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After coming close twice, Peat finally won at Maribor.

Friday's firing of Italian rider Dario Frigo by his Fassa Bortolo team after he admitted ownership of illegal drugs found in his possession during police raids Wednesday night is just the latest doping-related scandal to rock Italian sport this year. On Saturday it was reported that five riders of the Italian Liquigas team are under judicial investigation for doping-related matters after the police blitz on hotel rooms used by riders at the Giro d'Italia. Another Italian cyclist Ivan Gotti, twice a Giro winner, is also reportedly being probed. It is only recently that the Italian

Simoni on his winning solo effort.

The tifosi happy see the Giro on the move.

Savoldelli on the attack.

Chausson gets another World Cup win.

Flyin' Brian gets it done again.

The main contenders have two races under their belts at First Union Week and now turn their attention to the main event, the USPRO Championship in Philadelphia on Sunday. The two U.S. Division I teams, U.S. Postal Service and Mercury-Viatel, have each taken one win so far this week, and will again be two of the major players in Philadelphia. Of the two opening races, the First Union Invitational in Lancaster is the better indicator of who’s on form, and there were no big surprises. Leon Van Bon and Baden Cooke (Mercury-Viatel), George Hincapie (U.S. Postal Service), Trent Klasna (Saturn) and

Cipo does it again.

Despite an assist from Ullrich, Hondo finished third.

Olano remained in third in the overall.

Giro: Frigo out

Piziks, Dean and Koerts.

Van Bon on the move.

George and his dad.

Mario Cipollini and Hein Verbruggen discuss the future of the 2001 Giro.

All dressed up and no race to marshal.

Nobody will be at today's stage-winner press conference

Well, we're here. Let's party anyway.

People went to a lot of trouble all over Vinadio to welcome the Giro.

Bike race? What bike race?

There isn't much to promote or sell here today.

UCI president Hein Verbruggen confers in San Remo.

Dean gets a congratulatory hug.

Hincapie and Rodriguez.

Colombian cyclist Gustavo Wilches was found to have swallowed 40 capsules of heroin when stopped by customs officials at Bogota's Eldorado airport on Wednesday. The 39-year-old 1990 Tour of Colombia champion cracked under questioning and told police he had swallowed the drugs before attempting to board a flight to Mexico, he was then rushed to hospital for a stomach-pump. Wilches was a top Colombian Tour de France rider in the 1980s. Copyright AFP 2001

Caucchioli on his way to the win.

Simoni retains the pink jersey.

Up they go.

Ullrich ended up third.

Hincapie figured Mercury was setting up Cooke.

The most prestigious week of road cycling in the United States kicks off Tuesday afternoon with the First Union Invitational in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, west of Philadelphia. The 91-mile race takes place on a demanding 7-mile circuit through the streets of Lancaster and through Rockford Park along the Conestoga River. The challenging and technical circuit features rolling hills and several short, sharp climbs, giving it the reputation as a tough-man’s course, ideally suited for last year’s winner and 2001’s hottest rider, Trent Klasna of Saturn. Klasna and Saturn will have their hands full

French veteran rider Pascal Herve has been pulled out of the Giro d'Italia by his team after he tested positive for a controlled substance on Tuesday, Alexia team officials announced. "Herve has been pulled out while we wait for a second analysis to show that he knows nothing about this whole affair," his team announced. The 37-year-old Herve, a former Festina rider, is no stranger to doping. He was suspended at the start of this year after he finally admitted during last October's Festina court trial that he had systematically taken EPO while a member of Festina. Herve was thought

Former Giro winner and mountains specialist Marco Pantani on Tuesday blamed flu for his lack of progress in the mountains stages of the Giro d'Italia where he has unceremoniously dropped out podium contention. Pantani also opened his heart on his team's exclusion from this year's Tour de France, saying he would love to return to the showpiece event of international cycling next year, but he first explained why this year he failed to come into his own in the Italian mountains where he dropped to 17th place overall. "I had flu," the 1998 Giro d'Italia and Tour de France winner

Pantani

Hincapie, Van Bon and Klasna

Moninger took off early.

By moving the bridge to the back, Manitou adds stiffness and saves weight.

In RockShox Iore, Judy begat SID and SID begat Duke.

The Magic's big clamp makes this a seriously stiff combo.

If you happened to be one of the many race fans who took in either of late-April’s big domestic races — the First Charter Criterium in Shelby, North Carolina, or the Twilight Criterium a day later in Athens, Georgia — you might have come away asking yourself, "Who the heck is NetZero?" Entering the weekend, most people had regarded this Los Angeles-based team as little more than pack fodder in the rough-and-tumble domestic racing scene. This territory belonged to teams like Mercury-Viatel and Saturn, the Navigators and Prime Alliance. Certainly the new NetZero pro team, made up of

Back off, buddy

Napa World Cup winner José Antonio Hermida might not be a household name in mountain-bike racing, but standing next to the under-23 world champion on the first World Cup podium of the 2001 season last month was someone even more unfamiliar to fans. So you could hardly blame Hermida when he goofed on the guy’s name. While talking with reporters, Hermida said, "I put an attack on the uphill and I [caught] Thomas." The 26-year-old German sitting immediately to the right of Hermida interrupted: "Marc." "Oh, Marc," apologized Hermida. "No problem. Don’t feel sorry for me today," answered Marc

Most cyclists have experienced a few aches and pains along the way. Most of the time, it just comes with the territory and a little bit of rest is all you need. Sometimes, though, the aches and pains can grow into something more serious: overuse injuries. Overuse injuries are prolonged rubs, grinds and tears of soft tissue that cause pain and limit riding. As the name implies, they occur over time and are caused by irregular or excessive forces applied to a soft tissue such as cartilage or tendons. Overuse injuries may also occur as a result of an improperly rested acute injury. Common

Once a soccer player, Moeman now lives for cycling.

It’s a country roughly the size of Maryland, and with a population of less than 10 million. But when it comes to cycling, Belgium is one of the most tradition- and talent-rich powerhouses in the world. It can boast more elite men’s world road champions than France or Italy, and the little tri-lingual nation hosts a huge number of major UCI races, including classics such as the Tour of Flanders, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Flèche Wallonne, Ghent-Wevelgem and Het Volk. In addition to the great names of the past — Merckx, Van Looy, Van Steenbergen, De Vlaeminck, Van Impe — Belgium continues to churn

The Moermans host as many as eight riders at a time.

24-hour nationals tries again for Winter Park The 2001 24 Hours of Adrenalin NORBA National Solo and Team Championship. The name doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, but what that longwinded tag is trying to say is that, for the second straight year, NORBA will sanction a 24-hour off-road national championship event. This year’s event will be held August 4-5, at Winter Park, Colorado. Last year’s championship was also scheduled for Winter Park, but that event was derailed when local U.S. Forest Service officials refused to grant Winter Park Resort the permits needed to run the event. In the

Athens was the fifth AMBC race this year.

With a rest day tomorrow, Quaranta gets an extra day to savor a stage win

He's chill like that. Gabrielle Colombo takes a break on the road.

The NetZero squad work together for Miller's win at Twilight.

Hanisch is likely to have a smaller number next time you see him.

Some fair goers took the opportunity to ride the trails without leaving the tent, while others remembered golden rides in the pl

On the road, Frigo closed to within seven seconds of Simoni.

It was all Aussies at the top of the men's downhill podium.

Despite his rainbow jeresy, Rockwell could do no better than 16th.

Streb heads for the win.

Goive couldn't match her teenage teammate.

Hesjedal outlasts McGrath, while Green comes across third.

Hesjedal on the attck in the early going.

Dunlap exults as she crossed the line.

Florit was out fron for much of the race, but couldn't hold on at the end.

Hannah takes out Minnaar in the final.

Bootes looked fast here, but ended up fourth.

Donovan on her way to another win at Big Bear.

Who me worry? Even yesterday, Simoni had numerous reasons to smile about the Giro.

Simoni (in pink), Frigo, and the tifosi were the big players in today's stage.

Here's what we're all missing by not seeing this race in person. You gotta click to see this full size!

Wonder Grrl: Geneviève Jeanson

Her manager told her to go on the third climb. She listened -- and that's the last the peloton saw of her.

The World Cup math worked against Bessette (r) when Melcher (front) covered her move.

Montreal's podium (l to r): Ljungskog, Jeanson, Bessette.

Molday on his own on the second lap.

Dunlap got the hole shot but ended up second.

The 23-year-old Perez (right) after the win: 'I’d trade two teeth for a day like today.'