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A fast summer day in Adelaide.

Robbie's new kit.

Bettini will take Tuesday off and make a decision on Wednesday

Trebon is back Stateside training after suffering a nagging illness

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 do not necessarily reflect the opinions, policies or positionsof VeloNews.com, VeloNews magazine or our parent company, InsideCommunications,

Our latest reader-submitted Photo Gallery has been posted, along with a special year-end gallery, featuring contest winners from throughout 2006. Of course, a new gallery also means the naming of the winner of ourmost recent contest. Take the time to wander through that gallery and see if you agree or disagree with our choice of winners this week. This time around, we found Jeff Sakacsi’s “Hillsboro USGP,” nicely captures the frantic environment of a muddy day mired in the middle of the field at a ‘cross race. Congratulations Jeff. Nice work. Please drop us a note at

McEwen won last year's prelude criterium, but didn't add to his string of 11 TDU stage wins.

Hillsboro USGP

German prosecutors are slated to compare blood samples from former Tour de France champion Jan Ullrich who has been accused of doping and sporting fraud, the weekly magazine Focus reported. Investigators in Spain have agreed to send samples from bags of blood seized in apartments owned Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes, allegedly the head of the blood-doping and drug ring revealed by Spanish police in the so called Operacion Puerto investigation last May. German investigators plan to compare the results against a sample submitted by Ullrich in September. The tests could finally settle whether bags in

The Tour director is making a point of showing support for T-Mobile's new direction

Prudhomme speaks with reporters

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 do not necessarily reflect the opinions, policies or positionsof VeloNews.com, VeloNews magazine or our parent company, InsideCommunications,

Landis has ridden with hip pain since his 2003 fracture

Cipollini may be facing a big bill from the tax man.

American Bob Stapleton heads a new post-Ullrich T-Mobile squad that emphasizes teamwork

The new T-Mobile's mantra for '07

T-Mobile for '07 includes a well-established women's program and a re-vamped men's team.

Arndt, Teutenberg, Wood, Bates, Beltman... who wouldn't want to ride for this team?

. At the end of the hot morning, the participants in the first ceremonial plantings trek back along a dried up riverbed.

The Malian riders used steel frames, 12-speed bikes and European race clothing for the Fatoma-Mopti road race.

Most of the local riders put on their souvenir Saunier Duval T-shirts over their cycling jerseys before lining up for the 60km race.

Mali’s Adama Toula and Saunier Duval’s second-year Spanish pro Arkaitx Duran crossed the line together as joint winners of the race.

Post-race interview for Toula, who competed in only two single-day and two stage races in 2006.

One of the locals was later treated for road rash by Saunier Duval team doctor Maria Sagasti.

From the air, a good view of the deforested terrain that will receive the million trees to be planted by Planète Urgence to mark Saunier Duval’s company centennial.

At Fatoma, Saunier Duval team manager Mauro Gianetti (right) and directeur sportif Joxean Fernandez Matxin met the village’s 102-year-old elder in his home.

One of the plantation sites at Daladougou, near Fatoma.

The Eucalyptus saplings to be planted arrived by donkey cart.

Schoolgirls from Fatoma helped with the inaugural plantings.

Three of the schoolboy volunteers take saplings to the holes dug earlier by farmers for the tree-planting operation.

Getting ready to plant the first trees.

Each hectare of trees will get water from hand-dug wells, some of which will be more than 100 feet deep to reach the water table.

Matxin gets help in planting one of the first saplings.

Los Angeles, CA., January 11, 2007…Kirk Willett, a former professionalcyclist and well-known team director, has been appointed Team Directorof the Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team. Willett will join HarmJansen on the frontlines, to handle team logistics, day-to-day operations,race strategy, and overall management of team personnel.A seasoned professional, Willett is recognized on the racing circuitfor his tactical skills, logistical expertise and his ability to quicklydiscern the advantage in the field, helping lead his teams to prominentwins.“Kirk is a natural competitor,” said Team Owner Sean

Everyone- including this New Year’s celebrant in the Ukraine-should ease up a bit after the holidays.

Discovery Channel rider Tom Danielson, winner of stage 17 at last year’sVuelta a España, is putting his name behind a 12-race junior’s seriesorganized through Colorado’s American Cycling Association. Danielson iskicking off the series with a fundraiser to be held January 17, in Boulder,Colorado, emceed by former Coors Classic race director Michael Aisner andfeaturing former 7-Eleven pros Andy Hampsten and Ron Keifel aswell as 1984 Olympic gold medalists Alexi Grewal and Connie Carpenter and the seemingly ageless mountain-bike star, Ned Overend.It’s not the first time Danielson, twice a

The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Writers are encouraged to limit their submissions to one letter per month.The letters published here contain the opinions of the submitting authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, policies or positions of VeloNews.com, VeloNews magazine or our parent company, Inside

2007 AMGEN TOUR OF CALIFORNIA EDUCATION CURRICULUM RELEASED TO CALIFORNIAEDUCATORS FOR 4TH-6TH GRADE INSTRUCTIONEndorsed by Governor Schwarzenegger, Curriculum Contains LessonstoEncourage Students to Live Healthy Lifestyles and Practice BikeSafetyLOS ANGELES, January 9, 2007 – In preparation for the highlyanticipated return of the Amgen Tour of California professional cyclingroad race this February, a specially developed classroom curriculum hasbeen distributed to fourth- through sixth-grade instructors and studentsin the 12 California "host" cities selected for the 650-mile race. The

Mopti, Mali - Two 20-year-old bike racers linked hands, one black, one white, as theyraised their arms in a symbolic gesture of victory and cooperation Tuesdayafternoon in the West African republic of Mali. Arkaitx Duran, a second-yearSpanish pro with Saunier Duval-Prodir, and Adama Toula, a farm worker fromSikasso in southern Mali, were the breakaway winners of the Fatoma-Moptiroad race that launched Saunier Duval’s ambitious environmental projectto plant a million trees in this sub-Saharan country in the company’s centennialyear.This was not a typical season opener. But it was one that made

[Watch Video]

Zabel - here winning the final stage of the 2006 Vuelta - has his eye on winning world's in Stuttgart

New Yorkers Raise Money by Raising Their Heart Rates - The Davis Phinney Foundation and The Michael J. Fox Foundationhost a high-energy spin event at the Copacabana -NEW YORK – The Davis Phinney Foundation, in conjunction withThe Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, is pleased to announce“Join the Parkinson’s Peloton,” a three-hour spinning session led by MasterSpin Instructor, Josh Taylor. The fundraiser will take place on January27, 2007 at the Copacabana night club (560 W 34th St) from 1-4 pm. Top-of-theline Star-Trac bikes are being generously donated by the event’s

Valverde fought valiantly to keep the leader's jersey at the '06 Vuelta.

Hincapie's day on the cobbles ended badly in 2006

Compton - now a three-time U.S. champ.

Our latest reader-submitted Photo Gallery has been posted, along with a special year-end gallery, featuring contest winners from throughout 2006. Of course, a new gallery also means the naming of the winner of ourmost recent contest. Take the time to wander through that gallery and see if you agree or disagree with our choice of winners this week. Considering some of our past winners, you might notice our bias for “working bikes,” those rides people use for every day work and transportation. Reflecting that, we really appreciated the bike and the people in Jim Tannenhill’s “Water portage

Water portage in China

Valverde at last year's Vuelta.

Inside Cycling with John Wilcockson: On the road to Mali

Wellens scored his third Belgian title on Sunday

Bénéteau in a break during Stage 9 of the 2006 Tour

The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Writers are encouraged to limit their submissions to one letter per month.The letters published here contain the opinions of the submitting authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, policies or positions of VeloNews.com, VeloNews magazine or our parent company, Inside

Applications for the Lance Armstrong Junior Olympic Race Series are now available to race promoters interested in supporting the junior-development efforts of USA Cycling. Entering its 15th year in 2007, the Lance Armstrong Junior Olympic Race Series is a program designed by USA Cycling and endorsed by seven-time Tour de France winner and Olympic medalist Lance Armstrong that provides racing opportunities for junior and U23-aged athletes. Over the course of the last 15 years, the series has evolved into a nationally-recognized junior development program with 88 events on the calendar in 2006.

Landis faces another struggle - raising money for his defense

AEG, HEALTH NET ANNOUNCE CYCLING TEAM'S ADDITION TO 2007 AMGEN TOUROF CALIFORNIAFounding Partner Health Net Will Also Present Free-to-the-PublicLifestyle Festival at the Finish Line in Each Host CityLOS ANGELES, January 4, 2007 – The Health Net Pro Cycling TeamPresented by Maxxis will again be one of the professional cycling teamsracing in the Amgen Tour of California, it was announced by Health Netof California and AEG, presenters of the 8-day, 650-mile road race.Health Net also will return as one of the event’s "founding partners,"which will include sponsorship of the Amgen Tour of

Coach Proctor with rising American 'cross star Danny Summerhill

Americans Tim Johnson and Tom Danielson lead the field in the final stage of the 2003 Tour de Langkawi. Danielson took the overall title that year

The '07 route

The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Writers are encouraged to limit their submissions to one letter per month.The letters published here contain the opinions of the submitting authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, policies or positions of VeloNews.com, VeloNews magazine or our parent company, Inside

2007 Webcor/Alto Velo Racing Club Elite Men’s RosterThe Webcor/Alto Velo Elite men’s team has announced its line-up forthe new season where it plans to compete in Northern California/NevadaCycling Association events and select west coast National Race Calendarevents.The team will be supported by several sponsors including Webcor Builders,The Bike Connection, Giant, Keefe Team Realty, Dave O’Mara Mortgages, Bell,Voler, Mark Rodamaker Fitting, Kaneon, Powerbar, and Karl Elhert, DC.The team will be led by former Webcor professionals Ted Huang, DarioFalquier and Greg Drake. The team’s line up

FELT BICYCLES PARTNERS WITH TEAM SLIPSTREAM POWERED BY CHIPOTLEIrvine, CA - Felt Bicycles is delighted to announce a partnershipwith Jonathan Vaughters' tremendously successful racing program, Team SlipstreamPowered by Chipotle (formerly TIAA-CREF), for the 2007 and 2008 seasons. Established originally as a development model and recognized predominantlyas the USA's youngest pro cycling team, Team Slipstream has produced 17national champions since its inception in 2004.  By selecting andretaining young, talented athletes and matching them with seasoned riders- like Mike Friedman, Brad

TWO WORLD CHAMPIONS HEADLINE U.S. ROSTER FOR LOS ANGELES WORLD CUPSeven Southern California Residents to Compete in Third Round of International Track SeriesColorado Springs, Colo. (January 2, 2007)—Two reigning worldchampions highlight the U.S. roster as USA Cycling confirmed today the18 Americans that will compete at the third round of the 2006-07 UCI TrackWorld Cup Classics series at the ADT Event Center in Carson, Calif. January19-21.Current individual pursuit world champion and American record holder,Sarah Hammer (Temecula, Calif.), will compete for her OUCH Pro Cyclingsquad and reigning

The Felt F1

The Felt DA

Mayo will skip the Dauphiné and try his hand at the Giro

What about standards?Dear Sirs,When did character stop counting? When Floyd Landis respondedto the question of did he use performance enhancing and banned substances,his response a couple of days into the scandal was, "I'llsay no." What kind of response was that? Was it an admission,a denial or both? Then, he offered new explanations depending onthe day.My measure of character is what I would expect of my kids and what shouldthey expect of me. Based on that simplistic yet durable barometer,Landis falls woefully short, as does VeloNews (see "2006VeloNews Awards: North American Male Cyclist

Winning the fourth stage of the Tour of Germany

Until recently, Graeme Brown was considered to be something of an underachiever as a top-level road sprinter. At least that was the thinking of the managers at his Dutch Rabobank team, as Brown revealed in an interview with former VeloNews European correspondent Rupert Guinness in December. Brown and Rabobank were set to part ways at the end of the ’06 season, when the man from New South Wales befuddled his bosses by stepping up to the plate and pulling off three impressive end-of-season wins in Europe. Suddenly there was renewed interest at Rabobank and the team inked a new road contract

Our latest reader-submitted Photo Gallery has been posted, along with a special year-end gallery, featuring contest winners from throughout 2006. Of course, a new gallery also means the naming of the winner of ourmost recent contest. Take the time to wander through that gallery and see if you agree or disagree with our choice of winners this week. We really enjoyed the shot sent to us by Discovery Channel Team mechanic Vincent Gee, showing the pre-race massing of the caravan before a stage of the 2005 Giro d’Italia. If you ever operated under the illusion that ours is a low-impact sport,

The end of the year always provides us with the opportunity to lookback over the past season and choose those people and events that standout in our own minds. What follows is more of what we, as editors of VeloNews,saw as the highlights of the mountain-bike scene in 2006. See if you agreeand take the time to read our complete 2006 awards in the latest issueof VeloNews.DOWNHILL POWER COUPLEHe won the NMBS downhill title, grabbed two rounds of the UCI WorldCup and finished second in the overall series. She barely finished secondin the NMBS and World Cup overall rankings, despite winning two

Earlier Galleries:December 26, 2006December 18, 2006December 11, 2006December 4, 2006November 27, 2006November 20, 2006November 13, 2006October 30, 2006October 16, 2006 October 3, 2006September 20, 2006August 22, 2006August 15, 2006August 7, 2006July 25, 2006July 10, 2006June 20, 2006June 12, 2006June 5, 2006May 30, 2006 Tour de Georgia Photo Contest Winner Tour de Georgia, 2006Sea Otter, 2006April 4, 2006March 27, 2006March 20, 2006March 13, 2006March 6, 2006February 20, 2006February 6, 2006January 30, 2006January 16, 2006January 2, 2006December 26, 2005 December 19, 2005December 12,

Start of stage - Giro 2005

Riding the light

2006 marked the arrival of Chinese riders on the MTB scene

The complete 2006 Awards appear in the latest issue of VeloNews

Perhaps it’s no surprise that Gunn-Rita Dahle-Flesjå and Julien Absalon earned top mountain-bike honors in the VeloNews Awards for the third year running. Both again ruled cross-country racing in 2006. Each won their respective world championships, European championships and World Cup overall titles, seemingly with ease. But is it time to label Dahle-Flesjå and Absalon the most dominating cross-country racers of all time? For now that’s still debatable, but if the riders continue their current trajectory, it will be unquestionable. Cross-country racing has a history laden with eras ruled by

Closing in on Furtado's record

The complete 2006 Awards are in the current issue of VeloNews

Change in the weatherChange in the weatherSomethin’s happening here. — "Change in the Weather," by John Fogerty Like everyone else, we had plans for the holidays. But ours got put on ice. Seriously. Colorado got a stone-cold one-two punch this year — a solid, snowy smack upside the head just before Christmas, followed by an icy uppercut going into New Year’s. No need for a 10-count on this one, ref’, I ain’t getting up. Not until all these freakin’ penguins stop dancing through my head. Normally, I’d be bitching about this (surprise, surprise). Herself and I had intended to drive south to