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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

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.

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

Hincapie took the trophy in 2004

The final stage in 2004

Score one for the Mullet Man

Armstrong seems healthy again.

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.How about a tech piece on track gear?Editor:In some of the articles about track world’s there are comments about gear selection; some bigger, some smaller. It would be interesting to know what gearing is being used in the various events by some of the participants. A technical article

On March 4, the eve of the 2005 NORBA opener in Boerne, Texas, a handfulof USA Cycling members and team managers gathered for a powwow – the customarypre-race meeting to discuss any new regulations or course changes thatneeded addressing.The only reporter in attendance, I rolled in about half an hour late,and the meeting was already in full debate mode. The topic of choice: USACycling’s recent decision to allowing for outside mechanical assistanceduring races – thus negating the age-old NORBA rule barring any sort ofmechanical assistance.Everyone in the room appeared to have an opinion, a

Carney takes a gamble

Jens Voigt finishes second.

Carney on his own, getting encouragement from Danny Van Haute

American Levi Leipheimer

Rusmussen had a perfect race

Julich wins CI for the second time in his career

Dekker scrambles ahead for the win

A grey day in the Ardennes

Freire makes it look easy.

Dekker's teammate Michael Boogered tries to bridge

Britain's Rob Hayles on his way to victory in the Madison

The escape

The U.S. now boasts one of the world's best track venues.

Jakshe set the pace for much of the day

Pearce took a shot, but the Americans dropped the ball.

After winning Paris-Nice, Julich was a favorite

The British team of Hayles and Cavendish went on to win

Still favored in the TT, Julich may face a fight from Dekker

Mickaël Bourgain and Grégory Baugé in the semi's

T-Mobile tries to chase... but it's a little too late.

Bourgain meets Wolff in the final

Phonak's Floyd Landis encounters a bit of trouble early in the day

Wolff takes the win

UCI president Hein Verbruggen has launched a scathing attack on World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) president Dick Pound over the extent to which they both perceive the problem of doping in cycling.And Verbruggen, also an International Olympic Committee (IOC) member, conceded that the UCI has taken to issuing "red card" warnings to cyclists whose blood test results appear suspect.Officials have confirmed, for example, that the governing body sentat least two warning letters to the Phonak team regarding suspicious testresults from Tyler Hamilton and other riders last spring.Pound has in the past

Dekker has the jersey... for the first half of the day at least

In 6th, Reed becomes the top U.S. finisher at world's

The British pursuit squad: Silver no more

Julich vaulted past the surprising Dekker on GC

Quinn started as one of the U.S.'s top hopes for a medal

Vicky Pendleton came out of nowhere to take gold in the sprint

Dekker showed great form in the yellow jersey, but lost 11 seconds to Julich.

This time it's gold for Mactier

Kurt-Asle Arvesen takes third in the TT

Finot has a go ...

... and collects some company

Levi enjoys a day in the saddle

And why not? It was beautiful in the Ardennes

There's art (here) and real life (click the image), and Fraser and Farrar can handle both

I want to start this week’s column off by saying thanks to Health Net-Maxxis riders Gord Fraser and Tyler Farrar. Since the pair of sprinters appeared on the cover of our domestic road season preview, both are having a great start to the season, taking multiple wins and making us editors here at VeloNews look like we know what we’re talking about. Resplendent in the Canadian national champion’s jersey, Fraser has won three races this year, one each at the McLane Pacific in Merced, the Central Valley Classic in Fresno and the San Dimas Stage Race in, well, San Dimas. Farrar has won twice,

Stahl's collarbone-popping crash

Teun Mulder celebrates a first-ever Dutch win in the keirin...

Mactier qualified fastest in the women's individual pursuit

... while Teammate Bos takes the kilo

Bos was the man in sprint qualifying

Jobie Dajka tried to put on the brakes in the kierin, but too late. He goes down and takes out Tournant.

Mirabella was feeling the effects of Friday's racing

Mulder gets the win.

Massie was having an off day, too

Mirabella

The Brits rocked the team pursuit . . .

Bartko still has it

. . . the Netherlands were right behind them

AEG president and CEO Tim Leiweke

USA Cycling CEO Gerard Bisceglia

Galvez takes the win ...

... and the leader's jersey