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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. Forget the jerseys – study the ridersEditor:I offer a friendly tip to all these VeloNews readers who are still wondering who won the Roubaix 'cause everyone's little outfits look so similar: Stop looking at the jersey, people, and pay attention to the rider! George is the big

Initially choking on his words, six-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong dropped the bombshell Monday afternoon that the cycling community has been speculating on for years: that after a bid for an attempt at an unprecedented seventh Tour de France victory, the 2005 Tour will be his last. Flanked by his Discovery Channel team director and longtime advisor Johan Bruyneel at a pre-race press conference for the Dodge Tour de Georgia, Armstrong wasted no time announcing his decision to retire on July 24th, the final day of the 2005 Tour. After sitting down, Armstrong cleared his

In a split decision, a three-member arbitration panel from the American Arbitration Association/North American Court of Arbitration for Sport (AAA/CAS) has ruled that former Phonak star Tyler Hamilton is guilty of homologous doping - transfusing another person’s blood - and ordered the 34-year-old American suspended from competition until April of 2007. The panel handed down the maximum sentence for a first-time doping offense, ordering that Hamilton begin serving that suspension on Monday and forfeit any results earned on or after the date of his positive test, September 11, 2004, the

Ullrich during the third stage of the Circuit de la Sarthe, April 7th.

Armstrong plans to say goodbye to cycling at the end of the '05 Tour.

The end of an era: Armstrong to retire after '05 Tour

Olympic hero or doper? Two-thirds of the review panel votes for the latter.

Olympic gold medalist Tyler Hamilton is expecting an arbitration decision in his blood doping case as soon as Monday, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday. With the decision - and a possible two-year suspension - imminent, Hamilton continued to deny wrongdoing. "I didn't blood dope, that's for sure," he told the newspaper. Hamilton presented his case in late February and early March to hearing conducted by a three-member panel of the North American Court of Arbitration for Sport and the American Arbitration Association. Rumors have abounded for the past seven days, with many

For struggling racers, figuring out the logistics of getting to a far-off start line can be every bit as challenging as the race itself. Travel and accommodations present the two most crucial elements in race planning, and a perceived lack of either can make the difference between a result and “what could have been.” With ridetimes.com, one racer has developed what he hopes will help alleviate this scenario for North American bike racers: a centralized database of host housing and carpooling for events across the country. Kevin Hankens, the founder of ridetimes.com, saw the need for a

On the Cauberg

Rebellin hopes to repeat his 2004 Amstel victory

Ollerenshaw and the Health Net boys were in good shape up front . . .

. . . until they got the word that Stevic was on his way up, closing a six-minute gap all by himself

That meant it wouldn't be Fraser's day

Instead, Ollerenshaw attacked the break, and got the stage and the overall

Wherry, meanwhile - GC leader going into the stage - may have suffered from a bit of course confusion

Gaggioli has a go with an early break in the women's race

But once Teutenberg caught and passed the break, Pic and Thorburn launched a chase of their own

But the day would go to Armstrong, who hit the climb fresh and ready to rock

Boogerd launches his attack on the Cauberg

Thick as pea soup...

Freire

Moreau and Thijs kept up the effort for nearly 200km

Etxebarria on the attack

I was in my office on Boulder Wednesday afternoon wondering what I was going to write about this week when the phone rang. “Art Valencia here,” said the Spanish-accented voice on the other end of the line. “Do you remember me?” “Of course,” I replied, “Tour of Baja.” I met Art in the early 1980s at the sorely missed Tour of Baja in Mexico. Art was the promoter of the weeklong event (and its main benefactor) for seven years. So, yes, I remember Art. He’s now 68 and retired, but still enjoying the many bikes that always hung in the garage of his suburban home near San Diego. “I’m still

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. The Outdoor Life Network will carry live coverage of Lance Armstrong's April 18 press conference at approximately 3 p.m. Eastern time, following OLN’s live coverage of the 2005 Boston Marathon. As to just what Armstrong plans to announce, speculation has ranged from his

At 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, German Michael Rich has made an improbable career as a time trialist. Dating back to his participation in Germany’s Olympic gold-medal-winning team time trial squad at the Barcelona Games in 1992, the 35-year-old Gerolsteiner rider has missed out on the world champion’s rainbow jersey five times – three times in the individual time trial, and twice when it was contested as a team event. On the eve of Paris-Roubaix, I sat down with Rich to ask him his thoughts on Roubaix, the controversial finish at the recent Ghent-Wevelgem and about his unusual preparation for

It’s the toughest job in sports—riding for Lance Armstrong in pursuit of a Tour de France victory. But as Michael Barry demonstrates, it is also the most rewarding.A member of the U.S. Postal team from 2002 to 2004, Michael rode in support of Lance Armstrong, Roberto Heras, and George Hincapie, among others. Now he opens the door to reveal what life on the U.S. Postal bus was really like. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to meet Michael and purchase "Inside the Postal Bus" at the event. Michael will sign books on Sunday, April 24, at the Roswell Bicycles expo booth immediately following the

From the May 25, 1979 issue of Velo-news: Bob Cook, John Howard and Jonathan Boyer race at La Vuelta de Bisbee

Michael Rich

Serbia's Stevic puts the hammer down

Pic shoots ...

... and scores

Fraser was left behind with four to go

Health Net's attack surprised Clinger

Not the weather we've become accustomed to at Sea Otter

Armstrong shadowed by Webcor

Wherry on the climb . . .

. . . and getting seriously aero on the descent

David Clinger

It’s Wednesday, the day before the start of the 2005 Sea Otter Classic, and the Laguna Seca start area is already jammed with intricately decaled tents, trailers, trucks, team cars, vans and Winnebagos. Anything and everything that can possibly display a sponsorship logo is here, shining in the California spring sun. But this annual conglomeration of corporate garb is what helps make the Sea Otter the premier bike festival in North America. Tens of thousands of spectators don’t just come to watch the races. It’s time to gawk at new product and to do a bit of shopping, too. Teams and

Dear readers,This week’s column offers a slightly different perspective on a problem described in last week’s (See “LegallySpeaking - with Bob Mionske: Bad Shipping News: Part 1”). While the circumstances may appear to be similar and some of the same case law applies to both situations, the details are not exactly the same and hence my reason for doing two columns on troubles with shipping.BobDear Bob,I brought a road bike in to a local bike shop and asked them to box up and ship my bike via FedEx. I specifically asked for insurance, as I had done before when I had them do the same thing. I

Seattle (AP) - It was supposed to be a grand affair: 900 athletes from nine nations competing in nine sports, including cycling. But just two months before the Pacific Rim Sports Summit was scheduled to take place June 7-12, the event was canceled Thursday, apparently over a lack of funding and a lack of sports. The Colorado-based U.S. Olympic Committee said it received word from the Seattle organizing group, led by former Goodwill Games organizer Bob Walsh, that it was pulling the plug. The Seattle Times had reported in Thursday editions that governing officials with two of the four

Apparently, UCI president Hein Verbruggen and the Giro's Carmine Castellano aren't hearing each other.

Lunch is served.... or will be, starting Thursday

Support vehicle for the support vehicles

Our own shameless commercial plug...

Packing into Laguna Seca: Sea Otter's ready to roll

Packing into Laguna Seca: Sea Otter's ready to roll

Wherry

Teutenberg took second

Quark's Tina Pic takes fourth

Fraser focuses on the task at hand

The United States Anti-Doping Agency announced Wednesday that an independentthree-member arbitration panel from the Court of Arbitration for Sport(CAS) has handed down a two-year suspension to former Jelly Belly riderAdam Bergman after he tested positive for EPO more than a year ago.The 24-year-old Bergman tested positive for recombinant human erythropoietin(r-EPO) during an out-of-competition test conducted by USADA on April 6,2004, in advance of the 2004 Tour de Georgia.Natural erythropoietin is produced by the kidneys and, like synthenticr-EPO, stimulates the production of red blood cells,

Klöden

Bergman gets two-year suspension

Lance Armstrong is set to drop a bombshell on the cycling world in a press conference before the start of the Tour de Georgia. Or is he? According to hints to the French press last month, the six-time Tour de France champ coyly suggested the Euro media might want to show up in Georgia on April 18 to get the real story. Ever since Armstrong took his time before committing to racing in this year’s Tour, any hint of retirement sends the cycling press spinning into a speculating frenzy. Especially in Europe, where cycling is one of the major sports and platoons of journalists cover the sport

The team start list for the third annual Dodge Tour de Georgia reminds me of the guest list for a trendy Hollywood club on a Friday night. In are the superstars, hometown heroes, good-looking up-and-comers, more Euro-trash than a Kraftwerk concert and a few darn lucky regular Joes. Who's out? The somewhat jaded schmoes of the domestic peloton. Now, being kept out of a club is an easy enough concept to grasp – it’s usually explained by a beastly man with forearms as big as your thigh. But being shot down by the Georgia crew is a tad more on the subtle side. Take the Webcor Builders

Boonen Storms Roubaix on HutchinsonApril 11, 2005—Boulder, CO— It’s hard to find a more demandingtest of both rider and equipment than the brutal Paris-Roubaix.  After258km and 26 sections of cobbles Tom Boonen out sprinted George Hincapieto win the 103rd addition of this great spring classic and in doing sobecame only the 9th rider in history to pull the Tour of Flanders/Paris-Roubaixdouble, all on Hutchinson tires.In a race that is often decided by untimely punctures, last year beinga perfect example when Johan Museeuw’s late race flat tire crippled hischances at a record fourth

He’s getting closer. Discovery’s George Hincapie has always ridden well in the classics. Wins at Ghent-Wevelgem, Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne and consistently strong performances in the “Queen of the Classics,” Paris-Roubaix, underscore the fact that the man from New York is well-suited to riding on rough and slippery roads in northern Europe in the spring. Nonetheless, it’s that top spot at Roubaix and its hefty cobblestone trophy that have eluded Hincapie since he first rode the Hell of the North in 1995. This year, he got closer than ever, finishing in the velodrome at Roubaix right behind the

Sparta Cycling Announces 2005 Tour of ConnecticutCyclosportif Ride Added to Three Day Event Waterbury, Connecticut - The Northwest Connecticut Conventionand Visitors Bureau and event organizer Sparta Cycling of New York Cityis pleased to announce the 2005 Tour of Connecticut professional cyclingrace, from 20-22 May. The 2005 Tour of Connecticut features stops in NewHaven, Waterbury and Torrington, and the televised three-day stage racewill be featured on OUTDOOR LIFE NETWORKS’s Cyclysm Sunday bicycle raceTV series. The 2005 Tour of Connecticut will also be broadcast locallyon

Hamilton at the '04 Vuelta

Focused: Hincapie negotiates the Arenberg forest in 2001

Those last 150 meters: Boonen was just too strong.

One step to go...

"Cycling in the News" is a regular service of VeloNews.com. Readers,reporters and friends are encouraged to send links to current stories aboutcompetitive cyclists and cycling that appear in the mainstream media. Ifyou come across a news item that you believe may be of interest to otherVeloNews readers, we would be grateful if you choose to send it to Rosters@InsideInc.com.Easylistening - with George WThe Scotsman - Glasgow - April 11, 2005By Victoria Ward, PA, in New YorkWhen it comes to the latest trends, US President George Bush knowshow to keep up with the kids – but what exactly does the

Top Pro Cyclists Take the Stage at Specialized Morgan Hill Grand Prix       Amateur and Family Events CompleteFamous Race Revival Morgan Hill, Calif.-Specialized Bicycles, one of the pioneeringcompanies of the Mountain Bike, recently hosted a crowd of 1,000 spectatorsand entrants in its hometown for a warm Sunday filled with cycling entertainment.Some of the strongest pro cyclists and teams were breaking the speed limitsof downtown Morgan Hill as men and women riders were rounding the 1.2-milecourse at more than 35 mph in the revival of the once-famous

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.Where’s Mike Creed?Editor:What's up with Mike Creed? He hasn't started any races since Langkawi, and is not even on the roster for Georgia. Is he still with Discovery? Injured? Doghouse? He had some promising results last year, rode well in support at Georgia last year and

Well, we’re embarrassed. Many of you keeping track of Sunday’s live coverage of Paris-Roubaix were left without access to updates for what turned into an exciting finish. We apologize for those we left hanging. The dog didn’t eat our homework and our editorial crew didn’t step out for coffee… but we do have an explanation. Near the end of the race our servers crashed, rendering our coverage non-existent. Like you, we were frustrated, even angry at times, but we have since had a chance to trace the problem, address it and make certain that it doesn’t happen again. It was a software issue and

For every high in bike racing, like George Hincapie’s first podium at Paris-Roubaix, it seems there’s an equivalent low. Just ask Hincapie’s Discovery Channel teammate Mike Creed, who’s back in the States for a medical checkup after suffering through an extended bout of fatigue. After wrapping up the January 28-February 6 Tour of Langkawi in Malaysia, where he finished 37th overall, the young pro returned to his home in Girona, Spain, rested up for a couple of weeks and then resumed training. “Training was going good,” he said during a phone chat with VeloNews from his old hometown of

Boonen got the cobble and a new jersey on Sunday.

Michaelsen drives the break.

Boonen gets another of the greats

Hincapie wants that top step

The day's early escape

Hincapie and Boonen driving the day's winning break.