Road

In the second night of Track World Cup competition in Los Angeles, riders in five events laid it on the line for victory — and qualifying positions for the April 13-16 world championships in Bordeaux, France. American Sarah Hammer took gold in the women’s pursuit, following a morning qualifying ride of 3:37.799 — a track record. More than 200 athletes from 36 countries are racing in Los Angeles over the three-day weekend. A standing-room-only crowd of 3000 people filled the ADT Event Center Saturday evening at The Home Depot Center, banging on the upper boards and ringing bells throughout

Yankalilla, Australia - The Liberty Seguros team scored its second Tour Down Under stage win in as many days as Spaniard Carlos Barredo gambled and attacked in the final kilometers of Friday’s 154km third stage from Strathalbyn to Yankalilla on South Australia's Fleurieu Peninsula. Barredo’s win comes a day after teammate Allan Davis claimed a stage victory in Hahndorf. AG2R’s Simon Gerrans retains the overall lead, but admitted his bid for victory will hinge on how he handles the tough climb in the Tour’s fourth and penultimate stage on Saturday. Barredo took a gutsy stage win after

The United States’ first-ever UCI pro track team made a powerful debut on the first evening of the Los Angeles World Cup, with Spike rider Becky Quinn claiming silver in the women’s points race. With two U.S. national team women also in the mix, Quinn secured the silver medal behind gold medalist Italian Giorgia Bronzini after taking the final sprint. See the Casey Gibson photo gallery below Quinn scored two second-place sprints to get into contention. Then, with two laps remaining, U.S. national rider Lauren Franges got to the front with Quinn on her wheel. With one lap to go, Canadian

Jan Ullrich will easily win the 2006 Tour de France, says seven-time champion Lance Armstrong. "I predict that he'll win it by four to five minutes," Armstrong was quoted as saying in Thursday'sBild newspaper. The American, who retired after winning last year's Tour, always considered the 32-year-old German his key challenger. Ullrich won the Tour in 1997, but never found a way to defeat Armstrong. "All our team planning and strategy in the past years concentrated entirely on how to neutralize Ullrich," Armstrong toldBild. "Fortunately, it always worked." Armstrong was in

Hahndorf, Australia - Simon Gerrans enjoyed the protection of his French AG2R team to retain control of the Tour Down Under on Thursday as fellow Aussie professional Allan Davis finally bagged a stage. Davis, who along with Stuart O'Grady was one of two Australians to come close to winning the world championships road title in 2004, is one of two riders, the other being Estonian veteran Jaan Kirsipuu, to have competed in all eight editions here. It was something of an albatross. An established sprinter in the European peloton, the diminutive Liberty Seguros sprinter had never managed

Landbouwkrediet presented its 2006 team in Brussels this week, with its general manager vowing to make it "the best Belgian team on the Continental circuit" with an eye toward racing the Giro d’Italia. Gerard Bulens’ team has proved to be a successful launching pad to ProTour teams for more than one racer, including Yaroslav Popovych, the best young rider of the 2005 Tour de France, Lorenzo Bernucci, Tomas Vaitkus and Maxime Monfort. "Their successes are the most beautiful recognition of our work," Bulens said. This year’s leaders include Nico Sijmens, Jurgen Van Loocke and Bert De Waele.

Angaston, Australia - Up-and-coming Australian Simon Gerrans took a big step toward winning the five-stage Tour Down Under on Wednesday with a gutsy victory that saw the list of overall contenders slashed by a decisive break. Gerrans, in his second season with the French AG2R team, made the race-winning move move with less than 5km to race in the 148km stage between Adelaide and Angaston in the hilly Barossa wine valley. The 25-year-old played his cards perfectly, first by joining an early break and then by linking up with defending TDU champion Luis Leon Sanchez (Liberty Seguros),

Adelaide, Australia - Australian sprint ace Robbie McEwen began his season in his usual style by snagging a win at the Tour Down Under Classic Criterium here on Tuesday. McEwen, a two-time winner of the Tour de France green points jersey, comfortably held off Italian Daniele Colli (Liquigas-Bianchi)in a bunch sprint at the end of the 25-lap, 50 kilometer inner-city course. The criterium is considered a “prelude” to the Tour Down Under and has no bearing on the race standings. The Tour Down Under, a five-stage event, is held around Adelaide and the surrounding area and begins with a 148

Sixteen international and domestic teams, including No. 1-ranked Team CSC, will tackle the inaugural Amgen Tour of California next month, organizers announced Tuesday. The 600-mile UCI 2.1 race starts February 19 with a prologue in San Francisco and concludes seven days later in Redondo Beach after passing through eight other "host cities" — Sausalito, Santa Rosa, Martinez, San Jose, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Thousand Oaks. "We designed the inaugural course with both racers and spectators in mind," said Bob Colarossi, managing director of AEG Cycling, LLC. "It offers the

Save it or dump it?Dear Lennard,I have a 2004 model Trek 5200 , carbon frame road bike. The issue isthat rain water from Hurricane Rita affected lots of things in the garage,including the bike, since the roof was opened up by a falling tree. Thebike was really messed up, with its front wheel broken and the whole thingsitting in a foot of water.All of the components are ruined and when I removed the seatpost, waterpoured out of the frame, along with some small bits of white colored flakes.Is the frame salvageable with some type of treatment or is it, too, a lostcause?HalDear Hal,It may have

Adelaide, Australia - Tour de France star Robbie McEwen is set to get his rivalry with Norwegian sprinter Thor Hushovd off to an early start this season when the eighth Tour Down Under gets underway in Adelaide Tuesday. Liberty Seguros all rounder Luis Leon Sanchez of Spain, 22, will be defending the general classification title in the five stage race around the southern Australian city and the neighboring wine-growing region. But before then most people are anticipating and hoping that Hushovd and McEwen will provide some of the sparks that have accompanied their now habitual rivalry at

World champion Sven Nys (Rabobank) won the ninth round of the UCI cyclo-cross World Cup on Sunday in Liévin, France. The Belgian crossed a few lengths ahead of two French riders, Francis Mourey and John Gadret, to claim his eighth victory in nine starts during the World Cup. It was his 22nd cyclo-cross win this season. Czech Petr Dlask shot away at the start of the race, and was quickly joined by Mourey. The Frenchman then launched an attack of his own with his compatriot Gadret, marked by a Belgian trio composed of Nys, Erwin Vervecken and Bart Wellens. At mid-race, Nys joined the

Grand tours moving forwardOrganizers of cycling’s three big stage races moved forward Friday with their plans to create a rival racing league, officially asking the UCI for authorization to create its “Trophy of the Grand Tours” format. According to reports on the European wires, officials from Unipublic, RCS and ASO – organizers of the Vuelta a España, Giro d’Italia and Tour de France, respectively – have formally made steps to move forward with its own series. Talks between the grand tours and the ProTour broke down acrimoniously last year, prompting the organizers to seek an independent

Jan Ullrich’s curly locks and lack of puppy fat, Michael Rogers’s first appearance in the magenta uniform, and Linus Gerdemann’s infectious smile. Those were some of the talking points at the 15th annual presentation of the T-Mobile (formerly Deutsche Telekom) squad at Cala Serena, Majorca on Saturday afternoon. Equally noteworthy was the absence for the first time in seven years of the high-flying German team’s stalwarts Erik Zabel, Alexander Vinokourov (to Milram and Liberty Seguros, respectively) and Rolf Aldag, who retired. And, for the very first time in the history of pro cycling, a

Christian Vande Velde flew Friday to Italy to join his Team CSC teammates for its January camp, but it almost wasn’t meant to be. Vande Velde came close to retiring last year after struggling through injuries in the first half of the 2005 season, but strong support from Team CSC boss Bjarne Riis helped the 29-year-old bounce back during last year’s Vuelta a España. “Last year was really hard on me,” Vande Velde told VeloNews. “I was really close to saying that’s it and going on to other things in life. When you’re racing with one arm tied behind your back, it’s a horrible feeling. If you

Tom Boonen just wants to have some peace and quiet. These days, for the reigning world champion, that will come once the racing season begins. The dynamic 25-year-old is the biggest story in cycling crazy Belgium, which hasn’t seen a rider with as much charisma and winning attitude in a generation. To feed the journalistic combine, Boonen gave more than 300 interviews since winning the world title last September. With so much media attention, Boonen can’t wait for the relative tranquility of bumping shoulders at 40mph down the finishing straight. “People say the busiest time of the year is

Dear Monique,I have heard from several people over the years that you should not eat after a certain time before going to sleep, and I am wondering, what if any truth there is to this assertion. In other words, is eating before bed more likely to cause those calories to go “unburned?” Conversely, is exercising after eating more likely to result in calorie burning?Thanks,Steven Dear StevenTo keep it simple, if the calories that you consume at night after dinner are in excess of your energy needs for the day, then yes, those calories are likely to be stored as fat. These are calories that

Alessandro Petacchi was the star attraction of Tuesday’s team presentation for new Italian-German squad, Milram. In a flash program, the Italian sprinter was the top name among a 30-strong lineup that also includes German ace Erik Zabel and Italian attacker Mirko Celestino. Petacchi left the door open to make a run at starting all three grand tours for the 2006 season, something he skipped last year in his ill-fated run at the world title which stalled on the streets of Madrid last September. “It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve started all three grand tours,” said Petacchi, who won stages

An organization representing professional riders has blasted doping watchdog Dick Pound for alleged defamatory comments about widespread cheating in cycling, threatening to take further action if he does not publicly retract his allegations. The Switzerland-based group, known by its French name, Cyclistes Professionnels Associes (CPA), has given the Montreal lawyer until January 20 to apologize for the comments, published last year in the Britain's Guardian newspaper, in which he accused riders, teams, organizers and officials of supporting a culture of "deliberate cheating" in the

Four-time Vuelta a España winner Roberto Heras will go before the Spanish cycling federation on Friday to proclaim his innocence despite tests that showed he used the banned blood booster EPO. Heras, who was confirmed as having used EPO on the final time trial of last September's race, faces a two-year ban from the sport. His Liberty Seguros team sacked Heras after the test results were made public. Federation secretary general Eugenio Bermudez said that no decision would be taken immediately after Friday's hearing. "It's a normal stage in the process during which the

The limits of that braze-onDear Lennard,I just purchased a new compact Campy Centaur crank and front derailleur.I had a local bike shop install these on my steel frame bike and with thederailleur lowered all the way to the bottom of the braze-on we still havea gap of more than 8mm between the outer cage and the large chainring.It seems to shift okay but is there any spacer or part made that willlower this down to the 2mm spec called for by Campy or will it be finethe way it is? I tried the old derailleur and it installed with the suggested2mm of spacing. So I assume there is something in the

Three-time world champion Oscar Freire isn’t boasting of winning another rainbow jersey or sweeping the spring classics. Instead, the oft-injured Spanish sprinter is simply hoping to enjoy an injury-free season in 2006. Dogged by pain and complications since a June surgery that forced him to miss the road world’s on his home roads of Madrid last September, Freire is optimistic he can leave behind what was a black season and trade it for one rich with victories. “2005 was a very difficult year for me,” Freire told reporters at last week’s team presentation. “I won’t be able to say how I am

German cyclist Danilo Hondo has been barred from the sport for two years for doping. The Court of Arbitration for Sport on Tuesday upheld an appeal by the UCI and the World Anti-Doping Agency against Hondo's original ban, which the organizations said was too light. Swiss Olympic, Switzerland's sports disciplinary body, banned Hondo for two years in June for twice testing positive for the stimulant carphedon during the Tour of Murcia in March 2005, during which he won two stages. But that ban would have allowed Hondo to start racing again in 2006 on probation. Now, he will remain

Davide Rebellin hopes to turn back the tide in 2006, put his largely forgettable 2005 campaign behind him and return to his winning ways of 2004. The 34-year-old believes it’s possible to return to form that saw him win the Amstel Gold Race, Fleche Wallone and Liège-Bastogne-Liège in one fabulous run nearly two years ago. “I will start racing in February in Portugal at the Tour of Algarve to arrive in good condition for Milan-San Remo,” Rebellin told TuttoBici. “I’ll try to do something to prevent it from coming down to a bunch sprint.” The Italian veteran, who won just one race in 2005,

Luis León Sanchez, the surprise winner of last year’s Tour Down Under, will defend his title later this month as the third-year pro kick-starts the season for Liberty Seguros. The tall and lean León Sanchez - whose physique reminds many observers of five-time Tour de France champion Miguel Indurain - said he had planned to start his season at the Tour of Malaysia, but the team decided it was better to return to Australia after León Sanchez lost his brother in a tragic "quad" accident last year. "Manolo Saiz and I thought it would be better to start my season as soon as possible," he said.

Refusing to throw in the towel after failing to win selection to the2005 Tour de France, Agritubel decided to keep slugging away in the professional peloton until the end of the 2007 season. And this year, the Continental team’s main goal remains unchanged: racing the Tour. "It is now or never," said Agritubel president Jose Fornes during the team’s presentation Friday in Poitiers, France. "If we are not invited this summer, it is clear that the future of the team would be seriously compromised." A promising indicator is an invitation from Amaury Sport Organization(ASO) to race Paris-Nice

The 2006 Rabobank team met the press on Thursday in Rotterdam, its framework primarily Dutch and young, but bolstered by some old hands. Dutch veterans Erik Dekker, 35, and Michael Boogerd, 33, are the elder statesmen of the team, which boasts several promising young riders, among them Thomas Dekker, 21; and Pieter Weening, Joost Posthuma and Theo Eltink, all 24. Back for 2006 are Oscar Freire, the former world champion who suffered a disappointing 2005 season with injuries to the back and recurring saddle sores. "I really hope that all these problems are now behind me," said Freire, 30.

Ivan Basso might be pegged as the man to replace Lance Armstrong in the peloton’s power structure, but it appears the Italian won't be taking a page out of the Texan’s playbook this year. Armstrong was known for his methodical, precise preparation for the Tour de France, with training camps that kept him away from the racing scene during a good part of the season. Armstrong typically would arrive to the Tour with only about 20-25 days of racing in his legs. It appears Basso likes bumping shoulders in the peloton just as much as intense training. According to Tutto Bici, Basso will be

Alejandro Valverde, the rising star who’s pumping excitement back into Spanish racing, admits he dreams of winning the Tour de France. The Illes Balears captain said winning a stage at Courchevel ahead of Lance Armstrong last July was a "dream come true," but said his ultimate goal is to win the Tour outright. "I’m only 25 years old and I have a lot of time to try to win, but I don’t pretend to try to break Armstrong’s record, but to win one Tour," Valverde said in an interview with Marca. "If I can win two, even better." Valverde’s Tour debut last July was cut short with a knee injury,

The doctor gives advice on getting ink for endurance athletes

Is it the model year?Dear Lennard,I have a 1999 Cannondale CAAD 5 equipped with Campy Record 9-speed.It has never shifted to my liking. I just read on Campagnolo's web sitethat there is a difference between 1999/2000 Record shifters and post-20009-speed record shifters and derailleurs. This has me totally confused.They say there is a way to tell the difference but I am not sure how todo it.What I do know is that last year out of total frustration I purchaseda new 9-speed shifter, cable set, 9-speed chain and new Record rear cassette(12-23). It now shifts better but still not

This morning I reached into my bag of supplies and pulled out my last two Clif Shots, which means this must be my last race in the cyclo-cross motherland. Today’s event took place in Saint Niklaas and once again, it was a memorable one. The course was pancake flat and extremely fast, very similar to the Hoofstade World Cup, minus the hellacious sand. And, like the World Cup, the fans were out in full force. Tens of thousands, young and old lined a majority of the course to see the Sven Nys show. Yes, there was music. Yes, there was beer. Yes, it was a party. I think I inhaled more

In a few weeks I will be back with the team, training in California. The off-season is nearly over, although it seems that it was only yesterday that I was pinning my numbers on at the Championships of Zurich in early October. My training has transitioned from hikes, runs and mountain-bike rides to strength work in the gym, endurance rides in the mountains, and now, to daily road rides, during which I work on my lactate threshold and test myself in anticipation for the new season. I return home from training feeling tired, my legs sore, and a good meal and an afternoon nap are a necessity.

T-Mobile is confident Jan Ullrich can deliver another Tour de France victory in 2006. With longtime nemesis Lance Armstrong securely in the retirement home, Ullrich is the hand’s down favorite to win another Tour. T-Mobile team manager Olaf Ludwig is quietly confident Ullrich can win his second Tour and enters the upcoming season with newfound optimism. In an interview published on the team’s web page, Ludwig said the top rival will be Team CSC’s Ivan Basso. “Ivan Basso will be the man to beat. However, he has to handle being the Tour favorite fort he first time. That’s a huge pressure not

On the first of day of 2006 we entered the tiny nation of Luxembourg for the second-to-last ’cross race of my Belgian lactic-acid donor program. The much larger and men’s only GP Sven Nys took place today in Belgium. We opted for the race in the neighboring country so Lyne could compete in the women’s event. She got second, so it was well worth the trip — although she didn’t win any beer this time! The days seem to go by so quickly here. The sun rises around 8 a.m. and sets around 4:30 p.m., but when it’s raining and the skies are gray, it seems like morning and evening just blend together.

Francisco Mancebo is packing his bags and heading to Switzerland, all part of a larger strategy to make a move for the Tour de France podium. The hard-working Mancebo will rent an apartment in Geneva to be closer to the headquarters of his new Ag2r team. Mancebo – who left Illes Balears to join the French team after finishing fourth in last year’s Tour -- hopes the move will accelerate his push toward the Tour podium. "It’s going to be a year of changes," Mancebo told the Spanish daily Marca. "I feel good with the change. After so many years I needed a motivation to continue training and do

Right now I’m in the car on my way back from the Hooglede World Cup and I still have mud caked to my legs and butt. Today was one of those days when you would give someone a hundred bucks for a long, hot shower just after finishing. Yes, it was another epic race in Belgium. It snowed last night, but today it warmed to a few degrees above freezing so the Belgian mud was very, very ripe. While loading up the car this morning I asked Michel, “How’s the weather out there?” He replied in a thick Belgian accent, “ It eez rain. It eez snow. It eez wind. It eez shit!” How’s that for a pep

Today was my last rest day and to be honest it was a little boring. I woke up, checked some e-mail, ate breakfast, went on a ride, showered, ate lunch, wrote my diary for VeloNews.com, got a massage, ate dinner and soon I will be off to bed. Even if only for one day, it was the life of a professional cyclist. I did help Michel clean our bikes this afternoon and it was interesting to note that he brushed diesel fuel on all the bikes as a degreaser before scrubbing them down with soap and water. Although it’s probably not the best thing for the environment or safe to use while roasting

It’s getting cold and white here! We woke up this morning to gray skies, a light dusting of snow and very chilly temperatures. Not to worry though because we planned to take the next couple days off in an effort to recover for the World Cup in Hooglede on New Year’s Eve. These rest days are a welcomed treat because I am definitely feeling some aches and pains as I try to keep pace with the Euro-crossers. After another lovely breakfast of muesli, yogurt, fresh fruit and hearty bread, Michel, Lyne and I got suited up in our cold weather gear for a little recovery ride through a local park.

I just returned from the Azencross in Loenhout and it was absolutely incredible. Plus, I actually finished without getting lapped! The course was a roller coaster of a ride that weaved in so many different directions that sometimes I forgot where I was going. There were bridges, whoop-dee-doos and so many spectators pressed against the course barriers that at times I felt like I was racing in a tunnel. If I wasn’t navigating a tricky corner, I was dodging plumes of cigarette smoke being blown in my face or empty beer cups strewn across the course. Once again, the Belgian fans did not

On the drive home last night from the Hoofstade World Cup a small storm front moved through that blanketed the ground with snow. I went to bed knowing that the next race was going to be a chilly one. Sure enough, today was my coldest day here, but it was nothing like the chill I felt when I nearly lost my fingers at this year’s U.S. Cyclo-cross Nationals. We didn’t have to leave Michel’s house too early this morning for today’s race in Veldegem because there was no women’s category so Lyne didn’t have a race. I forgot to mention yesterday that she had a great World Cup result that would have

Savings options? Dear Lennard, My question is regarding CO2 inflation cartridges. Is it okay to use CO2 cartridges that are labeled for use in BB guns and paint ball guns? I have been told that they contain a small amount of oil in them and because certain oils or lubricants can sometimes breakdown rubber that I should not use them. Is this true? These CO2 cartridges are sold at your local Wal-Mart or sporting goods store and are considerably cheaper. A box of 15 or 20 usually runs around 10 dollars as opposed to three or four dollars a cartridge at you local bike shop.

Today was the World Cup cross race in Hoofstade and it was a tough one. I was the last rider to get called to the line and one of first few to get lapped.

It is Christmas evening here in Belgium and we are just about to sit down to dinner, but I thought I’d give you a quick report. On Christmas Eve, my girlfriend Heather arrived by train from London, after spending some time there with her family. It is great to have her here. Anyone who would want to travel through Belgium with her boyfriend while he is racing in the winter must be quite special, or nuts, but I think the former. We had a delicious five-course meal that had my stomach bulging at the seams, although I still managed to find some room for a few Belgian chocolates at the very end.

Typically after U.S. Cyclo-cross Nationals I don’t touch my bike for almost a month, but here I am in Belgium racing a Superprestige on Christmas Eve. Well, "racing" might be the wrong term to use because it felt more like chasing, but more on that later. Today, Kiwi, Kashi Leuchs join us for a few days of cross racing in Belgium. He spends most of his time these days in Annecy, France, so it’s an easy trip for him. Kashi doesn’t race much 'cross, but last year he did a Belgian race with Michel and wanted to give it another go this year. Once again Michel’s mom prepped some delicious

Holiday greetings from Belgium! Well, I made it safely across the pondto begin my Belgian holiday cyclo-cross racing adventure. The plan is tocompete in seven Belgian cross races which kick off with the Superprestigein Diegem on Christmas Eve and end after a race in Saint Niklaas on January2nd. What the heck am I doing in Belgium to race cyclo-cross you might ask?Well, to by honest I’m not quite sure. All I know is this past summer Ihad an international travel voucher that needed to be redeemed. While decidingwhere to take my trip I met Michel Bajorek, a professional mechanic fromBelgium at

Tom Boonen is never likely to win cycling's most coveted stage race jersey, but after yet another roller-coaster year for cycling the Belgian star could boast of having won the next best thing. For many, the world champion's rainbow jersey, which Boonen won in September, is more prestigious than the Tour de France's famous yellow jersey, which American Lance Armstrong won for a record seventh time before retiring in July. Adieu to ArmstrongArmstrong's talent on the world's biggest race will remain undoubted although for many his decision to retire could not have come any

Belgian Bart Wellens (Fidea), who kicked a spectator in last Sunday’s cyclo-cross in Overijse, Belgium, has been stripped of his victory in the race and faces a disciplinary hearing in 2006, according to the UCI. Wellens, who finished ahead of Lars Boom and Gerben de Knegt, originally had been disqualified on the day of the race, but after he spoke with the race jury, the decision was reversed and the win allowed to stand. On Monday, the Belgian cycling association demanded sanctions, criticizing the "soft" attitude of the race jury’s president and calling Wellens’s behavior

Making a Quantum leap?Dear Lennard,I have a circa 1996 Chorus 8-speed right index shifter (rear cogs). It is worn out and in a box. Do you know if it is possible to rebuild it as a ten-speed with the right parts?KhalilDear Khalil,No it is not. Eight-speed levers can only be upgraded to 9-speed, not to 10-speed. Also, the first year of 9-speed, with the current, more rounded shape to the knob atop the lever, could not be upgraded at all. After that, nine-speed levers could be upgraded to 10-speed.LennardTo click or not to clickDear Lennard, You recently received a letter regarding a freshly

British cyclist David Millar, who is serving a two-year drugs ban, has signed to race for the Saunier Duval team next year, the Spanish outfit said Thursday. Millar agreed to a deal that will begin in June 2006 and finish at the end of 2007. "David Millar has signed a contract linking him to the team until the end of 2007," Saunier Duval said in a statement released on th team’s website. "He will be back on the road next June. David Millar is a great rider, and in Saunier Duval we believe he deserves a second chance to display his talent." The 28-year-old is serving a two-year ban for

At Wednesday’s presentation of the 2006 Vuelta a España in Madrid, the race director Victor Cordero said how he was "outraged" by 2005 winner Roberto Heras testing positive for EPO, while the Spanish state secretary for sports Jaime Lissavetzky spoke about taking a more "rigorous" approach to doping and having a "clean and ethical" race next year. But the fact that Heras did test positive shows that the UCI’s stepped-up anti-doping program is working. Doping in sport has been around for decades; it’s not a problem that can be suddenly eradicated. At least Cordero said he was planning a

I had a recent experience in the medical care of an elite cyclist that,for me, became something of a baptism-by-fire education in sports physiology.Reviewing the results of an extensive set of blood tests on an elitecyclist who had recently fallen ill, I found myself at a complete lossto explain a mysterious abnormality that appeared on the charts.Was this a benign variation found in some elite cyclists or the firstdiagnosis of a serious or life-threatening illness? My God, could it alsobe doping? I felt I owed it to the athlete to figure it out. The investigationthat followed was a Pandora’s

The route of the 2006 Vuelta a España was unveiled Wednesday in Madrid with organizers calling for zero tolerance for doping following the recent Roberto Heras doping scandal. The presentation came only hours after it was reported that Liberty Seguros team president Manuel Pinera had decided to quit his post and would be selling his shares in Active Bay, which runs the team that employed Heras before the 2005 Vuelta champ was confirmed positive for EPO. Heras, who has protested his innocence and is appealing the decision that led to his sacking, has yet to be suspended for the expected two

Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong will go on trial for defamation after losing a preliminary hearing against Italian Filippo Simeoni. Armstrong called the Italian rider a "liar" in an interview with French newspaper Le Monde in 2003 after Simeoni had given evidence in 2002 to magistrates investigating disgraced Italian sports doctor Michele Ferrari. On Wednesday judge Nicola Insiti rejected a claim by Armstrong's defense and ordered a hearing to be held on March 7, 2006. Ferrari, who is alleged to have helped dozens of top athletes to safely administer illegal

A bunch of press releases, new products, and (gasp) a product alert have all piled up on my desktop over the past week. It’s time to purge. We first brought you the news a week ago, but we’ve since learned some more about the three-year deal between Health Net and Cannondale. The company will provide the team with Cannondale-branded clothing plus shoes and casual clothing from Diadora, a brand for which Cannondale owns North American distribution rights. "With the exception of Rudy helmets we’re head to toe," said Scott Struve, Cannondale’s product marketing manager. The riders have a

The Belgian Cycling Federation said Tuesday that it feared losing the rights to hold two world championships after a high court suspended a doping ruling against former champion Ludovic Capelle. The Belgian Council of State on Monday suspended an 18-month doping sentence against the 2001 Belgian champion on procedural grounds, allowing the cyclist to race again. ''We do everything possible to keep the sport clean and then we see a decision like this,'' federation chairman Laurent De Backer told VRT television. He said the UCI might consider taking next year's world

The 18-month doping ban imposed on Belgian rider Ludovic Capelle has been lifted by Belgium's highest legal body involved with administrative matters, Flemish television station VRT reported on Monday. Capelle was suspended in October after testing positive for the blood booster EPO (erythropoeitin) during a race in June, but it has now been ruled that the proper procedure had not been followed. No details were given. The former Belgian champion had been sacked by his Landbouwkrediet team, and manager Gerard Bulens told the Belga news agency on Monday: "We terminated Ludovic's

Britain’s Nicole Cooke will be sidelined for three weeks after breaking a collarbone at the UCI track World Cup in Manchester, England. Cooke, 22, crashed in points-race qualifications on Friday evening, and an examination confirmed two cracks of the left clavicle, without displacement or complication, according to team manager Doug Dailey. The young Briton should take two to three weeks to recover, but she could resume training at the beginning of January, Dailey said.

Belgian Bart Wellens soloed to victory in the sixth round of the UCI cyclo-cross World Cup Sunday in Igorre, Spain. Czech Petr Dlask and Italian Enrico Franzoi crossed second and third, respectively. It was a black day for world champion Sven Nys of Belgium, undefeated through the first five rounds. Nys had a good start but suffered mechanical problems on the muddy, sodden course, and had to be satisfied with eighth place. Wellens, by contrast, was delighted with his performance. "I always gave the best of myself, but Nys was too strong in the earlier races," he said. "I continued to

Just how bad was the snow, freezing rain, wind, sleet and more snow on Friday, the opening day of the 2005 Liberty Mutual U.S. national cyclo-cross championships?

New Zealand edged Great Britain to take victory in the men's team pursuit Saturday at the Union Cycliste Internationale Track Cycling World Cup in Manchester, England. Great Britain had led the Kiwis into the dying seconds before just missing out on the line. The team's bid had been hampered by illness, with both Mark Cavendish and Rob Hayles falling sick with viruses this week. Hayles blamed his virus and also an incident at his local supermarket when he "clothes-lined" a bag snatcher attempting to escape on a bicycle. "That's got to be worth at least a couple of seconds,"

Organizers of cycling's top three stage races pulled out of the UCI ProTour circuit Friday after talks with the sport's governing body collapsed. Organizers of the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España said in a statement issued Friday that the UCI's plans for the 2006 series imposed too many restrictions. Race operators and the UCI have been at odds over how races are organized and funded. Organizers said the ProTour limits their ability to select teams for their races and that extending a temporary accord reached for 2005 made ''no

UCI president Pat McQuaid told VeloNews Friday that he was "not surprised" by the position taken by the organizers of the three grand tours, saying their decision to split from the UCI ProTour and return to a system of team invitations and wild cards for their events was "like going back to the Dark Ages." He believes that the grand tours made a pre-emptive move in view of a meeting planned this coming Monday between the UCI and the ProTour team sponsors. Speaking on a cell phone while transferring planes at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany, McQuaid said he had just heard of the grand

Sarah Hammer of Temecula, California, took gold in the women’s points race during the first day of competition at the Union Cycliste Internationale Track Cycling World Cup in Manchester, England. Hammer’s victory comes in her first World Cup since a one-year hiatus from cycling. Hammer, 22, lapped the field with China’s Yan Li to claim a majority of her points. Hammer will ride in the women’s pursuit in Saturday’s competition. Teammate Becky Quinn (Quakertown, Pennsylvania) consistently finished in the top four during the points race sprints, placing her sixth overall. Michael Blatchford

Belgian Sven Nys (Rabobank) won the fifth round of the cyclo-cross World Cup Wednesday in Milan. The world champion soloed to victory ahead of compatriot Erwin Vervecken (Fidea), who finished second at 12 seconds back, and Italian Enrico Franzoi (Lampre-Caffita), who took third just two seconds later. The win kept Nys’s unbeaten streak going in this year’s series and marked his 25th career victory in World Cup competition. In women's competition, the Netherlands' Daphny Van Den Brand (Van Bemmelen-AA Drink) won handily over countrywoman Marianne Vos, who finished more than 30

For many of us, the next few weeks are likely to include many socialoccasions filled with an abundance of foods (many high in fat), an overflowof alcoholic beverages, and hectic schedules that often thwart the bestlaid plans for calorie burning workouts.  Keeping the holidays healthyand minimizing any havoc created by too much food and drink, is best approachedby a mindful approach that combines behavior strategies, nutritional awareness,and realistic goals around food and exercise.Goal SettingFirst, start by clearly defining your goals for this holiday season.Perhaps you are currently

Cycling legend Sean Kelly will receive the Mick Doyle Golden Memory Award December 10 during the Canon Hayes National Sports Awards in Aherlow, Ireland. The prize is named for the Irish rugby player and coach who died in a car accident in Northern Ireland in 2004. Kelly won 193 races during his 17-year career, including nine classics and seven consecutive triumphs at Paris-Nice. He just missed the podium at the Tour de France in 1985, finishing fourth, and won the green points jersey in 1982, 1983, 1985 and 1989. Elder Nazon to end pro careerDamien Nazon (Crédit Agricole) has decided to

I am glad to be back in the States for a couple of days, getting ready for cyclo-cross nationals, because I had a serious craving for some good quality Mexican food and was starting to get a little bored hanging out in Belgium by myself. This week will be a welcome break from racing in Europe. What lies before you is my version of a preview — my picks — for ‘cross nationals this weekend. You might not agree with me, but hey, what do you know anyway? Seriously, with a forecast for snow on Friday and temperatures of a high around 30-34 degrees, the only thing certain for this weekend is that

The legendary cobbles of the Forest of Arenberg could make their return to the traditional route of Paris-Roubaix, after a regional council voted to allocate 220,000 euros to aid in the repair of sections that have collapsed in recent years. Last January, the Amaury Sport Organization, the organizer of “The Hell of the North,” pulled the feared 2.4-kilometer stretch of cobbles from the race route because large portions were determined to be too dangerous, due to mining subsidence. At the time, Race director Jean-François Pescheux said that past coal mining operations in the area triggered a

One of cycling’s greatest-ever climbers, Charly Gaul of Luxembourg, died on Tuesday, two days short of his 73rd birthday. Gaul was hospitalized after a fall at his home in Itzig, 10km outside Luxembourg City, and died shortly before noon from a pulmonary embolism. He leaves a wife and a daughter. Gaul is best remembered for his exploits in the mountain stages of the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia, particularly in adverse weather conditions. He won the Giro in 1956 and 1959 and the Tour in 1958. At the Tour, Gaul was handicapped by racing in the era of national teams because Luxembourg, a

Screeeeeetch!Dear Lennard,I have a brand new Santa Cruz Blur equipped with Avid Juicy 7 discs. After a few rides in dry weather where the brakes performed flawlessly and silently, I rode the bike in the rain. I almost had to abandon braking altogether and just drag my feet to stop as the squealing sound was so loud it was shaking out my fillings. Since then, even in dry weather, the brakes continue to squeal on and off, and frankly I am afraid to use them in the wet again. The brakes are properly installed and bled. Did I not break them in long enough (three rides of easy road riding with

My fall is filled with cyclo-cross. Along with writing about exciting ’cross technology, I race on a single-speed and give up five weekends every fall to help a local promoter put on his ’cross series here in Boulder, Colorado. The finals, which doubled as the American Cycling Association state championships, were raced this past Saturday at Xilinx Software’s Longmont campus — complete with drum line. The men’s race was one of the most exciting local events I have been to in recent memory. I was a spectator because a lapse in concentration a week and a half ago, while testing the hardness

World champion Sven Nys (Rabobank) won the fourth round of the UCI cyclo-cross World Cup on Sunday in Wetzikon, Switzerland — but the victory didn't come easily. The Belgian had to come from behind to take the win over Netherlander Richard Groenendaal and Belgian Bart Wellens, who crossed second and third, respectively. Nys flatted while answering an attack by Italian Enrico Franzoi and had to make up a deficit of more than two minutes on Groenendaal, who had taken the lead. Wellens and Groenendaal tried in vain to shed themselves of Nys, but the world No. 1 proved far superior to his

Logstor, Denmark (Reuters) -- CSC's Ivan Basso is determined to fill the cycling spotlight left by Lance Armstrong's retirement by attempting to win both the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France in 2006. Basso originally announced he would focus on the Tour de France after finishing second behind Armstrong this year. But he announced a surprise change of plan at his team's first training camp of the new season in northern Denmark."It's a risk going for two major races in the same season but I really want to try and win both the Giro and the Tour," Basso told Reuters. "It

For a man whose chief cyclo-cross training in 2005 has involved more hours spent remodeling his house than racing, Todd Wells (GT-Hyundai) has been using his race days to their fullest. With a strong elite men’s field gathered in anticipation of next weekend’s U.S. Cyclo-cross National Championships, Saturday’s W.E. Stedman Grand Prix in Wakefield, Rhode Island, round five of the 2005 Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series, was a regional race with national implications. But Wells put paid to the rest of the field’s dreams, dominating the cold, wind-whipped course from start to

At the ripe age of 34, Gilberto Simoni will be riding in the distinctive yellow and red jersey of Saunier Duval for the 2006 season. The two-time Giro d’Italia winner has already mapped out his season’s top goals, which includes a start at the inaugural Tour of California as well as a run at a third maglia rosa. "The team has an interest to go (to California) and make a good preparation," Simoni told the Spanish daily Diario Vasco. "Later we’ll see which races I will start, but it’s sure I will go to the United States." Simoni said he’s excited about the new team and ready to take over the

Rudy Pevenage, the veteran Belgian director who helped steer Bjarne Riis and Jan Ullrich to back-to-back Tour de France victories in the 1990s, is back in the good graces of T-Mobile and will officially rejoin the team as one of four sport directors for the 2006 season. Pevenage had a falling out with former T-Mobile manager Walter Godefroot three years ago and left to lead Team Coast, which dissolved in the midst of the 2003 season. He continued to work with Ullrich upon his return to T-Mobile in 2004, but only as an advisor and wasn’t allowed to officially travel with team staff during

Spanish rider Francisco Mancebo wants nothing less than the podium at next year’s Tour de France with the recent news that his new Ag2r-Prévoyance team is assured of a spot in the UCI’s ProTour. The French team earned a four-year ProTour license earlier this week to take over the spot vacated by Fassa Bortolo. With starts assured in all the major races, Mancebo sounds confident as he prepares for the coming season. "Every year I’ve been able to inch a little higher and my goal this year will be to climb on the Tour podium," Mancebo told the Spanish daily AS. "On paper the race looks very

Dear readers,I am always amazed how a single reader letter can sometimes generate a flood of follow-up mail. Over the last couple of weeks I have received a good deal of e-mail about the potential problems people encounter when they soak chains in Simple Green for an extended period. Many of those notes focused on SRAM chains, and some writers suggested that it was the steel used in those chains that was the root of the problem.Now that I have learned a lot more about it, I doubt it. I believe that SRAM chains were mentioned most often simply because people who soak their chains for long

Liberty Seguros is trying to put its best foot forward following the devastating news last week that Roberto Heras tested positive for the banned blood booster EPO. While Heras can expect an all-but-certain racing ban and the humiliation of having his 2005 Vuelta a España victory stripped away, the Spanish team is scrambling to limit the damage as it looks ahead to next season. Team manager Manolo Saiz has taken his fair share of flack, with some calling for his scalp in an avalanche of recriminations. Heras tested positive for EPO on the penultimate stage en route to winning the 2005