Sizes: 43, 46, 51, and 56cm Price: $2500 Web site: www.carryyourdreams.com Just in from France: the new Lapierre Passport, a full suspension folding mountain bike and travel case. When packed inside of its travel case, this 24.5-pound, aluminum mountain bike only weighs 35 pounds, which means no extra weight fees for air travel.
Luxembourg's anti-doping agency will not open a disciplinary case against Fränk Schleck, who said he transferred nearly 7000 euros in March 2006 into an account belonging to Eufemiano Fuentes, the alleged ringleader of the Operación Puerto doping ring. According to European news reports and a press release from Schleck's Saxo Bank team, the agency found no evidence of actual doping violations and has decided to close the case.
It is the week before the US National Championship of Cyclocross and I am having trouble figuring out a good topic for my biweekly VeloNews.com journal. I wish this was because I am so focused and preoccupied with the impending championship event, but in reality my mind wanders as I think of the upcoming off season that directly follows the race.
Australian cycling ace Cadel Evans is set to take on seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong in the Giro d'Italia next year, race organizers announced Wednesday. The 31-year-old — runner-up in the past two Tours de France — will also face Italian stars Ivan Basso, Damiano Cunego and Danilo Di Luca in what will see the race in its 100th year since its creation. Evans wore the overall leader's pink jersey for a day during the 2002 edition and eventually finished 14th overall.
Cuban sprinter Ivan Dominguez has won just about every major one-day race in the U.S. since he defected from the Cuban national team at the 1998 Goodwill Games in New York City. Now the "Cuban Missile" is headed to the Fuji-Servetto ProTour team for the 2009 season, and he'll get his first chance to race in Europe at age 32. And, in an interview with VeloNews Wednesday, Dominguez said he didn't want to hear from any doubters about his chances at success. "For those people, I say, just keep it to yourselves and let me try," he said.
The French team which won this year's overall team classification at the Tour Down Under in Australia, Francaise des Jeux, will be returning in 2009 to defend its crown, organizers said Wednesday. "We will expect a competitive team performance in 2009 by Francaise des Jeux," race director Mike Turtur said. The team includes Jeremy Roy, who finished second overall in the 2008 Giro d'Italia Sprint Classification, and who Turtur said would be striving to secure sprint jersey points at the Tour Down Under.
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The Tour of Missouri, which enters its third year in 2009, on Tuesday formally announced its dates as September 7th to 13th, next year. The race organizers also announced that the race will be a UCI Category 2 Hors Category event next year. Missouri and the Amgen Tour of California are now the only Cat. 2HC events in the U.S. “The success of the first two years is really astounding,” said Missouri’s Lt. Governor Peter Kinder, in a statement. Kinder also serves as chairman of Tour of Missouri, Inc., the event’s rights holder.
Following last weekend's UCI races in Virginia, Rhode Island and Oregon, Ryan Trebon (Kona) and Georgia Gould (Luna) continue to lead the USA Cycling national cyclocross standings. The final races of the national calendar are this weekend: the national championships in Kansas City. Men's Top 5 Standings: | (Complete men's standings) 1. Ryan Trebon ( Kona, Bend, Ore.) 500 2. Jeremy Powers (Cyclocrossworld.com-Cannondale, Hadley, Mass.) 479 3. Tim Johnson (Cyclocrossworld.com-Cannondale, Middleton, Mass.) 431
Well, the manuscript of the third edition of Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance is due today, and I’ve been burning the midnight and daybreak oil for some time now, especially the last week, to get it done. Still not certain I’ll make it. But somehow, despite not riding or answering the phone these days, I got sucked into answering this question in some serious detail while writing Chapter 8 on cranksets. Back to the book now. Lennard
German cyclist Erik Zabel said Tuesday the return of seven-times winner Lance Armstrong to the 2009 Tour de France could provide the tarnished sport with a much-needed boost. Zabel, 38, who captured the Tour de France's green jersey for the points winner six times between 1996-2001, will retire after Berlin's Six-Days cycling in the German capital at the end of January. But the sprint king says Lance Armstrong's planned return to the Tour de France next summer will help boost the sport's image after a string of failed drugs tests in recent years.
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2009 USA Cycling Professional Tour
Team Rock Racing's 2009 roster, released last month, is an impressive list, containing former ProTour riders Baden Cooke, Francisco Mancebo, and José Enrique Gutiérrez, as well as top domestic talents Ivan Dominquez, Glen Chadwick, Chris Baldwin and Caleb Manion.
Colors: Gloss metallic black with scotch-bright panels Sizes: 50, 53, 56, and 59cm Price: $2,399.99 Web site: www.ironhorsebikes.com New from Iron Horse the Double Cross cyclocross bike is built around an aluminum frame. The Double Cross features Hutchinson Bulldog tubeless-ready tires and a SRAM Rival group.
Belgian cycling star Tom Boonen risks facing criminal charges over his positive test for cocaine, according to public prosecutors in Turnhout on Monday. Boonen, a former world champion and winner of Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders, tested positive for the recreational drug in an out-of-competition test in May.
Team Columbia and Team Garmin-Chipotle are hiring the Anti-Doping Sciences Institute, run by well-known anti-doping researcher Don Catlin, to provide independent testing program for the teams next season, the teams announced Monday. ADSI also will be testing Lance Armstrong next year. The ADSI program takes over from ACE, a company that had been doing testing for Columbia, Garmin-Chipotle and Team BMC before shutting down last month. Columbia's owner Bob Stapleton said Catlin's program complements the UCI's biological passport program.
Sub-freezing temperatures greeted the participants who braved the elements to contest the final Zipp Ohio Valley Cyclocross Tour event at Brookside Park in Indianapolis. Although the ground was snow covered in spots, icy in others with air temperatures hovering around 20°F, the racing action was anything but frigid.
Team Kenda is entering its year as a women’s road team with a cast of returning riders and a few new young rides. Jakie Kurth, two-time junior national champion, returns in her final year of junior eligibility. Espoir riders will include Denise Ramsden, the 2007 and 2008 Canadian junior road race champion, Ashley James, who is currently racing for Lindsey Wilson College, and climbing specialist Ally Stacher, from the Lees-McRae collegiate program.
Weight: 200g/pair Suggested retail: $599.99/pair Web site: www.zerogravitybike.com The Vanderkitten Elite Women’s Team will be using a limited edition version of the Zero G brakes, which also will be available to the public next month. Ciamillo Components’ Zero G brakes are made in the U.S and feature a patented Power Cam that provides a mechanical advantage with modulated stopping power.
Kazakh cyclist Alexandre Vinokourov, who was kicked out of the 2007 Tour de France for doping, was dropped from a Dutchmountain bike event on Friday in what would have been his comeback race. The 35-year-old was to take part in the Beach Challenge in the Dutch town of Scheveningen, but he was withdrawan from the list of entrants, the ANP news agency reported. The organizers, who had originally accepted the Kazakh rider into the race, did not give a reason for their change of mind.
VeloNews technical editor Matt Pacocha took a three-up sprint to win the Colorado state cyclocross championships Sunday in Boulder. Last year's champion Kerry Barnholt (Tokyo Joe's) defended her title, taking the women's open win over Lisa Matlock Strong (Tough Girl). With dry conditions, Pacocha took the hole shot and immediately opened a gap on the field. An elite group of five soon formed, containing Pacocha, Brandon Dwight (Boulder Cycle Sport), Jake Wells (Mafia Racing), Jonathan Baker (Vitamin Cottage) and Yannick Eckmann (Clif Bar).[nid:85762]
Having ridden in the service of Jan Ullrich for so many years at the Telekom and T-Mobile teams, and been an omnipresent in the constant battle with Lance Armstrong for the Tour De France title, Andreas Klöden now finds himself doing much the same job for his former rival at Astana. The German, however, has no reservations about the change of allegiance.
The OUCH Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis will feature returning pro Floyd Landis, much of the former Health Net - Maxxis team and several riders new to the team. The team's title sponsor is the OUCH Sports Medical Center, a provider of sports-related medical services in Southern California. The Center's co-founder and executive director, Dr. Brent Kay, has treated Landis since he seriously injured his hip in a 2003 crash. The roster: returning Heath Net riders: Rory Sutherland John Murphy Tim Johnson Karl Menzies Roman Kilun Floyd Landis
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Belgian Sven Nys (Landbouwkrediet) won Sunday's UCI World Cup in Igorre, Spain, retaining his overall lead in the World Cup series after five events. Countrymen Erwin Vervecken, Bart Wellons and Kevin Paulwels finished behind Nys. American Jonathan Page was 13th. Top Ten 1. Sven Nys in 1:06:36 2. Klas Vantornout (BEL) at 15. 3. Erwin Vervecken (BEL) at 27. 4. Bart Wellens (BEL) at 35. 5. Kevin Pauwels (BEL) at 1:09. 6. Zdenek Stybar (CZE) at 1:36.
Thankfully, the apocalypse was called off on Sunday as heavy rains returned to Portland and along with it some serious slop. What was Saturday an obvious motocross course transformed quickly into deep, goopy swamp.[nid:85721] The junior men saw the worst of the weather with heavy rain and cooler temperatures. As soon as the elite women were called up, the rain machine paused and racers had to contend with the leftovers. Katarina Nash (Luna) scored back to back wins and took the USGP series overall.
Dee Dee Winfield (Velo Bella / Kona) and Weston Schempf (C3-Sollay.com) rode to commanding solo wins in MAC Powered by SRAM’s season-ending Capital Cross Classic on Sunday. Winfield’s victory comes in the middle of a tough three-week stretch of travel that saw her working her way through the field to finish 21st in last week’s World Cup in Koksijde, Belgium, before traveling to Kansas City for next week’s U.S. National Cyclocross Championships.
Jamey Driscoll (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com) and Laura Van Gilder (C3/Sollay) swept the final two rounds of the 2008 Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series this weekend at Goddard Park in Warwick, Rhode Island, with Driscoll and Rebecca Wellons (Ridley) taking the overall 2008 series.[nid:85723]
"I’m Stein Bagger," the well-dressed man told the desk sergeant at a Los Angeles police station on Saturday. "I'm a fugitive from Europe and I'm here to turn myself in." Understandably skeptical, police at the substation near the city’s toughest neighborhood initially assumed the man with a noticeable accent was somehow delusional. "We've had several people come in and tell us they were the king of Denmark," Officer Jack Richter told the Los Angeles Times.
Normally in Portland, when the sun shines and the temperature reads over 50 degrees in December, many consider it to be a sign of the apocalypse. But even without a drop of rain for days, the first day of the USGP finals still dirtied riders’ race kits, if only just a little.
Jamey Driscoll (Cyclocrossworld.com-Cannondale) and Laura Van Gilder (C3 Sollay) won their respective races at Saturday's NBX Grand Prix in Warwick, Rhode Island. Full elite results are posted. Check back for a race report and photos.
You can tell that Yaroslav Popovych is glad to be back. He strolled out of the Hotel Las Madregueras in Tenerife ahead of Saturday’s penultimate training spin at Astana’s pre-season camp and he was smiling. On Friday, he spent a lot of time on the front alongside Lance Armstrong as the squad took in a four and a half hour spin, with over 10,000 feet of climbing through the rugged lava rock landscaped mountains. Although he still has to wear his Silence-Lotto colors until next year, it’s like he has never been away.
Floyd Landis has dropped his federal lawsuit against the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, according to documents signed by both parties on Thursday. Landis had sued earlier in September, seeking to overturn his two-year suspension for doping at the Tour de France and a $100,000 penalty imposed by the International Court of Arbitration for Sport in June. Landis charged that all three members of the appeals panel had conflicts of interest that would have precluded a fair hearing in the matter. Those conflicts, Landis charged, went unreported by each of the three.
The Tour of the Battenkill Valley, an upstate New York road race that has captured the imagination of many Northeastern riders with its partly dirt route, will be a two-day event with a pro road race next year. But the new pro race will not be UCI sanctioned or part of USA Cycling's America Tour calendar, as the promoter would have liked. USA Cycling and UCI officials say the race's short history and unusual course raise too many question marks, especially after deadlines have passed for requesting UCI sanctioning.
After considering an end to its involvement in cycling, German dairy manufacturer Nordmilch announced Friday that it will remain as title sponsor of the Milram team for at least another year. The company, whose contract with the team expires at the end of 2009, had reportedly consulted with attorneys to explore the possibility of ending its support a year early. Milram remains the sole German ProTour team after sparkling water distributor Gerolsteiner pulled its support from the cycling team of the same name in light of doping scandals involving its two top riders.
Weight: 83 grams Sizes: 90, 110, and 120mm Price: $199.00 Web site: www.rotorbike.com With the new Rotor SL MTB stem you can shave off a few more grams to make your mountain bike that much more responsive and make climbing just that much more effortless. With the use of only two screws for the handlebars and two for the steer tube, the Rotor SL MTB stem still achieves the required clamping force using its dual-thread pitch DTT Evo bolts with T25 Torx heads.
Colors: Black, Egglplant, Periwinkle, Orange, and Moss Green Sizes: Fits 22.2-25.4mm and 31.8mm handlebars Price: $25 to $40 Web site: www.trekbikes.com[nid:85626] The Trek Time series includes fun, simple, and functional watches for those looking for an entry-level bike computer. The ability to snap the computer on and off the handlebars allows you to detach it when you make stops during your ride or commute without worrying about theft.
Sizes: XS to XL Price: $65 Web site: www.dakine.com/bike The Dakine Storm Rider includes a Gore Tex insert to help to keep your hands dry from precipitation and the Thinsulate insulation. For durability, the Storm Rider uses Dakine's Weathershield shell. And out of consideration for your sniffling red nose, they stitched terrycloth panels to the thumbs.
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In addition to taking surfing lessons, attending team meetings and logging some miles, the Astana team has been busy testing new equipment during this week’s training camp in Tenerife. One of the many items under test was a spanking new set of as-yet-unnamed Bontrager wheels that Lance Armstrong has called “insanely fast.” According to Trek spokesman Ben Coates, the wheels are a prototype, and the only pair around at the moment.[nid:85646]
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Lance Armstrong has indicated he could race for a full two years after launching his comeback from retirement with a bid for an eighth Tour de France crown. The seven-time yellow jersey champion, who also reiterated his innocence in the face of drugs allegations over the years, added that he was happy to finish way down the standings of the world's biggest race if it meant helping promote his global fight against cancer.
Lance Armstrong on Thursday played down any rumors of internal strife in his new Astana team. The American was keen to show, at least, that Astana is one big happy family. The 37-year-old suggested he would be happy to race as the team's second or third-in command if circumstances demanded it. [nid:85596] "I've been ... racing professionally since 1992, when Alberto was, what, ten," Armstrong said in a news conference in Tenerife in Spain where he is training with Astana. "I think Alberto has obviously a tremendous amount of natural talent, and can read a race.[nid:85586]
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Web site: www.hutchinsontires.com[nid:85576][nid:85577] Have you been looking to run tubeless tires on your road bike? If not, here's a few reasons why you should: no pinch flats; ability to run lower pressure for better traction and a smoother ride; less weight than traditional tube-dependent clinchers; less expensive than tubulars. Now Hutchinson offers a variety of 127 tpi tubeless road tires. The Atom is a single compound, slick-type road tire that offers low weight, safety, and dry weather race performance.
Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong has been training with new Astana teammate Alberto Contador in the Canaries, his team announced on Wednesday. On Monday, the 37-year-old Armstrong revealed his intention to ride in the 2009 Tour de France after a four-year absence. An Astana spokesperson told AFP that "Contador rode in Armstrong's group for almost an hour", before the Spaniard took a plane to Madrid to receive a prize from sport paper AS on Wednesday night. The two stars of the Astana team trained in separate groups on Tuesday.
The final two weekends of 'cross racing in the United States are upon us and when I think back to Star Crossed in September, just one week after finishing the Tour of Missouri and a long road season, it’s hard to remember all the racing up to this point. This 'cross season has been packed with travel and races every weekend. So, as we barrel down to the final and most important weeks of the season, it’s really awesome to think back on some of the great battles we’ve all had against one another.
Although he is only three days into the Astana team’s first pre-season training camp on the island of Tenerife, Lance Armstrong has already shown team manager Johan Bruyneel that he will be ready for the new season. “Yeah, he’s in good shape,” said Bruyneel when the team returned to base after their third training spin of the camp, a three and a quarter hour ride, which according to the Belgian included "a few hills, but nothing special."[nid:85556]
Sara Carrigan, an Olympic road champion in 2004, has announced her retirement from professional cycling, Cycling Australia reported on Wednesday. The 28-year-old Carrigan represented Australia at eight world championships, two Commonwealth Games and two Olympic Games. Four years ago in Athens she won gold in the road race. Carrigan was twice Australian champion in the road time trial and won a clutch of victories in international races around the world.
Price: $95 to $125[nid:85546][nid:85548] Web site: www.sanmarcovintage.com In the world of cycling, fashion is determined by small details that are typically overlooked by the "noobs" and those not involved in the sport. One of the more subtle, yet convincing ways to step up your cycling fashion is with a classy saddle.
Matching your tire to a course’s conditions is a key to achieving the best possible result. There are currently three major tubular tire manufacturers that design, manufacture and produce complete tire lines: Challenge, Dugast and Tufo. Each manufacturer’s line is made up of three models — file tread, all-condition and mud — in a multitude of sizes.
Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong will train together for the first time on Thursday, their Astana team said. On Tuesday, the two former Tour de France champs trained in separate groups in a session that began on Sunday on the island of Tenerife. "We have groups each day, one with the best prepared cyclists and the other with the least prepared," an Astana spokesman said. The two are to train together "in theory” on Thursday.
Katie Compton, four-time national champion and worlds silver medalist, does not have a component sponsor. Compton and her mechanic husband Mark Legg, are not entirely pleased about this state of affairs, but the pair does enjoy the freedom to choose the parts they prefer.
From Michael Ball, Rock Racing Team Owner Culver City, Calif. – “Whenever a rider is suspended – be it for doping or any disciplinary issue – it brings negative attention to the sport that so many of us are working hard to cast in a positive light.”
Do I need wedges under my cleats?
December 1, 2008 Sean Petty Chief Operating Officer USA Cycling 1 Olympic Plaza, ??Colorado Springs, CO 80909 Dear Mr. Petty:
Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y) has stepped up to support the Tour of the Battenkill’s application to ?be included in the 2009 UCI America Tour. In mid-November, despite authorization from the UCI for a late application, USA Cycling declined to review promoter Dieter Drake’s bid to replace the Tour of Georgia on the UCI America Tour.
What brings a team together? CSC’s boot camps are legendary. Often teams bring in consultants that help with “team building” activities. Ropes courses are status quo. A little trust-tree action from time to time is surely part of the deal. Last year on Garmin we realized that while all of this is well and good, and does form solid ties, we found something even better — booze, and bar-food-fueled attempts to stimulate Boulder’s nocturnal economy.
Dear Lennard,
I'm a 39-year-old, 175 lb., 150-200 miles-per-week recreational rider who frequently rides long charity rides and occasionally races. I recently switched to Specialized Armadillo Elite tires to avoid a rash of flats I'd been having, and they've worked wonders (no flats at all since the switch.) I had most recently been riding Schwalbe Stelvios, and Michelin Lithions prior to them.
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A three-member arbitration panel has suspended Rock Racing rider Kayle Leogrande for two years, after concluding that he used EPO during last year's Super Week, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced Monday. The independent panel of arbitrators from the American Arbitration Association (AAA)/North American Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) unanimously found that Leogrande, 31, used EPO when competing at Superweek on July 26, 2007. Leogrande, who has the option to appeal to the Court of Arbitration of Sport, said he was not yet prepared to respond to the panel’s decision.
America's seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong announced on Monday that he will be trying for an unprecedented eighth Tour title as well as his first win at the Giro d'Italia. The 37-year-old Texan had been thought to be solely focusing on the Giro, but said on Monday that he also intends to take on the Tour in July. "Lance Armstrong announces his participation in the 2009 Tour de France," announced his Astana team on its Web site.
The weather for Storm the Greens was not stormy, but it was ‘cross weather — temperatures in the low 40s, spitting rain, and wind. But that didn't deter the 200-plus racers who came out to vie for Zipp OVCX Tour points and Kentucky State Championship medals. In the Elite Men's race, Ryan Knapp (BikeReg.com) continued his string of dominating performances. Knapp separated himself from a lead group of four after two laps and never looked back.
Todd Wells (GT Bicycles) and Amanda Miller (Mesa Cycles) took the wins on the second day of Iowa City's Carousel Volkswagen Jingle Cross Rock, on a day when overnight snow turned the course's Mt. Krumpit descent into a muddy bog that looked more like a bobsled run.
The Danish cycling team led by former Tour de France winner Bjarne Riis has lost its co-sponsor Monday after software firm IT Factory declared bankruptcy and said its chief executive had embezzled 500 million kroner ($85 million). The team was previously known as CSC Saxo Bank, but was due to change its name to Saxo Bank-IT Factory for the 2009 season after the Danish software company had apparently stepped up to replace the American Computer Services Corporation as a co-sponsor.
France’s Ag2r La Mondiale team will be back for next month's Tour Down Under in Australia, organizers said Monday. Ag2r La Mondiale has the best overall record in the Tour Down Under with four winners since the first race in 1999 -- Spaniard Mikel Astarloza (2003), Gilles Maignan of France (2000), Australian Simon Gerrans (2006) and Swiss Martin Elmiger (2007). "It is great news that such a quality team will be competing in Adelaide in January," race director Mike Turtur said.
Thirty-five degrees, steady showers, gray skies … in short, perfect conditions for the final round of the BikeReg.com MABRAcross series, which also served as the Maryland, Delaware and D.C. cyclocross championships. The course was a long loop with many off-camber sections made treacherous by the weather conditions.
Jamey Driscoll (Cyclocrossworld.com-Cannondale) and Maureen Bruno-Roy (MM Racing-Seven Cycles) won this weekend's Bay State Cyclocross race in Sterling, Massachusetts, the seventh event of the Verge New England Cyclo-Cross Series. Driscoll's win solidified his overall lead in the Verge series. Bruno-Roy was in third place in the series coming into the Sterling race, behind series leader Amy Dombroski (Velo Bella-Kona) and Rebecca Wellons (Ridley). Dombroski was not at the Sterling race. [nid:85483]
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Troy Wells (Clif Bar) and Todd Wells (GT) kicked off the 2008 UCI Carousel Volkswagen Jingle Cross Rock in Iowa City, Iowa, in fine style. The brothers finished 1-2 in the first day of racing, with Andy Jacques-Maynes (California Giant Strawberries) finishing third. In the women's event, Devon Haskell, Lisa Strong, and Josie Jacques-Maynes fought for position in a very tight event. In the final laps, Haskell pulled away from the other two, with Strong placing second and Jacques-Maynes claiming third. [nid:85492]
The team formerly known as Saunier Duval and then Scott-American Beef, has a new title sponsor for the 2009 season. The new Fuji-Servetto squad will retain its ProTour status. The team was close to collapse after the positive doping test of Italian climbing sensation Ricardo Riccò at the Tour de France. Both Riccò and teammate Leonardo Piepoli were both found to have used the new EPO variant, known as CERA.
Alberto Contador’s busy off-season is finally coming to a close and cycling’s latest “triple crown” winner is keen to get back on the bike. The Spanish climber heads to Spain’s Canary Islands this week for Astana’s first pre-season training camp ahead of the 2009 season, where he will finally meet his new teammate Lance Armstrong face-to-face.
American Katie Compton (Spike Shooter) and Belgian Erwin Vervecken (Fidea) won the fourth round of the cyclocross World Cup, the Cross of Koksijde Dunes, in Belgium on Saturday. Compton outsprinted world champion Hanka Kupfernagel, beating the German by one second to the line on Saturday. Kupfernagel, who won her fourth world cyclocross title in January, finished 17 seconds ahead of Holland's Daphny van den Brand. Compton’s win moves her to seventh place in the overall World Cup standings, with 110 points, well behind Kupfernagel’s solid first place, with 220.
Price: $34.95 Web site:www.roadrashrepairkit.com Road rash: Large, shallow abrasions caused by sliding across pavement without a full Kevlar suit. Symptoms: Loss of sleep, reduced mobility, and hypersensitivity to hot water, resulting in unpleasant cold showers and general crankiness.
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Former Gerolsteiner rider Stefan Schumacher, who failed a doping test at the Tour de France, said Thursday he will sue the French anti-doping authorities (AFLD) for defamation. "I have been judged and pilloried," Schumacher, who has always denied doping, wrote on his Web site. "My conscience is clear." "I don't want to stop here and I will not stop here," Schumacher added. "The people who have always believed in me and continue to do so and don't deserve this." Schumacher is one of four riders to have failed a test for the new EPO variant known as CERA at this year's Tour de France.
German milk-product manufacturers Milram is considering an early exit from its multi-million Euro sponsorship of the professional cycling team, a German newspaper report claimed on Thursday. According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine, the company has sought legal advice about whether it can finish its sponsorship agreement before the contract expires in 2010. The current sponsorship contract is reported to be worth eight million Euros ($10.3 million) a year.