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VeloNews.com values your opinions and welcomes your letters. If you runacross something in the pages of VeloNews magazine, hear of something inthe world of cycling or see something on VeloNews.com that causes you towant to express an opinion, dropus a line.Please include your full name and home town. By submitting mail to thisaddress, you are consenting to the publication of your letter.Blackwelder responds to USADA ruling and suspensionDear VeloNews(see "Blackwelderreceives 8-month suspension") Funny thing, for the last three yearsI've spent countless hours developing a women's team

Idaho cyclist Brooke Blackwelder (Team Goldys) has been suspended from the sport for eight months following a final ruling on a case stemming from a positive drug test at last year’s Hewlett-Packard Women’s Challenge. According to a statement released by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), a three-member arbitration panel from the American Arbitration Association (AAA)/North American Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled that there was enough evidence to show that Blackwelder had violated doping rules by using a banned anabolic steroid. Blackwelder, 34, tested positive for

McEwen now turns his attention to France.

Simoni fans don't care if their hero is under fire.

Green Beret Sgt. Gene Vance Jr., an avid cyclist who had worked at a West Virginia bike shop before being called up for duty in Afghanistan, was killed May 12 when his Special Forces unit came under fire. He was the first member of the West Virginia National Guard to die on active duty since World War II, according to The Associated Press. On March 4, another soldier-cyclist, Army Sgt. Phil Svitak, 31, of Clarksville, Tennessee, was among seven Americans to die when enemy fighters targeted two Chinook helicopters in separate attacks. Bruce Summers, owner of Whitetail Cycle & Fitness, said

Garzelli started the day uncertain of his fate.

Piccoli leads the escape

Mountain biking took centerstage over the weekend with the openinground of the 2002 World Cup in Madrid. Alison Dunlap made an impressiveseason debut wearing her rainbow jersey with her new Luna kit, finishingsecond behind turbo-charged Marga Fullana. Dunlap said she´sgoing for the overall title this year."I want to win the World Cup because it´s something I´venever done before, so this is a good start."It´s an even better start considering Fullana, who´s terrifiedof flying and doesn´t like to stray too far from Spain, won´tbe racing any of the North American World Cup stops.Susan Haywood

The $500,000 Mike Walden Velodrome officially opened earlier this monthin Rochester Hills, Michigan.Designed by velodrome master Dale Hughes, paid for by private donations,built by volunteers and subsequently donated to the city, the 200-meteroutdoor track in Bloomer Park is Michigan’s first since a predecessor inDetroit, built in 1969 by Walden, shut down in the early 1980s.The new track “is exciting to ride,” said spokesman Leonardo Gianola.“Our old velodrome in Detroit, the Dorais Velodrome, was a 333-meter trackwith angles of 8 to 24 degrees. The MWV is 13 to 44 degrees, which makesit

Following a major overhaul to its mountain-bike ranking software during the offseason, the UCI has finally released an updated set of cross-country standings. And just as they did at the end of 2001, Bart Brentjens and Barbara Blatter continue hold down the No. 1 spots. In the rankings released May 16, Brentjens had an 18-point lead over second-place occupant Jose Antonio Hermida, with Canadian Roland Green moving past Miguel Martinez into third place, 32 points back of Brentjens. Martinez is now fourth, with Roel Paulissen in fifth. Paulissen made the most significant jump, climbing into

Heartbreaker: Guidi was caught with just 2.5km to go.

Mavic's Aaron Walker helps set up Tinker's lights for the night ride

Green settled for second.

The Le Mans style sprint, Saturday at high noon.

Juarez, during one of his fresher laps Saturday

Words of encouragement ring through the hills of Laguna Seca.

24-hour racing is serious business. Just ask Fred Flintstone, here.

Solo effort. Verbrugghe had plenty of time to celebrate.

A Family Affair: Tinker Juarez with his pit crew: sister Yvonne Roblero (left) and mother Rose Juarez.

What goes up must come down

24 Hours of wavering Adrenalin

Millward

Davidenko and Obee

Vogels

Neben and Hughes on the attack

Fullana climbs towards the win.

Dunlap took second in Madrid.

Brentjens takes round one.

VeloNews.com welcomes your letters. If you run across something in thepages of VeloNews magazine or see something on VeloNews.com thatcauses you to want to write us, dropus a line.Please include your full name and home town. By submitting mail to this address, you are consenting to the publication of your letter. Follow the samplesDear VeloNewsGarzelli's initial response to an apparent positive test for steroidmasking agent Probenecid pretends to add an air of doubt as to whethersuch test results can be trusted."It would be ridiculous to take this product. I don't know how it gotinto

Heppner takes over the jersey

Lombardi takes the stage

Just part of the damage.

Saying "it's a scary, but necessary decision," Lyne Bessette announced Friday that she is leaving the Saturn cycling team for at least the remainder of the season. The 27-year-old Bessette, winner of last year’s Tour de l'Aude and Hewlett-Packard Women’s Challenge, has been a member of the team for five years, but said that she felt it necessary to take a break from the world's number one women's team in order to "focus on some of my own goals." Bessette said primary on that list of personal goals is a strong performance at this year's world road championships. Bessette

“I notice that you use work and job interchangeably. Oughten to do that. A job’s what you force yourself to pay attention to for money. With work, you don’t have to force yourself.” - Cal, an engineer, in William Least Heat Moon’s “Blue Highways.” According to a story by Jason Sumner in the May 20 VeloNews, most pro mountain bikers aren’t making any money. Welcome to the club, dudes. I believe the late Ed Abbey defined this sort of edge-dwelling as “voluntary simplicity.” But then he didn’t mind sleeping in the back of his truck. Pro cyclists are not unlike the pro journalists who write

Italian rider Nicola Chesini (Panaria), who occupied last place in the Giro, was arrested Thursday at the finish of the fifth stage in Limone Piemonte according to police sources. Although his team had no official explanation, the arrest was believed to be related to that of another Panaria rider, Antonio Varriale, 28. Varriale was not participating in the Giro, and had been arrested late Monday night and suspended by his team and provisionally by the Italian federation. Varriale was charged with possession of stolen goods, associating with criminals, and violation of antidoping

Bessette leaves Saturn

Friday's Foaming Rant: The naked truth about jobs vs. work

Hamilton checks over his injuries after the finish.

After a wild and woolly opening four stages, the Giro d’Italia returnedhome Thursday. Riders took a night flight to Cuneo in northwest Italy whilethe caravan drove overnight from France back to home soil. Friday’s 150-kmfifth stage Fassano to Limone Piemonte features the Giro’s first summitfinish, a day that’s sure to reveal who has the legs to fight for the magliarosa.After four flat stages across Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germanyand France, the Giro gets steep with three rated climbs. The first ratedclimb is the Category III Colletto di Rossana at 84 kilometers. It is a2-km climb rising

A new dad as of last Friday, McEwen wanted to make his boy proud.

If it's Wednesday, this must be France, no?

This weekend, mountain bikers will converge in Madrid for the opening roundof the 2002 World Cup, but one very familiar and competitive face won’tbe there. Cadel Evans walked away from mountain biking last winter to take a chance on the road and so far he has no regrets. Mapei made the 25-year-old Australian an offer he couldn’t refuse: a two-year deal to ride for one of the world’s best road teams. Evans is currently taking part in the Giro d’Italia, where he is first lieutenant to Stefano Garzelli. VeloNews’ Andrew Hood recently sat down with Evans to talk about his adventures so far on

Rumors have been flying for months that the Spanish Kelme squad is aboutto implode, a la Mercury-Viatel. The longest standing Spanish teamis months behind paying riders, including top star Oscar Sevillawho is reportedly being wooed by Germany’s Telekom team. The Spanish dailies were buzzing with reports that Telekom -- anxiousfor a replacement for fallen star Jan Ullrich -- is trying to convince Sevilla to swap his lime-green Kelme jersey for a pink Telekom kit comeJuly. Ullrich announced last week he will not start the 2002 Tour de France and Sevilla, Spain’s hottest prospect, is in

The United States Anti-Doping Agency is reviewing the positive drug test of cyclist Duane Dickey of Minnetonka, Minn. Dickey tested positive for a combination of drugs, including nandrolone, at last year's Tour of Guatemala. The USADA Anti-Doping Review Board determined that sufficient evidence of doping exists to continue studying Dickey's case. Dickey tested positive for the prohibited substances phentermine, boldenone and nandrolone at the Tour of Guatemala on Oct. 28, 2001. The UCI conducted the test and referred the case to USADA.

Map of Stage 3 - Giro D'Italia

36 and counting

The lonely road: Streel was on his own for 162km

Telekom’s Erik Zabel continues to lead the world cycling rankings released by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) on Monday: 1. Erik Zabel (G) -- 2538 pts2. Paolo Bettini (I)--2113 3. Erik Dekker (Nl)-- 1770 4. Lance Armstrong (USA)--1731 5. Jan Ullrich (G)--1705 6. Gilberto Simoni (I) -- 1630 7. Oscar Sevilla (Spa) -- 1431 8. Oscar Freire (Spa)-- 1310 9. Francesco Casagrande (I)-- 1255 10. Laurent Jalabert (F) -- 1244 11. Juan Miguel Mercado (Sp)-- 1232 12. Jens Voigt (Ger) 1167 13. Joseba Beloki (Sp)-- 1160 14. Davide Rebellin (I) --1143 15. Danilo Di Luca (I) -- 1063 16. Giuliano

Tyler Hamilton’s exploits in the Giro d’Italia headline Americans racingin Europe this week. Hamilton is the only American starting in the Giro(yeah, we know, Acqua & Sapone’s Guido Trenti races with American licensebut is Italian) as Telekom’s Kevin Livingston and Bobby Julichwill be racing elsewhere in the coming weeks to get ready for the Tourde France.No American teams are in the Giro. Hamilton’s Giro didn’t start theway he would have hoped. The CSC-Tiscali team captain skidded into barriersin Saturday’s opening prologue, but luckily he wasn’t injured and finished34 seconds off the

The new leader

There were good crowds in Cologne

Cipo' had just one day to show off his pink zebra shorts

The Netherlands said good-bye to the Giro

Cipollini traded zebra stripes for pink

Chausson

Kovarik

VeloNews.com welcomes your letters. If you run across something in thepages of VeloNews magazine or see something on VeloNews.com thatcauses you to want to write us, dropus a line. Please include your full name and home town. By submitting mail to this address, you are consenting to the publication of your letter. Yeah...what he said! Wahoo! Way to go, Patrick! (see "Friday'sfoaming rant: The Giro d'Cheech and Chong") Couldn’t have said it bettermyself—and believe me, I’ve tried! Let the dogs run, baby, howling and snapping at the heels of Frigo,Pantani, and company. It’s hard

Cipollini winning, a familiar sight

Tyler Hamilton shook off his prologue crash

Dominguez

Savoldelli was third

Dominguez was a surprise

The tiger ate the zebra

Florit and Dunlap battle in the short track.

An exhausted Hesjedal aftre his win.

Bootes charges towards victory.

Chausson earned her first slalom victory.

Friday’s foaming rant: The Giro d’Cheech and Chong

The 'Happy Girl' wins.

Vanlandingham refuels

Another Green day.

Madrigal nips Hesjedal.

Calmly, the young man allows himself to be inoculated with the strangeseething liquid … “It is working! There’s power surging through those growingmuscles … millions of cells forming at incredible speed!” — “Meet CaptainAmerica,” by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby It’s time once again for the Giro d’Italia, and despite a cast of charactersthat includes more dopers than a Cheech and Chong film festival, it willbe carried live on OLN rather than on Court TV. Marco “Il Pirata” Pantani, Dario “Pretty Boy” Frigo — the list goeson and on like a Brooklyn police blotter, with Pantani as the least