Road

For the second year in a row, the top U.S. road teams descended on the lush Housatonic Valley in southwest Connecticut for the Housatonic Valley Classic, which has quickly emerged as one of the top one-day road races in the U.S. On a cool but sunny afternoon, Navigators’ Vassili Davidenko won a field sprint among the tough men of the peloton, while Saturn’s Anna Millward won the inaugural Saturn-Timex Classic women’s race. When the 198-strong men’s field left the start in Danbury just after noon, many of the 34 teams were probably expecting the race to unfold like last year’s, a survival of

The man who knows a thing or two about drug scandals, Marco Pantani, has rushed to the defense of his former teammate Stefano Garzelli who has failed a dope test. "Until it's proved to the contrary he has the right to be innocent," said Pantani, who was himself thrown out of the 1999 Giro for failing a blood test. Garzelli, who now rides for Mapei, competed in Saturday's sixth stage despite testing positive for the diuretic probenicid, which has drug-masking qualities. He has vowed to retire from the sport if a second B-sample provided a positive drugs test. The 32-year-old Pantani was

Stefano Garzelli lost the overall lead in the Giro d’Italia to Telekom’s Jens Heppner on Saturday after competing despite failing a doping test, while Giovanni Lombardi of the Acqua e Sapone team won the sixth stage. Word leaked out early Saturday that Garzelli tested positive for the diuretic Probenecid, which has drug-masking qualities, after winning Monday's second stage. Garzelli and his Mapei team were informed of the result Saturday. He was encouraged to continue in the race by his Mapei team until a 'B' test has been examined. (see "Garzellistarts stage 6 despite positive drug

My apologies for the delayed recap of stage 5.  I got a little bangedup yesterday and was busy for most of the evening getting some much neededattention to my many wounded body parts.Yesterday was shaping up to be an ideal stage for me.  Coming over the first climb, which was as steep as a wall, I was right along side the riders I thought I ought to be; Casagrande, Simoni and Garzelli.Then the unimaginable happened on the descent.I had a mechanical failure in my rear wheel and I found myself sailingtoward the ground like a missile.  I was literally thinking to myself"this can't be happening"

Giro d’Italia leader Stefano Garzelli announced Saturday that he would not quit the race and will compete in the sixth stage despite testing positive for an outdated masking agent used to hide steroids. "I wanted to quit the Giro but my team asked me to stay," said Garzelli, who tested positive for the diuretic Probenecid – often used as a masking agent -- after winning the second stage last Monday at Ans, Belgium. "It's a stupid thing that can ruin a career, a reputation, a life,” said Garzelli, who expressed shock at the news of a positive test. Garzelli vowed Saturday that he would

5:13 p.m. -- Paolo Savoldelli attacked with 5km to go and finished 45 seconds ahead of the peloton. The big news is that the main group -- including Garzelli -- finished 5:05 behind the lead group. So, Jens Heppner (Telekom) is the new overall leader of the Giro d'Italia, with a margin of more than three-and-a-half minutes.Provisional results from Stage 61. Giovanni Lombardi (I), Acqua e Sapone 4:56:452. Ruggero Marzoli (I), Formaggi Tret3. Bert Grabsch (Ger), Phonak4. Eddy Mazzoleni (I), Tacconi Sport5. Angel Vicioso (Sp), Kelme6. Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr), Landbouwkrediet-Colnago7. Jens

5:09 p.m. Well,if you had any doubts about Garzelli's form, he probably put them to rest today. He powered a strong charge over the last kilometer, catching the hapless Pellizotti in the final 200 meters. Then the man in the maglia rosa went head-to-head with Casagrande and other contenders in the final sprint. Tyler Hamilton did finish among the leaders despite his hard crash on the descent of the Colletto del Moro. If you are interested, Marco Pantani is still on course... now more than four minutes of the winner's pace. 5:08 p.m. Pellizotti is closing in, but the group is coming in on

Mapei’s rider Stefano Garzelli strengthened his grip on the overall lead of the Tour of Italy here on Friday when he won the fifth stage of the race as it reached Italy for the first time. Garzelli crossed the line after the ascent of the 14 km final climb, just ahead of Spain's Santiago Perez and now leads Francesco Casagrande (Fassa Bortolo) by 43 seconds in the overall standings. "Garzelli is setting a steady pace. I was going to attack him today but I decided to climb without taking any risks," said Casagrande. "This year I have trained more on my time trial performance and feel I'm

After last year's successful debut, the Housatonic Valley Classic is backthis weekend for year two, and with the First Union cycling series loomingjust two weeks away, all of the top U.S. pro teams will be using Sunday's120-mile Connecticut race as one of the final tune-ups. Although shorterthan last year's edition, this year's race, which begins and ends in Danbury,should be just as difficult, with a little bit more climbing added to thelong hilly circuit in the southwest part of the state.In 2001, Saturn's Trent Klasna claimed the Housatonic victory as partof his red-hot spring campaign.

VeloNews technical writer Lennard Zinn is a frame builder, a formerU.S. national team rider and author of several books on bikes and bikemantenance. This is the third of Zinn's weekly VeloNews.com column devotedto addressing readers' technical questions about bikes, their care andfeeding and how we as riders can use them as comfortably and efficientlyas possible. Readers can send brief technical questions directlyto Zinn. We'll try to print a representative sample of questions eachThursday.First, some follow-up from our last columnA few more reader comments on the creaking bottom bracket

Features: The Italian-made Sci-Con 52 Aerotech bike travelcase is a nylon bag with padded sides and a solid base with four rubbercasters to roll on. It has a two-way zipper around the unpadded ends andtop and two large carry straps around the girth. The rear dropouts clamponto a fixed-position mount with a skewer and a steel guard to protectthe rear derailleur. The front fork mount (two versions are shipped withthe case) slides back and forth to adjust for the wheelbase of the bike.The wheels are strapped to the frame, and three hollow slotted cylindricalfoam pads (pieces of hot-water-pipe

Lotto's Robbie McEwen, Australia's national road champion, pipped ace sprinter Mario Cipollini (Acqua e Sapone) to win the fourth stage of the Giro d'Italia that finished in Stasbourg, France, on Wednesday. Stefano Garzelli of Mapei, held on to the maglia rosa, the overall leader's pink jersey. McEwan, 29, ranked twentieth in the world, powered past Cipollini in the last few metres after getting the better of the Italian's teammates in the jostling for position. "McEwen got in my slip stream and I carried him to the finish line," moaned Cipollini. The Australian took the stage in a

LIVE UPDATES 1:06 p.m. Good morning to our American audience. It's now about two hours into the fourth stage of the 2002 Giro d'Italia. The weather today is pleasant, with clear skies and very little wind. The pace for the opening hour was right around 33kph. There have been a few minor moves off the front, but for now the peloton has been staying together for the most part. It's a long day in the saddle, covering 232km to Strasbourg, the last non-Italian day of this Giro. Tomorrow is a rest and transfer day and the race resumes in Italy on Friday. 1:26 p.m. We are now just about 80km

Joe Friel is author of the successful "Training Bible" series ofbooks, a regular columnist for VeloNews and Inside Triathlonand the founder of www.ultrafit.com.Friel also offers answers to a selection of questions in this weekly column here on VeloNews.com. Readers can send questions to Friel in care of VeloNews.comat WebLetters@7Dogs.com. (Besure to include "Friel" in the subject line.)Q: I have heard a lot of talk over the years of riders consumingor injecting large doses of vitamin B-12.  Is there any added benefitto this vitamin? Also, what kinds of vitamins or supplements can give

Today was another fast a furious ride riddled with crashes toward thefinish. My main objective in the past few days has been to stay far enoughin the front of the mayhem and far enough out of the way of the sprinters.It's a bit of challenge to find that exact spot and to stay there. Butwith the help of my CSC-Tiscali comrades, especially Jimmy Madsen, I wasable to stay out of trouble in stages 3 and 4.Yesterday's weather was manic. It was as if Mother Nature was playinga game with us. We'd go from pouring rain to bright sun. It was like ridingthrough two separate afternoons simultaneously. We

Acqua e Sapone's ace sprinter Mario Cipollini earned his 36th stagewin at the Giro d'Italia Wednesday when he took a field sprint at the endof a 206km cross-border run from Verviers in Belgium to Esch sur Alzette, Luxemburg. Mapei's Stefano Garzelli continues to hold the maglia rosa, the race leader's pink jersey. In the race to the line, Cipollini beat Massimo Strazzer (Phonak) and Danilo Hondo (Telekom) to add to a collection of Giro stage wins that began back in 1989. He is now just five victories shy of the all-time record of 41 Giro stage wins held by Alfredo Binda, the great

Here is a map of Stage 3 - courtesy of Giro d'Italia

Live updates:1:23 p.m. Good Morning to our American readers. We are just aboutan hour into today's race, 206km from Verviers in Belgium to Esch sur Alzettein Luxembourg. There were 193 starters this morning after the ColumbianCarlos Contreras (Colombia-Selle Italia) withdrew because of the flu. Theweather should not be much of a factor today since the wind is light andthere is no rain.1:28 p.m.Thus far today, the peloton has stayed relatively intact.There was one Category III climb at kilometer 20. Mariano Piccoli (Lampre-Daikin)took the points on that climb. Just a few minutes ago, at km 30,

Former Giro winner Stefano Garzelli (Mapei) won the second stage of this year’s Giro D'Italia, finishing in Liege on Monday. Garzelli's win in the 209km ride from Cologne, Germany to Ans, Belgium saw the Mapei rider take the leader's pink jersey. The Italian, winner of the 2000 Giro, won a group sprint to pip Fassa Bortolo’s Francesco Casagrande, who had launched the decisive attack on the final, six-kilometer climb, to the line. The leading group, who all timed 5:25:12 also included Jens Heppner (Telekom), who finished third, Italian Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner ), American Tyler

After two days of feeling like luck wasn't on my side, things startedto come together a little bit today.I was a bit concerned about being in the right position going into thefinal climb before the finish. Having just competed on the same roads forLiege-Bastogne-Liege three weeks ago, I knew what to expect in the final20 kilometers of the course. But the critical difference today, would bethat the entire field would probably still be together going into the finalstretch.Heading downhill on a four-lane highway with a full peloton of 196 guys,going 100 kilometers per hour definitely tests your

1:45 p.m. -- Good Morning USA. We are now a bit more than an hour into today's stage, a 209-kilometer race from Cologne in Germany to the home of one of the year's great classics, Liege in Belgium. It is pleasant under sunny skies. There has been no rain forecast and only a very moderate breeze, so the weather shouldn't be much of a factor today. There hasn't been a ton of action yet today, though there have been a couple of breakaway attempts. The first was reeled in fairly quickly and right now Belgian Thierry Marichal, (Lotto-Adecco) is 1:25 ahead of the main field. He's been out there

The final day of the 2002 National Collegiate Cycling Association Championships in Burlington, Vermont on Sunday concluded with the 19-mile team time trial event. In the Division I men’s race, the University of California at Berkeley took the national title with a time of 41:05.260, finishing just 5 seconds ahead the University of California at Davis. In Division I women’s action, the Midwestern State University team had a dominating ride. They came across the line in 47:11.490, more than half a minute ahead of Cal-Poly San Luis Obispo. The bronze went to the University of California at

Acqua & Sapone’s Mario Cipollini of won the 218km first stage of the Giro d’Italia between Groningen, the Netherlands, and Munster, Germany on Sunday, taking over the leader’s pink jersey in the process. Cipollini won the final dash for the line from a splinter group that broke away from the main bunch after a mass fall 3km from the finish. Fassa Bortolo's Michele Bartoli, a perennial challenger in the classics, was one of the accident's victims and abandoned the race. Cipollini beat out two Australian cyclists, Graeme Brown (Panaria) and Robbie McEwen (Lotto-Adecco), on the line with

France’s Sylvain Chavanel (Bonjour) took the overall title at the Four Days of Dunkirk while Mapei’s Tom Steels won the sprint finish of the final stage in Dunkirk, France. After taking the overall lead on Saturday, Chavanel survived a day of frequent attacks on Sunday, but in the end the final stage came down to a field sprint, with the young Bonjour rider tucked away safely. In the finale, Steels beat out Domo’s Jans Koerts and Luciano Pagliarini for the stage win. Dunkirk was the first major victory for the 23-year-old Chavanel.

The U.S. team took three more medals at the second round of the World Track Cup in Sydney, Australia, on Sunday. Tammy Thomas took gold in the women’s sprint in an all-American final with Tanya Lindenmuth, while Sarah Hammer beat France’s Cathy Moncassin in the women’s points race. The big upset of the weekend came in the men’s sprint, where Australian Sean Eadie beat out France’s superstar, Arnaud Tournant. Home team Australia took the overall team classification, followed by New Zealand and the U.S.

Anne-Caroline Chausson added yet another accomplishment to her amazing resume Sunday, becoming just the fifth woman to sweep the gravity events at a NORBA national. A day after the Frenchwoman won the dual slalom at Snow Summit Resort in Big Bear Lake, California, Chausson captured the season opening downhill, besting second-place finisher Sabrina Jonnier by more than six seconds. In the men’s race it was Aussie Chris Kovarik taking the day. The Intense rider backed up his No. 1 qualifying run, outgunning Maxxis’ John Kirkcaldie by more than two seconds in the final. Chausson

Spain's Juan Carlos Dominguez of the upstart Phonak team won the prologue of the Giro d’Italia in Groningen, the Netherlands, over a 6.5km course in the northern Dutch town. Dominguez, one of the last starters, finished in 8:12, one second ahead of Lotto’s Rik Verbrugghe and four seconds in front of Paolo Savoldelli (Alexia) of Italy to take early control of the coveted pink jersey. It was the 31-year-old time-trial specialist's first stage win in a major race although he has earned stage victories in smaller Spanish events like the Tour of Aragon and Catalan Week. It was a banner day

The U.S. team took three medals on day 2 of the second round of the UCI Track World Cup in Sydney, Australia. The medal haul was led by Tanya Lindenmuth, who took gold in the women’s 500-meter time trial. Meanwhile, Jame Carney took silver behind Dutchman Robert slippens in the men’s scratch race, and Sarah Hammer was second behind New Zealand’s Sarah Ulmer in the women’s scratch race. On day 1, Southern Californian Josiah Ng took silver in the keirin, flying the colors of the Malaysian national team, and 7UP-Nutra Fig pro Greg Henderson of New Zealand took third in the points race behind

Cédric Vasseur (Cofidis) overcame a broken derailleur to win the fifth stage of the Four Days of Dunkirk, between Outreau and Boulogne-sur-Mer in northern France. Vasseur chased back to the winning breakaway and then attacked on the final climb of the day to beat out fellow Frenchmen Jean-Cyril Robin (Bonjour) and Laurent Brochard (Jean Delatour) for the stage win. Bonjour’s Sylvain Chavanel finished sixth on the day, good enough to take the leader’s jersey from Ravais Belohvosciks (Lampre-Daikin), who missed out on the break. Canadian Michael Barry (U.S. Postal Service), finished ninth on

Today the Giro d'Italia got underway. Finally. Part of me feels like I've been making the journey to this opportunity since last August. That's when Bjarne Riis and I sat down and started to discuss my objectives for the 2002 season. He mentioned that he thought the Giro d'Italia could be a good race for me. Having been so focused on the Tour de France in previous years, I had never given the Giro serious thought. But I liked the sound of it. And so, preparations got underway. Preparation and focus It's hard to fully describe what goes into getting ready for a grand tour. I think it's

As if the 15 percent grade of Cliff Street wasn't enough for the collegiate competitors on day one of the 2002 National Collegiate Cycling Association Road Nationals in Burlington, Vermont on Friday, there was also the 40 mph wind gusts off Lake Champlain to worry about. Under these conditions, Jeff Angerman (University of California at Davis) and Kate Maher (University of California at Berkley) took home the Division I stars-and-stripes jerseys in the Summit Street Criterium, the first of three stages scheduled for the weekend. In the men’s race, Angerman had his hands full when he found

On a blustery spring morning in the Green Mountains near Burlington, Vermont, more than 500 racers representing 60 Division I and II colleges lined up for day two of the 2002 National Collegiate Cycling Association Road Race. Day one saw racers vying for the national criterium titles in the Summit Street Criterium in Burlington. The road race titles on Saturday would be contested nearby in the Mad River Road Race. At the end of a 65-mile day in the saddle most people would fear a 5-kilometer climb with a 20 percent grade stinger to the finish, but both Darby Thomas (University of Colorado)

The joke floating around Snow Summit Resort on Saturday was that the revamped short track course put the short in short track. Minus last year’s brief trip into woods, the 2002 circuit sent riders straight up a quick climb, into a brief chicane, then back into the village via the twisty sidewalk around the resort’s base area. The result was lap times that barely exceeded a minute for both the men and women, and a relentless pace that saw the majority of each field get pulled long before the race was over. Among those who did survive were Alison Dunlap and Ryder Hesjedal, who both took wins

After nine seasons plus one race, the run of the dual slalom came to an end on the sun-soaked slopes of Snow Summit Resort in Big Bear Lake, California. And unlike the early years when Americans dominated the side-by-side gated event, Saturday’s NORBA NCS No. 1 wins went to Aussie Wade Bootes and Frenchwoman Anne-Caroline Chausson. In the men’s bracket Bootes (Trek-Volkswagen) took down Mike King, Chris Kovarik (Intense), and Kirt Voreis (Haro-Lee Dungarees), earning the third dual slalom win of his career. In the final against Voreis, Bootes dropped the opening heat, but managed to make up

With a second-place finish on the stage 4 individual time trial, Lampre’s Ravais Belohvosciks moved into the overall lead at the Four Days of Dunkirk in France, taking the leader’s pink jersey from Janek Tombak (Cofidis). Friday was a split stage at Dunkirk, with Jean-Patrick Nazon (La Française des Jeux) winning in a sprint over Lampre’s Jan Svorada. Navigators’ Ciaran Power took fifth. The afternoon presented the riders with a flat 23.3km time-trial course, and it was Crédit Agricole’s Christophe Moreau who posted the fastest time of the day, covering the distance in 27:51.64.

For one it was a breakthrough performance. For the other it was just more of the same. But after a long day of racing at NORBA NCS No. 1 at Snow Summit Resort in Big Bear Lake California, Jimena Florit and Roland Green both had impressive cross-country wins to their credit. Friday’s racing opened with the women taking on three laps of the revamped 7.25-mile circuit, and right from the gun Florit (RLX-Polo Sport) looked to have the strongest legs. The Argentinean national who calls San Diego home pulled away from the pack on the first lap, growing her advantage to 58 seconds by the time she

Cofidis’s Janek Tombak pulled on the pink leader’s jersey at the Four Days of Dunkirk in France after winning Thursday’s second stage, 190km from Hellemmes to Steenvorde. Tombak beat Frenchman Didier Rous (Bonjour) for the stage win and took the leader’s jersey away from Patrice Halgand (Jean Delatour). The start of the race saw the ever-present Jacky Durand (La Française des Jeux) initiate an eight-man breakaway that would stay out on the road for the first 50km. That group was absorbed, but countered by Roger Hammond (Palmans-Collstrop) and Roberto Lochowski (EDS-Fakta). That duo would

Jean Delaour’s Patrice Halgand won the opening stage of the Four Days of Dunkirk in northern France, taking the 181.6km stage over breakaway companions Janek Tombak (Cofidis) and Linas Balciunas (Ag2R). The trio were part of a lead group of about two dozen riders that formed 75km into the race and included some notable sprinters as well as last year’s Dunkirk winner Didier Rous (Bonjour). The group would finish three-and-a-half minutes over the field, with Mapei’s Andrea Tafi and CSC’s Laurent Jalabert among those missing out. As the race approached the finish in Wasquehal, the attacks

All the studying is over. Tyler Hamilton is ready for his final exam. Hamilton heads to the Netherlands on Wednesday to begin the three-week journey that he hopes will end June 2 on the final podium in Milan. Hamilton, 31, goes into the Giro d’Italia with big ambitions and even bigger pressure. He left U.S. Postal Service last year after signing a lucrative two-year deal to lead CSC-Tiscali as the team's top GC rider. Just this week, top CSC brass were quoted in Danish newspapers, expressing sponsor frustration over the lack of headline-grabbing results so far this year. Worse for

Italy's Dario Frigo successfully defended his Tour of Romandie title Sunday following an accident-packed 18.3km fifth and final stage time-trial. Swiss rider Alex Zulle won the stage, his second in a row. Zulle finished 24 seconds ahead of Tacconi-rider Frigo with Britain's David Miller third at 0:40 in a race which was marred by the death of a Swiss policeman. The 50-year-old policeman lost control of his motorbike as he cleared the road before the arrival of the peleton. He hit a lamppost and died an hour later. In a second incident, a pedestrian was in a serious condition after breaking

Mercury’s Chris Wherry and Rona’s Genevieve Jeanson each capped off their overall wins at the Tour of the Gila by taking their respective stage wins in the Gila Monster Road Race on Sunday. Wherry added the final stage to go along with his stage 1 time trial win, while Jeanson’s was her fourth stage win out of five. As she had done on both of the other road stages, Jeanson attacked early and opened up a big gap. The Canadian was left unchallenged, and would finish 5:47 ahead of Saturn’s Kimberly Bruckner on the stage. On the long finishing climb through the Gila national forest, Bruckner and

While the stage 4 criterium at the Tour of the Gila had little effect on the general classification, it did a lot to reinforce who’s in charge at this year’s race in New Mexico: Mercury on the men’s side, Rona on the women’s. Not only did the teams keep their respective race leaders, Chris Wherry and Genevieve Jeanson, safe and out of trouble, they also delivered two of the supporting players, Gord Fraser and Karen Bockel, to stage wins. For Mercury, it was a return to the hey-days, as the lead-out train delivered its Canadian finisher Fraser to the line after a day of hard work. After

Racers were wishing they had snow tires Saturday on a day better suited for skiing than a bike race through the Swiss Alps in the fourth stage of the Tour of Romandie. Snow and heavy wind forced organizers to shorten Saturday’s "queen’s stage" to the ski station at Leysin to just 84.9 kms, eliminating the Col des Planches and Villars-sur-Ollon due to inclement weather. Alex Zulle didn’t seem to mind the heavy snow falling at the finish line at the category-one finish at 1257 meters at Leysin. The 33-year-old Swiss rider, who’s enjoying his best season since he finished second to Lance

Acqua & Sapone’s Giovanni Lombardi won his second stage in three days Friday, winning a sprint while defending champion Dario Frigo widened his overall lead in the Tour de Romandie in Switzerland. Lombardi's Acqua & Sapone team set up the 32-yea-old with perfection, delivering him an easy victory over Saulius Ruskys (Gerolsteiner) and Mapei's Robert Hunter. Frigo finished 10th as the main bunch split coming into the finish and the Italian took an additional five seconds on his key rivals. Racers slogged through heavy rains for the third consecutive day and there's no let-up expected in

On Friday, Saturn’s Mark McCormack took Team Mercury by surprise as he sprinted away in the final 400 meters for the day’s stage win at the Tour of the Gila in Silver City, New Mexico. Mercury still continues to lead the overall with Chris Wherry and Scott Moninger first and second, but McCormack’s win broke the race stranglehold by the 13-strong Mercury team. In the women’s race, Genevieve Jeanson put on a one-woman show, riding away early and holding off a six-rider chase that included four Saturn riders and Jeannie Longo. On Thursday, Jeanson’s Rona team set her up perfectly for the final

VeloNews technical writer Lennard Zinn is a frame builder,a former U.S. national team rider and author of several books on bikesand bike maintenance. This is the second of Zinn's weekly VeloNews.comcolumns devoted to addressing readers' technical questions about bikes,their care and feeding and how we as riders can use them as comfortablyand efficiently as possible. Readers can send brief technical questionsdirectly to Zinn. We'll try to printa representative sample of questions each Thursday. First, some follow-up from last week Lastweek there were a couple of questions that encouraged an

Dario Frigo continues his early season comeback by surprising the field in a late-race attack that earned him a stage win and the overall lead in Switzerland’s Tour du Romandie. Frigo, who was sacked by the Fassa Bortolo team during the police raids at the Giro d'Italia last year, jumped off the front of the peloton in Romandie's second stage with two kilometers to go. It's the second win of the year for the defending Romandie champion, who also won a stage at Paris-Nice in March. With the victory, Frigo moves into the overall lead going into Friday's third stage, a rolling 178-km stage

Day 2 of New Mexico’s Tour of the Gila saw the peloton tackle the Mogollon Pass Road Race, 70 miles for the women and 92 miles for the men, with both groups ending on the 5.5-mile Category 1 climb for which the stage is named. In the end, time trial winners Chris Wherry (Mercury) and Genevieve Jeanson (Rona), extended their holds on the overall race leads. Jeanson took a solo win, while Wherry and teammate Scott Moninger rode away together on the final climb, with Moninger taking the stage win. In the men’s race, another windy day, coupled with the presence of more than a dozen Mercury

Giovanni Lombardi(Acqua & Sapone) won the first stage of the Tour de Romandie on Wednesday, a 187-kilometer ride from Geneve to Malleray-Bevilard, taking a bunch sprint on a wet and cold day in Switzerland. Lombardi, who used to be the set-up man for Erik Zabel for many years at Telekom, is now doing the same thing for Mario Cipollini. Lombardi says his return to an Italian team "makes it easier to communicate," adding that working for Cipo "is an honor. He's the best sprinter in cycling." Cipollini skipped the race because of a cold, opening the door for his reliable lead-out man to

The 2002 Tour of the Gila got underway in Silver City, New Mexico, on Wednesday amid blustery conditions for the opening 15.7-mile out-and-back time trial. The five-day stage race in the southwest New Mexico is known for its often-blazing heat, but on Wednesday, Mercury’s Chris Wherry and Rona’s Genevieve Jeanson battled fierce winds on their way to the opening-stage victories. The time trial course features a steady uphill on the way out, and finishes with a wide but fast descent on the way back. In the men’s race, Wherry mastered the course and the extreme conditions to top Saturn’s time

Mercury swept Sunday's closing stage at the 24th Vuelta de Bisbee in southeast Arizona, keeping Scott Moninger and Chris Wherry untouchable in the top two spots on general classification. Meanwhile, Jeannie Longo (Vitalli) won the women's finale to leap past Katrina Berger (Team T-Mobile) on GC and steal the overall victory. Reprising their performances of the previous double-stage day, Moninger and Wherry crossed one-two in the 62.5-mile Sulphur Springs Road Race, finishing in 2:27:19. Twenty-four seconds later, teammate Phil Zajicek outkicked Andrew Miller Landis-Trek) for third. When the

Mercury put the hammer down on Saturday – then picked it up and slammed it right back down during a double-stage day in the 24th La Vuelta de Bisbee in southeastern Arizona. Mercury teammates Chris Wherry and Scott Moninger crossed one-two in the 86.4-mile Hereford Circuit Race, held on a 14.4-mile circuit with 442 feet of climbing per lap. Tucson’s Todd Wells (Mongoose-Hyundai) was third, 21 seconds back. In the afternoon’s 10.6-mile Warren Time Trial, it was the same top two, but in reverse order, with Moninger winning in 18:56, crossing 15 seconds faster than Wherry and setting a new

Try as he might, Lance Armstrong just can't win Amstel Gold. Second here in 1999 and 2001, Armstrong finished fourth behind born-again Italian Michele Bartoli in an exciting, attack-riddled race Sunday in the Limburg region of Holland. It's not as if he isn't trying. Once again, Armstrong was among the main protagonists in the 37th edition of this unofficial finale of the spring classics. Armstrong, along with longtime nemesis Michael Boogerd of Rabobank, made the decisive attack on the Eyserbosweg climb 40 kilometers from the finish in the 254km circuit race.

Though it is no longer the "green wave" of yesteryear, the Mercury squad returned to its old tricks in Georgia Saturday night, washing over the front of the Athens Twilight Criterium with five laps to go and giving Canadian Gord Fraser a picture-perfect leadout for his second win under the streetlights. While Fraser served as closer for the squad, Australian powerhouse Henk Vogels put his nose in the wind all evening long to help the team control the race from the front. "Henk rides like a bull in a china shop," was Fraser’s simple summation of his teammates’ work for the evening. In a

Mercury drove a shaft that the other guys will have a tough time digging their way out of in the old mining town of Bisbee, Arizona, placing five riders in the top 10 as the 24th La Vuelta de Bisbee got under way Friday afternoon. Scott Moninger (Mercury) posted the fastest time in the 2.7-mile Mule Pass Time Trial, which gained 831 feet of vertical in just 2.7 miles, crossing the line in 9:50, just one second ahead of teammate Phil Zajicek. Third went to Scott Price (Landis-Trek), at 9:57.“The afternoon had a red-flag wind alert, but the times were still good,” said race director Albert

Year - Winner -- Average speed2001 - Erik Dekker  (Nl), 38.265 (kph)2000- Erik Zabel  (G), 41.304 (kph)1999- Michael Boogerd  (Nl), 38.547 (kph)1998- Rolf Järmann  (Swi), 38.276 (kph)1997- Bjarne Riis  (Dk), 41.851 (kph)1996- Stefano Zanini (I), 42.688 (kph)1995- Mauro Gianetti  (Swi), 38.509 (kph)1994- Johan Museeuw  (B), 37.261 (kph)1993- Rolf Järmann  (Swi), 37.344 (kph)1992- Olaf Ludwig  (G), 38.323 (kph)1991- Frans Maassen  (Nl), 40.135 (kph)1990- Adrie van der Poel  (Nl), 39.599 (kph)1989- Eric van Lancker  (B), 40.354 (kph)1988- Jelle Nijdam  (Nl), 37.383 (kph)1987- Joop Zoetemelk 

Fassa Bortolo’s Francesco Casagrande did his Giro d’Italia ambitions the world of good here Friday by winning the hilly second stage of the Tour of Trentino to take a convincing overall lead. In a race that is regarded as a warm-up for next month's Giro d'Italia, Casagrande held off former Giro champions Gilberto Simoni, of Lampre, and Mapei rider Stefano Garzelli to finish the 166km stage between Arco and Velloi in 4:04:47. Mexican Julio Alberto Perez Cuapio, who was left behind in the final three kilometers as Casagrande launched attack after attack, finished second 23sec behind while

The spring-classics season comes to an end on Sunday with the Amstel Gold Race, a 254.4km war of attrition on a 33-hill course that VeloNews editorial director John Wilcockson says is “by far the most difficult” in the race’s 36-year history. The Amstel Gold takes place in the hilly Limburg region of the southeast Netherlands, beginning and ending in the city of Maastricht, and its final 47km include no fewer than eight hills, mostly on narrow farm roads. The steepest, the Eyserbosweg (900 meters of 11.5-percent grade), comes with 39km to go. Next comes the longest , the Fromberg (1.6km at 5

Turns out the U.S. track team didn’t get all dressed up for nothing after all. Rewind to the final day of competition at World Cup No. 1 in Monterrey, Mexico last Sunday. Following the final individual awards ceremony, a fully-uniformed U.S. team headed up to towards the podium for what they thought would be the presentation of the top-team award. But race officials stopped the Americans short, saying they’d recalculated some numbers and that the Germans were in fact the winners of the team award. The Americans briefly argued the point, but then relented. The German team was given the

Fassa Bortolo's Marco Zanotti won Thursday's opening stageof the Tour de Trentino, a traditional Giro d'Italia warm-up. Zanotti thus takes the overall lead of the race after coming in ahead of team-mate Denis Zanette with Belarussian Alexandre Usov finishing third. On a day when many of the bigger names took it easy in anticipationof upcoming mountain stages, former Giro d'Italia champion Stefano Garzelli(Mapei) was the highest placed, coming in 12th as Zanotti enjoyed his momentin the spotlight. "I owe it all to the team-mates who formed a train and stayed with meright until the last

VeloNews technical writer Lennard Zinn is a frame builder, a formerU.S. national team rider and author of several books on bikes and bikemantenance. This marks the beginning of Zinn's weekly VeloNews.com columndevoted to addressing readers' technical questions about bikes, their careand feeding and how we as riders can use them as comfortably and efficientlyas possible. Readers can send brief technical questions directlyto Zinn. We'll try to print a representative sample of questions eachThursday.Question: Do you have any advice for correcting leg lengthdiscrepancies?  I have undergone an

Joe Friel is author of the successful "Training Bible" series ofbooks, a regular columnist for VeloNews and Inside Triathlonand the founder of www.ultrafit.com.Friel also offers answers to a selection of questions in this weekly columnhere on VeloNews.com. Readers can send questions to Friel in care of VeloNews.comat WebLetters@7Dogs.com. (Besure to include "Friel" in the subject line.)Question: I'm a 41 year old former Cat II rider.  I'vetaken most of the last 3 seasons off to concentrate on life, work, andother things.  I realize that I miss racing and training and wantto know the best way

Lotto’s Aussie sprinter Robbie McEwen held off Tom Steels and Dutchman Stefan Van Dijck to win the 90th Grand Prix de l'Escaut in Schoten, Belgium, Wednesday. It was the 10th win of the season for 29-year-old McEwen, who said he's ready for more. "After Milan-San Remo (World Cup classic), I rested up for a while," said McEwen, winner of two stages in the Paris-Nice stage race in March. "It gave me a boost because my start to the season was pretty busy. But now I fell really motivated to win some more during the rest of the season." The Italian Mapei team was at the front of the peloton

Got results? Send them to POGrady@7Dogs.comby Monday morning and we’ll post them here on Monday afternoon. Word, RFTor plain-text attachments only, please, or paste the info into the bodyof your e-mail. You are welcome to include results as far as you got 'emand we'll post pictures, too (as long as you send them in JPG format andcredit the photographer). Racing replaces ranting as Little 500 gets on trackBy VeloNews Interactive Overshadowed for weeks by a controversy regarding whether an African-Americanathlete was eligible to compete, Indiana University’s 52nd Little 500 bike race,

It was a tough morning for the American sprinters on the final day of racing at track World Cup No. 1 in Monterrey, Mexico. All three of the U.S. riders – Jeff LaBauve, Tanya Lindenmuth and Tammy Thomas – were beaten 2-0 in the best of three semifinal round, meaning bronze is the best they can now hope for. On the men’s side, LaBauve fell to German Rene Wollf, the event’s top qualifier. The Texan will now face Matthias John in Sunday evening’s bronze medal match. John (Germany) was also swept out of the semis, losing two straight to Cuba’s Julio Herrera. “The legs were felling a little

Regina Schleicher (Michela Fanini) upset Petra Rossner (Saturn) in the fifth stop of the women’s World Cup when Schleicher out-muscled the favored Rossner on a steep finish of 115-km race in Valladolid, Spain, Sunday. Rossner, however, finished ahead of third-place Mirjam Melchers (Farm Frites) to regain the overall World Cup lead she lost last week at Fleche Wallone. “I really wanted to win today but Regina was just stronger than me. We were so close over the final 100 meters but I just couldn’t get past her,” Rossner said. “Of course I wanted to win, but she was stronger. My team did

As she lay on the bed in the medical tent overcome by exhaustion, Belem Guerrero said she’d never been so tired in her life. The blistering heat of the midday Mexico sun and the sizzling pace of the women’s points race had taken their toll. But it was a price Guerrero would gladly pay again, as the reward was a gold medal earned in front of her home-country fans on the final day of track World Cup No. 1 in Monterrey, Mexico. Guerrero nipped China’s Limei Yang 16 points to 13 in a race that wasn’t decided until the last of the 75 laps around the 333-meter concrete Nuevo Leon Velodromo on

1892 HOUA (Bel) Amateur1893 HOUA (Bel) Amateur1894 HOUA (Bel) Amateur  [The route was Liège- Bastogne - Spa]1898 TROUSSELIER (Fra) Amateur1899 FASTRE (Bel) Amateur1911 VAN DAELE (Bel) Independent LEKEUX (Bel) Amateur1912 VERSCHOORE (Bel) ROSSIUS & GAUTHY (Bel) Independent1913 MORITZ (Bel) Independent1919 DEVOS (Bel)1920 SCIEUR (Bel)1921 MOTTIAT (Bel)1922 MOTTIAT (Bel)1923 VERMANDEL (Bel)1924 VERMANDEL (Bel)1925 RONSSE (Bel) Independent1926 SMETS (Bel) Independent1927 RAES (Bel) Independent1928 MOTTARD (Bel) Independent1929 SCHEPERS (Bel) Independent1930 BUSE (Ger)1931 SCHEPERS (Bel)1932

11:30 a.m. Good morning. Welcome to VeloNews.com’s coverage ofthe 2002 edition of Liège-Bastogne-Liège. For the first timeduring this year’s Ardennes classics, the weather is cooperating and 197starters left Liege under sunny and windless skies today… just about90 minutes ago. One race note for those of you checking out the startlist we've posted. The U.S. Postal team has made a last-minute changein their roster. Number 105 Floyd Landis is on his way home after findinghis recovery from crashes in Paris-Roubaix a little harder than expected.The roster now shows that 109 - David Zabriskie has

It seems the Italians have gotten it together. With a savvy one-two punch by Paolo Bettini and Stefano Garzelli of the Mapei-Quick Step machine at Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday, Italy, which struggled slightly in the World Cup and one-day classics last year, made a smashing return to the top on the back of the 5-foot 6-inch Italian powerhouse. Inspired by the Italian flags flying in Saint-Nicolas, a tough Italian-flavored neighborhood overlooking the ancient city of Liège, Bettini put the icing on the cake, joining his teammate Garzelli in an attack with less than 10km to go in the 258.5km

Lance Armstrong arrived in Liège, Belgium, Saturday afternoon as one of 10 Americans scheduled to race cycling’s oldest classic, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, on Sunday. Armstrong was whisked into the Palace des Princes Evêques, a giant stone structure in central Liège just in time to join his teammates at the presentation ceremony on the eve of the 88th edition of the demanding 258km race. Armstrong, who has twice finished second at Liège (1994, ’96), has marked this event, also round 4 of the UCI World Cup series, as one he’s been gunning for this year. A large crowd was packed into a tent

Start List for Liege-Bastogne-Liege - As of Friday at 4:00 p.m.DOMO - FARM FRITES001 - MUSEEUW Johan (B);002 - BRUYLANDTS Dave (B);003 - DE WOLF Steve (B);004 - KASHECHKIN Andrey (Kz);005 - KONECNY Tomas (Cz);006 - MERCKX Axel (B);007 - RODRIGUEZ Fred (USA);008 - TANKINK Bram (Nl);LOTTO - ADECCO011 - AERTS Mario (B);012 - BAGUET Serge (B);013 - BRANDT Christophe (B);014 - DETILLOUX Christophe (B);015 - MIKHAILOV Guennadi (Rus);016 - VAN LANCKER Kurt (B);017 - VAN PETEGEM Peter (B);018 - VERBRUGGHE Rik (B);MAPEI - QUICK STEP021 - FREIRE Oscar (Sp);022 - BETTINI Paolo (I);023

Americans Tanya Lindenmuth, Tammy Thomas and Jeff LaBauve all took care of business Saturday morning, moving out of the qualifying rounds of the match sprint. Also getting through was San Diego resident Josiah Ng (Malaysia), who has already won a bronze medal in the keirin here at the opening round of the UCI track World Cup in Monterrey, Mexico. On the men’s side, LaBauve was the fourth fastest qualifier, posting a 10.779 on the 333.33-meter concrete track at the Nuevo Leon Velodromo. Germany’s Rene Wollf was the fastest man in the morning, clocking a 10.593. Fellow German Mathias John

Saturday night marked the debut of the scratch race at the World Cup level and it’s safe to say Erin Mirabella likes the new addition. The blonde Californian slipped away from the field on the final lap of the 30-lap affair, then held off the late charge of Canadian Mandy Poitras to land the first gold medal for the U.S. at the three-day event in Monterrey, Mexico. “I had an opening and I just went for it,” said Mirabella of her winning move. “I knew there were some strong sprinters in the field, so I didn’t want to take any chances.” It’s the second World Cup win for Mirabella. She won the

It’s been six years since Lance Armstrong last rode Liège-Bastogne-Liège, in the days when he was a little heavier and focused on the one-day classics instead of the three-week Tour. Liège-Bastogne-Liège was then his favorite event, and he delighted in the Belgian race’s frequent climbs and its challenging distance. In 1994, Armstrong placed second, trapped in a Gewiss team sandwich between winner Eugeni Berzin and third-placed Giorgio Furlan. The following year, the Texan came in sixth, after dropping off the winning break on the last hill. And in 1996, he was outfoxed in a three-up sprint

On a warm, hazy Friday morning, competition got underway in round 1 of the UCI track World Cup in Monterrey, Mexico. Among the early success stories were Americans Tanya Lindenmuth and Erin Mirabella, who both earned the top spots in their respective qualifying rounds. Mirabella posted a 3:46.776 in the 3km individual time trial qualifier, easily besting Colombia’s Luisa Calle, and finishing ahead of second-place qualifier Emma Davies (Great Britain). Mirabella will face Davies in Friday evening’s final. Meanwhile, Lindenmuth won her keirin heat with a time of 12.618, moving her into the

It’s called the World Class Performance Program, and it’s a name that was well deserved after the first day of racing at the opening track World Cup of the 2002 season in Monterrey, Mexico on Friday. Great Britain’s Paul Manning and Emma Davies each earned gold medals in the individual pursuit, proving at least for a day that the WCPP — the UK’s competitive cycling program — is in fact world class. After placing second in the qualifying round, Manning outgunned Spain’s Sergi Escobar (Spain) 4:31.629 to 4:32.269 to win the first World Cup of his career. Switzerland’s Franco Marvulli earned

The 2002 track World Cup season kicks off in Monterrey, Mexico, Friday, with preliminary and final-round competition in the individual pursuit, keirin, 30km points race and Olympic sprint. The U.S. — with its 12-rider delegation — is among 23 countries that have sent teams to Mexico’s third largest city in the northeastern state of Nuevo León. Monterrey is also one of Mexico’s biggest industrial centers and one of its most Americanized regions. The racing venue — known as Velodromo Nuevo León — is a 333-meter outdoor concrete track located next door to two of the city’s other major sports

11:15 a.m. Charleroi, Belgium Good Morning.We are just about readyfor the full start of this year's edition of Fleche Wallonne. Thepeloton -- 192riders from 25 teams -- is making its way through the neutral startin Charleroi to the edge of town and then on to Huy where they will docover two loops -- a large figure 8-- around that town. All for atotal of 198km. The weather is nice -- about 9 degrees Centigrade -- and thus far thereis no wind. This is a nice contrast to the weather on Sunday for Paris-Roubaix. The Women's race -- a World Cup event -- will begin in about anhour, covering

EDILSAVINO001 -LUPERINI Fabiana (I);002 -BOUBNENKOVA Svetlana (Rus);003 -CHUZHYNOVA Iryna (Ukr);004 -KHODTCHENKOVA Marina (Rus);005 -PARENTE Simona (I);006 -VERONESI Daniela (SMR);SATURN CYCLING TEAM011 -ARNDT Judith (G);012 -BESSETTE Lyne (Can);013 -BRUCKNER Kimberly (USA);014 -MARSAL Catherine (F);015 -PHILLIPS Jessica (USA);016 -ROSSNER Petra (G);ACCA DUE021 -POLIKEVICIUTE Rasa (Lit);022 -BELTMAN Chantal (Nl);023 -BRÄNDLI Nicole (Swi);024 -CANTELE Noemi (I);021 -POLIKEVICIUTE Rasa (Lit);026 -ZILIUTE Diana (Lit);VLAANDEREN - T-INTERIM LADIES031 -LJUNGSKOG Susanne (S);032 -PIETERS Cindy