Ever get back from a vacation and only weeks later remember you still have undeveloped photos? In the digital age, there's less of an excuse but, nonetheless I still had a few left-over shots banging about my hard drive from the Interbike show. The following shots are some of random highs and lows of the 2003 Interbike trade show. Enjoy! Andrew--
Dear Monique,I have a question about nutrient uptakes. I have vitamin/mineral fortifiedcereals in the morning with breakfast. I also take supplements, usuallyafter dinner. Would it be better to take the supplement with my breakfast?I suppose the high concentration of nutrients would allow them to takenup faster. Or maybe spreading them out over multiple meals allow the bodyto extract them more efficiently or selectively.Thanks.RSDear RS;Thanks for your question. Many of us consume fortified foods in ourdiet or choose to take a multivitamin mineral supplement for extra nutrientinsurance that
The official details of the 2004 Tour de France won’t be announced untilThursday morning in Paris, but through a little detective work, some intuitionand a few wild guesses here’s what next year's route could looklike, stage by stage.Saturday, July 3: Liège Prologue Time Trial (6km)The prologue and the following two stages in Belgium were announcedsome time ago. This is a perfectly flat individual time trial startingand finishing on the famed Boulevard de la Sauvinière, where April’sLiège-Bastogne-Liège used to finish until the early 1990s.Should be a perfect
Lance Armstrong and Jan Ullrich will be among the big names gathering inParis on Thursday for the unveiling of the 2004 Tour de France.Tour director Jean-Marie Leblanc will officially reveal the 2004 routein a flashy ceremony in the Palais des Congres in Paris. While it likelywon’t pack the pomp and circumstance of last year’s ceremony when nearlyall the surviving winners came to mark the Tour’s centenary, the annualunveiling ceremony is always a big show.There’s been plenty of speculation about where the course will go, butuntil Thursday’s ceremony it’s all just guess work. What’s known for
This is the final report card for the Hamilton Road World Championships.In my first report card, back in the spring, I assigned an overall gradeof B-Minus, and two weeks before the start of the event, the grade improvedto a B. Now, it is time for the final grade. As previously, grades areassigned for key aspects of the event and organization, followed by theoverall grade.Course: A+ (previously an A+)While the fields of competitors did not break up as much as expected,the course cannot be faulted. Teams rode defensively, with few riders willingto stick their neck out at the front of the race.
Belgian cycling great Johan Museeuw has announced plans to retire from the sport next spring, ending a 16-year career that has seen the “Lion of Flanders” win Paris-Roubaix three times. Museeuw inked an agreement this week to stay with his Quick Step–Davitamon team, but only through the first part of the 2004 season, when the 37-year-old will retire from the sport. According to a press release issued by Quick Step on Wednesday, Museeuw reached his decision at a meeting organised by the team in Brussels this week. Museeuw’s career will end with the GP Escaut – Scheldeprijs Vlaanderen,
Dear Lennard;I have used your book "Zinn & the Art of Road Bike Maintenance"quite a bit and love it. I just bought a road frame and am building a bikefrom scratch. Your book has lots of useful information, but I probablyneed more instruction on building up a bike (what order to do things in,etc.). Is there anything you can recommend?--JohnDear John;I can certainly recommend my "Mountain Bike Performance Handbook" ifyou are starting out with tapping and facing the bottom bracket and reamingand facing the head tube. You can buy that book from me directly, sinceVeloPress/VeloGear does not stock
Just a few weeks ago, ONCE and Banesto both seemed doomed to the history books and commentators were bemoaning the fate of Spanish cycling. There was talk of hundreds of professional racers, masseurs, sport directors and other personnel hitting the streets without a job. Following Monday’s news that Banesto will carry on with Balearic Islands, things are looking rather bright once again. ONCE seems poised to continue with the Italian tool-maker Stayer (though there’s been no official announcement) and Saunier Duval is stepping up from co-sponsor of the Vini Caldirola team to build its own
A new technical edict from cycling’s international governing body has sent professional cyclo-cross racers scrambling for new equipment… and maybe grasping for an explanation. According to a technical updated posted to USA Cycling’s website, professional cyclo-cross racers will no longer be able to run disc brakes in UCI sanctioned events. According to the report, the ban will take effect on November 1, 2003, forcing riders and sponsors to quickly re-equip bikes. In some cases, that replacement doesn’t come easily. According to Chris Peck, Cannondale’s director of research and development,
American Levi Leipheimer has signed a one-year contract to continue with the Dutch Rabobank team for the 2004 season. Leipheimer, who turns 30 on Friday, said he signed the contract extension before the end of the 2003 Vuelta a España, where he finished 58th overall. Leipheimer penned a two-year deal with Rabobank after his breakthrough third-place podium finish in the 2001 Vuelta, becoming the first American to finish on the Vuelta’s final podium. In 2002, he won a stage and the overall title at the Route du Sud and finished an impressive eighth-place in his Tour de France
One of the most successful professional cycling programs of the past two decades avoided disaster Monday when Banesto team officials signed a new three-year sponsorship deal with the government of Spain's Balearic Islands.Spanish radio reported Monday afternoon that team manager Jose Miguel Echavarri has formalized a three-year deal with the Balearic Islands regional government. Banesto, the Spanish bank that supported the team through the Miguel Indurain glory years, will remain on as a co-sponsor for at least the first year.The official name of the team is still not known, but the name
Just like last year, Michele Bartoli (Fassa Bortolo) won Saturday’s Giro di Lombardia, the final major European race of the 2003 racing season. Just like last year, Bartoli was left off the Italian road world’s team and came into the “Race of the Falling Leaves” with something to prove. Unlike last year, this time he won the hilly Lombardia with a forceful solo attack with less than 20km to go. Cofidis rider Angelo Lopeboselli was the only rider who stood up to the challenge, but the cagey Bartoli held off the young gun to sprint to victory. Saturday’s 97th running of Lombardia started with
When Marc Gullickson decided to fly back east for the opening round of the 2003 Verge New England Cyclo-cross Series in New Gloucester, Maine, the Redline racer really didn’t know what to expect. With the world road championships only a week prior, surely top New England ‘crossers like Tim Johnson and Mark McCormack (Saturn) would rest after their efforts in Hamilton. But Gullickson, the defending New England series champion, ended up with a tougher fight on his hands than he might have imagined, as McCormack and five-time Canadian ‘cross champ Peter Wedge (Kona) both made surprise
British cyclist Charles Wegelius, who rides for the Italian second division team De Nardi failed a blood test in Bergamo, Italy, Saturday, ruling him out of the Tour of Lombardy, the final leg of the 10-race World Cup. The De Nardi team's manager said however that Wegelius would undergo “every test possible” on Monday to prove he has not been doping. Wegelius was ruled out of Saturday's race, and for competition for the next two weeks, after a pre-race blood test showed his haematocrit level to be above the permitted threshold of 50 percent. The 25-year-old, who was born in Finland, will
Dear Monique;My question revolves around the hydrationarticle you wrote on October 1st. I typically drink lots of water-all day long. I would say on a typical day a gallon or so is the average.I usually don’t mix in any electrolytes like Gatorade, or anything else.My question arises from this: A good friend went to the doctor recentlythinking he might be diabetic because he would get very lethargic throughoutthe day (and during workouts).The doctor told him he was drinking too much straight water anddiluting his system. Is this possible? We live in Florida, so we consistentlytrain in 90+
Dear Doc;I am a 35-year-old Category 2 road racer who just got over a bout with West Nile fever. I was diagnosed thorough the IgM titer and from the week long symptoms of fever, head ache, body aches and dehydration. I was unlucky to get sick but lucky to get over it without any major events besides missing four days of work and feeling totally wasted for a few days after the fever was gone. I am riding the bike again after a 10 day hiatus. I have lost all my strength and power. But have conserved the aerobic fitness. My heart rates are 10-15 beat higher than before when riding. Resting
The 2003 European road racing season wraps up Saturday with the 97thGiro di Lombardia in northern Italy.Also the final leg of the 10-round World Cup series, the “Race of the Falling Leaves” is traditionally the season’s last major race. Series leader Paolo Bettini (Quick Step) has an untouchable advantage and will win his second consecutive overall title.The 250km course follows tradition, starting in Como, hitting such steep climbs as the Madonna del Ghisallo, the Colle del Gallo and the Colle Aperto before the finish in Bergamo.Returning champion Michele Bartoli (Fassa Bortolo) will be
There’s a brewing storm over speculation that four elite men competitors from last weekend’s road world championships in Canada might have failed anti-doping tests. According to reports in the European press, urine samples from two Spanish, one Belgian and one Italian rider have been shipped to the UCI’s anti-doping lab in Switzerland for tests to detect the presence of EPO, a banned performance-enhancing product. The French sports daily L’Equipe reported that pre-race random blood screenings Friday and Saturday revealed “abnormal parameters” and urine samples were later taken for
1. Hydrapak Air Scoop RaceSilly as it sounds, many racers don't wear hydration packs simply because they cover up valuable sponsorship territory across their backs. Hydrapak's new Air Scoop Team pack solves the problem with a removable and interchangeable Lycra cover which can be printed with your sponsors logos or simply your favorite stylings. The bladder offers 70 fl. oz. of capacity, while the pack offers 125 cu. In. of capacity. Together the $60 pack weighs a scant 1 pound. 2. Pearl Izumi Viper shoePart of Pearl's new high-end Red Label collection, the revamped Viper off-road shoe
Ever since Canada won its bid for the world championships three years ago at the Plouay world’s, I have had the race in Hamilton in the back of my mind. To race the world’s on Canadian soil is more than a dream come true, and to race it an hour from where I grew up is more than I had ever imagined. The last weeks, since the Vuelta, I had been training with George Hincapie in South Carolina. For the most part I was taking it easy and trying to recover from the Vuelta and sleeping and relaxing as much as possible. I had no idea how I would be after the Vuelta as it was the first time I had
Italian rider Mirko Celestino (Saeco) was fastest in the bunch to claim the 88th Milan-Turin race in Italy on Wednesday. Celestino, the Milan-Turin winner of 2001, edged compatriot Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner) and Spanish rider Miguel Angel Martin Perdiguero (Domina Vacanze), who came across third. The 199-kilometer race was the first of three races that make up the “Trittico Rosa,” which continues Thursday with the Tour of Piedmont and concludes Saturday with the Giro di Lombardia.88th Milan-Turin (UCI 1.1), Oct. 15, Italy, 199km1. Mirko Celestino, Saeco 4 hours, 56 minutes, 52 seconds
I only get nervous for a few races each season and the world championship road races had my heart racing all weekend - although, I am not sure if I was more nervous for Michael’s race or for mine. The races in Hamilton provided a few surprises this past weekend. After previewing the course on Thursday and chatting with many of the men and women about the difficulty of the hills, the expectation was that the races would be much more selective than they were. We encountered two climbs per 12-kilometer lap. The first was 1.5 kilometers and the second was 2 kilometers in length. This did not
Oscar Sevilla will leave his longtime team Kelme and ride next season alongside Tyler Hamilton on the Swiss team Phonak, according to reports Wednesday in the Spanish press. Sevilla will reportedly sign a one-year, 800,000 Euro contract, with his major goals as top helper for Hamilton and podium contender for the Tour de France and team captain for the Vuelta a España. It’s bad news for Kelme, which insisted the team had a verbal agreement before the start of the 2003 Vuelta with the popular Spanish rider who missed this year’s Tour due to lingering problems with a cyst. “He has to give us an
There was good news coming from Australia as Navigators reported that Henk Vogels took his first ride since his near-fatal crash June 29. Vogels was seriously injured in a high-speed crash in the third stage of the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic. The team was relieved to report that the 30-year-old Australian was able to ride for 30km in a very light gear, with the objective of increasing range of motion and circulation. Vogels told team director Ed Beamon, “it really hurt and it’s good to be back on the bike.” No word yet on if or when Vogels will be able to race again, but the team reported:
“So, what’s the coolest thing you’ve seen?” is pretty much the standard greeting at the Interbike trade show. With bike industry types from all over the world wandering the aisles of the Sands Convention Center opinions and answers can vary on that question. For me, I figure I’d start with five bikes I would love to see hanging in my garage some time soon. Kestrel limited-edition Tiki KM40The KM40 is distinctive in its smooth lines and lack of a seat tube, but its monocoque construction makes it cost-prohibitive to make a lot of sizes, so only two were ever offered, namely 52 and 56cm. The
Understanding that Interbike is a big show and there are a lot of cool new products here, culling it down to a handful of items is not only daunting, it is so subjective that you could argue until the cows come home about which items really are the best. Nonetheless, I’ll give it a shot, focusing on a few items that cool items that solve some problems you may have experienced… well and a few flashy items as well. Titec Knock Scoper seatpostAnyone with a full suspension bike that has an interrupted seat tube knows the frustration of not being able to lower their saddle as much as they might
On the final day of the Interbike trade show, we let a few of our editors loose with their digital cameras to grab a look at some of their favorite eye candy.
As photo editor of VeloNews, I spend my days living the lives and race experiences of the pro pelotons around the world vicariously through the eyes and lenses of some of the best photographers in the world. Unfortunately, most of the time this takes place while chained to my desk in VeloNews world headquarters in Boulder, Colorado, and my interaction with both the riders and their machines is limited to two dimensional representations, usually digitized on a computer screen. Interbike provides me with the rare opportunity to see with my own eyes, and more importantly touch with my own
Everyone talks of the dominance of the Italians, but since 1995, it’s been the Spanish that have ruled the men’s road world championships. Spain has won seven world championship medals to Italy’s five since 1995, including four world titles to Italy’s one.
Newly crowned world road race champion Igor Astarloa has backtracked on his allegation that Italian ace Paolo Bettini tried to bribe him during Sunday's race. Astarloa claimed in Spanish newspapers on Monday that Bettini had offered him money to help him during the race. "Coming into the final climb Bettini offered me money to collaborate with him," he was quoted as saying. "He suggested we break away together and fight out the gold medal between us. I couldn't accept that." According to Bettini's camp Astarloa has since phoned the Italian to apologize. "Astarloa said that he didn't
Belgian Erwin Vervecken and five-time national champion Alison Dunlap repeated their feats of a day earlier on Sunday, besting their respective fields consecutively during a two-day swing of UCI-sanctioned cyclo-cross events in the northwest. After a difficult day of racing in Tacoma, Washington, on October 11, the country’s top ‘cross racers drove three hours south to Portland, Oregon, for the Saturn Stumptown Classic, an event organized by the promoters of the area’s Cyclo-cross Crusade, one of the world’s most highly attended ‘cross series. As expected, over 400 participants showed up,
Morati SC 1.3 Ti Pro disc brake road bikeBuilt in the Czech Republic by aerospace manufacturer Mora Aerospace (now owned by Honeywell) Morati produces some of the most innovative titanium bicycles on the market. Most striking on this, the opening day of the 2003 Interbike trade show, was a full equipped Hayes mechanical disc brake road bike. Built using the company's SC 1.3 Ti Pro platform, the frame boasts the addition of a rear disc brake, a 130mm spaced VeloMax wheelset and reinforced Morati disc brake specific titanium road fork. While we're seeing disc brake technology slowly creeping
As photo editor of VeloNews, I spend my days living the lives and race experiences of the pro pelotons around the world vicariously through the eyes and lenses of some of the best photographers in the world. Unfortunately, most of the time this takes place while chained to my desk in VeloNews world headquarters in Boulder, Colorado, and my interaction with both the riders and their machines is limited to two dimensional representations, usually digitized on a computer screen. Interbike provides me with the rare opportunity to see with my own eyes, and more importantly touch with my own
Interbike: A view from the floor (Monday afternoon)
The key moment in Sunday’s magnificent world elite men’s road race championship — watched by an enthusiastic 104,000 fans — came 15 minutes from the finish of the 260.4km race, just after a peloton, still 90-strong, started the last of 21 laps. Igor Astarloa, winner this year of the Flèche Wallonne classic in Belgium, was riding alongside his Spanish team leader Oscar Freire, the two-time world champion. “I spoke with Oscar,” Astarloa said, “and he told me that he wasn’t feeling strong enough to follow [Paolo] Bettini, who was sure to attack on the final lap. So he told me to follow Bettini
What a place!The new Bootleg Canyon venue near Boulder City for the 2003 Interbike On-Dirt Demo made for great mountain-bike riding, no matter what you’re into – unless it’s trials. Where the Blue Diamond Ranch venue west of Las Vegas of the past few years had limited trail mileage, all of which were cross-country trails, this location southeast of Vegas has a vast number of challenging cross-country loops, many of which are many miles long. In addition, it boasts a half-dozen steep downhill trails (with names like Kevorkian, Poopchute and Elevator Shaft) dropping down from the top of a
Just after completing a training lap around the 12.3km Hamilton roadrace circuit Saturday morning, George Hincapie was asked what he thoughtabout the course. “It’s very hard,” he said. “So I’m very happy to haveFreddy on the team, he’s going well.” Hincapie was referring to his friend Fred Rodriguez, who has replacedChristian Vande Velde in the U.S. team lineup. “The decision was prettymuch made on Sunday after Paris-Tours,” Rodriguez said. “Christian wason the team, and Christian wasn’t feeling up for it. I’d been talking toGeorge, and I didn’t think I’d be up for it, but I said if you
1. Ivan Basso (I)2. Paolo Bettini (I)3. Francesco Casagrande (I)4. Danilo Di Luca (I)5. Dario Frigo (I)6. Giovanni Lombardi (I)7. Cristian Moreni (I)8. Daniele Nardello (I)9. Andrea Noe (I)10. Luca Paolini (I)11. Fabio Sacchi (I)12. Mario Scirea (I)13. Allan Davis (Aus)14. Scott Davis (Aus)15. Ben Day (Aus)16. Mathew Hayman (Aus)17. Michael Rogers (Aus)18. Scott Sunderland (Aus)19. Matthew White (Aus)20. Rolf Aldag (G)21. Bert Grabsch (G)22. Torsten Hiekmann (G)23. Matthias Kessler (G)24. Andreas Klier (G)25. Sebastian Lang (G)26. Ronny Scholz (G)27. Stephan Schreck (G)28. Patrik Sinkewitz
He had the form at the world championships on Sunday, and he proved that an American-based road pro can mix it up with Euro’ stars like David Millar, Paolo Bettini and Peter Van Petegem. But at the end of a long, successful season Chris Horner still doesn’t know how he’ll pay the bills next year. “I’m looking for a job,” Horner said after an aggressive performance in the elite men’s race in Hamilton that saw him in several breaks, including one with world time trial champion Millar. “I was trying to prove today that I can ride with the big boys.” Few can question that. The end result
Spain's Igor Astarloa of Spain jumped 25 places to the top 20 of the InternationalCycling Union's world rankings following his victory in the men's cyclingroad race at the world road championships Sunday.Italy's Paolo Bettini, the two-time World Cup winner who had been favoriteto win the world title, still leads ahead of compatriot Alessandro Petacchi,who sits in a career-high second place.Former world champion Mario Cipollini of Italy, absent from the championships,dropped from 29th to 85th place.UCI Rankings – as of October 121. Paolo Bettini (ITA), 2271 pts2. Alessandro Petacchi (ITA),
Sweden’s Susanne Ljungskog scored her second consecutive world championship on Saturday, winning a physical, bar-to-bar sprint over a group of five other survivors at the end of the 124km elite women’s road race in the streets of Hamilton, Ontario. For the thousands gathered in front of Hamilton City Hall to witness the finish on Main Street, it was an electric ending to the day, but the final sprint was just one part of the most scintillating race seen so far at the 2003 road world’s. The real drama of the day was provided by a very familiar face, one that has been thrilling racing fans
Located 23 miles southwest of Las Vegas’(in)famous Strip, Boulder City’sBootleg Canyon park was ground zero for the 2003 Interbike Expo’s OutDoorDemo. Brimming with over 150 exhibitors this year, the event has grownalmost exponentially over its eight years. In fact, Interbike organizers felt the Outdoor Demo had outgrown bothits old location and its single-day format, expanding the event to a muchlarger venue and two-day format. This year offered not only a three loopcross-country mountain bike track and closed two mile road circuit, butalso boasted a 750 foot BMX track and shuttle-served
Racing in the United States for the first time in two years, Belgian 2001 world cyclo-cross champion Erwin Vervecken (SpaarSelect) dominated an impressive list of domestic ‘cross racers Saturday, taking a 13-second victory over former national champion Marc Gullickson (Redline) at the Clif Bar Grand Prix, held in Tacoma, Washington’s Fort Steilacoom Park. The only UCI Cat-2 event on the west coast for the 2003 season, the event drew former national champion Todd Wells (Mongoose-Hyundai), Andy Jacques Maynes and Jackson Stewart (Clif Bar), local favorite Johnny Sundt (K2), Ben Jacques-Maynes
Editor's note: This preview was written prior to this morning'sannouncement that Canada's Geneviève Jeanson will not be starting today'sroad race because of an elevate hematocrit level. It was also later announcedthat Nicole Brändli of Switzerland will not be racing because of illness.Saturday afternoon’s elite women’s road race should be one of the mostexciting editions of this event since women’s racing was introduced tothe world championships 45 years ago.It will be a truly intergenerational contest, with the 10-lap 123kmrace including five former winners (defending champion Susanne
The pall thrown over the Canadian team at the world championships Saturday, when its star rider Geneviève Jeanson was declared “inapt” to compete after a high hematocrit reading in a UCI blood test, was partially lifted at a press conference given by the team Saturday evening. Jeanson attended the press conference and said that her above-47-percent hematocrit level can only be due to her sleeping in an altitude tent — a common practice among top riders, including Lance Armstrong. “I started using the tent in 1998,” she said, “and I use it all the time.” Jeanson said she was in a state of
The future of Dutch cycling appears to be in capable hands. A strong team effort by the Netherlands helped Kai Reus win the junior men’s road world title on Saturday morning in Hamilton, Ontario. Reus’s win brought the medal total for the Netherlands to six, all captured in junior and under-23 race categories. Anders Lund of Denmark came second after outsprinting others in the chasing group with Lukas Fus of the Czech Republic placing third to take the bronze medal. Reus attacked on the final climb of a hard-fought 124km race to take the first solo road victory of the 2003 road world’s.
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With a powerful finishing kick disguised by her small build, 17-year-old Loes Markerink of the Netherlands won Friday’s junior women’s road race, adding a gold medal to the silver that she collected in Monday’s time trial. Markerink survived several crashes, 12 trips up Hamilton’s steep Niagara Escarpment, and a flurry of last-lap attacks to become the first double medal winner at the 2003 world road championships. “This race was very hard,” Markerink said of the six-lap, 73.8km race through the streets of Hamilton, Ontario. “In Holland there are no hills. For me, this was
No one can know how a world’s road circuit will perform until it is really tested. Although the one at Hamilton was used for the Canadian nationals a couple of months ago — and produced solo winners in both the men’s and women’s races — the world’s are different. Happily, the hilly Hamilton course proved its worth Friday afternoon, when three of the most aggressive riders in the 173.6km under-23 men race took the three medals: gold for Sergey Lagutin of Uzbekistan, silver for Johan Van Summeren of Belgium, and bronze for Thomas Dekker of the Netherlands. Lagutin, the most talented rider to
Spain’s Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano stopped just four kilometers from Thursday’s finish line in the men’s elite world champion time trial race because of acute pain in his lower back prevented him from breathing properly. According to ONCE team doctor Pedro Celaya, who was following behind in a support car, said Galdeano suffered an intense muscle contraction in his lower rib cage soon after the Spanish star worked his way through a tricky corner. While it was initially reported that last year’s bronze medalist crashed in the turn, Celaya reports that Galdeano simply stopped because he
This is the one and only time during my cycling career that I have had the opportunity to race the world championships on home soil (or almost home). The host city, Hamilton, Ontario, is just 30 minutes from the center of Toronto, where my husband, Michael Barry, grew up and just a stone’s throw from my own hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. For Michael and me, it is a dream to race a world championship with our friends and family on site to push us up the hills. Michael grew up riding along the Niagara escarpment that we will race up and down in Hamilton. He has shared these roads with me
There was a very telling remark made by David Millar after he trounced the opposition in Thursday’s elite men’s time trial at sunny Hamilton, Ontario. “I’ve been like a junior the past 10 days,” he said, “just scared.” He was scared because he didn’t want to come up short again, as he did two years ago in Lisbon, Portugal, where Jan Ullrich made a desperate last push to snatch the victory from Millar. There was no doubt this time. He defeated an excellent Michael Rogers of Australia by 1:25 — it would have been closer to a minute had Rogers not flatted with 8km remaining — with Germany’s
Two-time Giro d’Italia champion Gilberto Simoni (Saeco) said he wants anothershot at the Tour de France, but wouldn’t elaborate on reports that he’llskip the Giro to prepare solely for the Tour.“I still haven’t made my program for next season, but with a preparedteam I could be closer to winning the Tour de France,” Simoni said duringa press conference in Palermo. “It’s too early to say what I will racenext year because this season is still not over.”Simoni barnstormed to a dominate Giro victory last May, but sputteredagainst winner Lance Armstrong in the Tour. Simoni rebounded to win a
It wasn’t your normal weekday morning in the city of Hamilton, Ontario. “I need a German-English dictionary,” said the waitress at the Sunrise Restaurant as she topped off a cup of coffee. “And French, Italian and Swiss….” The streets of this no-nonsense center of industry, which usually goes by the name “Steel City,” have been taken over by foreigners, some wearing bug-eyed Rudy Project helmet shields and others asking where they can get a decent espresso. The local media seems mostly delighted with the spotlight on Hamilton, and the Hamilton Spectator newspaper is even printing special
After watching the five time trials at the 2003 road world’s, and witnessingthe damage done by the climbs up Hamilton’s Niagara Escarpment, everyoneis wondering what many more repetitions of those climbs will effect onthe road-race fields.The first opportunity to see what will happen on the 12.3km road-racecircuit comes on Friday, particularly in the under-23 men’s 14-lap, 172.2kmevent. Fourteen times up the 1.5km, 6-prcent Beckett Drive and 14 timesup the 2km, 5-percent Claremont Access adds up to virtually 10,000 feetof climbing.The feeling among seasoned race observers is that not many
Specialists are changing the face of cycling, particularly the world championships, UCI president Hein Verbruggen said in an interview with Reuters on Tuesday. Verbruggen noted that “specialists,” who focus on big events such as the Tour de France, have changed the dynamic of the season. Verbruggen’s comments come as five-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong and many of cycling’s top stars are giving this week’s world championships a pass. Since the UCI moved the road racing championships from late August and early September to early October, riders often complain the season is too
Looking like a young Viatcheslav Ekimov, compact and powerful, 18-year-old Mikhail Ignatiev put in an impressive performance to win the junior men’s time trial for the second year in succession on Wednesday. This second world TT title goes with the four rainbow jerseys he has won in the past two track world’s: two team pursuit titles along with the points race (2002) and Madison (2003). In 2002, on the flat Zolder, Belgium, TT course, the dark-haired Russian won by 10 seconds over Australian Mark Jamieson. On Wednesday in Hamilton, Ignatiev was already 12 seconds ahead of the competition
After Judith Arndt finished second to take the silver medal in the elite women’s time trial at the Hamilton road world’s on Wednesday, the German rider said what everybody already knew about Joane Somarriba, the woman who had beaten Arndt to take the world title. “Joane prepares herself for two or three events during the year,” Arndt said. “And then she wins.” It made perfect sense that Somarriba, the Spanish climbing specialist you usually see winning grand tours, not one-day events like the world time trial championship, circled this day on her calendar. Hamilton is not your average TT
In this 10th year of elite men’s time trialing at the road world’s therehas been an alternation between wins by specialists and all-rounders. SpecialistsChris Boardman (1994), Abraham Olano (1998), Sergei Gontchar (2000) andSantiago Botero (2002) took the title on courses that were devoid of seriousclimbs, while grand tour winners Miguel Induráin (1995), Alex Zülle(1996), Laurent Jalabert and Jan Ullrich (2001) won on tougher courses.Of the 44 starters in Thursday’s 41.3km elite men’s TT (two laps ofthe hilly circuit raced by elite women and junior men on Wednesday), thereare two riders who
PreservationistDear Lennard;I have several repair books including your “Art of Road Bike Maintenance,”and I can’t find the answer to this question. I have a nice late '80s Stronglightcrank that has the threads stripped on the drive side where you put thetool in to extract the crank. Is there anything I can do to get the crankoff and save the BB and crank?--Drew Dear Drew;Were you ever a trumpeter or other brass instrument player? I was,and I frequently managed to get my mouthpiece stuck in my trumpet. To removeit, you had to slip two notched steel plates around the tube of the mouthpiece,one
The 12-man Spanish national team left for Hamilton with high hopes ofdelivering Oscar Freire into his third world championships in five years. “We are going with the intention of winning. We know it’s not easy,but we have a team that can do it and we’re going to fight for the gold,”said Spanish national team coach Paco Antequera in the Spanish dailyAS. “If we get another medal, we’ll welcome it.” Freire, without a doubt, will be the Iberians leader. Since the Rabobankrider won his first world title in Verona in 1999, he’s won a second in Lisbon (2001) and took bronze at Plouay (2000). Last
Michigan got a good taste of international cyclo-cross racing on Saturday with the Michael R. Rabe Midwest Cyclo-Cross Championships. Promoted by Robert Linden of Tailwind Enterprises, the first-time UCI event saw racers come from Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Massachusetts. To make it a true international event, riders even came from as far as Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The junior men's event saw a tightly fought battle among the top three. Konrad Lebas (Richard Sachs) had to take a change early on due to a problem with his rear wheel,
The 2003 world road championships opened Tuesday morning with three first-time medalists in the junior women's time trial. Racing in only her "fourth or fifth" time trial, German Bianca Knöpfle, 18, finished the 15.4km course in 22:17.08 to take gold, while a pair of Dutch riders - Loes Markerink and Iris Slappendel - finished second and third respectively. "I can't even imagine I've won this medal," said Knöpfle after taking the win on the hilly course in Hamilton. "It's incredible, I don't know what to say." With a time that was more than 16 seconds faster than Markerink's, Knöpfle was
Germany finished the first day of the world road championships undefeatedas 22-year-old Marcus Fothen won the men’s under-23 time trial on a breezyTuesday afternoon in Hamilton, Ontario. Fothen beat Niels Scheuneman ofthe Netherlands by the comfortable margin of 18.99 seconds to score a secondgold medal of the day for Germany, after Bianca Knöpfle’s win in the junior women’s time trial. Fothen, who finished fifth in the U23 time trial at last year’s worldchampionships, was confident before the 30.3km race. In addition to beingthe 2003 German U23 time trial champion, he had won the time trial
Ever since the individual time trial was introduced to world championshipracing at Palermo, Italy, in 1994, a list of familiar names have won thewomen’s event. French perennial Jeannie Longo has won the TT title fourtimes, Dutch world hour record holder Leontien Van Moorsel has two goldmedals and, last year, 1996 Olympic champion Zulfia Zabirova of Russiacame out on top. Perhaps that was the last big result for the old guardof women’s cycling.Knocking on the door with two silver medals at the past two world’shas been Switzerland’s Nicole Brändli, who’s now 24. Her compatriotKarin Thürig, a
Here in Colorado, the leaves are certainly turning but there sure isn’t a crisp in the air-at least not yet. Take, for example, this past weekend. Sunday was the official ‘cross season kick-off here in Boulder. Held at the local reservoir, it somehow felt a bit odd hoofin’ about while jet skiers slalomed past and Eliminator jet boats shot up mile-high rooster tails under a relentless 80-degree sun. Somehow racing seems so much easier when you’re not forced to watch attractive women sipping lemonade and laying out on the very beach you’re running across. While not in the hunt for the lead
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is noticeably absent from the worldchampionships in Hamilton as the Union Cycliste Internationale followedthrough on its threat to ban the world agency from cycling events followingthe recent leaking of a confidential document on this year's Tour de France(see "UCInow seeks to ban WADA" - September 23, 2003).A sport regularly tainted by doping scandals, the UCI's decision notto invite an independent WADA observer could cast a shadow of suspicionon results.WADA president Dick Pound told Reuters he has scheduled a meeting with the UCI in Hamilton on Friday to
Jan Ullrich says there is only one reason for his move back to the Telekomcycling team -- to beat Lance Armstrong in next year's Tour de France. "I just want to beat Lance and to do that I need a strong team," saidthe 29-year-old German. Of course, the financial side of the deal probably helped his decisionto return to the team with which he spent the bulk of his professionalcareer. German media reports say Ullrich will earn 2.5 million Euros ($2.9million) a year with Telekom. Ullrich, who won the 1997 Tour as a Telekom rider, will be bringingwith him his teammates from the Italian Bianchi
Two young Americans, Larssyn Staley from Beaverton, Oregon and MichaelCreed from Colorado Springs, have a great chance of giving the U.S. teama winning start to the 2003 world road championships when the first timetrials are held in Hamilton, Ontario, on Tuesday.Staley, 18, is the top favorite in the junior women’s 15.3km time trialover one lap of Hamilton’s demanding course. She has already won a worldtitle this year, the points race at the world junior track championshipsin Moscow, and her Polish coach Merik Mazur (who lives in Hamilton) believesshe will be ready for the road time trial. On
The World Cup stop long hyped as a sprinter’s race finally delivered on its promise after successful breakaways have ruled the undulating Paris-Tours course since 1996. The sprinter teams led by Fassa Bortolo, Telekom and Saeco worked in harmony to keep an eight-man break that included the indefatigable Jacky Durand (Fdjeux.com) at arm’s length until 13km to go when the real fireworks started. Despite two attacks in the final 8km by World Cup leader Paolo Bettini (Quick Step), the 97th running of Paris-Tours came down to a mass gallop on Tours´ wide Avenue de Gammont. Bettini's 11th place,
World champion Mario Cipollini won't defend his title next weekend in Canada, he told reporters Friday in a press conference in Milan. "The course is very difficult for my characteristics," Cipollini told reporters. "I don't want to divert interest from my teammates who prepared for the Canadian race." Cipollini, 36, has hardly raced since crashing out of the Giro d'Italia in May. The popular Italian sprinter was forced into starting last month's Vuelta a España, but was clearly not in shape. His team was forced to wait for him during the opening team time trial and Cipollini didn't start
Former Tour de France winner Marco Pantani has been cleared of sporting fraud for a case of doping during the 1999 Giro d’Italia, by a court in Trentino on Thursday. Pantani was charged after high hematocrit levels were found in his blood on the penultimate day of the 1999 Giro d’Italia. The hematocrit limit was imposed in 1997 as an indicator that a rider might be using the endurance-enhancing drug EPO. The Italian, winner of both the Giro and Tour de France in 1998, had already served a six-month ban for his failed drugs test but faced prosecution charges as doping in Italy is a criminal
Dear Monique;I wanted to learn more about how quickly I can rehydrate once I'vebecome dehydrated. I'm more concerned with how long before a workout orrace, I need to start to get my cells fully replenished. An example mightinclude a scenario where an athlete had some wine with dinner the nightbefore and coffee in the morning. At what rate does the body absorb waterand re-hydrate and replace the water used and lost from processing thealcohol and caffeine?Thanks for your helpJCDear JC;That's an interesting question. In matters of dehydration, it is bestnot to fall too far behind, as there is
Just where Jan Ullrich will ride next season is still unknown, but his chances of returning to Telekom took a blow this week when peace-making efforts between Rudy Pevenage and Walter Godefroot fell a bit short of the mark. Godefroot has refused to allow Pevenage to return with Ullrich to Telekom (next year to be called T-Mobile), but Ullrich’s manager said Wednesday the door remains open. “Ullrich’s return remains an option,” said Wolfgang Strohband, Ullrich’s manager who’s leading the negotiations. “Maybe we have to find another solution for Pevenage. What that could exactly be, we don’t
The collision of two mega-events is quickly approaching. No need to uncoverthe ol’ bomb shelter in the backyard, just be on the lookout for the avalancheof cycling news about to come hurtling your way. Yep, early October is approaching and both the 2003 World Road Championships(“world’s” for those of you about to jump all over my inclusion of anapostrophe in the title) in Hamilton, Ontario, and Las Vegas's 2003Interbike trade show are coming up on the same weekend. If you’re not ableto attend either, your best bet to get the latest news is right here atVeloNews.com (as well as the print
More than 3000 people turned out in Béjar, Spain, to give Roberto Heras a hero’s welcome Tuesday after he returned to his hometown following his dramatic victory in the 58th Vuelta a España. The city’s fathers are considering naming a city street after the two-time Vuelta champion. His mother, wife and daughter joined Heras as he toasted his fans from the city hall balcony. He dedicated his victory to his father, who died in May from cancer. The U.S. Postal Service celebrated Heras’s victory with a team dinner at a popular restaurant in Madrid on Sunday night. Five-time Tour de France
U.S. Postal's Roberto Heras has dropped in the world cycling rankings released Monday despite clinching his second Vuelta a España title this past weekend. Heras, who also won the 2000 Vuelta, dropped from 19th to 25th spot because the world rankings take into account the number of days spent leading the event. As a result, Heras earned fewer UCI points than he did last year when he finished runner-up because he held the leader’s jersey for less time. By contrast, Spain's Isidro Nozal (ONCE), who finished second this year despite leading until the final day, jumped from 303rd to 19th
After three weeks of racing, thousands of kilometers, climbs and time trials Roberto came out on top and won in the final hours. In an uphill time trial of 11 kilometers, he achieved what most thought was impossible: overcoming what was nearly a two-minute deficit. Hoping against hopeGoing into Saturday’s time trial we thought he had a slim chance of beating Nozal. For Roberto to win the Vuelta, Nozal would have to have a bad day and he would need a great day. All of us on the team were dreaming that it would happen but nobody would say they thought it was possible for the fear they would
Last week, you saw some of the new things from the Milan bike show, whichis primarily a fantastic display of road bikes, surrounded by a massivemotorcycle show. While most of the two-wheeled enthusiasts attending theshow are there to ogle bikes with motors, there is still plentyof passion in Italy for the human-powered bikes side as well. The movement toward making more and more elements of the high-end bicycleout of carbon continues unabated. Now, however, you see an increasing useof highly reflective white carbon (it actually looks more silver than white)and systems for damping the