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Azevedo: Ready for Tour with or without LAFollowing his impressive fifth place last year, it’s no surprise Portuguese rider José Azevedo is putting everything into the 2005 Tour de France. The big question now for Azevedo is in what capacity he will ride. All that depends on team captain Lance Armstrong, who said he won’t decide until this spring whether he’ll race for a seventh Tour crown. If Armstrong does race, Azevedo will once again be the Texan’s faithful lieutenant in the high mountains. But if the six-time champion skips this year’s Tour, Azevedo will be the natural heir to the

We just received word from Zipp that the company has chosen to go ahead and “dimple” many of its popular carbon road wheels. In fact, everyone of its Deep-V wheelsets will receive what company says is a major aerodynamic enhancement. “In every wind, speed and direction ZIPP's dimpled wheels are more aerodynamic our same wheels without the dimples. In 90 percent of riding conditions the innovation will save you between 1 and 4 watts of energy," Zipp claims. "The aerodynamic benefit mimics the reason golf balls have dimples, aircraft wings and race cars use trip strips and vortex

The 10th edition of the Tour de Langkawi stage race is set to commence on Friday with an 106.9km romp around this resort island off the northwest coast of Malaysia. The stage will be over almost exclusively flat terrain, leaving the inevitable field sprint to decide the opener. This year’s race features one of the strongest fields that has ever made the trip to this predominantly Muslim nation of 22.7 million in Southeast Asia. Four ProTour squads, Credit Agricole, Discovery Channel, Domina Vacanze and Liberty Seguros, will start the 10-day affair that concludes February 6 in downtown Kuala

Bobby Julich says he wants his season to unfold just like last year when the veteran American rediscovered his winning touch. Julich returned to his best last year, winning a stage at the Vuelta al Pais Vasco, finishing third overall at Paris-Nice and taking home an Olympic time trial bronze medal from Athens. This year, the 1998 Tour de France podium man will be roaring out of the gates with early season goals at the Tour de Mediterranean and Paris-Nice before preparing for the Tour de France. “I want to do exactly the same as last year. One the mistakes I made after a successful season in

Joe and Dirk answer questions on cross-country skiing for cross-training and shelving the competitiveness to get through base

Italy’s jet-set cycling superstar Mario Cipollini made Milan a pit-stop Tuesday evening for his new team’s Liquigas-Bianchi official presentation en route from training in South Africa before flying off to Qatar to make his 2005 season debut. Super Mario looked ever the media maven decked out in the lime-green Liquigas-Bianchi kit as he was the star attraction during presentation of Italy’s newest super team that includes, among others, Stefano Garzelli, Danilo Di Luca, Dario Cioni and Paris-Roubaix champ Magnus Backstedt. “After two irregular seasons, I’m ready to get back to the top level

When Tom Danielson arrived on the Malaysian resort island of Langkawi two years ago, he was a little-known American climbing specialist making his debut with the Saturn team. A little more than a week later the former collegiate mountain-bike racer had announced himself to the world, winning the 10-day stage race in decisive fashion. Danielson would go on to parlay his win in Southeast Asia into a contract with Italian Division I power squad Fassa Bortolo where he was supposed to begin his ascension of pro cycling’s elite ranks. But the 2004 campaign was mostly a dud for the 26 year old.

Straight blades?Dear Lennard,Thanks for the discussion on rake and trail and various geometry issues in your December 21st column. I have a follow-up question: Since it appears you can achieve trail change via head tube angle and fork geometry, what are the implications of a straight fork like a Colnago Star, versus a fork that has blades that curve as they near the axle?Jeffrey Dear Jeffrey,I should have put something about this in the book, because it is such a common misperception. Straight forks do have rake (i.e., offset of the front hub from the steering axis)! Look at your

Whether or not Lance Armstrong races the Tour de France this year won’t change anything for two of Italy’s hottest stars, but they both hope the six-time Tour winner will be there. “I hope Lance races the Tour because I’d like to have a chance to race alongside him. He’s a great champion,” Giro d’Italia champion Damiano Cunego told VeloNews during Saturday’s Giro presentation. “I really want to race alongside Lance because I have a lot of respect for him as a rider and what he’s done. I hope he’s at the Tour this year.” Armstrong remains mum on his Tour plans, though he’s contractually

German cycling ace Jan Ullrich is basing his entire season around trying to win a second Tour de France. As six-time Tour champion Lance Armstrong's participation remains up in the air, Ullrich on Monday made it clear he was hungrier than ever to add to his 1997 success. “The Tour is the race that I want to win," said the T-Mobile rider, who has finished runner-up five times but could only manage fourth last year. That, it should be noted, was his worst ever finish in seven Tour de France starts. "I'm in training to be the best in the world. I want to once again prove

Italian cyclist Damiano Cunego will call upon the spirit of dead rock star Jim Morrison to help him in his bid to defend his Giro d’Italia title later this year. The 23-year-old is a huge fan of Morrison's legendary 1960s rock band “The Doors” and believes the music of the American group can play a pivotal role when the 88th edition of the race gets underway on May 7. "I can only say that on paper I like this Giro, but I will need to go and have a look at it to get a better idea," said Cunego. "It seems to me like the tour will suit the climbers, but we'll see. As usual, there will be Jim

Spanish rider Luis Sanchez may have remembered on Sunday - when he won the Tour Down Under - more than any other days the reason he first took up cycling. Sanchez's father, a policeman in Spain, was injured in a terrorist attack when Sanchez was just five years old and doctors told him cycling would aid his rehabilitation. The bikes he bought for his two sons at the same time gave Luis a taste for the sport, and before long he was hooked on the sport. Eventually, and despite angering his family, he ended his studies at 18 to follow his passion. He was discovered by former ONCE manager

Robbie McEwen likened the roar of the crowd in the home straight to that of a football grand final after charging home to win the final stage of the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under on Sunday. Like he has done so many times in a star-studded career, McEwen, 32, timed his run perfectly down the 500-meter finishing straight to get over the top of Italian Paride Grillo (Ceramiche Panaria-Navigare) and Queenslander Allan Davis (Liberty Seguros).

Organizers unveiled the route for the 88th edition of the Giro D'Italia in Milan on Saturday. The 3465.65km event, which consists of 20 stages, begins with the prologue down south in Reggio Calabria on May 7 and ends in the northern city of Milan on May 29. The Giro offers a diverse mix of conditions, including five mountain climbs and two individual time trials besides the opening-day prologue. On May 15, the race pays homage to the late Gino Bartali, one of the all-time greats of Italian cycling, who died on the eve of the 2000 Giro. A 41.5km time trial starting at Lamporecchio will

In Mazda Palace, Milan – The 2005 Giro d’Italia presentation Saturday eveningsaw typical Italian flare and style in what race officials are hopefulwill be one of the best battles in recent years. The prospect of a clash between Italy’s hottest young stars and increasedinternational participation thanks to the ProTour, the duel between DamianoCunego and Ivan Basso is sure to make the 88th Giro palpitating to watch. Some of Italy’s biggest stars were on hand for nearly two-hour presentation,including 2000 Giro winner Stefano Garzelli, 2002 winner Paolo Savoldelli(with his newly broken

Spaniard Alberto Contador celebrated his recovery from life-threatening brain surgery by winning the fifth stage of the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under in Willunga Saturday. But his better-credentialed Liberty Seguros teammate Luis Sanchez will take an almost unassailable lead into Sunday’s final stage in Adelaide. And the best local hero Stuart O'Grady can finish is third, as he trails Sanchez by 47 seconds, while Queenslander Allan Davis splits them at 35 seconds off the pace. Saturday’s 147km stage, which included a torturous 3km climb to the top of Old Willunga Hill, was expected to blow

Armstrong reacts to doping probeLance Armstrong reacted strongly against a new doping investigation initiated this week in France, saying he’s “disappointed” yet insists he’ll be “vindicated.” On Thursday, French newspapers reported that Philippe Drouet, a prosecutor in Annecy, is starting a preliminary investigation into allegations against the six-time Tour de France champion in the controversial book “LA Confidentiel.” “I am disappointed by the judge’s decision to launch an inquiry without first hearing my side of the story,” Armstrong said in a press release issued by news agency PR

Matthew White stepped out of the shadow of teammate Stuart O'Grady Friday with a hollow victory in the fourth stage of the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under. “I've waited six bloody years for this,” White said after he crossed the line a clear winner from fellow Australian Robbie McEwen, referring to his last major stage win in the Tour of Switzerland in 1999. Better known as a domestique on the world stage, White, 31, helped his Cofidis teammate O'Grady win last year's World Cup in Hamburg, and has carved out a profitable living for the past 10 years in that role. But Friday was his chance to

Since we’re hunkering down to produce the 2005 VeloNews Buyer’s Guide, I’m going to have to keep this week’s column a bit tighter (read: shorter) than usual. Excuses aside, I have to say that the most exciting part of producing this year’s BG has got to be the “Bikes of the ProTour” section. When the idea of rounding up every production ProTour replica bike was first pitched in November, I have to admit it seemed more than far-fetched to me. I mean, I was going to be the guy responsible for ordering 15 of the hardest-to-get road bikes of 2005 – a long shot in full production months of May

Rumors are flying that Ag2r and Phonak will be the two wild-card teams selected for the 2005 Tour de France. The Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport tipped inside sources that these two teams will be selected for the Tour when the wild-card teams are announced Jan. 31. Under new ProTour rules, 19 top teams are already guaranteed places in the Tour, leaving race organizers just two cards to play in rounding out the team list. In the past, French teams have been favored by Tour officials when issuing wild-card invitations. Ag2r is the top French team overlooked in the ProTour selection

French prosecutors have opened an investigation into the doping allegations against six-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong that were originally outlined in the book "L.A. Confidential - Les Secrets de Lance Armstrong." Officials were quoted in Thursday’s edition of Le Parisien that the investigation stems from a magistrate's interview with Armstrong's former Irish soigneur Emma O'Reilly, who was reported to have confirmed the allegations of the Texan using the banned blood booster EPO (erythropoietin) she made in the book, written by Sunday Times of London sports journalist David

Spain's Luis Sanchez, touted as the next Miguel Indurain, is the new leader in the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under after an enthralling third stage between Glenelg and Victor Harbor on Thursday. Sanchez, 21, from the Murcia region and riding for Liberty Seguros, outsprinted Belgian Johan Van Summeren to win the stage after both riders attacked a 26-man breakaway 20km from the finish. The win catapulted Sanchez into the leader's yellow jersey after he trailed Queensland's Robbie McEwen by 12 seconds overnight. McEwen, 32, winner of the opening two stages was the day’s biggest loser, missing

What police called an “important network” of drug trafficking between Belgium and France was dismantled Tuesday and Wednesday, with 25 people being arrested for questioning in the two countries and several of them being caught red-handed. “This trafficking seems unhappily to involve cyclists at different levels, both amateurs and semi-professionals,” confirmed Denis Chausserie-Laprée, a vice procurator with the Bordeaux branch of the specialist interregional judiciary (JIRS), at a press conference held with the police investigators. The magistrate refused to give the identities of the people

Robbie McEwen overcame a rogue civilian and a near crash into the barriers to win an unprecedented 10th stage of the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under in Tanunda on Wednesday. In another bunch sprint finish, McEwen just had too much power for Italian Paride Grillo and Queenslander Allan Davis. The Tour de France sprint champion won clearly, but the margin would have been greater had he not had to change direction about 250m from the line. “We nearly hit some bloke on his bike with about 800m to go,” McEwen said. “He was just riding along the road. It's bad enough with the parked cars and then

Bettini already has Madrid on his mind Olympic champion Paolo Bettini is already putting the 2005 world championships at the top of his list of goals for the upcoming season. The “Cricket” was a disappointing DNF in last fall’s worlds on the Verona course, but hopes to earn the rainbow jersey that’s so far eluded him. “The worlds are always one of my objectives, but after my win at the Olympics, I’m more tranquil than the other favorites,” Bettini said during a break at the Quick Step training camp in Italy. “Petacchi has already gone to see the course and he says it’s a course that’s

Robbie McEwen continued his brilliant early season form with a thrilling victory in the opening stage of the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under in Adelaide's East End Tuesday evening. In an All Australian trifecta, McEwen beat Queenslander Allan Davis with South Australian hero Stuart O'Grady third after 25 frenetic laps of a 2.5km circuit before a crowd estimated at close to 65,000. It was McEwen's ninth stage victory in seven years and followed closely on his win in the Australian Open road championship in Echunga on Saturday.

Dear Lennard,I recently converted to wheels with bladed spokes, and now my speedometermagnet no longer fits onto the spoke (I have a Performance brand Axiom8.0C). Is there any solution where I don't have to buy an entire new computer?If I do have to upgrade, can you recommend one that will mount to a bladedspoke?AndrewDear Andrew,You can buy separate magnets for this type of spoke. For example, lookingin the Quality Bicycle catalog, and estimating the retail price, it lookslike you could get a hand-tightening Campagnolo magnet for $27 that I ampretty sure I have used on bladed spokes, a

Tour de France chief Jean-Marie Leblanc admits it is only a matter of time before Australia’s ever-improving cycling contingent can finally produce a Tour winner. “I never say this or that guy is going to win the Tour, but a rider like Michael Rogers, who is young, who knows how to climb, who is good in the time trial and who is in a Quick Step team which is very professional and focused has a great chance,” Leblanc told AFP. “He's got everything needed to do it, and he knows what's required of him. In two or three years he can get on the podium in Paris. I'm almost certain of

Two-time Giro d’Italia winner Gilberto Simoni was among the top names to underline his aims for the coming season a day ahead of the start of cycling's Tour Down Under in Adelaide, Australia, Monday. The Italian joined local hope Stuart O'Grady, a two-time winner of the season's first stage event, Spaniard Isidro Nozal and Australian all rounder Cadel Evans in singling out the race as an increasingly significant date on the growing global calendar. "I've noticed in the past that when McEwen and O'Grady compete here they tend to have successful seasons, do well at the Tour de France and even

Discovery Channel officials are still unsure how long 2002 Giro d’Italia champion Paolo Savoldelli will be sidelined after breaking his collar bone in three places during a training ride in California over the weekend. Savoldelli was scheduled for surgery on Sunday in a Santa Barbara hospital and officials are still waiting to find out how long the Italian will be set back. Savoldelli crashed in a training ride Saturday during the team’s annual training camp near Solvang when his front tire exploded after hitting a pothole. He was initially seen by team doctors on the scene and then

Recently-crowned Olympic track champion Stuart O'Grady is among the contenders who will find the going tough when the first stage race of the season begins at the Tour Down Under in Adelaide, Australia, on Tuesday. O'Grady, the 31-year-old local rider who had blistering form with his French Cofidis team last season, has been tipped for overall success in the race which takes the peloton through the wine-growing regions of southern Australia. The Adelaider, the winner in 1999 and 2001, came a close third when he last took part in 2003. But during six days of racing, O'Grady's ambitions will

The Discovery Channel pro cycling team has reported that Paolo Savoldelli crashed during a training ride at the team's training camp in Solvang, California, on Saturday, breaking his collarbone. Savoldelli, winner of the 2002 Giro d'Italia, crashed after his front tire blew out. He had apparently damaged his tire when he hit a pothole on a climb. "It happened suddenly while we were climbing up a short hill at about 20kph," Michael Barry, one of Savoldelli's new teammates recalled. "He went down immediately and never had a chance to react. His collar bone took the entire blow of the fall

After California was battered by wet, wind and colder-than-normal weather, some had doubts that the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling team would be holding its scheduled training camp in Solvang, California, this week. Doubts? Why most of these guys used to ride for a sponsor whose motto was "Neither rain, nor snow nor..." Well, the weather has cleared and even though it's still chillier than usual, most of the Discovery team is in Solvang working out the post-holiday kinks and getting ready for a full season of racing as a part of the UCI's new ProTour. Photographer Casey Gibson is in

Danielson: ‘Repeat will be difficult’Tom Danielson will be starting his season early with a return trip to the Tour de Langkawi (January 28-February 6), the race he won in 2003 that proved to be his springboard to the big-time for the Colorado climber. Now embarking on the 2005 season with Discovery Channel, Danielson said he’s traveling to Malaysia with the idea of building fitness for what will be an important season in Europe. “In 2003, the plan all along was to try and have a good ride in Genting. Nathan (O'Neill) was in incredible form throughout and through his and the team's support,

Cipo' in South Africa, Liquigas gets goingItaly’s latest super-team is putting the finishing touches on its preparations for the 2005 season. Liquigas will have its official unveiling later this month and the team is revving up for its final training camps ahead of its first races of the season. Most of the team will be honing their strength at a training camp starting this weekend in Donoratico in Italy while 2002 world champion Mario Cipollini continues with his personal training program in South Africa. The team’s official presentation will be in Milan on January 25 before Cipollini,

French police on Thursday searched the offices of the weekly news magazine Le Point and the sports daily L’Equipe in connection with a doping affair that rocked French cycling team Cofidis last year. Journalists at the two publications said police led by investigating magistrates spent several hours in their offices. At Le Point, police seized two computers and ordered two journalists to report for questioning. At L’Equipe, journalists declined to reveal whether any equipment had been seized during the search. Sources close to the investigation said the searches were linked to an

Levi Leipheimer is getting to know his new Gerolsteiner teammates at the team’s annual training camp in Mallorca off the Spanish coast. After three seasons with Rabobank, the 31-year-old Californian said he’s excited about the new opportunities after joining the German team for what’s a two-year deal. VeloNews European correspondent Andrew Hood sat down with Leipheimer this week. Check back later this week for the complete interview. VeloNews: You’ve reached a point where you want to step up your goals? Levi Leipheimer: “Definitely, eighth in my first Tour, ninth in my second to confirm

Like the annual return of the swallows to Capistrano, this is the time of year that VeloNews staff get to pump-out another edition of our Buyer’s Guide. In its third year of production, the VeloNews Buyer’s Guide has grown from a “let’s see if it works” publication to a “keystone property,”or so our marketing staff likes to call it. To me, the tremendous amount of work we put into it is well worth it because of the Guide’s sheer usefulness and “drool factor.” You won’t see a larger collection of “to-die-for” bikes anywhere in 2005 than our Buyer’s Guide. This year we’ve enlisted the help of

Navigators’ Nathan O'Neill won the Australian Professional National Time Trial Championship on Wednesday, clocking 47:41 over the course of the 40km route. Oenone Wood took the women’s 30km championship in 41:18. O’Neill, the most recent recruit to the U.S.-based Navigators team, Nathan, beat Rory Sutherland and Russell Van Hout to take his third title in four years. Indeed, Wednesday’s win marks O’Neill’s ninth national championship, seven of which were earned in the discipline against the clock. Wood started the 30km time trial at the Adelaide hills town of Echunga as the strong favorite

Citing serious safety concerns, organizers of Paris-Roubaix have removed one of the most revered sections of cobbles from the route of this year’s race. Noting that the condition of a large stretch of pavé through the Forest of Arenberg has degraded over the past year the Amaury Sport Organization has pulled the famous portion of cobbles from this year’s Queen of the Classics, scheduled for April 10. "Organizers have decided not to ride on the 2400 meters of the famous Arenberg trench for safety reasons," ASO noted in a statement. "The condition of the road has seriously deteriorated in

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) - The inaugural United Texas Tour cycling race was postponed indefinitely Wednesday because organizers were reluctant to seek sponsorship money while massive aid is going to the tsunami relief effort. American officials had hoped the stage race in Lance Armstrong's home state would become a showcase event in a sport concentrated in Europe. "We are simply uncomfortable asking companies to fund the race when those dollars could be used for more immediate social concerns," said Eddie Owens, executive director of the United Texas Tour. Organizers had raised about half the

Olympic champion Paolo Bettini, Belgian classics star Tom Boonen and world time trial champion Michael Rogers will headline the Quick Step team in the 2005 season, but the Belgian team is investing heavily in young stars for future success. The 2005 roster was officially unveiled Monday in Belgium with a solid mix of youth and maturity to take over the mantle with the departure of retired stars Richard Virenque and Johan Museeuw. “With the maturity of our young stars and the recruitment of new talent, we will be as strong as we were last year,” said team manager Patrick Lefevere during the

Oh my achin' backDear Lennard,My bones are getting stiff and achy, and I am looking for a way tosoften my every day/training bike, a Cannondale CAAD 5 with the stock all-carbonfork. The bike fits me like a glove and is very responsive.Would a carbon bar and stem combination damp the ride and add comfort,or are carbon bars just as stiff and noncompliant as alloy bars?Are any carbon bars "softer" than others? Have you ridden Specialized'sRoubaix? Is there a significant improvement in the ride? Isthere a real tradeoff in performance? My 59-year-old neck, arms andback thank you!Bill Dear Bill,I

The team formerly known as the U.S. Postal Service entered a new era onMonday when Lance Armstrong and Company unveiled its new look and identityin Silver Spring, Maryland. In a flashy introduction ceremony at the AmericanFilm Institute’s Silver Theater, just outside of Washington D.C., and acrossthe street from its new corporate sponsor, the most successful pro cyclingoutfit in the U.S. was officially introduced as the Discovery Channel ProCycling Team. After taking the stage, one team veteran marveled at how far the teamhad come since its inception nine years ago. “Back at our first team

German star Jan Ullrich lined up with his T-Mobile teammates this weekend to kick start the team’s 14-day training camp in Mallorca. The 1997 Tour de France champion already has 2,500km in his legs after spending the holidays in South Africa to prepare for the 2005 season. An assault on the 2005 Tour remains Ullrich’s top goal for the upcoming season and he said toppling six-time champion Lance Armstrong gives him extra motivation. Last year, Ullrich failed to finish on the podium for the first time in his Tour career. Despite recent reports that Armstrong is hinting at skipping the 2005

Americans Rebecca Quinn and Jenny Reed won medals Sunday, the final day of competition at the third round of the track cycling World Cup.Quinn won the silver behind Australian Katherine Bates in the women's scratch race, with France's Virginie Moinard third.Reed claimed the bronze in the women's Keirin, which was won by Belarus' Natalia Tsylinskay. Germany's Susann Panzer took the silver.The British trio of Chris Hoy, Jason Queally and Craig Maclean won the team sprint in the final event of the World Cup leg at the Manchester Velodrome on Sunday to give the hosts enough points to win the

Colby Pearce grabbed a share of the overall World Cup lead on Saturday in the men's points race with a bronze medal effort behind Vasil Kiryienka (BLR) and Nikita Eskov (RUS) at the penultimate stop of the four-race series. Pearce scored points in half of the 12 intermediate sprints and lapped the field once to score 35 points. Silver medalist Eskov also scored 35 points but bested Pearce in the final sprint to take the tiebraker. Kiryienka scored 39. Pearce's performance moves him into a tie for the overall world cup lead with 2004 Olympic gold medalist Russian Mikhail Ignatiev. The

The British Guardian newspaper reported Saturday that Lance Armstrong had scored “a significant victory” in his libel suit against The Sunday Times and its chief sportswriter, David Walsh. The suit stems from a Times article published in June 2004 that repeated allegations made in the book, “LA Confidential: The Secrets of Lance Armstrong,” co-written by Walsh and Pierre Ballester and published in France. A judge in London’s high court struck down the newspaper’s defense, that the article was true, saying that the tone of the article was “sensational” and intended “to stir things up,”

Former Belgian cycling great Johan Museeuw took the blood-boosting drugs EPO and Aranesp in the 2003 season, the Belgian media reported on Friday, quoting judicial sources. The Belgian television station VRT and De Morgen newspaper carried excerpts from the official record of the prosecutor in the case that probed text messages sent between Museeuw and veterinary surgeon Jose Landuyt, who is under investigation for trafficking illegal drugs. "In the exchange of faxes and SMS (text messages), interrogations and admissions of Landuyt and other people, it is established that Johan Museeuw took

First off, a while back in (almost) sunny Southern California for Christmas, I managed to pull Shimano PR guy Jasen Thorpe out of his cubicle for a morning of off-road riding and tech chit-chat. Thorpe came to the famed Aliso Viejo riding trails armed with one of his truly fish-out-of-water bicycle creations–a one-size-too-small GT Ruckus hardtail fully equipped with 2005 Shimano Hone components. “It is too early in the year to start riding fast, so I’d rather stick to my hucking bike for general trail riding,” Thorpe offered. Oddball or not, the point of the Ruckus was to show off

Record six-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong has hinted again that he may not bid for a seventh yellow jersey on the race this July as he wants to beef up his honors list with one-day classics wins. Armstrong, 33, will continue his hugely-successful career with his new Discovery team, the nucleus of which comes from the U.S. Postal team, when the season begins. However since eclipsing the likes of Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain - all of whom won the Tour five times - Armstrong's desire to bid for a record seventh victory seems to be on the

Australian sprint cyclist Jobie Dajka will return to international competition later this week at the Manchester World Cup after serving a ban for lying to a doping inquiry. On Tuesday the former world keirin champion was named to a team of six riders slated to compete in the January 7-9 UCI Track Cycling World Cup. Dajka was thrown off Australia's Athens Olympics team last year and suspended until January 1 when it was found he had lied to a doping inquiry headed by Justice Robert Anderson.

Phonak cycling team officials announced Monday that manager Urs Freuler and director Alvaro Pino have been replaced by Belgian John Lelangue, an employee of the Amaury Sport Organization, which promotes the Tour de France. After a tumultuous season, in which three of Phonak’s top stars were charged with doping violations and the team excluded from the upcoming UCI ProTour, team owner Andy Rihs announced that the employment contracts of Freuler and Pino “were terminated by mutual agreement.” "The team's owner Andy Rihs has decided ... to install a new management at the heart of the Phonak

Happy New Year, everybody! It's 2005, training camp is less than two weeks away, the ProTour is going to make its debut and I get to speak English with my teammates again. Last year at this time I was studying my Spanish as much as possible while fretting about being at the dinner table and understanding nothing. I'll be riding for CSC this year, where we all speak English at some level. It makes life much easier on me, and the fact that the native English speakers only take up one-sixth of the team is downright strange, if not a dream. I'm very excited about sitting at the dinner table or

Belgian Sven Vanthourenhout (Rabobank) won the eighth round of the UCI’s cyclo-cross World Cup on Sunday, beating his compatriots Sven Nijs and Erwin Vervecken in Aigle, Switzerland. Vanthourenhout scored the win on a 2.6km course that encircled the World Cycling Center, the headquarters of the Union Cycliste Internationale, cycling’s world governing body. Ben Berden and Italian Enrico Franzoi finished respectively in fourth and fifth places. It was those five riders who dominated throughout most of the race, staying together in a lead group until the penultimate lap when Nijs and

Joe and Dirk answer questions on four-hour trainer sessions and how to count weight training

Where is that table?Dear Lennard,Where can I find the torque charts that the latest issue of VeloNewssaid were on the Web site?CharlesDear Charles,Hereyou go!LennardAsking SantaDear Lennard,I'm suggesting an inch pounds torque wrench from Santa for Christmasand I'm a little confused on which to put on my list. The one I want isa 1/4" twist knob type US, but they have a few options on the increments.Should I go with a 40-200 or 10-50? I'm most doing all the stuff onmy road and mountain bike, stems, cranks bolts etc.PaulDear Paul,Sorry if my answer is too late for Santa, but click on the torque

The Russian girlfriend of cyclist Marco Pantani is being accused of complicity in supplying the cocaine that authorities said was the cause of his death in February. Elena Korovina was among five others accused of supplying cocaine by investigator Paolo Gengarelli. The five may face charges of trafficking and distribution of drugs, although the judge in charge of the preliminary investigation has yet to decide on whether to prosecute. Pantani, the last rider to win both the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France in the same year, was found dead in a hotel in Rimini on February 14, from an

Merry Christmas everyone. It’s that time of year when a guy can look back on the past season, take a short break and then start thinking about the next year. Last year was an amazing time for me, highlighted by that win at Paris-Roubaix and the birth of our second daughter, Zoe. Zoe was born on September 24, just before I came to Las Vegas this year – my first trip to the U.S. We also have three-year-old Alynor, so this is a big Christmas for us. We’ll be hanging out at home here in Wales for the holiday, although we did just get back from a visit with my parents and my sister in

Dear readers,I have gotten so many questions on fork rake and front-end geometryfrom my Nov. 23 posting that I realized the need to fully address thissubject again. I have written about this before, both here and in the magazine,but there obviously remains a bit of confusion out there about the subject.Consequently, I have posted a number of the recent questions I have receivedabout it as well as the “block” I wrote on the subject from my most recentbook, Zinn’sCycling Primer. I hope it clarifies some handling questions for a lot of you out there.Merry Christmas,Lennard Dear Lennard,I'm

The Bay-area based Webcor Builders Cycling Team has announced that September’s T-Mobile International winner Charles Dionne will remain with the team in 2005. The team also announced Monday that it will switch from LeMond to Specialized bicycles and equipment, and it has added the strength of American David Clinger to its roster. Webcor will race S Works Tarmac road and Transition TT bicycles as well as a wide array of accessories from Specialized. “The Webcor Builders cycling team is extremely excited and proud to work with Specialized,” said Andy Ball, CEO of Webcor Builders. “Our

In a letter to UCI president Hein Verbruggen, the Professional Cyclists Association (CPA) has complained about being excluded from discussions on the structure of the 2005 ProTour. A working group of nine members – including representatives of the UCI’s Council of Professional Cycling (CPC), the International Association of Cycle Race Organizers (AIOCC) and the International Association of Professional Cycling Groups (AIGCP) – is to be set up to resolve the problems remaining with the ProTour, particularly the dispute between the UCI and the organizers of the three grand tours – the Tour of

Heras wants fourth Vuelta ... and a Tour to go with itSpain's Roberto Heras has his eyes firmly fixed on a record-breaking fourth Vuelta a España title after organizers unveiled the course Wednesday, but admitted the Tour de France was an even bigger goal. Last year's win was the 30-year-old's third in five seasons and he now has the chance to go one better than Swiss racer Tony Rominger, who bagged a hattrick of crowns from 1992. "The Vuelta motivates me a great deal, but the Tour (de France) is an obsession," Heras told sports daily Marca after the presentation for the event, which will

Organizers of the Vuelta a España on Wednesday unveiled the course for the 60th edition of the Spanish national tour, which will see 21 teams tackle a 3239km (2012.71-mile) course in 2005. With the UCI world road championships taking place in the Spanish capital of Madrid one week after the event, which starts on August 27 and ends on September 18, the race will be a meaty hors d'oeuvre and the riders will get a chance to check out the championship course over the final stretch in Madrid. The racers will work up an early sweat right from the word go, opening with a 9km individual time trial

Stronger teams, hotter weather and a much larger audience will be the likely result of the changes in store for the Vuelta a España, whose 2005 route was presented in Madrid on Wednesday. At 3239km, the course itself is 200km longer than this year’s race, with three stages over 200km (compared with one in 2004), six mountaintop stage finishes (the same), and three individual time trials (as opposed to two). The most significant change is the inclusion of the Vuelta in the UCI’s infamous ProTour. Even though the organizers of the Vuelta and the other grand tours have yet to sign off on the

“That’ll work,” I told Keith Novello about an hour before the start of the elite men’s race at the U.S. Cyclo-cross National Championships this past weekend in Portland, Oregon. I was referring to his $7000 Moots Psychlo-X cyclo-cross bike, which I had just taken for a 45-second spin. He asked whether the seat height needed adjusting, and I said, “Nah, it’ll do,” drawing a chuckle from him in response. “Now I have to ride fast,” I said. Keith replied, “Don’t worry, man, it’s all gravy after this morning.”

Tour de France organizers have ruled out breaking new ground by starting the 2008 edition of the race in Québec City. The Tour has ventured out of France before, but only within Western Europe and never before has it crossed the Atlantic Ocean. But with American Lance Armstrong having won the last six Tours and Québec looking to celebrate its founding in 1608 by Frenchman Samuel de Champlain, the project was examined. The conclusion, however, was that it would be too difficult to organize from a logistical point of view with scores of people, bikes and equipment to move and the time zone

More tire talkDear Lennard,I really enjoyed your recent wet-road tire discussion with Tom Petrie and Alberto De Gioannini. Just the topic I was looking for, but I'm still a little confused. I thought the cord compound made a big difference and it wasn't mentioned at all. I recall racing in the rain in a crit next to a friend who was running cotton-cord sew up tires as opposed to my silks. While we'd been comparable in bike handling otherwise, I found myself nearly sideways in corners while hewent around like on a rail. We'd pumped our tires to comparable pressures.I'm taking a group over for

Indoor track cycling, which was one of America’s most popular sports until World War II, is starting to rediscover its roots at the ADT Event Center in Carson, California. On Saturday, the second night of the three-day UCI track World Cup saw a near-capacity crowd entertained by a variety of world-class performances. And the new fans were on their feet at the end of the evening, cheering all the riders in the men’s 30km points race in which Colorado’s Colby Pearce almost pulled off a stunning victory against Russia’s immaculate Mikhael Ignatiev. After both men had gained three laps on the

Theo Bos closed the Los Angeles round of the 2004-05 UCI World Cup the way he started it, with an outstanding win, to lead the Netherlands to a convincing overall victory. After setting an astounding personal-best kilometer TT time of 1:01.768 on Friday night, Bos anchored his Dutch team to a winning 45.163 seconds for the three-lap, 750-meter team sprint on Sunday afternoon. Bos did not compete in the sprint, the discipline in which he is the current world champion, although he will defend his title on this same track in March; he will also do the kilometer and team sprint. “Today we did

There were only a couple of hundred people left in the ADT Event Center when Dutchman Theo Bos, the world sprint champion, burst out of the starting gate in the men’s kilometer time trial. It was the last event of Friday night on the first day of the Los Angeles round of the UCI track World Cup. On the other side of the track was Jason Queally of Great Britain, the 2000 Olympic kilo champion, who was using this ride on the newest American indoor velodrome as a nice try-out before the world championships at this venue in March. Bos is notorious for his bad starts in the kilo, but this time

Australian sprinter Ryan Bayley, who won the sprint and keirin gold medals at the Athens Olympics in August, and the women’s 500-meter TT champion Anna Meares star in the three-day UCI World Cup track classic this weekend in Los Angeles. This will be a dress rehearsal at the ADT Event Center indoor velodrome in Carson for the full-blown UCI track world’s next March. The three-day track meet on the 250-meter Schurmann-designed wood track with its 45-degree bankings should provide a feast of racing from most of the nations that will race at the world’s. Qualifying round take place Friday and

Lance Armstrong said Wednesday he will wait until May to decide whether to go for a seventh successive victory in the Tour de France next year. Armstrong won a record sixth Tour title in July, surpassing a host of Tour legends such as Belgian Eddy Merckx and Miguel Indurain of Spain, who was the only rider before Armstrong to claim five straight Tour de France victories. However since setting the outright race record, and with family life and his personal relationship with rock star girlfriend Sheryl Crow becoming more important, rumours have been rife that Armstrong may ditch the Tour to

You simply can’t get away from it. Obviously, bicycles for commuting purposes rule the earth when compared to their internal combustion engine bastard off-shoots, but who would have imagined running into a pack of dedicated mountain bike racers in the middle of nowhere? With the racing season on winter hiatus, and activity here at VeloNews a bit slower than in the heavy season, I felt it the perfect time to grab a bit of vacation time a couple of weeks ago and head south across the Mexican border aboard my motorcycle (yeah, yeah... I said motorcycle. Deal with it). My original route

Need a long-valve tubie? Try VittoriaDear Lennard,I have been looking around and have been unable to find a long-stem tubular tire. Almost all the tire websites don't even mention the stem length. I thought for sure with the popularity of deep carbon rims there would be at least one company that offered a model with a long valve stem. Thanks for any help.Brian Dear Brian,My tire-aficionado friend Tom Petrie assures me that at least Vittoria offers tubular tires with 51mm long valves with a removable valve core as well as 42mm-length valves without a removable valve core. Vittoria also offers

Joe and Dirk,You recently mentioned that it is a benefit to sleep at a higher altitude and train at a lower altitude, but what about the opposite?Riding in Colorado I often find myself at much higher elevations than my home and I had operated on the assumption that training at a higher altitude would help me out when I am back at a lower elevation. Do you care to set me straight on this matter?Mike Dear Mike,Training at a high altitude (8500 feet or higher) may have beneficial effects on your aerobic system. This is of great benefit within your base training especially. But training at a

Hamilton vows vindication after sackingAfter being fired by the Swiss Phonak team, Olympic medalist Tyler Hamilton has promised once again that he will eventually be cleared of blood doping charges. “I know I will be vindicated,” Hamilton told The Associated Press in a telephone interview on Tuesday. “My hope is to get this past me as soon as possible. We're just waiting to have this hearing, which at the moment they haven't even set a date.” Hamilton, who tested positive for blood doping at the Vuelta a España in September, plans to contest the results at a January hearing in Colorado. He

The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) announced Wednesday that the organizers of the three grand tours have agreed to include their events in the 2005 ProTour calendar. The 19 teams confirmed as licensees in the ProTour “guarantee their participation in these events,” and the organizers have agreed to accept their participation, the UCI said in a press release. However, in a letter to UCI president Hein Verbruggen, dated November 29 and published in Wednesday’s edition of the French newspaper L’Equipe, the organizers of the Tour de France, Vuelta a España, and Giro d’Italia – ASO, RCS and

What happened to Clement red glue?Dear Lennard,I have been riding tubulars my whole life, and I have always liked the Clement red glue. Now I cannot find it anymore. Do you know of a source? Also, I have been using the Tufo tubulars with good luck. I just don’t understand how they measure the number of threads per inch in the casing. They claim 420, yet Vittoria says their 290tpi is the highest density on the market. Any observations?Mark Dear Mark,I, too, loved that glue and have missed it. When Clement went bankrupt and was acquired by Pirelli, I think that the Clement red glue might have

The Swiss-based Phonak team has lost an appeal to the Union Cycliste Internationale to race as part of the 2005 ProTour, despite its decision last week to fire American Tyler Hamilton in an effort to satisfy the governing body. The team’s hope of becoming part of cycling’s top tier was hampered after Hamilton and two other of the squad's star riders failed doping tests this year. Two weeks ago, the team’s title sponsor – a Swiss hearing aid manufacturer - hinted that it may pull out of the sport if the team were unable to compete in the UCI's new major race series. UCI officials told the