Road

The second day of the Vergegear.com Mid-Atlantic Cyclo-Cross Championship Seriesdouble-header moved to Marysville, Pennsylvania for the Harrisburg City Islanders’ Rockville Bridge ‘Cross Classic. For the second day in a row, the Gearworks/Spin Arts duo of Marianne Stover and Anna Milkowski overpowered the Elite Women’s field to claim their second one-two finish of the weekend. As she did in the previous day’s Saturn Classic, Stover established a sizeable gap on the first lap and hammered on to extend that lead out to approximately one minute over teammate Milkowski. Hanging tough in

Italy's Gilberto Simoni, winner of the Giro d'Italia in 2001 and 2003, has challenged five-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong to a Giro-Tour duel in 2004. Armstrong always focuses his season on the Tour in July. He has never ridden the Giro, which is raced in May. But at the official presentation of the 2004 Giro route on Saturday, Simoni called on the American to ride both races. "If Armstrong rode both the Giro d'Italia and then the Tour de France, we'd see how good he really is, for better or worse," Simoni said. "He has said he wants to ride the Giro at least once during his

The route of the 87th Giro d’Italia was announced Saturday, with organizers promising a more demanding opening week and a shorter, tougher finish than in this year’s edition. A nearly all-Italian event comprising a prologue and 20 stages, with one start and finish in Croatia, the 2004 Giro will cover 3435 kilometers, with 12 flat stages, four rolling and three in the high mountains. Organizers concede that Italy’s grand tour will be “slightly biased towards climbers,” with only a single time trial; there were two races against the clock in both 2003 and ‘02. The longer stages will come

Belgian Frank Vandenbroucke, who recently left the Quick Step team, on Friday signed a one-year deal with the Italian Fassa Bortolo squad, according to his manager, Paul De Geyter. "After his departure from Quick Step, Vandenbroucke had several choices but his preference always was for the Italian team,” said De Geyter, adding that team owner Giancarlo Ferretti hopes to see the Belgian tackle the classics and the Tour de France. Fassa Bortolo is the third Italian team for Vandenbroucke, following stints with Mapei and Lampre. The Belgian, who is recovering from a broken collarbone, faces

A funny thing happened last week - my house almost burned down. Well, to be perfectly honest, the Jamestown fire that started last Wednesday morning burned to within about five miles of my house in the Boulder foothills. Other than worrying about losing everything I own, and possibly getting burned alive in the box canyon that encloses my place, the experience was quite enlightening. I say “enlightening” because the unpleasant situation afforded me less than an hour to evaluate all my stuff and decide what to cram into the back of my little Volkswagen. Sure, grab the important documents

Dear Monique:I recently read an article by a physiologist that indicated that consuming food in the hour before a workout was detrimental to performance. The author claimed that the insulin released in the blood as a result of eating would tend to make an athlete sluggish and discouraged. She also indicated it would cause a lower fat burn. Ultimately she recommends eating no earlier than two hours before a workout. Although I cannot speak to the science, it seems counterintuitive to me, especially for an endurance athlete. What do you think?SS Dear SS:Many endurance athletes strive to keep

Can roof rack separate carbon fork and dropout?Dear Lennard,The fork dropout on my 1-inch Kestrel EMS Pro carbon fork with steel steerer (actually it's a Cannondale Slice fork made by Kestrel that came on my CAAD4) de-bonded on me. I didn't notice it until I was checking the tightness of the bike on the Yakima roof rack with the fork mount (full-length wheel tray and rear wheel stripped down). Do you think using a roof rack with the fork-mount set-up causes undo stress on the fork's dropout bonding? I notice that bikes mounted this way shake while driving down the road. I replaced the fork

Can roof rack separate carbon fork and dropout?Dear Lennard,The fork dropout on my 1-inch Kestrel EMS Pro carbon fork with steel steerer (actually it's a Cannondale Slice fork made by Kestrel that came on my CAAD4) de-bonded on me. I didn't notice it until I was checking the tightness of the bike on the Yakima roof rack with the fork mount (full-length wheel tray and rear wheel stripped down). Do you think using a roof rack with the fork-mount set-up causes undo stress on the fork's dropout bonding? I notice that bikes mounted this way shake while driving down the road. I replaced the fork

In the closing lap of Sunday’s Clif Bar/ECV Cyclo-cross race in Gloucester, Mass., round two of the Verge New England ‘Cross series, Ryan Trebon came up a couple corners and a few squirts of tubular glue short of turning in one of the most impressive set of upset wins in American cyclo-cross memory. Having won Saturday’s UCI race in Worcester, Massachusetts, Trebon (Kona East) again made the decisive break in Gloucester, storming off the front with Todd Wells (Mongoose-Hyundai) in what seemed likely to end up as a two-man sprint for the win.

The Pittsburgh-based Fort-GPOA squad pulled off a double triumph Sunday in round five of the Vergegear.com Mid-Atlantic Cyclo-Cross Championship Series, winning both elite categories in the Beacon Cross in Bridgeton, New Jersey. In the women’s race, Betsy Schauer took early command and never looked back, though Megan Render (Snow Valley) never gave up and kept charging all the way to the line. Caitlyn Tuel (Sobe/Cannondale) rode solidly to claim third and Sami Fournier (Velo Bella) took fourth. Bonnie Stoeckl (Evolution Racing) finished fifth. In the men’s contest, Fort-GPOA teammates Ryan

Alison Dunlap (Luna) and Ryan Trebon (Easton-Kona) were the best of the best on Saturday at the Central Massachusetts Cyclo-Cross to End Homelessness in Worcester. The course in the UCI Cat. 2 race was dry and very fast, with riders in the elite men’s and women’s races turning laps of about five minutes. In the women’s race, the first lap saw a group of six riders coalesce, including Dunlap, Anne Knapp (Kona), Carmen D’Aluisio and Gina Hall (Clif Bar), Mary McConneloug (Seven Cycles), and Rhonda Mazza (Vanilla Bicycles-Sellwood Cycle). Constant pressure from D’Aluisio and Hall eventually

Joseba Beloki, who dramatically crashed out of this year's Tour de France, is still uncertain as to whether he will join team manager Manolo Saiz at his new team. Saiz announced the name of his new team sponsor on Thursday: Liberty - a company which is part of multinational financial and insurance giant Liberty Mutual. The five-year sponsorship deal means that Saiz - one of the most experienced team managers on the international circuit - can build a team capable of challenging for major honors over the coming years. However former Festina rider Beloki - who has twice reached the podium at

Insurance company Liberty Seguros will succeed ONCE, as sponsor of one of Spain's leading cycling teams, director Manolo Saiz said on Wednesday. The sponsor, a division of the American insurance giant Liberty Mutual, has agreed to a five-year deal to finance the Spanish team. "Our aim is to keep the backbone of riders that made up the team to date," Saiz told reporters on Wednesday. He explained that leading riders such as Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano, Isidro Nozal and Marcos Serrano had already signed up for the new team. The news of the deal is a major boost to the sport in Spain and

Dear Monique;What is whey protein and when is it used?ThanksRGDear RG;Whey protein is a popular supplement for athletes who participate in strength or resistance training and is sold as a supplement for muscle building. Cow’s milk protein consists of 20 percent whey and 80 percent casein. When cheese is produced, the liquid whey is separated from the curd or casein. Dietary protein supplements of whey are usually whey protein concentrate, which is up to 89 percent protein. Another form is whey protein isolate which contains over 90 percent protein, and which contains very little fat or

Okay, okay, I spoke too soon. A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned how clever I believed myself to be by running SpinSkins tire liners in the season kick-off cyclo-cross race here in Boulder. You see, Goathead thorn season is in full swing around these parts, and many of my less fortunate competitors fell victim to their penetrating bite. Me? I was able to finish the race thanks to the lightweight Kevlar tire liners I had installed the night before under my Michelin ‘cross tires. How clever I thought I was. Fast forward to the first annual VeloCross cyclo-cross race held in and around

Dear Lennard,I have two bikes. Each bike has the same saddle and handlebar.I set up both bikes with the same measurement from saddle tip to bottombracket. Each bike has the same measurement from saddle tip to the centerof the stem/handlebar. On one bike the stem blocks the view of the fronthub. On the other the front hub falls in front of the stem. I measuredand their is a 1cm difference from bb to front hub between the bikes.Should I be concerned that I can see the front hub? Should I usea longer stem? Will this effect my handling?--Jeff Dear Jeff,Don’t sweat it. If you are happy with your

Troubled star Marco Pantani could ride for Manolo Saiz’s new Stayer team next season, according to a report in the Spanish daily AS. Manuela Ronchi, Pantani’s manager and contact who helped line up Stayer to take over for departing lead sponsor ONCE, said there’s an “open door” for the Pirate to ride on next season. There’s even talk of Pantani becoming a sport director for the new team, but Ronchi insisted Pantani’s racing days aren’t over yet. “Knowing Marco, before he wants to become a sport director, he’d like to race for a team that’s not counting on the Tour organizers to make it into

Team CSC manager Bjarne Riis said he believes Ivan Basso has what it takes to win the Tour de France. In an interview in Monday’s La Gazzetta dello Sport, Riis said the 26-year-old is poised for greatness. “Basso will be our man for the Tour. That will be his principal goal,” said the 1996 Tour winner. Basso isn’t expected to start the Giro d’Italia and instead will focus on preparing for the Tour. With Tour stage-winner Tyler Hamilton heading to Phonak next season, Riis was anxious to find a rider with similar qualities to step in as team leader. Riis believes he’s found it in Basso. “He’s

American Tim Johnson on Sunday completed a fairytale ending to the VicRoads Herald Sun Tour when he came from behind to overwhelm leader Luke Roberts and claim the $10,000 winner's check. Trailing by 39 seconds before the tour's final stage on the torturous Australian Open course at Buninyong, Johnson, 26, surged from the peloton to join breakaway riders Scott Moninger and Scott Guyton with four of the eight laps remaining of the 10.2km circuit. The trio then defied the bunch to bring them back, although South Australian Roberts made a couple of fruitless attempts to bridge the gap. At

Former national cyclo-cross champion Marc Gullickson took advantage of a sparsely attended field at Soldier Hollow, Utah, taking top honors at yet another UCI event Saturday. While the majority of the country’s top racers were contesting a pair of UCI evens on the East Coast over the weekend, Gullickson found competition in Alan Obye (Balance Bar/Devo), who got out to an early lead before Gullickson took control, eventually finishing 39 seconds ahead. Obye held on to second place ahead of Bart Gillespie (Team Biogen). The women’s field saw only three starters, with Sally Warner (Team

Defending champion Sergio Barbero (Lampre) won a desperately close three-way battle in the final lap to capture his third Japan Cup cycling road race title in Utsunomiya, Japan, on Sunday. The Italian, who also won the 151.3-kilometer (94.6 mile) race here in 1999, took charge with fellow Italian Guido Trentin and Patrik Sinkewitz of Germany in the final lap of the 14.1km course north of Tokyo. Trentin, from the French Cofidis team, spurted to the lead in the last 500 meters, but Barbero went into overdrive to snatch a narrow victory for his second title of the season in four hours, three

The U.S. string of UCI-ranked cyclo-cross races swung back to the East Coast on Saturday with the Wooden Wheels Granogue ‘cross near Wilmington, Delaware. Despite a heavy morning frost that left the grassy track slick for the day’s opening races, weather conditions proved kind to elite racers, with the afternoon sun drying the course to a hard, fast surface. Held at Granogue Estate, on one of the several DuPont family estates that dot the rolling hills outside of Wilmington, the race’s tough power climbs, steep, barriered run-up, and numerous off-camber sections ensured that racers with

Lance Armstrong hinted Thursday he’ll skip June’s Dauphine Libéré race in his preparations for a run at a record sixth Tour de France victory. The week-long French race has been the Texan’s final dress rehearsal every June en route to five consecutive Tour titles, except in 2001 when he raced and won the Tour de Suisse. “I’m a little superstitious about the Dauphine,” Armstrong told the AP. “(Miguel) Indurain rode a fantastic Dauphine race there in 1996 and then lost the Tour to Bjarne Riis.” Armstrong said he will start “training for real” in December, in Austin, Texas, then join his U.S.

Five-time defending champion Lance Armstrong and his U.S. Postal directeur sportif Johan Bruyneel will need some very detailed maps and a big chunk of time to reconnoiter the route of next year’s Tour de France, which was announced in Paris on Thursday. New stages, new climbs, and two long individual time trials in the final five days will make this 97th Tour one of the most complicated and suspenseful in race history(see "2004 Tour: Armstrong says L'Alpe d'Huez TT pivotal"). The uphill time trial at L’Alpe d’Huez four days before the finish has attracted most of the media attention — and

The route for the 2004 Tour de France was unveiled during a 90-minutepresentation in Paris on Thursday, and judging by the remarks of five-timedefending champion Lance Armstrong, the showcase stage is getting the responsethat race organizers were hoping for. That showcase stage, according tobuzz in Paris, will be a 15km uphill time trial to L’Alpe d’Huez, the 16thstage of the 3395-kilometer race, July 3-25. “It’s a pivotal day, and probably the day that will decide the Tour,”Armstrong said of the Alpe d’Huez TT. “I suspect I’ll spend a lot of timeat Alpe d’Huez this next year.” It will be

The unveiling of next year's Tour de France route in Paris on Thursday had team managers and riders alike quietly bubbling with excitement with the suspense likely to be maintained all the way to Paris. The revamped Tour route means the likes of five-time defending champion Lance Armstrong and his closest challenger, Germany's Jan Ullrich, will be kept on their toes right up until the penultimate stage. The 2004 Tour starts in Liege (Belgium) and rides anti-clockwise around France for 3391km - with a potentially decisive individual time trial coming five days before the finish on the Champs

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

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--

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“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

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:

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.

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.

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

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

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

Interbike: A view from the floor (Monday afternoon)

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

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

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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

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

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

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),

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.

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

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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

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

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

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

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