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Who turned off the heater? The heat wave is over, finally. Temperatures reached 104 degrees in places. Now it is back to normal summer weather in Belgium. What does that mean? Thermal long sleeve jerseys, leg warmers, earbands, and wind vests. At least things are back to normal. But now you can see how so many elderly people died of the heat with no air conditioning and normal temperatures in the 60s. I think the Belgians are happy to return to the pre-race heat cream on the legs. At least this summer we had a summer, unlike last year when it rained every day for two months. Ah, but late

Levi Leipheimer will be starting next month’s Vuelta a España, but he was never planning on it. The 29-year-old designed his entire season at arriving at the 2003 Tour de France in top form with eyes of making a run for the top 5 overall. But Leipheimer’s season was turned upside down when he went crashing down in the finish-line pile-up coming into Meaux in the Tour’s first road stage. The highly-criticized finish – with a sharp downhill funneling into a narrow twisting run to the finish line – spelled doom for Leipheimer and Rabobank teammate Mark Lotz. CSC’s Tyler Hamilton also crashed,

Don't buy this jersey

Maybe Carlos will have a reason to pull out the pacifier at the Vuelta, too.

Dinner Club. Bread bowl chili made with the finest Belgian beer by Cycling Center riders, for Cycling Center riders.

Before the fall: Leipheimer had high hopes for the Tour

Danielson on Mt. Washington

Second-guessing strategy is half the fun of any spectator sport, and there were a couple of good examples to come out of this past weekend’s USPRO Criterium Championship in Downers Grove, Illinois. Just minutes after the race, in which Kevin Monahan (7UP-Maxxis) beat Saturn’s Chris Horner and Mark McCormack for the race win and the stars-and-stripes jersey, McCormack readily admitted that he might have done things differently if he were presented with the same scenario again. Here’s how it played out. Heading toward the final turn, Horner and McCormack are one-two. McCormack decides to open

Single-day tickets to the 2003 world road cycling championships in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, will go on sale Wednesday, August 27. Tickets will be sold for each day of the October 7-12 event. Upwards of 250,000 spectators are expected to watch 800 athletes from more than 50 different countries competing in 10 different races, according to the Hamilton 2003 World's Organizing Committee. Weekly passes have been on sale since April. Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster. Spectators can order by phone, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by calling 905-527-7666 (Hamilton); 416-870-8000

 “There are no bad dogs, only bad owners” -Barbara WoodhouseDear Bob;I was riding past my neighbor’s home and their dog ran out and knockedme over. My neighbors have made complaints about this dog in the past,but the family sometimes isn’t careful and the dog gets out.Is there any way to recover?Not a chew toyNew YorkDear Not;In the State of New York, the licensing, identification and controlof dogs is contained in Article 7 of the “Agriculture and Markets Law”section of New York Statute. (Please note that these laws were revisedin 2002, so if you look them up, be sure you are using the

Saturn star Nathan O’Neill was set to undergo surgery Thursday afternoon to repair a vertebra cracked after a high-speed, face-first crash suffered at The International on July 31. During a pre-surgery phone call to VeloNews Thursday, the 28-year-old Aussie explained the circumstances that led to the operation, which will involve a titanium screw inserted into his C-2 vertebra, and the removal of the “halo” neck brace he has worn for the past three weeks. “I had an appointment with a surgeon yesterday,” O’Neill explained, “to have another look with an X-ray and CAT scan. As it turns out,

NRS Air

XTC1

Missy

Grigson

MTB News and Notes: Moving on and breaking out

MTB News and Notes: Moving on and breaking out

MTB News and Notes: Moving on and breaking out

O’Neill in front of the Natural History Museum in Manhattan, his last day in the “halo” neck brace.

Just back from the final round of the NORBA NCS Series, held in Durango, Colorado, and I think I can speak for my fellow VeloNews associates Miguel Santana and Jason Sumner that the weekend was a complete jam. The three of us managed to sandwich the race coverage with a few fun mountain-bike rides and the occasional visit to a few of the local taverns. The racing was exciting, particularly in the spectator-friendly men’s short track and mountain cross. RLX Ralph Lauren rider Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski’s suicidal move between Geoff Kabush (Kona-Clark’s) and the barriers in the final 10 meters

Horgan-Kobelski left it all on the STXC course

A bike is born: Brown's funky ride

Sydor gives Haywood the thumbs-up

The Durango fans were really into the racing

Lusby atop Mount Evans

Magen Long, at the Cascade Classic

Petacchi picks up right where he left off.

Kovarik nearly caught the rider in front of him.

Carter and Streb are the national champs.

Griffiths soaks in the glory.

Nardello outlasts a late charge from Ullrich

Bettini was content to let others make the race

Hincapie made two bids for freedom

Nardello burns his matches

Ullrich was a marked man

McGrath leads Horgan-Kobelski on the first lap

Horgan-Kobelski running his bike across the finish line

Men's 2003 short track overall champs, from left: Chris Sheppard, Paul Rowney, Seamus McGrath, Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski, Geoff Kabush

Sydor makes it two in a row

Women's 2003 short track overall champs, from left: Dara Marks, Chrissy Redden, Sue Haywood, Katerina Hanusova, Mary McConneloug

Minnaar toasts teammate Seamus McGrath, who won the short track overall.

With a base elevation of 8793, the Durango cross country was a lung buster.

Florit was gassed from the altitude, but still won the overall.

Carter on his way to the overall title.

King settled for second overall.

The 2003 national mountain cross champ.

Danielson powers his featherweight bike up Mount Washington

Jeanson tried to stick with Danielson, but couldn't match his speed

The weather kept Danielson from breaking his record and blew Jeanson off her bike

Hesjedal rolls through the DMR village.

Your 2003 national cross country champions.

Vanlandingham won in her hometown.

There will be a subtle change at this year’s USPRO Criterium Championship in Downer’s Grove, Illinois, this weekend, but it could make an impact on the competition. In a departure from years past, the race organizers have pared the maximum team size down from 10 riders down to eight riders, while the minimum team size goes from six to five. By limiting the team sizes, USPRO Crit hopes to level the playing field and keep the big teams from completely dominating the action. While the difference between eight and 10 may not seem like much, it will add up over the course of a 100km criterium.

Hi Bob,My racing bike was stolen from my garage and my insurance company hasasked for the original purchase receipt, which I no longer have. What shouldI do?Tim J.Dear Tim;I am assuming you have made a proper claim with your insurance carrierand that you have standard homeowner’s coverage. You are not required toproduce the original receipt in order to recover for your loss.You should go to a shop that sells the make and model of bicycle thatwas stolen and ask if they can provide a replacement cost estimate. Schedulea time for your visit and be ready to provide the make, model and yearof the

Hesjedal is the men's XC leader.

Green was slowed in the early season, but has been hot lately.

Florit could win back-to-back crowns.

Haywood is the short track leader.

Griffiths must make up some ground.

Carter has his sights on the mountain cross.

Spectacular...and pretty darn quiet.

Power Up!

C’était un très mauvais coup pour George Hincapie d’avoir du renoncer aux Classiques du printemps. Le New-Yorkais de 30 ans, qui habite en Caroline du Nord à présent, se sentais capable de remporté une de ses courses d’avril préferée: Paris-Roubaix ou le Tour des Flandres. Mais il a été battu par un parasite, tellement qu’il avait du mal à respirer, et il a manqué trois mois de compétition. Pardon moi, but I — like the rest of the VeloNews editorial staff — seem to be stuck in the language land of the French. No, not because we’re suffering withdrawals from Le Tour, but because we have been

Tranquility. It is not something I would always associate with a densely populated county like Belgium. According to my handy CIA Factbook, there are 10.2 Million Belgians in a country the size of Maryland. Yet, more often than not I am astounded by how quiet it can be here. Tonight we are cooling off from a “heat wave” that equates to standard summer temperatures in the Midwest. The air is perfectly still and out in the fields you might here a tractor cutting hay but beyond that all you hear is the clatter of bicycle chains. Enjoy the national pastime: a bicycle ride. How quiet it can

OVERALL GAME WINNER     Team Maxigaz   34050       OVERALL SPRINT WINNERS   18th Green   2106

It seems that pro mountain bike racers will finally be racing for more than bragging rights now that USA Cycling and GaleForce have signed a new sponsor, adding cash prizes to the final round of the 2003 NORBA National Championship Series. Mountain Bike TV and The 9to5 Race Day, a new Florida based mountain bike marathon racing series, will provide cash at the NCS final for top finishers in all pro disciplines – cross country, downhill, short track, and mountain cross. A full announcement will be made at the NORBA series final at Durango Mountain Resort, August 14-17. Mountain Bike TV

Pecharromán at Catalunya

Mr. Rogers' neighborhood: Pardon my French

Miguel Garcia, of Peoria, Arizona, won a Giant TCR Composite Tour 100 through our online drawing, which more than 22,000 people entered. The Giant TCR Composite Tour 100 road bike retails for more than $12,000. "Being a cat. 4 road racer, this bike might be a little above my level, but I'm extremely happy to have won it," Garcia said. Giant produced 100 of the bikes to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Tour de France.

None of the other runners waited when Mary Decker fell after colliding with Zola Budd in the final of the 3000-meter race at the 1984 Olympics. Nor did rival jockeys slow the pace after War Emblem stumbled out of the gate at the 2002 Belmont Stakes, ruining his chance to win the Triple Crown. But when Lance Armstrong caught his handlebars on a fan's tote bag and crashed to the pavement last month during the 15th stage of the Tour de France -- a crucial climb to the Pyrenees ski village of Luz-Ardiden -- Armstrong's rivals slowed down and waited for him to recover, forsaking the chance to