Road

Dear Lennard,With the unfortunate event at Paris-Nice, I thought I would ask. Ihave read in various forums, that helmets should be replaced every-so-many-years (Lance Armstrong's book, for example, places this number at five years).However, most citations I see are closely connected to a helmet manufactureror a bike store. Setting aside the obvious ("because it was in a crash"), why would Ineed to replace an otherwise good helmet? Also, does this imply a "shelflife" for helmets (say, I find a deal on a new old stock Air Attack)? Isuppose what I'm after is, do helmets need to be replaced like

It was a scene you’re unlikely to see anywhere else. The sun was barely up, having made a feeble attempt to rise on a damp, chilly Sunday morning, but already the restaurant patios were filled with customers. And in the hands of those customers were mugs filled with beer.

There wasn’t a good deal of bike racing to speak of, in either the men or women’s events, during Sunday’s fifth stage at the Redlands Classic. In fact, the parallels between the two races, held over a twisty, hilly and technical 7.5-mile loop, were the most remarkable story on an otherwise unremarkable closing day of racing. In the women’s 8-lap, 62-mile event, overall leader Genevieve Jeanson (RONA-Esker) attacked up the first hill on the first lap and simply never looked back. A brief chase ensued by Saturn’s Manon Jutras and Lyne Bessette, second and third on the GC, respectively, and

It was another banner day for the Saturn Cycling program in Redlands Saturday, as ace sprinters came through with stage wins at the Redlands Downtown Criterium in both the men's and women's events. In the women’s 60-minute race, Ina Teutenberg easily won a two-up sprint against RONA-Esker’s Cathy Marsal, while on the men’s side it was Charles Dionne, winner of the same stage last year, surprising the field with a surge around the last bend, beating Health Net's Gord Fraser by several bike lengths. Teutenberg’s win, her second stage win in four days, came as little surprise as she had made

The top spots in the Redlands Classic general classification remain unchanged Friday, after another tough day of racing saw Genevieve Jeanson (RONA-Esker) win her second consecutive stage, while John Lieswyn of 7UP-Maxxis won a five-up sprint against breakaway companions from Prime Alliance and Navigators. A new course to the Redlands Classic, the stage 3 Panorama Point Road Race, dished out a series of steep climbs over the 10-mile loop — the worst section reaching grades of near 20% grade. The men went up and over the circuit six times, while the women raced for four. If Jeanson’s

Raivis Belohvosciks (Marlux) claimed a slim overall victory in Belgium's Three Days of La Panne Thursday after winning a dramatic final stage time trial of 14km. Belohvosciks, his team's time trial specialist, forced Sidermec's Gianluca Bortolami into second place in the overall standings by only a second with local hope Peter Van Petegem of the Lotto team taking third at 13 seconds. The 27-year-old Latvian's ninth career victory came largely thanks to his superiority on the third and final stage. He came in 13 seconds ahead of German Olaf Pollack, of Gerolsteiner, and 15 ahead of Fassa

The Redlands Classic continued Thursday with it's most feared stage, the Oak Glen road race, 106 miles (82 for the women) that finishes off with a nasty 10-kilometer climb that gains 2400 feet in elevation. Needless to say, it was a day for the climbers, as Canadian Genevieve Jeanson (RONA-Esker) confirmed her position as the premiere climber in North American women’s racing, riding away from her closest GC contenders in the final kilometers and winning the stage by nearly three minutes. In the men’s race, Saturn’s Nathan O’Neill showed that not only can he time trial, as evidenced by his

With spring rumored to be on its way, this past weekend provided a perfectwindow of opportunity to sneak in a little racing. A couple of my pals and I packed up our cars and headed over to the campusof University of Colorado's arch rival, Colorado State for a little early seasoncrit’ action. Located 56 miles due north in Fort Collins, the race providedthe perfect opportunity to test out a few products you'll see in upcomingissues of VeloNews, including our road-pedal comparison in issue No. 7 and our bib-short comparison in issue No. 9. There's nothing like a healthy dose of high-speed

The second day of racing at the Redlands Classic brought stage victories to two familiar names in the domestic race scene, as Health Net’s Gord Fraser and Saturn’s Ina Teutenberg won the hilly stage 1 Highland circuit race. With short, steep climbs and a long, gradual downhill into a headwind, the circuit wasn’t exactly made for aggressive racing; any attempt to get away was vulnerable on the windy, wide-open descent. Although the day was claimed by a pair of sprinters, the course — a five-mile loop consisting of a 300-foot stair-step climb through a local housing community, raced eight

Dear Monique;I had a question about Recommended Dietary Allowances. For instanceis there an RDA for the number of saturated fat grams? However, nutritionistsalways seem to preach a low fat diet, low in saturated fat. So is therea maximum amount of fat which I should always strive to stay under?RB Dear RB;The recommendations for prevention of heart disease is to keep totalfat under 35% (15 to 30% is recommended) of total calories, but most importantlyto keep saturated fat and trans fat (hydrogenated oils) low. Persons atrisk for heart disease should keep these fats at less than 7-percent

Under bright, sunny skies and intermittent winds, the 19th annual Redlands Bicycle Classic kicked off April 1st in Southern California with a hard, fast 5km prologue time trial ending atop Riverside’s Mount Rubidoux. The day’s winners included Geneviève Jeanson (RONA), the talented young Canadian who set the course record last year, and a heavily favored Saturn men’s team that swept the podium and took control of the six-day event almost before it had begun. Although characteristically known as the grand season-opening National Racing Calendar (NRC) stage race, the Redlands Classic was

Frenchman Laurent Brochard (Ag2R) dominated Sunday’s double-stage finale to win this weekend’s Criterium International. Brochard won the morning sector Sunday to take the race lead and finished third-fastest in the afternoon time trial to win for the first time this season and give his team’s a big boost at earning an at-large bid for July’s Tour de France. Brochard’s win is the first by a Frenchman at Criterium International since Laurent Jalabert won eight years ago. “It is important to win after Laurent, I hope I can go on this way,” Brochard said. “Today, the final victory was very

Chris Horner (Saturn) and Kimberly Bruckner (T-Mobile) locked up the overall titles at California’s Solano Bicycle Classic, as Horner continued his dominance and took the final circuit race and his teammate Ina Teutenberg scored a sprint win in the women’s race. Horner not only held on to his leader’s jersey, he won the stage. Jumping out of the penultimate corner, Horner bested the sprinters outlasting Greg Henderson of 7Up-Maxxis and HealthNet’s Gord Fraser in a blazing fast field sprint. The day started for the men promptly at 1 pm, when the neutralized parade of riders left downtown

It was all about Saturn at Solano on Saturday. The criterium, the third stage of the Solano Bicycle Classic, proved to be a showcase for the red and yellow, with Eric Wohlberg taking first on the men’s side and Laura Van Gilder atop the women’s race. Saturn led a charging breakaway in the men’s race, with five teammates pulling together, including Chris Horner, Trent Klasna, Mark McCormack and Viktor Rapinski, to keep the pace very high. Horner put in terrific turns at the front, stringing along Prime Alliance’s Jonathan Vaughters, Ben Brooks of Jelly Belly and all the strong GC contenders

On a road so steep that many found it easier to walk their bikes over the final kilometer, T-Mobile's Kim Bruckner and Prime Alliance's Jonathan Vaughters took top honors on what has to be one of the toughest hill climbs in North America, the second stage at this year's Solano Bicycle Classic. Bruckner maintained her overall lead in the Solano Classic, winning the Stage 2 hill climb up Mix Canyon under warm, but windy skies. Saturn’s Manon Jutras and Lyne Bessette bucked and swayed up the 22-percent grade locals like to call the "death zone" behind her to finish more than a minute and a half

Chris Horner and Kim Bruckner won Thursday’s windy opening stage of the Solano Bicycle Classic, both beating a field of strong climbers on the day's final ascent to the finish at the Lake Berryessa recreation area. Horner, who has won the Solano Classic twice before, charged off the front soon after a serious mid-race breakaway had been reeled in... and he was certain that his teammate Will Frischkorn had not gone up the road solo. “I didn’t want to pull other guys up with me if Will was up there. He’s the National Road Champion, so he’s totally capable of controlling the break,” said

First off, wanted to drop a big thanks to all those who sent kind wordsof encouragement to all of us here at the magazine as we fought to bravethrough the, "Blizzard of '03." It wasn't easy, but with a snow shovelfull of perseverance and moral encouragement from all our fans (all threeof you) I'm happy to announce that VeloNews is back up to full productionsteam. [Note: everything I just wrote is a gross exaggeration:the whole event was blown way out of proportion, and really, what itall boiled-down to was an unexpected day off of work and a losing snowballfight to my six year old

Dear Monique;Just recently I've been told (tested) that I have high cholesterol (279), HDL's are good, LDL's and triglycerides are bad and all liver and kidney functions are normal. I am 30 years old and weigh 154 at 5'6". In the last year I've changed my diet significantly (cut out the probably around 90 percent of my meat intake, except for fish which has increased) increased the fibers and veggies and have also upped the miles and training. Physically I am feeling the best I've felt this early in a season in years. My cholesterol since my last test (267) has gone up given the above

Dear Lennard Zinn;I have an Ultegra-equipped bike but would like to replace the shifter/ brake piece with Veloce Ergopower shifter. Will this set up work? --AlbertDear Albert,No, it will not work. The cable-pull per shift is different. However,you might find some words of wisdom (and hope) among the responses belowregarding converting old seven-speed systems to ErgoPower. --LennardHow long is the chain?Dear Lennard,Can you please confirm or comment on the relative lengths of Campyand Shimano chains? I have a Park chain length tool that shows expectedchain length on my Shimano chain but a much

Swiss rider Beat Zberg (Rabobank) easily zipped past Spain’s Juan Antonio Flecha (iBanesto.com) to win Tuesday’s 158km second stage of Setmana Catalana. Phonak’s Gonzalo Bayarri came across third, but took the overall lead from Erik Zabel (Telekom) after strong placings in the opening two sprints. Zabel lost contact with the leaders of the Category 1 Alt de San Pere de Rodes, a stunning climb high above Spain’s rugged Costa Brava. Two riders – Relax’ Oscar Laguna and Paternina’s Xavier Tondo -- were off the front about 2 minutes at the base of the long, grinding climb, but the lead bunch

There was no mistaking Erik Zabel was first across the line in Monday’s opening stage of the 40th Setmana Catalana. Zabel easily won his second race of the 2003 season just two days after finishing sixth in Saturday’s Milan-San Remo, where the confused Telekom captain thought he had finished third. At Milan-San Remo, Zabel admitted he didn’t realize eventual winner Paolo Bettini and two others were ahead on the lead bunch. When he came across sixth, he made his way for the podium thinking he had finished third. There was no confusion in Monday’s 147km stage into Lloret de Mar along Spain’s

Paolo Bettini (Quick Step-Davitamon) won Saturday's World Cup opener, the 297km classic, Milan San-Remo. Stay tuned for a complete race wrap-up from Andrew Hood, more photos from Graham Watson and complete results. Meanwhile, to see how today's race unfolded just clickhere, to pull up our Live Update window. The defending World Cup champion of the Quick.Step-Davitamon team won an exciting sprint finish ahead of Mirko Celestino and Luca Paolini.

Quick Step’s Paolo Bettini delivered a thrilling victory in Saturday’s Milan-San Remo, denying world champion Mario Cipollini his hoped-for big gift on his 36th birthday. Indeed, Bettini did what no one has done since 1995, successfully attacking on the final climb, the famed Poggio that tops out just 5.7km from the finish, to stymie the sprinters in the World Cup opener that’s finished in a mass gallop five out of the past six years. “With two kilometers to go, I said to Luca (Paolini), 'Come on, we can do it,'” said an emotional Bettini. “I wasn’t sure we were going to make it. I thought

With something like 24 inches of snow expected over the next two days, I figure that now is the perfect opportunity to talk about an oft-overlooked product: The lowly fender. I know, not cool, not fast, but I'll let you in on a little secret: They work! On top of that, they are a cheap investment if you ever use a bicycle for anything other than racing. Maybe it was the "skunk tail" on über-commuter Bryan Jew's butt or the chest/neck/face splattering I received on my way into work Tuesday morning, but fenders are mandatory equipment for a splatter-free commute. As luck would have it, SKS

Dear Monique;During the winter, I usually take about 3-6 weeks off the bike andwork out strictly with weights. I generally supplement with creatine, protein,glucosamine, and some ephedra product. I strictly use ephedra for energyin the gym. I have tried various ephedra containing products. I take one30 minutes before hitting the weights and have found that it makes a hugedifference in my lifting. Recently I have been on the trainer everyday due to the weather. I triedsome ephedra and noticed that I maintain about 7 to 10 beats per minutehigher heart rate without any more perceived effort. Is

Rabobank's Oscar Freire won Wednesday's final stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico to send a very strong message to world champion Mario Cipollini. Just days before the World Cup opener at Milan-San Remo, Freire got around Cipo and his formidable train to upset the world champion. “Guess I got lucky and Cipo made a mistake,” Freire said. Cipollini came in second, but won two bunch sprints during TA, Italy's first major stage race of the season. German Erik Zabel came across third, a good sign for the struggling Telekom veteran who's only won once this season on the eve of his major

Dear Lennard Zinn;To date I have not had much experience with threadless headsets. Howdoes one adjust (raise) the handlebar height on a threadless headset system?--Craig Dear Craig;If you have spacers on the steering tube above the stem, you canraise it. You pull off the top cap and the stem and move spacers from abovethe stem to below it. If there are no spacers above the stem, you do nothave enough length of steering tube to allow raising it. If you have adown-angled stem, you can flip your stem over so it angles up. Or you getanother stem that has more up angle to it. --Lennard  That

Quick Step's Paolo Bettini saw his chances for overall victory at Tirreno-Adriatico slip away after he got caught up behind the final sprint coming into the finish line of Tuesday's 181km sixth stage from Teramo to Torricella Sicura. Bettini was about eight riders back when two-time world champion Oscar Freire (Rabobank) clipped tires with Quick Step's Luca Paolini with about 600 meters to go. Freire went down and both Bettini and Paolini got caught up in the pile-up and fell out of contention. But Bettini's loss was Danilo Di Luca's gain. The Saeco rider was just ahead of Paolini and

An emotionally spent Alexandre Vinokourov was more relieved than happy after wrapping up the 61st Paris-Nice on Sunday. It was a tumultuous week for the quiet Kazakh, who fulfilled his promise to win the race in honor of his fallen compatriot and friend, Andrei Kivilev, who died from injuries in a spill in Tuesday’s third stage. “It’s been a very hard week and I’ve given all my concentration to winning the race for ‘Kivi,’” said Vinokourov, who finished 43 seconds ahead of ONCE’s Mikel Zarrabeitia. Spanish rider David Bernabeu scored a big win for his Portuguese-based Milaneza team to

Alexandre Vinokourov pushed one day closer to delivering victory in the 61st Paris-Nice after surviving a cold, blustery day along France’s Cote d’Azur. CSC’s Tyler Hamilton lit up the 194km sixth stage from Toulon to Cannes in what he called a “suicidal attack,” riding solo for more than 100 kilometers. His escape, which he described as “a training ride,” gave Hamilton the best climber’s jersey for his efforts. ONCE’s Joaquim Rodriguez won coming into classy Cannes in a five-up sprint on the famed Boulevard de la Croisette after attacking on the Category 2 Col du Tanneron with 23km to

Fassa Bortolo rider Filippo Pozzato won Friday's second stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico stage race, a 215km stage from Sabaudi to Tarquinia. Pozzato took over the lead from fellow Italian Mario Cipollini after the longest stage of the Italian stage race. The 21-year-old Pozzato, a rising star in his homeland, won a sprint finish to beat Italian Paolo Bettini and former world champion Romans Vainsteins of Latvia after negotiating the 484-meter Tolfa climb at the 160km mark. Pozzato waited patiently for his moment before attacking in the final 100 meters to edge out Bettini and

An emotional Alexandre Vinokourov rode to victory atop Mont Faron Friday to take the overall lead of the 61st Paris-Nice, a race he now vows to win in the name of his fallen friend Andrei Kivilev. It was another tumultuous and exciting stage in the “Race to the Sun,” with race leader Dario Frigo (Fassa Bortolo) not starting after team officials said he came down with a sudden attack of stomach flu overnight. With Frigo gone, the second-placed Vinokourov became the leader, but he declined to wear the maillot jaune in the Italian’s absence. He started the difficult 152.5km from Aix en

Fassa Bortolo's Dario Frigo stamped his authority on the 61st edition of Paris-Nice, winning Thursday's 16.5km individual time trial and jumping into the overall lead, while defending champion Alexandre Vinokourov (Telekom) promises to take the overall title for his fallen friend and comrade. The focus was back on racing after Wednesday's emotional stage when the peloton woke up to news that Cofidis rider Andrei Kivilev had died from head injuries suffered in a crash Tuesday. A subdued mood still hung over the race on Thursday, but riders decided the best way to pay homage to Kivilev was to

Forget the fact that we just got the run-down on the 2004 Dura-Ace (10-speed as reported). Hold off on the report about the latest road hardware unveiled at this weekend's Pomona Valley Stage Race. Don't worry a bit about Jonathan Vaughters's speed secrets, because I've got much bigger news. I got to hang out with Kelly Osbourne on Monday night. You know, Ozzy's daughter? Bad hair, short, a bit on the chunky side…? Well, "hang-out" might be pushing it, but I did run into her at baggage claim at Denver International (and boy, does she have plenty of baggage to claim). She was on her way

The mood at Paris-Nice turned sullen Wednesday morning as riders, support staff and fans learned that Cofidis’s Andrei Kivilev had died from injuries caused in his freakish fall during a stage a day earlier. Kivilev fell face first with about 40km left in 182km stage into Saint Etienne and later lapsed into a coma, which doctors sustained with drugs to control his blood pressure. Cofidis team doctors said Kivilev died at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday morning at a hospital in Le Puy-En-Velay, France, after attending physicians doctors lost an all-night battle to control swelling of the 29-year-old’s

Dear Ms. Ryan;I have been experiencing severe headaches after riding (usually abouttwo to 2.5 hours; 45 miles). I believe that it has some connection to fluidloss. I was interested in your recent response to a triathlete who mentionedsalt depletion- could my problem be similar? I drink a reasonable amountduring my ride. Can you suggest a solution? Thanks very much for your help.I enjoy your column. -- GBDear GB;You should focus on a number of strategies, including focusing onhydration, maintaining blood glucose levels, and normal sodium levels.Sodium depletion is most likely to occur in

Paris-Nice got its third race leader in three days after Gerolsteiner’s David Rebellin out-sprinted his five rivals in a breakaway that shook up the 61st Paris-Nice. Tuesday’s 182km second stage from La Clayette to Saint Etienne hit four rated climbs, then Category 1 Croix du Chaubouret before an 18km descent to the finish-line and the long, grinding stage separated the contenders from the rest of the field. 2001 champion Dario Frigo (Fassa Bortolo) punched the accelerator with 2km to the summit to Chaubouret to split the lead group of about 40 riders. Only Rebellin and defending champion

Dear Lennard;I have a 2000 60cm Trek 5200 OCLV carbon fully stock bike. Notlong after I bought the bike, I noticed a periodic creaking coming fromthe bottom bracket area of the bike that usually appears when torquingon the pedals out of the saddle. I had my shop pull the bottom bracket,grease it up, and reinstall it, but it still makes the noise. I'vegotten new pedals and make sure the crank bolts are nice and tight, butthe noise is still there. My mechanic told me that OCLV frames arenotorious for this mysterious creak, and indeed I have noticed the noisedon 2 other OCLV frames (one in a guy

Racing resumed Sunday at the Pomona Valley Stage Race in patented 75-degree Southern California weather, with just enough of a breeze to blow back the smog curtain that normally covers nearby Mount Baldy (snow-capped this time of year). While not pivotal in determining the overall winners of the race (that was essentially decided in the race's first uphill time-trial stage), Sunday's criterium still provided a remote possibility of dethroning overall leaders Genevieve Jeanson and Tom Danielson from their top spots -- if either suffered a race-ending crash, or California's much-anticipated

Fassa Bortolo’s Alessandro Petacchi made it look easy in Monday’s firststage of the 61st Paris-Nice, and he wasn’t even feeling all thathealthy. Fassa Bortolo did nice work driving Petacchi to his third win this seasonwhile Stuart O’Grady (Crédit Agricole) came across third to earn just enoughtime bonuses to grab the overall leader’s jersey away from prologue winnerNico Mattan (Cofidis). “I really have to thank my team because I was not feeling very goodtoday,” said Petacchi, already a winner at Trofeo Luis Puig and of a stageat Tour of Valencia last month in Spain. “Our train did a great

Orlando's Festival of Speed was very nearly an all-Ivan affair, as Saturn's Ivan Dominguez won the Saturday criterium and local rider Ivan Franco (Jet Network-Home Finance) tested Jittery Joe's Jeff Hopkins in Sunday's circuit race. Hopkins, though, managed to edge out Franco for the win to complete the weekend of National Racing Calendar racing. On Saturday, Dominguez was clearly the strongman in the evening criterium, winning out of a group of seven that included 7UP-Maxxis teammates John Lieswyn and Brice Jones, who tried repeatedly to work over the Saturn rider. "Ivan was just

Gord Fraser (HealthNet) pulled off his second win at the Pomona Valley Stage Race on Saturday, the Stage 3 Puddingstone Road Race held in and around Bonelli Regional Park. The 7.8 mile loop offered 700 feet of climbing per lap with a total elite men's distance of 98 miles with the elite women riding 72 miles. Fraser credited his team's ability to close down any of the breaks that tried to escape the pack (a mistake that almost cost them Friday's Circuit Race). And while an early break of six riders comprised of fellow HealthNet riders Russell Stevensen and Jason Lokkesmoe provided just

Belgian rider Nico Mattan saw his recent time trial training sessions pay off with victory in the 4.8-kilometre prologue of the Paris-Nice stage race in Parisian suburb of Issy-les-Moulineaux on Sunday.Mattan came in two seconds ahead of CSC’s Tyler Hamilton, with French Cofidis rider Philippe Gaumont and Australian national champion Stuart O'Grady, of Credit Agricole, tying for third at 5 seconds."I've been training specially for this prologue," said Mattan. "During the week I've worked a lot on my intensity on a bike with a sloping frame and riding behind a derny (moped)."The 31-year-old

Two familiar names in North American racing – Gord Fraser and GenevieveJeanson -- scored wins Friday at the KB Home circuit race, the second stageof the Pomona Valley Stage race. Held in one of Southern California's newest planned communities, atthe very end of Southern California's newest freeways (as if it needs both),the stage kicked off under sunny skies and mild breezes (only partiallysmog-filled). With the women's race starting at 1:25 in the afternoon andthe men following at 3:00, competitors raced on a 2.3-mile nearly dead-flatloop around a work-in-progress, the ultra-suburban KB

Victor Hugo Peña scored U.S. Postal's first victory of the season Saturday after taking the fourth stage of the Tour of Murcia and bounced into 10th overall. Kelme's Javier Pascual Llorente held on to the overall lead despite struggling earlier in the stage, but the stage-win must taste somewhat bittersweet for Peña. The Colombian won here last year and finished second at the Tour d'Algarve in Portugal last month, but got caught behind a crash in Thursday's climb and fell out of contention. Peña attacked up the final climb of the three-climb 167km stage from Cartagena to Alto de La Santa

Telekom’s Erik Zabel seems to be finding his legs just in time for his favorite race of the season – Milan-San Remo. The world’s No. 1 had been slipping into a bad habit of finishing second and third in his early races so far this season, but the German Telekom veteran put an end to that streak at Spain’s Tour of Murcia on Friday. Zabel got the monkey off his back taking the 160km third stage in beautiful Caravaca, scoring his first victory of the season. Kelme’s Javier Pascual Llorente retained his overall lead in an exciting stage that saw U.S. Postal’s Victor Hugo Peña make a move that

Thursday's 8.5-mile uphill time trial turned out to be the perfect showcase for Saturn's Tom Danielson and RONA-Esker's Genevieve Jeanson, as each rode to impressive wins in the opening stage of the Pomona Valley Stage Race in Southern California. Danielson and Saturn teammate Chris Horner went one-two, with the Tour de Langkawi winner taking the stage with a time of 27:51. Horner clocked in at 28:24, while Prime Alliance's Jonathan Vaughters was third, more than a minute behind Danielson. Jeanson took the women's race by a huge 1:48 margin over T-Mobile's Amber Neben, with Sue Palmer Komar

Javier Pascual Llorente hardly even raced in 2002, missing eight months after succumbing to mononucleosis. The Kelme rider is certainly making up for lost time in the opening weeks of the 2003 season, already winning the "queen’s stage" and the overall title at Ruta del Sol and finishing third on the podium at last week’s Tour of Valencia. On Thursday, he added more hardware to his already bursting trophy shelf, winning the difficult 153km climbing stage to the Category 1 finish at Cresto del Gallo and jumping into the overall lead of the Tour of Murcia. Llorente attacked off the lead group

Lampre’s Jan Svorada came back to Spain and did what he did this time last year: Win the opening stage of the Tour de Murcia in a tough field sprint. But this year he had to beat Erik Zabel to do it. The two battled to the line at the end of Wednesday’s 162km first stage between Murcia and Ceuti in southeastern Spain, a day that also served as the season debut of four-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. Indeed, Armstrong was the clearly the center of attention before the start in Murcia as big crowds hovered around the U.S. Postal Service bus hoping to catch a glimpse of the

Dear Lennard Zinn;It's a long sob story, but suffice it to say that I had to take apart an Ultegra STI lever to remove some debris. I almost have it completely rebuilt but for the coil spring for the big (upshift) lever. It needs to be preloaded quite a bit, and it's almost impossible to tension it and push everything together. Do you have any experience with this, or do you know someone who can do it? --Andy Dear Andy;Oooooh. I wish I had some good news for you, but I don’t. Shimano STI levers are not designed to be overhauled. Here is the response fromShimano’s Chris DiStefano:No one is

A torque wrench is an incredible tool. It allows you to accurately determinethe tightness of a bolt, which can reduce the likelihood of a part slippingfrom not being tightened enough as well as of breaking from being tightenedtoo much.The downside of a torque wrench is that it has a long lever arm andif you are tightening to the wrong torque spec you can tighten a lot tighterthan you could with a little hex key.When you get a torque wrench, it is necessary to get used to it. Itshould not replace your own feel for a bolt’s tightness; rather, it shouldbe supplementary to it. If you would choke

There's no doubting that beefed-up national security is a necessary evil these days. The need for stricter airport security goes in tow with the WOT (War On Terrorism)--I've got no beef with that. But like most things big, beautiful and American, our culture can have a funny (or most times, not so funny) way of taking things too far. Take, for example, my recent visit to the Midwest for a few factory visits. After setting off the metal detector at the Madison airport, I was pulled aside by security for "secondary screening." No problem, with the assortment of titanium and stainless steel

Funny how you go through life redefining your personal high-water marks. Your longest ride, the toughest climb, your best placing – all of these achievements are subject to improvement. On a purely personal note, I'm proud to announce a double whammy of sorts, having surpassed two new personal highs (or, in this case, I should say lows) in one fell swoop. You see, I just returned from a quick little jaunt over to our Midwestern friends in Minnesota and Wisconsin to visit with a few cycling-related manufacturers. It was on this trip that I achieved my new marks–the first being coldest

Dear MoniqueLast triathlon season I struggled with dehydration and found that sodium tablets were the only thing that helped me during my long runs (2+ hours).I am training for an Ironman now and want to experiment with different electrolyte tablets. I was surprised to find that most do not have sodium. What do you recommend taking then? Which is more important- electrolytes or sodium? Or should I stick with an electrolyte tablet with sodium?Thank you.AB Dear AB;It is always difficult for triathletes (and other endurance athletes) to keep up with their fluid losses and chances are that you

Can you direct me to a source for a 10 speed shifter cam so that Ican convert my 9 speed record shifter?--GaryDear Gary;Any bike shop can order the 10-speed right index gear. Many distributorscarry the parts.--LennardA matter of wheel choiceDear Lennard;What is more important and under what circumstances i.e. terrain, ridertype, etc., light wheels regarding weight or heavier wheels for momentum?This has come up for our team regarding light and aero wheels i.e. HedAlps or Zipp 404 vs. Mavic Carbones and the like. Your comments would bevery interesting to us. --ChrisDear Chris;There is never a

National criterium champion Kevin Monahan (7UP) kicked off the season by taking the National Racing Calendar opener, the two-day Florida Cycling Grand Prix, in Gainesville over the weekend. Monahan won the opening race of the criterium stage race on the Gainesville Raceway Saturday, and finished well enough in Sunday’s race, won by Jason Snow, to take the overall. A scheduled third event on Saturday evening was cancelled due to hurricane warnings. On Saturday, Monahan and teammate John Lieswyn finished one-two ahead of Keith Norris, and that would be the final order of the overall in the

Dear Monique: I am a 53-year-old triathlete who has been competing for more than 20 years. Recently I have been having difficulty in keeping my weight up. Genetically I am lean. I do my best to consume calories before, during, and after workouts and throughout the day. My training involves weight lifting and stretching, as well as the three disciplines. I have read that HMB will prevent protein catabolism and may increase weight gain. It is also said to promote recovery. I would appreciate your opinion of this supplement and any guidance on maintaining my body weight. -- ST Dear Monique:

I have a new pair of Sidi shoes and am considering going from Lookpedals to either Campy Record Pro-Fit Plus or Shimano DuraAce SPD-SL's.Which, if either, will work better with the Sidi sole and plate? Will I need to get longer cleat bolts for either system?  Will I needto use the Sidi plate with either system?How about Sidi with Ritchey Road pedals?  (I understand the Ritcheycleat is a 2-hole SPD style.) --PhilDear Phil;For the Campy or new Shimano SPD-SL pedals, you will use the sameSidi plate you did with the Looks, and both pedals will work identicallywith that shoe as the Looks did. The

BLACK OUT -vi- 1: to become enveloped in darkness; specif: black out date: A set date at which exclusive press release information can be released to the public;specif: utilized to protect current inventory from abandonment in premature anticipation of the next model year;see also: screwing the manufacturer over and killing bike shop sales. While not one to complain about the goings-on at other cycling publications, I'm about to (briefly). Two weeks ago Manitou presented the media with a sneak-peek at its 2004 product line which we lightly reported on, but I adhered to the requested black

If Oscar Freire was happy after winning Sunday’s opening stage of the 49th Vuelta Ciclista a Andalucia – the Ruta del Sol – he was downright ecstatic Monday when he roared to his second straight stage-win. Freire put down a blistering sprint with 350 meters to go, easily holding off nemesis Erik Zabel who couldn’t come around him in the finale of the rolling 165-km stage between Sevilla and Huelva in Spain’s sunny Andalucia region. AG2R’s Jaan Kirsipuu – winner of two races already this month -- nearly picked Freire’s pocket with a late charge on the left side of the finishing

Genèviève Jeanson (Rona-Esker) won a field sprint on Saturdayto go two for two at the 2003 John Earley Memorial Valley of the Sun stagerace outside Tempe, Arizona, while Mark McCormack (Saturn) outfoxed a smalllead group to take his first victory.A three-man group that included Adam Livingston (Schroeder Iron) and ABDCycling teammates Frank Pipp and John Puffer slipped away from the bunchafter Saturn’s Ivan Dominguez won the KoM, building a lead of nearly threeminutes on the 16-mile circuit. But they were retrieved late in the 89-milerace, and a flurry of attacks eventually saw McCormack,

Genèviève Jeanson (Rona-Esker) scored the hat trick in the2003 John Earley Memorial Valley of the Sun stage race, winning the closingfigure-eight criterium in downtown Phoenix and leaving no doubt about whowas strongest under the Arizona sun.In the men’s race, meanwhile, Schroeder Iron’s Aaron Olsen held onto hisGC lead as teammate Miguel Meza outkicked the field at the line.The 40-minute women’s crit was a battle between Rona and Saturn, with Jeansonand teammate Catherine Marsal going into the final stage holding first andthird, and Manon Jutras and Jessica Phillips sitting second and

Sandy Perrins (Healthy Choice) and Genèviève Jeanson (Rona-Esker)got off to the fastest starts in the 2003 John Earley Memorial Valley ofthe Sun stage race on Friday.The three-day race began Friday in Tempe, Arizona, with a 20km time trial on the Sun Valley Parkway. Perrins clocked a 26:23.94 on the mostly flat, chip-sealed out-and-back course, followed 16 seconds later by Aaron Olsen (Schroeder Iron) and a further six seconds back by Peter Mazur, racing unattached.Jeanson covered the course in 28:37:41, edging Saturn’s Manon Jutras (Saturn) by just four seconds and Rona teammate Catherine

Rabobank’s Bram Degroot won the 112km opening stage of the 30th Tour of the Mediterranean on Wednesday. The Dutch rider bested 2002 World Cup champion Paolo Bettini in a sprint to the finish in Arma di Taggia along Italy’s Mediterranean coast. The 150 riders, who left the start in Taggia maintained a moderate pace until the day’s first major challenge, the col du San Bortolomeo, a category 1 climb at that peaked out at the 69-kilometer mark. Bettini tried his luck with a solo attack, but was reeled back in as Phonak’s Miguel Martinez drove a strong chase. With 20 kilometers remaining, a

Wow, it's been a whirlwind of activity around here. I won't bore you with the down-and-dirty details of trying to push our 2003 Buyer's Guide out the door (I'm beginning to think of it as one of those drunk party guests that refuses to leave your house at 3:30 a.m. when everyone else has split). Instead let's stick to the part where I tell you how I just got back in from a weekend of riding with the Manitou boys down in sunny Phoenix, Arizona. Perfect timing to sneak away from the near zero cold snap that had Boulder firmly in its grasp. Unlike most manufacturers, Manitou chooses to show

I have a question regarding race radios. We have an elite/pro Canadian team that we are just starting up. I have been doing a bunch of research on which race radios are the best for use for our team. I find it strange how little information I can find on this topic. We have tested a few different options and we seem to be coming up short in our quest for a good solution. We have tried the Motorola FRS type radios - they only work when our riders are very close together. If we have one guy up the road they fail miserably. We then tried more robust, higher power radios, which had a better range

Chances of anything significant happening on the last day of the 2003 Tour de Langkawi were slim when the day started. But when race officials neutralized the race two laps into the 12-lap criterium because of threatening skies, Tom Danielson and his Saturn team could sit back and coast, assured that the 24-year-old from Durango, Colorado was going home with a yellow jersey in his suitcase.

How good could Tom Danielson be? Consider this. In the moments after finishing just an eyelash behind stage winner Hernan Dario Munoz on stage 9 of the 2003 Tour de Langkawi, the 24-year-old seemed more upset by the fact that he’d lost the stage than exultant that he’d just all but locked up the overall title in the fourth richest stage race in the world.

Someday someone will actually pull it off here in Malaysia. Break away from the field early in the race, hammer hard for a few hours, and catch the peloton napping just long enough to grab a solo victory. That day, however, was not today. Despite a Herculean effort from the increasingly famous Koji Fukushima, the eighth stage of the 2003 Tour de Langkawi ended with another mad-dash sprint at the end. And like he did two days before, Australian Stuart O’Grady came away the winner.

A selection of sights from the middle days of the Tour de Langkawi.

Saturn’s plan all along, if it worked, was to have Tom Danielson sporting the yellow jersey come the final day of the 2003 Tour de Langkawi. It just wasn’t supposed to happen this early.

I am training for my first Ironman (Lake Placid 2003) and am concerned about keeping my iron levels high enough to avoid anemia-which I suffered from this fall, but which is now back to normal. I have also been told that I many not be getting enough protein to sufficiently rebuild and recover after workouts. How much iron and protein do women endurance athletes typically need? TP Dear TP - Since you have already had anemia, it is important that you pay close attention to your iron intake and have your blood work monitored fairly regularly. Iron deficiency is the most common nutrient

Stuart O’Grady just shrugged his shoulders when asked the last time he’d won a bunch sprint like the one that concluded stage 6 of the 2003 Tour de Langkawi. “I don’t know,” he said after a brief pause. “It’s been a while.” Indeed, until Wednesday, it had been nearly three years since the Credit Agricole rider had broken through with a win like the one he grabbed at the end of the 136.3km run from Marang to Cukai on another scorcher of a day in Malaysia. Before that you had to go all the way back to the third stage of the Midi-Libre in May of 2000.

Leaning against the Ceremiche-Panaria team van 20 minutes before the start of stage 5, Graeme Brown was very matter of fact about the first four days of 2003 Tour de Langkawi. Sure the Aussie, who went neck and neck with Mario Cipollini at last year’s Giro, had been beaten in three straight sprints by a younger, brasher foe. But Brown wasn’t ready to concede anything to Mendonca Pagliarini, the 24-year-old Brazilian Lampre rider who’d won three straight sprint finishes here in Malaysia.

QuestionI recently purchased an NOS Time/Look carbon fork to put on my '87 Paramount. I am running a 2002 Record triple group and am wondering about the mounting of the front brake caliper on the fork. With the steel fork I was not worried about the washer with the "teeth" on both sides biting into the fork, as that is what it is designed to do. However, with my carbon fork there is no aluminum plate to mount the brake against and I am wondering if it is smart to use this washer? Will it possibly case problems biting into the composite material? If not this washer, then what should I use to

Don’t tell anyone, but I managed to sneak away from the tidal wave that is the VeloNews 2003 Buyer's Guide. We've been building this monster since early December, and with any luck, we'll have it out the door in two weeks (in your hands at the beginning of March). So far, so good I'd have to say. Even if you're not in the market for a new bike, components or accessories (do I see any hands out there?) I'm sure you'll find the numerous interviews with pro riders and their personal racing setups interesting. We even threw-in a few interviews with a handful of bicycle racing's biggest names

A sampling of sights from the last few days at the 2003 Tour de Langkawi in Malaysia.

One star continued to shine, while another emerged at the Tour de Langkawi in Malaysia on Sunday. For the third straight day Brazilian Mendonca Pagliarini took top honors in a bunch sprint, this time winning the 172.9km stage 4 trip from Gerik to Tanah Merah. But getting equal billing on this day was Canadian mountain biker Roland Green, who showed it didn’t matter whether it was dirt or tarmac when it comes to climbing.

The third day of the 2003 Tour de Langkawi lacked the bloody drama of its predecessor, but when the bunch cleared the line in the mining city of Ipoh the result was the same. For the second day in a row Brazilian Mendonca Pagliarini took a sprint-finish win in Malaysia. The pair of victories are the first of the 24-year-old’s 2-year pro cycling career. In the chase for the overall, there was no change at the top, as Saturn’s Nathan O’Neill maintained his 23-second lead over Canadian national team rider Roland Green.

The question at the post-race press conference might have raised a few eyebrows, but the point was well made. “So, is this becoming a version of the Belgian national championship,” asked the German reporter, "with maybe a few other nations invited to fill out the field?” Newly crowned world cyclo-cross champion Bart Wellens smiled, cast a glance at Mario De Clerq on his left and Erwin Vervecken on his right and shrugged.