Road

Jens Voigt consolidated his lead in the Tour Méditerranéen on Saturday as Team CSC won the stage-4 team time trial, a 36km run between Bouc-Bel-Air and Berre l'Etang (Bouches-du-Rhône). Liquigas-Bianchi, whose leader, Italian Franco Pellizotti, was second overall going into Saturday’s stage, had a 17-second lead over CSC and 20 seconds on Rabobank at 16km. But CSC turned on the power in the final kilometers, and Liquigas – despite the best efforts of Pellizotti, Mario Cipollini and Swede Magnus Backstedt – saw its lead evaporate. At the end, CSC crossed 16 seconds up on Liquigas and

Still no phone at our house in good old Girona. I think that sums up a modern-day house. Okay, maybe you have high-speed cable and then a cell phone; that is more than intelligent. But here in Spain you can't have one without the other. So I'm sitting here choking down second-hand smoke. Tyler used to always comment on how he would "smoke a pack of cigarettes" while he checked his e-mail. Being from Chicago I thought he was being a bit extreme, until I found myself in the same situation. I feel like I have to throw my clothes in the incinerator after going down there. Okay,

Voigt scores again in Tour MedJens Voigt (CSC) padded his lead in the Tour Méditerranéen on Friday, soloing to victory in stage 3 from La Garde to the summit of Mont Faron in Toulon. The 137km stage was animated at the foot of the day’s first climb, Fourches, at 32km. Five riders – Frenchmen Mickael Delage (Francaise des Jeux) and Lénaïc Olivier (Agritubel), Italian Alessandro Donati (Acqua & Sapone), Estonian Janek Tombak (Cofidis) and the Belgian Kristof Trouvé (MrBookmaker.com)– broke away and built a four-minute lead by 80km. Behind, Voigt’s team began a chase, assisted by the

Gilbert wins in Tour MedBelgian Philippe Gilbert (FDJeux.com) hung on to win the second stage of the 32nd Tour Méditerranéen. Gilbert’s victory in the 131km stage from Villeneuve-Loubet to Bormes-Les-Mimosas makes up for an error in the final stretches of the GP d’Ouverture La Marseillaise, when he steered off course. Team CSC’s Jens Voigt finished fifth to retain the overall lead. Tour MéditerranéenStage 2 results1. Philippe Gilbert (B), Française des Jeux, 131km in 3:10:45 (41,206 km/h)2. Franck Schleck (Lux), CSC, s.t.3. Kim Kirchen (Lux), Fassa Bortolo, s.t.4. Bram De Groot (Ned),

Jens Voigt (Team CSC) used his strong early season form to hold off the hard-chasing peloton and win Wednesday’s opening stage of the Tour Méditerranéen that hit the Poggio en route from San Remo to Menton. Voigt was part of a four-man break that pulled clear over the Poggio, forcing such sprinter teams as Gerolsteiner and Liquigas to chase hard to set up their men Danilo Hondo and Mario Cipollini. With the lead down to 20 seconds, the others lost their verve and were ready to give in to the inevitable, but not the irrepressible German. He shot away with 6km to go and held the peloton at

Computing CP zonesDear Joe and Dirk,My goals for the coming season are two centuries, so I have invested in a power meter. Now I am ready to start using a combo of heart rate and power to train. I am a bit overwhelmed with how to go about computing my different Critical Power zones. Do you have any advice?JTJT,The advantage of training with power is that you can make your training as objective as possible. I like to say training with power is like viewing the world in three dimensions instead of two, as most cyclists do. The addition of power to one's training metrics can elevate the

Valverde gets his in MallorcaIn a week that’s seen some big names take early season victories, it was only a matter of time before Alejandro Valverde would bounce into the winner’s circle. The 24-year-old Spanish sensation won more than 15 races last year and it didn’t take long for him to notch his first victory of the 2005 season. Valverde sprang back to life by peeling away from the main bunch to win the Trofeo Soller and give home team Illes Balears a much-desired win. Conditions were horrible during the 164km stage, which featured three tough climbs, with wind, snow and rain pelting

Dear Lennard,I have two sets of wheels I use for my bike with two different sets of clinchers, each with a different maximum-pressure rating. My race wheels have tires with a max pressure rating of 116 psi (Michelin Pro Race). However, my training wheels have tires with a max pressure of 145 psi (Vredestein Fortezza Tri Comp). I use my training wheels as my pit wheels while racing. If I have to change a wheel during a race, will the different pressures between the front and rear cause me handling problems or other dangers? Secondly, I am 175 pounds and use paired-spoke wheels (Shimano

It’s two for two for Oscar Freire, who scored his second straight victory in just two days of racing in the 2005 season. A day after making his season debut a winning one at the Trofeo Mallorca, the reigning world champion won Monday’s Trofeo Alcudia in similar fashion. It’s not bad for a guy who only has about 2500km in his legs when many of his competitors might have double or triple that amount. “I didn’t start training seriously until after Christmas and then I got sick with a cold, so I haven’t been able to put in the kilometers I normally would,” Freire said after Sunday’s win. “To

Freire wins season opener in Trofeo MallorcaReigning world champion Oscar Freire (Rabobank) got his season started on a nice note with a sprint victory against Isaac Gálvez (Illes Balears) in Sunday’s Trofeo Mallorca. With Erik Zabel (T-Mobile) and Paolo Bettini (Quick Step) also in the field for the opener of the five-day Mallorca Challenge, the three-time world champion made his season debut in the rainbow jersey a pleasant one. Freire’s win comes as somewhat of a surprise, considering just yesterday the Spanish sprinter was complaining of an early season bout with the flu. He follows in

With the king of Malaysia looking on from the VIP seats at the finish line, Aussie Graeme Brown affirmed his status as ruler of the Tour de Langkawi sprints, easily taking the 10th and final stage of the 2005 Tour de Langkawi on Sunday in downtown Kuala Lumpur. The win was Brown’s fifth at the 10th anniversary of the Malaysian national tour, upping his all-time wins record to nine.

You could not have scripted a more appropriate ending for the ninth stage of the 2005 Tour de Langkawi on Saturday. The 164.8km run from Menara Kuala Lumpur to Putrajaya started with the standard early attacks, continued with solid team tactics by Barloworld, and concluded with Ceremica-Panaria coming to the front to deliver yet another sprint win for Aussie Graeme Brown. The win was Brown’s fourth at the 10th anniversary of this 10-day race in Malaysia, and it extended his all-time wins record to eight.

The 10-race World Cup and the UCI world rankings are no more, replaced by the 27-race ProTour series and a new system of awarding points that will determine who wears the ProTour leader’s jersey. In the three-week grand tours, the first 20 overall finishers gain ProTour points; in the others, such as Paris-Nice and Milan-San Remo, only the first 10 overall finishers do. In most stage races, stage winners collect one point. However, in the more difficult grand tours, the first three stage finishers receive three, two and one, respectively. And the Tour de France delivers more points than

Jose Rujano’s run at the overall Tour de Langkawi title won’t officially come to an end until the finish of Sunday’s stage 10 criterium in Kuala Lumpur. But in his mind, the pint-sized Venezuelan climber’s concession likely came with 3km to go in Friday’s stage 8 run from Kuala Kuba Baru to the top of the Genting Highlands. It was there that Rujano’s chief rival in the chase for the GC title, South African Ryan Cox, rolled up beside him and gave him a glaring gaze of confidence.

Robbie McEwen (Davitamon-Lotto) finally got it right in a week dominated by sprinting’s biggest names. After watching Tom Boonen and Mario Cipollini take the glory earlier, the Aussie boxer punched his way to victory in the 153km final stage from Sealine Beach Resort to Doha Corniche. There were some early attempts at a breakaway, but the sprinter teams were anxious for one more stab at the spoils before leaving behind the oil-rich Persian Gulf nation. Boonen came through third, but McEwen scored the win that eluded him all week in Qatar. Team CSC delivered Lars Michaelsen into the overall

One of the top stories coming out of last year’s Tour de France was the fighting panache of Thomas Voeckler, the quiet, hard-working national champion who held the yellow jersey for more than a week. The fresh-faced national champion defied the odds and carried the maillot jaune out of the Pyrénées, giving French fans something to cheer for as Lance Armstrong barnstormed to a record sixth consecutive win. Voeckler is making his season debut at the Tour of Qatar with his fellow Bouygues Telecom teammates. Here are excerpts from an interview posted on the official race page: Q: How do you

Lance Armstrong and Jan Ullrich could cross swords on more than one occasion this season if the Union Cycliste Internationale’s ambitious plans for major reforms come to fruition. Ullrich, the 1997 Tour de France winner, and Armstrong, the six-time winner and record holder, hardly ever race each other outside of the Tour. But that could all change. Or at least that is what UCI president Hein Verbruggen hopes will happen when the system that has been in place for nearly two decades is ripped up and replaced by an elite league which, in theory, will guarantee cycling's top stars ride in

This is crunch time for the tech’ guys in VeloNews editorial. Whilemost of our colleagues may dread the workload heading into July, Lennard and I are hard at work putting together the annual Buyer’s Guide. Still, Iwas lucky enough to sneak away from the office to spend two precious daysin the Northern Sonoran Desert with the folks of SRAM last week. On theagenda: two days of riding the latest SRAM, Truvativ, Avid and RockShoxproduct. Held a month before the official SRAM press launch, this particularcamp was designated for bicycle product managers intent of putting thefinishing touches on

Mario Cipollini is back at the front of the pack after scoring an importantvictory in Thursday’s fourth stage of the Tour of Qatar, his first sincelast year’s Tour de Georgia. The 37-year-old Tuscan held off 24-year-old Tom Boonen (Quick Step)in a significant objective for the Lion King, who edged near retirementbut joined the Liquigas-Bianchi team with new motivation to come back tothe elite levels of sprinting after two lackluster seasons. “Every win encourages you very much and this one in a particular waysince it comes after months full of sacrifices and a very tough training,”Cipollini

Tyler Hamilton is expected to have his day in court in late February when the Olympic time trial champion is hoping to prove his innocence of allegations of blood doping or face a possible two-year racing ban. According to a posting on the Tyler Hamilton Foundation web page, a hearing date before U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has been set for the week of February 28. Last September, Hamilton’s world spun out of control after UCI officials notified his Phonak team that he failed doping tests following his victory in a time trial stage at the 2004 Vuelta a España. Subsequent follow-up “B” tests

Calling the seventh stage of the 2005 Tour de Langkawi purely academic would be a disservice to Aussie Graeme Brown and Japan’s Koji Fukushima. After all Brown did pick up his third stage win of this year’s race, upping his career record here to seven. And Fukushima easily held the yellow jersey for yet another day. But make no mistake, Thursday’s 167.7km rolling run from Maran to Raub was simply window dressing for the big show here in Malaysia.

The Union Cycliste Internationale has released its first set of Continentalrankings in keeping with the comprehensive restructuring of internationalracing that came into effect this year. With the the 2005 cycling seasonunderway in America (North and South America), Asia and Oceania, the UCIhas released the first leaders’ individual rankings on these continents. The first leader jerseys of these rankings, which mark the beginningof a new era for cycling sport, will be worn from the 1st to the 28th ofFebruary 2005 by the following riders: UCI America Tour:José Rujano Guillen (VEN)UCI Asia

Dear Lennard,I have an ’04 Specialized S-Works E5 frame. I’ve noticed after a ridein the rain when I tip the bike up some pretty murky water runs out thechain stays near the rear wheel. Last night I was changing my bottom bracket(the new Dura-Ace 10-speed, if that matters) and it made a nice little pondon my garage floor. Since water and probably some nasty road salt, gritand grime are getting into my frame, do I need to strip it down on occasionand flush it out with some clean water?MattDear Matt,Yes, that is a very good idea. Also, a drain hole in the bottom bracketshell is a good idea – or

Team CSC blew through the Tour of Qatar peloton in Wednesday’s thirdstage like a tornado, doing a ditty much like the team pulled off in lastyear’s Paris-Nice and delivered Danish veteran Lars Michaelsen an over-duestage victory.Team CSC put six of its eight riders into the day’s decisive move of17 riders in the blustery 194km stage across the otherwise flat Qatar,leaving pre-stage leader Tom Boonen (Quick Step) gasping for air.In the end, five Team CSC riders were in the top seven (Fred Rodriguezfought bravely to finish sixth), with Michaelsen taking the flowers androokie Matti Breschel in

Cold and flu season are still lingering and with your training programswitching into higher gear for the 2005 racing season, nutrition strategiesfor staying healthy remain a top priority. You don’t want a viral infectionto slow down your workouts and hamper your fitness, so that you can berace ready for this season.  This column focuses on some nutritionalstrategies that you can practice in both your daily diet and nutrient supplementation,and specifically around training sessions in order to give your immunesystem a good boost.From a nutritional perspective, it is key to prevent deficiencies

It’s been a lonely road for Spanish rider Angel Casero since his hey-day after winning the 2001 Vuelta a España. Since then, he spent two under-productive years at the ill-fated Coast and then sat out the entire season last year after Kelme couldn’t deliver its required bank guarantees and contract papers to the UCI. Casero is set to return to racing in the coming days with Comunitat Valenciana (formerly Kelme) with more modest goals. His most important step will be simply to be racing again as a professional. “I will have to suffer on the bike now to have options to win something perhaps

If organizers had to choose an alternative to the sugary Tour de Langkawi theme song that’s been a staple of the race for years, they might consider the musical “Annie Get Your Gun” and its famous tune Anything You Can Do. It would certainly be appropriate for this year’s event, which thus far has been dominated by the one-on-one battle of Panaria speedsters Graeme Brown and Ruben Bongiorno.

Nicki Sorensen (CSC) got the 2005 season off to a strong start, taking the win at the GP d’Ouverture La Marseillaise in France to mark the season’s first race of the European calendar. Sorensen finished ahead of Team CSC teammate Vladimir Gusev and Daniele Masolino to take the win marred by some confusion on course. There was a group clear that featured Philippe Gilbert, among others, who took a wrong turn and steered off course. Sorensen was part of a second group and pushed through to take the victory in the first race of the 2005 season in Europe. Action continues Wednesday with the

The Court of Arbitration of Sport ordered the UCI to place the Swiss-based Phonak squad back on to the roster of teams contesting the 2005 ProTour. Partly upholding an appeal by Phonak, the CAS said it had "set aside" the decision by the Union Cycliste Internationale last November to exclude the team from this year's ProTour after three of its riders failed doping tests in 2004. The panel of three legal experts granted the team a license for a reduced period of two years instead of the usual four. The team could not be excluded now, the court ruled, because at least two of the riders,

Tom Boonen made it two in a row at the Tour of Qatar on Tuesday, out-sprinting Fabrizio Guidi (CSC) and Robbie McEwen (Davitamon-Lotto) to claim his second straight win on the 2005 season. The 24-year-old Quick Step star was part of a 21-man breakaway that tore away from the main bunch at 90km into the 167.5km course from the Camel Track to the Qatar Olympic Committee headquarters. Six Quick Step riders were in the decisive 21-man group, including Kevin Hulsmans, Servais Knaven, Nick Nuyens, Guido Trenti and Wilfried Cretskens and Boonen. The group held a 40-second gap on the main bunch

It’s not supposed to be this easy, but following the bunch sprint that concluded the fifth stage of the 2005 Tour de Langkawi, you got the feeling Graeme Brown and the Ceremica-Panaria crew could win these things with one foot unclipped. After Brown and teammate Ruben Bongiorno grabbed victories in stages 1 and 2, Brown earned another win on Tuesday in Kuala Terengganu. That gave the Aussie an all-time best six Langkawi stage wins.

Boonen outkicks Cipo' in QatarQuick Step's Tom Boonen won the first stage of the Tour of Qatar onMonday, finishing ahead of Mario Cipollini and RobertHunter, the winner of last Saturday's Doha International GP.Monday's stage, the first of five in the ASO-organized event, covered 143km from Al Khor Corniche to the Doha Hyatt Plaza. Boonen holds the leader's jersey with a four-second advantage over Cipollini."This was one of my best ever final sprints. I am extremely happy with my form and winning straightaway after the problems I had this winter certainly boosts my morale,"

The outcome of Monday’s stage 4 time trial at Malaysia’s Tour de Langkawi came as a surprise to almost no one. A naturally strong time-trialist, Aussie Nathan O’Neill has always ridden well at this early-season race in Southeast Asia, and Monday was no exception. The Navigators pro blasted his way around the flat seaside circuit, posting a day’s best 24:42 on the 20.3km course in Bachok.

It probably won’t be the big break that launches him onto a ProTour team roster. And it is not likely the signal that the dawn of Asian cycling dominance is upon us. But make no mistake about it, the fact that Japan’s Koji Fukushima finally made one of his suicide breaks stick, winning the third stage of the 2005 Tour de Langkawi on Sunday, had plenty of significance.

A day after his Ceramica-Panaria teammate Graeme Brown grabbed the opening stage of the 2005 Tour de Langkawi, Argentine Ruben Bongiorno fired back with a win of his own on Saturday. And just as they did the day before, the pair of teammates went wheel to wheel all the way to the line, with Brown settling for runner-up status this time around.

Moreau hoping for more at Credit AgricoleAfter an up-and-down career, French veteran Christophe Moreau is hoping to be on the upswing again in 2005. Fourth overall in the 2000 Tour de France, he’ll lead Credit Agricole once again in the Tour, where he hopes to nudge closer to the final podium. “I know that I can do a lot better than these last years. 2000 remains my reference year. I was not on the podium, but fourth of the Tour, I wouldn’t have believed it,” Moreau said in an interview on the team’s web page. “Since then I have not always been very lucky, but I know that sooner or later I

Casey - Stage 1

Azevedo: Ready for Tour with or without LAFollowing his impressive fifth place last year, it’s no surprise Portuguese rider José Azevedo is putting everything into the 2005 Tour de France. The big question now for Azevedo is in what capacity he will ride. All that depends on team captain Lance Armstrong, who said he won’t decide until this spring whether he’ll race for a seventh Tour crown. If Armstrong does race, Azevedo will once again be the Texan’s faithful lieutenant in the high mountains. But if the six-time champion skips this year’s Tour, Azevedo will be the natural heir to the

Well, training camp part deux is officially over. It was a good experience, all in all. Got the miles in, plus intensity, and we were treated to some great Italian food. The quality of food in Italy is second to none, and we had plenty of it. In fact, Dave Z was feeling quite nervous since the hotel cafe asked for his room number every morning. He was envisioning a Starbucks-size bill for 100 cappuccinos when he checked out. I do love Italy for the food and the culture, and I kind of laugh at their driving – until I'm on my bike. Then I realize why people get hit by cars every day. The

Imagine that if besides the backbiting that so often characterized the Kobe-Shaq era, the pair of NBA stars had literally fought for the ball during their stint with the L.A. Lakers. Sounds preposterous, but don’t think it never happens in the world of sports — including cycling. Take for example, the pair of speedsters from Italian pro squad Ceramica Panaria. Though Graeme Brown and Ruben Bongiorno sport the same bright orange jerseys, when it comes time to sprint one might as well be riding for the Hatfields, the other the McCoys.

Bobby Julich says he wants his season to unfold just like last year when the veteran American rediscovered his winning touch. Julich returned to his best last year, winning a stage at the Vuelta al Pais Vasco, finishing third overall at Paris-Nice and taking home an Olympic time trial bronze medal from Athens. This year, the 1998 Tour de France podium man will be roaring out of the gates with early season goals at the Tour de Mediterranean and Paris-Nice before preparing for the Tour de France. “I want to do exactly the same as last year. One the mistakes I made after a successful season in

We just received word from Zipp that the company has chosen to go ahead and “dimple” many of its popular carbon road wheels. In fact, everyone of its Deep-V wheelsets will receive what company says is a major aerodynamic enhancement. “In every wind, speed and direction ZIPP's dimpled wheels are more aerodynamic our same wheels without the dimples. In 90 percent of riding conditions the innovation will save you between 1 and 4 watts of energy," Zipp claims. "The aerodynamic benefit mimics the reason golf balls have dimples, aircraft wings and race cars use trip strips and vortex

The 10th edition of the Tour de Langkawi stage race is set to commence on Friday with an 106.9km romp around this resort island off the northwest coast of Malaysia. The stage will be over almost exclusively flat terrain, leaving the inevitable field sprint to decide the opener. This year’s race features one of the strongest fields that has ever made the trip to this predominantly Muslim nation of 22.7 million in Southeast Asia. Four ProTour squads, Credit Agricole, Discovery Channel, Domina Vacanze and Liberty Seguros, will start the 10-day affair that concludes February 6 in downtown Kuala

Joe and Dirk answer questions on cross-country skiing for cross-training and shelving the competitiveness to get through base

Italy’s jet-set cycling superstar Mario Cipollini made Milan a pit-stop Tuesday evening for his new team’s Liquigas-Bianchi official presentation en route from training in South Africa before flying off to Qatar to make his 2005 season debut. Super Mario looked ever the media maven decked out in the lime-green Liquigas-Bianchi kit as he was the star attraction during presentation of Italy’s newest super team that includes, among others, Stefano Garzelli, Danilo Di Luca, Dario Cioni and Paris-Roubaix champ Magnus Backstedt. “After two irregular seasons, I’m ready to get back to the top level

When Tom Danielson arrived on the Malaysian resort island of Langkawi two years ago, he was a little-known American climbing specialist making his debut with the Saturn team. A little more than a week later the former collegiate mountain-bike racer had announced himself to the world, winning the 10-day stage race in decisive fashion. Danielson would go on to parlay his win in Southeast Asia into a contract with Italian Division I power squad Fassa Bortolo where he was supposed to begin his ascension of pro cycling’s elite ranks. But the 2004 campaign was mostly a dud for the 26 year old.

Straight blades?Dear Lennard,Thanks for the discussion on rake and trail and various geometry issues in your December 21st column. I have a follow-up question: Since it appears you can achieve trail change via head tube angle and fork geometry, what are the implications of a straight fork like a Colnago Star, versus a fork that has blades that curve as they near the axle?Jeffrey Dear Jeffrey,I should have put something about this in the book, because it is such a common misperception. Straight forks do have rake (i.e., offset of the front hub from the steering axis)! Look at your

Whether or not Lance Armstrong races the Tour de France this year won’t change anything for two of Italy’s hottest stars, but they both hope the six-time Tour winner will be there. “I hope Lance races the Tour because I’d like to have a chance to race alongside him. He’s a great champion,” Giro d’Italia champion Damiano Cunego told VeloNews during Saturday’s Giro presentation. “I really want to race alongside Lance because I have a lot of respect for him as a rider and what he’s done. I hope he’s at the Tour this year.” Armstrong remains mum on his Tour plans, though he’s contractually

German cycling ace Jan Ullrich is basing his entire season around trying to win a second Tour de France. As six-time Tour champion Lance Armstrong's participation remains up in the air, Ullrich on Monday made it clear he was hungrier than ever to add to his 1997 success. “The Tour is the race that I want to win," said the T-Mobile rider, who has finished runner-up five times but could only manage fourth last year. That, it should be noted, was his worst ever finish in seven Tour de France starts. "I'm in training to be the best in the world. I want to once again prove

Italian cyclist Damiano Cunego will call upon the spirit of dead rock star Jim Morrison to help him in his bid to defend his Giro d’Italia title later this year. The 23-year-old is a huge fan of Morrison's legendary 1960s rock band “The Doors” and believes the music of the American group can play a pivotal role when the 88th edition of the race gets underway on May 7. "I can only say that on paper I like this Giro, but I will need to go and have a look at it to get a better idea," said Cunego. "It seems to me like the tour will suit the climbers, but we'll see. As usual, there will be Jim

Robbie McEwen likened the roar of the crowd in the home straight to that of a football grand final after charging home to win the final stage of the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under on Sunday. Like he has done so many times in a star-studded career, McEwen, 32, timed his run perfectly down the 500-meter finishing straight to get over the top of Italian Paride Grillo (Ceramiche Panaria-Navigare) and Queenslander Allan Davis (Liberty Seguros).

Spanish rider Luis Sanchez may have remembered on Sunday - when he won the Tour Down Under - more than any other days the reason he first took up cycling. Sanchez's father, a policeman in Spain, was injured in a terrorist attack when Sanchez was just five years old and doctors told him cycling would aid his rehabilitation. The bikes he bought for his two sons at the same time gave Luis a taste for the sport, and before long he was hooked on the sport. Eventually, and despite angering his family, he ended his studies at 18 to follow his passion. He was discovered by former ONCE manager

Spaniard Alberto Contador celebrated his recovery from life-threatening brain surgery by winning the fifth stage of the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under in Willunga Saturday. But his better-credentialed Liberty Seguros teammate Luis Sanchez will take an almost unassailable lead into Sunday’s final stage in Adelaide. And the best local hero Stuart O'Grady can finish is third, as he trails Sanchez by 47 seconds, while Queenslander Allan Davis splits them at 35 seconds off the pace. Saturday’s 147km stage, which included a torturous 3km climb to the top of Old Willunga Hill, was expected to blow

Organizers unveiled the route for the 88th edition of the Giro D'Italia in Milan on Saturday. The 3465.65km event, which consists of 20 stages, begins with the prologue down south in Reggio Calabria on May 7 and ends in the northern city of Milan on May 29. The Giro offers a diverse mix of conditions, including five mountain climbs and two individual time trials besides the opening-day prologue. On May 15, the race pays homage to the late Gino Bartali, one of the all-time greats of Italian cycling, who died on the eve of the 2000 Giro. A 41.5km time trial starting at Lamporecchio will

In Mazda Palace, Milan – The 2005 Giro d’Italia presentation Saturday eveningsaw typical Italian flare and style in what race officials are hopefulwill be one of the best battles in recent years. The prospect of a clash between Italy’s hottest young stars and increasedinternational participation thanks to the ProTour, the duel between DamianoCunego and Ivan Basso is sure to make the 88th Giro palpitating to watch. Some of Italy’s biggest stars were on hand for nearly two-hour presentation,including 2000 Giro winner Stefano Garzelli, 2002 winner Paolo Savoldelli(with his newly broken

Matthew White stepped out of the shadow of teammate Stuart O'Grady Friday with a hollow victory in the fourth stage of the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under. “I've waited six bloody years for this,” White said after he crossed the line a clear winner from fellow Australian Robbie McEwen, referring to his last major stage win in the Tour of Switzerland in 1999. Better known as a domestique on the world stage, White, 31, helped his Cofidis teammate O'Grady win last year's World Cup in Hamburg, and has carved out a profitable living for the past 10 years in that role. But Friday was his chance to

Since we’re hunkering down to produce the 2005 VeloNews Buyer’s Guide, I’m going to have to keep this week’s column a bit tighter (read: shorter) than usual. Excuses aside, I have to say that the most exciting part of producing this year’s BG has got to be the “Bikes of the ProTour” section. When the idea of rounding up every production ProTour replica bike was first pitched in November, I have to admit it seemed more than far-fetched to me. I mean, I was going to be the guy responsible for ordering 15 of the hardest-to-get road bikes of 2005 – a long shot in full production months of May

Armstrong reacts to doping probeLance Armstrong reacted strongly against a new doping investigation initiated this week in France, saying he’s “disappointed” yet insists he’ll be “vindicated.” On Thursday, French newspapers reported that Philippe Drouet, a prosecutor in Annecy, is starting a preliminary investigation into allegations against the six-time Tour de France champion in the controversial book “LA Confidentiel.” “I am disappointed by the judge’s decision to launch an inquiry without first hearing my side of the story,” Armstrong said in a press release issued by news agency PR

Rumors are flying that Ag2r and Phonak will be the two wild-card teams selected for the 2005 Tour de France. The Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport tipped inside sources that these two teams will be selected for the Tour when the wild-card teams are announced Jan. 31. Under new ProTour rules, 19 top teams are already guaranteed places in the Tour, leaving race organizers just two cards to play in rounding out the team list. In the past, French teams have been favored by Tour officials when issuing wild-card invitations. Ag2r is the top French team overlooked in the ProTour selection

Spain's Luis Sanchez, touted as the next Miguel Indurain, is the new leader in the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under after an enthralling third stage between Glenelg and Victor Harbor on Thursday. Sanchez, 21, from the Murcia region and riding for Liberty Seguros, outsprinted Belgian Johan Van Summeren to win the stage after both riders attacked a 26-man breakaway 20km from the finish. The win catapulted Sanchez into the leader's yellow jersey after he trailed Queensland's Robbie McEwen by 12 seconds overnight. McEwen, 32, winner of the opening two stages was the day’s biggest loser, missing

French prosecutors have opened an investigation into the doping allegations against six-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong that were originally outlined in the book "L.A. Confidential - Les Secrets de Lance Armstrong." Officials were quoted in Thursday’s edition of Le Parisien that the investigation stems from a magistrate's interview with Armstrong's former Irish soigneur Emma O'Reilly, who was reported to have confirmed the allegations of the Texan using the banned blood booster EPO (erythropoietin) she made in the book, written by Sunday Times of London sports journalist David

Bettini already has Madrid on his mind Olympic champion Paolo Bettini is already putting the 2005 world championships at the top of his list of goals for the upcoming season. The “Cricket” was a disappointing DNF in last fall’s worlds on the Verona course, but hopes to earn the rainbow jersey that’s so far eluded him. “The worlds are always one of my objectives, but after my win at the Olympics, I’m more tranquil than the other favorites,” Bettini said during a break at the Quick Step training camp in Italy. “Petacchi has already gone to see the course and he says it’s a course that’s

Robbie McEwen overcame a rogue civilian and a near crash into the barriers to win an unprecedented 10th stage of the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under in Tanunda on Wednesday. In another bunch sprint finish, McEwen just had too much power for Italian Paride Grillo and Queenslander Allan Davis. The Tour de France sprint champion won clearly, but the margin would have been greater had he not had to change direction about 250m from the line. “We nearly hit some bloke on his bike with about 800m to go,” McEwen said. “He was just riding along the road. It's bad enough with the parked cars and then

What police called an “important network” of drug trafficking between Belgium and France was dismantled Tuesday and Wednesday, with 25 people being arrested for questioning in the two countries and several of them being caught red-handed. “This trafficking seems unhappily to involve cyclists at different levels, both amateurs and semi-professionals,” confirmed Denis Chausserie-Laprée, a vice procurator with the Bordeaux branch of the specialist interregional judiciary (JIRS), at a press conference held with the police investigators. The magistrate refused to give the identities of the people

Robbie McEwen continued his brilliant early season form with a thrilling victory in the opening stage of the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under in Adelaide's East End Tuesday evening. In an All Australian trifecta, McEwen beat Queenslander Allan Davis with South Australian hero Stuart O'Grady third after 25 frenetic laps of a 2.5km circuit before a crowd estimated at close to 65,000. It was McEwen's ninth stage victory in seven years and followed closely on his win in the Australian Open road championship in Echunga on Saturday.

Tour de France chief Jean-Marie Leblanc admits it is only a matter of time before Australia’s ever-improving cycling contingent can finally produce a Tour winner. “I never say this or that guy is going to win the Tour, but a rider like Michael Rogers, who is young, who knows how to climb, who is good in the time trial and who is in a Quick Step team which is very professional and focused has a great chance,” Leblanc told AFP. “He's got everything needed to do it, and he knows what's required of him. In two or three years he can get on the podium in Paris. I'm almost certain of

Dear Lennard,I recently converted to wheels with bladed spokes, and now my speedometermagnet no longer fits onto the spoke (I have a Performance brand Axiom8.0C). Is there any solution where I don't have to buy an entire new computer?If I do have to upgrade, can you recommend one that will mount to a bladedspoke?AndrewDear Andrew,You can buy separate magnets for this type of spoke. For example, lookingin the Quality Bicycle catalog, and estimating the retail price, it lookslike you could get a hand-tightening Campagnolo magnet for $27 that I ampretty sure I have used on bladed spokes, a

Two-time Giro d’Italia winner Gilberto Simoni was among the top names to underline his aims for the coming season a day ahead of the start of cycling's Tour Down Under in Adelaide, Australia, Monday. The Italian joined local hope Stuart O'Grady, a two-time winner of the season's first stage event, Spaniard Isidro Nozal and Australian all rounder Cadel Evans in singling out the race as an increasingly significant date on the growing global calendar. "I've noticed in the past that when McEwen and O'Grady compete here they tend to have successful seasons, do well at the Tour de France and even

Discovery Channel officials are still unsure how long 2002 Giro d’Italia champion Paolo Savoldelli will be sidelined after breaking his collar bone in three places during a training ride in California over the weekend. Savoldelli was scheduled for surgery on Sunday in a Santa Barbara hospital and officials are still waiting to find out how long the Italian will be set back. Savoldelli crashed in a training ride Saturday during the team’s annual training camp near Solvang when his front tire exploded after hitting a pothole. He was initially seen by team doctors on the scene and then

Recently-crowned Olympic track champion Stuart O'Grady is among the contenders who will find the going tough when the first stage race of the season begins at the Tour Down Under in Adelaide, Australia, on Tuesday. O'Grady, the 31-year-old local rider who had blistering form with his French Cofidis team last season, has been tipped for overall success in the race which takes the peloton through the wine-growing regions of southern Australia. The Adelaider, the winner in 1999 and 2001, came a close third when he last took part in 2003. But during six days of racing, O'Grady's ambitions will

The Discovery Channel pro cycling team has reported that Paolo Savoldelli crashed during a training ride at the team's training camp in Solvang, California, on Saturday, breaking his collarbone. Savoldelli, winner of the 2002 Giro d'Italia, crashed after his front tire blew out. He had apparently damaged his tire when he hit a pothole on a climb. "It happened suddenly while we were climbing up a short hill at about 20kph," Michael Barry, one of Savoldelli's new teammates recalled. "He went down immediately and never had a chance to react. His collar bone took the entire blow of the fall

After California was battered by wet, wind and colder-than-normal weather, some had doubts that the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling team would be holding its scheduled training camp in Solvang, California, this week. Doubts? Why most of these guys used to ride for a sponsor whose motto was "Neither rain, nor snow nor..." Well, the weather has cleared and even though it's still chillier than usual, most of the Discovery team is in Solvang working out the post-holiday kinks and getting ready for a full season of racing as a part of the UCI's new ProTour. Photographer Casey Gibson is in

Danielson: ‘Repeat will be difficult’Tom Danielson will be starting his season early with a return trip to the Tour de Langkawi (January 28-February 6), the race he won in 2003 that proved to be his springboard to the big-time for the Colorado climber. Now embarking on the 2005 season with Discovery Channel, Danielson said he’s traveling to Malaysia with the idea of building fitness for what will be an important season in Europe. “In 2003, the plan all along was to try and have a good ride in Genting. Nathan (O'Neill) was in incredible form throughout and through his and the team's support,

Cipo' in South Africa, Liquigas gets goingItaly’s latest super-team is putting the finishing touches on its preparations for the 2005 season. Liquigas will have its official unveiling later this month and the team is revving up for its final training camps ahead of its first races of the season. Most of the team will be honing their strength at a training camp starting this weekend in Donoratico in Italy while 2002 world champion Mario Cipollini continues with his personal training program in South Africa. The team’s official presentation will be in Milan on January 25 before Cipollini,

Like the annual return of the swallows to Capistrano, this is the time of year that VeloNews staff get to pump-out another edition of our Buyer’s Guide. In its third year of production, the VeloNews Buyer’s Guide has grown from a “let’s see if it works” publication to a “keystone property,”or so our marketing staff likes to call it. To me, the tremendous amount of work we put into it is well worth it because of the Guide’s sheer usefulness and “drool factor.” You won’t see a larger collection of “to-die-for” bikes anywhere in 2005 than our Buyer’s Guide. This year we’ve enlisted the help of

French police on Thursday searched the offices of the weekly news magazine Le Point and the sports daily L’Equipe in connection with a doping affair that rocked French cycling team Cofidis last year. Journalists at the two publications said police led by investigating magistrates spent several hours in their offices. At Le Point, police seized two computers and ordered two journalists to report for questioning. At L’Equipe, journalists declined to reveal whether any equipment had been seized during the search. Sources close to the investigation said the searches were linked to an

Levi Leipheimer is getting to know his new Gerolsteiner teammates at the team’s annual training camp in Mallorca off the Spanish coast. After three seasons with Rabobank, the 31-year-old Californian said he’s excited about the new opportunities after joining the German team for what’s a two-year deal. VeloNews European correspondent Andrew Hood sat down with Leipheimer this week. Check back later this week for the complete interview. VeloNews: You’ve reached a point where you want to step up your goals? Levi Leipheimer: “Definitely, eighth in my first Tour, ninth in my second to confirm

Navigators’ Nathan O'Neill won the Australian Professional National Time Trial Championship on Wednesday, clocking 47:41 over the course of the 40km route. Oenone Wood took the women’s 30km championship in 41:18. O’Neill, the most recent recruit to the U.S.-based Navigators team, Nathan, beat Rory Sutherland and Russell Van Hout to take his third title in four years. Indeed, Wednesday’s win marks O’Neill’s ninth national championship, seven of which were earned in the discipline against the clock. Wood started the 30km time trial at the Adelaide hills town of Echunga as the strong favorite

Citing serious safety concerns, organizers of Paris-Roubaix have removed one of the most revered sections of cobbles from the route of this year’s race. Noting that the condition of a large stretch of pavé through the Forest of Arenberg has degraded over the past year the Amaury Sport Organization has pulled the famous portion of cobbles from this year’s Queen of the Classics, scheduled for April 10. "Organizers have decided not to ride on the 2400 meters of the famous Arenberg trench for safety reasons," ASO noted in a statement. "The condition of the road has seriously deteriorated in

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) - The inaugural United Texas Tour cycling race was postponed indefinitely Wednesday because organizers were reluctant to seek sponsorship money while massive aid is going to the tsunami relief effort. American officials had hoped the stage race in Lance Armstrong's home state would become a showcase event in a sport concentrated in Europe. "We are simply uncomfortable asking companies to fund the race when those dollars could be used for more immediate social concerns," said Eddie Owens, executive director of the United Texas Tour. Organizers had raised about half the