Road

Jan Ullrich is itching to get back into the saddle after undergoing surgery on his troublesome knee in Hamburg Wednesday. The Telekom rider said after the 45-minute operation that he intends to be competitive again this season. "As soon as I'm able I'll take up training for the coming races," he told reporters Ullrich, the 1997 Tour de France hero and a four time runner-up, announced he would be missing this year's edition earlier this month because of his recurring knee problem. On hearing the news of his enforced absence from this year's Tour de France the three-time Tour champion Lance

Italian police carried out hotel raids in the Dolomite town of Covara Wednesday evening, target four teams competing in the Giro d’Italia. The teams targeted after the finish to the 16th stage were all Italian Panaria, Mercatone Uno, Mapei and SAECO, a police source reported. Each of those teams has had at least one rider already excluded from the race for doping. At the Mapei team hotel police seized the medical files belonging to Stefano Garzelli, the 2000 winner who was thrown out of this year's race after testing positive for a masking agent after the Giro's second stage. SAECO's

It sounds silly to start out a journal entry with "today was hard" becauseevery day of grand tour is difficult. But today was hard, and Isuffered.A few weeks ago, I previewed the stages here in the Dolomites and Iknew right away that this was where the race would be won or lost. Therewere moments during today's stage when I was in so much pain I wanted tosit up. But when I looked around and saw my teammate gutting it out withme on the Passo de Fedaia I knew what I had to do - and that was to presson.The final kilometers of the Fedaia were tough. Guys were attacking andthe pace was pretty

Just when things seemed to be getting back to normal after the expulsionsof Stefano Garzelli and Gilberto Simoni, Francesco Casagrande pulls a Mike Tyson and gets kicked out of the race. No, he didn’t bite anybody’s ear off, but he’s out of the Giro afterallegedly running Colombian John Freddy Garcia (Colombia-Selle Italia)into the fences and sending him to the hospital with 20 stitches to thechin. Casagrande started the day wearing the green best-climber’s jersey infourth-place at 1:07 back. His “aggressive riding,” as the UCI called it, ended his Giro early. The incident happened early

Jonas Carney (Prime Alliance) overtook a commanding Navigators leadout train to edge Vassili Davidenko (Navigators) and Graeme Miller (Mercury) and take a record fourth win in the Tour of Somerville in Somerville, New Jersey. Carney also won Somerville in 1992, 1998, and 2000. The women's Mildred Kugler Memorial Open also saw a repeat winner, as 1999 winner Laura Van Gilder (Trek Plus) nipped 2000 champion Tina Mayolo-Pic (Diet Rite) by a wheel's width at the line. Tania Duff-Miller (Freddie Fu) put in a personal best Somerville performance to finish a close third. Now in its 59th running,

What can I do about a ticking noise?

LIVE UPDATES 1:15 p.m. Good morning to our U.S. readers. Today's stage, Terme Euganee - Conegliano, is a flat 156 appetizer for bigger things to come in the Dolomites Wednesday and Thursday. This is probably Jens Heppner's last chance to extend his hold on the maglia rosa as the big climbs rise up tomorrow and the Giro breaks wide open. Today, we might even see another strong pperformance by ol' Mario himself. Stay tuned. Race time is 1:20.Giro gets downright weird: Casagrande sent packing 1:45 p.m. The race is underway. It is cloudy, and around 70 degrees today. There is little wind

Saturn’s Judith Arndt completed Saturn’s dominant run at the Tour de L’Aude on Sunday, taking the overall title, while teammate Petra Rossner won the final stage in Limoux, France. Arndt finished the 10-day race 1:16 ahead of Russia’s Valentina Polkhanova (Itera) and 1:24 over Lithuania’s Edita Pucinskaite (Figurella). On Sunday, the five-woman Saturn team set things up perfectly for Rossner, chasing down late breakaway Pia Sunstedt (Figurella) and then leading out Rossner for the sprint win over Angela Brodtka (Redbull). The win was the sixth in 10 stages for Saturn. The Saturn run began

On Monday’s final rest day, the dust settled following Sunday’s individual time trial. The Giro went from the Euro-Giro to the Giro-Giro and now is verging toward the Gringo-Giro. American Tyler Hamilton (CSC-Tiscali) and Mapei’s Cadel Evans (OK, he’s not a gringo, but he speaks English) sent shockwaves through the Italian peloton with their impressive performances at the 30km Numana course. The pair stands 2-3 in the overall GC and look to have legitimate shots at the podium and even final victory. The main question mark for Hamilton is his ability to stay with the best climbers in the

My day started out really well on Sunday with a phone call from my wife. I'm a diehard fan of all the Boston sports teams so a typical conversationof ours usually entails her rattling off the latest standings of the hometown teams. Yesterday she read me a headline from boston.com - which is the online version of the Boston Globe newspaper. It was short and sweet. It read, "Refuse to Quit." The story was about the Boston Celtics triumphing over the New Jersey Nets in Game 3 of the NBA playoffs. They had come from behind and rallied with the biggest fourth quarter comeback in playoff history.

Lance Armstrong held off late attacks by his closest rivals to became the first American to win the Midi Libre, a traditional Tour de France warm-up, on Sunday. Armstrong finished fourth in Sunday’s 172-kilometer mountainous stage in the C´vennes, which was won by the second-year pro Laurent Paumier, of the Division 2 St. Quentin-Oktos team. Armstrong credited his U.S. Postal service team for defending his small overall lead on a stage that saw attacks by many of his most immediate challengers. A dangerous break started by Frenchmen Christophe Moreau of Crédit Agricole and David Monciutié of

She may not be the world champion, but right now there’s little doubt who the best female cross country rider in the world is. For the fifth time in her last six tries, Spain’s Marga Fullana took victory in a World Cup, this time beating Great Britain’s Caroline Alexander by 40 seconds to take round two of the 2002 series in Houfallize, Belgium on Sunday. Fullana (Orbea) turned her four laps around the 7.7km course in 1:46:20. After Alexander (Great Britain National) came Annabella Stropparo (Be One) in third at :48, then Alison Dunlap (Luna) at 1:21 and Barbara Blatter (Specialized) at

Tyler Hamilton had the biggest day of his professional cycling careerSunday and catapulted into contention for overall victory in the 85th Girod’Italia. Hamilton won Sunday’s 14th stage, a beautiful, but difficult, 30-kmindividual time trial along Italy’s rugged Adriatic Coast, and bouncedfrom 11th to third place overall. On the same day Hamilton’s longtime mentor Lance Armstrong won the overalltitle in the Midi Libre in France, Hamilton burst out of the Texan’s shadowforever and won the first American stage victory at the Giro since 1988. “To win today was incredible. It was my biggest

It wasn’t the finish the cycling mad Belgian fans were hoping for, but with two riders in the top three it wasn’t a bad day either. The man spoiling the party at World Cup cross country No. 2 in Houffalize was Christoph Sauser, who bested home-country heroes Roel Paulissen and Filip Meirhaeghe in the 38.5km race on Sunday. After spending four laps dueling with a powerful lead group that also included the likes of Roland Green and Bart Brentjens, Sauser (Volvo-Cannondale) and Paulissen (Lanabau-Rainer-Wurz.com) broke away together, building a gap that hovered around 15 seconds. From there

Gilberto Simoni, who earlier this week learned that he had failed a drugs test for cocaine, has been quizzed by drugs squad officers here on Saturday. Simoni, 30, who was forced out of the Tour of Italy where he was defending the title he won last season and who won Thursday's 11th stage, tested positive for the drug after a surprise test on April 24. His team claimed Wednesday that the dentist had injected him with Carbocaine - which can produce a positive test for the better-known recreational drug. The dentist, Bruno Grosselli, has confirmed to police the explanation put forward by the

We knew today was going to be a difficult day and it didn't disappoint.I was able to preview the stage in March, and realized then that thesecond to last climb was tougher in reality than it looked on paper. Ourteam strategy for the day hinged mostly on this knowledge. We deliberatelysent a group of riders to the front to work the pace pretty hard when wereached this climb.We hoped the effort would wear out some of the competition a littlebit. Our mission was to send them into tomorrow's stage feeling a littlemore fatigued than they may have hoped they would. Considering our goal,the team

The clouds parted over the Giro d’Italia in more ways than one Saturday. After two days of rain and cold, it was sunny and warm at the startwith rowdy crowds, just the way the Giro should be. And, more importantlyfor the worn-down Giro, there were no doping scandals. Life almost seemedto return to normal on the Giro. Saturday’s difficult 186-km climbing stage through Italy’s spectacularAppennini Mountains with views to the Adriatic Sea helped capture everyone’sattention. With the Giro’s decisive final week looming, none of the favorites could afford to be caught watching the scenery. With

Lance Armstrong (USPS) has moved into the overall lead at the Midi Libre after finishing third in Saturday’s fourth stage, five seconds behind the day’s winner Laurent Brochard (Jean Delatour) and Andrei Kivilev (Cofidis).On the strength of today’s performance, coupled with a second-place finish in yesterday’s time trial. Armstrong took over the lead from ONCE’s Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano.Armstrong said he had been disappointed by his second place in Friday’s TT and was hoping to do well enough to take the overall lead on Saturday."I spent all last night thinking about why I failed in the time

1:15 p.m. Good morning to our U.S. audience. Obviously it has been a busy morning at the Giro d'Italia today, with bicycle racing again taking a back seat to events of a more pharmacological nature. As you can see from the headlines, Saeco's Gilberto Simoni -- winner of yesterday's stage -- has pulled out of the Giro as a result of the cocaine positive registered in an out-of-competition test on April 24. We'll try to keep tabs on that story as well as keep you up-to-date on today's stage -- a 200km race between Campobasso to Chieti -- though, to be honest, this seems less and less like a

Press Release Before the start of the 12th stage to Campobasso this morning, the Saeco-Longoni sport team has told rider Gilberto Simoni their decision to retire him from the 85th Giro d'Italia. With sadness and deep sorrow, the team came to this decision after considering the difficulty of the situation and atmosphere created, especially after the rider was interviewed by the investigators sent by the public prosecutor of Trento to shed light on the presumed case of doping in which Gilberto Simoni has found himself in. The strong suspicion and the doubt that this serious situation

Race leader Ina Teutenberg (Saturn) finally cracked on Friday’s eighth stage of the 18th Tour de l'Aude Cycliste Féminin in France, but teammate Judith Arndt was there to pick up the pieces, and now holds an overall lead of slightly more than a minute over Valentina Polkhanova (Itera) and Edita Pucinskaite (Figurella Dream Team) with just two days of racing remaining. Teutenberg put Saturn in orbit early in the 10-stage race, winning the opening stage May 17 to take the leader’s yellow jersey, then adding another victory in stage 4. In between, Polkhanova’s Itera squad claimed the

How many punches can the Giro d’Italia take? The race lost its second superstar in four days, suffered through agrowing chorus of detractors who want the race canceled and faces the prospectof overall victory by Francesco Casagrande or Dario Frigo – both riderswho’ve served doping suspensions in the past. Gilberto Simoni was the latest victim of doping’s tightening noose. The defending Giro champion was kicked out of the race by his Saeco team Friday morning following pressure from Giro organizers and other teams. Mercatone Uno’s Roberto Sgambelluri, who failed a doping test for Nespon the

In his first serious test since finishing fourth at last month's Amstel Gold Race, the United States Postal Service Pro Cycling Team's Lance Armstrong finished second in today's third stage of the Grand Prix du Midi-Libre stage race - a 19 kilometer time trial - in Rodez, France. Armstrong's performance moved him from 31st to second place overall with two stages remaining. Armstrong turned in a time of 23 minutes and 59 seconds in the difficult course, six seconds back of stage winner and new race leader Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano of ONCE. Following Armstrong, Galdeano's ONCE teammates

Feedback on treating leg-length discrepancies.

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A smiling Gilberto Simoni denied Thursday’s stage-win at CampitelloMatese had anything to do with revenge. According to the defending Giro d’Italia champion, his accelerations weren't related to the scandal surrounding his now-costly dentist visit back in April. “No, today wasn’t revenge,” said Simoni, who dominated Thursday’s 140-km11th stage. “I felt bad yesterday because of stupid negligence. It shouldnot have happened. It was very difficult yesterday. I feel sorry for the team and for the sponsor. When I am on the bike, I am thinking only about pedaling. In the night, I am human and I

1:00 p.m. Good morning to the U.S. It is 1:00 in Italy and we are about 10 minutes from the start of today's stage. It's another short one -- just 140km -- but the finish is going to be tough. At 125km, the day's Intergiro will toy with the sprinters, but then the road almost immediately begins to rise. The steep 13.57-km, 885-meter (2920-foot) climb to Campitello Matese, a small ski resort at 1430 meters (4917 feet) deep in the mountains of south central Italy, will test the mettle of the better climbers in the group and may take a big bite out of Jens Heppner's hold on the leader's

This is the full text of a press release issued by team Saeco-Longoni Sportin the morning of May 23, 2002PRESS RELEASEConcerning the rider Gilberto Simoni and the breaking news he was involvedyesterday, after doping controls in Giro del Trentino, Saeco Longoni SportCycling Team guesses to point out his own position.1)      The team have the maximum confidencein its rider and respects his professionality, but every team's behaviouror official decision will be mainly finalized to guarantee its own corporate image and its management habits2)      Saeco Longoni Sport team, evendoesn't think much

I’m sorry readers. This journal entry may be a little short tonight, as I am finding it difficult to find the energy and morale to write... but here's what I've got. In general, today was disappointing. If you are reading this you are probably interested in an explanation for my ride today, so here goes. There are no excuses, but here's a little insight into what I was contending with today. I took some anti-inflammatories before the start this morning to try an ease some pain I have been experiencing in my ribcage. If you followed the Tour de France last summer, then you know my history

Why does my rear derailleur pinch my chain on the largest cogs?

Joe Friel is author of the successful "Training Bible" series ofbooks, a regular columnist for VeloNews and Inside Triathlonand the founder of www.ultrafit.com.Friel also offers answers to a selection of questions in this weekly column here on VeloNews.com. Readers can send questions to Friel in care of VeloNews.comat WebLetters@7Dogs.com. (Besure to include "Friel" in the subject line.)Q: My question concerns training for triathlons and bicycle roadracing.  Is there a way to effectively train for both and be successful. Will I have to sacrifice one sport for the other.  I have noticedthat

It was a day the Giro d’Italia race organizers were happy to get over with. Doping controversies threatened to overwhelm the race with the mostimportant racing still to go. Unfortunately for the already haggard race officials, there's likely more to come. The winner of the 2000 Giro d'Italia, Stefano Garzelli (Mapei), didn't start Wednesday's stage 10 after the test of a second urine sample, taken last week in Belgium, came back positive, while 2001 Giro winner Gilberto Simoni stayed in the race but had his own battlesto fight against a positive test for cocaine back in April. Cynical

Italian cycling suffered a second major blow Wednesday when it was revealed defending Giro d'Italia champion Gilberto Simoni had failed a drug test for cocaine earlier this season. Speaking to reporters before the start of the 10th stage of the Giro Wednesday, Simoni claimed Wednesday he had tested positive for cocaine because of a visit to the dentist. The 30-year-old will be allowed to continue to compete in the Giro after the UCI ruled that the test did not affect his performances in the race. Simoni tested positive on April 24 during the Tour of Trentino. Simoni, who is eighth in the

Live Updates 2:15 p.m. Good morning to our American audience. If you were expecting race updates today, don't worry, they're coming. At 118km, Stage 10 is quite short and the start time reflects that. While the starting time was originally scheduled for 2:40 today, that has been moved up to 2:20. Looking ahead, there is a Cat. II climb soon after the start at 28km and an Intergiro sprint at 47.7km. From the looks of things, Gilberto Simoni is starting today, despite this morning's report that he, too, had a positive drug test this season. We'll try to keep you up-to-date on that breaking

Acqua e Sapone rider Mario Cipollini won a sprint finish to take the ninth stage of the Giro d’Italia, chalking up his career 37th stage win at Italy’s national tour. Telekom’s Jens Heppner finished in the field and holds a 3:33 lead over Mapei’s Stefano Garzelli. Garzelli continues to be the focus of a great deal of attention after he tested positive for the diuretic Probenicid – an outdated masking agent – following his stage win last week at Liege, Belgium. Garzelli could be thrown out of the race if a test of his ‘B-Sample’confirms the positive result. His team is pointing to negatives

Giro d'Italia officials threw former winner Stefano Garzelli out of the race late Tuesday after an earlier positive dope test was confirmed by the analysis of a second sample. The action follows the release of results from a UCI-conducted re-test of urine samples submitted after Garzelli’s victory in stage 2 of the Giro last week. Preliminary tests showed slight traces of the diuretic Probenecid in a test of a sample submitted after the stage win. News of the first result was announced last week, but Garzelli requested that the ‘B-sample’ be tested for corroboration. Late Tuesday evening,

Italian policeman Armando Marzano on Tuesday admitted supplying doping products to three cyclists, judicial sources in Rome revealed on Tuesday. Marzano, who has been suspended from the police force, was arrested Saturday as part of an investigation by magistrates in the northern city of Brescia into doping in cycling. He admitted supplying doping products to Italian cyclists Antonio Varriale and Filippo Perfetto of the Panaria team and Domenico Romano of the Landbouwkrediet squad. Marzano said that he had received doping products from riders but that he had not supplied them for about two

LIVE UPDATES4:52 p.m. -- Not this time, Robbie. It's Giro win number 37 for Cipo'... McEwen takes second. 4:51 p.m. -- With Robbie McEwen on his wheel Mario Cipollini launches off of Lombardi's wheel. 4:51 p.m. -- With 2km to go, Cipo's acqua boys are setting him up and there is a fight for position. 4:49 p.m. -- Lotto led the chase and pulled Streel back in. Cipo is sitting on Lombardi's wheel. 4:48 p.m. -- With 4km to go, Marc Streel has charged off the front. 4:47 p.m. -- We are within 5km of the finish. Four or five teams are fighting for the prime spot at the front of the

Today's stage was perhaps the least nerve-wracking so far. But it was fast. The sprinters were all on their toes and it showed with their teams at the front most of the way. CSC-Tiscali took a brief look at things from their vantage point toward the end. Bjarne Riis had given us the nod to move up and stay out of trouble heading into the finish town. If you saw the television coverage, than you know there were a few dangerous turns before the final kilometer. Our strategy worked, and we were able to stay out of the fray when a few guys went down with five kilometers to go. For the most

Kelme's Aitor Gonzalez, whose teammate was injured earlier in the day, won the eighth stage of the Giro d'Italia asit finished in Orvieto on Wednesday. Gonzalez, of the financially troubled Kelme team, attacked in the final kilometer and held of a charging peloton to take the longest stage of this year's Giro, a 237-kilometer race that started in Capannori. Fassa Bortolo's Francesco Casagrande took second, as the tightly bunchedpack cruised in four seconds behind the winner. Saeco's Gilberto Simoni,winner of last year's Giro, took third. The stage was highlighted by a nearly 170-kilometer

The fate of Mapei's Stefano Garzelli, who failed a dope test while leading the Giro d'Italia last week, will be known Tuesday when tests are carried out on the B-sample provided by the rider, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) announced Monday. In the case of a positive -- or "non-negatiive" -- result Garzelli, the 2000 Giro champion, will be thrown out of the Giro in conformity with UCI rules. The Mapei team leader has already vowed that he would retire from the sport if a second B-sample provided a positive result. Garzelli tested positive for the diuretic Probenecid, which has

Live updates1:13 p.m. -- Good morning race fans. The eighth stage of the 2002 Giro d'Italia -- 237km from Capannori to Orvieto -- has been underway for just about two hours. This is the Giro's longest stage this year. Today's speed is fairly brisk, averaging just over 41 kph for the first two hours. Just 40 minutes into today's stage, three riders were involved in a crash. Kelme's Santiago Perez Fernandez was injured seriously enough to pull out of the Giro. He was transported to a hospital and we will try to get an update as to his condition as soon as possible. Right now, three riders

Italian cyclist Domenico Romano, who was being sought in connection with an investigation into doping, surrendered to authorities in Brescia, on Monday and later admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs. Romano, who has been out of contact since he unexpectedly quit the Giro d’Italia last Wednesday complaining of a wrist problem, has been placed in temporary detention and will be questioned by prosecutors later in the day. Romano admitted to a prosecutor during questioning that he had taken doping substances. The 26-year-old, who rode for Panaria for the past two seasons before moving

Marga Fullana did it again, winning mountain biking’s 2002 World Cup openerin front of a raucous home crowd in Madrid´s Casa de Campo park onSunday.Some of Fullana´s biggest victories have come in her native Spain,including her World Cup win at El Escorial a few years ago and her secondworld title at Sierra Nevada in 2000."The Spanish fans really helped me today late in the race. They reallyencouraged me to keep pushing," Fullana said, winning in 2 hours, 31 seconds.Under bright sunny skies, Fullana attacked early, opened a 40-secondgap after the first of five laps and held the lead to the

Lotto’s Rik Verbrugghe won the seventh stage of the Giro d’Italia, a 159kmrun round a circuit in Lido Di Camaiore on Sunday.The 27-year-old Belgian won the stage by 59 seconds, after escapingfrom a breakway group of 10 on the last of three ascents up the short and steep Colli di Pedona. After an 18km solo effort, Verbrugghe finished nearly a minute ahead of Gerolsteiner’s Raphael Schweda finished second and Alessio's Cristian Moreni.Britain's Maximilian Sciandri was fourth, a minute and two seconds behindbut the main peloton trailed Verbrugghe by a full minute and 46 seconds.American Tyler

Bart Brentjens tore a page out of the history books to win his firstWorld Cup race since his glory days in 1996. Mountain bike’s first Olympicgold medalist roared away from a lead group of nine riders in Sunday’sopening round of the 2002 World Cup to score an impressive victory.“It feels good,” said Brentjens, who attacked early in the second lapto open a gap that kept growing during each of the six laps on Madrid’srolling Casa de Campo course. “It’s unbelievable to win today.”It’s not as if Brentjens has been collecting dust on the shelf. Despitehis five-year World Cup drought that dates

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

1:35 p.m.-- Good Morning. Today's stage is the 159-kilometer Circuito Della Versilia, where today's 187 starters cover three laps around a circuit between Viareggio and Lido di Camaiore. We are about 9km into today's stage and the field is still together. 1:55 p.m.-- It's Sunday. Things are bit more relaxed. The peloton has allowed Alessandro Petacchi to roll off the front to see his family. Looking ahead today, the Intergiro is at the 58km mark and climber's points will be awarded on the Colli di Pedona at 88km. Weather conditions are ideal and a nice contrast to yesterday's rain. The

Sorry for the late journal. I spent about three hours on the massage table tonight. We made it through another day. Today's stage was contested over three laps around the same circuit. There was a fair amount of climbing and descending within the course, so I was a little nervous about how my body was going to handle it all. Luckily, I made it through without incident. I'm in good hands this evening. In addition to my regular soigneur, Sandra Hodnett, our physical therapist Ole Kaire Foli is back for another visit from Denmark. He's the same fellow who turned around at the airport to help

Mountain-bike hall of famer Tinker Juarez, twice an Olympian andthree-time NORBA National XC Champion, has yet another stars and stripesjersey to add to the collection.Between noon Saturday, May 18 and noon Sunday, May 19, the Cannondalerider successfully defended his 2001 title as the 24 Hours of AdrenalinNORBA National Champion at the Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California."It's nice to win these days," Juarez, the overwhelming crowd favorite,told VeloNews. "It means so much more to me to win, because thewins are so much harder to come by. Today was the first time I've beenable to race

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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