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Fukushima (center bottom) heads up the day's last climb.

O'Grady got his second TdL win.

Fukushima's face tells the story.

Danielson with team manager Andrzej Bek.

The stage 8 profile.

The bike room at the Garden Hotel in Kuantan.

A small fruit market along the stage 7 route.

A member of the ever-present police force keeps an eye on things.

Kicked out a day earlier for towing on a team car, iTeamNova’s Ronny Assez checks out the South China Sea during a training ride.

Hawker stall with squid for sale.

South Africa’s team car has seen better days.

The unofficial race mascot.

Figuring out the day’s route.

Jan Ullrich seems to be taking baby steps in his long road back to the elite levels of racing. Ullrich hasn't raced since last year's Tour of Qatar but won't be able to race until March 23, when his racing ban is lifted from his positive for amphetamines last summer. Ullrich has been training with Rudy Pevenage and Tobias Steinhauser in Tuscany, riding up to four to five hours per day. So far, the German wires report, there's no major pain in his knees, the Achilles heel that brought Ullrich all his problems last year. According to reports, he's not riding very hard,

Danielson is now in yellow.

Brown was untouchable at the finish.

The break that broke at the end.

O'Neill gets cleaned up.

The stage 8 route.

Several minutes have passed since the conclusion of the second stage of the 2003 Tour de Langkawi, but Stuart O’Grady’s motor is still redlined. Moments ago two ugly crashes in the last kilometer of the stage left at least a dozen riders bumped, bruised or worse. Among them are several of O’Grady’s Credit Agricole teammates. Normally O’Grady isn’t one for drama, but the cause of all this carnage has been placed on one of his competitors, a young ambitious Argentinean who rides for the Italian Ceremiche-Panaria team. “It was the most ridiculous sprinting I’ve ever seen,” O’Grady recalls.

Italian sprinter Fabio Baldato spoiled the Frenchies' party Wednesday in the opening stage of the five-day Etoile de Besseges in southern France. Alessio rider Baldato covered the 153.5km stage from St. Cannat to Sainte Tulle in 3 hours, 47 minutes and 6 seconds, edging French rider Franck Bouyer (Brioche La Boulangere) and Mickael Skelde (EDS-Fakta) to score the win. The race continues Thursday with a 150km circuit course in Marseille. Galvez scores second victory in Mallorca Challenge Kelme's Isaac Galvez snagged his second victory in Wednesday's mass sprint in the fourth

I was injured in an accident with a driver who pulled out in front of me while I had the “right of way”. I was unable to avoid the car and ran into the driver’s side door breaking my arm. I missed 6 weeks of work and my bike was totaled out. The driver was ticketed for “failing to yield” and his insurance company accepted liability. I received an offer from the insurance company that seems too low to fully compensate me. I discussed this with the adjuster and she agreed that the broken arm was severe, but that I contributed to the accident by not wearing a helmet and that I was therefore

O'Grady, Brown and O'Neill gave the Aussies a big presence on the podium.

The break that almost stuck.

A dejected Green waits for the KoM jersey presentation.

The stage 7 route

The stage 7 profile

O'Grady before his first Tour de Langkawi win.

Baldato

The French racing season opened Tuesday with Ludo Dierckxsens (Landbouwkrediet) winning the GP d'Ouverture La Marseillaise, 150km from Gardanne to Aubagne near Marseille. The race was marked by a long breakaway by nine riders that took advantage of favorable winds to build an insurmountable lead that was more than half-an-hour by the finish. In the closing kilometers, Magnus Backstedt (Credit Agricole) attacked, only to be joined by Dierckxsens, who beat the Swede to the line. Most teams who competed on Tuesday will stay on for the 33rd Etoile de Besseges, which enters the Bouches region

Brown upped his Langkawi stage total to three.

Stage 6 route

Stage 6 profile

Australian Nathan O’Neill shows off his tan after another hot day in Malaysia.

The scenery softened the blow of a two-hour transfer between stage 3 and 4.

Two members of the Palmans-Collstrop team catch up on the news of the day.

The thousands of kids that line the race route everyday are one of the Tour de Langkawi’s highlights.

Canada’s Alex Lavellee does the grunt work.

The police motorcycle line-up before the start of stage 4.

Cycling is getting big-time in Malaysia.

Rear wheel puncture on stage 4.

Although it's no monkey from Malaysia, it is a flying squirrel from Colorado

The peloton heads up the first stage 4 climb.

Stage 5 route

Stage 5 profile

American Fred Rodriguez started his 2003 season off with a strong second-place finish in Sunday’s GP Costa del Etruschi in Italy, finishing just behind winner Jaan Kirsipuu. Several riders broke away in the opening Italian race of the 2003 season, but were brought back for a bunch sprint. Kirsipuu, who typically starts the season strong, edged Rodriguez. The news is good for Rodriguez, who joined Sidermec (formerly Tacconi Sport) in December. Rodriguez is hoping to move up one step this spring following his impressive performance last year when he finished second to Mario Cipollini in

Green grabs his helmet after winning two KoMs.

It's 3-for-3 for Pagliarini.

Spanish rider Issac Galvez (Kelme) pulled off a repeat in Sunday’s European season opener, edging double world champion Oscar Freire (Rabobank) in the Trofeo Mallorca. Galvez, winner of last year’s race, profited from brilliant work by teammate Alejandro Valverde to snag victory in the first race of the 2003 European racing season. Freire, making his debut with Rabobank, crossed the line fourth in the 82km stage in Palma de Mallorca. The International Challenge of Mallorca continues with Monday’s 64km Trofeo Cala Millor, featuring a category-two and a category-four climbs. Results, Trofeo

Pagliarini shines after another win.

O'Neill slipped on the yellow jersey again.

Two of the breakaways tackle the lone climb.

The break was away for most of the race.

One of the race's furry spectators.

Team Canada grabs a spare bike.

Even on the first lap, the first five riders had one thing in common

DeClerq, Wellens, Vervecken... no room for Berden and Nijs

Gullickson - 25th

Page - 37th

Van den Brandt

Armstorng and Bruyneel: Any other questions?

12:38 p.m. - Monopoli Italy -- Welcome to VeloNews.com’s live coverageof the 2003 world elite men’s cyclo-cross championship race in Monopoli,Italy. Earlier today, Holland’s Daphny Van den Brand outsprinted two-timeworld champion Hanka Kupfernagel to take her first rainbow jersey.We are about 2 minutes away from the start of the men’s race and we’llbe offering live coverage throughout the hour-long event. To follow today'saction in the men's race click the link to bring up our new LIVECOVERAGE window and keep track of the race from start to finish.

Ever wonder how one of the world’s greatest professional athletes handles some of the world’s most ridiculous questioning during a press conference? After the U.S. Postal Team’s official unveiling last week in Solvang, California, Armstrong fielded questions from a roomful of media, including cycling publications, local newspapers, network TV affiliates — and an unidentified older gentleman that floored the room with quite possibly the most preposterous line of questioning Armstrong has ever faced, prompting many in the room to ask, “Who was that guy? Was he for real?” Following are a few

Canadian Roland Green cools down, while teammate Peter Wedge waits his turns during the stage 1 TT.

The back end of the Saturn team van.

The marina on the south side of Langkawi Island.

A crowed day at the Ferry terminal in Langkawi.

Name placards that will be inserted onto the hoods of team cars for the time trial.

A small boat makes its way for shore near the ferry terminal at Kuala Perlis.

Public restrooms.

Pagliarini got his first big win.

Dionne gets medical attention after crashing.

Credit Agricole was one of several teams to send riders to the front.

Carnage seemed to be everywhere at the finish.

Franzoi takes U-23 cyclo-cross title

Boom

Franzoi kept his word

Trofeo Mallorca kicks off Euro-seasonSunday’s Trofeo Mallorca (1.3) kicks off the 2003 European racing season on the Spanish island of Mallorca in the Mediterranean Sea as part of the five-day International Challenge of Mallorca. Unseasonably cold weather blew through the Balearic Islands, dumping snow last week on the highest reaches of the typically mild Mallorca vacation hotspot. Twenty teams with 250 riders will tackle the season opener, covering 727 kilometers in five stages. Sunday’s Trofeo de Mallorca is held on an 82.5km circuit course in Palma de Mallorca. Monday’s course tackles

A traditional Malaysian sampan boat rests of shore in Langkawi.

History was made this past Monday when the Monster Garage team suffered its first-ever defeat, failing to turn a Meteor Cadillac hearse into a car-crushing "Grim Ripper." Even more shocking though was our tech editor Andrew’s admission that he was screaming at the TV screen during the show’s closing minutes. Screaming. Now that’s a TV moment. Readers may be disappointed to learn that while I watched the State of the Union address on Tuesday, I didn’t stay up to see the season premiere of American Idol that followed. So, since I may be in danger of losing the TV beat, on to the road