News

Instant podium — just add water

And the livin' is easy: Warm weather made for great spectating - and weird racing - at the Tour of Flanders this year.

Knaven chases

Riders pouring into Bruges

Tyler's dream of riding the spring classics has come true

Ballan wins

Ballan and Hoste working their slim advantage

A little fog, but otherwise a lovely day for a bike race

Panache and power

It was that close

The podium

Acosta was part of an early break . . .

. . . as was Franzoi

World champ Bettini shows his rainbow colors

Grate weather: Riders from Equipe Vallee de l'Aluminum de Vinci stand over a heating grate to stay warm

The podium after a cold, hard day in the saddle

Slipstream-Chipotle rider Lucas Euser puts some plastic trash bags to good use

Whoops — wrong way

Justin England (Toyota-United) and Jonny Sundt (Kelly Benefit Strategies-Medifast) wore latex gloves over their cycling gloves

Even the bikes got blankies to keep them warm

Ace photog' Casey Gibson: 'It's not the temperature that's the problem, it's the humidity.'

Navigators tackling the climb

Bernardo Colex (Tecos), from Puebla, Mexico, said he'd never ridden in the snow before

Chasing, chasing

Alex Candelario (Jelly Belly) and Svein Tuft (Symmetrics) stayed warm on a chartered bus during the delay

McCarty workin' it

Kodak Gallery-Sierra Nevada's Ryan Trebon wore every article of clothing he'd brought, and borrowed a few extra layers

Tuft powers through the powder

The organization representing UCI ProTour teams has asked cycling authorities to carry out DNA tests on all riders implicated in the Spanish Operación Puerto scandal. The demand comes in the wake of DNA evidence that linked former Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich with blood bags found on the properties of tainted doctor Eufemiano Fuentes, as part of the Puerto investigation. In a joint statement, the ProTour teams and the International Association of Professional Cycling Groups (AIGCP) have asked all cycling authorities to use the DNA of cyclists implicated in the affair to discover

Aussie Henk Vogels (Toyota-United) looked as though there were other things he would prefer to do than race in the snow

Van Petegem is eyeing retirement, but he's not quite ready to hang up his cleats.

Tuft takes the hard-fought win

Van Petegem last won Flanders in 2003. Now he's riding for the competition

Some of the fans lining the race route seemed a little frosty

Van Petegem says the first Flanders victory in 1999 remains one of his fondest memories.

Tuft leads McCarty

The Koppenberg was a classic hurdle, but it was never the only hurdle in the Tour of Flanders

With one to go, he's gone

Van Petegem is comfortable in his current role at Quick Step

Welcome to sunny — er, snowy — Williamsburg

U.S. Open hits the road after snow delay

Last year's race was held in epic conditions

The weather has left directors and officials wondering what to do

The peloton tackles the cobbled climb

A delay may allow snow to melt, but wet cobbles await the peloton in Richmond

Johnson leads Tuft on an early trip up the big hill

The Opener: For the men, the U.S. Open kicks off with a route through Virginia's historic countryside.

The Closer: The men's race ends with eight laps through Richmond

Toyota-United's Dominguez (center) and Vogels (left) are favorites who just might frustrate Americans' hopes of scoring a win at the U.S. Open.

Boonen won last week's E3-Prijs Vlaanderen for the fourth time. Now he's aiming for his third Tour of Flanders.

College sports fans and cycling enthusiasts will soon get the chance to meet the country’s top women’s cyclists from colleges and universities all across the United States when the Ryan Collegiate All-Star Team takes to the roads at the Nature Valley Grand Prix. This will be the first All-Star team in the history of US collegiate cycling. The Ryan Collegiate Women’s All Star Team, sponsored by development/construction giant Ryan Companies US, Inc, is the result of a partnership between USA Cycling and the Nature Valley Grand Prix, a stage race ranked at the top of USA Cycling’s National

Ignatiev - here at the Mediterranean Tour - sees his future on the road.

Collegiate women at the 2006 Beanpot Criterium in Somerville, Massachusett

Perhaps not surprisingly, German media have slammed Jan Ullrich after reports that DNA samples have definitively linked the 1997 Tour de France champion to several packets of blood seized during police raids of properties owned by Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes. Ullrich, 33, retired last month, after his career evaporated due to his link to the Spanish investigation dubbed Operación Puerto. Ullrich has maintained his innocence throughout and continued to do so after a Bonn prosecutor announced results of DNA tests on Tuesday. A glance at headlines from Germany’s major news outlets,

Lawyers acting on behalf of former Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich claimed Wednesday that blood seized in a Spanish doping scandal and linked to the former German cycling star were not in themselves proof of doping. On Tuesday, prosecutors in Bonn announced that DNA tests on blood seized in the offices of Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes last year confirmed that nine bags of the 200 confiscated were Ullrich’s. "If all that is evoked is confirmed then all that has been found is theblood of our client in Spain, but that does not in itself mean that doping took place. We are a long way off

ATLANTA – Governor Sonny Perdue announced today that AT&T will contribute $500,000 to become a major sponsor of the Tour de Georgia, which will be held the week of April 16-22. "I am very pleased that our newest corporate citizen is continuing the long legacy of civic participation established by BellSouth and Cingular Wireless," Governor Perdue said. "I have met with representatives from the new AT&T and remain convinced the company will continue to have a tremendous impact on our state’s economy for decades to come." This year’s Tour de Georgia marks the fifth year for the race, and the

The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you havea comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen incycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write toWebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name andhome town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Writersare encouraged to limit their submissions to one letter per month.The letters published here contain the opinions of the submittingauthors and should not be viewed as reflecting the opinions, policies or positionsof VeloNews.com, VeloNews magazine or our parent company,

The end of a legend? A workman packs up a poster of the 1997 Tour winner following his February retirement announcement.

Michaelsen will ride Paris-Roubaix and then retire.

Tech Report with Matt Pacocha - A look ahead

Tech Report with Matt Pacocha - A look ahead

Tech Report with Matt Pacocha - A look ahead

Tech Report with Matt Pacocha - A look ahead

Tech Report with Matt Pacocha - A look ahead

Tech Report with Matt Pacocha - A look ahead

Tech Report with Matt Pacocha - A look ahead

Tech Report with Matt Pacocha - A look ahead

Some of the bags of plasma and blood confiscated during police raids on the offices of Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes belong to 1997 Tour de France champion Jan Ullrich, German authorities said Tuesday. Bonn prosecutor Friedrich Apostel says there is “no doubt” that the blood in those bags came from Ullrich, the German wire service SID reported Tuesday. Ullrich denied any links to Fuentes, alleged to be the mastermind of a blood-doping ring uncovered last May by Spanish authorities and later dubbed Operación Puerto. Fuentes allegedly used the code names “Hijo de Rudicio,” “Jan,” and

Tech Report with Matt Pacocha - A look ahead

LiteSpeed is toying with a new suspension design

Ullrich could face charges

Tech Report with Matt Pacocha - A look ahead

Tech Report with Matt Pacocha - A look ahead

Tech Report with Matt Pacocha - A look ahead

Tech Report with Matt Pacocha - A look ahead

Tech Report with Matt Pacocha - A look ahead

Tech Report with Matt Pacocha - A look ahead

With five gold, two silver and two bronze medals the Australian track squad was the talk of the Athens Olympic velodrome in 2004. Just 17 months ahead of the Beijing Olympics, however, the talk at the end of the four-day competition world track championship in Mallorca was all about how the team’s dominance had all but evaporated. This time around, the Aussies scored two golds and four bronze medals. That’s not a bad tally – good enough for second on the final medals count - but it pales in comparison to past performances and to the seven golds, two silvers and two bronzes earned by

Our latest reader-submitted Photo Gallery is now ready for your viewing pleasure. Of course, a new gallery also means the naming of the winner of our most recent contest. This week’s winning photograph is of two of the most remarkable racers we’ve encountered in our years of covering competitive sports. Dick Hoyt and his son Rick regularly compete in Ironman-distance triathlons and John Goeller’s photo – “The Hoyts doing the Holliston triathalon” – captures the challenge Dick Hoyt takes on when he and Rick take to the starting line. Indeed, the bike leg seems to be the easiest of the

The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you havea comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen incycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write toWebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name andhome town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Writersare encouraged to limit their submissions to one letter per month.The letters published here contain the opinions of the submittingauthors and should not be viewed as reflecting the opinions, policies or positionsof VeloNews.com, VeloNews magazine or our parent company,