Wilson asked to be reassignedto the program, and one week later he found

A while back I answered an inquiry posed by a New York reader who saw someone riding a bicycle that had been stolen from him earlier (see "LegallySpeaking - with Bob Mionske: My stolen bicycle " September 25, 2003). I share one of the many emails I received on the subject for the benefit of all readers: Dear Bob;As the flip side to your summary of the law regarding recovery of a stolen bicycle, and further to his closing point about getting hurt in the act of self-recovery, may I present my own story: Several months ago, I stopped for coffee at the end of my morning bike commute. While in

The Saeco-Timex squad

Santa's workshop at the Southwestern Pole

Good for those rides that dips into the teens...

Powerful wind stoppers and affordable too

Answer fianlly got it right with the 2004 version of its XC-1

MTB News and Notes: More changes in NORBA series; Jimena vows to be in Athens

MTB News and Notes: More changes in NORBA series; Jimena vows to be in Athens

Tyler Hamilton will formally launch the charitable foundation bearing hisname at a kick-off event in Colorado this month.With the goal of providing support to multiple sclerosis patients aswell as aspiring young cyclists, the new Tyler Hamilton Foundation willhost fundraiser at the Arvada Center in Arvada, Colorado. The event willbe co-hosted by Wheat Ridge Cyclery, a bicycle shop owned by the familyof former pro Ron Kiefel.“The Tyler Hamilton Foundation will champion the two causes closestto my heart – competitive cycling and the fight against Multiple Sclerosis,”said Hamilton. “As a young

Reconnoitering the sandy stretch before the start.

Wellens supporters

Sven Nijs

Erwin Vervecken

Richard Groenendaal

Ben Berden

Jonathan Page

Brother Gert Wellens celebrates his 25th birthday in style

Gerben de Knegt

Once in the lead, Wellens remained in charge

Please, sir, may I have some more?Editor:Regarding O'Grady: More, please, more! Patrick Craft Abingdon, VAJeez, Patrick, we need a forklift to heft the hate-mail bag as it is. But if you insist on more of the grumbling Gael, you can always visit www.maddogmedia.com. – Editor And now, the counterpointEditor:I'm appalled by your ridiculous, left-wing bias. Tell that sack of swill Patrick O'Grady that Clinton didn't win any awards for smoking pot in Canada during the Vietnam War. Oh, and another thing, It was the Democrats who cut funding and got my friend honorably discharged from the

Mario De Clercq showed them how on Saturday in Belgium