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Nike: The 10//2 Lance Armstrong CollectionYou may have heard of 10//2.  What is 10//2?“October 2, 1996.  The day it all changed.  The dayI started never to take anything for granted.  The day I learned totake charge of my life.  It was the day I was diagnosed with cancer.”  -Lance ArmstrongOne day. Everyone has one. The day that changed their life. For Lance Armstrongthat one day was October 2nd - 10/2 – the day he was diagnosed with cancer.That day he became a patient and started becoming a survivor. For Lance,10/2 is carpe diem day, a day to overcome adversity and reaffirm life.Nike’s 10//2

Contrary to reports of its early demise, the UCI’s grand experiment, the new ProTour seems to be catching on. Despite the continuing howls of protest from Tour de France organizer ASO and the other grand tours, it seems everyone else in the cycling world is taking the ProTour format to heart. It’s still too early for a complete appraisal on the UCI’s re-jigging of the racing calendar, but the early verdict suggests the series has promise to live up to its billing. Look no further than Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico, two early season races that typically were little more than race-speed

It’s midway through Sunday’s 142km Sunset Road Race –the final stage of the 2005 Redlands Bicycle Classic –and Jelly Belly’s star sprinter Alex Candelario is watching the line of racers stream by from his perch in the feed zone. There are plenty of other racers in the vicinity. Most of them are still clad in their team kits after abandoning the race, which today was set at a breakneck pace early on. Candelario wishes he could have the good fortune to abandon the race on his own terms, but, as the sling around his left arm shows, his premature abandonment came for other reasons. On lap

Top Road Teams Sign On To Race At Morgan HillAmateur and Family Events Round Out Day of Sporting EntertainmentMorgan Hill, Calif.-Specialized Bicycles, one of the pioneeringcompanies of the Mountain Bike, is expanding the growth and accessibilityof cycling in the Bay area with the revival of a once-famous bicycle racingevent in the company's hometown. The Specialized Morgan Hill Grand Prixis expected to attract over 1,000 spectators and 400 entrants on Sunday,April 10, 2005, to witness a feast of top national and international cyclistscompeting on an exhilarating 1.2 mile downtown

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. Our April 1 story about “a chance encounter at an airport, a heated exchange of words and hastily issued challenge” that led to WADA’s Dick Pound replacing Hein Verbruggen as chief of the UCI caught a few readers unaware (see the first letter in today’s mailbag). But more than a few

More than a frickin' jersey: At País Vasco you get a cool hat, too.

Fraser throws in a big effort.

Pate gives it a go.

Colavita comes to the front for...

... another Haedo win.

Beutler leads the break

The day's first break formed at 21km

If it comes down to a sprint, who else would take it?

Zabel was aggressive for much of the day

Ballan tried to go off on his own at 50km to go, but was eventually joined by five others, making up the day's winning break.

The winning combination

Big, big crowds on a sunny spring day

Hincapie on the Grammont

Armstrong put in a big effort after the Boonen group got away, but the hills eventually took their toll.

Boonen's gamble with an early attack paid off

Boonen was thrilled... Van Petegem loooked a bit shocked

Wherry in yellow.

Health Net worked to protect Wherry's jersey

Health Net was out front most of the day . . .

. . . in defense of Chris Wherry's lead

Brice Jones (Jelly Belly) had a go, and hung on for third

But the win went to Juan Jose Haedo (Colavita)

Lance Armstrong is seeking at least $125,000 from a former personal assistant who contends he found a banned substance in the cycling champion's apartment last year. In court documents filed Friday in Austin, Texas, Armstrong called Mike Anderson's claim "below the level of tabloid journalism." Armstrong, in Europe preparing for a bid at a seventh straight Tour de France title, has maintained he does not take illegal drugs. The cancer survivor frequently notes he is one of the most drug-tested athletes in the world. Armstrong asked a judge for the monetary award for legal fees,

Ina Yoko Teutenberg (T-Mobile) takes the women's race

Andrea Ratkovic (The Bicycle Store) crossed second

All in a bunch

Some days are better than others

Colavita comes to the front with five to go

Beutler heads for the hills

Wherry and Moninger couldn't hold Lowe back

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - With speculation building that Lance Armstrong will retire, the six-time Tour de France champion finds himself facing yet another doping allegation. On Thursday, attorneys for Armstrong denied allegations made by a former personal assistant that he found a steroid in Armstrong's Spanish apartment early last year. “It's a shakedown and it has been from the very beginning,” Armstrong's attorney, Timothy Herman, said. Mike Anderson, who worked for Armstrong for about two years, has been in a legal fight with the cycling great over alleged promises Armstrong

The young Aussie soloed to the win

You will eat, bye and bye,When you've learned how to cook and to fry;Chop some wood, 'twill do you goodAnd you'll eat in the sweet bye and bye (that's no lie).- from “The Preacher and the Slave,” by Joe Hill The announcement that a Tour of California is planned for 2006 has triggered an interesting discussion in the VeloNews.com mailbag about race promotion, particularly as it pertains to Colorado. I had the great good fortune to live in Colorado when the Coors Classic was still on its wheels, and managed to catch an occasional stage in person. Watching high-gloss

Fraser at the front

A chance encounter at an airport, a heated exchange of words and hastily issued challenge… and the cycling world may never be the same. UCI president Hein Verbruggen on Friday announced plans to resign his post at the end of June – on the eve of the world’s premier cycling event – and hand the reins of the organization over to his arch nemesis, World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) boss Dick Pound. “I think it’s clear that I don’t like the man,” Verbruggen said at a press conference at UCI headquarters in Aigle, Switzerland, on Friday, “but, frankly, this is not about my liking or disliking

Candelaria takes the lead

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.NORBA should provide neutral supportEditor:I personally don't what the big deal is in trying to figure out the appropriate level of support for NORBA racing. The most equitable solution seems clear. Allow neutral support only so that the aspiring independent racer isn't put at a

Kileen on the climb

Armstrong delivers another win for PostalLance Armstrong may be riding for the Discovery Channel now, but the six-time Tour de France winner recently delivered another win for the U.S. Postal Service – with a little assist from the rising price of gasoline. Faced with spiraling costs due to rising energy prices, USPS has been experimenting with mail delivery via bicycle in a few select cities – San Francisco, Denver and Boston – and the savings have been such that the agency is considering expanding the pilot program to other communities. Armstrong’s bike sponsor, Trek, has supplied

On the road again, with Lake Mathews in the background

The buildup for the April 19-24 Dodge Tour de Georgia sure took some interesting turns this week. First, cycling’s biggest star announced that he … okay, well, he didn’t actually make an announcement, but he said he would make an announcement about something important at the Tour de Georgia. Everyone’s buzzing about the possibility that Lance Armstrong will either announce his impending retirement, following the 2005 Tour de France, or, given his recent visit to Italian magistrate Giuseppe Quattrocchi, announce an attempt at a Giro d’Italia-Tour double this year — and then ride off into the

Just a slight hazard at the base of the climb

French Alpe d'Huez resort has the pleasure of inviting you to Alpe d'Huez climb promotional cocktail from 4.30 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. at the TRATTORIA GIRASOLE restaurant, 1430 Pearl Street in Boulder, Colorado on Wednesday April 6th. At this occasion, Jean-Louis LEGER-MATTEI (Alpe d'Huez Tourist Office manager) will show you some videos on the mythic Alpe d'Huez climb where Lance ARMSTRONG and Greg LEMOND wore the yellow jersey of the TOUR DE FRANCE race. Different assets and cycling activities of the Alpe d'Huez resort will be shown and an organized free drawing with

Thorburn has a dig

Positive changes continue to be implemented for USA Cycling’s track program as the national governing body revealed today a qualification process that will be in place for the 2005 USCF Elite National Track Cycling Championships later this year in Carson, Calif. Riders who want to compete on the track for stars and stripes jerseys must qualify for nationals through the 2005 Velodrome Championship Series, a schedule of 17 races to be held at 22 velodromes across the nation. This initiative is a major step toward tying together all of the nation’s facilities and forming a true national

... as do Thorburn and Baldwin

While bike racing in the British Isles was making breakthroughs into continental cycling through the late 1950s and early ’60s, most American road racers were still using fixed-gear track bikes. I recently had an e-mail from VeloNews reader Prosper Bijl who said that when he began road racing in the Washington, D.C., area in 1963, it was on a single-gear track bike with a front brake. It wasn’t until 1966 that the Amateur Bicycle League of America ended the use of fixed-gear bikes in road racing. No wonder riders from North America were slow in making an impact on the world scene. Across the

A souvenir of the good old days

Pound: Anything Hein can do, I can do better

Verbruggen on Friday: Wait until (Pound) gets the reality check

Leipheimer's crossing the pond to go marching through Georgia

Lowe on the ascent

Pic takes ninth at 32 seconds

Wherry and Thorburn tops at Redlands opener

USA CYCLING HIRES GARY WEST AS HEAD TRACK COACHVeteran Enjoyed Success During Career with Australian and JapaneseProgramsColorado Springs, Colo. (March 31, 2005)—In a move expectedto significantly bolster the competitiveness of USA Cycling’s nationaltrack program, the national governing body announced today the additionof distinguished track coach Gary West to its staff.  As head trackcoach for USA Cycling, West hopes to revive a modest program that was onceconsidered one of the strongest in the world.West’s name has become synonymous with success in the internationaltrack cycling arena

He lived the frenetic life of a celebrated sports icon. He died the solitarydeath of a drug-dependent depressive. Marco Pantani’s ending faithfully reflected his star-crossed life andtimes. The quirky, pugnacious Italian climber was frequently alone at theend of punishing mountain stages in cycling’s greatest races, minutes aheadof the opposition. And he was alone again, tragically so, when he diedin the fifthstory room of a hotel called Le Rose in the afternoonof a somber St. Valentine’s Day in February 2004. Outside his window, lifestill bustled in the streets of Rimini, while waves

USA Cycling chief executive officer Gerard Bisceglia confirmed Thursday that he and the organization’s vice president for marketing, Bryan Cook, have “reached a mutual agreement” resulting in Cook’s immediate resignation. Cook’s departure comes less than a year after he was hired, largely on the strength of his business background. Cook had more than 20 years of sales and marketing experience, most recently as associate director of sales and planning for a Kellogg's Corporation division. But Bisceglia said that over the past few months it became apparent that Cook’s background, rich as

Following what could only be described as a disastrous effort at the world track championships last week in Carson, California, it was clear something had to change with the U.S. national team. On Thursday what is being called the first of many changes came, as USA Cycling announced the hiring of Australian Gary West to serve as the program’s new head coach. The 44-year-old West comes to USAC after a four-year stint with the Japanese Cycling Federation, where he helped lead the lightly-touted cycling nation to a team sprint silver at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Prior to his stay in Japan,

The incident that has developed a life of its own.

At age 14, Marco rode his red Vicini racing bike to his very first victory.

Pantani’s hair was still thick when he won the amateurs’ Giro d’Italia at age 22.

Wherry picked the right equipment, too

Thorburn's TT gives the team a boost going into Oak Glen on Friday

Moninger rides into second

Clinger is here in all of his splendor

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.In Monday’s Mailbag, Mike Brunken of Morrison, Colorado, in applauding the announcement of an upcoming Tour of California, posed the question: “How do we get something similar in Colorado?” We thought it was a good one, and passed it along to USA Cycling CEO Gerard Bisceglia and American

My father Joe and I had the great pleasure of visiting South Africa for two weeks in March. What started out as a business trip became an amazing once-in-a-lifetime experience. We not only came face to face with lions, but also saw a cycling-crazed country and took part in a world class Ironman experience. The trip was organized by our friend Stewart Miller, who lives in Johannesburg and has started www.expertonline.co.za, a training web site for South Africa. Stewart contacted us to see if we would conduct some presentations the week of the Cape Argus bike race and the Ironman South

Armstrong: I have something important to say.

Dirk (right) and the crew from www.expertonline.co.za,

The guys from Jittery Joes in South Africa