News

Mattan on the sprint to victory

The 2000 champ, Kloden finished 24 seconds down

In an unsigned statement issued late Thursday, USA Cycling said it would request a review and consider an appeal of a recent Colorado appeals court decision upholding a legal challenge of the organization's attempt to "streamline" its bylaws two years ago. The court ruled that a lawsuit filed by former U.S. Cycling Federation trustee Les Earnest rightly pointed out that USA Cycling's board of directors had not fully justified their use of "emergency" provisions in its attempt to implement 24 pages of bylaw changes without submitting them for review by the membership of its affiliate

Nearly two months after the cancellation of the World Cup stop in Whistler, Canada, the UCI has announced that Grouse Mountain will replace the famed ski area as host site for the year’s first mountain-biking "triple." Downhill/dual Round 3 and cross country Round 4 of the World Cup series will take place July 4-8 at the small ski resort, which is just 15 minutes from downtown Vancouver. The event will be put on by Gestev Inc., the organization behind the numerous World Cup races at Mont-Ste-Anne, Quebec, and last year’s cross country in Mazatlan, Mexico. Grouse Mountain was one of two

Cruz had the legs to hang on in today's mass sprint in Spain.

Nice View: Grouse Mountain overlooks Vancouver

Pantani about Armstrong: 'I really don't like that American way of his.'

Bruckner moved in to the overall lead with a 1:30 margin.

Stahurskaia

Cooke

Teutenberg

Mapei’s Michele Bartoli won Saturday's Het Volk semi-classic, a 200km race between Ghent and Lokeren.The Italian champion won a sprint finish to come in ahead of Belgian Hendrik Van Dijck (Lotto) Matthe Pronk (Rabobank). Bartoli, who suffered a serious injury to his right leg after an accident in the 1999 Tour of Germany, is now back in top form following this result in Belgium's season-opening event. At 30, he is now in the kind of shape which saw him top the world rankings at the end of the 90's. The result upstaged Belgian riders who have only been beaten five times in 55

Graham Watson

Schwinn/GT Limited, the European division of Schwinn, has gone into administrative receivership, the British equivalent of an American bankruptcy proceeding. According to the British bicycle industry news service, BikeBiz UK, the company may have as many as 11 containers of bikes held up in port because the company lacked the necessary funds to pay for them. A spokesman for the American division of Schwinn confirmed the European division's dire financial situation, and added that the move would have no impact on the firm's North American operations. However, the willingness to let

Boogerd kept the leader's jersey with his second stage win

World champion Zinaida Stahurskaia adds firepower to GAS

World Cup runner-up Pia Sundstedt will be a one-day force

The ever-secretive UCI still hasn’t tipped its hand on where the cancelled Whistler World Cup is going to end up, but talk out of Vancouver is that the Grouse Mountain bid submitted by Gestev Inc. is just days away from being accepted. "It’s not a done deal, but we’re confident, otherwise we wouldn’t be talking about it," said Stuart McLaughlin, president of Grouse Mountain Resorts. "We should have confirmation in the next week or so, and then we really get to work." It’s expected that the Grouse event will retain World Cup "triple" status — hosting cross country, downhill and dual — and

Boys of spring: Postal riders Christian Vande Velde (r) and George Hincapie tackled one of Valencia's climbs.

Not too many cyclists get things named for them. There's a Sean Kelly Square in Carrick-on-Suir, Ireland; there's streets named after Tour de France heroes; and the Aussies named their Olympic velodrome for the 1930s track racer Dunc Gray. But these things generally happen after the athlete has retired ... or died. So the naming Wednesday at the Nike world headquarters in Beaverton. Oregon, of the Lance Armstrong Sports & Fitness Center is unusual, to say the least. "It makes me feel kinda old," said the 29-year-old Armstrong, who jetted in with his family Tuesday evening from Santa

Boogerd held onto the yellow jersey

Pantani finished well off the pace

Zabel

Brian Lopes

Will Pantani seek refuge off-road?

After 42 days in the hospital, Fred Mengoni is going home. Friday night will be Mengoni’s last at St. Mary’s Hospital in West Palm Beach, Florida. Saturday a friend will drive him back to his home in New York City. "I am a lucky guy. I could have been dead," said Mengoni, who is considered one of American cycling’s greatest patrons. "For a month I couldn’t even talk. Now I’m walking and talking. I feel great." Back in early January, the 77-year-old Italian born Mengoni crashed his bicycle while trying to avoid an oncoming car. The incident left Mengoni with a broken pelvis, broken ribs,

The tangled legal affairs of Italy's most famous cyclist, Marco Pantani, were further complicated on Thursday by two new developments. Forli Judge Luisa Del Bianco, who presided over the case that ended with the 1998 Tour de France and Tour of Italy winner being convicted and sentenced to a three-month suspended prison term on doping-related charges in December, reopened that inquiry because of the disappearance of the cyclist's medical records. In a separate development investigators from Florence, working under the instruction of Ferrara prosecutor Pierguido Soprani, seized files

French cycling star Laurent Jalabert's immediate career remained in the balance on Thursday, as the rider's release from a Geneva hospital was pushed back, Danish television reported. The 32-year-old leader of Danish team CSC/World Online, fell two meters from a ladder in a freak accident at his home near Geneva last week, fracturing three vertebrae. Team manager, former Tour de France winner Bjarne Riis, said on Thursday he would be travelling to Geneva to discuss plans for Jalabert's physiotherapy and in a bid to rebuild his morale. Jalabert, cycling's world No. 1 for

Problems mounting: Pantani is facing several legal battles.

Winner: Dekker led from stage 2 on.

Good and bad: American Fred Rodriguez was ninth in the final stage but 101st in the overall.

Motoring: Hvastija heads for the win.

Up they go: The Spanish countryside provided pleasant scenery.

Dekker leads the pack.

Alcala de La Real creates a nice backdrop for the Ruta.

Well, at least the logo is familiar.

Breaking away. Sheffr pedals to victory.

French cyclist Laurent Jalabert, who’s been in the hospital for the last week after falling off a ladder at his home, and fracturing three vertebrae in his lower back, could be heading home soon, according to his CSC-World Online team. But for now doctors at the hospital in Geneva have suggested Jalabert stick around at least a few more days. "The most important thing is that he returns to normal life," said CSC director Johnny Weltz. "It’s not much fun to stay in the hospital. But it’s necessary to keep him there for a few more days, and look after these fractures that can't be

Lanfranchi's yellow jersey was only one of many Mapei prizes.

On his own. Pedro Diaz Lobato went early and stayed away.

Spoils. Diaz Lobato held off cycling's big guns.

Thousands of mourners gathered in the Basque village of Berango Saturday to pay homage to Spanish cyclist Ricardo Otxoa who was killed during a training accident on Thursday. ]The cyclist's twin brother and Kelme teammate Javier, who finished 13th overall in last year's Tour de France and won the 10th stage, remains in a coma in hospital here. The brothers had been training on a small frontage road when they were hit by a car as they trained at Cartama in the southern province of Malaga. Ricardo, 26, died on his way to hospital and is to be buried later Saturday. Javier is

Basso - seen here in stage 2 -- lost the lead after a hard crash on stage 4

Spanish cyclist Javier Otxoa (Kelme) remained in critical condition on Friday from massive injuries received during a training accident that also killed his twin brother and teammate Ricardo, a hospital spokesman said. The 26-year-old, who finished 13th overall in last year's Tour de France and won the 10th stage on the strength of a long solo breakaway, was being treated in the intensive care unit of a Malaga hospital with serious injuries to his head, back and possibly his spinal chord, the hospital's intensive care chief Juan Antonio Benitez said. Otxoa was having difficulty

Olympic bronze medallist and one-time Linda McCartney team leader Max Sciandri is set to sign a two-year contract with the Italian Lampre team early next week, according to a news release issued by the McCartney squad’s former press officer John Deering.Sciandri and Deering were among a large group of riders and staff let go as Britain’s top pro road team collapsed last month under financial pressures. The team, once thought to be recruiting its way to Division I status, fell apart after failing to secure a major secondary sponsor and receiving only limited from its title sponsor, Linda

Wherry moved up two spots with a strong time trial

Horner

How far the mighty... Koerts, once in yellow, found himself racing the clock. He lost.

Wherry still holds on to fifth.

McEwen scores one against Kirsipuu

Spanish rider Ricardo Otxoa was killed Thursday in a training accident while his twin brother and Kelme team mate Javier was taken to hospital with serious injuries, a team spokesman said. The two racers were hit by a vehicle as they trained at Cartama in the southern province of Malaga. Ricardo died on the spot while Javier, winner of the 10th stage of last year's Tour de France, suffered serious injuries to his head and body and was reported to be in a coma. Copyright AFP2001

The U.S. Postal Service team opened its 2001 season at the Tour of Algarve, a five-day, five-stage event in Portugal that ended Thursday in Loule. In a press release issued Thursday, the team’s assistant director sportif Dirk Demol reported that the squad is showing good form and riding better than they were at this time last year. Led by Viatcheslav Ekimov's 10th place finish in the overall standings, 25 seconds behind overall winner Andrea Ferrigato (Alessio), the Postals turned in a strong performance for their first race of the season, said Demol. George Hincapie finished sixth in

You’re on a descent, hitting speeds over 40 mph, with a 90-degree turn at the bottom. Suddenly, your glasses fog up.... If you’re a cyclist who wears glasses or contact lenses, you’re well aware of the special problems you face in a sport where clear vision is critical. Cyclists are exposed to a great deal of wind, which often carries debris. If this debris lodges itself underneath a contact lens, it can cause severe discomfort and affect your vision and depth perception — not something you want during training or racing. Eyeglasses offer an alternative to contacts, but they can get dirty,

Hand-off. Bettini lost his yellow jersey, but it was to teammate Lanfranchi.

French cycling star Laurent Jalabert has started walking, just two short days after breaking three vertebrae in a freak accident, his team boss said Wednesday. While changing a light bulb, Jalabert fell six feet from a ladder at his home near Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday, fracturing three vertebrae and putting the 32-year-old's immediate career plans on hold. Hospital officials in Geneva have declined to comment on Jalabert's condition, but the CSC-World Online team manager Bjarne Riis said Jalabert’s injuries are a cause of great concern. "Something serious has happened to him,"

Wherry (center) finished with the leaders

The duel between Hervé and Lanfranchi set the stage for a Mapei win.

Mercury-Viatel brought along plenty of climbing talent.

Laurent Jalabert will be off of his bike for at least a month after fracturing three vertebrae in a freak accident while changing a light bulb in his home in Geneva, Switzerland late Monday. The 32-year-old Jalabert was taken to a nearby hospital where doctors diagnosed the fractures in his lower back during a CAT scan on Tuesday. Jalabert was changing a light bulb when he lost his balance and fell. The one-time world’s number one is a member of the Danish CSC team — a team that most recently competed under the sponsorship of the computer component manufacturer Memory Card. The team is

Mercury-Viatel's Koerts holds a 42-second lead over Quaranta

This isn't the Giro, is it?

Lochowski was on his own for 85km.

After nearly two decades and seven world titles astride those venerable Ritchey steel frames, the Ritchey-Yahoo! Squad will not be riding Tom’s bikes in 2001. Thomas Frischknecht — 1996 world cross-country champion — and Martino Fruet will not only be riding bikes from other builders, it looks like they’ll be riding — GASP! — aluminum frames. Frishi for one, however, will have to wait a bit before racing on the scandium Scott that he is having built. Doctors have told him that he’ll be unable to race for at least a month after a February 7 training ride accident resulted in a dislocated joint

Red Zinger Bicycle Challenge race director Len Pettyjohn, said Monday that the 2001 edition of the race is “a 100-percent certainty,” though the event will probably take place under the name of a new title sponsor. Pettyjohn told VeloNews that he would be ready to announce the identity of the race’s new title sponsor within a month. He, however, did offer one hint, noting that this year’s winner “will probably be driving home in a new car,” from a race now scheduled for August 11. Pettyjohn was also the director of the former Mercury Tour, a mountain-bike stage race in Steamboat, Colorado,

Moninger took the 2000 Zinger. If he wins this year, he may be driving home in style.

The peloton enjoyed the scenery on the way to Melaka

The race leader has everyone's attention

Tuft, Okazuki and Langella

Degano had time to celebrate

The break stayed out for nearly 200km

Barry has been active all week

In the VeloNews road season preview issue (February 5, 2001), we inadvertently left Massachusetts’s Kevin Monahan off of the 7-Up-Colorado Cyclist team roster, and we heard about it quickly from some of our readers. We caught up with the entire team on Thursday at its Boulder, Colorado, training camp. Six inches of new snow on the ground and temperatures in the teens put a damper on the festivities. "This sucks," said newcomer Dave McCook. "I didn’t come here to ski." The team made plans for a snowshoe excursion on Friday, but Thursday was a day for indoor training, testing and team

Koerts scored Mercury's second stage win

Moninger leads the Mercury chase

Sure enough, Monahan was there.

Killing time in the meetings.