Road

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Daniele Bennati (Liquigas) stormed to victory in a long sprint at the 94th Giro del Piemonte on Thursday to claim his seventh and last victory of the 2008 season. Bennati out-kicked Luca Paolini (Acqua e Sapone) to win the 199km run from Novi Ligure to Lagnasco in northern Italy with Alexandre Usov (Ag2r-La Mondiale) slotting into third. Liquigas was determined to set up its 28-year-old sprinter, reeling in a two-man breakaway and then kept on the pressure to tamp down any late attacks to set up the mass gallop.

Weight: 25 grams Fit: small to medium faces Suggested retail: $59.95 Web site: www.tifosioptics.com The Tifosi Tyrant T-V660 is a new model for 2009. The frame is composed of TR-90 nylon front and injected aluminum arms. The Tyrant’s arms allow for a semi-rigid, adjustable ear piece that once adjusted, will stay in place for a custom fit. The adjustable nose piece brings the Tyrant closer to or away from the cheeks.

Sizes: 39 to 48 Colors: black; aluminum/silver; pearly white; aluminum/dark blue; faux patent leather red Web site: www.sidisport.com Retail price: 298 Euro (About $400) Sidi's MTB Dragon 2 Carbon Srs is the shoe worn by Olympic champion Julien Absalon. The shoe features an adjustable mechanism that allows for a snugger and safer fit around the heel, preventing slippage during climbs or sprints. The Dragon 2 also includes Sidi's Mtb Carbon Srs sole, in nylon with a carbon steel core from heel to toe.

The avalanche of positive drug tests has buried the 2009 Tour of Germany. The organizers and the German cycling federation (BDR) announced Thursday that they were canceling the nine-day event due to the recent spate of doping positives. “We regret this decision, but it had to be taken," said race organizer Kai Rapp. Linus Gerdemann (Columbia) won the 2008 edition. The 2009 race had been scheduled for August 29-September 6. On Tuesday, organizers of the Tour of Stuttgart canceled their six-day event, saying recent failed doping tests have tarnished the sport's image in Germany.

Austria's Bernhard Kohl, winner of the mountains competition at this year's Tour de France and third overall, has been sacked by Silence-Lotto after testing positive for CERA, the new generation of banned blood booster EPO. Kohl admitted to using CERA on Wednesday, 48 hours after he failed a test for the drug in retroactive controls carried out by France's national anti-doping agency. Geert Coeman, general manager of the Belgian team, confirmed Thursday that Kohl's three-year contract with the team had been canceled.

Team Type 1 went on the attack in Thursday's fourth stage of the Jayco Herald Sun Tour, but it was Panasonic's Chris Jongeward who won what was billed as the week-long race's most decisive stage. After the mountain top stage finish, CSC - Saxo Bank's Stuart O'Grady gave up his leader's jersey to teammate Lars Bak. Team Type 1 Sport Director Ed Beamon said he was disappointed that the racing was not more aggressive on the slopes of the finishing climb to Australia's popular ski resort, Mount Buller.

Despite trying to cash in on his Olympic gold medal, Samuel Sánchez says he’s likely to stay with Euskaltel-Euskadi for the 2009 season and beyond. What is certain is that his final race in 2008 will be at this weekend’s Giro di Lombardia, with a start in Thursday’s Giro di Piemonte thrown in for good measure. “I felt pretty good at Paris-Tours. I arrived with the front group after 252km, a good distance for me,” Sánchez told the Diario Vasco. “I will go to Lombardia with the idea of racing to win. To win? At least I will try.”

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VeloNews.com publishes a diary from Kona pro cyclocross racer Barry Wicks every other Wednesday. Wicks' column alternates with one by Cyclocrossworld.com-Cannondale's Jeremy Powers

Tour de France king of the mountain Bernhard Kohl admitted on Wednesday that he had doped in preparation for this year’s race. In a Wednesday evening press conference in Vienna, Austria, Kohl took full responsibility for a “bad decision,” driven at least in part by the fear that he wouldn't land a new contract when his Gerolsteiner team announced plans to fold at the end of 2008. Kohl denied that there was a systematic doping program at Gerolsteiner, despite the fact that his teammate, Stefan Schumacher, was also found to be positive for the new variant of EPO, known as CERA.

After playing second fiddle on two occasions in sprint finishes, former Tour de France sprint champion Baden Cooke finally took the honors on stage 3 of the Jayco Herald Sun Tour. Cooke, riding for Barloworld, had been edged out by early Tour leader Matt Goss (CSC - Saxo Bank) on the opening two days, but atoned in a desperate scramble to the line in Marysville. Canadian Dominque Rollin (Toyota-United) was second on the stage and was among the riders who protested Cooke's finish. Officials, however, upheld the win.

Lance Armstrong’s comeback might not include the 2009 Tour de France, at least that’s what the seven-time Tour winner is hinting at this week. Armstrong confirmed Monday that the Giro d’Italia will be part of his 2009 racing schedule and told Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport that the May grand tour could be his major goal for next season.

Italian cyclist Marta Bastianelli, the 2007 women's road race world champion, has been handed a one-year ban by the anti-doping tribunal of the Italian Olympic Committee for failing a drugs test. Bastianelli, 21, missed the Beijing Olympics after testing positive for flenfluramine, a stimulant, at the European under-23 championships in Verbania, northeast Italy, in July. The year ban was backdated to August 7 and will run until August 6, 2009. Bastianelli's lawyer Giuseppe Napoleone said she will appeal the decision to the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Alessandria, Italy ? The peloton, stretched thin into a long single line, stuck to the white line marking the edge of the road with the riders on the front pushing the cool yet fresh autumn air as they rode a hard tempo to control the race and bring back the breakaway. Leaves blew on to the course, acorns and chestnuts spotting the road, and the odor of fermenting grapes was pungent as we passed the vineyards known for producing the best wines in Italy.

Bans for failing doping tests could be doubled to four years as soon as next year, UCI president Pat McQuaid said on Wednesday. The news comes after Austrian rider Bernhard Kohl, who placed third at this year's Tour de France, tested positive for a strain of the banned blood booster EPO (erythropoietin), named CERA. Sanctions will be made on a case-by-case basis, said McQuaid, and cyclists will be judged on the gravity of the infringement and in particular the nature of the substance.

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“So, what do you guys do in the off-season?” Most of the time this gets asked by someone wondering about a “job.” From those a bit more knowledgeable about the sport, it’s referring to something we do to fill our time, figuring that the bike goes in the garage and gets to collect cobwebs ‘til the first camp gets things going again in a few months’ time. Not quite.

The 2009 Tour of Stuttgart was canceled on Tuesday, with organizers of the six-day event saying recent failed doping tests have tarnished the sport's image in Germany. "We have held intense discussions over the last few days and decided at the conclusion not to organize the 26th edition of the competition given the current situation in cycling," organizer Andreas Kroll told the German agency SID on Tuesday. "Professional cycling has an enormous image problem at the moment which we can't currently change," added Kroll.

Stuart O'Grady continued the CSC-Saxo Bank domination of the Jayco Herald Sun Tour, winning the second stage, after his 21-year-old teammate, Matt Goss, of Tasmania, won the prologue and stage 1. The American teams Toyota-United, Team Type 1 and Jelly Belly are participating in the week-long race. The best placed rider from an American team is Toyota-United's Australian Ben Day, who is in fourth, 20 seconds behind race leader O'Grady.

American Donny Robinson won the 2008 UCI Supercross World Cup of BMX racing after finishing second to countryman David Herman in the final round, held October 11 in Frejus, France. Robinson, the bronze medalist in BMX’s Olympic debut at the 2008 Games in Beijing, topped a stellar year for the United States, which took the top four spots in the final rankings, with Herman, Kyle Bennett and Olympic silver medalist Mike Day finishing second through fourth. Olympic gold medalist Maris Strombergs of Latvia finished fifth.

Jesse Lalonde and Jenna Zander won the final race of the Wisconsin Off Road Series on Sunday. In its eighth year, the Sunday’s Wigwam MTB Challenge in Sheboygan has become the traditional season finale for WORS. With a large cash purse provided by WORS and local organizers Wigwam Mills, the Sheboygan race draws regional and national stars to line up against series regulars.

The German cycling team Gerolsteiner has withdrawn from racing after Austrian rider Bernhard Kohl failed a drugs test. Kohl, winner of the mountains jersey at this year's Tour de France and third overall, tested positive for the latest generation of the banned blood booster EPO (erythropoietin), named CERA. Teammate Stefan Schumacher of Germany also tested positive for CERA.

More than 1,200 riders turned out for the second race in the River City Bicycles Cyclocross Crusade 2008 series October 12. The Wilsonville, Oregon, course resembled a plowed field surrounded by a rock quarry. The lumpy loose dirt, steep dirt piles, gravelly corners and rocky pits favored racers with strong technical skills. Most were thankful not to have mud added to the mountain bike-like course. [nid:84338]

Austria's Bernhard Kohl will be the "seventh and last" positive doping case from this year's Tour de France, according to sports daily L'Equipe on Tuesday. Kohl, the best climber at this year's race where he finished third overall, has become the fourth rider to test positive for CERA, a new generation of the banned blood booster EPO (erythropoietin). In all seven riders tested positive at this year's race, which was won by Spaniard Carlos Sastre of the CSC team.

Austrian cycling star Bernhard Kohl awoke to widespread criticism in his country's press Tuesday after he became the latest rider to be snared for doping at this year's Tour de France. A surprising third place finisher, who surprised climbing specialists by winning the King of the Mountains' polka dot jersey, Kohl on Monday was confirmed as the fourth rider - after Italians Ricardo Riccò and Leonardo Piepoli, and fellow Gerolsteiner teammate Stefan Schumacher - to test positive for CERA, a new generation of the banned blood booster EPO (erythropoietin).

While most cyclists (well, except for the cyclocrossers) are winding down their seasons, it's the most important time of the year for the triathlon crowd. Australia's Craig Alexander and Great Britain's Chrissie Wellington celebrated first-place titles at the 30th anniversary of the Ford Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, this past weekend.

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For the second day in a row Matt Goss, of the CSC Saxo Bank team, relegated Tour de France green jersey winner Baden Cooke to the minor placings by winning the opening stage. And just like Sunday, Goss attributed a large portion of his win in the 130km trek from Traralgon to Inverloch to the work of his teammates, particularly Stuart O’Grady, who broke away from the peloton with 65km remaining only to be caught 15km from the finish.

Austrian climbing sensation Bernhard Kohl is the latest rider to test positive for CERA during this year’s Tour de France, according to France's national anti-doping agency (AFLD). Kohl, who rode away with the best climber’s jersey and finished third overall, is the fourth rider to be caught up in the net cast by the French anti-doping authorities. French officials, who ran an unprecedented number of anti-doping controls at this year’s Tour, are vigorously back-testing blood samples taken during July’s Tour with a new testing method to detect the third-generation blood booster.

Lance Armstrong never rode la corsa rosa during his professional career, but he confirmed Monday he will race the 2009 Giro d’Italia as part of his comeback season. Armstrong, 37, announced in a video posted on the webpage of the Italian sports daily, La Gazzetta dello Sport, he will be at the start of the centenary celebration of the Italian grand tour beginning May 9.

Shadd Smith took another win in the De Stad Series as he won the Elite Men's race in Sunday's Chris Cross Cyclocross race and extended his points lead in the series.[nid:84346] Smith's teammate Joseph Schmalz put in a great ride for second place with Thomas Price and Brian Jenson taking third and fourth. Jeff Winkler continues to improve in 'cross and came back from a first lap crash to take the final podium spot.

Atypical cyclocross weather once again was around for the Chicago Cyclocross Cup #3 that had enthusiasts travel to Hawthorn Woods, a Chicago suburb. Sun and temperatures in the high 70s greeted the racers in this installment.

Second place overall at the 2008 Tour de France with Cadel Evans was good enough for Silence-Lotto brass, who still believe their Aussie pupil has the goods to win cycling’s biggest race. Evans was the pre-race favorite, but his hopes were upended when he crashed in the Pyrénées and then undone by Carlos Sastre’s attack on Alpe d’Huez in the final week. Silence-Lotto sport director Hendrick Redant said the Belgian team was content with Evans’ second Tour podium and believe a reloaded Silence-Lotto team will bode good things for 2009.

Belgian one-day specialist Philippe Gilbert handed his Francaise des Jeux team the ideal farewell gift by winning the Paris-Tours one-day classic on Sunday. Gilbert's first victory in the 102nd edition of the race, held over 252km, comes only weeks before he ends his five-year stay with the French outfit by moving to Silence-Lotto. The Belgian had been among a four-strong group of frontrunners that was being hunted down by the peloton inside the closing kilometer. However the four worked together to keep the pack at bay.

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It shook out a bit differently, but the second day of the Erdinger Gran Prix of Gloucester ended up with the same men and women atop the podium: Kona's Ryan Trebon and Velo Bella-Kona's Amy Dombroski. Trebon and national champ Tim Johnson (Cyclocrossworld.com-Cannondale) separated themselves from the field on the first lap and dueled for most of the one hour race on another Indian Summer day on the Massachusetts coast. Just like Saturday, however, Trebon ramped up the pace in the last two laps and Johnson was simply unable to keep up.

In the country’s only three-day weekend of UCI cyclocross, Katie Compton (Spike Professional/Primus Mootry) and Jeremy Powers (Cyclocrossworld.com) completed their respective hat-tricks in the Cincinnati International Cyclocross Festival, winning the BioWheels/United Dairy Farmers Harbin Park International on Sunday.

With his LPR Brakes team barred from racing at Paris-Tours, Alessandro Petacchi couldn’t defend his title from last year’s “sprinter’s classic.” Petacchi won on Sunday anyway, sprinting to victory in the 12th GP Beghelli in Italy ahead of Mihail Khalilov (Flaminia), with Giuseppe Palumbo (Acqua e Sapone) coming across third. LPR Brakes was excluded from Paris-Tours because the team didn’t meet requirements for the UCI’s biological passport program, meaning Petacchi – who won the French classic last year with Milram – wouldn’t be able to defend his title.

The final moments of the 2008 Vuelta Chihuahua were a virtual to-do list for Spaniard Javier Benitez. Fix collar: check. Straighten jersey: done. Blow kisses to crowd: got it. Toss arms in the air and win stage: mission accomplished for the third time in seven days.

The sixth stage of the Vuelta Chihuahua delivered a fitting winner, as the third-year race returned to the state capitol following a five-day clockwise journey around the largest of Mexico’s 31 states. Following a long eight-rider breakaway that survived to the finish, reigning Mexican national road champion Luis Macias (Tecos-Trek) out-kicked Italian Diego Noscotti (NGC Medical), grabbing a razor thin triumph at the end of the 126.3km ride from Cuauhtémoc to Chihuahua. Mexican Marco Rios (Orven) was third on a day that lasted 2:34:23 for the front group.

Kona powerhouse Ryan Trebon withstood attacks from a trio of New England homeboys — and overcame a case of bad legs blamed on jet lag — on Saturday to win his fifth cyclocross race in Gloucester, Massachusetts. In the elite women's race of the 2008 Erdinger Gran Prix of Gloucester, Velo Bella-Kona's Amy Dombroski prevailed to win her first race in Gloucester, after a tough battle that saw five or six women in contention until the end. [nid:84187]

Crédit Agricole team manager Roger Legeay has played down the negative effect of cycling's numerous doping scandals as he prepares his riders for their last race as a team. At Paris-Tours this Sunday, the penultimate one-day classic of the season, Legeay will wave goodbye to more than 20 years of cycling history while lamenting his failure to attract a replacement sponsor.

The course at England-Idlewild park rattled bones and tuned wheels to tacos at the Darkhorse Cyclo-Stampede UCI C-2 in Burlington, Kentucky on Friday, October 12th. The Cincinnati area hasn’t seen a soaking in weeks and the victims of the pounding course lined up for post-race massages at the Wellington Orthopedic tent throughout the day. The 80 degree heat compounded the hurt. In the Men’s race, after a lap-3 bike change which sent Barry Wicks (Kona) on the defensive, Jeremy Powers (Cyclocrossworld.com) took advantage for the win.

Javier Benitez is certainly not lacking for confidence. For the second time in five days at Mexico’s Vuelta Chihuahua, the Spaniard started his victory celebration long before crossing the finish line. But just like the end of stage 1 on Monday, the Benfica rider was fastest finisher at the close of stage 5’s 152.8km ride from Creel to Cuauhtémoc. Benitez stopped the clock in 3:36:52, with German Steffen Radochla (Elk Haus-Simplon) and Mexico’s Juan Magallanes (Tecos-Trek) completing the podium. The top 3 was identical to stage 1’s podium.

It might be called the “sprinters' classics,” but Paris-Tours is a race where opportunists can have their way. The French fall classic has often tipped in favor of attackers who’ve foiled the best-laid plans of the sprinters, with such riders as Frédéric Guesdon (2006) and Erik Dekker (2004) winning thanks to strong late-race tactics.

Lance Armstrong never raced the Giro d’Italia during his seven-year Tour de France reign, but now it’s looking likely that he might be part of the corsa rosa during the race’s centenary. Giro d’Italia director Angelo Zomegnan officially invited Armstrong to the 2009 edition of the three-week national tour of Italy, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport. Armstrong has already hinted he’d like to race in the Giro. Speaking to reporters earlier this month, the Texan said skipping the Giro was one of his few regrets during his racing career.

Giro d'Italia chief Angelo Zomegnan said he will not retroactively test samples from the 2008 race in a bid to weed out possible users of CERA, the latest generation of the banned blood booster EPO (erythropoietin). According to Gazzetta dello Sport on Friday, Zomegnan believes none of the riders on the race - won by Spaniard Alberto Contador - used the drug. "The Giro has already made the necessary checks and the laboratories, as well as the UCI, have affirmed there is nothing to suspect," said Zomegnan. "It would be useless to ask for new tests."

Credit Agricole rider Dmitriy Fofonov has been handed a three-month ban after testing positive for a banned stimulant at the Tour de France. Traces of heptaminol - which is found in products aimed at improving blood circulation - were found in a sample provided by the 31-year-old Kazakh. He was informed of the positive test at the end of the race's 21st and final stage to the Champs Elysees, where he finished 19th overall.

Francisco Mancebo is the new overall leader of the Vuelta Chihuahua, and if things work out the way the Spaniard hopes, the soon-to-be newest member of Rock Racing. On Thursday, Mancebo (Fercase-Rota dos Moveis) took a big step toward defending his 2007 title in this UCI 2.2 America Tour race, finishing third in the rolling 18.9km time trial from Pitoreal to Divisadero, and jumping from second to first in the overall standings.

Bernhard Eisel (Columbia) played off the interests of the French teams Thursday to sneak away with Paris-Bourges, the final round of the season-long French Cup series. Eisel followed Cédric Pineau (Ag2r-La Mondiale) into the day’s main breakaway just 18km into the 194km race and then nipped him in a photo finish. “It was a very fast start (48kph in first hour). I didn’t think it was going to be enough, but 13 minutes was good,” Eisel said.

Erik Zabel will ride into retirement in Sunday’s 102nd edition of Paris-Tours in what will be the German’s last race as a professional. Zabel, 38, announced his retirement ahead of the Varese world championships, where he crossed the line arm-in-arm with Paolo Bettini, another riding retiring at the end of the 2008 season. Zabel is a three-time winner of what’s considered the sprinter’s classic, first taking the flowers in 1994 in what was his first major victory.

Garmin-Chipotle has signed on to be part of the UCI ProTour series, the UCI reported Thursday. The American team was awarded a four-year license to join the beleaguered, season-long series managed by the UCI. Under a “cease-fire” accord reached with organizers of the three grand tours, a restructured ProTour calendar will be part of a world calendar that marks the return of major races to the UCI fold for 2009.

Mexico’s ongoing — and frequently tragic — drug war literally took center stage at the Vuelta Chihuahua on Wednesday. Following stage 3’s 155.9km grind from Guachochi to Creel that included seven rated climbs but had only limited impact on the overall standings, a group of peaceful protesters unfurled several banners proclaiming their frustration with the lack of police action since the August 16 killings of 13 residents in this small tourist town that’s a gateway to stunning Copper Canyon.

Just after his dramatic win at the U.S. professional road championships, Tyler Hamilton sat down with VeloNews managing editor Neal Rogers to talk about the win, his return from a two-year doping suspension and his personal life, including his pending divorce and his realization of the difference between acquaintances and real friends. The complete interview is in the latest issue of VeloNews, but here are a few highlights: Hamilton on his big win in Greenville:

The domestic road team known this year as Team Inferno is relaunching in 2009 as a UCI Continental Pro Team to be titled "Kenda Pro Cycling presented by Spinergy." The team's backers say it will have the distinction of being supported entirely by bicycle industry sponsors and will include an all-American staff and roster.

Welcome to my new diary on VeloNews.com, a diary that will offer an exciting, behind-the scenes look into my cycling ventures as I tour around the United States and Europe racing cyclo-cross this fall and winter. I’m certain there will be great moments inevitably accompanied by some less exciting ones: Crashes, gossip, name-dropping, interviews; lousy drivers, flight attendants and race promoters. Just make sure you read every other Wednesday during this 'cross season, and I’ll do my part to keep it exciting.

Web site: www.elite-it.com or www.realaxiom.com Retail Price: 1,550 Euros (about $2100); Internet racing software is 99 Euros (about $135) The Elite Realpower CT is an indoor trainer that the company claims can accurately simulate up to 20 percent grades and now features Internet racing capabilities.

Suggested Retail Price:: $24.99 Web page: www.thewarmfront.com Material: Malden Mills fleece with water repellent finish. Sizes: Men's and Women's. The Warmfront is a backless fleece vest that can be worn next to the skin or over a jacket or jersey. It can easily be removed with one hand while riding, without removing other layers or a hydration pack. It compacts to fit in a jersey pocket.

Retail Price: $39.95 Web site: www.velogear.com Campagnolo: 75 Years of Cycling Passion is a new book from VeloPress that tells the story of the legendary component supplier from its humble beginning to its new 11-speed Super Record group. The 160-page hardcover "coffee-table" book includes deeply researched history (much of it from the company's private archives), spectacular color photography, rich text, and lavish presentation. It was written by Paolo Facchinetti and Guido Rubino.

French national anti-doping agency (AFLD) chief Pierre Bordry on Wednesday said there was "considerable evidence" of doping irregularities from blood transfusions taken at this year's Tour de France. "We possess considerable evidence from blood transfusions. We will only say later who it is," Bordry told German TV station ZDF. Bodry added that anti-doping officials were concentrating on looking for traces of banned blood booster EPO, "but we will soon be able to test the transfusions thanks to a new procedure, and we are going to do these tests.

Blood samples taken at the Beijing Olympics are to be reanalyzed for a new variant of the banned blood booster EPO using a new detection system developed for the Tour de France, the IOC announced Wednesday. The retroactive controls are designed to seek out the presence of the new generation of EPO known as CERA (Continuous Erythropoiesis Receptor Activator).

Luxembourg’s anti-doping officials have expanded their inquiry into Frank Schleck, who admitted last week he transferred nearly 7000 euros in March 2006 into an account belonging to Eufemiano Fuentes, the alleged ringleader of the Operación Puerto doping ring. Schleck, who was provisionally suspended by his Team CSC-Saxo Bank team, met with Luxembourg officials last week, but his explanations weren’t enough to end the matter there.

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The pressure of five rated climbs — and one harrowing descent — made for a decisive stage 2 at Mexico’s Vuelta Chihuahua on Tuesday.

Finishing on top at the conclusion of the 188.7km mostly uphill grind from Parral to Guachochi was Colombian Gregario Ladino (Tecos-Trek), who late in the race soloed away from breakaway companion — and defending Chihuahua champion — Francisco Mancebo (Fercase-Rota dos Moveis). Ladino crossed the line in 4:59:27, with Mancebo trailing in eight seconds later and Tecos-Trek’ Juan Magallanes completing the podium, at 0:22.

Double Tour de France stage winner Stefan Schumacher is facing a two-year ban and a fine after confirmation of a positive test for EPO (erythrpoietin), the German cycling federation (BDR) said Tuesday. Schumacher was the second rider on Monday to have been exposed as a drugs cheat, following the news that Italian Leonardo Piepoli, who won the race's 10th stage in the Pyrenees, also tested positive for the banned blood booster. The BDR said they would be looking to ban Schumacher, the winner of the Tour's two time trials, for two years.

Despite not winning a race in 2008, French veteran Christophe Moreau will retire with Agritubel at the end of the 2009 season. The French team announced on its web page that the 37-year-old will conclude his 14-year cycling career with the team next year. Moreau is the last active rider of the infamous Festina team that was kicked out of the 1998 Tour de France after evidence of widespread doping was revealed within the squad. Moreau served a six-month racing ban and resumed competition in 1999.

It looks like 2009 will be the season of the comeback, and at least in Italy there won’t be a return to competition more watched than that of Ivan Basso. After months of avoiding the spotlight, Basso is taking his first tentative steps toward his full re-entry into the cycling world with a press conference next week in Italy ahead of the Giro di Lombardia. Basso won’t be racing in Europe’s last major race of the season, but it will be a chance for his new Liquigas team to break the ice with the media on Oct. 17.

After a heavy late-season schedule that included the Olympic Games, the Vuelta a España and the world time trial championship, Astana’s Levi Leipheimer is finally back in the U.S., enjoying his off-season at the Santa Rosa, California, home he shares with his wife, former pro racer Odessa Gunn. When VeloNews reached him on October 1, Leipheimer was just back from a mountain bike ride through Santa Rosa’s Annadel Park, the largest State Park located within a city limit in California.

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Spaniard Javier Benitez burst from the bunch in the final 100 meters to take the stage 1 sprint at the Vuelta Chihuahua on Monday. The Benfica rider stopped the clock in 3:19:30, with Steffen Radochla (Elk Haus-Simplon) and Juan Magallanes (Tecos-Trek) completing the podium at the end of the 147.8km ride from Chihuahua to Camargo. Benitez won by more than a bike length.