Road

Another major European race is pulling the plug ahead of the 2005 Pro Tour. The French newspaper Dauphiné Libéré reported that the Classique des Alpes won’t be held next season ahead of complaints from teams, according to officials at ASO (Amaury Sport Organisation). The race debuted in 1991 and was held a few days before the start of the Criterium du Dauphiné Libéré and held on a mountainous course between Chambéry and Aix-les-Bains in the French Alps. Race officials said the event might continue as an amateur race. Classique des Alpes winners1991: Charly Mottet (Fra)1992: Gilles Delion

As I sit down to write about Interbike for VeloNews, it seems a shame not to show you some of the things that there probably will not be room for in the print magazine. So here we go…. SDGSDG has forged ahead with its I-Beam saddle, which eschews the normal saddle rails for a longitudinal beam molded into the saddle shell. SDG also is offering new super-light carbon-fiber seat posts that grip the beam. Since a saddle is normally a suspension item, like a hammock suspended between two rails, it seems that a saddle with a single, unyielding center rail might be a little hard on the crotch. But

No wonder Mario Cipollini and his Domina Vacanze teammates have beenunhappy this season. According to information released by the team earlierthis month, the title sponsor hasn't paid its riders since June. According to team officials, the team’s title sponsor – Domina Vacanzeheaded up by real estate magnate Ernest Preatoni – hasn’t met or has refusedto pay its obligations, in part due to co-sponsors who have soured overthe poor form of 2002 world champion Cipollini. Team manager Vincenzo Santoni – which owns the holding company for theItalian team called Blu Sea Services – insists he’s

Damiano Cunego has plenty of reason to celebrate the 2004 season. The 23-year-old sensation barnstormed to victory in Saturday’s Giro di Lombardia to wrap what’s been a successful campaign highlighted by his overall victory at the Giro d’Italia. Many are already calling the Saeco rider Italy’s next breakout star to replace the fading Gilberto Simoni, Michele Bartoli and Stefano Garzelli. “Let’s avoid such incredible comparisons but here’s no doubt it’s been a great year for me. After winning in the spring I won the Giro in May and that was amazing, winning a World Cup race is incredible,”

Damiano Cunego ended his dream season much like he started it: attacking with panache and winning. The 23-year-old Saeco rider barnstormed through the 2004 Italian racing calendar, racking up 12 wins in one-day races, short stage races and the granddaddy of Italian racing, the overall title at the Giro d’Italia. And Cunego had one more surprise to cap his breakout year. Following disappointment in the road world championships two weeks ago in his hometown, Cunego couldn’t be beat in the Giro di Lombardia on Saturday. Cunego outsprinted Michael Boogerd (Rabobank) and compatriot Ivan Basso

Finale to decide World Cup battleSaturday’s Giro di Lombardia marks the final stop in the 10-round World Cup series with the fight for the overall title coming down to a showdown between Paolo Bettini (Quick Step) and Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner). Bettini is nursing a 13-point lead over Rebellin going into the difficult Italian classic. A new course design has added some muscle to the climbs, making for what should be an exciting showdown in northern Italy. “My strategy is to stay glued to Rebellin’s wheel,” Bettini said. “The course is more difficult than it’s been in the past, but the

Australian sprinter Allan Davis (Liberty Seguros) has been getting close to a big one for the past several weeks, taking fifth at the recent world championships and fourth at last weekend’s Paris-Tours. On Thursday, he finally put all the pieces together, earning a breakthrough victory in the Giro di Piemonte in northern Italy. With fine support from his team – fresh off its victory in Wednesday’s Milano-Torino with Marcos Serrano -- Davis held off Italian duo Alberto Ongarato and Francesco Chicchi (both Fassa Bortolo) in a sprint for the finish line. The second race of the autumn

Climbing sensation Cesar Grajales is the latest addition to the Navigators Insurance cycling team's 2005 roster. Grajales made his mark as a world-class climbing specialist when he attacked Lance Armstrong, Jens Voigt, and Chris Horner to win the Dodge Tour de Georgia's stage 6 at the top of Brasstown Bald Mountain this past April. The Colombian highlander joins Aussie stars Nathan O'Neill and sprinter Hilton Clarke as three of the Navigators squad's new recruits. The full roster that will include many returning players and a few new names will be announced shortly. “The Navigators

I am still settling back in from last week’s non-stop insanity - otherwise known as the 2004 Interbike International Bicycle Expo in Las Vegas. Sleep deprived, fighting a cold, I am only today regaining an ability to see in full color. But enough whining… I thought I would share a few notes I gathered while attending all five days Interbike. After two days at Outdoor Demo and three days in the Sands Convention Center, I knew what the standard question would be: “So what was cool this year?” I would usually find myself responding with something like, “well, it’s not like it used to be in

Serrano upsets Italians at Milano-TorinoMilano-Torino is an Italian race if there ever was one, with Mirko Celestino and Michele Bartoli racking up the last three victories. But Liberty Seguros rider Marcos Serrano pipped the local favorites Wednesday in the 199km semi-classic from Milan to Turin across northern Italy, edging Eddy Mazzoleni and Francesco Casagrande to become just the third Spanish winner of the Italian classic that dates back to 1876. Riders were jumpy right from the start, with aging tiger Andrea Tafi (Alessio-Bianchi) going an early solo move at 70km. The former classics

Verbruggen, UCI confident in Hamilton caseUCI president Hein Verbruggen said he is confident doping charges leveled against Olympic time trial champion Tyler Hamilton will stand up against challenges in court. UCI officials are largely keeping mum on the Hamilton case, fully expecting the high-profile case to be challenged to the Court of Arbitration in Sport. Disciplinary hearings against Hamilton could begin as soon as this month. Verbruggen defended the use of a new testing method that can detect the presence of banned blood transfusions, which debuted at the Summer Olympic Games in

Paolo Bettini hasn’t won a World Cup race all season long, but he’s poised to claim his third consecutive globe in this weekend’s Giro di Lombardia in Italy. The Olympic champion finished sixth in Sunday’s Paris-Tours, enough to slip 13 points ahead of arch-rival Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner) and tighten the grip on what will be the final World Cup competition as the series will be eliminated in next year’s Pro Tour. Bettini now holds a lead with 340 points after Rebellin could only finish 13th in the bunch sprint Sunday on Avenue Grammont and slipped to second at 327. The Quick Step rider

Ex-Armstrong teammate to be questioned in bonus spat The ongoing dispute between a Texas insurance company and Lance Armstrong involving an unpaid $5 million Tour de France bonus is taking another twist. According to a report in the New Zealand Herald, officials from SCA Promotions Inc. will travel to New Zealand this month to interview ex-Motorola rider Stephen Swart about doping allegations revealed in a book published this summer. SCA has refused to pay following the publication of an unauthorized biography in France, “LA Confidential: The Secrets of Lance Armstrong,” which alleges the

Flying Dutchman Erik Dekker measured his efforts just right to pull off a stunning victory in Sunday’s Paris-Tours. The 34-year-old Rabobank veteran was off the front all day as part of a five-man breakaway across the Loire Valley in France. When his fellow escapees dissolved under pressure from the fast-charging peloton, Dekker hitched a ride with a counter-attack late in the 252.5km race. Dekker sprinted hard with 500 yards to go to hold off the peloton and notch his first major victory since his injury-plagued 2002 season. “In the end, everybody was chasing me thinking I was tired,

Olympic champion Paolo Bettini will be out to prove a point this Sunday when he bids to overhaul his World Cup rival Davide Rebellin at Paris-Tours. Rebellin, the Gerolsteiner rider who recently gained Argentine citizenship in a futile attempt to compete at last week's world road championships, leads Bettini by six points in the standings with only two races left in the series. Bettini, the two-time World Cup winner and defending champion, did not have to go to such unpatriotic measures having already been picked for the Italy team by national team director Franco Ballerini.

The World Championships is usually my final race of each season, but in Verona last weekend, I pinned my numbers and lined up on the start line for the final race of my career. To be a part of the World Championships in Verona was very special for me, as the cycling fans in the heart of Europe, and especially in the North of Italy are passionate. The road racecourse, which winded through the streets of the city of Love, was spectacular. It passed through the center of the city, by the arena, close to the house of Juliette, where she was courted by Romeo, and winded up the Torrecelli

The Belgian cycling association handed out two-year bans on Friday to three riders caught up in Jose Landuyt affair, the vet who admitted selling performance-enhancing drugs. They include Johan Museeuw, one of the most renowned one-day performers in the sport until his retirement earlier this year. The others are Chris Peers and Jo Planckaert. All three were also fined 10,000 Swiss francs ($8000). The riders were each given four-year bans, but two years were subsequently suspended from the sentence. Museeuw appeared in August before the Belgian association after being questioned by police

With the 2004 road season just about in the books, the moves that will shape the U.S. scene in 2005 are well underway. There have been plenty of rumors flying around, but a couple of moves became official this week. First, the Colavita squad has announced the signing of Italian Davide Frattini for next year. The 2001 Baby Giro winner, Frattini came over to the States this season and spent the year with Team Monex, with the overall title at the Vuelta de Bisbee his biggest result. Colavita also noted that the team will bring back Mark McCormack, Sebastian Alexandre, Gustavo Artacho, Juan

Days of life under bright fluorescent lighting, breathing air-conditioned air and listening to the thump, thump, thump of “tunes” emerging from the BMX section of the showroom floor is enough to put even the cheeriest bike geek in a foul mood. And, were the Interbike International Bicycle Expo anything else, say, a convention of ladder salesmen or mobile home dealers, we’d have lost it by now. But the great thing about the country’s largest bicycle industry trade show at the Sands Convention Center in Las Vegas is that it’s all about bikes and that part can make the lights, the air and the

Zabel out for seasonErik Zabel won’t be lining up to defend his title in Sunday’s Paris-Tours World Cup stop. The German ace broke his heel after falling off a ladder in his home in Unna, Germany. “That puts an end to my season. It is annoying. I was in good form and well-prepared for the Paris-Tours World Cup race,” said the 34-year-old Zabel. T-Mobile team doctors said no surgery is necessary, but it means an early end to Zabel’s season. “Basically the injury is a bone splinter on his heel,” explained team physician Andreas Schmid from the University Clinic in Freiberg. “The injury will

Chris Horner’s wish to return to the European peloton came true sooner than expected. Moments after crossing the finish line in Verona’s world championships, Horner told VeloNews he was hoping to sign a contract with the Spanish team Saunier Duval as soon as that night. He even joked he wanted to stay in Europe and race in the season’s final two World Cups. “I’d love [them to] slap me on some colors and go ahead and do Paris-Tours and Lombardia,” Horner said. Well, it appears that’s just what’s going to happen. The deal is signed and Horner is set to debut with Saunier Duval at Paris-Tours

Day two of the 2004 Interbike Exposition kicked-off with hundreds of enthusiastic retailers packing shuttle busses and heading 35 miles out of Las Vegas for another day of road, mountain and ‘cross bike test rides in the Nevada desert. With attendance numbers nearing and possibly surpassing last year’s numbers at the increasingly popular Outdoor Demo, manufacturers were kept busy setting up rides on Bootleg Canyon’s miles of tricky singletrack and twisty paved roads. Here’s a look at what made news today. Giant NewsOne thing is standard at Interbike, no matter what the year. It’s the

The doors of the Sands Convention Center in Las Vegas opened up Tuesday morning to the usual swarm of retailers looking for stock, manufacturers looking for customers and bike racers looking for contracts. (We won’t mention the usual gang looking for swag.) Two steps into the hall, many were surprised to spot Tyler Hamilton already cruising the aisles, greeting sponsors, working the crowd and signing autographs. The American Olympic gold medalist decided that even after his positive blood test at the Vuelta a España that he would be attending the trade show. "People say you're crazy to go

The first of two days of the Interbike Outdoor Demo kicked off on Monday, October 4 without a hitch. This was the second year at the Bootleg Canyon venue above Boulder City, NV and overlooking Lake Mead. The trail system is extensive and challenging and keeps growing, unlike the previous location, which was threatened by development and would continue shrinking until it disappeared. This year, in addition to cross-country trails, downhill trails, a BMX loop, and various large man-made jumps of different sizes, there is a cyclo-cross trail with obstacles to mimic a European ‘cross course

Rest and RecoveryDear Joe and Dirk,Help me understand "recovery days." I know what all the training manuals,including yours, say, and my body sure seems to need them. My problem is,I never hear about pros having them. Every time I read about a pro's trainingschedule, it involves riding three to six hours a day, and none of it soundseasy. I asked a member of Sierra Nevada, our local pro team, about recoverydays and he looked at me like I was insane. Or, read Bob Roll's descriptionof training with Lance for a week in "Bobke 2" -- no recovery days there,I'll tell you. So are the pros just

How satisfying it must feel to be Oscar Freire when the days grow shorter and the leaves begin to turn. There’s something extra gratifying about winning the last big event of the year, when instead of just getting back to work in the following weeks, you can enjoy the success in the quiet off-season. Winning the world championships is cycling’s version of a walk-off homer, the buzzer beating swish. And no one in today’s pro ranks does it better than Freire, a Spaniard who put his name alongside cycling legends Alfredo Binda, Rik Van Steenbergen and Eddy Merckx by winning his third world road

Rafaá Chtioui dropped like a rock off the final passage over the Torricelli climb to electrify an already attack-riddled junior men's road race Saturday and make history. The tall, gangly Tunisian didn’t win. That honor went to calculating Czech rider Roman Kreuziger, but Chtioui took second and became the first African rider to win a world road championship medal. “All of Tunisia is smiling with me now,” said the happy 6-foot-3 18-year-old from a suburb of Tunis. “It’s the first time a Tunisia has won anything in cycling and it’s the first time an African has won a medal. I am very

Nursing a five-second lead with 3km to go, the real question for Judith Arndt wasn’t whether she was going to win the elite women’s world championship race in Verona, Italy, but which finger she was going to raise coming across the line. Few forget Arndt’s finish-line gesture at the Athens Olympics, when she flipped the bird as she came across the line second because she was angry German teammate Petra Rosner was left off the team. With Rosner now quietly retired, the 28-year-old Arndt attacked on the final descent off the Torricelle climb midway through the final 14.75km lap of the

Apparently we Americans have a rhotic “r.” No, not an E-rotic “r,” a rhotic “r,” meaning we have a hard pronunciation of the letter “r.” British and other English dialects do not have this cat-like growl. Maybe we are more animalistic in this linguistic isolation. I would say we are more barbaric. Barrrrbarick. I’ll tell you one thing, I feel barbaric scrapping for a piece of bread in this biketalk fixed-gear haven. Portland is the only place where fashion is determined by retro bike hats and messenger gear, a quasi-ethereal ideal world for us vane legged fanatics. In a way the bicycle

Team officials announced Friday that Italian Saeco and Lampre squads will join forces in 2005 to ensure a position in the troubled UCI ProTour. Officials from both sides met Thursday in Bologna to finalize the plans. Lampre president Emanuele Galsbusera and Saeco president Sergio Zappella have agreed to fuse the teams ahead of the proposed ProTour. The planned renovation of cycling's international calendar is undergoing a difficult birth. A scheduled press conference Friday was postponed until Saturday as UCI officials and representatives from the renegarde grand tours tried to hammer out a

After producing two solo wins in two races on the opening day of the road racing portion of the world road and time trial championships in Verona, Italy, on Friday, it’s clear that the course, with its punchy climb up the Torricelle, can be selective. In Friday afternoon’s race, the little known Belarussian Kanstantsin Siutsou became the latest gold medalist after winning with flair in the under-23 men’s road race. Siutsou, impressive in the manner in which he stood up to the powerhouse squads including Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Russia and Spain among others, outlasted everyone to

The Professional Cycling Council (CCP), one of the most influential decision-making bodies in the sport, announced Friday that the impending ProTour series would now include 20 and not 18 teams. The CCP's decision here at the world cycling road race championships follows a request by the International Association of Professional Cycling Teams (AIGCP) to increase the number of teams to 20 in 2005 instead of 2006, as was initially planned. It means the likes of Saeco, which announced its merger with Lampre on Friday, will be virtually assured of a place and other teams can aspire to join

After three days of time trial competition in Bardolino, Italy, road racing at the 2004 world championships got underway on a foggy Friday morning in the city of Verona. The first to don the rainbow stripes in Verona was Marianne Vos of the Netherlands, the winner of the 73.75km junior women’s road race. On a course similar to the one used in 1999, when road world’s were last held here, Vos won on a solo breakaway after escaping 8km from the finish near an ancient Roman arena in Verona’s Piazza Brà. After several attempts by others to get away on the Torricelle climb, the main obstacle in

The plan of attack has been formulated. Reinforcements put on notice. Theweaponry checked twice. Notebooks and pens held at the ready… Yup, Interbike kicks-off next week (October 4th-8th) and the crack staffat VeloNews are ready and waiting… With two days of On Dirt Demo and three days of convention floor timescheduled for this year, look for daily reports from several of us attendingthe show. Indeed, with more than half of the editorial staff attendingthe Las Vegas, Nevada trade show, you can be sure we’ll do our best tohave every angle of the show covered: from the latest technology to

UCI officials are set to present the ProTour to the world’s press in a lavish press conference Friday, but sources close to cycling’s governing body say negotiations are still franticly underway to try to bring renegade grand tours into the fold. Last week, race organizers from the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España wrote a letter to the UCI saying they don’t want to be part of cycling’s redesign as the much-vaunted ProTour stands now. While UCI president Hein Verbruggen has publicly said the ProTour will go on “with or without” the grand tours, others have kept the

Olympic champion Paolo Bettini will not be the biggest loser if he is beaten to the road race title by Italian compatriot Davide Rebellin at the world championships' blue ribbon event on Sunday. Instead, the sword is likely to fall on national team selector Franco Ballerini. Ballerini, a former winner of the tough Paris-Roubaix one-day classic, has created huge pressure for himself following Rebellin's defection to represent Argentina around the city made famous by Romeo and Juliet. There will certainly be no love lost between the Italian public and Ballerini if Rebellin, the current World

Bardolino is the host town of the time trials this week.It is situated on Lake Garda and loaded with good cafes and gelato shops. After being a part of the Olympic Games in August, the World Championships seem relatively small, but the relaxed ambiance is enjoyable. Team USA is staying on a hillside above Lake Garda. Fall has arrived here, the leaves are already beginning to change colors and the air is crisp and cool. I am four days away from the finish of the season and thoughts of hikes in the woods, mountain bike rides and lazy mornings with the New York Times are dancing in my head.

Former Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich has pulled out of Sunday's world road race championship in Italy with the same stomach sickness which caused him to pull out of Wednesday's time-trial. "He can't race, it's impossible," said his business manager Rudy Pevenage. Ullrich, 30, the 1997 Tour de France winner is a two-time world time-trial champion - in 1999 and 2001 - but has never won the road race, although he won the Olympic road title at Sydney in 2000. “The season is over for me,” Ullrich said on his on website. “I am so weak that I lose my breath just climbing up stairs.” “The

This time there will be no asterisks, no waiting on failed doping tests and no doubt for Michael Rogers. Just hours after officially receiving the 2003 world champion’s rainbow jersey, the 24-year-old roared across the finish line Wednesday with his right arm shot into the air to emphatically score his second. “I don’t know how many people have won two rainbow jerseys in one day, but it’s very satisfying,” said Rogers, who beat German Michael Rich by 1:12. “Since the Olympics there haven’t been five minutes that I haven’t thought about this race.” Rogers finished runner-up to David Millar

Many people were wondering what Tom Danielson, the American road pro known for his feats on the feared mountain steeps, was doing in the time trial at the world championships in Italy on Wednesday. Danielson, who finished 35th, said afterward that, like much of his inaugural season of racing in Europe, the idea was to gain some experience. The 46.75km race in the hilly wine region near Lake Garda was the longest time trial Danielson had ever raced. “For me, coming here is just a great experience to try and practice,” Danielson said after his ride. “I’m not a time trial specialist, and I

Hermida EPO tests negativeSpanish mountain biker José Antonio Hermida was cleared Wednesday of suspicion of taking EPO after urine samples taken at the world mountain bike championships earlier this month came back negative. Spanish national team officials confirmed that samples taken Sept. 11 in Les Gets, France, did not show traces of the banned blood booster. The Olympic silver medalist was not allowed to start the 2004 world championships after two blood screenings revealed a high hematocrit count and he was given a 15-day “cooling off” period which derailed his world’s hopes. Hermida

He’s officially the reigning world time-trial champion, but Michael Rogers has only managed to slip on the rainbow jersey once in competion. Nonetheless, the 24-year-old Australian refuses to be bitter about his late acquisition of cycling's rainbow jersey following David Millar's admission that he won it using EPO (erythropoietin). Instead, the Canberra native intends to show he was worth the prize anyway by bringing it home after Wednesday's 46.75km time-trial at the world road race championships in Italy. Millar, the 27-year-old former Cofidis rider, was stripped of the title won last

Bleach blond hair was the look of the day Tuesday as German riders PatrickGretsch and Stefan Schäfer finished first and third in the juniormen’s category at the world time trial championships in Bardolino, Italy. Gretsch, a German talent of unknown quantity before the race, surprisedeveryone, including himself, by posting a winning time of 30:29.37 in the24.05km race. “I was very surprised with my race,” said Gretsch, who just turned 17in July. “Normally I race on the track, so I was just hoping for a placein the top ten.” Even more surprising than his win was Gretsch’s margin of victory.

This is show season, and between traveling a lot and writing the fourth edition of “Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance” (due this week) as well as building a few bikes, I have had my hands full. Although I have received your questions, I am filing them away for now in favor of answering the questions people have been asking about new products at the shows. This, combined with my article in the print version of VeloNews, will conclude my coverage of the 62nd annual Milan bike show, held this year September 17-20. Next Monday, it’s off to a week at Interbike! Among all of the cool

At last year’s world championship time trial in Hamilton, Ontario, Karen Thürig of Switzerland started off strong but faded on the final climb to finish one spot out of the medals. This year’s time trial course for the elite women, in and around Bardolino, Italy, suited the multisport competitor better, and Thürig wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice. Thürig crushed her competitors with a dominant ride on the 24.05km course on Tuesday. At 6 feet tall and 145 pounds, the rolling power climbs, and especially the terrain on the second half of the Bardolino course, seemed custom designed

It took less than 23 minutes on a Monday afternoon in Italy for 18-year-old Rebecca Much of Chicago to make a name for herself in bike racing. Much, now a college student at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, won a silver medal in the opening race of the 2004 road world championships, finishing second to Tereza Hurikova of the Czech Republic in the junior women's time trial. After accepting her medal with the blue waters of Italy's Lake Garda shimmering in the background, Much, who was competing at the world championships for the first time, revealed a bit of inspiration that helped

Jan Ullrich has pulled out of Wednesday's time-trial at the World Championships in Verona, Italy, due to a stomach complaint, his T-Mobile team direcor Mario Kummer confirmed on Monday. Ullrich, 30, the 1997 Tour de France winner and a two-time world time-trial champion, in 1999 and 2001, will be replaced by time-trial specialist Uwe Peschel. Michael Rich, who rides for the Gerolsteiner team and for the past two years has won the GP des Nations two-man time-trial event, will be Germany's other rider. It was unclear whether Ullrich would ride in Sunday's 265.5 km road race, which he has

With shoulders hunched and eyes cast down at the ground in front of him, Thomas Dekker was not just happy to be there. Standing two feet to Dekker’s left, Janez Brajkovic of Slovenia was wiggling his arms into a white jersey with rainbow stripes, a garment that Dekker, a favorite for gold in Monday’s under-23 time trial at the 2004 world championships, must have imagined himself wearing. The 20-year-old Dekker, a rookie pro for Rabobank, was hoping to erase the disappointment of last year, when he got sick before the U23 time trial at the Hamilton world’s and struggled to a ninth-place

The directors of cycling’s three grand tours – the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a España – are presenting a united front in their opposition to proposals by cycling's governing body for a major shake-up of the sport, slated for next season. Over the course of the past year, UCI president Hein Verbruggen has pushed through reforms to change the look of international cycling, including an elite-level calendar dubbed the ProTour. The proposals put forward by Verbruggen, the man who over a decade ago introduced the World Cup series which includes 10 one-day classics such as

Italy will begin hosting the world road race cycling championships in earnestin Verona on Monday, although there will be no love lost between two ofthe country's contenders for the coveted rainbow jersey in the land ofRomeo and Juliet.With 10 titles in total up for grabs in the week-long championships- held near the scenic Lake Garda for the first three days and nearby Veronathe next four - the championships promises plenty of action.Italy is hoping that new Olympic road race champion Paolo Bettini comesto the fore in the men's road race, the main event held next Sunday over265.5km of hilly

The final stage of the CD&P Bermuda Grand Prix, the Cheerios Dockyard Criterium, was held at the old Naval Dockyard’s at the far end of the island. Cruise ships, quaint tourist shops, and various bars and restaurants now inhabit the Dockyards, at one time a base for the British fleet. The Elite women set off on a perfectly sunny afternoon for a 50-minute race with multiple sprints throughout. With both time bonus primes and sprint points in the Women’s Prestige Cycling series to contend with, the pace stayed hot throughout the event. Despite multiple chances to split the field the

There was never really any doubt about the outcome of the 2004 Vuelta a España. At least not in the mind of Roberto Heras, who had a 43-second head-start going into Sunday’s 28.2km final time trial through the mean streets of Madrid. Heras forfeited 13 seconds to the surging Santi Pérez (Phonak) but rode with calculated confidence to claim his record-tying third Vuelta crown in five years. He won the 2000 Vuelta as a member of the Kelme squad, joined U.S. Postal and then lost the 2002 Vuelta in the final time trial to Aitor Gonzalez, came back and won as a Postal rider in 2003 and then

Riis defends CecchiniLuigi Cecchini is name that’s likely unfamiliar to many racing fans, but the Italian doctor’s relationship with Tyler Hamilton has garnered new interest since news broke last week that the American failed two anti-doping tests for banned blood transfusions. While Hamilton is staunchly defending his innocence despite test results and vows to fight a possible two-year racing ban, the low-profile Cecchini is gaining unwanted attention. Cecchini is a publicity-shy trainer who quietly works with some of the biggest names in cycling, including Michele Bartoli, star sprinter

The Vuelta a España is coming down to the final time trial once again. Saturday’s 178km 20th stage was the last chance for anyone to attack race leader Roberto Heras going into Sunday’s finale and Santi Pérez rose to the occasion on the steep road to Puerto de Navacerrada. The rail-thin Phonak rider started the Vuelta’s penultimate stage second at 1:13 back, but he trimmed Heras’s lead by 30 seconds after putting down a vicious acceleration with 2km to go that the defending champion couldn’t answer. Pérez couldn’t win his third stage of this Vuelta – his Phonak teammate Enrique Gutiérrez

The second stage of the CD & P Bermuda Grand Prix took place inSt. George Friday evening with a 700-meter time trial.  Racers sprintedup a cobbled alley before making a hard left and a swooping right intoa steep hill, then doubling back onto the fast finishing straight. Local marine insurance company, XL Capitol, sponsored an open bar and pastabuffet at a café along the course where racers mingled and unwoundafter the race..In the elite women’s event Gina Grain of Victory Brewing set the fastesttime and moved into third overall on the general classification. Grain,

The new-look ProTour cycling circuit will go ahead with or without the approval of Tour de France organizers, world cycling's governing body the UCI said on Saturday in response to criticism of the proposed format. The UCI reacted quickly after organizers of cycling’s three grand tours - the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a España - have formally told the UCI that they will not take part in the new-look Pro Tour. Vuelta sporting director Victor Cordero told AFP on Saturday that the organizers of all three major tours have "grave reservations" about the current format of the Pro

A demanding road course rearranged the general classification in boththe men’s and women’s fields at the CD&P Bermuda Grand Prix Saturday.The circuit, approximately 10 kilometers in length, contained shortsteep hills, brutal cross wind sections, and wild chickens to avoid nearthe finishing stretch.During the Women’s Elite race intermediate sprints were a main concern.With the overall classification tightly stacked together, almost twentyriders were within seconds of taking the lead. A sly counterattack after a time bonus sprint by Kenda Tire’s KateSherwin netted a large gap over the field

Roberto Heras (Liberty Seguros) remains on track to win his third Vuelta title in five years with just two days remaining in the 59th Vuelta a España. Heras and the other favorites decided to save their energy for the exciting two-day finale and played the role of kingmakers. The main bunch only watched as such riders as Damiano Cunego (Saeco) and Stefano Garzelli (Vini Caldirola) peeled away early in the stage to fight for leftovers. It was Constantino Zaballa (Saunier Duval) who fought the hardest and won a well-deserved solo victory, holding off pursuers on the final run into Collado

The Bermuda Grand Prix kicked off Thursday evening in downtown Hamilton. Cruise ships sat stoically near the start-finish as racers sped down the main strip and tourists cheered from the balconies of bars and restaurants lining the course. While the island has a distinctly laid-back vibe, the race did not. With a steep climb, a 180-degree turn, and thousands of dollars in primes on the line, the course took a toll on both the men and women's fields. In the 30-minute elite women's race, Webcor, Quark, Genesis and Rona all took turns attacking the front, eventually splitting the field into a

Richard Virenque, the only rider to win the King of the Mountains in the Tour de France seven times, will retire at the end of the season when he turns 35. Virenque, who turned professional in 1991, will bow out of the sport as one of France's most popular riders although he never matched the success of five-time Tour winner Bernard Hinault or double Tour winner Laurent Fignon. Once considered the bad boy of the sport for his role in the Festina doping scandal which rocked the Tour in 1998 and led to a later suspension, the Frenchman resurrected his career years ago. "I have been riding

Cruz one more year with DiscoveryTony Cruz will ride with Discovery Channel in 2005. Cruz is on the cusp of finishing the 2004 Vuelta a España and told VeloNews he’s already penned a contract to race next year as the team switches title sponsors from U.S. Postal Service to Discovery Channel. “I got a better deal with the team and I’m ready just to start winning races,” Cruz told VeloNews after Thursday’s stage into Ávila. “I’m satisfied with this Vuelta and with how the season went. I will be more confident next year to win more races.” Cruz enjoyed a banner year in 2004 which saw the

Riders in the Paris-Correze cycling race went missing in central France on Friday after a prankster removed the signposts, local organizers said. The signposts went missing after the first breakaway group had passed by some 30km from the finish line in the village of Saint-Amand-Montrond. Local police had to search the roads of the Cher region after contact was lost with 80 cyclists who were some ten minutes behind the leading breakaway group during the first stage of the race. "It annoys me, but that is part of the shocking things about riding," said race organizer Max Mamers. "We can't

The road to Madrid is always bumpy in the Vuelta a España. A day after Wednesday’s decisive stage to La Covatilla, Thursday’s four-climb 196.6km stage from Béjar to Avila was perfect for a breakaway. In fact, one stayed away with journeyman Javier Pascual Rodriguez (Valenciana-Kelme) hanging on for his team's fourth win of this Vuelta. But there was certainly no cease-fire among the favorites. While Roberto Heras (Liberty Seguros) was able to hold his 1:13 lead over Santi Pérez (Phonak), several challengers went on the attack on yet another blistering hot day. Fourth-place Francisco Mancebo

Racing again after the rest day is always a bit of a shock to the system. After a day without hard efforts in the legs, the body shuts down, therefore when the first attacks go the following day it feels quite painful. The other things that make these stages hard is that everybody is fresh, or fresher, and is eager to attack and race. We were faced with a fairly flat stage towards Careres, yesterday, the day after our rest day. As Petacchi went home on the weekend, and Zabel lost most of his teammates early in the Vuelta, there were no teams willing to control the race for a field sprint

Only four days stand between Roberto Heras (Liberty Seguros) and his third Vuelta a España victory in five years. The quiet Spanish rider all but eliminated arch-rival Alejandro Valverde (Valenciana-Kelme) after taking more than two minutes in Wednesday’s summit finish and only has to worry about climbing sensation Santi Pérez (Phonak) going into Saturday’s penultimate stage. “We made a big stride toward winning the Vuelta but there are still some difficult stages to come,” Heras said. “We’ll still take it day by day.” Liberty Seguros is clearly the strongest team in the race, setting a

The hometown roads of La Covatilla high above his childhood home of Béjar were good to Roberto Heras (Liberty Seguros) in Wednesday’s four-climb 17th stage -- but perhaps not good enough. Heras gained valuable time on archrival Alejandro Valverde (Valenciana-Kelme) – 2 minutes, 10 seconds to be exact – but the verdict is still out on whether it will be enough for Heras to win his third Vuelta a España in five years. Even Heras cautioned that he’d like to have more time going into Sunday’s final time trial. “Today we made a big step toward my team and myself winning the Vuelta, but there

American star Tom Danielson could be leaving Fassa Bortolo and joining up with six-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong at Discovery Channel in 2005. Sources at Fassa Bortolo confirmed Danielson has opted out of the second year of his two-year contract with the Italian team and is expected to join the American team for next season. Danielson is the top American hope in a new generation of riders coming through the ranks and made the jump to Europe in 2004 with a high-profile contract with Fassa Bortolo. Danielson was frustrated, however, when he was left off both the Giro d’Italia and

Valenciana-Kelme might be Spanish cycling’s red-headed step-child, but it’s taking the Vuelta a España by the throat once again. Despite getting recent setbacks that include doping allegations from ex-rider Jesus Manzano, struggles with its budget, the migration of major stars and the likely exclusion from cycling’s new super-league to debut in 2005, Kelme just keeps on truckin’. On a day that saw the news of a possible doping ban for Olympic time trial champion Tyler Hamilton overshadow the stage, little Kelme stepped up one more time. (See "Hamiltonblood tests show

Six-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong is already thinking about 2005, but he’s still not sure what races he’ll be starting. In an interview with The Oregonian newspaper during a visit to the Nike headquarters this week in Oregon, Armstrong said he’ll begin training in earnest in November. “At least I'm thinking of going heavier then,” Armstrong told The Oregonian. “That could get pushed back to December 1st. We have a kick-off camp the first week of December, so I know it won’t be any later than that.” Armstrong was in Oregon on Monday to attend a Nike stockholders meeting at the

Prosecutors demanded Tuesday that Italian sports doctor Michele Ferrari should be jailed for 14 months for doping offenses The Italian news agency ANSA said the public prosecutor Lorenzo Gestri asked that Ferrari be given a 14-month sentence, a 900 euro ($1100) fine and a one-year ban from medical activity. The doctor, who has worked with six-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, has denied the charges and said he was being made a "scapegoat" for the drug problems in cycling. Ferrari's other clients include Mario Cipollini, Paolo Savoldelli, Gianni Bugno, Pavel Tonkov, Tony Rominger,

Vuelta wide open with week to goWith one week left, the Vuelta a España has what the Tour de France didn’t at this point of the race – suspense. Following Sunday’s action on the steep climbing time trial to Sierra Nevada, the Vuelta sees Roberto Heras (Liberty Seguros) holding a five-second lead over Alejandro Valverde (Valenciana-Kelme) going into the decisive six-day run to Madrid. The surging Santi’ Perez (Phonak), a winner of back-to-back mountain stages, is poised in third at 1:45 back while Spain’s “Mr. Steady,” Francisco Mancebo (Illes Balears), is still in the hunt at 2:02 back.

USA Cycling has confirmed its team for the 2004 UCI Road World Championships September 27-October 3 in Verona, Italy. Competing in the elite men’s road race will be automatic nominees Fred Rodriguez (Emeryville, California), Jason McCartney (Coralville, Iowa), and Chris Horner (Bend, Oregon) as well as discretionary selections Chris Baldwin (Boulder, Colorado), Kirk O’Bee (Ada, Michigan), Patrick McCarty (Allen, Texas), Michael Creed (Colorado Springs, Colorado), Tom Danielson (Durango, Colorado), Christian Vande Velde (Boulder, Colorado), Antonio Cruz (Long Beach, California), and Guido

Tyler Hamilton is denying media reports of blood tampering that have been detected in two samples taken since he won the Olympic time trial gold medal last month. The Vuelta a España was rocked overnight following reports that the UCI informed Phonak team doctor Iñaki Arratibel that blood samples taken Aug. 19 and Sept. 18 showed traces of mixed blood cells. Follow-up tests were scheduled for later Tuesday. Phonak confirmed those reports, but said Hamilton has denied any wrong-doing. Phonak officials have scheduled a press conference at the team’s headquarters in Zurich on Tuesday

Coming a week before the 2004 world road championships in nearby Verona, the 62nd annual Milan bike show, September 17-20, marked the beginning of the 2005 selling season for road bikes and products in Italy. In a season that’s packed with international trade shows, Milan 2004 set itself apart with a focus on improving the climate for cycling in Italy and worldwide. Maurizio Fondriest, one of several former world champions from Italy who showed up to speak about the future of cycling in Italy, stressed the need for better bike paths. The 1988 world champion, who hails from Cles in the

The UCI 1.6 Univest Grand Prix is America’s premier elite amateur event, traditionally taking top domestic and international riders around a 100km loop through the Pennsylvania countryside before taking on 13 laps of a brutal 5km finishing loop through the towns of Souderon and Telford. But when you’re at the top of your class, there’s always someone waiting to take you down a peg. In this case, it was the remains of Hurricane Ivan, which plowed its way northward to douse the Univest course with five inches of rainfall on race day. Washed-out roads, downed trees, and flooding on the long lap

Ever since the Vuelta a España started, two-time champion Roberto Heras has been playing the cautious hand. The quiet, reticent Spaniard is hardly known for his flamboyant manner, and perhaps his bitter memories of losing the 2002 Vuelta on the final day was another reason for his prudence. Days after snagging the maillot oro at Calar Alto, the Liberty Seguros captain insisted the Vuelta was still wide open and he was wary about playing the confident patrón. It was obvious Heras knew more than the overzealous Spanish press, which had all but crowned him winner of the 59th edition – because

Postal angered by Hamilton’s suggestionU.S. Postal Service brass are peeved at former pupil Tyler Hamilton who suggested earlier this week the Posties weren’t working hard enough to protect Floyd Landis and his hold on the Vuelta a España leader’s jersey. Hamilton approached Postal Service assistant sport director Dirk Demol during the race and said he noticed some of the Postal riders appearing not to be doing all they could to help Landis. While Landis eventually lost the jersey to Roberto Heras (Liberty Seguros) on Thursday, Demol said Hamilton’s charges were off the mark. “He came up

Phonak came to the Vuelta a España hoping for big things from Tyler Hamilton and Oscar Sevilla. With Hamilton gone and Sevilla struggling, the Swiss team has been more than happy to watch Santiago Perez step into the void. On Thursday’s etapa reina, the three-climb monster that saw Roberto Heras (Liberty Seguros) claw his way into the overall lead, Perez finished an impressive second behind the two-time Vuelta champion. The result was a jolt of positive energy for the 27-year-old Spanish rider, who has had his share of hard knocks the past few years. “I was able to stay with the strongest

Alessandro Petacchi sped into Málaga Friday, outsprinting Erik Zabel, and offering up his traditional victory salute, this time raising four fingers – the number of stages he’s won thus far in this year’s Vuelta a España You’d think some days he’d lose count. The win is the 21st of the year for Fassa Bortolo’s sprint ace, the 13th in a major tour this season, joining the nine he won at this year’s Giro d’Italia. Indeed, Petacchi’s only disappointment this year is that he failed to score a single victory in this year’s Tour de France, after he tore a ligament in his shoulder in a

Hamilton goes homeOlympic time trial champion Tyler Hamilton did not take the start to Friday’s 13th stage at the Vuelta a España. Hamilton won stage eight to become the first American to win stages in all three grand tours, but faded out of contention on the steep climbing finish to Aitana the following day. Hamilton complained of stomach problems that kept him from properly feeding during the race and said he felt sapped of strength up Aitana. He suffered again Thursday, finishing uncharacteristically in the last group at 31 minutes behind winner Roberto Heras (Liberty Seguros). “He had