Road

Saturday’s monster, four-climb 233km stage to La Toussuire delivered Tour de France sparks and controversy as the battle for the Dauphiné Libéré reached a breaking point. Overall leader Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d’Epargne) withstood attacks but ended up padding his lead by two seconds as Cadel Evans (Silence-Lotto) tried to attack his way into the leader’s jersey.

Three-time world champion Oscar Freire sprinted to victory in the first stage of the Tour de Suisse, out-charging the field at the end of 146-kilometer race that started and finished in Langnau im Emmental. Freire pulled on the race leader's jersey at the end of the stage after beating Switzerland's Martin Elmiger at the finish line. In the general classification Freire has a four-second lead on Elmiger (Ag2r)and another local, Lampre’s David Loosli.

CAISSE. D’Epargne
1. Francisco Perez,
2. Jose Gutierrez,
3. Mathieu Perget,
4. Pablo Lastras,
5. Jose Rojas,
6. Jose Rujano,
7. Xabier Zandio,
8. Daniel Moreno,

LIQUIGAS.
11. Michael Albasini,
12. Claudio Corioni,
13. Murilo Fischer,
14. Enrico Franzoi,
15. Roman Kreuziger,
16. Filippo Pozzato,
17. Ivan Santaromita,
18. Alessandro Vanotti,

CREDIT. Agricole,
21. Laszio Brodrogi,
22. Alexandre Botcharov,
23. Pietro Caucchioli,
24. Sebastien Hinault,
25. Gabriel Rasch,
26.

Until now, an ongoing patent dispute over Specialized’s FSR design kept Scott USA’s Genius trailbike from the U.S. market, leaving one of the world’s most lucrative markets uncontested by Scott. With a major redesign of the Genius platform it will enter the U.S. with a bike that pushes past conventional constraints of the trail category.

The sun set and a crowd of thousands screamed at the moment Kirk O’Bee (Health Net-Maxxis) charged across the line in the final sprint of Friday’s downtown Minneapolis criterium to win his second stage of the Nature Valley Grand Prix. Close on his wing, Ivan Stevic (Toyota-United) threw his bike across the line, but came up half a wheel short. Ricardo Escuela (Successful Living) captured third.

American manufacturer Saris will soon be selling wireless PowerTap power meter wheels that work with Garmin 705 GPS units. The move represents an important intersection of a GPS player and a major power meter company. Also, French wheel giant Mavic has joined the growing list of companies like Bontrager and Zipp in selling a PowerTap-hub version of its wheels.

To almost no one's surprise, Svein Tuft (Symmetrics) won the fourth stage time trial at the Tour de Beauce on Friday, and grabbed the overall lead in the process. What did raise eyebrows was the unexpectedly strong showing of Bernardo Cole Tepoz (Tecos Trek UAG), who had held the leader's jersey since winning the opening stage. The 24 year old Colex finished fourth, 58 seconds down on Tuft, and is only seven seconds behind in the general classification.

Levi Leipheimer (Astana) couldn’t quite stay with the elite group of GC riders on the upper reaches of the Joux-Plane and saw his chances of winning the Dauphiné Libéré for the second time and three years take a big hit. Leipheimer hopes to bounce back in Saturday’s summit finish up La Toussuire to cap what’s been a wild spring for the veteran American. Instead of preparing for the Tour de France as he’s done every season since 2002, his spring campaign was turned upside when he got the call to race the Giro d’Italia just a week before it started.

It’s not the longest climb nor is it the highest, but the Joux-Plane always proves troublesome in any race it’s featured. That was certainly the case in Friday’s short but explosive 125km fifth stage in the 60th Dauphiné Libéré that saw plenty of action on both sides of the 11.5km climb high in France’s Haut-Savoie.

A last wave goodbye, the tears in my parents’ eyes as they waved back, the pit in my stomach at the idea of being gone for months, and I then I was through the gate and walking towards the waiting lounge.

Bernardo Colex (Tecos Trek UAG) let his rivals know that he wasn't going to give up the Yellow Jersey at the Tour de Beauce without a fight, with an aggressive ride up Mont Megantic to finish second on stage three behind Miguel Martinez (Amore E Vita-McDonalds).

Writing this article presented some interesting challenges. Here I sit in the support van, halfway across the US in the Race Across America (RAAM), somewhere in Kansas, supporting Team Type 1 in their bid to repeat their 2007 victory and hoping to set a new record. If this were an audio segment, I’d be slurring my words something awful, because I haven’t slept but six hours in the last three days.

In 2007, Kirk O’Bee and his HealthNet-Maxxis team dominated the Nature Valley Grand Prix, with one exception: the final overall standings. Last year, the men in green and black won four of five stages and enjoyed the leader's jersey for two days, but could not wrestle the final GC from the grip of Toyota-United’s Ivan Stevic. This year, O’Bee got off to a good start, winning the 65-mile second stage in a sprint – just as he had done a year ago - but this time he pulled on the leader’s yellow jersey afterward.

Former American pro road racer Chad Gerlach, once a promising U.S. Postal Service rider who became homeless and addicted to drugs, will be featured on episode of A&E’s “Intervention” next week. Gerlach rode professionally for Montgomery-Bell in 1995, U.S. Postal Service in 1996, Navigators Insurance in 1997, Oilme-Klein in 1998 and Sierra Nevada in 2002. Gerlach never raced a grand tour, but won a sprint stage at the 1996 Kent Tour of China and two stages of the 1998 Tour de Langkawi.

The first stage of Minnesota’s Nature Valley Grand Prix was called off Wednesday night, midway through the men’s session.

Most riders in the 60th Dauphiné Libéré will tell you they’re more worried about what’s going to happen in July than what’s happening this week in France. Don’t believe it. If Thursday’s attack-riddled 193km, three-climb stage from Vienne to Annemasse was any indication, the next few days are going to be a real dogfight. Cyril Dessel (Ag2r-La Mondiale) claimed an impressive solo victory after attacking over the Cat. 1 Le Salève climb out of a 16-man breakaway that threatened to ride away with the race.

Citing a lack of “loyalty” the management committee of the UCI has suspended the French Cycling Federation from the ranks of the international body for the duration of 2008. The decision follows months of tit-for-tat feuding between the UCI and France’s major race organizer, the Amaury Sports Organisation the firm responsible for the Tour de France and other major events, a dispute in which the FFC has sided with ASO in recent months.

A much-anticipated Russian stage race will be part of a revamped ProTour calendar for 2009 as the UCI pushes forward with its sometimes beleaguered racing league. Officials confirmed Wednesday that a five-day race in Russia’s Sochi region will be held May 20-24 as part of the 2009 ProTour calendar. Sochi, which straddles Russia’s portion of the Black Sea, has been selected to host the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in the nearby Caucasus Mountains.

As Cadel Evans takes aim at becoming the first Australian to win the Tour de France, he is finding inspiration from the first rider to win five in a row: Miguel Indurain. Evans says that he’ll try to follow Big Mig’s proven model of taking gains in the time trials and defending in the mountains.

Bernardo Colex (Tecos-Trek UAG) continues to hold the yellow leader's jersey at the Tour de Beauce after Wednesday’s second hilly 166-kilometer stage. Colex’s team did masterful job of controlling the field, with the stage coming down to a bunch sprint won by Yuri Metlushenko (Amore E Vita) ahead of Ciaran Power (Pezula) and Ramos Kleber (Garneau-Crocs). Charles Dionne (Equipe Quebec) was the top North American on the stage, finishing fourth, with Christian Meier (Symmetrics) the top in the overall standings in ninth place, 26 seconds down on Colex.

Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d’Epargne) rode the time trial of his career to beat the likes of Levi Leipheimer and Cadel Evans on a difficult, hilly 31km course Wednesday to win the stage and take control of the 60th Dauphiné Libéré. Valverde, who also won Monday’s first stage in a sprint, revealed impressive time trial credentials on wet roads to beat 2006 Dauphiné champ Leipheimer by 19 seconds and Tour de France runner-up Evans by 20 seconds.

Quick Step is sticking with its troubled star, Tom Boonen, and so are the team’s key sponsors. Just a day after it was revealed that Boonen tested positive for cocaine in an out-of-competition control taken last month, his Belgian team announced Wednesday that its most important sponsors have extended their contracts through the 2011 season.

Belgium's Tom Boonen, who has tested positive for cocaine, will not be starting next month's Tour de France, race director Christian Prudhomme told AFP on Wednesday. The news came shortly after Boonen issued an apology, saying he was sorry for the pain his recent behavior has caused his team and his family. Boonen read a prepared statement at a press conference at his Quick Step team’s headquarters in Wielsbeke, Belgium, adding that he plans to take a break from the sport for a short time.

Mexico's Bernardo Colex Tepoz (Tecos Trek UAG) took the biggest win of his career when a mid-race breakaway resulted in a solo victory and the yellow jersey in the opening stage of the 23rd Tour de Beauce on Tuesday. The classic Canadian stage race kicked of with the traditional 165-kilometer Lac Etchemin road race stage, contested on one long loop that encompasses typical Beauce terrain ? lots of climbing and rough roads.

George Hincapie (Team High Road) attacked in the final corner and overhauled Gerolsteiner's Sebastian Lang to win stage 2 of the Dauphiné Libéré on Tuesday. Sylvain Chavanal (Française des Jeux) took second in the 184km stage from Bourg-Saint-Andeol to Vienne, just pipping Lang at the line. After High Road sprinter André Greipel broke a wheel on the run-in to Vienne, Hincapie was given the green light to take his chance and made the most of it, rocketing after the attacking Lang.

Paris-Roubaix winner and former world champion Tom Boonen has tested positive for cocaine, Het Laatste Nieuws reported on Tuesday. The newspaper said that the 27-year-old Boonen tested positive for the drug three days before the Tour of Belgium on May 25, although anti-doping officials say the rider will not face suspension since use of the drug is not specifically banned except in competition.

Dear Lennard,
I currently have a Shimano compact (50x34) crank set and an Ultegra 12-27 cog. Rather than switching to a triple, can I change to a 12-30 or 12-32?

An online investment bank will join CSC as a co-sponsor of Team CSC beginning into this year’s Tour de France, then assume title sponsorship of the squad beginning in 2009. The co-sponsorship agreement between Riis Cycling and Saxo Bank runs to the end of this year. On Jan. 1, 2009, Saxo Bank will become the team’s sole main sponsor for a three-year period.

The rumors keep flying, but Astana officials insist they are not expecting a last-minute reversal from Tour de France officials to start this year’s race. Astana team manager Johan Bruyneel said he isn’t anticipating the Tour to follow the recent example of the Giro d’Italia, and said the team is already looking past the Tour for this season. “The Tour has been pretty clear. Straight after the Giro, they said that they are remaining with their initial decision,” Bruyneel told VeloNews. “We’re definitely not counting on it.”

Commerce Bank Liberty Classic 2008 - A Kurt Jambretz Gallery

The Philadelphia International Cycling Championships - A Kurt Jambretz Gallery

The 60th Dauphiné Libéré is a race of seconds – literally – at least through the first two days of racing. A day after losing Sunday’s opening prologue by one second, Thor Hushovd (Crédit Agricole) captured the maillot jaune by that same margin over Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d’Epargne) after the Norwegian sprinter earned finish-line time bonuses in Monday’s 194km first stage from Avignon to Privas.

After quietly sitting in for most of the 156-mile race, CSC’s Matti Breschel went boldly to the front of the Philadelphia International Championship when it mattered most — coming across the finish line. The young Danish rider took the sprint win on Benjamin Franklin Parkway ahead of Kirk O’Bee (Health Net-Maxxis) and three-time Philly winner Fred Rodriguez (Rock Racing).

Levi Leipheimer (Astana) ripped to a dramatic victory in Sunday’s opening prologue at the 60th Dauphiné Libéré in a showdown between the Tour de France favorites. Leipheimer -- who won the 2006 Dauphiné – flew over the 5.6km course into Avignon to stop the clock at 6:10 to take a one-second victory to prologue specialist Thor Hushovd (Crédit Agricole), with Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d’Epargne) stopping the clock third at six seconds off the pace.

High Road’s Chantal Beltman won the Commerce Bank Liberty Classic in a late-race solo move. After Beltman and her High Road teammates Mara Abbott and Kim Anderson went clear with Tibco’s Joanne Kiesanowski on the last of four trips up Manayunk Wall, America’s strongest women’s team played its numbers. With less than three miles to go, Abbott attacked, drawing out Kiesanowski. Beltman then countered and it was game over.

It may have been the Scottish Highlands rather than the Alps, but the Swiss men were right at home in Fort William for the fifth round of the mountain bike cross-country World Cup. Swiss riders swept the top three spots of the podium, led by Florian Vogel (Swisspower). Vogel's teammate, U23 series leader Nino Schurter, came in right behind, with Christoph Sauser (Specialized) nine seconds back.

Astana has watered down pre-race predictions that its team leader for the Dauphiné Liberé, Levi Leipheimer, will emerge triumphant after a week of tough racing in the Alps. Traditionally a warm-up for July's Tour de France, the hilly week-long race kicks off Sunday with a short time trial and by next Sunday should give some hint as to who's hot and who's not for the upcoming battle for the yellow jersey. With Astana not invited to this year's Tour, the team will be keen to stay on a victory high following Alberto Contador's recent Giro d'Italia triumph.

Linus Gerdemann will be sidelined for at least another month after breaking his left leg during the time trial at Tirreno-Adriatico, his High Road team reports. The crash left the 2007 Tour de France stage winner and yellow jersey holder with fractures on his left upper and lower leg and damage to the cruciate ligaments of his left knee. The extended recovery time means Gerdemann will miss both the Tour and the Olympics.

A challenging and explosive course for the 60th Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré should produce plenty of fireworks in what will be the final dress rehearsal for many Tour de France-bound favorites. Last year’s Tour runner-up, Cadel Evans (Silence-Lotto), leads an all-star cast for the Sunday start of the eight-day Dauphiné, which will throw plenty at the peloton to assure a wild and unpredictable race.

Marie-Helene Premont (Rocky Mountain), has accomplished the first major goal of her season by winning the fifth round of the mountain bike World Cup in Fort William, Scotland. Premont beat the previous week's winner, Marga Fullana (Massi), by 13 seconds on Saturday, and extended her lead in the overall standings to 60 points. Sabine Spitz (Ghost) finished third, with Lene Byberg (Specialized) and Laurence Leboucher (France) rounding out the podium. Georgia Gould and Catharine Pendrel (both Luna) finished 11th and 12th, respectively.

Sunday marks the 24th edition of the Philadelphia International Championship. Although no longer used to crown the national champion, this grand event of domestic racing boasts the greatest distance and some of the deepest fields in North American cycling. Riders surviving the past week’s racing in Reading and Lehigh will face 156 miles in 10 laps through Philadelphia, including 10 climbs up the famed 17 percent Manayunk Wall. Along with The Wall, the weather will also mount a challenge: forecasters called for a record-breaking high of 96 degrees on Sunday.

The third round of the 4-cross mountain bike World Cup got under way Friday under a most un-Scottish sunny sky. Fort William has a seven-year tradition of top-notch racing — however, great weather is not one of the attributes that springs to mind when regulars think of Fort Bill. A steady breeze even kept the biting midge flies away during the race.

The Reading Classic 2008: A Kurt Jambretz Gallery

Retail:$19.99 Web site:www.pacelineproducts.com Chamois Butt’r Eurostyle is formulated to produce a cooling and soothing effect for cyclists who prefer a traditional European style chamois cream. The cream ingredients include menthol, witch hazel and Brazilian peppertree. It is intended as a non-greasy skin lubricant and a conditioner for synthetic or leather chamois.

Ina-Yoko Teutenberg is making the most of her time in America. In the span of three days, the German High Road rider has won a pair of Commerce Bank Triple Crown of Cycling criteriums, gotten her hair done and purchased new shoes. “Things are cheap here to begin with,” said Teutenberg of her weeklong stay in southeastern Pennsylvania that included a day of shopping on Wednesday. “Throw in the strength of the Euro and it’s even better.”

It’s not that his team’s Redlands Classic victory meant nothing, or that no one was paying attention to its prologue podium sweep at the Tour of Colombia. But clearly Oscar Sevilla’s win at Thursday’s Reading Classic was just a little sweeter for the Spaniard and his Rock Racing squad. Heretofore better known for flashy team kit, outlandish team boss Michael Ball, and a major run-in with the Tour of California organizers, on this day Rock Racing was simply the best team in a field that included four Tour de France-bound squads and all the top U.S.-based outfits.

Classics specialist Philippe Gilbert has signed to ride with Silence-Lotto, the team announced on Thursday. The 26-year-old Gilbert, who earlier this season won the Het Volk classic for the second time in his career, will leave current employers Francaise des Jeux at the end of the season, Silence-Lotto announced. Among Belgian professional teams, Silence-Lotto is second only to Quick Step, and features top riders including sprinter Robbie McEwen and Tour de France runner-up Cadel Evans, both of Australia.

Thursday’s Reading Classic, the second round of the Commerce Bank Triple Crown of Cycling, offers both redemption and a final tune-up before Sunday’s grand old race through the streets of Philadelphia. Like Tuesday’s Lehigh race, the course is relatively short at 75 miles, yet the course in Reading, Pennsylvania, demands three trips up the switch-backing, mile-and-a-half, Mt. Penn. Described as a power-climbers’ ascent, look for riders able to accelerate over the top but still produce a big-time finishing sprint.

Weight: 250g Price: $54.99 Colors: white, black, silver, faux carbon The limited edition white Raceblade fender from SKS is intended for fashion conscious road riders. The quick release fenders fit 700 tires from 18 to 23mm and come with an adapter for aero forks. The fenders mount quickly with no tools. Besides the limited edition white color, the fenders are available in black, silver and faux carbon finishes.

Lehigh Valley Classic 2008- A Kurt Jambretz Gallery

Just when it looked as though healing was coming to the scarred relationship between the grand tour organizers and the Union Cycliste Internationale, the wounds just opened again. After the recent Giro d’Italia and April’s Paris-Roubaix were successfully run under UCI regulations as part of the international body’s Historical Calendar, it seemed that the upcoming Tour de France might be similarly promoted.

Three American track riders are locked and loaded for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, and five spots are still up for grabs. Californian Sarah Hammer, Coloradan Taylor Phinney and Washington’s Jennie Reed all own spots for Beijing based on their 2008 results. USA Cycling will hold a talent camp June 15-16 at the ADT Events Center in Carson, California, to decide the final spots for the games.

American cross-country mountain bike racer Adam Craig (Giant) has his sights set on the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. That means for the next few months he will be battling it out on the World Cup and National Mountain Bike Series with his fellow Americans for a slot on the U.S. team. VeloNews.com is along for the ride. —Editor

Sizes:Eight, sloping. Colors: Three Web site: www.colnago.com Available: October 2008. Price: not available The Colnago CX-1 is the first product to come out of the company's Revolution development and design project. The company says the CX-1 was designed for "young racing riders who have asked for an aggressive, ultra-modern frameset. The CX-1 is a high-performance frameset with a dynamic ride that will allow riders to fly up climbs."

Alberto Contador received a hero’s welcome upon his return to Spain on Monday, with politicians toasting him and thousands of fans cheering him upon his arrival in Madrid’s Barajas airport. But before the recently crowned Giro d’Italia winner had a chance to celebrate his unlikely victory, there’s already growing speculation the 2007 Tour de France champ can complete cycling’s “grand tour triple crown” with a run at the Vuelta a España this fall.

The International Cycling Union (UCI) has threatened sanctions against riders and teams competing in this year's Tour de France after organisers announced Tuesday that the race will take place under the jurisdiction of the French Cycling Federation (FFC). (The UCI's complete press release.)

Launching what his competitors called a late-race hail Mary, Ukraine’s Yuri Metlushenko scored a razor-thin sprint win in Tuesday’s Lehigh Valley Classic. Aussie Karl Menzies (Health Net-Maxxis) was second by half a tire width at the opening round of the 2008 Commerce Bank Triple Crown of Cycling, with American Brad Huff (Jelly Belly) trailing home in third.

Mix-and-match
Dear Lennard,
At one time I read in your column that you can change Campy 9-speed ergo shifters to 10-speed. Is this true and what are the details?
Guido Dear Guido,

With the introduction of its top-level Red group last fall, upstart road component manufacturer SRAM took a shot directly across the bow of the industry leader. Shimano’s soon-to-be-released 7900 series Dura-Ace group is clearly a direct response to Red and it adds considerable firepower to the full-on techno' wars raging among the three big component manufacturers.

The wet cobbles were icy slick from street cleaners that rinse off the grime from the morning delivery trucks, the sticky ice creams from the after school snacking kids and the alcohol from the late night revelers. I rode through the old town of Girona cautiously, my bike slipping and skidding in the corners, to meet the “boys” for a training ride; the shopkeepers who were sweeping their steps in daily routine, waved a friendly hello and smiled.

Sunday’s final time trial gave Slipstream-Chipotle and High Road the perfect way to celebrate what’s been a very successful Giro d’Italia for both teams. Five riders from the two U.S.-registered teams filled out the top-six in the final stage of the 91st Giro, with Marco Pinotti scoring High Road’s fourth stage victory of the race while Christian Vande Velde and Danny Pate capped a successful Giro with fifth and sixth, respectively.

Astana team manager Johan Bruyneel celebrated his 11th grand tour victory from behind the steering wheel of a team car with Alberto Contador’s unlikely Giro d’Italia win Sunday. Bruyneel answered questions about the team’s anti-doping program and Contador’s unexpected rise; here are excerpts from the press conference: Question: Can you talk about the team’s work with Damsgaard?

Taylor Phinney and Danny Summerhill, VeloNews magazine’s joint selection as the 2007 North American juniors of the year, each had impressive rides on European soil over the past weekend.

Magura’s Marta three-model brake line-up is new for 2009. This is the first time the brake has been redesigned since its introduction at Interbike in 2001. While Hayes may have been the first to popularize disc brakes for mountain bikes, Magura’s Marta is responsible for making a high performance hydraulic disc brake light enough for even gram-counting cross-country racers to accept. The fact that it has had a seven-year run, without change, in such a competitive market is a testament to the strength of the original design.

For many domestic teams, the next eight days in Pennsylvania can define a successful or disappointing season. No disrespect to the emerging tours of California, Missouri and Georgia, but the trio of races commonly referred to as Philly Week historically boast some of the deepest fields in all of North American bike racing and a podium spot in Lehigh Valley, Reading or Philadelphia will undoubtedly be placed near the top of any riders palmares.

On Sunday, two-time Italian national time trial champion Marco Pinotti proved yet again that he is one of the world’s best in that specialty, particularly when it comes to the grand tours.

If you were to think of the upcoming Commerce Bank series as a stage race rather than a series of three one-day races, then Arlington, Virginia’s CSC Invitational criterium would be the prologue. Like those brief preambles to the big tours, the CSC race certainly doesn’t hold all the answers to what will unfold in the coming days, but it can provide a bit of a peek at what’s to come.

Alberto Contador is so happy with his pink jersey that he says he wouldn’t want to swap it for a yellow jersey even if the Tour de France organizers change their minds about his team’s exclusion. The defending Tour champ secured overall victory at the Giro d’Italia in Sunday’s final-day time trial and said the unexpected victory makes up for the controversial exclusion his Astana team from the 2008 Tour.

Now Alberto Contador can go back to the beach. After interrupting a vacation a month ago to pack his bags to head to Italy, the defending Tour de France champion secured one of the most unlikely victories in cycling history to claim the 91st Giro d’Italia on Sunday. “It’s never been so worth it to leave a vacation early,” Contador said. “I didn’t know I was coming to the Giro until eight days before the race. This Giro has a special flavor and perhaps means more to me than last year’s Tour.”

Julien Absalon (Orbea) can be beaten. After three rounds of the World Cup, when the world champion looked untouchable, he faltered on Saturday in the high altitude conditions in Andorra, while Christoph Sauser gave Specialized their first World Cup victory of the season.

The second round of the 4X World Cup in Andorra was a bit of a slow speed affair, after rain in the morning undid some of the work the organizers had done to repair the ruts and soft spots from earlier in the week. Despite that, there was some exciting racing on a course that allowed riders to pass multiple times, and saw more than one come from behind win in the qualifying heats.

High Road's Judith Arndt won the Montreal World Cup road race Saturday, the second time in three years she has won the race. Her win pads her lead in the World Cup standings. Arndt attacked on the final climb of the 11-lap circuit with year's winner Fabiana Luperini. Arndt won the two-up sprint to take her second World Cup win this season. “I love coming to Montreal,” Arndt said before the race, “even though I’m always really tired when I get here [after coming straight from Tour de l‘Aude]. It’s a really great race and a great atmosphere.”

Alberto Contador (Astana) is 28.5km from winning a Giro d’Italia he never expected to start. The Spanish climber deflected a flurry of last-gasp attacks from arch-rival Riccardo Riccò (Saunier Duval-Scott) over the Gavia and Mortirolo in Saturday’s 232km mountain shootout to retain the maglia rosa and roll into Sunday’s final-day time trial with the narrowest of margins.

Marga Fullana (Massi) became the fourth World Cup winner in four races this season, with a completely dominating performance Saturday at VallNord in Andorra. Another breakthrough for Pendrel Canada's Marie-Helene Premont (Rocky Mountain) finished third behind Eva Lechner (Colnago), but added to her lead in the overall standings. Catharine Pendrel (Luna) put a second Canadian rider on the podium with her best ever World Cup result in fourth place.

Steven Cisar led the United States Cycling Team on Saturday with a silver medal in the elite men's contest at the 2008 UCI BMX World Championships in China. As one of two Americans to qualify for the final eight-man main, the Californian finished 0.384 seconds off the pace of winner Maris Strombergs (LAT), while Stifiso Nhlapo (RUS) took the bronze and American Donny Robinson (Napa, California) placed fourth.

This year's Tour de Georgia brought almost $40 million in economic impact to the state, a university study has found. The estimated total is about 40 percent more than last year. North Georgia College and University determined economic impact using data collected by crowd intercept surveys at all race starts and finishes.

Alberto Contador (Astana) might be wishing he was back at the beach after fending off relentless attacks from Danilo Di Luca (LPR) and Riccardo Riccò (Saunier Duval-Scott) in Friday’s wild 19th stage that saw him save his maglia rosa by the narrowest of margins. Contador saw his grip on the pink jersey trimmed to four seconds to Riccò and 21 seconds to Di Luca and looks vulnerable going into Saturday’s epic stage over the Gavia and the Mortirolo.