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Asthmatic child, or future Tour winner and notorious dope fiend?

Border guard: Your papers, please!Hippie: Sorry, man, all I got is a pipe.—A Child’s Garden of Grass I’ve heard it said that the French love Jerry Lewis movies. But anti-doping chief Pierre Bordry must be a Cheech and Chong fan, because he seems to be modeling his pursuit of cycling cheats on the work of Sgt. Stedenko. If salbutamol could put a wanker on a Tour podium, I’d have won eight or nine of the damn’ things by now because I’ve been an asthmatic since childhood. Alas, my various inhalers failed to land me a berth on the U.S. Olympic swimming team back in the Seventies, and a pro

Dear Bob,I am getting ready for the new season of racing and am planning out my training schedule in preparation for the spring races. My teammateand I want to work on our leg speed and plan to motor-pace behind my car.Can I get a ticket for pacing him like this?Peter S.Eugene, OregonDear Peter,I do not recommend that you motor-pace your friend. But if youinsist, I offer the possible legal ramifications as well as some basicpacing advice. This is the classic "do as I say, not as I do" lecture.In fact, when I was racing and training, I wasn't even smart enough tolimit my motor-pacing to

Spaniard Oscar Pereiro (Caisse d’Epargne), who finished second to Floyd Landis in the 2006 Tour de France, twice tested positive for the banned substance salbutamol during the race, French newspaper Le Monde alleged Thursday on its website. Salbutamol, a substance often prescribed for asthmatics, was discovered in Pereiro's urine samples after the 14th and 16th stages, the newspaper alleged. Landis also tested positive, for a skewed testosterone-epitestosterone level, following Stage 17. Pereiro defended himself in an interview with Radio Cadena Ser in Spain, saying he used Ventolin— an

Teamwork! Caethoven grabs the win, with a little help from his friends.

O'Grady earned the title of most aggressive rider on Thursday's stage

Summertime racing in Oz.

The winning break... with four men from Chocolade Jacques in the mix.

Another day in ochre for Menzies

Clarke and Gonzalo worked hard to join up with O'Grady

For a short time, this appeared to be a winning combination.

Pereiro in the 2006 Tour, after taking the yellow jersey from Landis on Stage 13

Hushovd ended his 2006 Tour the way he began it - with a win

Cooke dons the green at the finale of the 2003 Tour

Menzies relishes his win.

The attacks shattered the lead group with less than 10km to go.

American Cycling Association PresentsA NIGHT OF CYCLING GREATS - PAST TO PRESENTA fundraiser for American Cycling Association - Tom DanielsonJunior Cup SeriesDATE: January 17, 2007 6:30PM  Join Tom for an event to raise money and awareness for the new "TomDanielson ACA Junior Cup Series" in Boulder, Colorado. This is a new programwhich includes a series of races throughout the state. There are over tenraces in the series and each junior participant can accumulate points tocompete for the title of Junior Cup Champion at the end of the season.There are five age groups of both girls

A fund-raiser for the Tom Danielson Junior Cup Series is scheduled tonight at the Boulder Theater in Boulder, Colorado. Among the cycling luminaries scheduled to appear during "A Night of Cycling Greats, Past to Present" are Tom Danielson, Ned Overend, Andy Hampsten, Ron Kiefel, Alexi Grewal, Connie Carpenter, Michael Aisner and Dave Towle. The event, which starts at 6:30 p.m., will include a silent auction featuring race memorabilia, clothing and equipment. Aisner will provide rare footage from the Coors Classic and talk with the retired pros about their experiences racing in America and

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,

With the big squads represented in the break, the main field settled in for an easy ride.

... but it was this combination that worked.

McCauley and crew made an early dig...

O'Grady was hoping for another TDU win, but at 26 minutes back, this year's race is now just for training.

LOS ANGELES, January 16, 2007 – Joining previously announced DiscoveryChannel Pro Cycling Team, Team CSC, Predictor-Lotto and Health Net ProCycling Team, 14 additional teams, including U.S. teams Toyota-United ProCycling Team, Jelly Belly Cycling Team and Colavita/Sutter Home Presentedby Cooking Light Team, have been confirmed for the 2007 Amgen Tour of Californiaby AEG, promoter and operator of the professional cycling race.  The650-mile, eight-day stage race, modeled after the Tour de France, willfeature 18 of the world’s top professional teams racing from San Franciscoto Long Beach

Renshaw surprised even himself with the win.

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

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

Hillsboro USGP

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

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?

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.

. 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.

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

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.

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

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]

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

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.