Road

George Hincapie scored a huge victory on Wednesday, becoming the first American to win Ghent-Wevelgem and the first American to win a European classic since Lance Armstrong won Fleche Wallonne in 1996. But now Hincapie turns his attention to his biggest personal objective of the season, Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix. "It gives me good confidence," Hincapie said about his win in Wevelgem. "I knew I was riding well. Obviously I’m going to be more marked now, because I’ll be one of the favorites. But it’s a good confidence booster for Sunday." And despite the hoopla surrounding his win, Hincapie

The organizers of Paris-Roubaix are constantly looking for ways of making their cobblestone classic a little more challenging. And the course for the 99th edition this Sunday looks to be the most challenging yet -- both from the perspective of its rugged route and the expected weather conditions: cold, wet and windy. From the start outside Napoleon's former palace in the town of Compiëgne -- 80km northeast of Paris -- the opening two hours of the race are on smooth, straight, rolling roads through Noyon, Ham and St. Quentin. With a forecast for west wind, the field of 190-or-so riders

Britain's David Millar (Cofidis) won the nine kilometer individual time-trial to take the overall lead at the Sarthe-Loire cycle race on April 12, at Angers, France. Estonian Jaan Kirsipuu won the 94km third stage between Tierce and Angers earlier in the day after Laurent Brochard, leader since the first stage, fell. He managed to remount and continue but was evidently hurt. Millar put in a blistering time in the afternoon's time-trial, taking just 10 minutes and 41 seconds to complette the course. The Scot, who famously won the first leg of The Tour de France 2000, finished 46 seconds ahead

The Giro d'Italia remains the top priority for Italian cyclist Marco Pantani despite his withdrawal from the Tour of the Basque Country this week. Pantani met his Mercatone Uno team president Felice Gimondi and team manager Giuseppe Martinelli Wednesday to discuss his preparation for the Giro, but is yet to define a clearcut program. Martinelli said. "Before long we will define a specific list of races he will take part in April and May that will be suited to his technical characteristics and his state of health at the moment." Martinelli hinted that the rider would next enter the

Texan Lance Armstrong has denied that strong-arm tactics with his team-mates has turned him into some kind of team despot as he aims for a third yellow jersey at this year's Tour. However the 29-year-old (who is participating in the Sarthe-Loire stage race this week), readily admits to forcing "excessive demands" on his US Postal team as a way of pushing his deputies beyond their perceived limits. "To start with, I'm hard on myself. I make a lot of sacrifices, so it's just as important that the other team members be just as professional, which is logical," said Armstrong,

At last! American George Hincapie can finally breathe a big sigh of relief, after taking home a major classics win for the first time in his career. The U.S. Postal Service rider made it look almost easy as he won the 63rd edition of Ghent-Wevelgem on Wednesday afternoon in Wevelgem, Belgium. And while it was close at the finish -- the tall New York native just barely edged Mercury-Viatel's Leon Van Bon at the line -- Hincapie had all the right moves throughout the 215km ride through western Belgium.

The Tour of Flanders produced an unexpected winner on Sunday, and it proved to be a nice surprise for the Italians, as Taconni-Vini Caldirola’s Gianluca Bortolami edged Erik Dekker (Rabobank) in a photofinish, while the pre-race favorites had to settle for a ninth-place sprint. Bortolami turned up as the top survivor on a day that began with a big crash, and ended with an eight-man sprint that contained the remnants of a once-20-man breakaway.

The Tour of Flanders produced an unexpected winner on Sunday, and it proved to be a nice surprise for the Italians, as Taconni-Vini Caldirola’s Gianluca Bortolami edged Erik Dekker (Rabobank) in a photofinish, while the pre-race favorites had to settle for a ninth-place sprint. Bortolami turned up as the top survivor on a day that began with a big crash, and ended with an eight-man sprint that contained the remnants of a once-20-man breakaway. The race began in the historic town center in Brugge, which was packed with Belgian fans under a cloudy, sometimes drizzly sky. Despite some early

An estimated crowd of 30,000 fans lined the streets of the entertainment district in Austin, Texas, to watch the Navigator’s Cycling Team take control with 10 minutes to go and never look back at the opening event of the BMC Software Cycling Grand Prix, the Lance Armstrong Criterium. Russian rider Vassili Davidenko was on the receiving end of a near perfect leadout from the Navigators Squad. Mercury-Viatel rider Baden Cooke took second, while Charles Dionne rounded out the podium spots. Several breaks managed to escape with only the final break attempt gaining significant time. With 20

A cold rain fell on the cobbled streets of Brugge on Saturday, possibly a sign of things to come for Sunday’s Tour of Flanders, which traverses the famed cobblestone climbs of northern Belgian. The 269km World Cup classic includes 16 sharp hills, almost half of them on steep, narrow pitches of cobblestone roads through the countryside of Flanders. If conditions are wet, the slick, treacherous climbs become even more of a challenge as the race favorites slug it out. Wet or dry, there will be plenty of contenders to choose from, including the past five Tour of Flanders winners — Andrei Tchmil

According to a report in the Sunday edition of the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, 1997 Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich thinks the end of his career may be in sight. Ullrich says he believes he is not up to the challenge of competing at the top level "as long as other riders." "I think I already took my body to the limit of physical extremes when I was 22 and 23," the Telekom rider said. "But I can't keep that (kind of effort) up as long as other riders. This year I'm going to try to beat Lance Armstrong in the Tour. But maybe near the end of my career I'll no longer

Italian rider Andrea Tafi will take part in this Sunday's Tour of Flanders, the second event in the World Cup season, alongside Mapei teammates Michele Bartoli and Paolo Bettini. The 34-year-old Tafi, who had been doubtful for the race due to intestinal problems, was finally declared good to go by his Mapei team Friday. The Tuscany rider, who already has four World Cup victories to his name, pulled out of this week's Trois jours de Panne last Tuesday. Copyright AFP 2001

One of the staples of the summer racing season is no more. The Killington Stage Race, which was first run in 1987, has been cancelled due to financial problems. "It was just costing to much to do the race," said Tom Vinson, USA Cycling’s North Atlantic regional coordinator, who added that he was informed of the news by race organizers on Thursday. "I didn’t know it was coming, but it wasn’t a surprise either. It’s been a financial battle every year." The race, which was held over Labor Day weekend, made its debut 14 years ago as a two-day event. In its heyday it ballooned to a four-day,

If the spring storm parked over the San Francisco Bay area doesn’t move out soon, it could be a gloomy start, weather-wise, to the 2001 Tissot-UCI World Cup series, which kicks off in Napa, California, this weekend. The amateur riders will slog it out in the rain on Friday, before the pro action — featuring all but one of the six medallists from the 2000 Olympic Games — starts Saturday. A little rain — or in this case, a lot — won’t put much of a damper on an event held at the most elegant of World Cup venues, the Domaine Chandon winery. This year marks the fifth year that the series will

Cofidis’s Nico Mattan won the closing time trial at the Three Days of De Panne to overtake Lotto’s Hans de Clercq for the overall title in the three-day race in the western part of Belgium. Mattan jumped from ninth place to first on the strength of his time trial. The Belgian covered the 14km time trial course in 17:41, four seconds faster than runner-up Levi Leipheimer (U.S. Postal Service) and six seconds faster than third place Erik Dekker (Rabobank). In the overall standings, Mattan finished ahead of Dekker and Postal’s Viatcheslav Ekimov. Ekimov led a trio of Postals in the top five,

Tour de France organizers unveiled their version of cycling's Ten Commandments in Paris Thursday — a plan of action aimed at stamping out doping in the peloton this year and setting a precedent for the future. The 10-point plan, costing over 10 million francs ($1.4 million) over the next three years, focuses on banning riders who are caught doping from the start of the race, maintaining vigilance throughout the three-week event, and promoting "clean" sports practices in the future. The measures are aimed at assuring the skeptical, and preventing a fiasco similar to that which nearly

The HP Women's Challenge cycling race will return to network television when CBS Sports broadcasts the 2001 race on Saturday, July 14. The one-hour telecast will highlight all 13 stages of the 12-day race, including the grueling mountain climbs. Organized by Women's Challenge, Inc. and sponsored by Hewlett-Packard Company through 2002, the event is one of the world's toughest races both for the caliber of competitors and the demanding nature of the courses. The 2001 race will be run from June 13-24 and will cover over 688 miles of tough Idaho terrain. The 2001 HP Women's

The American Velodrome Challenge kicked off the season this past weekend in San Diego. Throughout the year riders will compete for ranking points that will assist USA Cycling coaches in determining future U.S. national cycling teams and athletes for upcoming international races. In addition to the San Diego stop, the American Velodrome Challenge will travel to eight other velodromes. For more information on the series check out www.americantrackracing.com Here’s the rest of the year’s schedule: April 19-April 20: San Jose, California;May 4-May 5: Frisco, Texas;June 1-June 2: Houston,

The boys from Mercury-Viatel finally broke through, as Chris Horner barely edged out Saturn’s Eric Wohlberg to win the overall title at the Solano Bicycle Classic. On the women’s side it was Intersport’s Ann Samplonious winning the GC crown ahead of Susy Pryde (AutoTrader.com) and Katrina Berger (800.com). Horner earned his victory during the race’s third stage, the 90-minute GeniSoy Criterium, where he picked up a crucial intermediate time bonus. That gave him a scant 2-second lead over Wohlberg going into the race’s final day, and with the help of some hard working teammates, Horner was

Belgian Rik Verbrugghe won the third and final stage of the Criterium International stage race in France on Sunday. Verbrugghe covered the 8.5km time trial from Charleville to Mézières with a time of 10:19, one second faster than German Jens Voigt (Credit Agricole), who was second. Riding for the Lotto-Adecco team, Verbrugghe, who also won the stage 1 road race, took the overall win, 16 seconds ahead of Spaniard Alberto Martinez. He is the first Belgian to win Criterium International. American Floyd Landis of Mercury-Viatel finished third in the stage 3 time trial, just two seconds off

Belgian Rik Verbrugghe of the Lotto team won the first stage of the Criterium International in France on Saturday. Verbrugghe was one of 12 riders to escape with less than 15km left in the 190km stage. On a day that included three category 4 climbs, the breakaway occurred on the last climb and despite chase efforts by Saeco and ONCE, the group gained 18 seconds on the rest of the field.

Rabobank’s Michael Boogerd held on to win the overall title at Setmana Catalana Friday, finishing the fifth stage safely in the main group. Italian Marco Zanotti (Liquigas) won the 152.4km stage between Berga and Cornella de Llobregrat in 3:17:34. American Lance Armstrong was the most consistent of the big-name Tour de France contenders in the five-day stage race in Spain, finishing eighth overall, 1:13 off the winning pace. Italian Marco Pantani (Mercatone Uno) showed some aggression early in the week, going wheel to wheel with Armstrong in the mountains, but he withdrew on Thursday’s

Italian Danilo Di Luca of the Cantina Tollo team won the 162km fourth stage at Setmana Catalana Thursday, while Rabobank star Michael Boogerd took the leader’s jersey by finishing second, 11 seconds behind Di Luca. American Lance Armstrong put in a strong effort to finish eighth, 1:24 back, while his Tour de France rival Jan Ullrich continued to go easy in the Spanish stage race, finishing more than 20 minutes off the winning pace. The final stage of the five-day stage race is Friday. 2001 AFP

Sometimes it pays to gamble. Spaniard Aitor Silloniz, ranked 1077 in UCI standings at the start of the 2001 season, took a flyer just 50km into Wednesday’s 173.3km stage 3 at the Setmana Catalana. With a time of 4:29:25, the Euskatel rider hung on to win, beating second-place Jose Manuel Vasquez, also a Spaniard, by 6:39. Finishing third on the day was Italian Denis Zanette, 7:06 back. Zanette, of Liquigas, moved into the leader’s jersey with two stages remaining in the Spanish stage race. Lance Armstrong, Jan Ullrich, and Marco Pantani all finished the day with the main group, 7:06 behind

With his back-to-back wins at Redlands and Sea Otter, Saturn's Trent Klasna moved out to a sizeable early-season lead in the USCF's National Racing Calendar standings, ahead of U.S. Postal Service's Levi Leipheimer and Mercury-Viatel's Chris Horner. Meanwhile, Saturn's Kim Bruckner moved closer to Genevieve Jeanson (Rona), following Bruckner's second-place finish at Sea Otter. Jeanson skipped Sea Otter and instead raced at Another Dam Race in Parker, Arizona. Men: 1. Trent Klasna, Saturn, 435pts;2. Levi Leipheimer, USPS, 240;3. Chris Horner, Mercury-Viatel, 234;4. Eddy Gragus, Jelly Belly,

Jazztel rider Serguei Smetanine won the second stage of the Setmana Catalana stage race in Spain Tuesday, while Spain's Angel Edo held onto the overall lead in after a 169km race from Lloret to Empuriabrava. Smetanine was part of a five-man break that built up a maximum 17-minute lead before the first of two mountains, one a category 1 climb. That group was eventually pulled back to within two minutes of the main group, but Smetanine, a Russian, outsprinted teammate Carols Torrent of Spain, Italan Eilo Aggiano and Spaniard German Nieto, to the line for the win. "We took the hill at our own

Angel Edo of the Spanish outfit Maia won the first stage at the Catalan Cycling Week in Spain on Monday. Edo outsprinted Italians Denis Zanette and Stefano Garzelli at the end of the 143km route around Lloret De Mar. Earlier in the race, Marco Pantani and Lance Armstrong tested each other in the mountains, and both finished with the lead group. "I'm thrilled to win on home territory," said the Barcelona-born Edo, a 30-year-old pro who also won here in 1994. On reaching the foot of Alt de Sant Grau, a category 1 climb, Pantani attacked, leaving much of the peleton stretched out behind

Susanne Ljungskog sat in for 110km of the Varazze-San Remo, but just before the top of the Poggio climb with 8km to go, the 25-year-old Swede made a blistering attack. The Vlaanderen-T-Interim rider had a 200-meter gap at the high point in the village of Poggio overlooking the green waves of the Ligurian sea below. She said later, “I am a good descender, and I thought I could hold it until the finish. When I looked back with one kilometer to go and saw that I still had a good gap, I knew that I would win.” Mirjam Melchers (Acca Due O/Lorena) won the sprint in this World Cup stop number

It looked like a magical finish in the making for the Italian throngs lined up along Via Roma in San Remo. Super Mario, the guy whose face was on half of the T-shirts being hawked in the crowd, had caught back onto the front group on the descent of the Poggio, and he had a four-man Saeco train pulling him to the front. [nid:20289]But Erik Zabel’s Deutsche Telekom train was also working well, and despite Cipollini closing the gap rapidly, he was still a half bike-length behind at the line after charging past world road champion Romans Vainsteins with 25 meters to go.

As the designated finisher for Mercury on the final day of the Sea Otter road race Saturday, Australian Baden Cooke was on the hot seat. His team – accustomed to taking wins in buckets with sprinter Gord Fraser – had been stymied by a hot Saturn squad and hadn’t won all weekend. With Fraser feeling under the weather, Cooke did just fine, outsprinting Dutchman Jeroen Blijlevens, among others, to chalk up the biggest win of his young career. In the women’s Laguna Seca circuit race, Anna Millward just kept rolling, winning the stage and the overall Sea Otter title. Joining Millward in the

Levi Leipheimer, who thought the Mercury Sea Otter Classic would be a two-man race after he won the difficult opening time trial on Thursday, needed time to compose his thoughts. Sitting in the back of the U.S. Postal Service team van, Leipheimer pulled off his race leader's jersey and pulled on his dark-blue team sweats. A few minutes earlier, he had crossed the line in the company of his closest rival, Mercury's Chris Horner, but they were almost four minutes behind Saturn's two-man express: Harm Jansen and new race leader Trent Klasna. The first words out of a shattered

Milan-San Remo is the first big classic and the chance for many riders to cop a big win. It has ended many times in a large sprint, as well as in solo victories. Erik Zabel (Deutsche Telekom) has won three of the last four editions and looks to be the strong favorite again, having shown good form in February and March races in Spain. After interviewing many team mechanics the day before the race, in fact, those who would make a prediction of a rider not on their own teams, Zabel was the one. Milan-San Remo is not only the first of the major classics, but it is also the longest. The course is

When Thursday afternoon’s Cannery Row Circuit Race came down to the last of 80 laps for the men, the safe bet was on a guy in green. With the Monterey Bay to their left, the John Steinbeck Building to their right, and gray clouds rolling above their heads, the Mercury train was in full effect in downtown Monterey. It’s a common scenario: Bell banging away, five Mercury men on the front. Sure enough, less than one minute after the bell stopped clanging, that guy in green hit the Cannery Row finishing stretch with a gap that would get him through. But the Navigators wear a true green, not

It was a busy day in Monterey on Thursday as the 2001 Sea Otter Classic kicked off with a double stage day. In the morning, all the usual suspects found their way to the top of the standings after the Laguna Seca Time Trial. Fresh from two World Cup wins on successive weekends Saturn’s Anna Millward hit the ground running when she arrived in the U.S. to earn a win in the stage. On the men’s side, U.S. Postal’s Levi Leipheimer emerged on top and confidently predicted that this race will probably come down to two men: himself and Mercury’s Chris Horner.In the women's 40km crit, Saturn

If early-season happenings on the domestic road circuit are any indication, we are experiencing a planetary shift. Move over, Mercury, it’s Saturn’s turn to shine. Trent Klasna is red hot, Harm Jansen is as aggressive as ever, and Anna Millward just can’t seem to lose. Those three Saturn riders led the charge in Friday’s grueling Fort Ord Road Race at the Sea Otter Classic at Laguna Seca Speedway in Monterey, California. As usual, Jansen couldn’t hold himself back in the men's race. With more than 70 miles of rugged California coastal roads still ahead of him, Jansen initiated the day’s

Levi Leipheimer, who thought the Mercury Sea Otter Classic would be a two-man race after he won the difficult opening time trial on Thursday, needed time to compose his thoughts. Sitting in the back of the U.S. Postal Service team van, Leipheimer pulled off his race leader's jersey and pulled on his dark-blue team sweats. A few minutes earlier, he had crossed the line in the company of his closest rival, Mercury's Chris Horner, but they were almost four minutes behind Saturn's two-man express: Harm Jansen and new race leader Trent Klasna. The first words out of a shattered Leipheimer's mouth

All the usual suspects found their way to the top of the standings after the Laguna Seca Time Trial, stage 1 of the Robert Talbott Elite Road Race, the opening event of the 2001 Sea Otter Classic. On the women’s side, Saturn’s Anna Millward was the quickest around the up-and-down 27.5km course. The Aussie posted a time of 44:11, knocking teammate Kim Bruckner from atop the leaderboard and setting up a 1-2 finish for Saturn. The win in the hills just outside of Monterey, California, continued Millard’s impressive run that includes wins at the year's first two World Cups. Under overcast

She came to Redlands in top form, ready to act as team leader for the Saturn-Timex women's team in North America's road season opener. But on the second stage of the six-day event, Bessette gave a strong lead out to teammate Ina Teutenberg who then crashed at the line in front of her. Teutenberg suffered some serious cuts to her face, requiring 32 stitches. Bessette, meanwhile, broke her collarbone, putting a temporary halt to what could still be a very productive season. We had a chance to chat with Bessette at the side of the road during the Sunset Road Race, the final stage at

Davide Rebellin of Italy won the Tirreno-Adriatico cycle race here Wednesday after what amounted to a photo-finish with countryman Gabriele Colombo. Rebellin was given the same overall time of 29hr 41min 09sec for the eight-stage race as Colombo, but was adjudged the winner by a fraction of a second and on better stage placings. The final stage over 161km along the Adriatic coastline went to another Italian, Endrio Leoni who clocked 4hr 28min 57sec. Rebellin, who grabbed the leader's white jersey in the seventh stage Tuesday, said that he never felt confident of winning the race until

One face you didn't expect to see at Redlands this year was that of Jeroen Blijlevens. But there he was, taking part in the 17th edition of the Redlands Bicycle Classic. The Dutch sprinter was in California, because of a "slight delay" to the start of his 2001 season. Though he has an impressive résumé that includes five stage wins at the Vuelta España, two stage wins at the Giro d'Italia and four at the Tour de France, Blijlevens has most recently gained attention for a fight on the last day of the 2000 Tour. After finishing the final stage in Paris, Blijlevens charged at American Bobby

Italian rider Davide Rebellin retook the overall lead of Tirreno-Adriatico on Tuesday after the 223km seventh stage of the race ended in Ascoli. But Rebellin was edged out for the stage win as the in-form Dutchman Michael Boogerd sprinted past at the line. However, the 29-year-old Rebellin, who held the lead after Saturday's fourth stage but lost it the next day, will have to be on his guard in Wednesday's final 161km stage as Boogerd, second in the recent Tour of Valencia, trails by just three seconds in third place. Rebellin, though, said he was confident he could hold on. "I have

Latvia's Romans Vainsteins won the sixth stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico cycle race Monday, a 136km run from Torre San Patrizio to Monte San Pietrangeli. Vainsteins defeated Swiss rider Markus Zberg in a sprint finish but the conclusion was marred by the fall of overnight race leader Sergei Ivanov of Russia who had to be taken to hospital after tumbling 500m from the finish. Ivanov was being treated at Fermo Hospital where he was undergoing tests while Italian cyclist Lope Boselli was also treated for injuries sustained in the same incident. Ivanov was credited with finishing the stage in

The U.S. Postal Service has announced plans to immediately begin sponsorship of USA Cycling’s National Junior and Espoir teams. The U.S. Espoir squad competing at Redlands showed up for Saturday’s downtown criterium wearing redesigned jerseys sporting a new USPS logo to reflect the new sponsorship. At a press conference on Saturday, USPS senior vice president for sales, Gail Sonnenberg, said the sponsorship reflects the service’s long-term view of the sport. “The Postal Service is committed to the development of the next generation of cycling champions. We believe in the values of hard

Dario Frigo became the first Italian for 55 years to win Paris-Nice on Sunday while countryman Fabrizio Guidi won the seventh and final stage. Guidi gave Mercury the perfect end to a near-perfect week with a clinical finish for their third stage win out of eight in front of the sun worshippers and rollerbladers on Nice's promenade des Anglais. After late attacks from Big Mat's Loic Lamueller and the prologue winner Nico Mattan had been swept up, the peloton swept down the windblown finish straight led by Peter Van Petegem. He repaid Guidi his sterling work through the week by leading him

Saturn’s Anna Milward made it two-for-two when she won her second women's World Cup race in just over a week, at the Hamilton, New Zealand, World Cup. The Australian was part of a six-strong group that broke away on the seventh of 17 laps of the 6.3 km circuit. The group included Sarah Ulmer, Mirjam Melchers, Sara Carrigan and world road champion Zinaida Stahurskaia. World time trial champion Mari Holden missed the break, started when Melchers sprinted away on the circuit's biggest hill. But Holden launched a tremendous three-kilometer chase to join the group. The bunch increased the gap

While Dario Frigo was winning Paris-Nice, his Fassa Bortolo teammates were also lighting it up at Tirreno-Adriatico. Italian Roberto Petito, of the Fassa Bortolo team, won the fifth stage of Tirreno-Adriatico in Torricella Sicura Sunday, a 14.2km time trial. The overall lead changed hands for the third time in three days, as Petito’s teammate Sergei Ivanov displaced Liquigas’s Davide Rebellin in the overall standings. Petito finished ahead of second-placed Spaniard David Plaza Romero and his Russian teammate Sergei Ivanov, who takes over the lead in the overall standings. It confirms

Genevieve Jeanson (Rona) and Saturn’s Trent Klasna successfully defended their leads at the 2001 Redlands Bicycle Classic to emerge as the overall victors after Sunday’s tough Sunset Road Race through the hilly residential neighborhoods of south Redlands. While Jeanson simply rode away from the field adding to her already substantial lead, it was the U.S. Postal Service’s Levi Leipheimer who took the final sprint in the men’s event. Jeanson entered Sunday’s final stage with a nearly two-minute lead in general classification over Saturn’s Kimberly Bruckner. While two minutes may be an

The Italian Fassa Bortolo team took over Paris-Nice today during the Col d'Eze time trial, with Dario Frigo winning the stage in decisive style to take the lead from Peter Van Petegem of Belgium, with his teammate Raimondas Rumsas moving into second overall. Frigo, who finished second in last year's Tour of Switzerland, and finished ninth in Paris-Nice behind Andreas Kloden, led throughout the 10km uphill test, posting a time 14 seconds faster than Rumsas at the 6km checkpoint, where it was clear that Van Petegem, who was 23 seconds slower, would relinquish the white jersey. The

Italian cyclist Davide Rebellin, of the Liquigas team, won Saturday's fourth stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico cycling race, a 170km run from Isernia to Celano. Rebellin also took the lead in the overall standings after outsprinting Dutch rider Michael Boogerd and Russia's Sergei Ivanov. The first three and Italian cyclist Gabriele Colombo, who won the Milan-San Remo Classic in 1996, made a vital break from the rest of the peloton with Rebellin holding off a spirited challenge from Boogerd of the Rabobank team to win. Earlier Ivan Basso and Danilo Di Luca had attempted a vain breakaway which

Katrina Berger (800.com) and Chris Horner (Mercury-Viatel) both took advantage of small, early breaks and earned criterium victories in the fifth stage of the 2001 Redlands Classic. While overall race leaders Genevieve Jeanson (Rona) and Saturn’s Trent Klasna held on to their top spots, the men’s race again saw a dangerous break inflict still more damage on one-time race leader Roland Green (U.S. Postal). Berger said she found herself with a good gap on the field early in the 60-minute women’s race. Having just won a prime, the 800.com rider “figured I give it a shot and try to keep going

Rabobank’s Markus Zberg won a hotly contested sprint finish on Friday, while Russian Dmitri Konyshev (Fassa Bortolo) took over the race lead at Tirreno-Adriatico. Friday’s 156km third stage went from Benevento to Castelpetroso as the race continued its eastward journey across southern Italy toward the Adriatic coast. The day saw plenty of breakaway attempts, including Roberto Petito (Fassa Bortolo), Davide Rebellin (Liquigas) and Sergio Barbero (Lampre-Daikin), who were caught within sight of the 1km-to-go banner. That set up the furious finish, in which Zberg came off of Konyshev’s wheel

The heavy back roads of the Var left no impression on the overall classification of Paris-Nice on Friday, which means that no less than 15 riders were poised within one minute of the race leader Peter Van Petegem (Mercury-Viatel) going into Saturday's vital time trial to the Col d'Eze. The stage into Saint Raphael did however provide a welcome respite for the new Belgian team Domo, under pressure since they failed to show at Het Volk two weeks ago. Their Pole Piotr Wadecki spent 115 of the 150 miles in front with Bonjour's Francois Simon and Matteo Tosatto of Fassa Bortolo, disposed of the

It was all according to the book for 19-year-old Canadian sensation Genevieve Jeanson as she simply rode the competition off her wheel on final climb to Oak Glen at the end of stage 4 at the Redlands Classic on Friday. But as Jeanson easily fulfilled expectations, the two biggest men’s teams found themselves scrambling after an early break that “accidentally” formed without any overall contenders from either the U.S. Postal or Mercury-Viatel squads. Saturn’s Trent Klasna, who began the day in seventh place, 1:10 behind overall race leader Roland Green, was the top GC rider in the break and he

Scenes from Wednesday's Highlands Road Race

Alex Zulle scored his first sprint win since he was an amateur to give new Division I squad Team Coast its first win of the season, a first step toward building its case for a place in the Tour de France. Zulle outsprinted ONCE's Portuguese neo-pro Jose Azevedo with the main bunch close on their heels in Sisteron, after the pair broke away on the final descent with 10km to go. "It's a great win for us, which boosts morale, proves we are serious, and gives us more confidence about the Tour," said Zulle. Close behind in the peloton was race leader Peter Van Petegem, who held onto the leader's

Italian Endrio Leoni (Alessio) won the sprint finish of stage 2 of Tirreno-Adriatico, sending German Erik Zabel to defeat for the second day in a row. On Thursday, Leoni won his fifth race of the season, beating out Zabel and stage 1 winner Biagio Conte at the end of the 163km stage between Sorrento and Benevento, which finished on with an uphill sprint on a 3 to 4-percent grade. The sprint was the only notable action on a day when the peloton stayed intact and rolled along at a steady, even pace all day long. With his Alessio team still seeking selection for Milan-Remo on March 24, Leoni

Canadians Roland Green (U.S. Postal Service) and Genevieve Jeanson (RONA) extended their overall leads at the Redlands Bicycle Classic on Thursday with convincing wins in the Stage 3 time trial. Jeanson beat out Saturn's Kimberly Bruckner by 28 seconds, while Green beat U.S. Postal teammate Levi Leipheimer by 37 seconds. Click on "View Results" for complete results and stay tuned for Charles Pelkey's report from Redlands.

Roland Green seemed pleasantly surprised on Tuesday as he won the opening time trial at the Redlands Bicycle Classic. The Volkswagen-Trek mountain-bike racer slipped on the leader’s jersey and figured he would be working for the next few days to hand it off to one of his (temporary) U.S. Postal Service teammates. But Green may have taken a big step to keeping the jersey on Thursday as he finished the Sun Highland time trial stage a full 37 seconds ahead of his teammate Levi Leipheimer and 40 up on 2000 Redlands winner Chris Horner (Mercury-Viatel). Meanwhile 19-year-old Canadian sensation

The Redlands Bicycle Classic kicked off with a brand-new hillclimb prologue on Tuesday, and photographer Casey Gibson was on hand to capture all the action.

Jans Koerts strengthened Mercury-Viatel’s case for a start in the Tour de France this year by giving the U.S. team its second consecutive stage win Wednesday in the high-speed run down the Rhone Valley to Villeneuve les Avignon. His teammate Peter Van Petegem conserved the leader's white jersey. Koerts received a fine leadout from his teammate Fabrizio Guidi to finish more than a length ahead of Jean-Patrick Nazon and Germany's Danilo Hondo, at the end of a stage run at close to a 30mph average thanks to a strong tailwind. This is Koerts' third win of the season after winning two stages of

Italian sprinter Biagio Conte (Saeco) took the early lead in the Tirreno-Adriatico stage race on Wednesday when he won the 132km opening stage in Sorrento, Italy. Conte beat out Telekom’s Erik Zabel and Fassa Bortolo’s Dmitri Konyshev in the final sprint. Conte was given some freedom in the finish after Saeco team leader Mario Cipollini suffered a little bit on the Sant’Angelo climb during the race. "I am here to help Cipollini, and Thursday, I will return to my role as teammate," Conte said after his win. Thursday’s second stage will be a completely flat, 163km course between Sorrento and

It was expected to be an easy day. A long flat circuit north of Redlands offers a chance for the fields of 198 men and 110 women to stay together and fight out the finish in a bunch sprint. That’s the way it ended for both. Gord Fraser rode the Mercury train into the finish and cruised to an easy win, even beating Lotto’s new Dutch sprinter Jeroen Blijlevens to the line. But in the women’s race Saturn’s Ina Teutenberg was well on her way to winning stage 2 of the Redlands Classic on Wednesday, charging ahead of the 110-rider women’s field after the 122km Highlands Road Race, but bad luck and

Tuesday’s hilly windy stage to Saint Etienne turned the Paris-Nice classification upside down, with Peter Van Petegem outsprinting the gutsy but luckless Alexandre Vinokourov (Telekom) to give Mercury-Viatel its first taste of the leader's jersey in a major European stage race. Vinokourov was on the attack for the entire stage, early on in a 19-strong group which included Floyd Landis (Mercury-Viatel) and Jonathan Vaughters (Credit Agricole). He split the break together with Laurent Dufaux (Saeco) and escaped on the final climb to hold on until the final meter, when Van Petegem came flying

Dueling big-guns Saturn-Timex and Mercury-Viatel made for high octane and unpredictable racing at the annual Sequoia Cycling Classic in Exeter, California. Men’s and women’s competition was fierce both in the Rocky Hill Road Race and in the Visalia Criterium the following day but Saturn made its presence known, taking the top spots in three out of four races. Day one of competition found riders seeing rings with Saturn dominating both the men’s and women’s Rocky Hill Road Race, a nine-and-half-mile loop with two climbs on each lap, totaling 600 feet of climbing per lap. Saturn and Mercury

She may have been biding her time in Arizona, rather than defending her title at Australia’s Tour de Snowy, but the lack of travel certainly hasn’t hurt Genevieve Jeanson. The 19-year-old Canadian blasted her way to the top of Riverside’s Mt. Rubidoux to take the opening stage of the 2001 Redlands Bicycle Classic and, coincidentally setting the stage for a win by her countryman, mountain-bike racer Roland Green, in the elite men’s event of this Southern California season opener. Jeanson (Rona) took on a strong women’s field — including 2001 Tour de Snowy winner Kim Bruckner (Saturn) and 2000

Crashes took their toll on a rainy Paris-Nice today, with Axel Merckx the principal victim of a 25-rider pile-up two-and-a-half kilometers from the line. Merckx finished the stage, but was taken to the hospital after the race. Earlier, Joseba Beloki, third finisher in the Tour last year, was put out by a broken rib after he collided with another rider while taking nature's call on the move. A reduced lead group fought out the stage finish in Clermont Ferrand, where Stuart O'Grady led out from 250 meters, but was overhauled just before the line by the Belgian Fabian De Waele. He took the

Belgian rider Nico Mattan (Cofidis) won the Paris-Nice cycling prologue over 6.2km through the streets of Nevers on March 11. The 29-year-old came in ahead of British teammate David Millar (at 0:08), with France’s Florent Brard in third, a further second behind during the stage made difficult by persistent rain. Mercury-Viatel's Peter van Petegem finished fifth and Floyd Landis 11th. Defending champion Andreas Kloden of Germany, who shot into the limelight with his surprise win last year, but who has had recent health problems, was 24 seconds behind the leader. Paris-Nice, under the

Spaniard Aitor Gonzalez (Kelme) won the Tour of Murcia on March 11 after winning the fifth and final stage, a 12.9km time-trial through the streets of Murcia on Sunday. Gonzalez was joined on the podium by compatriots Javier Pascual Llorente and Mikel Zarrabeitia, second and third respectively. The Spaniard, who turned professional 1998, was the only rider to finish the time-trial in under 15 minutes (in 14:57), with Italy's Marco Velo second in 15:07 and Spaniard Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano 15:18. U.S. Postal’s Lance Armstrong finished in fifth position in the TT (in 15:25), with former

Spain's Francisco Cabello came from behind to take the overall lead in the Tour of Murcia cycling race after winning the 166.2km fourth stage between Alcantarilla and Aledo on March 10. "We've been looking for this victory since the beginning of the season and we dedicate it to the Ochoa brothers," Cabello said, visibly moved at the thought of his Kelme team-mates. Ricardo Ochoa was killed during an accident near Malaga on February 15. which left his twin Javier (13th overall in the 2000 Tour de France) in a deep coma. Cabello's time of 4:15:15 brought him in three seconds ahead of

Australian Anna Millward (Saturn-Timex) won the Canberra World Cup cycling race with a devastating sprint finish here on March 10. Millward, 29, beat Dutch champion Mirjam Melchers and fellow Australian Rochelle Gilmore in a mass sprint finish to the 20-lap 102- kilometer race. It was her third win in the race in as many years and earned her the first World Cup leader's jersey for 2001. "I was extremely nervous before the race today, trying to do it for the third time running. In bunch sprints, so many things can happen -- you might not get a clean run through and it might all come to

Argentina's Martin Garrido won both the stage and the leader's jersey of the Tour of Murcia on March 9, as he outsprinted Italians Enrio Leoni (yesterday's winner) and Giovanni Lombardi. The time bonus helped the Team Relax rider take over the yellow jersey from Nuremberg's Werner Riebenbaur, who now is third overall, at 7 seconds. The stage, on a 152.4km route between Cieza and Archena, was marked by a long break by Guido Trenti and Tony Bracke, but like previous days, the teammates of sprinters worked to chase down the break and position their power riders for the final

Okay, okay we admit it; we've lusted after Campagnolo Record components about as long as we've been riding (which in our case means five-speed freewheels and friction shifting). Normally we wouldn't make a big deal about someone's promotional contest, but… hey, you can win a Campy 10-speed Record group and, oh yeah, wheels and clothes, too. Log on to win.campagnolo.com and give its "Win Your Record" contest a shot. If you win because you went through this site, you owe us a set of pedals, okay?

France's Tour VTT -- the granddaddy of mountain bike stage races -- may be reincarnated next season. The race, which first ran in 1994 and folded after the 1997 event, is organized by the Société du Tour de France; the company is looking at reviving the event in August of 2002, according to comments made on March 8. "There has been a kind of frustration on behalf of mountain bike enthusiasts," declared Jean-François Pescheux, sporting director of the Société. One option being studied is to open the event to the general public, rather than restricting it to elite riders, as was done in

Once again the Tour of Murcia ended in a field sprint, but today's fastest rider was Team Alessio's Endrio Leoni, while Jeroen Blijlevens and Bjorn Leukemans finished second and third, respectively. Yesterday's sprint king, Werner Riebenbaure (Nuremberg), held on to the leader's jersey after rolling in sixth for the day. The stage was marked by the long break by Italian Fabio Roscioli and Belgian Sven Njis, who rode clear at the 24km mark. But the pair was reeled in after 120km, and the sprinters worked to position themselves in the closing 17km. Lotto's Tayeb Braikia (Lotto) was expected

For Alain Gallopin, Mercury-Viatel’s new French assistant directeur sportif, the team’s 10-day training camp in Southern California was a chance to get acquainted with many of his new riders. In particular, Gallopin got the chance to meet the American riders who weren’t too familiar to the European-based Gallopin. But with at least one American, Gallopin already had a bond that was rock solid. “Horner, he is my friend for life,” Gallopin said of Chris Horner, who was with Gallopin for three years in the Française des Jeux program. “I am his spiritual father.” Horner had an up-and-down time

Kim Bruckner and the Saturn team fended off final-day challenges from world road champion Zinaida Stahurskaia (GAS Sport) to win Tour de Snowy, the Australian stage race that marks the unofficial start to the women's road season. In another of the race's many two-stage days, most of the attention was focused on the climbs in the morning's 69.3km stage from Tumbarumba to Tumut, especially a long 12km climb near the start. That climb represented the last real chance for Stahurskaia to knock Bruckner out of the lead. But Saturn would have none of that and the team successfully shadowed every

Team Nuremberg's Werner Riebenbauer won the 147km first stage of the Tour of Murcia on March 7, while American Antonio Cruz (US Postal) grabbed third, and Argentina's Martin Garridoa (Realx-Fuenlabrada) finished second in the mass sprint. Lance Armstrong, Jan Ullrich and Marco Pantini, had an easy ride, finishing in the main bunch on the route between Murcia and Aguilas, in the southeast of Spain.. The sprint finish brought about a huge fall of riders, with Lotto's Tayeb Braikia the main victim. Breikia, 27, and winner of Saturday's Classique d'Almeria, suffered facial injuries and

Italy's 1998 Tour de France champion Marco Pantani extended a warm welcome to two-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong on March 6, when he declared he'd like to teach the Texan a lesson in this week's Tour of Murcia. The race in Spain runs March 7-11. Pantani, who's currently enmeshed in a series of judicial investigations in Italy over doping offences, pits his wits against Armstrong and the 1997 Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich in this week's 640km race. While both Armstrong and Ullrich are making their seasonal debuts, 31-year-old Pantani will be seeking to put the disappointment

It was supposed to be another match up between Tour de Snowy race leader Anna Millward and reigning world road champion Zinaidaia Stahurskaia … and it was, to a point. As the season-opening Australian stage race moved into serious climbing, Stahurskaia challenged Millward and forced her out of the leader's jersey. But Millward's Saturn team was ready and just as she faltered, her teammate Kim Bruckner was ready to take up the challenge winning the stage and keeping the jersey in the family. Saturn has clearly dominated the race from the start, with Millward winning the first three stages and

World women’s road champion Zinaida Stahurskaia (GAS Sport) showed that this year’s Tour de Snowy would not be the exclusive realm of Saturn’s hometown favorite Anna Millward as she rode away from the field on the first major climb of this five-day, season opening Australian stage race. But Millward, too, proved herself to be a worthy competitor as the Australian worked tirelessly to catch Stahurskaia in the closing kilometers of the day’s 77.3 km stage, preserving her lead in the overall standings. Stahurskaia had been touted as Millward’s biggest threat, even as the Australian charged her