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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.

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.

The peloton heads across the Australian countryside..

Some of the day's selection survivors.

The peloton gives chase.

Rossner takes the win.

The peloton heads up towards Thredbo.

The podium.

The 23rd edition of Oregon’s Tour of Willamette has been canceled — not for lack of interest, but for lack of money, according to race director Larry Smith. “While we have the infrastructure and volunteers ready and willing, the Tour of Willamette remains far from adequately funded to present a top-quality and safe event for competitors, the community, and committed followers,” Smith wrote in a posting to the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association’s listserv. “And the economic downturn of recent months wreaked havoc not only with the sponsorship budgets of businesses here in Lane County, but

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.In the end, what do they win?Is this drug use and abuse ever going to end?I want to think that, yes, it will end sometime...I just wonder with what face these cheaters will look at their grandsonsand say: "I won that race," when deep inside (or not so deep) they

Di Luca

Colum now leads by 1 second

Domo Farm Frites’s troubled cyclist Frank Vandenbroucke and his personal coach have been charged with possession of drugs in Belgium, after police discovered a substantial stash of doping products during a Wednesday night search of his home. The Domo-Farm Frites team quickly fired Vandenbroucke after news of the search became public. Following the arrest of his French trainer, the infamous Bernard Sainz, Belgian police conducted a search of Vandenbroucke's home and found a variety of banned performance-enhancing and other substances, a prosecutor's office spokesman in Termonde,

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.It's all about winning, right?Editor;How come you have so many readers that think nobody in the pro pelotondoes drugs?The plain and simple truth is everyone does drugs!!! Its called"competitive advantage."Ask yourself would you not create a competitive advantage

Does this look familiar? Pettachi makes it three straight

Vandenbroucke

Petacchi outsprinted a stellar field.

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. What goes around comes aroundEditors,Regarding the Ibisbankruptcy:Karma, Roger, Karma.Michael SylvanSeattleP.S.  My most sincere condolences to Scot Nicol and all the goodpeople who worked at Ibis.  Your bikes were beautiful, and the companyitself did not deserve this

Representatives of the Société du Tour de France and the mayor of Paris are in preliminary negotitations over the possibility that next year’s centenary edition of the Tour de France will both start and finish in the French capital. Thus far, no agreement has emerged, but, if successful, the arrangement would mark the first time in 40 years that France’s grand tour began and ended in Paris. – Copyright AFP 2000 A new Postal Pedal with Lance in Mind? It looks like this year's Tour de France may mark something of a first... the first time Lance Armstrong puts some new pedals on his

The 2002 Luna Chix mountain-bike team was officially unveiled this week in Calistoga, California. And though the collection riders — Alison Dunlap, Marla Streb Kelli Emmett and Gina Hall — weren’t news, a late addition to the team was announced by an almost-live video greeting. The newcomer was Czech Republic rider Katerina Hanusova, who attended the event remotely from her home in Truckee, California, just after returning from Salt Lake City. Hanusova was in Utah representing her country in cross-country skiing. She and her team took fourth place in the 4x5km relay last week. This was

Ibis LLC, the maker of Ibis bicycles, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on February 21 with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court’s Northern California Division. Founded by Scot Nicol in 1981, the company moved to Sonoma County in 1983, where it manufactured bikes for the next 18 years. Last year, in a bid to cut the rising cost of Northern California wages, Ibis entered into a co-production arrangement with Strong Frames of Bozeman, Montana. “As the cost of living has increased here, we decided that we cannot provide living wages any more,” Nicol told the North Bay Business Journal in 2001. “Our workers

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.Letters for MondayFabio and others like him are an inspirationDear editors:I was quite moved by your articleon Fabio Selvig, the racer run down by an oil truck in Massachusetts,in no small part because it parallels the stories of some close friends.Sabine Pater, tibia,

Germany's 1997 Tour de France champion Jan Ullrich is one of 47 people whose files have been handed over to the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI), Corriere dello Sport reported Saturday. Over 100 people - snared in the 2001 Giro d'Italia police dragnet - are under formal judicial investigation by Florence magistrate Luigi Bocciolini. However while charges in the courts will be a long drawn out affair the sporting disciplinary process by CONI's anti-doping czar Giacomo Aiello will be a lot quicker and could be concluded within weeks. Bocciolini has now transmitted 47 dossiers to

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.No more dope (articles)I love the sport of road cycling, and all the Zen it represents in myworld. I have a comment I would love to share with my favorite cyclingmagazine...Some Thoughts:1.  Why as nobody written about the still record VO2 Maxlevels Armstrong recorded

Think you’re having a bad day? Well, Seven-sponsored multi-sport athleteFabio Selvig’s story will help you keep things in perspective. Hit by anoil truck while riding his bike and subsequently given virtually no hopeof living, Fabio can teach us all a lesson or two about what’s really important.BackgroundIn September 2000, then 33-year old Fabio Selvig had just returnedto a job in high-end sales at nationally renowned bicycle retailer BelmontWheelworks of Belmont, Massachusetts. At the time, Fabio was an active,successful multi-sport competitor, averaging 15 hours of training a weekand racing

Euskaltel's Txema Del Olmo was hit with a three-year ban from competition in France by the Council for the Struggle Against Doping (CPLD) after testing positive for erythropoietin EPO, it was announced in Paris on Friday. Del Olmo failed a urine test for the red-blood-cell-boosting drug EPO during the 2001 Tour de France prologue. The ban applies only in France as CPLD is a French organization with no power to impose international penalties. "The analysis taken at Chatenay-Malabry and complying with the detection method of the national laboratory for doping tests revealed the presence

Following a final meeting between organizers and promoters, NORBA has made a few small changes to this year’s national championship series schedule. The series will kick off May 9-12 at Snow Summit Resort in Big Bear Lake, California. This is a week earlier than originally scheduled, a move that was made to avoid a conflict with a World Cup event in Madrid. The dates for the NORBA in Durango have also been changed. After going back and forth between several weekends, the dates are now finally set for August 1-4. Here’s a look at the full schedule for both the NORBA and World Cup

Friday Feature:Near-Fatal Accident Can’t Break an Athlete’s Spirit

With a total of four world junior titles to her name, Britain’s Nicole Cooke has taken the next step and signed a professional contract, joining forces with the Italian Dela Pragma-Colagno team, which is based near Bologna. Cooke currently holds the rainbow jersey as reigning world junior champion in three disciplines: time trial, road race and mountain bike. Still just 18 years old, Cooke has been heavily recruited by pro teams for the past year. "I've taken my time in finding a team for this year but I know that I've made a great choice," Cooke said. "I will be basing myself in

SRAM Corporation announced Tuesday that it has reached an agreement to purchase RockShox Inc, a deal expected to be finalized by mid-March In a press release issued on February 19, SRAM president Stan Day said the acquisition will contribute to his company’s goal of “being the most valuable supplier to the industry." "We believe that our new larger organization with full product lines in drivetrain, suspension, and brakes will better serve our customers,” said Day. “The timing is perfect as issues of supply chain management are a top priority to bike factories and aftermarket distributors

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.A big Thanks! to those who make North American racing specialDear Editor;I would like to thank - and invite others to thank- in this public forum,a long neglected key player in the world of bike racing: Host Housing Families.It would be nice to hear from other racing

Italian prosecutors say they will now investigate cyclist Gianluca Bortolamifor alleged misrepresentation and false testimony after he gave evidenceTuesday in the trial of accussed doping mastermind Dr Michele Ferrari.After Bortolami had given his account of events Tuesday to the courtthe prosecutor, Giovanni Spinosa, requested that the minutes of his testimonybe sent to local investigators who will decide whether to take action.Bortolami's evidence contrasted strongly with testimony presented lastweek by FilippoSimeoni who became the first cyclist to admit he was knowingly dopedby the

Desert Solitare

Kent Bostick still crankin'

Jeanson set a standard in the TT

John Leiswyn

Valley of the Sun does attract a crowd

Jeanson

Tuft and Wherry

Navigators at work

We don't know why they parked there either

Time to pack up and head home

Bodrogi and Virenque got things started

Bartoli and Jalabert drive an escape.

A new uniform; a familiar pose

With the finish line in mind, Acqua e Sapone worked to set up their top sprinter

Bartoli

Filippo Simeoni broke professional cycling’s so-called code of silence Tuesday when he testified in an Italian courtroom that he had taken banned products, including EPO, under the direction of Dr Michele Ferrari. Ferrari, currently on trial in Bologna, stands accused of allegedly administering banned substances to athletes under his supervision. The 30-year-old Simeoni, now riding for Acqua e Sapone, told the court in Bologna on Tuesday that Ferrari had offered detailed instructions on the use of substances and how to avoid triggering positive test results. Simeoni was a client of

VeloNews.com welcomes your letters. If you run across something in the pages of VeloNews, or see something on VeloNews.com that 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 mailto this address, you are consenting to the publication of your letter.TUESDAY LETTERSSimeoni should be applaudedHi VeloNews-ers,Filippo Simeoni is a hero in my book, because he's broken the very unethicalcode of silence among cyclists (see "Cyclistbreaks code of silence in Ferrari trial"), which pre-dates Coppi andBartali.

Italian cyclist Gianluca Bortolami is set to appear as a witness on Tuesday when the trial of alleged doping mastermind Doctor Michele Ferrari resumes in Bologna. In evidence already submitted to investigating magistrates Bortolami, the 1994 World Cup winner and last year’s Tour of Flanders champion, blames former Festina soigneur Willy Voet for the discovery of vials of EPO found in his possession. Voet’s 1998 arrest was the trigger for the now-infamous Festina affair that nearly resulted in the cancellation of the Tour de France that year. Prosecutors, however, point to Ferrari’s medical

The official TDL bikes.