Mud so thick that racers had to pedal downhill set the stage for Day 1 of the U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross Mercer Cup, in New Jersey on Saturday. In races of attrition, in which time gaps grew to a minute or more among the top five, Georgia Gould (LUNA) and Tim Johnson (Cyclocrossworld-Cannondale) bested the competition through tough, power-stealing conditions.
“This is definitely my favorite race and that’s my main motivation,” said Costa Rican cyclist Federico Ramirez (BCR-Pizza Hut) after finishing the 2008’s La Ruta de los Conquistadores, on Saturday in Limón, Costa Rica.
Johan Bruyneel expressed optimism about the return of Lance Armstrong and promised that the powerful Astana team would ride for the strongest rider. In a lengthy interview in the Belgian daily, La Dernière Heure, the Astana sport director said Armstrong’s imminent return would help him rediscover the thrill of directing a professional team.
Behind the story there is always a greater story, one which is often missed. The Tour of Lombardy unfolded in traditional fashion: a breakaway, a gauged acceleration in the peloton, the knife-stabbing attacks that seal most riders’ fate, and then, finally, the winning attack and the defeated sprints for the places of honor. The favorite won.
A grim reality sets in at the midpoint of any multi-day mountain bike stage race. The anxious buzz of the event’s first half has all-but petered out, and riders no longer speak only in the tone of optimism. Legs are drained and bodies are exhausted, perhaps injured. Bikes creak and squeak. Butts are sore. For some, the knowledge that half of the journey still remains is enough to drive the motivation straight into the basement. Many contemplate quitting, or simply wonder how in God’s name they plan to reach the finish line. [nid:85129]
After trading barbs over a four-year-old incident during the Tour de France, Italian champion Filippo Simeone and American Lance Armstrong have apparently buried the hatchet.
Even before Carlos Sastre won the Tour de France this past July, Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) had announced that it was ending its long run as a title sponsor of the world’s No. 1 team. And while Sastre’s Tour victory was something of a going-away present to CSC-Saxo Bank, it wasn’t long before news hit that Sastre and bike sponsor Cervélo, both of whom had been with the team since 2002, were also parting ways to start a new project — the Cervélo TestTeam.
The Tour de Georgia will not be held next year, but the race's backers say it will be back in 2010. The race's board of directors announced Friday that they will use 2009 to "plan ahead and properly position" the race for 2010. "We believe that this unique and exciting event will endure," said Tom Saddlemire, a member of the board and recently retired CFO of GE Energy. The race backers said that by many measures the event has been wildly successful.
The seventh stop of the Chicago Cyclocross Cup traveled to the village of Northbrook, a suburb north of Chicago. The race brought out the dedicated to mix it up in the treacherous 'cross conditions.
Sizes: Medium and Large Price: $89.99 Web site: www.lezyne.com Lezyne’s Carbon Road Drive is in a class of its own when it comes to road hand pumps. Coming in two sizes, the medium weighs in at a slim 88 grams, and the large at 104 grams. Machined out of aluminum and topped off with a solid lay-up carbon handle, it is light yet durable. They advertise that the carbon mounting bracket is noise and vibration free. As a special feature, it is compatible with Lezyne water bottle cages.
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The most dominant feature on Stage 2 of La Ruta de los Conquistadores is the 25km paved climb from San Ignacio Acosta to Copalchi, which accounts for roughly one-third of the 76km trip from west to east San Jose. In La Ruta’s trusty race guide, the climb’s profile appears a gradual three-peaked slog up 3000 vertical feet.
Ukrainian cyclist Yaroslav Popovych has signed a two-year contract with the Astana team, which boasts seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong on its books. The 28-year-old Popovych joined up once more with team boss Johan Bruyneel whom he rode for when at the Discovery Channel team from 2005 to 2007.
FOX Racing will produce two commemorative suspension components — a special 40 RC2 fork and DHX RC4 shock — based on development that netted championship titles in men’s and women’s downhill worlds in 2009. Only 200 of each will be produced for consumers.
It was unfortunate for Matti Breschel that his most important result so far in his young but promising career came on the same day that two Italians finished alongside him on the worlds podium in Varese, Italy. Only one journalist asked the blonde-haired Dane a question during post-race press conference dominated by over-excited Italian journalists lobbing soft balls to winner Alessandro Ballan and silver medalist Damiano Cunego.
Colors: Red, Black, Blue Sizes: Small, Medium, Large Price: $64.95 Web site: www.barmitts.com Are you a cold-weather rider? Then Bar Mitts may be of interest to you. Modeled after hang gliding mitts, Bar Mitts encase your hoods, brakes, and handlebars, creating warm neoprene pockets for your hands. This weather shield for your hands allow you to wear a thinner glove, which leads to better bike handling.
What’s the best way to quantify pain? This question popped into my head countless times during today’s opening stage of La Ruta de los Conquistadores, a hellacious 68.7-mile slog from Jaco Beach to the outskirts of San Jose. During the journey I carried my bike up ridiculously steep, muddy slopes, climbed 14,500 feet of elevation gain (much of it in the granny gear) and suffered like a rented mule. I crossed the line cross-eyed and drooling just under eight hours in 42nd place, about two hours behind stage winner Frederico “Lico” Ramirez.
Price: TBA Web site: www.zerotractionfilm.com ZERO traction is a film about the 2007 cold and muddy USA Cycling’s Cyclocross National Championships in Kansas City. Shot entirely in high definition, the film captures the grimy details of ‘cross. The film is scheduled to premiere in Lawrence, Kansas on November 19th. DVDs will soon be available at www.zerotractionfilm.com.
Former Tour de France champion Jan Ullrich won nearly a half-million dollars in back pay from his one-season run at Team Coast in 2003 after a German court ruled in his favor Wednesday. The 1997 Tour winner was back at the center of attention Wednesday with a court appearance in a long-running dispute between the now-tainted German star and the defunct Coast team, whose manager, Günther Dahms, refused to pay part of Ullrich’s salary because he said the rider was doping.
Editor’s note:Tom LeCarner, VeloNews’ copy editor, is a 41-year-old longtime cyclist and former racer who has been struggling with tendonitis this year. Specialized has offered to help Tom overcome his injuries with its Body Geometry equipment and treatment by Andy Pruitt of the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine. Tom will report on if and how he progresses in a regular column on VeloNews.com. His first piece here gives some background of the causes of his injuries.
Bobbles, bubbles and beer — there was all that and more last weekend during the Single Speed Cyclocross World Championships in Portland, Oregon. Canadian Drew MacKenzie won the men’s crown, beating the likes of Ryan Trebon, Nat Ross, Steve Fassbinder and Adam Craig. Sue Butler took top honors in the women's race, winning a come-from-behind battle.
They say the best way to perfect a skill is to go to where that skill is practiced perfectly. For cyclocross, Belgium is that place. Cycling fanaticism in Belgium is difficult to explain. There is really no correlation to it in the United States. Football is the easiest association, in the scale of the fan base and the spectacle, but the true Belgian cyclocross fan is more deeply rooted to the athlete than the true football fan.
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Team Cyclocrossworld.com-Cannondale doubled up this past weekend during the UCI 1 Toronto International Cyclocross in Toronto, Canada, putting Jeremy Powers atop the podium on Saturday with Tim Johnson taking the win on Sunday. Canadians had plenty to cheer about, too, as Ottawa’s Natasha Elliott (Stevens-EMD Sorono) scored two consecutive victories on the muddy Centennial Park course.
The South African Barloworld cycling team has done an about-face and decided to return to the sport five months after withdrawing over doping at the Tour de France. Chris Fisher, head of corporate marketing at Barloworld, a South African multinational company, said Tuesday that the company's sponsorship had been "both successful and popular" and that the decision had been taken to carry on in 2009.
Emanuele Sella (Societa CSF Gruppo Navigare) faces a yearlong suspension after testing positive for CERA in an out-of-competition check on July 23. While the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) recommends a two-year ban, the prosecutor for the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) asked that Sella receive a one-year ban after the rider admitted his guilt and co-operated during his trial in August, the ANSA news agency reported. CONI's anti-doping committee will hear Sella's case on December 1.
German sprint ace Erik Zabel admitts that he’ll probably miss racing, but says his retirement announcement is permanent. With scores of riders committing to comebacks, Zabel insists that, at 38, his farewell at the end of this season will be for good. “I’m sure I will feel a little bit nostalgic, but without a doubt it will be a relief,” Zabel told German reporters during a break at the Six Days of Munich track event. “When you’re not active, you live with less risk. Races with wet roads, snow, crashes … to think that all this is over is very agreeable.”
I just returned from Europe after visiting both the Milan bike show and a Formula 1 team in Silverstone, England that designs and has built aerodynamic carbon handlebars and bikes. At the Milan show, big news was the acquisition of Italian suspension maker Marzocchi by Tenneco, Inc. of Lake Forest, Illinois through the assumption of Marzocchi’s approximately $15 million in debt. Tenneco will lease Marzocchi’s Bologna manufacturing plant and will take over Marzocchi sales, marketing and customer service operations in the USA and Canada and purchasing and sales operations in Taiwan.
The Cervélo Test Team continues to add names to its lineup, this time bringing on 25-year-old Oscar Pujol to the new team for the 2009 season. Pujol, a close friend and training partner of Tour de France champion and top Cervélo recruit Carlos Sastre, turned pro this year with the Burgos Monumental continental Spanish team.
Colors: Black, Green, Red Sizes: Small to XX Large Price: $54.95 Web site: www.knog.com.au The Love Hate Gloves from the Australia-based company Knog, with “love” and “hate” stitched across the knuckles are made with goatskin leather. For extra durability, they have double stitched the key wear points. To improve breathability the gloves are perforated along the outsides of the glove and most notably along the strap.
Trek-Volkswagen rider Jeremiah Bishop claimed the men's win at this weekend’s 10th annual Iceman Cometh, a Michigan mountain bike race that caps registration at 2000 because of its immense popularity. In his first attempt, Bishop set a course record on the 27-mile course of 1:28:31. In the women's race, Amanda Carey (Kenda Titus Hayes), finished in 1:45:45, more than two minutes ahead of Susan Stevens (Brodie) and Heather Irmiger (Gary Fisher).
Nineteen year old Pete Ostroski in Intervale, New Hampshire, won this weekend's Porky Gulch Classic, an unusual omnium race held at Mount Washington, New Hampshire. Ostroski won two of the weekend's three events: the Toughest Two hillclimb, which ascends the first two miles of the Mount Washington Auto Road; and the Story Land Criterium, held on a hilly, narrow course inside a children's amusement park. In the Porky's third event, the Rockpile Rampage cyclocross race, Ostroski finished second to Todd Wheelden, who was second on the first two events and wound up second overall.
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Price: $29.99 Web site: www.pedros.com The Pedro's Trixie is an all-around tool for the single-speed or fixed gear rider. With no moving parts and all the necessary tools extruded out of hardened steal, it screams durability and practicality. The Trixie is small enough to be carried in a jean pocket, but more comfortably in one of the pen sleeves of your messenger bag.
Monique Ryan reviews a new study on caffeine consumption after exercise
Recently retired pro Rik Verbrugghe will join Quick Step as the Belgian team’s fifth sport director in 2009. The 34-year-old Belgian announced his retirement at the end of this season with Cofidis and will quickly step into the shoes as sport director at Quick Step, where he rode for one season in 2005.
Triple grand tour winner Alberto Contador says he is pleased with his recent trip to the United States to work on his time trial position at a San Diego wind tunnel. Contador, who won the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España within 14 months, said he made some changes to his position, but still has room for improvement.
Fabian Cancellara’s list of “must-wins” is growing shorter by the season. Just in 2008, the self-styled Spartacus added Milan-San Remo and the Olympic time trial gold medal to his career victories that already includes Paris-Roubaix, two world time trial championships and runs in the yellow jersey at the Tour de France. So what else left for the 27-year-old Swiss time machine?
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The UCI C2 HPCX served as the seventh round of the MAC Powered by SRAM Cyclocross Series on Sunday. Unlike the previous day’s sandfest at the Beacon Cyclocross in southern New Jersey, Sunday’s race meandered through a large grassy park next to the business district of Jamesburg. At 2.7 km, the course was technically one of the shortest on this year’s MAC circuit, but the combination of turns, hills and heavy ground from the previous day’s rainstorm made for long lap times, in the eight minute range for the Elite Men.
The BikeReg.com MABRAcross Series took to the property surrounding the Frank IX and Sons silk factory in downtown Charlottesville Virginia Sunday. Riders raved about the course- lots of fun but very difficult both technically and physically. The course included a sand pit as well as stairs constructed just for the race. The hot cider and fresh donuts from Carpe Donut were much appreciated in the cool morning hours, however the racing heated things up quickly.
Gathering winds blew in cloud cover and relatively cooler temperatures for an afternoon of Elite UCI racing in Los Angeles. The second-annual UCI Dam Cross race is the only UCI (class-two) CX event held in California this year. The 3.17-kilometer course was set at the base of LA’s Hansen Dam, snaking around and through an oak studded, bowl shaped park.
World champions Lars Boom (Rabobank) and Hanka Kupfernagel won the third round of the UCI’s World Cup of cyclocross, in Pijnacker, the Netherlands, on Sunday. In the men's race, the 22-year-old Boom grabbed the win ahead of Belgian Niels Albert (Palmans) and Belgian champion Sven Nys (Landbouwkrediet). Boom took an early lead on the first lap, with only Albert and Nys able to hold his wheel. The three traded the lead with attacks from each throughout the race.
Lance Armstrong says he isn’t responsible for the dismal state of Filippo Simeoni’s career, nor has he ever done anything to intimidate the Italian champion. In an interview with VeloNews Saturday, the seven-time Tour de France winner said he was bothered by Simeoni’s comments as they appeared in the Spanish daily AS and later reported on VeloNews.com.
Roberto Heras, the Spanish rider who saw his 2005 Vuelta a España title stripped for a doping offense, is still holding out hope that he can return to the professional peloton. Unlike other riders who’ve returned from doping bans to secure teams, Heras has had trouble finding a contract, especially among ProTour squads that have been hesitant to sign the Spanish climber.
Two-time Tour de France runner-up Cadel Evans isn’t losing any sleep over the prospect of Lance Armstrong’s return to racing. Back in his native Australia for a visit, Evans told the media outlet ABC that Armstrong would need to be at his best if the Texan hopes to win an eighth Tour crown.
Reigning Italian national champion Filippo Simeoni blasted the comeback of Lance Armstrong and said he would have nothing to say to the Texan if the pair ends up racing the 2009 Giro d’Italia. Simeoni, who had an infamous run-in with Armstrong during the 2004 Tour de France, angrily told Spanish journalist Quique Iglesias that the seven-time Tour champion should have stayed retired.
I don’t know about the rest of my fellow weekend warrior ’cross-aholics, but race time is often also deep thoughts time. It’s not like I’m out there unfurling the complexities of E=mc2 while hopping barriers. But rarely does a race pass when I don’t find myself pondering something beyond the typical “pedal harder-don’t crash-shit, I crashed-man, I’m cracking-cool, I feel better” merry-go-round.
Bissell rider Ted King appears poised to be riding alongside Tour de France champion Carlos Sastre on the new Cervelo TestTeam next year. King, 25, had a breakthrough season in 2008, finishing second overall in the NRC individual rankings. Wins included the Hanes Park Classic, and a stage of the Joe Martin Stage Race. He also finished third overall at the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic, and wore the KOM jersey for one stage at the Tour de Georgia.
Russian marauder Alexandr Kolobnev has signed a two-year contract extension to stay with Saxo Bank-IT Factory through the 2010 season. The 27-year-old joined the team managed by Bjarne Riis in 2007 and immediately had strong results, including victory at Monte Paschi Eroica, a stage in Paris-Nice and the silver medal at the world championships. This year, Kolobnev was close to a breakout win, with second at the Clásica San Sebastián, third at the Giro della Emilia and fourth at the Beijing Olympic Games.
Planet Energy and Catalyst Capital Group Inc. will continue as the principal financial sponsors of Team R.A.C.E. Pro (TRP) through 2009, but the team also said Friday that it will soon be ready to offer details about additional support from new sponsors as well. Josée Larocque and Steve Bauer of Cycle Sport Management Inc. said they are both pleased with the progress made during this first year of building a Canadian UCI Continental men’s team. “Our message is clear. We are focused on providing the best possible opportunity for Canadian road cyclists,” said Larocque.
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Toyota-United rider Ivan Stevic is facing a lifetime ban by the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) for use of a prohibited substance, possession of prohibited substances and illegal trafficking of prohibited substances dating back to 2004.
Price: $59.99 Sizes: Small to XXL Web site: www.pearlizumi.com Pearl Izumi has answered the challenge of fall and winter cycling with the Shine Shoe Cover, which lets riders keep their feet warm and be more visible to motorists when cycling after sunset.
Lance Armstrong’s return to racing had many wondering if his vaunted Formula One crew would also make a come back. That answer came this week with the resurrection of the technical group born years ago to optimize Armstrong’s time trialing. At the San Diego Low Speed Wind Tunnel Tuesday, several key product engineers and aerodynamicists from the F1 crew regrouped to again push the envelope on Armstrong’s behalf.
The 66th Milan Bicycle Show is the first major show since the financial meltdown. The mood was not upbeat the first day of the show, but it was election news from the U.S. that raised spirits on day two. That the show is very small was determined long ago when the booths were reserved, but the outlook on the market probably was largely created in October. Reflecting a common theme heard around the show, Lorenzo Piotto, marketing manager for Elite, said, “We are in a difficult period now.”
Defending Tour de France champion Carlos Sastre says he’s all but certain to skip next year’s Vuelta a España and said he’s looking forward toward a possible showdown with Lance Armstrong at the 2009 Tour. Speaking to reporters at an engagement in Spain, Sastre reconfirmed that he’ll likely start the Giro d’Italia to prepare for the Tour and then skip the Vuelta, where he finished third overall in September.
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Italian veteran Davide Rebellin, looking for a contract following the dissolution of his Gerolsteiner team at the end of this season, will ride for Diquigiovanni in 2009. The Italian news service ANSA reported that an accord has been reached for the 37-year-old Rebellin to join the Italian continental team for at least one season. The Italian team, directed by the dapper Gianni Savio, will lead the classics squad for the team heading into next year. Rebellin completed the “Ardennes sweep” in 2004 when he won Amstel Gold, Flèche Wallonne and Liège all in a row.
Leonardo Piepoli, one of seven riders to fail drug tests at the Tour de France, has demanded a counter-test, according to the French national anti-doping agency (AFLD) on Wednesday. Piepoli, one of four who tested positive for a new strain of a banned blood booster EPO called CERA, will be controlled in the coming weeks AFLD said, without giving further details. Last month Austria's Bernhard Kohl became the seventh positive doping case after being controlled retroactively for CERA, joining Italians Piepoli and Riccardo Ricco and Germany's Stefan Schumacher.
Since my last diary, I’ve driven to Connecticut, jumped a plane south to Louisville and then west to Boulder to race the hotbeds of cyclocross!
Lance Armstrong hit the wind-tunnel this week in San Diego to further prepare for his return to racing, but he didn’t provide any more clues on whether or not he’d be starting the Tour de France. The seven-time Tour winner remains uncommitted toward racing in July, telling The Associated Press that he still hasn’t made a definitive decision on whether he’ll start the 2009 Tour.
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That wasn’t just any old Trek XO cyclocross bike Travis Brown was riding in last weekend’s Boulder and Redline Cup races — it was a prototype belt-driven bike. The Trek product tester first raced the anodized green machine, dubbed the XOB, at CrossVegas, held in conjunction with the Interbike trade show in Las Vegas.
Bissell Inc. will continue as the title sponsor of the Bissell Pro Cycling Team in 2009, the squad announced on Tuesday. Mark Bissell, chairman and CEO of Bissell Inc., will assume ownership of the team, which will be managed and directed by Glen Mitchell. Eric Wohlberg will be sport director. “The team has had a fantastic year and has surpassed the goals that we had in the beginning of the year,” said Mitchell. “I am very excited about becoming more involved with the team, and I look forward to the challenges ahead in building this team to the next level.
Italian road cycling great Paolo Bettini was taken to hospital on Tuesday after crashing and hitting his head on a security barrier during the Six Days of Milan track festival, ANSA reported. The 34-year-old, who announced his retirement from road racing in September, was racing the Madison with Spanish veteran Juan Llaneras when he crashed alongside Ukrainian Yaroslav Popovych. Bettini's helmet broke upon impact with a security barrier. His neck and head were immediately immobilized before the emergency services rushed him to the Sacco hospital in Milan.
German public broadcaster ARD has been told it has no basis on which to bring a premature end to its contract with Tour de France organizers to televise the race during 2009-11. A spate of recent doping scandals, some of which involved German and Austrian riders, prompted ARD and fellow German broadcaster ZDF to announce their intention to stop broadcasting the world's biggest bike race.
Sizes: 49 to 59 cm Retail Price: Frameset: $1,200 Web site: www.rideblue.com/cxc The Blue CXc Carbon Cross frameset is the high-end version of Blue’s two cyclocross frame options. Though still considered a new company, its capabilities to perform at the highest level were proven by David Frattini at the UCI Cyclocross World Championships.
Recently retired Bobby Julich will be staying on with Saxo Bank-IT Factory next season in a new position as “rider development manager.” Julich ended his 16-year racing career this summer and will take on a managerial role in technical development, testing and time trial coaching for the squad where he enjoyed his most successful years from 2004-08.
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Jamey Driscoll (Cyclocrossworld.com-Cannondale) scored double wins at the Cycle-Smart International race in Northampton, Massachusetts, this weekend, while Laura Van Gilder took the win in Sunday's race. Driscoll, in his first year aged out of the U23 category, has developed a formula for success in New England: a steady start on lap 1 and then turning on the pressure for each lap after that until he finds himself alone
Gustav Larsson, the silver medalist time trialist from the Beijing Olympic Games, has penned a three-year contract extension with Saxo Bank-IT Factory (formerly CSC-Saxo Bank). Larsson was rumored to be considering a deal with Caisse d’Epargne, but the 28-year-old Swede decided to stay with Bjarne Riis. Larsson -- who finished 14th in this year’s Giro d’Italia along with top-10s in the Tour of California, Criterium International, Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour of Denmark – saw his profile rocket after mining silver in the Olympic Games.
Lance Armstrong powered to victory at this weekend’s Tour de Gruene, winning both the individual and team time trials in convincing fashion. Armstrong’s participation was a welcome surprise to co-promoters Will Rotzler and Tom Sickmann, who learned of the Tour de France winner’s plans just days before the event. Sickmann attributed record participation levels for the tour to the “Lance factor,” adding that, “people don’t look at him like a rock star, or celebrity, they see someone who has transcended sport with his story. They see inspiration; they see hope.”
The second day of UCI cyclocross racing in Boulder, Colorado, saw repeat scenarios develop as on Sunday, with an identical result in the women’s race and a new winner from the same podium finishers from Saturday’s men’s race. In men’s racing, a lead group quickly formed containing Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com teammates Tim Johnson and Jeremy Powers, Ryan Trebon (Kona) and Saturday’s winner Todd Wells (GT).
On a warm day under clear skies, Melanie Swartz and Ryan Dewald stormed to victory at the Wayne Scott Xross in Fair Hill Maryland on Saturday. The long and relatively flat course through the Cecil County Fairgrounds was fast and technical with few opportunities to recover. In the Elite Men’s race, Greg Wittwer (ALAN North America) took a lead on the first lap and made the rest of the field ? and himself ? suffer. “I was going real hard,” he said after the race. “I saw from the earlier races that the races were staying together in the front and I wanted to spread it out.”
Cyclocrossworld.com-Cannondale's Jamey Driscoll and Stevens Cycles' Natasha Elliott won in Northampton, Massachusetts on Saturday, at the Cycle-Smart Invitational race. Driscoll's win ahead of Specialized's Andy Jacques-Maynes solidified his lead in the Verge New England series. Check back soon for photos and a complete report.
It was no day at the beach for the hundreds of professional and amateur ’crossers who competed in the opening round of the Boulder Cup, held Saturday on a sand-laden course at the Boulder Reservoir in Colorado. Todd Wells (GT) and Georgia Gould (Luna) took wins in the elite races, which stood as the fifth of eight round of the North American Cyclocross Trophy (NACT).
Riders from Britain's successful Beijing Olympic team was out in front again as the hosts won all six golds up for grabs in Manchester Saturday on the second day of the opening leg of the World Cup. Ed Clancy and Geraint Thomas, half of Britain's gold medal-winning and record-breaking team pursuit quartet in Beijing, joined up with Rob Hayles and Steven Burke to enjoy a triumph on their home track. Bradley Wiggins, a member of the team that stood atop the podium in China, opted out in preference for Sunday's Madison while Paul Manning has retired.
Great Britain's track cyclists scored gold in five World Cup events at the Manchester Velodrome on Friday night in their first action since the team’s domination of events at the Beijing Olympics. Performance director Dave Brailsford said it was time to concentrate less on Britain's exploits in China, where the team won seven of 10 events in the velodrome, and to look towards the London Olympics in 2012. And his team was in a confident mood as a mixture of familiar faces and new names took top step on the podium as the Manchester leg of the World Cup series kicked off.
The Giro d’Italia will have some pretty spectacular digs for its 100th anniversary bash. Giro officials announced that the centennary edition of the rosa corsa will begin May 9 in Venice. The Giro will return to city of canals for the first time in 12 years. With Lance Armstrong leading an all-star cast that also will likely include 2008 Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre and Damiano Cunego, the Giro couldn’t ask for a better send off to celebrate a century of history.