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Last week I wrote a column about the passingof Fred Rogers, a.k.a Mr. Rogers, who succumbed to cancer at the ageof 74. Of course I prefer to write about bike racing, or music, or women,or women who bike race, but I felt it appropriate to pay tribute to theman from whose lifetime contribution I’d borrowed the title of my column. I didn’t expect to be writing about anyone else’s passing so soon, buttoday, it’s all I can imagine writing about. I’d set the alarm so I could watch Paris-Nice from bed Wednesday morning,and upon waking, a quick hit on the remote brought me an image of

Vaughters gets analyzed

Former Tour de France winner Marco Pantani was banned for six months Thursday for being caught in possession of insulin during last year's Giro d’ Italia. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) reversed last year's acquittal by the Italian federation. The penalty, however, carries little significance since he is being credited for time served in the off-season and the suspension finishes on March 17. An Italian federation appeal commission ruled last August there was no proof that the cyclist had taken the banned substance despite police finding a syringe with traces of it in his

Dear Bob;I have a legal question concerning the building I rent for my bikeshop. I never signed a lease and have been paying each month for threeyears. I am thinking about moving my business to a different part of townand want to end my rental arrangement with the landlord. Can I just tellhim or do I need to send him formal notification?Thanks,J.RFlorida Dear J.R.,You may think you don't have a lease, but you do. It's justnot on paper! Of all the different areas of law, landlord-tenant relations vary themost from state-to-state. Therefore, let me start with the general andwork my

The fourth stage of Paris-Nice has finished in Vergeze, France. Dario Frigo has turned in a stellar time and has taken over as race leader. Yesterday's 192.5km stage was neutralized out of respect to Andrei Kivilev who died of head injuries sustained in a crash on Tuesday. To see how today's 16.5km individual time trial unfolded clickhere to bring up our Live Update window. 61st Paris-Nice, March 9-16, stages:Prologue, March 9 - Issy les Moulineaux , 4.8kmStage 1, March 10 -Auxerre to Paray le Monial, 191kmStage 2, March 11 - La Clayette to Saint Etienne, 182.5kmStage 3, March 12 -

The plan had been to pen this latest column on the happenings from the world of mountain biking while making the 90-minute trip from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen on the Spirit of British Columbia ferry. But when the mustached man in the orange jumpsuit gave me the unmistakable “that’s it” wave of his arms, I was left to write from the front seat of my rental car, while rain pattered down on the roof. Couldn’t believe it. Two — maybe even three hundred cars fit on that ferry, but I was No. 301, meaning I had two hours to kill before the next sailing. Anyway…Swartz Bay sits on the eastern coast of

World champion Mario Cipollini, of the Domina Vacanze team, dominated a sprint finish to win the first stage of Tirreno-Adriatico as it finished in Sabaudia, Italy, Thursday. The 35-year-old Italian held off compatriot Dario Pieri to take the leader's jersey after the 178km ride around Sabaudia. After some mediocre riding in the early season Spanish races, Cipollini took full advantage of his team's close protection throughout the day before they led him on to a flat final straight. "I was feeling quite calm, I knew I had worked well recently and knew my fitness was up to scratch,"

A good day for Tyler

VDB had a good day, too

No room for VeloNews

Strike a pose

Flight of the Navigator

The future has arrived

And to think I missed the show...

The tragic death of Andrei Kivilev at this year’s Paris-Nice is not thefirst time that helmets – specifically, whether pros should be requiredto wear them as a safety measure – have been an issue at the race. As Rupert Guinness noted in his coverage of the 1991 Paris-Nice, publishedin the April 8, 1991, edition of VeloNews, Tony Rominger’s victorythat year was overshadowed by a riders’ strike sparked by the Union CyclisteInternationale’s new requirement that pros wear hard-shell helmet and thesubsequent disqualification of Francis Moreau for removing his on MontFaron, during stage six — a

Cofidis at the finish

Team Coast says its racing suspension is unfair and that the UCI is not treating them fairly. Coast was suspended last week by the UCI until further notice and could not take part in the start Sunday of Paris-Nice. Coast team manager Marcel Wüst said the team has shown documents to the UCI to prove they have paid riders and that their finances are in order. “We have done everything correctly and given proof that the payments have been made on time,” Wüst told Reuters. “We feel we are not being treated fairly. We have done everything right and therefore the suspension should be lifted.” Last

Gerolsteiner's Davide Rebellin won the second stage of Paris-Nice, sprinting out of a lead group of six riders that escaped on the slopes of the Category 1 Croix de Chaubouret and held off pursuers on a long descent into Saint Etienne. With time bonuses, Rebellin also took the yellow jesey of overall leader, three seconds ahead of defending champion Alexandre Vinokourov (Telekom), who finished second in the stage. The group also included Fassa Bortolo's Dario Frigo who drove the pace on the day's hardest climb and now stands in third place overall at 13 seconds. Stuart

The recent suspension of the Coast team has prompted the UCI to accelerate the implementation of a set of reforms designed “to change the way cycling is run in the future.” Union Cycliste Internationale president Hein Verbruggen pointed to the example of the financially troubled German team as he outlined the changes, originally slated for 2005, that would see the best riders and best teams race in events as part of a separate “elite league.” Speaking here at the second stage of Paris-Nice, Verbruggen said reform was needed if cycling was to be enhanced, and teams were to guarantee their

Cofidis’s Andrei Kivilev remained in a drug-induced coma late Tuesday following his fall in the second stage of Paris-Nice, according to his team doctor in Saint-Etienne. Kivilev, who finished fourth in the 2001 Tour de France, lost consciousness after his fall and was rushed to a hospital where he has been undergoing tests. "He has cerebral edema (general swelling of the brain)," said the Cofidis team's doctor Jean-Jacques Menuet. "We still have to wait a few hours before we can make a full diagnosis." The 29-year-old from Kazakstan is still on a life support system. Physicians often

The winning break

Rebellin gets the jersey

The Jalabert group

Damon Kluck

Hamilton started the day in the sprinter's jersey

O'Grady is now in yellow.

Daniele Bennati is the next big thing in Italian cycling. Many are hyping him as the natural heir to Mario Cipollini. In just his second year as a pro, Bennati is already an integral part of Cipo's train, filling the penultimate position, right behind Giovanni Lombardi. He's already scored a win this year, grabbing a stage at the Tour Mediterranean in February. VeloNews European correspondent Andrew Hood sat down with Bennati at the team presentation in Egypt to talk about the Lion King, media and the spring classics. VeloNews: What have you learned most from riding with

As predicted, the 191km first stage of Paris-Nice finished in a field sprint, perhaps the only opportunity for the sprinters to show their stuff in this mountainous edition of this early season French stage race.VeloNews.com followed the action all the way to the finish line in Paray le Monial. Just click here to bring up our live update window.Check in soon for a complete stage wrap up from European correspondent Andrew Hood, full results and stunning photos from the camera of Graham Watson. 61st Paris-Nice, March 9-16, stages: Prologue, March 9 - Issy les Moulineaux , 4.8km Stage 1, March

Daniele Bennati

Joly Good Time: Sebastian Joly gets away from Virenque, but is caught by the field 600 meters from the line.

It was a day's of two's for Tyler Hamilton and Lance Armstrong. Each barely missed winning a race against the clock by just two seconds; Hamilton at the opening prologue of the 61st Paris-Nice and Armstrong in the final time trial of the Tour of Murcia in Spain. Both were making their respective season debuts this week and it's obvious both are already in fine shape heading into more important races later in the season. Here's a look at all the racing action Sunday in Europe: Hamilton debuts in P-N openerCSC's Tyler Hamilton just missed winning Sunday's opening

Fraser's teammates pulled hard to eventually get him across the line first

Fraser confidently took his second stage victory in as many days

Lyne Bessette took her first stage win of the race

Great Start: Hamilton finished second in his first race since August

Llorente surprised even himself on Sunday

What a difference a year makes

Practice pays

Damon Kluck

Leipheimer on the move.

The 61st edition of Paris-Nice opens Sunday with an opening prologue justoutside of Paris and ends, as the name suggests, in Nice along the FrenchRiviera. The “Race to the Sun” is the first major stage race of the seasonand a difficult and challenging course will certainly deliver up an excitingrace. The race returns with its traditional climb up Mont Faron, but the finalein Nice is sure to keep the suspense all the way down to the wire. The160km stage hits the famed Col d’Eze, another Paris-Nice fixture, no lessthan three times on a demanding circuit course before a screaming 16kmdescent to

Michael Rasmussen and Joaquim Lopez

When USA Today ran its recent series on "The 10 hardest things to do in sports,” with the Tour de France landing in eighth place, I was expecting a slew of e-mails to hit the VeloNews.com mailbox, similar to the flood of complaints we got last summer when MSNBC’s Ron Borges made his ridiculous “Lance is not an athlete” argument. Luckily, we were spared the dozens of e-mails from incredulous (and whining) readers asking, “How is ____, harder than riding the Tour!!??” Sure, I had a few of my own beefs with the series, like how did "Landing a Quad" make it on the list at all? (Haven’t we all

A day following the news that Team Coast was suspended by the UCI, former teammate and CSC team manager Bjarne Riis said Jan Ullrich is still welcome to join his team. Riis tried in vain to sign Ullrich over the off-season, but Ullrich opted for the German Team Coast, signing a three-year deal worth a reported $5 million. “There’s always interest, but if he wants to collaborate with us, it has to be him who makes the initiative,” Riis told the Danish newspaper BT. “I spoke before with (Ullrich’s agent) to hear about how things were going. It’s up to Jan if he wants to come to our

Bicycle racing and bicycle advocacy don’t often cross paths. But whether you ride with a pant leg strap or not, you were welcome at the third annual National Bike Summit, hosted by the League of American Bicyclists in Washington D.C., March 5-7. The summit gives state, local and national advocates, as well as industry leaders, the opportunity to discuss pertinent cycling issues with government officials, and to lobby members of Congress. While the majority of attendees had no interest in strapping a number to their backs, the organizers clearly know the value of having a proven winner on

“Remember when being ‘up for the game’ used to be kind of a spiritual thing?Now, man…‘You up for the game?’ ‘Been up all week, man.’”--George Carlin, “FM & AM”If Scott Moninger happened to stumble across a story by Amy Shipley while surfing the ’Net on March 2, he must have wondered whether he fell down Lewis Carroll’s rabbit hole when he stepped off his bike last August in Breckenridge. Shipley’s piece on the Washington Post web site, headlined “Stimulants Are a Major League Hit,” recounted some professional baseball players’ fondness for a variety of stimulants that you can’t get for $5 at

Notes from the road: What's hard?

Zabel had reason to smile in Caravaca

Peña on the attack

Volunteers? Casero and Perez at Murcia on Friday.

All he is saying is give peace a chance

Friday's foaming rant: WADAp with that?

Fionn Griffths

Giove

Despite the insistence of director Juan Fernandez that his team is financially healthy the Union Cycliste Internationale on Thursday suspended Germany’s Team Coast for its failure to provide necessary financial guarantees. Fernandez had earlier said that the team is in a good position to retain the services of 1997 Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich (see “Ullrich still a Coastie, says Fernandez” below), but the UCI action now puts that contract in doubt. The troubled team's riders have been told they may continue participating in Spain’s Tour of Murcia, which ends on Sunday, however

Chris Carmichael, now renowned as Lance Armstrong’s personal coach,has been elected to the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame along with four otherswho will be formally inducted at a banquet on May 25 in Somerville, NewJersey.Hall of Fame President Ernie Seubert and Chairman of the Nominationand Selection Committee Ray Cipollini certified the votes after tallyingballots cast by industry leaders, cycling governing bodies and journalists.Carmichael, who lives in Colorado Springs, was selected as a Contributorfor his coaching, which includes serving as U.S. Cycling Federation’s Men’sRoad coach from

We need your help. As part of our ongoing series on the state of cyclingin the United States, VeloNews has been speaking with the leaders,managers and organizers of USA Cycling and an array of competing federationsthat now make up the Federation of Independent Associations of Cycling(FIAC).While their comments have been interesting, we figured it might be timeto listen to their customers. In an upcoming issue of VeloNews wewill print a cross-section of comments from readers and riders regardingthe current state of cycling governance in the United States.If you would care to have your thoughts

This week, I will delve into Part 2 of “The Perfect Waiver,” a discussionabout the usefulness and function of those “waivers of responsibility”that appear on the bottom of every participant entry form. But first, I want to take a moment out to reply to a message sentby "MM," an event promoter. MM believes that my factious "perfect waiver" in lastweek's column, the one that would protect an event from absolutely every possible lawsuit, whether justified or not, may portray promoters in a bad light. I admit his admonishment is not without some justification. In fact, one passage is so good

With all the road racing going on lately, it makes you wonder when theold mountain biking season is going to get rolling. Sure there’s a fewregional races here and there, but nothing that even closely resemblessay Het Volk, that road race in Belgium last week that attracted a worldclass field. Indeed, the first NORBA national isn’t until mid-May, and the mountainbike World Cup doesn’t commence until May 24. By that time five of the10 road World Cups will have been in the books for nearly a month. There is, however, at least one mountain bike race in March worthy ofyour interest. Between

After spending two years without major sponsorship backing, two-time world’s silver medallist Fionn Griffths has signed a deal to ride for the Foes-Azonic team in 2003. The young British downhiller, who doesn’t turn 21 until August, joins 2000 junior world downhill champion Julien Poomans on what is looking to be a formidable line-up for the California-based bike maker. The team’s profile could rise even higher if it can iron out some final details with 1994 world downhill champion Missy Giove. According to Foes general manager Rich Cleveland, negotiations are still ongoing but at the very

Still thumbs up? Ullrich joined Coast along with former Telekom director Rudy Pevenage and training partner Tobias Steinhauser

Nova Desert Classic

Waddell

The V10

Zubeldia and Llorente got away on the climb to the Cresta del Gallo

Diaz Labato

Armstrong had time to chat with Cadel Evans

Contrini was caught with 50km to go

Svorada gets the win