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Levi Leipheimer is training this week in Mallorca, Spain, where he's lining up for his first of two seasons with Gerolsteiner. The German team was looking for another GC rider to complement Georg Totschnig, and Leipheimer was looking for new challenges after three seasons with Rabobank.Working on the upcoming VeloNews "Road Season Preview," European correspondent Andrew Hood came to Mallorca and spoke with Leipheimer this week as the American pro reflected on his years with Rabobank and what he's hoping for in 2005 and beyond. Part one of the interview is below; check back tomorrow for part

The announcement this week that the proposed 2005 Tour of Texas was being canceled through lack of sponsorship dollars emphasized how difficult it is to put on a major road race in this country. Cycling is not like most American sports, which are stadium-based and charge spectators to come and watch. A road race, particularly a multi-day event, has neither a fixed venue nor guaranteed revenue. Even sports such as triathlon, which also use public roads, have a formula: Charge the competitors an entry fee that can be as high as $400; get a field of a thousand or more triathletes; and use the

Teutenberg's ready to race for T-Mobile

Cipo' is training in South Africa in hopes of a good ride in 2005 with new team Liquigas

Leipheimer rode for Gerolsteiner in 2005 and 2006.

The Tour of Somerville is the oldest race in the United States

Reporters at Le Point wait for police to complete search.

Investigating magistrate Katherine Cornier led the raid on Le Point.

Racing in the 10-12s in Orlando. (No matter what you think, some day, these guys will crush you!)

Leipheimer: Willing to take risks.

Dear Bob,I have a two- part question: first, in general, what is the legality of a group training ride? If I email my friends and say, “Let’s all meet at my place at 6 a.m. for a century ride, I’ll lead,” and someone joins me and gets hit by a car while on my ride, to what degree can I be held legally accountable? Second, what if my group includes a university cycling team with members under 18?C.A.Connecticut Dear C.A.,Your question is very complex. Some of the issues raised have only been addressed in the last year or so, and others vary widely from state to state, making any highly

The USA Cycling Development Foundation has announced the annual Centerof Excellence Awards, and dividing the $20,000 in cash awards areseveral familiar names, including the Arizona based Team Nova, theOrlando Road Club, Team Swift from Santa Rosa, California, Rad Racing out ofWashington State, Rocky Mountain Cycling Education Foundation, NorthernCalifornia High School Racing League and the Seattle based NorthwesternCycling Center. These outstanding local and regional athlete developmentprograms focus on junior and U23 riders with well-organized efforts thatconform to the Center of Excellence

An investigator leaves the offices of Le Point with a seized computer

O'Neill gets another jersey

Wood was favored and did not disappoint

O'Neill had a comfortable margin

George Hincapie negotiates the infamous Arenberg Forest in 2001

With the cobbles of Arenberg, Paris-Roubaix will lose some of its 'charm,' says Bäckstedt

2005 DISCOVERY CHANNEL PRO CYCLING TEAM LED BY LANCE ARMSTRONG MAKESWORLDWIDE DEBUTSilver Spring, Md. – Discovery Communications announced todaythe beginning of a new era in professional cycling with the worldwide unveilingof the 2005 Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team led by six-time Tour deFrance Champion Lance Armstrong.  Following a nine-year sponsorshipagreement with the United States Postal Service, the only American professionalcycling team ever to win the Tour de France begins its new global partnershipwith Discovery Communications.“Today marks the beginning of a special

Phat Cycles, Inc. Pledges Percentage of Tsunami Model Cycle Sales ToWorld Vision Relief Efforts In Southeast Asia Seattle, WA – Phat Cycles, Inc., Fountain Valley, CA, a designerand distributor of stylized beach cruiser and chopper bicycles includingits 2004 Tsunami model, has partnered with World Vision to support itsrelief efforts in the countries affected by the recent tsunami tragedy.  Phat Cycles will donate $20 of the purchase price of each Tsunami modelbicycle sold through June 30, to World Vision. "Originally introduced in 2004, our Tsunami model bike was just

JANUARY 10, 2005 -- BRITISH COLUMBIA, Canada (BRAIN)--Some 80,000Adams Trail-a-Bike or Adams Slipstream bicycle attachments are being recalledby Norco Products. The product resembles a children's bicycle without afront wheel and has an elongated top tube that stretches to attach to theseat post of an adult bicycle, creating a tandem. The universal hitch assemblyhardware may come loose causing the unit to separate from the lead bicycle,which could lead to a serious injury or death to the rider of the bicycleattachment.Norco has received two hardware failure reports with one minor

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. (January, 2005)—USA Cycling announcedtoday the competition schedule for the 2005 Park City Cycling Festivalpresented by USA Cycling.Scheduled for June 20-July2, the opening week of the 13-day cyclingextravaganza features elite, U23 and junior events before yielding to themaster categories in week two.After a successful inaugural year that saw 1866 competitors and nearly2400 race entries, the 2005 festival has expanded to invite the nation’sbest men’s and women’s elite riders to Park city in an effort to unifyall levels of competitive cycling as they compete for

Filippo Pozzato, Nick Nuyens, Rik Verbgrugghe, Michael Rogers, Tom Boonen, Paolo Bettini (front)

Technical Q&A with Lennard Zinn - Can I soften that ride?

Liggett to host TIAA-CREF/5280 dinner in Denver

Hincapie is back for another season

Liggett to host TIAA-CREF/5280 dinner in Denver

Liggett to host TIAA-CREF/5280 dinner in Denver

Liggett to host TIAA-CREF/5280 dinner in Denver

Liggett to host TIAA-CREF/5280 dinner in Denver

Liggett to host TIAA-CREF/5280 dinner in Denver

Liggett to host TIAA-CREF/5280 dinner in Denver

Noble won the men's overall

The Outdoor Life Network’s Phil Liggett will be joining former pros Jonathan Vaughters and Frankie Andreu, at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, February 15, in Denver, Colorado, to help launch Vaughters' two 2005 development teams, Team TIAA-CREF and Team 5280. Liggett will be hosting a small group of sponsors, supporters and other attendees at a fundraising dinner at Denver’s legendary Adega restaurant. Proceeds from the evening will be donated to the American Red Cross Emergency for its emergency relief work for survivors of the devastating December 26 tsunami. Space is very limited with only 50 seats

Wong took the women's crown

Six-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong said Monday that he will make up his mind whether he competes in this year's renewal at the end of April. Speaking at the unveiling of the new Discovery Channel cycling team in Silver Spring, Maryland, the 33-year-old Armstrong added that under the terms of hiscontract with his new sponsor he would have to take part in either this year's race or the one in 2006. "The deal was I was going to do the Tour in 2005 or 2006," said theTexan. Armstrong will race in the one-day Spring Classics in April before makingup his mind. "That would be a good

A new kit. Will Armstrong have a new schedule, too?

Hackettstown, NJ - Hilton Clarke (AUS), a new addition to the NavigatorsInsurance Cycling Team, scored his first victory of the 2005 racing season,yesterday in Melbourne, Australia.  Racing locally for the "McKnight'sRetravision/Fisher & Paykel" squad, Hilton took the win following aweek of top-10 finishes in the Jayco Bay Classic series.  The 5-dayseries is one of the most popular racing events in Australia and regularlyattracts many of the best racers as preparation for next week's Tour DownUnder.  Clarke was in 5th place in the General Classification cominginto the final

These TV guys can put on a real show

No questions here: Ullrich is aiming for the Tour

Armstrong fields questions about '05

Phil Liggit

Bruyneel will still be at the tactical helm

Liggett to host TIAA-CREF/5280 dinner in Denver

Liggett to host TIAA-CREF/5280 dinner in Denver

Liggett to host TIAA-CREF/5280 dinner in Denver

Savoldelli is on board

Nijs makes his move and that's it.

Hoy

That had to hurt... but Hayles was able to recover

Wellens: Can't celebrate 4th place when wearing this jersey

Wiggins wants to pursue his options on the road

The enterprising Percy Stallard, who revived massed-start racing in Britain

Museeuw at his final race

The A910

This is the start of a new year, and the start of this new column, so I thought it appropriate to start at the beginning. The beginning of what, you may ask. Well, the beginning of the chain of events that led to bike racing as we know it in North America. With today’s panoply of communication tools bringing you instant news of Americans winning races in the remotest corners of the world, with two Americans having won nine of the past 19 Tours de France, and with a roster of almost 20 professional teams in this country, it’s easy to forget that America was a distant member of the world

The South Asian Games, scheduled to be hosted by Sri Lanka in August, has been postponed as the Indian Ocean island nation concentrates on rebuilding after the recent tsunami tragedy, the sports minister said Thursday. Jeewan Kumaratunga, the minister of youth affairs and sports, said the eight-nation games would be pushed back by a year. Originally scheduled for August 15-25, the games are now being planned for the same period in 2006. “This is not a time to host the games with big celebrations so we decided to wait for another year," said Kumaratunga. "Once the country overcomes the

Oval Concepts expands its selection of high-end aero bars with its new super lightweight clip-on. The A910’s light weight is achieved with simple 26.0 forged aluminum clamps, carbon extensions with one-bend, and new oval-shaped armrest plates made of carbon. The new Oval pads provide 20 percent more surface area compared to the original rectangular pads, which remarkably improves comfort. Carbon pad holders absorb road shock and even allow angular adjustments. Replacement pads are available in 5 (standard), 8, and 10mm thickness. Extensions are upgradeable: choose from straight, double or

AUSTIN, TEXAS - A former personal assistant of Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong who has been sued by the cyclist fired back Wednesday, accusing the cyclist of fraud, breach of contract and causing him severe emotional distress. Mike Anderson, 33, on Wednesday filed his counterclaim to a lawsuit Armstrong filed last month in Travis County District Court. In the original lawsuit, Armstrong said Anderson wanted $500,000 and other benefits under a claimed employment contract. Anderson said Armstrong's lawsuit ruined his reputation as a bike mechanic and publicly humiliated him. He is

Fuji Bicycles Joins the Tsunami Relief EffortDonates 50 Mountain Bikes to Health Care WorkersPhiladelphia, PA (January 6, 2004) – Fuji Bicycles joins theworldwide tsunami relief efforts by donating mountain bikes to the emergencyand disaster relief workers in Southeast Asia. Recognizing both the immediateand long-term requirements of this relief effort, Fuji will donate 50 bikeseach year for the next three years. Fuji hopes these bikes will help nursesand health care service providers reach the more remote and disaster-riddenareas in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and the other countries whose

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS TO HOST 2005-2007 COLLEGIATE ROAD NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPSJanuary 6, 2005 (Colorado Springs, Colo.) – USA Cycling has namedLawrence, Kan. as the site for the 2005-2007 Collegiate Road National Championships.Hosted by the University of Kansas and the Lawrence Sports Corporationand managed by KLM Marketing Solutions, this year’s event is scheduledfor May 13-15.The event was originally intended for New Haven, Conn., but when thepromoter ran into some unforeseen issues, the ’05 Nationals were left withouta host. The KU Cycling Club and KLM Marketing Solutions admirably

Tech Report: Hone-ing in on Shimano; High-fiber braking

Tech Report: Hone-ing in on Shimano; High-fiber braking

Subway team gears up for 2005McKenzie Bridge, Oregon, USA (January 4, 2005) – The Subwayteam returns this year as a US Continental Team with a mix of young talentand veteran racers. The team will kick off its season with a camp in Merced,California, February 25 - March 7, which will be open to additional guestsfrom March 1-7. The camp will also overlap the first NRC race of the yearMcLane Pacific, which will serve as the team’s first official race outing.Although managed by Express Racing and associated with the Express RacingClub, the team will shorten its moniker to Subway from last year’s

JP throwing down in the Baal GVA Series race

The California Road Club (CRC), a San Francisco-based cycling team, has donated $1300 to Barb Howe, 28, of Larkspur, California, to help fund her trip to Belgium and Germany to compete in the UCI cyclo-cross world championships. Barb, in only her second year of racing cyclo-cross, has risen to the top level, and was chosen by USA Cycling to represent the United States at the annual world championship. "Barb works at A Bicycle Odyssey in Sausalito, which has sponsored the California Road Club since our inception," said Bud Napolio, CRC spokesman. "We are pleased to help Barb with her

Jobie Dajka

Tony Guffanti and Bud Napolio of CRC present Barb Howe with a check for $1300

Generalissimo Riis

Ivan Basso may have made the podium at the Tour, but here he's just another grunt

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.We suspect biasDear Editor,Now there's a man who knows when he's taken a special picture!!! (see"ACasey Gibson Photo Gallery: A look back at 2004") Please tell Casey that his favorite picture of 2004 is also my favoriteand will always be for the remainder of my life. Best regards to all

DAVID O'LOUGHLIN RINGS OUT THE OLD AND BRINGS IN THE NEWHackettstown, NJ - Navigators Insurance Cycling Team's new 2005recruit, David O'Loughlin of Ireland, finished up his 2004-racing seasonwith a victory in the An Ras Turcai, held in County Galloway, Ireland lastweek.  The 150 participants cruised leisurely for the first 3 of 6laps on the 10-kilometer circuit, before the racing began in earnest. With 1-lap remaining, David and Kurt Bogarts (Carrick Wheelers RC) leftMark Scanlon (ag2r-Prevoyance), the legendary Sean Kelly, and 146 othersin arrears as the duo picked up the

Monday's Mailbag: Happy grandma; Happy riders; Skeptical reader

John Lelangue - seen here before the prologue of the 2004 Tour de France - has been named as the new general manager of the Phonak team