Road

Cold, blustery wind met the riders for the Stedman Co. Grand Prix ofCyclo-Cross, round five of the Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series. Race promoters used every inch of the South Kingstown, RI venue to create a course some felt was the best yet in the 2002 Verge Series. The excitement of the racing certainly was at a high level, as Johannes Huseby of Independent Fabrication emerged from a strong group of six to take the win by mere inches over British U23 Champion Sean Snodden (Je James). Many considered Huseby's 2001 Verge Series victory at this same venue to be a breakthrough

The Mongoose-Hyundai duo of Marc Gullickson and Todd Wells brought their show to the Northwest over the weekend and walked away with another victory at the REI Metro Cup UCI cyclo-cross race in Tacoma, Washington, on Saturday. Gullickson and Wells went one-two against a full line-up of West Coast cyclo-cross stars, including Jackson Stewart (Clif Bar), Jonny Sundt (K2), Justin Robinson (Spokesman-Bullion Stil), Dale Knapp (Kona-Kenwood) and Andy (Clif Bar) and Ben Jacques-Maynes (Spokesman-Bullion Stil). The field also featured 2000 national champion Tim Johnson (Saturn) and Trek-VW’s Travis

The gods have been with the organizers of the Giro d’Italia for the past six years, which have produced six winners from the home nation. That trend could well continue in 2003 because it’s unlikely that Italy’s favorite three riders, Gilberto Simoni (the 2001 winner), Stefano Garzelli (winner in 2000) and Francesco Casagrande (second in 2000) will vaporize as they did in 2002. You will remember that Garzelli won two stages and led the race commandingly this year before being expelled for an inopportune, and still unexplained, positive drug test involving Probenecid –- the easily detected

Monique Ryan is the nutrition columnist for VeloNews and Inside Triathlonmagazines and is founder of Personal Nutrition Designs, a consulting companybased in the Chicago area. Ryan will try to answer selected questions eachWednesday in her regular on-line question-and-answer column. Readers are welcome to send questions directly to Ryan.Holiday challengesDear Monique;I plan to stay on track with my training for the upcoming race season. However, I would like to enjoy the upcoming holiday season without overindulging or, on the other hand, coming across like a food Nazi at parties. Do you have

What has 10 arms and is azure blue, brimstone red and safety yellow? Yeah, I don't know either, but I do know we're up to our collars in winter riding jackets around here. Thanks to a nasty little winter squall that raced into town this weekend, Lennard and I have been riding our brains out in the frosty coldness that is late November. Here in Boulder, Sunday cracked a high of just about freezing, which is ideal conditions for the jackets we've rounded-up for this particular test. From relatively affordable, to downright ludicrous in price, it's interesting to see what an extra $100 (or

VeloNews technical writer Lennard Zinn is a frame builder, aformer U.S. national team rider and author of several books on bikes andbike maintenance. Zinn's VeloNews.com column is devoted to addressing readers'technical questions about bikes, their care and feeding and how we as riderscan use them as comfortably and efficiently as possible. Readers can send brief technical questions directly to Zinn. Zinn’s column appears each Tuesday on VeloNews.com.Question:I've been thinking about putting a 650mm wheel on the front of my bike.Will it help with acceleration as well as by dropping the front

The Mongoose streak continued this weekend as Todd Wells and Marc Gullickson took top spots in U.S.’s two top UCI-sanctioned cyclo-cross series at opposite ends of the country over the weekend. Wells scored a win at the second round of the Redline Cup o’ Cross at Utah’s Soldier Hollow, site of the 2002 Winter Olympic Nordic skiing events, Saturday. Wells topped an elite field that included his teammate Gullickson, who promptly hopped a flight, flew to the east Coast and took on Sunday’s fourth round of New England's Verge series in Connecticut. Soldier Hollow victorySaturday’s race in Utah

VeloNews technical writer Lennard Zinn is a frame builder, a formerU.S. national team rider and author of several books on bikes and bikemaintenance. Zinn's VeloNews.com column is devoted to addressing readers'technical questions about bikes, their care and feeding and how we as riderscan use them as comfortably and efficiently as possible. Readers can sendbrief technical questions directly toZinn. Zinn’s column appears regularly on VeloNews.com.Question:It would seem like the ultimate night riding light would be an L.E.D.light for light weight and efficiency. Has there been anyone working

Ever wonder how manufacturers choose the colors and graphics for their upcoming products? While some take a decidedly low-key approach ("My girlfriend's eyes are azure blue, so let's go with that"), others are meticulous in their selection process. When GT was still GT, the company was rumored to have spent almost a quarter million dollars researching the "perfect" looks for its 2001 product line. Part of that process including using involved focus groups and scientific analysis in which participants were hooked-up to diagnostic equipment to monitor specific emotions as subjects were

VeloNews technical writer Lennard Zinn is a frame builder, a former U.S. national team rider and author of several books on bikes and bike maintenance. Zinn's VeloNews.com column is devoted to addressing readers' technical questions about bikes, their care and feeding and how we as riders can use them as comfortably and efficiently as possible. Readers can send brief technical questions directly to Zinn. Zinn’s column appears regularly on VeloNews.com.Question -- Recently you wrote about a chain lube thatvirtually stopped chain wear. I can't remember the name of the lube.--Dave Answer --

Monique Ryan is the nutrition columnist for VeloNews andInsideTriathlon magazines and is founder of Personal Nutrition Designs, aconsulting company based in the Chicago area. Ryan will try to answer selectedquestions each week in her regular on-line question-and-answer column.Readers are welcome to send questions to Ryan.To dilute or not to diluteDear Monique;When I train I use electrolyte drinks, like Gatorade. Because theyare too sweet for my taste and too tough for my stomach, I dilute them.But I read that these drinks should be used only in a special concentrationand not be diluted,

Monique Ryan is the nutrition columnist for VeloNews andInside Triathlon magazines and is founder of Personal NutritionDesigns, a consulting company based in the Chicago area. Ryan will tryto answer selected questions each week in her regular on-line question-and-answercolumn.Readers are welcome to send questions to Ryan.Dear Web Readers;Thank you for your response to the nutrition Web Q and A. The responsehas been very high, and I am sorry if I am not able to get to everyone’squestions. Two topics that have come up very frequently are the issue ofmuscle cramping and weight loss. Instead of

VeloNews technical writer Lennard Zinn is a frame builder, a formerU.S. national team rider and author of several books on bikes and bikemaintenance. This is Zinn's VeloNews.com column devoted to addressing readers'technical questions about bikes, their care and feeding and how we as riderscan use them as comfortably and efficiently as possible. Readers can sendbrief technical questions directly toZinn. Zinn’s column with a representative selection of reader questionappears each Tuesday.Question -- Recently you wrote about a chain lube thatvirtually stopped chain wear.  I can't remember the

Monique Ryan is the nutrition columnist for VeloNews and InsideTriathlon magazines and is founder of Personal Nutrition Designs, a consulting company based in the Chicago area. Ryan will try to answer selected questions each week in her regular on-line question-and-answer column.Readers are welcome to send questions to Ryan at WebLetters@7dogs.com.How often can I raise a glass?Dear Monique:In terms of athletic performance, how does alcohol affect the body? I like one or two glasses of beer or wine a night. I am concerned it may inhibit the liver from clearing toxins. -- AFDear AF:Alcohol can

Marc Gullickson (Mongoose-Hyundai) won his third straight Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series race of the year at the Cycle-Smart Amherst International Cyclo-Cross, Amherst, Massachusetts. As in his last Verge Series win two weeks ago in Gloucester his teammate Todd Wells had a lot to do with the final result. The elite men's race started out looking much like the Clif Bar domination of the women's elite race, fast starters Andy Jaques-Maynes and Jackson Stewart in the red Clif Bar skinsuits took turns leading and forcing the pace for much of the first two laps. Meanwhile,

Monique Ryan is the nutrition columnist forVeloNews andInsideTriathlon magazines and is founder of Personal Nutrition Designs, a consulting company based in the Chicago area. Ryan will try to answer selected questions each week in her regular on-line question-and-answer column.Readers are welcome to send questions to Ryan atWebLetters@7dogs.com.Is uni-sex nutrition advice really a help?Dear Monique;It seems that most nutrition plans I’ve seen are geared to the male athlete or are supposedly “generic” to both sexes. The problem is that they are geared to a heavier carbohydrate intake than is

Shimano’s next-generation XTR website lets you see the functional capabilities of this revolutionary component group in cyber-space.  Simply click on drive train, shifting or braking for systems demonstrations and the company’s philosophy on developing these cutting edge mountain biking tools. “What impresses me most about how the new website came together is it’s about as close as you can come to actually riding the product.  It’s like a virtual test ride.” Says Devin Walton, Product Manager for Shimano American Corporation. This futuristic cyber bike ride lets you see action diagrams of

Sunday - Redline Cup-Round 1 It didn’t take long for Todd Wells to dismantle the field at the first round of the Redline Cup in Tacoma, Washington, on Sunday. The Mongoose rider and 2002 national cyclo-cross champion broke clear of the field on the first lap with Andy Jacques-Maynes (Clif Bar), then dropped Jacques-Maynes a half lap latter and rolled to a 26-second win in the UCI-sanctioned event. "Todd is way too strong," said Jacques-Maynes, who finished second. "He’s obviously the strongest guy out here. It’s really a race for second. I was feeling great and had a great day yesterday (at

John Parker, legendary founder of Yeti Bicycles, dropped us a line to inform us that his world-class cadre of old Yeti race bikes and prototypes have begun showing up on e-bay. Highlights includeJulie Furtado's 1990 Durango World Championship-winning Yeti C-26 (with an opening bid of $7500), complete with all original equipment including a prototype Manitou fork, Yeti quill stem and Onza Ti bar ends. Other bikes to be auctioned at a later time- include those built for John "The Eagle" Tomac, Myles Rockwell, Paul Tracy and Carolyn Curl. For more visit www.yetifan.com or click straight on

What a week Italian Michele Bartoli has had. A week after being left off the victorious "Squadra Azzurri" at the world championships, rather than slip into "polemica" Bartoli let his legs do the talking. He won Milan-Turin on Wednesday and culminated his revenge tour with a dramatic victory in Saturday's Giro di Lombardia. Bartoli held off compatriot Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner) and Swiss rider Oscar Carmenzind (Phonak) in an exciting sprint to win the finale of the 10-round World Cup series. The victory was Bartoli's second World Cup victory this season (he won Amstel Gold in April) and

Monique Ryan is the nutrition columnist for VeloNews and InsideTriathlon magazines and is founder of Personal Nutrition Designs, a consulting company based in the Chicago area. Ryan will try to answer selectedquestions each week in her regular on-line question-and-answer column.Readers are welcome to send questions to Ryan at WebLetters@7dogs.com.Feeding during a 24-hour raceDear Monique;I have a 24-hour mountain bike race coming up soon. Do you have a simpleplan of hydration and nutrition I could follow? Recommendations of typesof foods would be greatly appreciated. -- TMDear TM;I will

A reader asks about regaining confidence after a race crash

Where can I get large mountain bike shoes?

Italian newspapers were not in short supply of superlatives Monday after sprinter Mario Cipollini won the men's world championship road race title for the first time in his career. Cipollini, 35, exploded clear of the pack in a mass sprint finish to win the 159-mile race in Zolder, Belgium by two bike lengths on Sunday to become the first Italian since Gianni Bugno in 1992 to win the coveted rainbow jersey. Nicknamed the 'Lion King', Cipollini won with an average speed of 46.538kph, the fastest ever in a world championship, and saw him beat joint favorites Australian Robbie McEwen and

How can I stop my Look pedals from creaking?

European cycling fans never cease to amaze me. It is a total circus around here. Jiri Manus, the U.S. National team director, traveled to Zolder as soon as it was named the home of 2002 World Championships. He staked out the best hotel location for the U.S. contingent, and he did a very good job of it. Our hotels are located right on the course. We can look out our hotel window, watch the race go by, and then rush back to our TV and continue watching it live on EuroSport. I love EuroSport! The road race circuit is the same for all categories; 13.3 kilometers. The entire circuit is

Craziness That’s what I was thinking on the final lap of the world championship road race when it started to rain and riders where falling down all around me. Rain is common in Belgium in October and we had been fortunate our first few days here, as the sun was shining. I arrived Zolder Thursday morning and rode the course with my American teammates. This is the flattest course I have ever raced on at a world championship and this would make the race wide open, as nearly anyone would have a chance depending on how the tactics would play out and what kind of challenges the weather may

What a year. On Sunday in Zolder, Belgium, Mario Cipollini capped an incredible, sometimes turbulent season by taking the world champion's crown that he has coveted ever since the Zolder course was announced. Cipollini was carried along by a unified Italian squad that delivered him to the line with the precision usually reserved for a well-oiled professional trade team. And at the finish, Cipollini easily beat out Australian Robbie McEwen and German Erik Zabel for the rainbow jersey, and left his two rivals fighting for the scraps. The Zolder course had "sprinter" written all over it, with

Marc Gullickson (Mongoose-Hyundai) won his second straight Verge New England championship cyclo-cross series race of the year at the ECV Cyclo-cross in Gloucester, MA. Unlike last week when "Gully" attacked on the opening lap and rode alone for the rest of the race, this was a tactical win where U.S. National Champion Todd Wells was instrumental in setting up his teammate's victory.

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It was another exciting day at the world championships Saturday under cloudy skies and cool temperatures. French rider Arnaud Gerard won the junior men's road race marred by a horrible finish-line crash that took down a half-dozen riders. Susanne Ljungskog won the women's road race that was equally blighted with spills. The 2002 world's conclude Sunday with the elite men's road race.Wauters hometown hopefulMarc Wauters, a Belgian rider on the Rabobank team, knows every inch of the Zolder world's course. Wauters lives just 5 kilometers away and first rode the course as a young boy.Since then,

The first successful breakaway of the 2002 World Road Race Championships delivered French junior Arnaud Gerard to victory on Saturday in Zolder, Belgium. Gerard emerged from a six-man group to take the sprint finish ahead of Jukka Vastaranta of Finland and Nicolas Sanderson of Australia. The weather in Zolder was cool and cloudy for the second day in a row, after three days of sunshine earlier in the week for the time trial championships. On Saturday morning, the junior men set a blazing pace from the start as the field of 164 riders exploded off the line, on their way to an average speed of

Susanne Ljungskog survived crashes, rain and a blistering pace to prevail over a three-rider break in the final kilometer to win the world title in Saturday's exciting, rough and tumble 128-km elite women's road race. The Swede didn't stop after she bridged out to three riders who were narrowing down on victory just 600 meters to the finish-line. Ljungskog roared to the gold medal in 2 hours, 59 minutes, 15 seconds (42.845 kph) while Swiss rider Nicole Brandli took her second silver at these world's and Spanish rider Joanne Somarriba hung on for bronze. "I felt strong and I just did it

U.S. national cyclo-cross champion Todd Wells of Mongoose-Hyundai flew the colors of the stars-and-stripes jersey in the first Central Massachusetts Cyclo-cross To End Homelessness. Last year's revelation picked up where he left off last year, breaking away early with his teammate Marc Gullickson, and taking his first UCI 'cross win of 2002. A steady rain on race day turned the course into a slick, muddy quagmire by the time the elite men took the line at 3:00 for the last race of the day.Wells and Gullickson both had good starts, but the real rocket on lap one was Clif Bar rider Andy

Dutch rider Suzanne De Goede sprinted her way to the gold medal in the women's junior road race on a cold Friday morning in Zolder while American Magen Long finished a strong fifth place. Long started the sprint early, but De Goede came around to win in dominant fashion in 1 hour, 59 minutes. German Claudia Stumpf took silver while Swede Monica Holder hung on for the bronze. Long was ecstatic with the solid finish, the best result so far by an American at the 2002 world cycling championships. Long almost didn't come to the world's because he mother is sick back home in the hospital, but

Belgium’s weather turned foul just in time for the road races. Riders woke up to a bone-chilling morning Friday for the junior women’s and U23 road races. Clouds built as the afternoon went on and it never warmed up. Forecasters are calling for a chance of rain Saturday. Italy and Holland were the big winners Friday, with Francesco Chicchi from Italy taking a dramatic U23 bunch sprint marred by a crash in the final 200 meters to the line. Dutch rider Suzanne De Goede won the junior women’s gold medal while American Magen Long took fifth for the best American result so far. Milne's rocky

On the first day of the road races at the world championships in Zolder, Belgium on Friday, things played out the way they were anticipated, with cold, overcast weather and races that boiled down to field sprint finishes. In the under-23 men's race, things worked out perfectly for Italian Francesco Chicchi, who came out of no-man's land to pull off the sprint win on the Circuit Zolder auto racetrack. Chicchi stayed in front of an ugly pileup with 250 meters to go, and then came from six spots back, swooped across the road from right to left, and then came around Dutchman Hans Dekkers at the

What is this, Jamaica? Zolder smoldered under the (relative) tropical heat of a bright autumn sun for the third day in a row. Winds continued to blow hard across the flatlands of Flanders for Thursday’s elite men’s individual time trial, but forecasters are calling for good, old-fashioned bleak Belgian weather for the weekend. Rain, wind and cold; the perfect recipe for an epic weekend of racing. Colombia’s Santiago Botero roared his way to the gold medal, while Germany’s Michael Rich settled for second for the second time in three years and Spain’s Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano hung on for

Santiago Botero must be relieved he decided to come to Zolder. The Colombian suffered through much of the 2002 Vuelta a España despite winning a stage and wondered out loud if he would compete in the world championships. But a strong fourth-place finish in the Vuelta’s final time trial helped change his mind. On a blustery, flat course in northern Belgium, Botero became the first Colombian to win a world championship gold medal. Riding a 55x11 through strong crosswinds and headwinds topping 25 kph that buffeted the 57 riders, Botero made up time on Michael Rich to edge the German by just 8

At the world time trial championship in Zolder, American Chris Horner had a disappointing ride, finishing in 36th place, but that didn't stop the always-candid Horner during a post-race interview with VeloNews in which he discussed the race, the U.S. prospects for the elite road race and his plans for next year. How did the day go for you? It's all the same thing, huh? It all boils down to having the best legs. That's always what it is, and I guess they just weren't there. I never felt like they came back, like sometimes when you do a time trial they come back. You start off really good,

Monique Ryan is the nutrition columnist for VeloNews and InsideTriathlon magazines and is founder of Personal Nutrition Designs, aconsulting company based in the Chicago area. Ryan will try to answer selectedquestions each week in her regular on-line question-and-answer column. Readers are welcome to send questions to Ryan at WebLetters@7dogs.com.On vegetarianism and cyclingI am a USCF category 3 road race and a vegetarian. I have been racingfor six years and a vegetarian for the past five. Over the past few yearsI have noticed what would appear to be a steady decline in my body’s abilityto

It was a sunny, blustery autumn day for the second day of competition at the 2002 road cycling world championships. Wind didn’t slow down the winners in Wednesday’s time trial events. Russians dominated the day, with Zoulfia Zabirova and Mikhail Ignatiev winning the day’s gold medals in the women’s and junior men’s respective individual time trials. Millar tops men’s elite fieldDavid Millar goes into Thursday’s men’s elite individual time trial is the favorite in what should be an exciting shootout among cycling’s strongest men against the clock. Defending world time trial champion Jan

Russian Mikhail Ignatiev upset the pre-race favorites and ripped his way through gusting winds to capture the gold medal in the junior men’s individual time trial Wednesday. Ignatiev was fastest at both splits to win in 28 minutes, 30.37 seconds (48.831 kph) to relegate junior track individual pursuit world champion Mark Jamieson into the silver medal by 10.36 seconds. Italian Vincenzo Nibali was good enough for third at 25.98 seconds slower. Cold winds blew hard across the 23.2-km course from Hassalt to Zolder, but they couldn’t slow down the burly Russian. “We are Russians and we are

When I first heard that the world’s were being held in Belgium in October, I envisioned us racing in cold, pelting rain perhaps mixed with some sleet and snow. I didn’t invite any of my family or friends to come watch, because I figured Belgium at that time of the year was really no pleasant place to visit. But wow, did I mess up. I should have invited mom and dad along for the ride. It’s beautiful here right now. Mornings are a little cold. Actually, the afternoons are too, but the crisp smell of fall is in the air and the sun is shining. So you’d think that would make way for me having a

In a women’s field that boasted some heavy duty résumés, a virtual unknown almost walked off with the top prize on another calm sunny day in Zolder, Belgium. Indeed, it wasn't until the closing minutes of the women’s world time trial championship, 1996 Olympic champion Zoulfia Zabirova claimed the top prize ahead of Switzerland’s Nicole Brändli, who bumped her surprising countrywoman Karin Thürig down to the bronze medal position. Lost in the shuffle were the two favorites, France’s Jeannie Longo and the Netherlands’ Leontien Zijlaard-Van Moorsel, who had combined to win six of the seven

Tears of joy opened the 2002 road cycling world championships Tuesday as Italian Anna Zugno won the gold medal in the junior women's individual time trial. Starting in the penultimate position in a field of 41 starters, Zugno covered the flat 11.2-km course from Hasselt to Zolder in 15 minutes, 54.21 seconds (42.255 kph) to edge compatriot Tatiana Guderzo by 6.54 seconds. German rider Claudia Hecht finished third at 7.21 seconds slower. Zugno burst into tears after realizing she came across the line with the fastest time. The emotions didn't stop there as she hugged and cried her way

Fred Rodriguez is the U.S.’s best hope for a world championship title in the elite men's road race. The Domo-Farm Frites rider had an awesome spring, finishing second at Milan-San Remo and Ghent-Wevelgem, but struggled through the Tour de France after coming down with bronchitis during a trip home to the United States in June. Rodriguez, 29, now says he's fully recovered and believes he has as good a chance as anyone to win at Zolder, a course that's been hyped as the "sprinters" worlds since it was revealed. VeloNews European correspondent Andrew Hood spoke with Rodriguez by phone Tuesday

With the sun shining and a daylong wind having died away, a triumphant Tomas Vaitkus flew across the line at the Circuit Zolder racetrack in Belgium to take home the men’s under-23 time trial title on the first day of competition at the world road championships. The 20-year-old Lithuanian, the only rider to crack 39 minutes for the 33.2km course on Tuesday, obliterated the competition, finishing 42 seconds better than runner-up Alexandr Bespalov of Russia. Starting second-to-last on the point-to-point course from Hasselt to Zolder, Vaitkus was spared much of the wind that buffeted riders who

Ryder Hesjedal, the mountain bike pro who won the four-day, five-stage Volta Cataluyna de l'Avenir road race in mid-September, won't be racing for the Canadians at the Zolder world’s. Hesjedal was expected to race in both of the under-23 events, but crashed during a stage of the Tour de Seine et Marne (Sept. 27-29) and was too banged up to come to Zolder. Canadian team officials said Hesjedal didn't break any bones but was seriously scraped up during the spill and wouldn't be in top form for the worlds. Madrid to host 2005 road worlds The mean streets of Madrid will be the site of the 2005

The Interbike International Bicycle Expo is wrapping up in Las Vegas Tuesday afternoon. As VeloNews editors fold up their laptops and lend a hand breaking down our booth, we thought we’d put up a few more shots of items that caught our interest today. Cervelo – When the Toronto-based frame builder signed on as bike sponsor of the CSC-Tiscali team, Cervelo earned the distinction of being the smallest manufacturer supplying the Division 1 peloton. The company doesn’t reveal its precise numbers, but its safe to say that annual production is somewhere in the mid-four figures. Precise numbers or

Gentlemen, and ladies, start your engines. Beginning Tuesday at noon with the junior women's individual time trial and concluding Sunday with the elite men's road race, the automobile racetrack in Belgium's Flanders region is the center of the world for road racing. Road racing with two wheels and no motor, that is. The 2002 road cycling world championships are set to get underway. Perhaps it's no mistake that Zolder rhymes with Boulder. During the next six, action-packed days, 10 rainbow jerseys and 30 world championship medals will be awarded. Twenty-five American athletes will be going

Jakob Piil took his most important victory of his career while Paolo Bettini widened his overall World Cup series lead to nine points over rival Johan Museeuw in Sunday's Paris-Tours race. Piil, a 29-year-old Danish rider on the CSC-Tiscali team, was the worthy winner over Frenchman Jacky Durand, who played rope-a-dope over the final 10km in the 253-km World Cup race on a sunny, brisk autumn day in France. Durand refused to take a pull after the pair dropped two riders from an original five-man break that attacked with just 5 km in the monster 252-km race. Durand, who won Paris-Tours in

The doors opened on the 2002 Interbike International Bicycle Expo on Sundayas crowds of dealers, industry types and shop rats descended on the SandsConvention Center in Las Vegas. In the mix, VeloNews editors scouredthe halls for a glimpse at what will by plying the roads and trails inthe coming year. We'll offer updates throughout the show, but these are things that jumpedout at us on our first day. Pinarello Dogma: With a front triangle built using Dedacciai'snew magnesium tubeset, the Dogma stole show today as every roadie in Vegasmade a pilgrimage to visit this near-holy beauty. With

Marc Gullickson of Mongoose/Hyundai flew across the country to start in the DownEast Cyclo-Cross. His competition saw him fly away early in the race. The former U.S. National Champion and Overall SuperCup champion grabbed the lead on lap 1, breaking away with the newly married Jonathan Page (Richard Sachs), and never looked back as he claimed the race title. With that win, Gullickson also takes the blue leader's jersey in the 2002 Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series. Gullickson had an atypically poor start in his first 'cross race of the year, and had to work hard to pull back

Richard Virenque may have surprised the field last year, but a peloton full of anxious sprinters is unlikely to allow the once-shamed climber to escape for another win in the relatively flat Paris-Tour World Cup race on Sunday. Virenque, 32, shocked the rest of the field to win last year's Paris-Tours, the penultimate race of the season-long World Cup, after an audacious breakaway in the company of feisty French compatriot Jacky Durand. Welcomed by a legion of fans who have supported him through the agonies of the Festina drugs trial two years ago, Virenque's victory had little effect in

This is the first in what will become a regular question-and-answer column by sports nutritionist Monique Ryan, MS, RD. Ryan is a regular columnist for VeloNews and Inside Triathlon magazines andis founder of Personal Nutrition Designs, a nutrition consulting companybased in the Chicago area. Readers are welcome to send questions to Ryan at WebLetters@7dogs.com.Question - I am concerned that I may develop sodiumdepletion during my longer rides and runs, and also during competition.It seems that it is a more common problem for cyclists and triathletes.What  can I do to prevent this from

It's been almost a full year since Manitou (in conjunction with Cane Creek, RaceFace, and Chris King) unveiled the evolutionary OnePointFive standard. And while most of the initial gee-whiz (or so-what?) factor has worn off, most of us are left wondering how an oversize headset, steerer and stem (not to mention frame) will really improve our riding? We’ve seen an increasing number of manufacturers producing OnePointFive standard components and forks, (a surprise move with once-skeptical Marzocchi adopting the standard) but most of us are still searching for some harder reasoning to

VeloNews technical writer Lennard Zinn is a frame builder, a former U.S.national team rider and author of several books on bikes and bike maintenance.This is Zinn's regular VeloNews.com column devoted to addressing readers'technical questions about bikes, their care and feeding and how we as riderscan use them as comfortably and efficiently as possible. Readers can sendbrief technical questions directly to Zinn. We'll try to print a representativesample of questions regularly.First, some follow-up from previous columns:Comment on rim weight:Froma July, 2002 column,"As an aside- the old wheels

Australia is now assured both gold and silver medals in the main event of the world track cycling championships after Jobie Dajka joined compatriot Sean Eadie in the final in Copenhagen Sunday. Dajka, the 20-year-old keirin champion, dominated reigning champion Arnaud Tournant of France over the two legs of their semi-final, minutes after 33-year-old Eadie had ousted Florian Rousseau twice in their semi. Australia, who are leading the gold medals charge here, have not won the men's sprint title since Darryn Hill won in Bogota in 1995.

Australia's Sean Eadie won the world sprint title at the world track cycling championships in Copenhagen Sunday after beating compatriot Jobie Dajka in a third leg decider. It is Australia's first medal in track cycling's main event since Darryn Hill won the sprint title in Bogota in 1995. France, who won all three medals last year, took the bronze when Florian Rousseau held off his compatriot and the reigning champion Arnaud Tournant in their two-heat match. Meanwhile, French duo Jerome Neuville and Franck Perque handed France their only gold medal here when they retained their world

More than 35,000 fans poured into Madrid’s largest soccer stadium Sunday to watch Kelme’s Aitor Gonzalez become crowned the 2002 Vuelta a Espana champion on a dramatic final-day time trial duel. Gonzalez won the 41-km individual time trial and erased a 1 minute, 8 second-deficit to Roberto Heras to grab the race leader’s jersey away from the U.S. Postal Service rider who held the lead since the treacherous Angliru stage a week ago. "I came to this Vuelta to win," said Gonzalez, who beat defending champion Angel Casero by 1:23 in the time trial. "Nobody counted me among the favorites, and

The Miami Cycling Classic, Sunday, September 29, went a little bit coconuts when Saturn’s Eric Wohlberg pedaled to victory in the course’s first solo finish, according to race manager and producer, Lee Marks of Velo Racing. Chris Wherry of Mercury followed for second and Saturn’s Ivan Dominguez took out Mercury’s Henk Vogels on the line in a bunch sprint for third place in the final race of the Pro Cycling Tour. “That was a great race. It was the first time the race hasn’t ended in a bunch sprint, except for '99 when Mercury with Fraser and Sayers pulled it off,” said Marks. “The race was

Good Morning and welcome to VeloNews.com’s coverage of the 21st and final stage of the 2002 Vuelta a España. It’s all come down to a contest between race leader Roberto Herras of the U.S. Postal team and Kelme’s Aitor Gonzalez. The two men are separated by a scant 1:08… possibly enough of a buffer for a super-motivated Herras to save his overall lead in the Vuelta. But Gonzalez has already beat Herras in this tour’s other individual race against the clock, besting the Postal man by 1:34 over the course of the 36.5km timer trial on September 16. Today’s 41 km individual time trial from

Today was the last stage of the Tour of Spain. The plan was for me to go out as hard as I could for the first 20km to give Johan some split times for Roberto. After that, I just kept on going to the finish, it was dicey going into the soccer stadium and I was glad I was wearing clear lenses or I would've been blind in the dark. We went into Real Madrid locker room. Matt White was pretty excited and jumped in the hot tub. We took showers and made our way back to the hotel, but first we made a Dunkin’ Donuts stop, they were tasty but didn't sit to well in my stomach. Once back at the hotel

Good morning and welcome to stage 20 of the Vuelta a España. Saturday's 141.2-km 20th stage from Avila to the Warner Bros. theme park in the outskirts of Madrid features two category-three climbs — Alto de la Paramera at 15 km and the Alto Navas del Rey at 66 km. It's rolling flat to the finish with a sharp descent about 5 km from the finish. With tomorrow's time trial to come, all expectations are that today's stage will end in a sprint. 3:35 p.m. Just 3km into the race Oscar Laguna (Relax) has gone off the front. Behind him the peloton seems uninterested. 3:45 p.m. With 60km to go Laguna

The penultimate stage of the 57th Vuelta a Espana went to script: a long breakaway and the sprinter teams taking control for a mass gallop to the line. But Alessio’s Angelo Furlan ruined the storyline for Fassa Bortolo Alessandro Petacchi and Telekom’s Erik Zabel as he pipped the favorites for his second victory in the final week of the Vuelta. But for everyone fighting for the final spoils in the Vuelta, Saturday’s 141-km stage couldn’t have been better. Sunday’s final-day time trial was on the minds of everyone. U.S. Postal’s Roberto Heras will put all of his frail climber’s body into

Chris Newton bounced back from a disappointing performance in the men's team pursuit qualifying to win the points race crown at the world track cycling championships here on Saturday to hand Britain their third gold medal in as many days. Newton, who celebrates his 29th birthday on Sunday, collected a total of 76 points in the 40km endurance race in which 20-30 riders race for bonus points every 2000 meters, or eight laps of the track. Austria's Franz Stocher came second with 50 points while Argentine Juan Curuchet finished third on 49. Newton, who said it was mainly his fault that

It ain’t over ‘til it’s over, and this Vuelta a España isn’t over yet. Kelme’s Aitor Gonzalez squeezed four seconds out of the final ramps along the medieval walls of historic Avila in Friday’s 177-km 19th stage to remind everyone that Roberto Heras shouldn’t be crowned the winner of the 57th Vuelta yet. If the tension wasn’t enough going into Sunday’s final-day time trial, second-place Gonzalez made it that much more interesting, reducing Heras’ margin to 1 minute, 8 seconds. “No pasa nada,” said an unfazed Heras at the finish line. “Four seconds, that’s nothing. I was a little blocked in

The 60th annual Milan International Bicycle Show fulfilled expectations of beautiful Italian designs in bicycles, components and soft goods. It also exceeded expectations of visitor interest. The aisles were constantly packed with passionate Italian cyclists who could not help but caress thecolorful two-wheeled creations in the booths. In general, the Italian show is better at showing off whatever is cool about our sport than other shows, and the visitors respond to it. There was even an entire hall devoted to road racing – including mass-participation Gran Fondo races. Paradigm-shattering

Australia's world record holders in the men's team pursuit event won the gold medal at the world track cycling championships in Copenhagen Friday holding off Germany in an exciting final. Australia, who are the medals pace-setters in the competition so far, timed an impressive 4min 00.362sec to add the world crown to the Commonwealth title they won in world record time in August. Germany finished in 4:07.384 with Britain claiming the honors in the match-up for the bronze medal against a sluggish Ukraine. Australia and Britain have emerged as the main attraction at these world

Good morning and welcome to VeloNews.com’s Live coverage of the 19th stage of the 2002 Vuelta a España.Today’s 177-km 19th stage from Bejar to Avila is a difficult, up-and-down climbing stage with three rated climbs: the category-three Alto de la Hoya at 8 km; the category-one Puerto de Serranillos at 115 km; and the category-two Puerto de Navalmoral at 155 km. The final kilometer is flat, but there's a sharp climb up to the city with 3 km to go. The finish at Avila is much tougher than it looks. It's quite steep coming into Avila, a beautiful city surrounded by the best-preserved medieval

Britain’s Chris Hoy won the men's kilometer time trial in dramatic fashion in Copenhagen on Thursday with a blistering time which left France's world champion Arnaud Tournant in second place by the slimmest of margins. The Scot clocked 1:01.893 - the first time of the evening under 1:02 - to relegate Australian Shane Kelly from top spot on the leader board. Kelly, the former three-time world champion, had set the early pace with an impressive 1:02.18. Tournant, the first kilo rider ever to break the minute barrier in a ride at altitude last October in La Paz, is considered the world's

Good morning and welcome to VeloNews.com’s live coverage of the 18th stage of the Vuelta a España. Today’s 193-km 18th stage to the ski area at La Covatilla will be Roberto Heras' best chance to seal the Vuelta a España and the last chance for everyone else narrow their losses in what will be Heras' backyard.The stage features four rated climbs: the Category 1 Puerto de Honduras at 116 km, two Cat. 2 climbs at 150 km and 168 km, respectively, and the summit finish up the "especial" climb to La Covatilla. The 9.5-km climb rises 760 meters with an average grade of 8 percent with ramps as steep

The 57th Vuelta a España is coming down to the wire for the second year in a row. Race leader Roberto Heras got time on his closest rival, Aitor Gonzalez, in Thursday’s 193-km 18th stage to the summit finish at La Covatilla. The 37 seconds he gained mean that he has extended overall lead to 1 minute, 12 seconds over the Kelme rider – but will it be enough? “I climbed as well as I could, but this is not the Angliru,” said Heras, who lives in nearby Bejar. “We tried to do some damage on Kelme on the previous climbs, but Aitor was strong today. It went as well as it could today. We got some

Good morning and welcome to VeloNews.com’s live coverage of the 16th stage of the 2002 Vuelta a Espana. Today’s 145-km 17th stage starts in Benavente and rolls over northern Spain's vast meseta to Salamanca, a bustling university town. There are no rated climbs in this stage. The course climbs some 200 feet with two kilometers remaining, but the final kilometer is flat with one gentleleft turn.3:20 p.m. -- We are now 61km into today'sstage. The hoped for respite of a flat stage has been somewhat disruptedby strong crosswinds today. The wind has forced the peloton into echelonsat one point and

It’s 17 down and four to go for the 2002 Vuelta a España. With Thursday’s climbing stage and Sunday’s final-day time trial looming, Wednesday’s 145-km 17th stage worked just about how everyone was hoping: fast, no crashes, no splits and a bunch sprint. Italian Angelo Furlan (Alessio) was the surprise winner in the very fast stage into Salamanca (49.079 kph), nipping aging warrior Erik Zabel (Telekom) by a half-bike length in the final charge to the line. A sweeping left turn 400 meters to go threw the roaring sprinters into a mess. Zabel started first, but Furlan came around his right side