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Despite a few early crashes, Saturday's race was generally a smooth affair.

Grabovskyy gives chase...

... and it pays off.

Irishman Pat McQuaid was elected the new president of cycling's world governing body at the 174th congress of the UCI at the world road race championships in Madrid on Friday. McQuaid, 56, replaces 64-year-old Dutchman Hein Verbruggen, who has been world cycling's chief for the past 14 years but was nominated an honorary life-long president. Four candidates were originally scheduled to stand for election, although Malaysian Darshan Singh withdrew his candidacy during his 10-minute presentation. Spaniard Gregorio Moreno, supported by the Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC), was

PRESS RELEASE - Phonak forges new talentsThe Swiss UCI ProTour team signs on additional future hopefulsThe team's commitment towards the future couldn't be any clearer: After already having signed on two young pros for the new season, Florian Stalder (23 years old/SWI) and Fernandez Oliveira (25 years old/ESP), ARcycling AG is now giving three more young riders the opportunity to distinguish themselves on one of the world's best cycling teams. The latest recruits for the 2006 squad are David Vitoria (21 years old/SWI), Jonathan Patrick McCarty (23 years old/USA) and Ryder Hesjedal

The Italians have a great word for athletes who have intrinsic ability that allows them to be instant winners: fuoriclasse, literally “of superlative quality.” The French describe these competitors as surdoué, or “exceptionally gifted.” The closest we can come to that in a single English word is probably Superman — but that implies something supernatural. Fuoriclasse means much more than being gifted. In cycling, it is someone who has a slow pulse, large lungs, perfectly proportioned limbs, lean muscles, and, above all, the brain and mindset to utilize all those attributes to win the world’s

Hein Verbruggen (l) congratulates the UCI's new president Pat McQuaid.

A year before his world title, LeMond was already scoring big wins

Three's a charm

The top of the podium...

Julich: Not happy with this ride

... and the legs that put them there.

Wiggins set an early standard

Those Marco Pinotti fans are smart dressers.

Plaza couldn't repeat his Vuelta TT win

When the Athens, Georgia-based Jittery Joe’s pro cycling team (www.thebeanteam.com) first announced its intention to fund itself through the sales of coffee four years ago, perhaps no one would have believed one of its riders would topple Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong on one of the steepest climbs of the hardest stage race in the U.S. Even fewer would have thought that one of the team’s youngest riders would be recruited to ride for Armstrong’s team. But, as Colombian Cesar Grajales proved in 2003 on the Dodge Tour de Georgia’s tough Brasstown Bald Mountain — and Aussie Trent

Madrid- Tour de France chief Patrice Clerc, the president of the company which owns the world's biggest bike race, said he is alarmed by the current state of cycling only a day before the sport elects a new president. On Friday, International Cycling Union (UCI) president Hein Verbruggen is likely to be replaced by his handpicked successor, Irishman Pat McQuaid. The election is being held, however, under a cloud following suggestions from several UCI members that the UCI has not been transparent and, some have claimed, corrupt - charges that have been vehemently denied by the

Gutierrez had dreams of a rainbow jersey... until the last rider crossed the line

Vancouver, British Columbia (AP) - World Anti-Doping Agency head Dick Pound called a letter from two sports leaders ''ill informed'' in which they asked WADA to suspend the French laboratory involved in Lance Armstrong's disputed drug tests. The letter also asked for an investigation into who leaked information regarding documents leading to a report that Armstrong used banned substances during the 1999 Tour de France. The seven-time Tour de France winner has denied using banned drugs and said he is the victim of a "witch hunt." Denis Oswald, president of the Association

Full time director sportif and amateur chiropractor, Bjarne Riis makes a couple of last-minute adjustments to Bobby Julich.

Cesar Grajales on the attack

Bobby J contemplates the start

The coffee is back for a decade. Are the Minis?

Julich was on track for what he thought would be a good ride....

Have another cup

... but maybe the long season has taken its toll.

McEwen already knows the pose. Now he wants the jersey

Eki' is back on the bike

Johnson is moving on to HealthNet in '06

Some had pegged Vino' for the win...

Trent Lowe and Jittery Joes made an impression at Georgia

.... but these guys knew better.

Johnson on Brasstown...

Rogers was on-form...

Buy some Java and you, too, can sponsor a team

... and well ahead of schedule when he crossed the line.

Rogers knew he had it when he crossed the line

Familiar territory for the TT man from Oz

Armstrong set an early standard.

Neben was one second off of Arndt's fourth-place

A conversation with Tyler Farrar: Looking to the future

Two days before the election of a new UCI president, the International Olympic Committee has rejected has rejected complaints lodged by several UCI critics against its outgoing president Hein Verbruggen. The IOC's Ethics Commission, according to a UCI press release, rejected complaints by Sylvia Schenk, the former head of the German cycling federation (BDR), Malaysian Darshan Singh and the Spanish cycling federation over Verbruggen. Dark clouds have been hanging over the UCI and the upcoming election for a number of weeks over allegations of favoritism, a lack of transparency and even

Thürig catches and passes Lithuania's Edita Pucinskaite on her way to a gold medal

Repeat!

After returning home from assignment, I always find myself with a camera full of oddball Kodak moments documenting mischief, shenanigans and even a bit of racing. Usually, these images are a tad too fuzzy or just downright bizarre to be included with a race report, and they end up as unused electronic blips polluting the bowels of my hard drive. Such was the case after the 2005 national mountain bike championships, held September 15-18 at Mammoth Mountain, California. It seemed that after seven months of continued racing, the fat tire crowd was more than willing to silly themselves up.

“Brilliant theory Copernicus! Carl Decker lectures on the finer points of shammy butter.

There is no such thing as a sure thing in cycling, but for more than a decade Costa Rica’s La Ruta de los Conquistadores mountain bike race has been pretty close. In each of the event’s 12 renditions the men’s victor in the three-day trek from the Pacific Ocean across the mountainous Central American country to the Atlantic has been won by one of the local boys. But this year, with the race’s 13th running set to commence in the ocean side town of Punta Leona on November 11, that could all change. Among the non-Ticos signed up this year are former world junior cross-country champion Walker

Is that Willow Koerber? Subaru-GF manager John Rourke does a Dee Snyder impression

Riding for Italy, Lombardi will nonetheless be on home turf in Madrid

The splendor of La Ruta

Marla Streb looks tough with that huge newly earned single speed world champion’s tattoo.

Tinker takes on the locals

Here birdy! Trek-Volkswagen’s Jeremiah Bishop almost became a nine-digit man this weekend.

No shortage of obstacles

The usual cross-country fans showed up.

An aid station at La Ruta

Rich Houseman charged hard in the mountain cross.

It's a different kind of mountain bike race

Big Neddy’s still got it. Overend podiumed in the men’s cross-country.

Bridge crossing on day 3

Clearing out the passages

There's lots -- and lots -- of climbing

Alison and Shonny displayed tan lines before the cross-country.

The race is one of Costa Rica's biggest sporting events.

Maxxis honch Eric Wallace wowed the audience with an oratory on proper mutton-chop grooming.

Technical Q&A with Lennard Zinn - A hard lesson; A raffle; Is an hour an hour?

“Jungle Jay” Henry gave props to marathon winner Travis Brown.

Technical Q&A with Lennard Zinn - A hard lesson; A raffle; Is an hour an hour?

Alison Dunlap choked back tears at the short track starting line.

Technical Q&A with Lennard Zinn - A hard lesson; A raffle; Is an hour an hour?

Dara Marks-Marino masters oral hygiene.

After smoking it in the DH, Cody Warren was mobbed by his clan.

The fastest guns of the annual industry cup race

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.One-man show in evidence at Barclays GPEditor:I can confirm letter writer Noah Byrd's observation that to the majority of the American public and, I say, even to the industry, that cycling is a one-man show. I went to the inaugural San Francisco Grand Prix bicycle race (and to all

Cyclocrossworld.com Joins Team at Crank Brothers U.S. Gran Prix of CyclocrossCyclocrossworld.com, the world’s leading supplier of cyclocross specialtyequipment, has joined the Crank Brothers U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross teamfor the 2005 season. Established in 1999 by Stu Thorne, Cyclocrossworld.comhas grown into the go-to source for ‘cross racers looking to outfit themselvesand their bikes for the fall season.“Cyclocross World is glad to be a part of the USGP this season,” saidThorne, from Cyclocrossworld.com world headquarters in Wenham, MA. “Weshifted our sponsorship priorities this year

Interactive brand directorSports publisher seeks an Interactive Brand Director to manage itshigh-profile Web sites and interactive businesses. The successful candidateshould have experience in creating interactive media concepts, managingmultiple interactive projects, e-commerce, budget development and implementationspecifically geared toward controlling costs and optimizing profitabilitywithin the brands. The candidate will be able to successfully explore andimplement new technologies, markets, and other growth opportunities forInternet related businesses. The candidate will direct and

Cycling's governing body, on Monday, denied that its president supplied a French sports newspaper with documents used to accuse Lance Armstrong of doping at the 1999 Tour de France. The Union Cycliste Internationale also said Monday that World Anti-Doping Agency chief Dick Pound was blocking its investigation by withholding information. UCI said Pound must be held accountable and “conduct of this type will not be tolerated.” Pound said last week he received a letter from UCI president Hein Verbruggen saying he had provided L’Equipe with forms indicating Armstrong had tested positive for