Road

Basque climbing ace Iban Mayo has penned a two-year deal with Saunier Duval-Prodir that he hopes will spark his return to his best when he was lighting up the roads at the Tour de France. Mayo made the difficult decision to leave his longtime home with Euskaltel-Euskadi, where he raced since turning pro in 2000, to join Saunier Duval in a move he called “a liberation.” “I changed teams with the intention of improving and the reference is the 2003 season. To be close to that level would be fantastic,” Mayo said during a press conference. “I needed to change the airs. Saunier Duval is an

Giro d'Italia winner Ivan Basso, looking to race again after the Italian Olympic Committee recommended that doping allegations against him be dropped, says he has been courted by Lance Armstrong's former team, Discovery Channel. ''They made me a concrete proposal but I am open to other solutions,'' the Italian rider said in an interview published Monday by French sports newspaper L'Equipe. Basso gave no details. Discovery has been looking for a replacement for Armstrong, who retired after winning his seventh consecutive Tour de France in 2005. Basso said there

Alejandro Valverde officially received his overall 2006 ProTour trophy in a special gala Saturday evening in Italy following the Giro di Lombardia despite an ugly catfight between the UCI and race organizers. The Caisse d’Epargne-Illes Balears captain almost skipped the season finale following the ongoing spat between the UCI and race organizers RCS, which didn’t want to allow the UCI to present the ProTour jersey to Valverde on the post-race podium. Riders boycotted the podium, but Valverde received his moment in the spotlight later that evening in an awards ceremony sponsored by the

In Saturday’s Giro di Lombardia, Paolo Bettini discovered the best way to ease the pain of the recent death of his older brother was to win in his name. The recently crowned world champion nearly retired after his brother, Sauro, died in a car crash just days after Bettini won the rainbow jersey Sept. 24 in Salzburg, Austria. Only insistence by Bettini’s father convinced the Quick Step-Innergetic captain to carry on. On Saturday under cool fall skies, an emotional Bettini poured all his anguish into his pedals to win the season final in the 245km Lombardia. “Today I was not pedaling alone,”

Italy's reigning Olympic and world champion Paolo Bettini has given his full support to ProTour champion Alejandro Valverde at the start of Saturday's season-ending Tour of Lombardy. Valverde, one of the most consistent performers this season, is mathematically guaranteed winning the ProTour's white jersey for dominating the season-long series. However, organizers of the one-day Italian classic refused to carry out a podium award ceremony for television purposes at Lake Como where Valverde would have been handed his white jersey prize. The reasons appear to relate to a rift

Ivan Basso – cleared by Italian officials of doping allegations on Thursday – will not race in Saturday’s Giro di Lombardia. Basso spoke with Team CSC manager Bjarne Riis and decided not to take part in the season finale despite being cleared to race after Italian officials ruled there wasn’t enough evidence to open an investigation into whether the 2006 Giro d’Italia champion was linked to an alleged doping ring in Spain. “I am a free man but Riis decided it would be better if I don’t race Lombardia,” Basso told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “Bjarne told me it was not an ethics-driven decision

Passions were running high in Mendrisio, Switzerland on Friday 24 hours before the UCI ProTour comes to its climax in the 100th edition of the Tour of Lombardy. First, a “reprieved” Ivan Basso said he wasn’t going to make a dramatic return to racing at the Italian classic. ProTour leader Alejandro Valverde then scratched from the list of starters to protest the organizers’ decision not to present the ProTour champion’s jersey on the winners’ podium. And defending champion Paolo Bettini gave an emotional press conference following the death last week of his older brother. Basso looks like

I am glad last week is over. I had a sinus infection, flatted four timeson three separate training rides, forgot to call my mom on her birthday,failed to pre-register for the UCI races in Gloucester and raced like Iwas carrying two 30-pound sand bags on my back. Now, may I have some cheese with my whine? Don’t get me wrong, I had a great trip to the beautiful Northeast forthe first round of the Crank Brothers Gran Prix of Cyclocross in Gloucester,Massachusetts, but to be honest it didn’t really go according to plan.Not to worry though, everyone has a bad race now and then and there arestill

The Italian Olympic Committee recommended Thursday that doping charges be dropped against Giro d'Italia winner Ivan Basso, one of nine riders barred from this summer's Tour de France. The committee's anti-doping commission said it will make the recommendation to the disciplinary body of the Italian Cycling Federation, which can decide whether to try the rider or dismiss the case. Basso and 1997 Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich were among those excluded from the Tour after being implicated in a Spanish doping investigation. Basso, one of the prerace favorites, denied the

American veteran Tony Cruz and Danish TT specialist Brian Vandborg are the latest additions for Discovery Channel as the team continues to reload in the post-Lance Armstrong era. Cruz, who raced with the team from 2001-05, returns to Discovery Channel after riding one season with Toyota-United while Vandborg, fresh off finishing fourth in the world time trial championships, joins the squad after three seasons with Team CSC. “Brian and Tony both come to our Team with a high-level of professionalism and a proven history. I know that we will be able to count on these guys throughout the

How can I re-finish my titanium frame?

Why are my Mavic wheels noisy?

Should I grease my Campy Ultra-torque spindle?

Australian cyclist Karl Menzies won the second stage of the Herald Sun Tour on Monday and holds the overall lead over German Tobias Erler. Menzies, who finished third in Sunday's opening stage, won Monday's 110-mile stage between the towns of Shepparton and Bendigo in 4 hours, 16 minutes and 40 seconds. Mitchell Docker of Australia was second, two seconds behind, followed by Erler. In the overall standings, Menzies has a six-second lead over Erler. Menzies, riding for the U.S.-based HealthNet team, made a decisive break in the last of the three 1.17-mile closing laps in central

Australian Karl Menzies (HealthNet) won the second stage of the Herald Sun tour of Victoria state on Monday and held the overall lead over Germany's Tobias Erler. Menzies, who finished third in Sunday's opening stage, won Monday's 179-kilometer (110-mile) stage between the towns of Shepparton and Bendigo in a time of 4 hours, 16 minutes and 40 seconds. Mitchell Docker of Australia was second, two seconds behind, followed by Erler, giving Menzies a six-second lead over Erler on GC. Menzies made a decisive break in the last of the three 1.9-kilometer (1.17-mile) closing laps in

The long French victory drought at Paris-Tours was just a hazy memory on Sunday as Frederic Guesdon won the 100th edition of the classic race. The veteran rider from Brittany beat Norway's Kurt-Asle Arvesen at the line, the two of them representing the final, desperate remnant of a 28-man pack that broke away more than four hours earlier. Crossing the finish on the famous Avenue du Grammont in Tours, just eight seconds behind the first two riders, were 35 pursuers led by Stuart O'Grady. They had come some 254km, under sunny skies, from the outskirts of Paris. Guesdon, who turns 35

Melbourne, Australia - Australian Hilton Clarke won the opening stage of the Herald Sun cycling tour of Victoria state Sunday for the U.S.-based Navigators team. Clarke was one of six riders to join an early breakaway in the criterium stage at Shepparton in north-central Victoria. The group built a lead of more than a minute halfway through the stage. Australian team members Robbie McEwen and Simon Gerrans, last year's winner, worked hard to cut their advantage to 20 seconds but the lead group was able to hold off their pursuers. Clarke, who won the final stage of last year's

Day two of the Crank Brothers Grand Prix of Cyclocross once again saw sunny skies and a wide-open speedway of a course in Gloucester, Massachusetts. In the women’s race, Lyne Bessette (Cyclocrossworld.com) charged to the front just as she had the day before — only this time, both Wendy Simms (Kona) and Georgia Gould (Luna) managed to find her wheel. While the rest of the field shattered, Gould and Simms surprised spectators as they shadowed the hard-charging Bessette despite multiple attacks and accelerations throughout the course.

On what could only be described as an ideal fall day, the Crank Brother’s Grand Prix of Cyclocross kicked off in Stage Fort Park in Gloucester, Massachusetts on Saturday. With racers coming off long road and mountain seasons, as well as the Interbike week, no one was too sure of who or what to expect, except that it was going to be fast.

The 2006 USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships concluded Saturdayafter Jennie Reed (Spike) and Sarah Hammer (Ouch) added more stars-and-stripesjerseys to their closets.  Reed claimed two more national titles tosweep the women's sprint events with four victories and Hammer won thewomen's 15-kilometer scratch race to score a hat trick in the enduranceevents.After successfully defending her sprint and 500-meter time trial victoriesearlier in the week, Reed won the keirin and teamed up with Liz Carlson(East Coast Velo) to win the women's team sprint Saturday.Hammer, already

A who's who of cycling's fastest sprinters will assemble in Paris on Sunday hoping to claim a prestigious victory in what will be the 100th edition of the Paris-Tours one-day classic. From Belgian starlet Tom Boonen to aging German Erik Zabel, almost the entire European sprint squadron will turn up to pay their respects in the254.5 km race that was first won by Eugene Prevost, as an amateur, in 1896. Quick Step sprinter Boonen recently failed to defend his world champion's rainbow jersey in Salzburg, and will be motivated to make amends on a luscious and seemingly endless

The 2006 USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships continued Fridaynight as both Sarah Hammer (Ouch) and Jennie Reed (Spike) each rode totheir second national title of the week. After setting a new nationalrecord in the women's three-kilometer individual pursuit Wednesday, Hammertook a convincing win in the 25-kilometer points race while Reed addeda women's 500-meter time trial title to her sprint jersey. Giddeon Massie (Spike) also captured his first-career men's sprint titleand the TIAA-CREF foursome of Mike Creed , Mike Friedman, Will Frischkornand Brad Huff bested a

Recently crowned Paolo Bettini will return to racing less than a week after his brother died in a car accident. The Italian Olympic champion said Thursday he will race in a pair of one-day semi-classics this weekend in Italy out of respect to his older brother, Sauro, who died Monday in a car crash near the family’s home in Bibbona, Italy. “I have spoken to my relatives and have decided to race on,” said Bettini. “In this difficult time my wish is return to my family and to wear this jersey (the world champion's rainbow jersey) with pride in memory of Sauro.” Quick Step officials

Carson, California - Three more national champions were crowned in Southern California Thursday night as the 2006 USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships closed the books on day two of the four-day event. In the men's kilometer time trial, Stephen Hill (East Point Track Club) clocked a winning time of 1 minute, 6.239 seconds to claim the national title ahead of silver medalist Steve Beardsley (Rubicon-Chinook Cycling) and third-place finisher David Espinoza (JC Investors). With none of the top-three finishers from 2005 returning, there was no clear-cut favorite in the 26-rider

Don’t count cycling legend Eddy Merckx among the pessimists who think the sport is on the wane after a string of high-profile doping scandals.Speaking the London Telegraph, the 61-year-old Belgian said cycling retains its charm and appeal among the general public. “Cycling sometimes gets a bad press but it always comes through, in fact I am very optimistic as present,” Merckx told the paper. “Its dope testing is the most severe and frequent in the world, much more than any other sport. No wonder we catch people. Cycling has identified many culprits and they have been dealt with. Other

Not all the news coming out of Las Vegas at last week’s Interbike trade show was product related. Some North American teams and riders used the occasion to announce their plans for the 2007 season — a season that looks to see some big changes. Some had more immediate objectives, such as Fred Rodriguez’s announcement that he plans to race the final four events of the upcoming Crank Brothers U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclo-cross. And even when news wasn’t officially released, trying to quell a rumor on the Sands Convention Center showroom is about as likely as trying to find a ray of sunlight in a

After breaking an 11-year drought with a world title in the women's three-kilometer individual pursuit in April, Sara Hammer (Ouch Pro Cycling) eclipsed another 11-year-old mark Wednesday, setting a new national record inthe same event during the opening session of the USA Cycling EliteTrack National Championships at the ADT Event Center. In the ensuingfinals Wednesday evening, Hammer added another national title to herrésumé, catching silver medalist Katie Compton (Spike) six laps into the 12 lap race. Hammer clocked a time of 3:32.865 seconds to smash the previous national record of

Ouch. It’s been more than eight months since I suffered through my lastcyclo-cross race in Belgium and let me tell you it doesn’t take long toremember why ‘cross is such a tough sport. It also doesn’t take long toremember why it’s so much fun, either. A few weeks ago in Boulder, Colorado, we had our first group cyclo-crosstraining ride, which is called – for lack of a more creative description– the “Wednesday morning ‘cross ride.” For the past seven years, from Septemberthrough ‘Cross Nationals, I’ve rolled my body out of bed at the crack ofdawn every Wednesday morning for this group ride.

“I’m 49 and realized I’m halfway done,” my former boss Tom Ritchey told me wistfully at Interbike. “What am I going to do with the second half of my life?” His answer is Project Rwanda (www.projectrwanda.org), a development project designed to assist in lifting Rwandans out of the devastating financial conditions they find themselves in after their devastating 1994 civil war marked by tribal genocide and the deaths of nearly a million Rwandans in 100 days. At the heart of Ritchey’s involvement is a new bicycle he is designing from the ground up to make transportation in general and

Embattled Tour de France winner Floyd Landis reiterated his innocence against doping charges and promised he will return to racing following his rehabilitation from hip surgery last week. In an interview with the Associated Press, Landis said his rehab sessions will provide him focus following rocky months since winning the 2006 Tour that included doping allegations as well as the suicide of his father-in-law. “Things have been up and down for me,” Landis said Monday in an interview with the AP. “I’ll be happy when it's a little more simple. I’ll get through it though. I have a strong

Santiago Botero has been cleared by Colombian cycling authorities of possible sanctions for alleged links to the Operación Puerto doping investigation in Spain. The disciplinary committee of the Federación Colombiana de Ciclismo revealed that the dossier of evidence forwarded by the UCI wasn’t enough to punish the former world time trial champion. “There’s nothing to it,” said Ettore Sangiovanni, president of the Colombian federation, in wire reports. “There’s no real proof and only suppositions.” In June, Phonak suspended Botero along with Spanish brothers Ignacio and José Enrique

A week after busting open the world road championships to spring compatriot Alejandro Valverde onto the final podium, Spanish rider Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) punched his way to victory in Sunday’s rainy Züri Metzgete classic. Sanchez took the initiative again, jumping away from the lead breakaway with about 12km to go in the 241km hilly course and held off a fast chase featuring Stuart O’Grady and world time trial champion Fabian Cancellara (both CSC), Michael Boogerd (Rabobank) and Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner) to snatch his first classics victory. “The weather didn’t bother me

Geoff Brown has seen some of the biggest stars come and go during his 14-year stint as one of Europe’s top professional mechanics, but he still loves the thrill of a bike race. For the first time since 1993 when he heads back to North America at the end of the season, he’ll stay there. Brown has decided it’s time to change gears. He’ll leave Discovery Channel to join the Canadian Symetrics team on the North American circuit. VeloNews.com: How did you get started as a mechanic? Geoff Brown: I started working in a department store putting bikes together. I come from a cycling family. My dad

Success in Las Vegas is all about playing the odds. Of the hundreds of thousands of people who gamble in the Nevada desert city each year, only a handful will hit it big. Similarly, of the thousands of new bikes and related products that crop up at Interbike each year, only a few will become huge hits. Only time will tell which will fly and which will eventually flop. As this year’s Interbike bicycle industry trade show wrapped up in Las Vegas on Friday evening, the display booths came down, bikes, products and clothing got packed into boxes and our crew headed back to the Rockies. Here’s

The miracle comeback of Saul Raisin took another step forward as he returned to Europe this week for the first time since nearly dying in a crash last April in France. Raisin, 23, hasn’t ruled out a return to the professional peloton next year if he continues to make positive steps in his recovery. He’s back in Europe this week for a month-long visit and he’s already climbed some of the big cols near his home in Monaco. “My goal is to move back to Europe in January and do some intense training and see how far I can go,” Raisin told VeloNews. “There’s no guarantee I can race again, but

Wasted and wounded, it ain't what the moon didI've got what I paid for now. . . ."Tom Traubert's Blues" by Tom Waits LAS VEGAS, Nev. — It’s easy to go cyborg at Interbike. After a long day of stalking the show floor, translating MarketSpeak® into English, and even longer nights spent consuming volatile liquids and denouncing various Enemies of the People, you don’t sleep so much as crash. Come morning, you reboot, hoping that your RAM reorganizes itself along tidy, functional little lines. This almost never happens. Thus, breakfast is a must, preferably within walking distance,

Liquigas sticking by PaoliniLiquigas will not suspend Italian rider Luca Paolini despite allegations he’s part of a new doping investigation underway by prosecutors in Bergamo. Earlier this month, Italian authorities raided several homes, including Paolini’s, and a fitness center as part of an investigation dubbed “Operation Athena.” Authorities rounded up some $300,000 worth of alleged banned substances. Under rules outlined in the ProTour’s Ethics Code, riders under investigation are meant to be suspended from their respective teams. Nine riders from four teams were left out of the 2006

After two days of railing the trails in Bootleg Canyon, most Interbike attendees are ready to get out of the sun. Some are battered and some are bruised, but most are just looking forward to a day without dust and sweat. The inside show also ushers in a different feel, where the Outdoor Demo is about the ride, inside Interbike is much more about the business. Exhibitors and attendee’s break out their branded button down shirts and they caffeinate early. For a day on the Interbike show floor is somewhat akin to a hard stage of a week-long race. During our first day, we covered quite a bit of

The second and final day of Interbike’s Outdoor Demo began has it has for the past few years, the annual 8 a.m. “Hangover Road Ride” sponsored by the trade show and by Scott USA. A hearty group of 100 riders showed up, heading immediately downhill for a good quarter of the 24-mile out-and-back loop, with the remaining half of the out leg being rolling, yet continuing to lose altitude. We rode into the park at Lake Mead and turned around at the point where the Colorado River first flows into the huge reservoir. Nice and cool relative to the heat of the day, once that truly settled in, and

Beleaguered Tour de France champion Floyd Landis is scheduled to undergo hip replacement surgery today. According to his personal web page, Landis will focus on his pending surgery and recovery while his legal team prepares his defense against charges that he tested positive for irregular testosterone levels en route to his overall Tour victory in July.“Floyd is going to undergo a state-of-the-art procedure that will maximize his chances of returning to racing at the top level,” said Brent Kay, M.D., Landis’ physician and assistant clinical professor of medicine at Loma Linda University

Twenty-five years ago, the first Interbike trade show opened its doors with 135 exhibitors under the roof of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Steve Ready and Herb Wetenkamp took it upon themselves to position and plan Interbike for the early fall of 1982; their hope was that dealers would have more of an influence on manufacturers. At the time, there were four other domestic industry shows, all of which took place between January and March. On Monday Interbike kicked off its 25th anniversary with its Outdoor Demo exhibition. This outdoor segment of Interbike has steadily gained steam since

Editor at large Patrick O'Grady is roaming the halls of Interbike again this year and threatens to send occasional updates whenever he finds a tavern with wireless Internet access. Here's the first installment. — Editor LAS VEGAS, Nevada — It beats me how they always manage to assemble this monstrous trade show in time for opening day, especially considering that some outfits (not VeloNews.com) can't even arrange a hotel room for barnstorming libel artisans who turn up at dark-thirty with a Subaru full of electronica, drawing tools and attitude. After sorting out my living

Recently crowned Paolo Bettini will debut his rainbow jersey this weekend as he’ll line up to defend his title at the Zuri Metzgete on Sunday in Zürich and again at the Giro di Lombardia to conclude the season on October 14. Bettini hasn’t stopped partying since winning the world championships Sunday in Salzburg. “My career is perfect now. I’ve won everything I’ve ever dreamed of winning,” Bettini said. “I will wear an important jersey and I can’t imagine that I will just be in the back of the bunch.” Bettini also confirmed he’ll race at least through the 2008 Olympic Summer Games, where

On the eve of the 25th annual Interbike trade show, set to kickoff in Las Vegas, Nevada, this week, Cannondale got a bit of a jump on the competition and formally released its new Rush Carbon bicycle at a company event held over the weekend at Brian Head, Utah. The new bike is the evolution of the aluminum Rush introduced last year in Park City. The Rush platform, with 110 millimeters of travel front and rear, is specifically built for the needs of the long haul racer. All aspects of the bike are designed for ultra-endurance racing, though Christoph Sauser demonstrated the aluminum bike’s

Basso case long from overIvan Basso could be taken to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) if he is cleared of suspected doping at ahearing in Italy due to a lack of evidence. A top Italian federation official told AFP Sunday at the world road cycling championships there was no concrete evidence against Basso, one of a reported 58 riders alleged to be implicated in Operación Puerto in Spain. The Giro d’Italia winner was suspended by his CSC team a day prior to the start of the Tour de France because of supposed evidence linking him to the Spanish affair. Basso has not turned a pedal in

Cycling’s history is full of racers who wilted under the curse of the rainbow jersey after winning the world championships. Perennial pre-race favorite Paolo Bettini seemed fated to never win cycling’s most prized tunic, but after several close calls – including second in 2001 at Lisbon – the Italian pocket rocket bolted past Erik Zabel and Alejandro Valverde on Sunday in Salzburg, Austria, to erase any hint of a jinx. “It’s so satisfying to win after coming close so many times. It was almost an obsession for me,” Bettini gushed. “I’ve won the world’s and the Olympics, the classics and some

Nearly a week of racing and celebrations came to an end Sunday, when the UCI World Championships ended in Salzburg, Austria, with Paolo Bettini's victory in the 265-kilometer prefessional men's road race.As always, photographer Casey Gibson was there to capture the feel of what it's like to spend a day at the world's.

Britain's David Millar said he could have done more to boost a doomed Australian bid for an historic first world crown here at the world road championships on Sunday. Italy's Paolo Bettini kept to his pre-race promise by adding the world crown to his Olympic title on the final day after a tactical finale in which he out-sprinted German veteran Erik Zabel. Spaniard Alejandro Valverde of Spain finished third, with Robbie McEwen and Stuart O'Grady finishing fifth and sixth having been outfoxed by the sly Spanish outfit after 265.9 km of racing. Going into the final bend, Spaniard

Dutch teen sensation Marianne Vos surprised her elder rivals to kick to an impressive sprint victory of an elite group of 15 to become the youngest elite women’s world champion. Vos, just 19, relegated German sprinter Trixi Worrack into second with world No. 1 Nicole Cooke settling for bronze in the hard-fought, 132.9km race. “With 150 meters to go, I saw Oenone (Wood) taking the sprint and I just went as hard as I could,” said Vos, winning in 3 hours, 20 minutes, 26 seconds (39.783kph). “I didn’t see anyone around me, so I knew I had won.” Amber Neben led the way for the Americans,

Paolo Bettini has won just about everything in his career – World Cup titles, cycling’s monuments, stages in all three grand tours and the Olympic gold medal – but he still hasn’t been on the top step at the world championships. Fresh off winning a stage at the Vuelta a España, Bettini will headline the always powerful Italian team in Sunday’s elite men’s road race. VeloNews European correspondent Andrew Hood sat down with Bettini at the Vuelta earlier this month to gauge the Cricket’s hopes of bouncing into the rainbow jersey. Here are excerpts from the interview: VeloNews.com: After

Life is good for Gerald Ciolek. A year ago he was working 10 hours a day as an 18-year-old apprentice electrician at the Ford auto factory in Cologne, Germany. Today he is the world under-23 road race champion with a big, two-year contract on T-Mobile in his pocket. He won the title on Saturday afternoon by easily out-sprinting a six-man break that formed halfway through the final 22km lap in the eight-lap, 177.2km race in Salzburg, Austria. When Ciolek was clocking in at 6 a.m. to his Ford Motor Company job last year, he would train for bike racing in the evening. He was on a low-budget

Teams face self-bans in doping casesThe international cycling teams association will adopt new stringent measures that could see entire squad being barred from competition in the event of positive doping tests. The fight against doping was reinforced on Saturday when the International Professional Cycling Teams (IPCT) body accepted changes to the UCI Pro Tour rules concerning doping. Teams have agreed that as of January 2007, they will automatically suspend their participation in a race if one or several of their riders tests positive or returns an abnormal blood screenings. A statement

Amber Neben was the top American in Saturday’s elite women’s road race, claiming 12th after sneaking into the day’s winning breakaway of 15 coming home for victory into Salzburg. Neben (Irvine, Calif.) was strong enough to follow accelerations by Nicole Cooke (England) and Nicole Brandli (Switzerland) on the decisive Tiefenbach climb that delivered the winning group. The strong performance capped another successful season for the 32-year-old, who defended her title at the Tour de L’Aude, overall victory at Redlands and second at the Gracia-Orlova Tour. VeloNews caught up with Neben at the

Salzburg, Austria, has been pleased with uncharacteristically beautiful weather for the world's road championships this week. Between his frequent day trips to Alpine villages in the neighborhood, our guy Casey Gibson has been covering some of the world's best cyclists racing to decide which of them should be crowned champion. Gibson was there to cover today's world championship women's road race and to witness a victory by the youngest world champion in the history of women's racing.

The Salzburg circuit serves up a potentially explosive platform for this weekend’s world championship road races. The 22.3km circuit provides two climbs, the second of which is a short, but very steep wall, with grades up to 15 percent, that could blow open the races. Road racing starts on Saturday and wraps up on Sunday:SaturdayUnder-23 men(7:00 a.m. to 11:40 a.m.)- 176.8km (8 laps), 1864m of climbingWomen (12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.)- 132.6km (6 laps), 1398m of climbingSundayMen (8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.) - 265.2km (12 laps), 2796m of climbing In order to convey a feel of what riders will be

A delegation of six Iranian riders due to compete at the world road cycling championships have yet to arrive in Austria because of reported visa problems. Officials in the host city of Salzburg received a letter from the Iranian delegation after they failed to show up on Monday saying their travel plans had been upset by visas which could not be processed in time. According to reports in the Austrian media the Iranian federation claimed it did not receive the documents for visa applications until September 10. However the world championships organising committee said it sent the necessary

The UCI announced Friday that it intends to seek ways to oblige riders to submit DNA samples and undergo physiological profiling in a bid to stamp out doping. After a summer of serious doping allegations and affairs which are still ongoing, the International Cycling Union is desperate to stamp cheating out of the sport. After a series of meetings on Friday between the body which distributes team licenses for the Pro Tour and the racing series' legal advisers, the UCI's Pro Tour council announced that DNA profiling and physiological profiling of riders would be one of the measures

When the UCI world road championships were last held in Austria in September 1987, Irishman Stephen Roche shocked a lead group of 13 riders with a lightning acceleration a kilometer from the finish of the 276km pro road race. Roche, who had already won that year’s Giro d’Italia and Tour de France, held on to a narrow lead to take Ireland’s first (and still only) rainbow jersey. As Roche crossed the line, another rider in green also raised his arms in triumph. It was the top race favorite, Sean Kelly, whose presence in the break forced the other fast finishers, none of them left with

Casey Gibson has been checking out the scenery while waiting for the marquee events to take the stage at the UCI road world's in Salzburg, Austria. He sent us a few shots of the countryside in and around Salzburg, along with some snaps of a trip to Halstatt. It kinda makes the riding around here look . . . well . . . oh, never mind.

The Discovery Channel team will undergo major changes at the end of the current season, with 11 riders leaving the outfit for which Lance Armstrong won his last Tour de France crown. Discovery Channel team manager Johan Bruyneel experienced a painful three weeks without Armstrong on this year's Tour de France, where the team struggled in the absence of the now retired Texan. Imminent recruit, Levi Leipheimer of Gerolsteiner, will lead the American team's 2007 Tour de France campaign, but Discovery have recruited with widening their scope for success elsewhere in mind. Slovenian

There was never any doubt that Fabian Cancellara was going to win the world elite men’s time trial championship on Thursday. From his first pedal strokes along a cobblestone alleyway backing onto the Salzach River in the historic center of Salzburg, past the house where Mozart lived most of his life, and out into the green pastoral Austrian countryside, the 25-year-old Swiss simply flew around the 50.83km course. As he raced down the finishing straight, alongside the 17th-century Mirabell Palace, known as “the Taj Mahal of Salzburg,” Cancellara was still pedaling at more than 100 revs per

The globe-trotting Casey Gibson is in Salzburg, Austria, capturing all the action from the UCI road world's. On tap today: The elite men's individual time trial. Here's what he sent home.

Well, it didn’t take long before the 2006 world cycling championships got its first whiff of doping scandal. Three riders – two Argentines and one Brazilian – were ruled “inapt” to compete after pre-race blood screenings ahead of Tuesday’s opening day of competition. Brazilian Magno Nazaret and Argentines Martin Garrido and Matias Medici tested “unfit” after the UCI “vampires” screened 18 athletes early Tuesday morning from Brazil, Argentina, Switzerland, Australia and the United States. Garrido and Medici were due to take part in the men's road race this Sunday, with Medici also due

American women had their best-ever result in a world road championship on Wednesday when Kristin Armstrong was first and teammate Christine Thorburn third in the time trial at the 2006 world’s in Salzburg, Austria. On a welcome day of sunshine, Armstrong set a time of 35:04, averaging 44.638 kph for the difficult 26.12km course, to beat two-time defending champion Karin Thürig of Switzerland by 25 seconds, with Thorburn another four seconds back in third. “The course had a little bit of everything in it,” said Armstrong, 33, who finished third at the 2005 world’s in Madrid. “You had to stay

Belgian Dominique Cornu upset the favorites Tuesday to win the U-23 men’s time trial, giving Belgium its first medal of the 2006 world road cycling championships. Racing under mostly sunny skies with a slight breeze, the 22-year-old Belgian turned a time of 49:28.42 to beat defending champion Mikhail Ignatiev (Russia) by 37 seconds on the challenging 39.5km course. Jerome Coppel hung on to win bronze at 44 seconds slower, claiming France’s first medal in the U23 category since Frederic Finot took silver in 1998. “It was a difficult race, working from start to finish. In the beginning it

Road Race1927 Nürburg, Germany - Alfredo Binda , Italy1928 Budapest, Hungary Georges Ronsse, Belgium1929 Zürich, Switzerland - Georges Ronsse, Belgium1930 Liège, Belgium - Alfredo Binda, Italy1931 Copenhagen, Denmark - Learco Guerra, Italy1932 Rome, Italy - Alfredo Binda, Italy1933 Montlhery, France - Georges Speicher, France1934 Leipzig, Germany - Karel Kaers, Belgium1935 Floreffe, Belgium - Jean Aerts, Belgium1936 Bern, Switzerland - Antonin Magne, France1937 Copenhagen, Denmark - Eloi Meulenberg, Belgium1938 Valkenburg, Netherlands - Marcel Kint, BelgiumSuspended due to World War II1946

Ever since he came back to Europe in the fall of 2004 with Saunier Duval, Chris Horner has been making the most of his second opportunity at the big leagues. It took him a few years longer than he expected to return to Europe after an unhappy three-year run at Française des Jeux in 1997-99, but now that he’s back, the 34-year-old from Hood, Oregon, is taking maximum advantage of the opportunity. That includes racing in this week’s world championships, where he’ll be one of the team leaders for the American team in Sunday’s elite men’s road race. Fresh off finishing 20th in the Vuelta a

In a year that Salzburg is commemorating the 250th anniversary of its favorite son, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the small alpine town is about to celebrate Austria’s second world road cycling championships in 20 years. And, extending the musical theme, competitors in the three time trials this week and three road races at the weekend will be racing through the hills made famous by “The Sound of Music.” Maria Van Trapp and her family are no longer Salzburgers, but their hills will be alive to the sound of Europe’s cycling fans with their Swiss cowbells, Dutch brass bands and Italian fan clubs. A

The world time-trial championships are on tap Thursday in Salzburg, Austria, and with that in mind our man Rupert Guinness, the editor and publisher of publisher of PelotonPress.net, had a chat with defending champion Michael Rogers. Here’s what T-Mobile’s Aussie speedster had to say. — Editor VeloNews: You are obviously in good form. How do you feel compared to last year? Michael Rogers: I certainly feel I am on par with last year, just from burning around in time-trial training. I haven't really raced a time trial for quite a while. It's probably not a bad thing – in the past I

Alexandre Vinokourov, Alejandro Valverde and Paolo Bettini are just some of the big names who will be hoping to brighten up the cycling world by winning the rainbow jersey next week. The annual world cycling road race championships begin in Salzburg, Austria, on Tuesday in the hope they can overcome a summer of discontent which has placed huge question marks over some of the sport's biggest stars. Worried bosses at the UCI, the sport's world ruling body, will certainly be hoping the six-day event will finish on a more positive note than the season's signature race, the Tour de

Vuelta a España race director Victor Cordero expressed satisfaction Sunday in Madrid, calling the final podium "world-class, worthy" for the season’s final three-week grand tour. "I am happy with the Vuelta that we are enjoying, there are more people than ever and the racing has been spectacular," Cordero told VeloNews.com. "This year has been traumatic for all of us. This success reminds us all of what this sport have inside that we keep attracting people despite all the things we’ve done poorly, because this is a beautiful sport." The Spanish tour has paid perhaps the highest price after

The organisers of cycling's three grand tours have formally asked the UCI to sanction a professional racing series entirely separate from the two-year-old ProTour in an effort to secure more autonomy over their respective events. The three major organizers - ASO in France, RCS in Italy and Unipublic for theVuelta a Espana- have been at loggerheads with the UCI since it introduced thePro Tour for the 2005 season. The three wield a great deal of power in the series as they now run 11 of the 27 Pro Tour events and want more control over those. Insiders say the grand tours are seeking to

The 61st Vuelta a España ended with a fiesta in Madrid as huge numbers of fans turned out Sunday to watch the season’s final grand tour come down to an exciting finale. Erik Zabel (Milram) proved that some things get better with age to win for the second time this Vuelta while Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana) enjoyed an easy day on the bike to win his first major grand tour. “This Vuelta has been very hard and complicated and I am very happy with the victory,” Vinokourov said after sealing the success over Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d’Epargne) with Astana teammate and compatriot Andrey

Starting with the deluge after a night of hard rain combined with a strike by train and subway workers, getting to the 64th Milan Bicycle Show was by no means an easy task. Even more cars than on a normal day packed flooded roads, and the occasional vehicle stalled in water above its wheels brought urban traffic to a complete standstill in places. It is a good bet that many people who had planned to attend to the first day of Italy’s premier icycle industry trade show ultimately gave up in frustration. The sun came out in the afternoon, but the rain returned later to wash out the

Despite rolling in with a three-man roster at the September 15-17 Parker Mainstreet Omnium, the Health Net team showed why it’s been the top domestic dog for three years running at the final National Race Calendar event of the season. Scott Moninger and Karl Menzies went 1-2 in the road race after both placing well in the time trial, then Menzies won the concluding criterium Sunday to take the overall title with Moninger in the second podium spot. Priority Health time-trial specialist Tom Zirbel won the opening 7-mile time trial in conditions so windy many riders rode the final downhill

Alexandre Vinokourov gave himself the best possible birthday present: a victory in Saturday’s time trial to all but seal overall title in the 61st Vuelta a España. The Kazakh celebrated his 33rd birthday scoring his third stage win of this Vuelta and beat Spanish rider Samuel Sánchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) by six seconds to put an exclamation point on what will likely give him the first grand tour win of his career. “I am very happy today. I wanted to try to win today because it’s my 33rd birthday,” Vinokourov said. “I did the first 10km pretty quiet and then I knew that I could faster in the

Embattled Tour de France winner Floyd Landis is in Madrid to meet with his Spanish attorneys on Monday, VeloNews has learned. Sources at Phonak confirmed that Landis is in Spain and is expected to be at the start of Sunday’s final stage of the Vuelta a España. Landis was also reportedly enjoying Madrid’s notorious nightlife and was seen at a local nightclub by journalists. Calls to Landis’ Spanish cell phone and his attorney, Jose Maria Buxeda, were unanswered Saturday afternoon. The 31-year-old is battling allegations that he doped to win July’s Tour when post-stage urine tests taken

In fine form, Vino’ stomped his pedals on the peloton one last time and flew around the time trial course to seal his first victory in a grand tour. It is said that the winner of a grand tour should win a time trial stage; not only did Vinokourov win the time trial today but he also dominated the last ten days of the race, winning three stages, placing second twice and never spending a moment in difficulty. In all, he won a mountain stage, a field sprint and a time trial which is incredible and shows he is truly the most complete rider of the Vuelta. This morning, prior to the time trial,

Discovery Channel isn’t going to win the Vuelta a España, but it looks likely the team GC is theirs. The American unit started Friday’s road stage holding a 15:21 lead to Astana. Discovery Channel boss Johan Bruyneel said the team classification reflects just what the squad is all about in the post-Lance Armstrong era. "It’s a prestigious classification and I think it’s a reflection of the image we’re giving in this Tour of Spain that we’re a very diverse team, we can win different things, we don’t have a clear leader, that’s something we want to fight for to Madrid," he said. They have

Friday’s long and slow 19th stage across the flats Castilla y La Mancha seemed tedious after three gripping days in the mountains of southern Spain. The 205.3km trudge from Jaén to Ciudad Real – the third longest of this year’s Vuelta a España – produced a seven-man breakaway and a winner in José Luis Arrieta (Ag2r) to give the Spanish journalists something to write about. Otherwise, the Vuelta was on a holding pattern. "I have been waiting for this moment for 14 years," said the 35-year-old after scoring just his second professional victory. "I knew there was a headwind at the finish, I