Road

This time of year is almost like Christmas for those of us who love bicycles and the annual improvements to the technology that adds to the pleasureof riding them. That's right, it’s time for the 2005 product roll-outs! I've really been enjoying the fact that next year’s suspension product lines are going to be marked by serious competition and some major developments. Manufacturers have been particularly eager to showcase technology to help them hold or regain a foothold in the lucrative bicycle suspension fork and shock market. Manitou was first this year to debut its 2005 product

FDJeux’s Aussie sprinter Baden Cooke moved into the overall lead after scoring a win in stage 2 of the Three Days of De Panne, a 237km race from Zottegem to Coxyde in Northern Belgium Wednesday. Cooke, who finished second in Tuesday’s opening stage, beat Saeco’s Giosué Bonomi and Rabobank’s Steven De Jongh, who took third. The day was marked by an early escape by Rabobank’s Matt Hayman, Bart Voskamp (Chocolade Jacques) and Stefan Van Dijk, who eventually built a lead of nearly eight minutes on the main field, before the Gerolsteiner team of race leader Daniel Hondo took up the chase. Upon

One January 1, 2004, caffeine was removed from the World Anti-DopingAgency prohibited list, after being a “controlled to restricted drug” inthe world of athletic performance for years, and moved to the “monitoringlist.” Prior to this change caffeine urine levels of greater than 12 microgramsper millimeter were considered illegal. The reason for this change, notesWADA, is really very practical. This old limit has always given caffeinea unique position as a “potentially” performance-enhancing drug, implyingthat higher doses of caffeine are required to improve performance. However,this is

Avoiding the grindDear Lennard,I'm having a problem with my 13-39 X 53/39 Campy Chorus (2003) set-up.When it is on the 39 ring and in the 26 or 29 cog, the space between thecog and the upper roller/jockey of the derailleur is so close that thechain is rubbed/grinded in between. I have tried turning the screw on thederailleur cage but to no avail. It appears that the chain is too longeven if I followed the somewhat confusing instruction of the Campy manual.Can you please share any other tip to determine proper chain length? I'vesearched the VeloNews archives for your feature on this asI

Gerolsteiner’s Danilo Hondo won the first stage of the Three Days of De Panne on Tuesday, taking a sprint win at the end of 196km race from Middelkerke to Zottegem, Belgium. Hondo charged to the line, beating Baden Cooke (fdjeux.com), U.S. Postal’s George Hincapie and Luca Paolini (Quick Step) and 20 others who had formed a strong breakaway group about 9km from the finish. With time bonuses considered, Hondo now enjoys a four-second lead over Cooke on GC, with Hincapie rounding out the top three at six seconds. American David Clinger (Domina Vacanze) also made the break and finished the day

Dear Joe and Dirk,Mine has to be a pretty common problem. With work, kids, a job, a mortgage… well you know the drill. When it gets down to it, I can really only ride maybe three days a week for two hours max. Some weeks it is only two days with one of the rides being on the trainer. With such minimal training time, should I spend a larger percentage of my time doing hard riding (intervals, etc) since I am less likely to over-train? How should you adjust the time spent in each zone when you have more than adequate recovery time?Thanks,Don Don,You are not uncommon and trying to get the

Usually when the time changes in the spring of each year, it is accompanied by an improvement in the weather, but here in Salamanca, we experienced a serious digression in the conditions over night as Europe moved into to daylight savings time. We awoke to dark skies and snow flurries. It was hard to believe we were in Spain or that it was the end of March. In keeping with the mood, Cathy Marsal wished me a “Merry Christmas” as we were warming up. It seems like the spring weather has been especially harsh this year in Europe. Michael sent me a text message from France, where he was racing

Over the past week, I have been in Northern Europe getting reacquainted with the cold weather. I have had a good schedule in the last months as I have only raced in the south of Spain and Portugal and have not had to suffer and endure the frigid temps in the rest of Europe. In Dwaars door Vlandaaren, a one-day race in Flanders; I was initiated to the cobbles, bergs, wind and cold. All in all, it was a pretty good experience and one I would go back and fight through again. This year we have a great team for the classics, as Max, Devolder, George and Eki’ are all riding well enough to win any

Team CSC just keeps rolling. After the Danish-based squad earned wins for Jörg Jaksche at the Mediterranean Tour and Paris-Nice, it was the turn this weekend of Jaksche’s fellow German Jens Voigt to dominate the Critérium International. Voigt, 32, won both of Sunday’s two stages to take the overall victory by 12 seconds over the emerging Spanish star José Ivan Gutierrez of Balears-Banesto. A still-improving Lance Armstrong finished third another two seconds back, with CSC’s rejuvenated Bobby Julich a further two seconds behind in fourth. In the closing 8.3km time trial, Voigt beat

Chris Horner and Lyne Bessette successfully defended their respective leader's jersey on Sunday's final stage of the 20th-anniversary Redlands Bicycle Classic, with Horner taking his fourth win in five years and Bessette winning the women's race for the second time. On the closing Sunset Loop road race, Bessette was content to defend the race lead and seal the overall win, opening the door for an opportunistic and gutsy win by Victory Brewing's Nicole Demars. However, in the men's race, Horner took the opportunity to deliver one more blow to the reeling Health Net team, setting up his Webcor

The delicate operation of putting the roof over the Olympic velodrome in Athens has been completed two days ahead of schedule, a spokesman for the structure's Spanish designer, Santiago Calatrava, reported Sunday. The spokesman said the roof's success augured well for the controversial yet-to-be installed cover over the Olympic stadium, also designed by Calatrava. "This represents a good test," he said. The Olympic stadium roof will be installed using the same technique as its cycling cousin, which weighed 4000 tons and measured 106 by 154 meters. It was slid into place along 135 meters of

The Cours Aristide Briand in Charleville-Mezières is not as long or as wide as the Champs-Élysées in Paris, but French sprinter Jean-Patrick Nazon likes them both. He was won the most important sprints of his career on the two avenues, and he continued that run on Saturday in the opening stage of the two-day Critérium International. Last July, on a sultry summer’s day, Nazon took the final stage of the Tour de France thanks more to his bustling style than his erratic finishing speed. That gave this 6-foot, 163-pound rider a half-length verdict over his inherently faster Aussie rivals Baden

At Saturday’s criteriums at the Redlands Bicycle Classic, the Genesis Scuba squad showed why it will be a favorite at criteriums all year long, with Tina Pic and Laura Van Gilder going one-two in the women’s race, while in the men’s event, Jelly Belly-Aramark continued to build its case as an upper echelon team for the 2004 season, delivering Alex Candelario to one of the biggest wins of his career. The men’s race also saw some controversy at the finish, with Gord Fraser tangling with Charles Dionne, and Fraser getting relegated from his third-place finish. The men’s race saw non-stop

The Vuelta Castilla y Léon is a three-day tour that started in Valladolid and traveled to Salamanca. The field was incredibly strong here, 160 riders, including several world and Olympic champions. The terrain is rather desolate in this region of Spain, as there are not too many trees, mountains or small towns in the countryside, so the high winds that nature provides have had a profound effect on the racing. T-Mobile started this race with five girls – Dotsie Cowden, Amber Neben, Kimberly Bruckner, Stacey Peters and me. After day one, we began calling ourselves the “Bad News Bears,” as

Spanish rider Joaquin Rodriguez (Saunier Duval) won the Setmana Catalana on Friday by just two seconds after finishing seventh on the 168km fifth and final stage, between Solsona and Parets del Valles. Angel Edo (Milaneza) won the stage ahead of Josep Jufre (Relax-Bodysol) and Martin Perdiguero (Saunier Duval), while Rodriguez finished with a bunch just behind, holding onto half of the four-second lead he gained after finishing second behind American Levi Leipheimer (Rabobank) on the race's hardest climbing stage on Thursday. Leipheimer wound up 14th overall. The start of Friday's final

For Chris Horner, Friday’s Panorama Point circuit race was simply another day of defending his yellow leader’s jersey at the Redlands Bicycle Classic. For Lyne Bessette, however, Friday’s race finally saw her overtake Geneviève Jeanson (RONA) and move into the women’s overall race lead. Horner and Bessette now lead the race, while Ivan Dominguez (Colavita Olive Oil) and Kristin Armstrong (T-Mobile) took big stage wins for their teams. Despite winning the prologue and the stage 1 Crestline road race, Jeanson has shown weaknesses all week long, most notably on Thursday’s stage to Oak Glen,

Tour de France winner Stephen Roche has rejected suggestions by an Italian judge that he took performance-enhancing drugs during his career, according to the Irish Independent. "I have never taken performance-enhancing drugs, whether banned or unbanned, on or off the list, at any time,” said Roche. "In fact, I underwent hundreds of tests during my career and all were negative.” The issue of drug taking during Roche's career, during which he won the Tour, the Giro d’Italia and the world championship road race all in one season (1987), arose after the publication this week of an Italian

Organizers of the Tour de France on Friday ruled out the possibility of the scandalized Kelme team being handed a wild-card invitation to this year's race. The decision comes days after former Kelme professional Jesus Manzano blew the whistle on what he claims to be systematic doping within the Spanish team. Last month, Tour organizers announced the 21 teams for this year's race - at which American Lance Armstrong will be bidding for a record sixth victory - but left open the possibility of a 22nd team participating. Today, Tour director Jean-Marie Leblanc said the option of having a 22nd

Webcor. Jittery Joe’s. Jelly Belly. For the second day in a row, those were the three teams represented on the men’s podium at the Redlands Bicycle Classic, as Chris Horner won for the third day in a row and extended his overall race lead. Meanwhile, the women’s race tightened up, as Lyne Bessette took the stage victory on Oak Glen and cut deeply into Geneviève Jeanson’s race lead. For the second day, Horner’s Webcor squad held in check the efforts of the big-budget Health Net-Maxxis team to put the pressure on Horner. As they did on Wednesday’s Crestline stage, Health Net banked on the

Former world Madison champion Robert Sassone, who is being investigated after drugs were found at his home, has admitted making a "mistake" which would ruin his life. Sassone, 26, who also tested positive for a steroid derivative last year, printed an open letter in the French-language New Caledonians newspaper on Thursday saying he was paying heavily for his actions. "I didn't kill anyone, but this mistake, which I will explain to the judge, I'm paying for heavily and in cash. It will ruin my life because I dreamt of a career in cycling," said Sassone, a member of the Cofidis team until

Saeco’s Mirko Celestino won the second stage of the five-stage Coppi-Bartali international as it finished in Faenza Thursday. Celestino, took a 12-man sprint at the end of the day’s 206km stage from Riccione in northern Italy. By beating Ruggero Marzoli and Giuliano Figueras to the line, Celestino also assumed the overall lead going into Friday’s 176km stage from Emilia to Scandiano. Astarloa injuredWorld road race champion Igor Astarloa (Cofidis) suffered head and neck injuries in an accident while out riding, according to Gazzetta dello sport. The 27-year-old Spaniard was training near

Rabobank’s Levi Leipheimer brushed off the effects of a crash earlier in the week to win the fourth stage of Setmana Catalana atop the Port del Compte on Thursday. Saunier Duval’s Joaquin Rodriguez, who finished alongside the American, took the overall lead after the 179.5km stage ride from Palau Solita I Plegamans which finished on the summit of the Category 1 Port del Compte. The stage started with attacks after the first kilometer. By the third kilometer, Gonzalo Bayarri (Phonak) tried his luck and managed to build a small gap on the field. He was soon joined by nine others, including

Unless you’ve been vacationing on the dark side of the moon for the past year, you’re probably aware the UCI has mandated the use of helmets for the pro peloton. While the majority of the 2003 pro road season saw riders with certified skid-lids worn during mass start stages and events, all bets were off for team and individual time trials. For the 2003 season the UCI simply let the time trialists slide when it came to wearing a protective helmet (the millimeter-thin aerodynamic fairings the riders wore don’t offer any protection). Welcome to 2004You may have noticed riders no longer

Isaac Galvez handed his Illes Balears-Banesto team a welcome stage victory on the third day of Setmana Catalana in Montcada I Reixac on Wednesday, pipping T-Mobile's Erik Zabel on the finish line. After two days of Swiss domination, with wins going to Fabian Cancellara and Beat Zberg, Galvez finally handed Spain a victory following the 159.5km stage from Castello d'Empuries. Miguel Angel Martin Perdiguero (Saunier Duval) took the overall race lead after finishing third. Galvez, meanwhile, had to wait for a photo finish decision before being told he had beat T-Mobile veteran Zabel, who

Heading into this year’s U.S. road racing season, it was pretty clear that there were only one or two teams that could be called powerhouse squads. For the rest, the addition of some seasoned professionals gave them credibility, but they would have to step it up at the races to show that they belonged in the upper echelon of U.S. teams. The Webcor Builders team clearly fell in that second group, but at least on the first road stage of the Redlands Bicycle Classic in Southern California, they showed that they’re ready to make that step. Webcor successfully defended Chris Horner’s yellow race

Krebs, carbs and crampsDear Joe and Dirk,Am I misunderstanding the current hypothesis on how cyclists are ableto fuel sustained high output or is it possible that we need to revisitour assumptions about how long the body can maintain maximum output givenonly fat as an energy source? I have often read descriptions of human metabolism that would lead meto believe that it is not possible to sustain high energy output withouteither loading up on or consuming a ready source of carbohydrates to deliverATP as fuel. This does not match with my experience. I am a type II diabeticand in order to stay

Is repair an option?Dear Lennard,I have had trouble with my car rack not holding the fork properly.Recently, a bike with a Deda Black Magic fork was victimized by this lousypiece of gear. While the bike stayed on the rack, one of the fork tipswas twisted (the other came out of the mount). It was an easy matter tobend the tip back into shape. However, is it safe to ride the bike?JimDear Jim,No, it is not safe. You need to buy a new fork… and should considerbuying a new rack.LennardSlip-slidin' awayDear Lennard,I recently purchased a USE Alien carbon seatpost for my Look KG461(27.2 mm). It is a

Tuesday’s windy 160km second stage of Setmana Catalana came down to a fist-pumping affair. Beat Zberg (Gerolsteiner) was pumping his in the air in delight after snatching victory in the final 20 meters while Frank Vandenbroucke (Fassa Bortolo) was pounding his handlebars in frustration after just missing a win. Vandenbroucke attacked off the lead group of about 20 riders with just under 1km to go and turned onto the finishing stretch with just enough gap that it appeared the troubled Belgian would grab the win. But Zberg shot past in the final 20 meters to snag the win and move into the

The 2004 Redlands Bicycle Classic kicked off on a typical hazy Southern California spring day on Tuesday, and it was business as usual for two riders who have dominated the event in recent years. Chris Horner (Webcor), who has won Redlands three of the past four years, and Geneviève Jeanson (RONA), who has won two of the last three Classics, put an early stamp on what should be a tough week of racing. Each scored a convincing win in the 3.2-mile prologue time trial to the top of Mount Rubidoux in the city of Riverside. Jeanson has had a slow start to the season, after having problems

Fabian Cancellara (Fassa Bortolo), a young Swiss bull known more for his time trial than his sprint, surprised the favorites to claim the opening stage of the Setmana Catalana in Spain. A group of about 40 riders cleared the Category 1 Alt de Sant Grau about 35km to go in the 165km stage and charged into rainy Lloret de Mar for a mass gallop. Rafael Casero (Saunier Duval) was caught with 200 meters to go and Cancellara relegated Milan-San Remo runner-up Erik Zabel (T-Mobile) to second place. Spanish rider Javier Ramirez (Liberty Seguros) went on a long solo move starting at 65 kilometers

The Primavera World Cup runs over the last 120 kilometers of the classic men’s Milan-San Remo World Cup course. It starts in the town of Varazze, just West of Genoa. I traveled to the start of the race two days early to meet up with my teammates and pre-ride the course. My teammates, Amber Neben, Kimberly Bruckner, Stacey Peters and Dotsie Cowden, had just arrived from the United States. We had only five riders to start in Primavera, as there are some very important races going on the U.S. that our sponsors want to make a solid presence in, like Redlands and Sea Otter. ReconnaissanceWe

Landbouwkrediet’s Bert De Waele won the 27th edition of the Cycliste Cholet-Pays de Loire on Sunday. The 202km race is the third round of the Coupe de France series, still led by Crédit Agricole’s Thor Hushovd. De Waele soloed in five seconds ahead of Brioches La Boulangere’s Didier Rous, Hushovd and Luxembourgian Frank Schleck (CSC). The day’s initial attack was launched by Belgian Frederik Willems (Vlaanderen - T-Interim - Eddy Merckx ). After a series of attacks, a group of four -- Patrice Halgand, Frederic Guesdon, Thomas Voeckler and the Jurgen Van de Walle -- bridged up to Willems at

Lyne Bessette (Quark) and Chris Horner (Webcor) won the overall titles at the season’s first major event, the Pomona Valley Stage Race in San Dimas, California, as Quark’s Sarah Uhl and Mariano Friedick (Jelly Belly) won the final stage on Sunday. Uhl was part of Quark’s successful effort to fend off any challenges to Bessette’s hold on the leaders jersey, chasing down a series of attacks from the Rona team. Uhl then nipped sprinter Tina Mayolo Pic (Genesis) at the line as the 55-minute event end in a field sprint. Horner began the 90-minute men’s race with a solid hold on the overall

Just like last year, Zoulfia Zabirova (Let’s Go Finland) attacked on the Cipressa climb in the 118km Primavera Rosa. And just like last year, Zabirova came down Via Roma the victor. Coming across the line solo, the Russian held up two fingers – for the victory and for her second consecutive Primavera victory. Dutch rider Mirjam Melchers (Farm Frites-Hartol) led the main bunch through to take second. Check back later for results and a complete report from VeloNews European correspondent Andrew Hood.

Fallen professional cyclist Jesus Manzano said Saturday he is ready to make a statement about alleged doping practices while he rode for the Spanish Kelme team from 2000 to 2003. Manzano told the Spanish sports daily MARCA that he wanted revenge for the way he was treated by Kelme last year and vowed that he would "make what Philippe Gaumont said a few days ago in France seem like a children's story.” "What is going to come out has real substance, I’ve got proof of all I’m going to say. I'm not going to do what Gaumont has done, I’m going to give all of the details," said Manzano, referring

Erik Zabel’s world went from bright to very black in a split second on the Via Roma at the end of the 95th Milan-San Remo on Saturday. The German sprinter thought he’d come around Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo) to win Milan-San Remo for the fifth time. But just as he was lifting his hands in celebration, Spanish sprinter Oscar Freire (Rabobank) shoved his bike across the line to snatch the win by inches.

Chris Horner (Webcor) and the rest of the guys showed up to race Saturday at the Pomona Valley Stage Race, but Horner showed up first, winning a shortened Glendora Mountain Time Trial. Horner covered the climb in 15:12, putting a minute on Cesar Grajales (Jittery Joe's Coffee) and a further two seconds on Scott Moninger (Health Net). As the women tackled their second stage, meanwhile, it was Kristin Armstrong (T-Mobile) taking the win at 19.25. Lyne Bessette (Quark) was second best at 19 seconds back, followed by Erin Mirabella (Red 5 Racing) in third at 37 seconds back. Bessette took over

Chris Horner (Webcor) made it two for two at the Pomona Valley Stage Race on Saturday, winning the 96-mile Incycle Puddingstone Road Race ahead of Nieko Biskner (Ofoto-Lombardi Sports). Eric Wohlberg (Sierra Nevada) won a six-up tussle for third at six seconds back. Horner maintains a comfortable lead going into Sunday’s Cannondale Old Town San Dimas Criterium, with nearly 90 seconds on second-placed Cesar Grajales (Jittery Joe's Coffee) and 1:43 on Wohlberg. In the women’s race, meanwhile, it was Magali Le Floch (Quark) taking the win ahead of Tina Pic (Genesis Scuba) with Lyne Bessette,

Australian Baden Cooke has played down his chance of fulfilling one of his childhood dreams when he saddles up for Milan-San Remo on Saturday. The first race of the World Cup season - a 294km ride from Italy's fashion capital to the Mediterranean coast resort - would in normal circumstances be well within the Victoria rider's grasp; he has emerged as one of the most feared sprinters in the peloton since making his European debut two years ago. However, a virus that has laid low more than one member of the peloton last week has compromised 25-year-old Cooke's chances of victory in what will

Scottish cyclist Graeme Obree has overcome a suicide attempt to get back in shape for an attempt on Chris Boardman's world hour record next month. Obree made his breakthrough in 1993 when he won at the world track championships in Norway on a homemade bike with a bearing salvaged from a washing machine. In the same year, he broke the one-hour world record by covering 51.596km, but the record stood for just six days before Olympic gold medalist Boardman shattered it, only for Obree to reclaim the record in 1994. Obree retired in 1997 after being diagnosed with manic depression. Two years ago

1907 Lucien Petit-Breton (F) Bianchi1908 Cyrille Van Hauwaert (I)1909 Luigi Ganna (I)1910 Eugene Christophe (F)1911 Gustave Garrigou (F)1912 Henri Pellissier (F)1913 Odiel Defraeye (I)1914 Ugo Agostoni (I)1915 Ezio Corlaita (I)1917 Gaetano Belloni (I)1918 Costante Girardengo (I)1919 Angelo Cremo (I)1920 Gaetano Belloni (I)1921 Costante Girardengo (I)1922 Giovanni Brunero (I)1923 Costante Girardengo (I)1924 Pietro Linari (I)1925 Costante Girardengo (I)1926 Costante Girardengo (I)1927 Pietro Chesi (I)1928 Costante Girardengo (I)1929 Alfredo Binda (I)1930 Michele Mara (I)1931 Alfredo Binda

Five-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong has elected to skip Saturday's World Cup opener, Milan-San Remo. U.S. Postal's Dirk Demol told AFP that Milan-San Remo does not fit in to the Texan's build-up for his attempt at a record sixth straight win in cycling's premier prize. Armstrong's next scheduled race is the Criterium International in the Ardennes region of Belgium at the end of the month.AFP2004 Bettini wants to avoid sprintDefending Milan-San Remo champion Paolo Bettini (Quick Step) says he wants to do everything to avoid a sprint coming down the Via Roma on Saturday. That,

Dear Monique,Great stuff recently on earlymorning training sessions. What about the opposite end of the spectrumfor those who jump on the trainer and crank out a few intervals just beforebed? If doing one to two hours with some tempo or threshold work andthen heading to bed for the night, what is good post ride nutrition? Typically,if training during the day, I would have a good recovery shake after training,but drinking down a several hundred calorie shake just before bed doesnot seem like the best idea.Thanks!SR Dear SR,While training in the evening may not be ideal, it is of course

As the 2004 season kicks-off, most of you competitive mountain bikers have either just finished or are nearing completion of your race rigs. While a handful of you are fortunate to have a complete bicycle shipped to you from a generous sponsor, the lion’s share of you will have to carefully piece together a race-worthy bike under the ever-present restrictions of a working stiff’s budget. Building a bike from the wheels-up can provide the clearest insight into the technical savvy of the particular owner. It’s easy to dress up a high quality frame (full suspension or hard tail) with full

Laura Van Gilder (Genesis-Scuba) sprinted to victory in the opening stage of the fifth annual Pomona Valley Stage Race on Thursday in San Dimas, California. Van Gilder outkicked Magen Long (OBRU-The Bicycle Store) and Lyne Bessette (Quark), coming around on the final straight after Bessette attacked on the climb, to win the San Dimas Hospital Circuit Race in 1:15:46. The race was run on a 3.5-mile loop in Frank G. Bonelli Regional County Park, a course that the pro men decided was too dangerous for their 150-rider field, in a dispute reminiscent of the Redwood City circuit race in last

Paolo Bettini could become only the 12th rider to win the World Cup opening Milan-San Remo for the second year in a row when the one-day classic kicks off this Saturday. The 29-year-old Italian, who rides for Quick Step, got his season off to the perfect start last year when he won the La Primavera for the first time before lifting the ten-race World Cup title for the second year in a row. This year the energetic rider known as the “little cricket” has already laid some solid foundations, winning Tirreno-Adriatico on Tuesday after claiming two stage wins to show his sprinting form. Bettini

Be sure to tune in for VeloNews.com's LIVE COVERAGE of the 95th edition of Milan-San Remo - brought to you by Steve Bauer Bike Tours - on Saturday, March 20, 2004.Start List - 95th Milan San-Remo1. Paolo Bettini (I), Quick Step-Davitamon2. Tom Boonen (B), Quick Step-Davitamon3. Davide Bramati (I), Quick Step-Davitamon4. Nick Nuyens (B), Quick Step-Davitamon5. Luca Paolini (I), Quick Step-Davitamon6. Michael Rogers (Aus), Quick Step-Davitamon7. Pedro Horrillo Munoz (Sp), Quick Step-Davitamon8. Stefano Zanini (I), Quick Step-Davitamon11. Laurent Brochard (F), Ag2R Prevoyance12. Nazon Jean

Spanish cycling legend Miguel Indurain said Lance Armstrong has what it takes to win the record sixth Tour de France. Armstrong matched Indurain’s mark of five consecutive Tours in last year’s hard fought battle, but Indurain told the Spanish daily MARCA that Armstrong looks more motivated than ever. “As we see him going now, and looking at his rivals, I see him with the capacity to win a sixth Tour,” Indurain said. “I see him with the same motivation as other years and his results so far this year indicate he took care of himself over the winter.” Indurain, who has participated in two

Paolo Bettini (Quick Step) has won the overall title in the 39th edition of Tirreno-Adriatico, finishing in the main field and preserving his five-second lead over Oscar Freire (Rabobank). Fassa Bortolo sprinter Alessandro Petacchi won the 162km stage that finished in San Benedetto Del Tronto, his third win of the race. Freire clawed back two seconds on Bettini to lose by five but his chances had evaporated after making contact with another rider during the mass sprint. “Mentally it has been a stressful day," said Bettini. "Well, to be honest the entire Tirreno-Adriatico has been. I had to

The road backDear Joe and Dirk,After taking about two years off the bike (young kids), I spent thiswinter preparing for a return to competitive cycling. Then, in lateJanuary, I had the bad fortune to endure a case of mononucleosis.Admittedly it was only after I had mono for four weeks that I bought theTraining Bible, but now I want to be sure I don't overdo it as I returnto the preparation phase.While I fear my racing season might be effectively done, especiallyafter two years off, can you offer any recommendations or cautions as Iproceed? I'm 39 and, now that I've had mono, am only a couple

Photo Gallery - Day 3 at Mexico City World Cup

Race leader Paolo Bettini (Quick Step) won the sixth stage of Tirreno-Adriatico, a 185km race from Monte San Pietrangeli to Torre San Patrizio.Bettini was awarded the stage win after a photo-finish, claiming precious bonus seconds at the finish ahead of Tuesday's final stage over 162km around Benedetto Del Tronto. He now has an seven-second lead over Freire, the Rabobank rider whom the diminutive Italian will have to keep a close eye on Tuesday. Monday's stage came to life after 60km of racing shortly after Italian veteran Mario Cipollini had called it a day, climbing into the team car with

Uncertainty over his work permit forced Christian Vande Velde to skip last week’s Paris-Nice, an issue that may prove problematic for other Americans racing in Europe for European teams. Vande Velde, it seems, didn't actually have the proper paperwork to allow him to work for a European employer. Since joining the Liberty Seguros team, the question of the 27-year-old American's legal status in Spain has come up and the team has asked Vande Velde to get his papers squared away before allowing him to race again. Vande Velde told VeloNews he is scheduled to meet Wednesday with immigration

CSC team manager Bjarne Riis was credited as the master tactician of this year’s edition of Paris-Nice as his team took three of the top four spots in the final overall standings after Sunday’s eighth and final stage was won by T-Mobile's Alexander Vinokourov. The 27-year-old Jaksche, from Germany, took control of the race on the opening day's time trial and retained the leader's yellow jersey throughout mainly thanks to his team's support and wily tactics. CSC also had American Bobby Julich finish third and German Jens Voigt take fourth place. It is the second major win of the season for

Americans Alison Dunlap and Jeremiah Bishop grabbed a pair of dramatic cross-country wins on the final day of racing at the opening stop of the NORBA National Mountain Bike Series in Waco, Texas on Sunday. In the final GC it was the day’s second-place finishers, Alison Sydor and Geoff Kabush, taking the overall titles. In the women’s race it didn’t take long for it to become a two-rider affair. After a quick start loop to shake things out for the run into the tight twisting singletrack of Cameron Park, Sydor and Dunlap quickly gapped the rest of the field, and carried a two-minute advantage

Roberto Petito (Fassa Bortolo) won the fifth stage of Tirreno-Adriatico on Sunday, a 215 kilometer ride from Paglieta to Torricella Sicura near the Adriatic coast. The 33-year-old Italian won a sprint finish to cross the finish line in 5:20:51, ahead of Ukranian Sergey Matveyev (Ceramiche Panaria-Margres) and Swede Magnus Backstedt (Alessio-Bianchi). Reigning World Cup champion Paolo Bettini kept the leader's jersey. Monday's sixth stage is a 185km ride from Monte San Pietrangeli to Torre San Patrizio. Tirreno-Adriatico, Italy's first major race of the season and a traditional warm-up

The United States got off to a winning start at round two of the UCI Track World Cup on Friday in Aguascalientes, Mexico, thanks to winning performances from Colby Pearce and Erin Mirabella. Pearce, of Boulder, Colorado, won the men’s 15km scratch race ahead of Greg Henderson (NZL). In the following event, Mirabella, of Racine, Wisconsin, claimed the women’s 20km points race ahead of Lada Kozlikova (CZE). Tanya Lindenmuth of Trexlertown, Pennsylvania, also put in a strong performance. After posting the best qualifying time in the morning session, Lindenmuth placed second in the women’s

Alexander Vinokourov (T-Mobile), winner at Paris-Nice for the last two years, clinched his second win of the 2004 race with a fine solo effort in the seventh stage on Saturday. The 30-year-old from Kazakhstan broke away on the seafront of Cannes, 6km from the finish of the 185.5km stage from Dignes-les-Bains to Cannes, chased down Spaniard Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) – who had attacked at the summit of the Col du Tanneron, the last of the day's climbs, 20km from the finish – and brought the victory home in style, 18 seconds ahead of Luxembourg's Kim Kirchen (Fassa Bortolo).

Reigning World Cup champion Paolo Bettini (Quick Step) won the fourth stage of Tirreno-Adriatico from Isernia to Paglietta Saturday. With the win, Bettini took the overall lead from Spain's former two-time world champion Oscar Freire (Rabobank). Rolf Aldag (T-Mobile) took a flyer after summiting the Valico di Rionero Sannitico about 60km into the 173km stage, but was retrieved after just 10km off the front. A few attacks followed shortly thereafter, but nothing stuck until Andrea Tafi (Alessio-Bianchi) launched a solo break, putting 2:55 on the bunch before Rabobank organized a chase to

The 17th annual Taipei International Cycle Show is in full swing in Taiwan this week, and VeloNews technical writer Lennard Zinn is there plying the aisles to catch a glimpse of some of the product we can expect to hit the shelves at our local bike shops in the coming year. ITM wraps it upITM has discovered that wrapping the center section of an aluminum bar with carbon saves weight, increases strength, stiffness and fatigue life, and is way cheaper than an entire carbon bar. Same goes for a carbon-wrapped seat post. This does not apply to the carbon-wrapped stem, however, since this is a

One look at the short track course at Cameron Park, and you knew the day’s racing was going to be more fat boy crit than traditional STXC. With more than half the circuit on paved road, a blistering pace and bar-to-bar racing was almost guaranteed. The only question was whether anyone would be able to make a break stick, or would things come down to a sprint. The answer was both on Saturday at the opening race of the NORBA National Mountain Bike Series in Waco, Texas. In the women’s race, it was Canadian Alison Sydor earning her second win in two days, after charging away from American

Women's 500m time trial1 Natalia Tsylinskaya (Blr),34:587 (52.043 kph),2 Anna Meares (Aus),34:5973 Yvonne Hijgenaar (Nl),34:8644 Cuihua Jiang (Chn),34:9405 Simona Krupeckaite (Lit),35:1276 Svetlana Grankovskaia (Rus),35:1757 Lori-Ann Muenzer (Can),35:2358 Nancy Contreras Reyes (Mex),35:2709 Clara Sanchez (F),35:41310 Elisa Frisioni (I),35:50511 Iryna Yanovych (Ukr),35:60112 Sayuri Osuga (Jpn),35:89413 Yumary Gonzalez Valdinieso (Cub), 36:31514 Diana Garcia (Col),36:37815 Karelia Juthid Machado Jaimes (Vz), 36:68516 Tanya Lindenmuth (USA),37:10717 Szilvia Szabolcsi (Hun),37:204Women's 3000m

The 17th annual Taipei International Cycle Show is in full swing in Taiwan this week and VeloNews technical writer Lennard Zinn is there plying the aisles to catch a glimpse of some of the product we can expect to hit the shelves of our local bike shops in the coming year. New PlayersCompetition has consistently driven manufacturing costs down over the last few decades. Bike production, once centered in Europe, moved to Japan in the 1970s and ‘80s, then to Taiwan and eventually to the People’s Republic of China. Now a new player is entering the market, perhaps giving even producers in the

A cagey Denis Menchov (Illes Baleares) held his fire until the final kilometers, then took his best shot, chasing down and outsprinting a three-man breakaway on the Col de Manse to claim the 173.5km sixth stage of Paris-Nice race from Rasteau to Gap on Friday. The threesome of Spaniard Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi), American Floyd Landis (U.S. Postal) and Belgian Dave Bruylandts (Chocolade Jacques) had surged ahead on the final climb, some 10km from the line. But Menchov leapt from the first chase group to join the trio, then pipped them at the finish in a four-up dash to the line.

Spaniard Oscar Freire (Rabobank) took the lead in the Tirreno-Adriatico cycling race after winning the 168km third stage between Maddaloni and Isernia on Friday. The 28-year-old Freire came in ahead of Ukrainian rider Vladimir Duma (Landbouwkrediet-Colnago) and Rabobank teammate Michael Boogerd of the Netherlands for his third stage win of the season. He overtakes Italian Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo), winner of the first two stages, as the overall leader. The battle started early with a series of attacks from Spaniard Angel Vicioso (Liberty Seguros), Estonian Janek Tombak (Cofidis)

Leading a strong Canadian showing that has typified the NORBA series for several years now, Alison Sydor and Seamus McGrath posted the top time-trial times at the National Mountain Bike Series opener on Friday in Waco, Texas. In a flip-flop of usual protocol, the men kicked off the day’s racing, which was held on the twisty trails of Waco’s Cameron Park. The course was a three-mile circuit that started on pavement, but quickly gave way to tight single-track that kept riders on their toes the entire time. “There wasn’t much climbing, but it was really sketchy and loose in a lot of the

Two-time defending champion Alexandre Vinokourov dedicated his win in the 215km fifth stage of Paris-Nice to his friend Andrei Kivilev who was killed in last year's event. "It's fantastic. I wanted to win for him," said the 30-year-old Kazakh rider of the stage he was determined to win in memory of compatriot Kivilev, who died after a fall on March 11, 2003. Winner of the last two editions of Paris-Nice, Vinokourov missed a key break on Monday and now sits more than five minutes down in the overall standings. But on Thursday, Vinokourov managed to join a key CSC-driven break that resembled

With great fanfare, awarding of prizes for design innovations, political speeches, and a ribbon cutting ceremony, the four-day, 17th annual Taipei International Cycle Show is off, once again marking the beginning of the bicycle selling season. This where the big orders are placed by some of the world’s largest manufacturers and importers. It’s also where hush-hush new developments for as far out as the 2005 season and beyond are revealed, albeit generally to major buyers and behind closed doors. Still, new products that have not yet been seen abound and in many cases they’ve already been

With a start list that included Tinker Juarez, Dave Wiens and a pair of Subaru-Gary Fisher pros, Charlie Storm had to figure a top five would have been a great day. Throw in the fact that Storm flatted on the first lap of the 60-mile marathon race that kicked off the first stop of the NORBA Mountain Bike Series in Texas, and a top 10 would have looked pretty good. But that puncture — and one to the lead moto — turned out to be Storm’s lucky break. While he was pulled off on the side of the 20-mile circuit that twisted its way through the Broken Oak and C-Bar ranches 30 miles south of Waco,

Levi Leipheimer is racing in this week’s Paris-Nice, where his Rabobank team was hoping to push Erik Dekker onto the winner’s podium. That is until Team CSC blew the race apart in Stage 2, leaving Dekker and Leipheimer more than 5 minutes in their wake. Leipheimer entered Paris-Nice with a different frame of mind from last year, when he focused his entire season on the Tour de France. Leipheimer crashed out of last year’s Tour in the first road stage, breaking a bone in his hip that later impaired his preparation for the 2003 Vuelta a España. This year, Leipheimer is changing his tune

Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo) won his second-straight stage at Tirreno-Adriatico, beating former world champion Mario Cipollini in the race to the line at the end of Thursday's 184km second stage into Maddaloni on Thursday. The 30-year-old Petacchi continues as overall race leader after also winning Wednesday's first stage. French riders Stephane Auge and none other than Jacky Durand made the first break at the 40km mark but failed to build up sufficient distance and were quickly caught with French Cofidis rider Mederic Clain taking up the challenge with German Danilo Hondo. Some

While Shimano and RockShox/SRAM have each scheduled their official worldwide press launches for two weeks from now, quite a bit of information has already leaked out of both companies regarding their 2005 technology.In order to quell the leaks – or at least ensure the accuracy of the news that’s out there – both companies opted to open their respective information floodgates at least part of the way on Tuesday when they each issued “pre-release” press releases. Look for complete reports from RockShox’s March 28th-31st press camp in Las Vegas and Shimano’s Los Angeles product launch on April

Snow has forced the cancellation of the fourth stage of Paris-Nice, a planned 179km race through the mountainous Loire and Auvergne regions of central France Wednesday. Race director Jean-Marie Leblanc said conditions on the day's biggest climb, the Category 2 Col de la Croix de l'Homme Mort, made racing unsafe. "It's minus four degrees (Celsius) on Col de la Croix de l'Homme Mort, the road is wet and the snow is still falling," said Leblanc after the start time was pushed back twice before finally being cancelled. German CSC rider Jörg Jaksche holds the overall race lead with a six-second

Super sprinter Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo) won the first stage of the 39th Tirreno-Adriatico as it finished in Sabaudia on the Mediterranean coast on Wednesday. The 30-year-old sprint specialist was the fastest in a bunch sprint, crossing the finish line of the 169km stage in 3:55:31. German pair Erik Zabel (T-Mobile) and Danilo Hondo (Gerolsteiner) were second and third respectively. Petacchi said his 60th career victory and his third of the season owed much to the performance of teammate Guido Trenti. "Trenti guided me very well and although I thought I went a little early in

Editor's note: A quick glance over the resultspage of this year's edition of Paris-Nice will suggest the Bobby Julichis having a good start to the 2004 season. As of Tuesday, Julich is thirdplace in the overall standings, 18 seconds behind his CSC teammate JörgJaksche. At this point in the year, things are shaping up nicely for the32-year-old American, who spent an afternoon earlier this year speakingwith VeloNews European correspondent Andrew Hood about his new teamand his hopes for the coming season. This story originally appeared inthe March 8, 2004 edition of VeloNews.When Bjarne Riis

Lotto's Leon van Bon won the third stage of Paris-Nice, a 229km ride between Chapelle-Saint-Ursin and Roanne on Tuesday, finishing just ahead of Gerolsteiner's Thomas Ziegler. Van Bon and Ziegler slipped off the front of the field just before the 30km mark and built up a lead that peaked at more 13 minutes at one point. The two finished just ahead of the main field, nearly 200km after their initial escape. Quick Step's Tom Boonen won the field sprint 25 seconds after the two leaders crossed the line. German CSC rider Jörg Jaksche retained the overall race lead with a six-second advantage

Murcia ended up being quite successful for the team: we accomplished morethan we had set out to with two stage wins and a solid team effort. U.S.Postal currently has the most victories of any team in the professionalpeloton which isn’t bad considering we were the last to start racing. Friday’s stage at Murcia was a little harder than the profile had suggestedand some serpentine undulating roads took most of the peloton by surprise,split things up and zapped a good amount of energy out of everybody’s legsand spirits. It ended up being good for us as the challenge of the course made therace

U.S. Postal leader Lance Armstrong has decided to ride in this year's Dauphine Libere as part of his preparation for a record sixth Tour de France title in July. "I've changed my mind," said 32-year-old Armstrong, who was not expected to race in the event from June 6-13 in southeast France which he has won for the past two years. But Armstrong, who has hinted that he could quit at the end of the season, changed his mind because this year's race includes a time-trial up Mont Ventoux, which will aid his preparation for Alpe d'Huez time-trail which is seen as a key to this year's Tour de

Over the past two weeks, organizers of last year’s Grand Prix FemininInternational du Canada, and the Canadian Cycling Association have sent out conflicting press releases regarding the future of this year’s race. Organizers of the 2003 event, from the Lac St Jean-Saguenay region in eastern Quebec, released a statement saying that they would not be presenting the event in 2004 – slated for August 4 to 8 – because of its potential scheduling conflict with the Athens Olympics. While the promoters said that there would be an expected lack of interest from European teams in 2004, the race would

It was a day of heavy damage in Monday’s second stage of Paris-Nice. No, no one crashed, but a half-dozen favorites were all-but-eliminated when Team CSC and U.S. Postal Service collaborated to drive a deep five-minute wedge into the eight-day race. Five Postals and the entire CSC team drove a lead group of 36 into Montargis in the windy 166.5km stage across rolling farmland south of Paris. Spanish rider Pedro Horrillo (Quick Step) rejoiced in his most important victory of his career while two-time defending champion Alexandre Vinokourov (T-Mobile), Erik Dekker (Rabobank), Laurent