News

Nijs leads Wellens through the barriers

A pro team is not a socialist organizationEditor:I find it rather silly that people can write things like, "Heras was always there for Lance in the Tour de France, but was Lance ever there for Heras in the Vuelta?"As we all know, Lance has not ridden the Vuelta in support of Heras. But where is it written that Lance is obligated to do that? Heras was signed to Postal as a support rider for the team leader, period. As it turns out, Heras is more than capable of being a team leader himself. But as far as I know, cycling teams are not socialist organizations where everyone has the same

Aussie David McKenzie will join the Navigators cycling team for 2004, the team announced Thursday in Hackettstown, New Jersey. The 2003 Tour of Queensland champion joins countryman Henk Vogels and former teammates Ciaran Power of Ireland and Vassili Davidenko of Russia as the 13th man to sign with the New Jersey-based TT2 squad. “David brings another dimension to what I believe will be a very competitive Navigators team,” said team director Ed Beamon. “He is a proven winner, and a tireless teammate, and he has a great nose for the finish. I expect his leadership qualities will add depth to

Three reasons for Heras's departureEditor:I think Heras was forced to make the decision to leave Postal for a few reasons. 1. Lack of support from sponsors. Lance breaks a fingernail and it's headlines. Trek didn’t mention Roberto's big win on their website for like three weeks, and even then it was buried. Lance gets new prototype wheels and bike for the Tour and Heras gets the big goose egg (not to say that a 5900 with X-Lites isn't all you need). That's gotta be good for the ol' morale. 2. The king is half undressed. The team may have lost some faith in Lance this year. Heras is in his

Early December is usually a relaxed time for the U.S. Postal Service team, but news of Roberto Heras’s imminent departure spoiled the quiet of the team’s annual kick-off training camp in Austin, Texas. The camp serves as a relaxed way to start planning for a new season and for new team members to get acquainted with each other. VeloNews correspondent Ted Arnold caught up with Johan Bruyneel in Austin on Thursday to discuss the rapidly unfolding developments. VN: When did the situation with Roberto begin to unfold? JB: About 10 days ago his agent called me and wanted to have lunch —

After four years with Wisconsin-based Team Sports, Inc., Saturn women’s team director Giana Roberge has announced that on Friday, December 5, she will amicably part ways with the organization that directed the now defunct but highly successful Saturn Cycling and Volvo-Cannondale Cycling programs. “It’s been an extremely difficult decision for me to make,” Roberge said, explaining that while she and Team Sports’ president Tom Schuler have secured a title sponsor for a scaled down women’s team in 2004, there will not be sufficient sponsorship for her employment. An official announcement of

Good luck Señor HerasEditors;I want to wish Roberto Heras much success and luck (see "Herasleaves Postal").Next year's Tour will be a dandy!Eric E. EssickA good decisionEditors!Good move for Roberto. He gave U.S. Postal some of his best years andpaid for it in less than stellar Vuelta performances the last couple ofyears. Yeah,  know he won this year but it was pretty close.Now he has the chance to shine again on his own and with a Spanish team.This just makes the 2004 Tour that much more exciting from a spectator'sview.Giny ChandlerHere come the résumésDear Editors;How do I get a hold of the

It’s not all Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Iron Hammer for theU.S. Army these days. Sometimes, it’s Operation Santa Claus. And sometimes, Santa needs a little help from the civilians. Just ask Sgt. David Wilson, the head elf for Operation Santa Claus’sbicycle-distribution program at Fort Bliss, Texas, near El Paso. “I decided to check out the Operation Santa Claus program that the Armydoes here at Fort Bliss, and it turns out they have hundreds of bicyclesand parts in need of a loving mechanic,” he said. Wilson asked to be reassignedto the program, and one week later he found

A while back I answered an inquiry posed by a New York reader who saw someone riding a bicycle that had been stolen from him earlier (see "LegallySpeaking - with Bob Mionske: My stolen bicycle " September 25, 2003). I share one of the many emails I received on the subject for the benefit of all readers: Dear Bob;As the flip side to your summary of the law regarding recovery of a stolen bicycle, and further to his closing point about getting hurt in the act of self-recovery, may I present my own story: Several months ago, I stopped for coffee at the end of my morning bike commute. While in

The Saeco-Timex squad

Santa's workshop at the Southwestern Pole

Good for those rides that dips into the teens...

Powerful wind stoppers and affordable too

Answer fianlly got it right with the 2004 version of its XC-1

MTB News and Notes: More changes in NORBA series; Jimena vows to be in Athens

MTB News and Notes: More changes in NORBA series; Jimena vows to be in Athens

Tyler Hamilton will formally launch the charitable foundation bearing hisname at a kick-off event in Colorado this month.With the goal of providing support to multiple sclerosis patients aswell as aspiring young cyclists, the new Tyler Hamilton Foundation willhost fundraiser at the Arvada Center in Arvada, Colorado. The event willbe co-hosted by Wheat Ridge Cyclery, a bicycle shop owned by the familyof former pro Ron Kiefel.“The Tyler Hamilton Foundation will champion the two causes closestto my heart – competitive cycling and the fight against Multiple Sclerosis,”said Hamilton. “As a young

Reconnoitering the sandy stretch before the start.

Wellens supporters

Sven Nijs

Erwin Vervecken

Richard Groenendaal

Ben Berden

Jonathan Page

Brother Gert Wellens celebrates his 25th birthday in style

Gerben de Knegt

Once in the lead, Wellens remained in charge

Please, sir, may I have some more?Editor:Regarding O'Grady: More, please, more! Patrick Craft Abingdon, VAJeez, Patrick, we need a forklift to heft the hate-mail bag as it is. But if you insist on more of the grumbling Gael, you can always visit www.maddogmedia.com. – Editor And now, the counterpointEditor:I'm appalled by your ridiculous, left-wing bias. Tell that sack of swill Patrick O'Grady that Clinton didn't win any awards for smoking pot in Canada during the Vietnam War. Oh, and another thing, It was the Democrats who cut funding and got my friend honorably discharged from the

Mario De Clercq showed them how on Saturday in Belgium

World champ Bart Wellens had to settle for fifth

Sven Nijs crossed ninth after a final-lap mishap

Richard Groenendaal was shut out of the top 10

Indeed, Enrico Franzoi of Italy was the only non-Belgian to crack the too 10

Jonathan Page crossed 15th and hopes for a better result on Sunday

Bob;I work as a bicycle messenger in Chicago. When we are on the job, thecompany insures us against physical injury and property damage from crashes.Last week, at the end of the day, the dispatcher gave me an envelope todeliver. Because it was after five and the delivery address was near myapartment, the dispatcher told me to drop it off in the morning on my wayto work. As I was riding home, I was smacked by a hit-and-run driver (Idon’t own a car and therefore don’t have coverage for this kind of hit-and-runaccident). I lost a couple days of work and the bike was trashed. Shouldthe messenger

Do what you know; know what you doDear VeloNews;I read your magazine and web page because I love cycling and am anavid, yet middle-of-the-pack sport class mountain-bike racer. I also happento be politically conservative.I was disturbed to read "The2003 O'Grady Awards." The way you bashed and insulted anyone who isnot a liberal was surprising and out of place. Stick with what you know...cycling,and let the Bush administration to do what they do better then any left-wingpresident (see record of Slick Willy Clinton) would or could do...protectour country and it's citizens from terrorists.Stick

The O'Grady Awards are back for a fifth consecutive season, ensuring that generations of libel lawyers will continue to disperse their flatulence through silk. Named for the notorious right-wing political commentator Patrick O'Grady - who was compelled to dictate this year's list while strait-jacketed and strapped to a bed in the Raimondas Rumsas Wing of the William J. Bennett Recovery Center Casino & Pharmacy - the awards rear their hideous, hydra-like heads below. BERT LAHR MEMORIAL MEDAL FOR COURAGEMario Cipollini. After crashing out of the Giro d’Italia, takinganother Dorothyesque swat

The 2003 O'Grady Awards

Martinez had a good start with Mapei in 2002.

Doesn't like our choiceEditors;All the facts and figures I would cite have already been stated inother letters, but it wasn't enough. The collar bone, the 140K break away,Liège, Romandie, and the fact that he's starting a cycling foundationin addition to working with the MS rides should have led you guys to switchyour awards.If it were me, I’d have voted for Tyler as the International Cyclistof the Year and named Lance Armstrong as the North American Male Cyclistof the Year. You gave a detailed account of Lance's achievements as justification (see "InternationalCyclist of the Year: Lance

Bad choiceDear VeloNews;Yes Lance is great. (see "InternationalCyclist of the Year: Lance Armstrong") Yes Lance joins the legends in winning five Tours,but c'mon...are you that afraid he wont give you another interview?You pass up Tyler who raced the whole season, fought in the Tour likenobody else and is true sportsman for a repeat of Lance?Lance the guy that said he'd be drinking a beer on a beach soon notthinking of anything else? I know Lance can be a nice guy and I know hetrains like no other freak of nature but Tyler had the year!Lance gave him his best and Tyler beat Lance in the

Lance Armstrong has reportedly "penciled in" plans to ride in April's Tour de Georgia, race and team officials said. The five-time Tour de France champion has tentative plans to enter the Georgia race as he tunes up for a bid to win the Tour de France a record sixth time, said Tailwind Sports general manager Dan Osipow. "Most (U.S.) races don't fit into his training schedule, but this one does," Osipow said. Armstrong may be attracted to Georgia if part of the April 20-25 race is scheduled in north Georgia's mountains, said Kathleen Hardison, director of marketing for Tour de

Earlier this year Tom Danielson established a collegiate scholarship foundation,and this week the American, who will soon be riding for Fassa Bortolo,is auctioning off a personal collection of bikes and related gear to benefitstudent athletes and collegiate cycling programs."Collegiate cycling provided me with all the tools to be a successfulprofessional cyclist," said the 25-year-old Danielson. "Not only did itgive me cycling opportunities with top notch racing and coaching, but ittaught me how to manage myself. I believe self-management is the key tosuccess. Juggling class, training,

It’s hard to argue with dominance, and when it came to women’s road racingin North America this year, a palpable air of fear could be felt each timea diminutive 22-year-old from Lachine, Québec, rolled to the startline. In only her fourth year of professional racing, RONA-Esker’s GenevièveJeanson has proven to be one of the world’s preeminent climbers — justask the men’s field from the 2003 Mount Washington Hill Climb, all buttwo of whom she beat. Jeanson started her campaign early, winning all three stages of February’sValley of the Sun stage race, followed by another win at the Pomona

VeloNews

Behold, the ligher, improved suspension 2004 Specialized S-Works Epic

The Gravity Dropper remote activated telescoping seatpost

No matter how you package it, the Wrench Science ad is stillobnoxiousTO: VeloNewsRE: Caitlin Aptowicz letter (seeWeekend mailbag letter"VNis porn")Nice attempt to justify your degrading ads by using a woman's letterto do it.Those ads are degrading and your shots of men, while beautiful, arenot the same thing and we all know it. Your continued running ofthose ads has lost you a bookmark not to mention lost that company a customer.Michele HarrisChange is goodEditors;This one is for Nate Simms (See Weekend mailbag letter "Discbrakes, schmisc brakes") and all the other disc brake naysayersout

The 16th Annual VeloNews Awards issue hits the newsstands this week, naming Lance Armstrong as the 2003 international cyclist of the year. Armstrong, who was selected over other finalists including Alessandro Petacchi and Tyler Hamilton, earned VeloNews's highest award for the third time in his career. Armstrong is the only athlete to have been selected International Cyclist of the Year three times. Other major awards winners in the December 8 edition of VeloNews include Tyler Hamilton as North American Male Cyclist of the Year and Geneviève Jeanson as North American Female Cyclest of the

Still under contract with Bianchi, Ullrich did not want to stir the pot.

Baal

Our 16th Annual VeloNews Awards Issue

Wellens went from the gun.

There was some seriious horsepower in the 1st chase group...

.. as well as the second.

Groenendaal took fifth

American Jonathan Page came to Gavere with high hopes...

.. but encountered troubles and did not finish.

Downhill mountain-bike racer Kathi Krause has been handed a one-year suspension after testing positive for a metabolite of marijuana at the NORBA National Championship Series race June 22 in West Dover, Vermont, according to the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). The Fair Lawn, New Jersey, resident tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol acid (THC), a substance prohibited under the rules of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). Krause's suspension began on the date of the positive test, and all results that occurred on or after that date have been declared invalid.

Bart Wellens and Sven Nijs dicing in Hooglede

Wellens off on his own en route to victory ...

... and by Jove, there Wellens is again, making it look easy

Nico Mattan finished outside the top five

... but Erwin Vervecken 'crossed into fifth place

Vervecken punched in and on the job

Men's winner Jonathan Baker

Szabo in pursuit

The ditch was a barrier for some

Romans Vainsteins, the 2000 world champion, will race for the Italian team Lampre in 2004, according to sporting director Giuseppe Saronni. Vainsteins rode for the Vini Caldirola squad this season; his results included a sixth place at Paris-Roubaix and 18th at the Tour of Flanders. Sarroni hopes for great things from the pairing of Vainsteins and Gianluca Bortolami, particularly in the northern classics. –Copyright 2003/AFP

Get rid of the adDear VeloNews;I think it is time to move the “Wrench Science” advertisement. I really enjoy reading your web site and your magazine. But it is getting a bit boring to see that sex ad every time I look at your web site.You provide such minimal coverage of women in cycling and that is the only regular photo of a woman on your site.Maura FreemanSeattle, WAVN is pornEditor;The Wrench Science ads are porn for guys, but 99.9 percent of cycling coverage is porn for girls. Three elements contribute to this. First there is the raw material: prime-of-life men with unbelievably hot

With the 40th anniversary of the John F. Kennedy assassination on Saturday, there will be endless discussion of the “defining moments” of each generation. That event, the Challenger explosion and 9/11 will all surely be brought up. I wasn’t thinking about any of that the other morning, but still got to wondering about how certain sports figures and events will be remembered and measured a few years down the road. The thoughts began to swirl as I was paging through “The Salt in his Shoes,” a children’s book that came packaged with a box of cereal a few months back. It’s the story of a young