Road Racing

Lotto's Leon van Bon won the third stage of Paris-Nice, a 229km ride between Chapelle-Saint-Ursin and Roanne on Tuesday, finishing just ahead of Gerolsteiner's Thomas Ziegler. Van Bon and Ziegler slipped off the front of the field just before the 30km mark and built up a lead that peaked at more 13 minutes at one point. The two finished just ahead of the main field, nearly 200km after their initial escape. Quick Step's Tom Boonen won the field sprint 25 seconds after the two leaders crossed the line. German CSC rider Jörg Jaksche retained the overall race lead with a six-second advantage

It was a day of heavy damage in Monday’s second stage of Paris-Nice. No, no one crashed, but a half-dozen favorites were all-but-eliminated when Team CSC and U.S. Postal Service collaborated to drive a deep five-minute wedge into the eight-day race. Five Postals and the entire CSC team drove a lead group of 36 into Montargis in the windy 166.5km stage across rolling farmland south of Paris. Spanish rider Pedro Horrillo (Quick Step) rejoiced in his most important victory of his career while two-time defending champion Alexandre Vinokourov (T-Mobile), Erik Dekker (Rabobank), Laurent

When Jorg Jaksche raced with Telekom and ONCE early in his career, he didn’t get much of a chance to ride for himself. Most of his efforts were supporting proven leaders Jan Ullrich or Joseba Beloki. Now that he’s been giving the leadership mantle since joining Team CSC over the off-season, the 27-year-old German is taking full advantage of the opportunity. Jaksche won the Tour Mediterranean in February and added an even more important victory Sunday in the 13.2km opening time trial of the 62rd Paris-Nice. “When I rode at the other teams I was always a worker for others, which was fine

Sorta like the swallows returning to Capistrano, one of my regular annual duties is to bundle-up and head out to Bloomington, Minnesota, for Quality Bicycle Products' annual open house. One of the largest bicycle distributors in the United States, QBP opens its door every February to interested shop owners who are keen on getting a glimpse at some of this year's latest technology. Representatives from many of QBP’s clients make the trip out, set up a booth and profess the merits of their products. In short, it’s a really mini-Interbike without the cigarette smoke, slot machines or

Dear readers,I don’t know about all of you, but I’m getting tired of talking aboutchains, even though the mail keeps pouring in about them. I do want toadd, though, that Shimano's Wayne Stetina just told me that he would neveradvise flipping over a 10-speed chain, so this method is only for 9-speedand lower.Leaving chains, here are a couple of related questions to which a singleanswer might suffice.LennardFreeing up my freehubDear Lennard,I have your "Zinn& The Art of Road Bike Maintenance" book but would like to knowwhere I can find or purchase specific instructions on how to remove theMavic

While most of us are busy trying to catch-up with what’s going on with2004 suspension, most manufacturers have long been working on their 2005product lines. Fact is, says Manitou’s Joel Smith, that company is “pushinghard to put the finishing touches on 2005 and move ahead with our 2006product line.” How’s that for looking ahead? Manitou invited VeloNews to Phoenix, Arizona, last month to spenda weekend riding its new 2005 fork line. While the California-based suspensionmanufacturer will unveil new improvements throughout the full range ofits 2005 line (later this summer) Smith figured it

Team Adidas Fiat Rotwild was the first to cross the finish line on Saturday as The Cape Epic, an eight-stage mountain-bike stage race in South Africa, got under way. The 750km stage race, which began on the Garden Route in Knysna and ends March 6 at the Spier Wine Estate, just outside Cape Town, will send its 273 teams through the Western Cape and across some of the most magnificent mountain passes in South Africa. Each team consists of two riders, who must stay together throughout the race. The first stage, a 120km leg that gained 3050 meters of elevation as it crossed the Outeniqua

There was no stopping Alejandro Valverde (CV-Kelme) as he shot to his second win a row and into the overall leader’s jersey as he won a wet and messy stage into Sagunto to claim the third stage of the Tour of Valencia. Valverde timed his move perfectly, came off the fifth wheel and sprung to his third victory of the season. With the 10-second time bonus, he nudged ahead of Toni Colom (Illes Balears) by one second to take the leader’s jersey. “I have good form now and I want to take advantage of it,” said Valverde, who came across ahead of sprint specialists Isaac Galvez (Illes Balears) and

I just got back from a whirlwind trip out to Wisconsin where VeloNews's Nick Ramey and I were able to visit with both Trek and Pacific Cycle. With one long day slated for our Trek visit, we had high hopes of getting a look at what the venerable company is planning for coming years and, 12 hours later, we left very satisfied. Our main guide for the day was Fisher/LeMond/Klein/Bontrager brand coordinator Ryan Atkinson. Our stops included visits to the massive 182,000-square-foot Whitewater production facility where 240 employees assemble many of the Trek, Fisher, Klein and LeMond models. While

Dear readers,I have gotten so much mail on the chain wear and replacement issue, thatI decided to clarify my perspective on the cost/benefit equation and postthe best samples of the mail I have recently received opposing as wellas supporting my position. I just completed writing a new book that I turned in to VeloPress lastThursday, two hours before flying off for my annual appointment to competein (or suffer through) the American Birkebeiner, the great 51km cross-countryski race in Wisconsin. The book, which is sort of my "Top 50" list of things you can do tobe faster, more efficient, more

Katie Mactier, 28, (Jayco) leads Australia’s four-day Geelong Tour after claiming a delayed victory in the opening twilight time trial stage raced at the Bellarine Peninsula beachside town of Portarlington. Her victory came in unusual circumstances after officials amended the original result when a recording error was noticed. After reviewing the timing tape officials moved Mactier into first and Sydney’s Kate Bates, 21, (NSWIS), who was originally awarded the win, down to fourth. Bates, while disappointed, accepted the mistake with good grace while Mactier was thrilled to learn she would

A day after losing Saturday’s time trial by one second to teammate LanceArmstrong, U.S. Postal’s Floyd Landis continued strong to win Sunday’sclimbing stage and claimed the overall title at the Tour of the Algarve. The difficult 178km stage was held over narrow roads and steep climbsin the hills north of Portugal’s glimmering Algarve coast. A breakawaypeeled away early, but the favorites moved to the front for the secondand final charge up the Category summit finish at Malhao. Landis held off Peter Farazijn (Cofidis) to win by five seconds andclaim his first individual title in Europe since

Dear Lennard,I am considering purchasing a compact chainring with my next bike.I am confused. Some literature suggests that the 50/34 tooth compact chainringwith a 11-23 cassette has a more expanded range than the conventional 53/39chainring with a 12-25 cassette. Is there a formula for determining the"high" and "low" range of gearing?RobDear Rob,There sure is!Gear = (number of chainring teeth) X (tire diameter) & divide; (number of cog teeth)If you want the gear in inches, put in the tire diameter in inches.To find out how far you get with each pedal stroke (gear rollout), multiply the gear

Here's a quick update on my earlier reporton Michelin’s announced plans to begin testing its tubeless road tiretechnology.I also wanted to thank all those readers who sent in additional questionsfor me to ask Michelin’s Steve White when I finally managed to corner himon the phone. As luck would have it, White called me early this morningto clear-up my questions.The following is an edited transcript of our discussion: VeloNews: Steve, how easy will it be to seat and inflate a tubelessroad tire? I’m also curious how regular riders might be able to patch andreinflate tubeless road tires out in

U.S. Postal Service wasted no time to score its first victory of the 2004 season as Max Van Heeswijk edged Oscar Freire (Rabobank) to win Monday’s second stage of the Ruta del Sol. Erik Zabel (T-Mobile) came through third in the 184km stage from Arcos de la Frontera to Benalmádena to grab the overall lead in the five-day race in southern Spain. U.S. Postal’s George Hincapie didn’t take his planned departure in Sunday’s opening stage after suffering stomach problems and might race later this week alongside Lance Armstrong at the Tour of Algarve in Portugal. Michael Rasmussen (Rabobank) also

In a sport long dominated by a Belgian juggernaut, Richard Groendendaal scored an upset World Cup cyclo-cross victory in front of hometown crowd on Sunday and grabbed the season’s overall title in the process. By winning the double-point final in the six-race World Cup series in Pijnacker in the Netherlands, Groenendaal unseated former World Cup leader Sven Nijs - his Rabobank teammate - and denied world champion Bart Wellens a shot at scoring cyclo-cross’s “grand slam” (the World Cup title along with the Belgian and world championships). While he rode a strong solo race at the front of the

[nid:26885]For the second consecutive year, Panaria’s Ruben Bongiorno took the field sprint at the Tour de Langkawi’s closing stage, a steamy hot, 60km criterium through Malaysia’s capital city of Kuala Lumpur. With no major changes to the overall classification, Colombia Selle Italia’s Freddy Gonzalez — King of the Mountains at the Giro d’Italia in 2001 and 2003 — took top honors, his biggest win to date.

Walter Perez of Argentina won the 15km men’s scratch race as the UCI Track World Cup season kicked off on Friday in Moscow, Russia. Perez won in 17:41:321, ahead of Volodymyr Rybin (Ukraine) and Christopher Newton (Great Britain). American Colby Pearce was fifth, the strongest American showing on the day. In the women's 20km points race, it was Olga Slyusareva (Russia) taking the win with 25 points. Belem Guerrero (Mexico) was second with 17, while Yoanka Gonzalez Perez (Cuba) took third with 11. Americans Erin Mirabella and Sarah Hammer finished 16th and 25th, respectively.

[nid:26873]Colombia-Selle Italia’s svelte climbers Ruber Marin and Freddy Gonzalez conquered the steep 25km ascent to Malaysia’s Genting Highlands during stage 9 of the Tour de Langkawi, taking 1-2 on the day and keeping the leader’s jersey within the team after fellow countryman and first-year teammate Marlon Perez was dropped in the final 6km.

[nid:26864]Brazilian sprinter Luciano Pagliarini (Lampre) took a chaotic mass sprint at the end of the Tour de Langkawi’s eighth stage Friday, edging out Enrico Degano of Barloworldin a photo finish. Graeme Brown (Panaria) finished third, while Gord Fraserof Health Net-Maxxis took fourth. It was Pagliarini's second field sprint victory in as many days, bothexecuted to perfection without the use of a teammate’s lead-out. When askedabout the aggressive sprint, which saw Panaria’s Ruben Bongiorno and Wismilack’sMatnur Matnur crash in the final 500m, Pagliarini laughed.

In the beginning there was RockShox. When first raced in 1990, Paul Turner’sRS-1 fork jump-started the suspension revolution. As you’re most likelyaware, Manitou followed suit and produced its own elastomer-sprung forkjust a year later. Within two short years the two suspension companieshad locked horns over market share (albeit small dollars way back then). Fast forward to 2004 and the two are back at it again-this time vyingover potentially millions of dollars in original equipment spec' and aftermarket sales. Stroll on down to your local bike shop and take an informal poll and I’ll bet

[nid:26855]On a hot, flat stage 7 designed for the peloton’s musclemen, Brazilian hotshot Luciano Pagliarini (Lampre) took a mass sprint Thursday, narrowly edging out points leader Gord Fraser (Health Net). It was Pagliarini’s first win this year, to add to the three consecutive wins he took in Malaysia in 2003. “I want to thank my team,” a grinning Pagliarini said, clearly happy to have the first win of the year under his belt. “They had a lot of confidence in me, and brought me to the finish.”

Keeping important parts comfyDear Lennard,This isn't a nuts and bolts question, but I thought you might shedsome light on this subject. Most roadies I know (including myself) preferto wear bib shorts with leg warmers instead of tights in cold weather.I can't understand why nobody makes a short with a windproof panel in thesensitive chamois region. Surely I'm not the first to think of this.JayDear Jay,Good question! No, you are certainly not the first to wonder this!Here are somewhat contradictory answers from De Marchi and from Sportful,which also owns Castelli.From De MarchiDear Lennard,The

[nid:26838]Canadian rocket Eric Wohlberg stormed through a tight 18km circuit in central Melaka to take the time-trial stage of the Telekom Malaysia Le Tour de Langkawi on Tuesday. “I went as hard as I could. It was really tough out to the turn but I had the lead at that point and was really surfing coming back,” Wohlberg said at the finish. It was a double triumph for the strong man, originally from Ontario but now residing in California, as he also led his compatriots Roland Green and Peter Wedge to the team prize.

[nid:26834]It was another day for breakaways in Malaysia, as Australian Sean Sullivan of the South African Barloworld squad took the fourth stage of the Tour de Langkawi in a dramatic two-up sprint against breakaway companion Devis Miorin (De-Nardi) after 100km off the front. Behind, Canadian Gord Fraser of Health Net won the bunch sprint for a second consecutive day, adding to his points jersey tally and confirming that, at this tour, he’s the sprinter to beat.

Teammates Marlon Perez and Freddy Gonzalez of the Columbia-Selle Italia squad set the stage for the general classification on the first of two mountain stages at the 10-day Tour de Langkawi Saturday, finishing first and second on the day’s nearly 60km gradual climb into the Cameron Highlands. It was a good day for the South American squad, which now holds both the yellow leader’s jersey (Perez) and the blue sprinter’s jersey (Gonzalez).

[nid:26826]Spectators at the finish of the Tour de Langkawi’s flat stage 1 from Penang to Taiping, Malaysia, were surprised to see the peloton roll across the line intact without a contested sprint. What initially appeared to be a rider protest proved to be more a matter of survival after local police marshals errantly waived traffic onto the course following the first of two 8km closing circuits.

With our 2004 Buyer’s Guide entering the critical home stretch, I was hoping I’d be able to dodge this week’s Tech Report, but this press release from Michelin was too important to overlook. As rumored for the past three years, tubeless technology is officially making the crossover to the road. Here are some excerpts from Michelin’s release: Michelin is initially targeting the world of professional road racing in 2004 with three new products: the Michelin Pro Race Tubeless, the Michelin Pro Grip Tubeless and the Michelin Pro Grip Special Paves Tubeless. This year, Michelin-sponsored

Things that work and things that don't Dear Lennard, Would my 9-speed FSA Carbon cranks work with my 2004 Campagnolo Record 10-speed? Do I need to take off my 10-speed rings from my Record cranks and put them on the FSA cranks? Chad Dear Chad, Yes, it will work fine as is. And you could not take your Campy rings and put them on the FSA crank anyway, because the Campy rings have a 135mm bolt circle, and the FSA crank has a 130mm bolt circle (or 110mm, if it is a Compact Road crankset). Lennard Were it a Brooks, it would just be getting broken in Dear Lennard, How many miles can a saddle last

Using the climbing skills that won her the world mountain-bike title at Mont-Ste-Anne five years ago, French off-road star Laurence Leboucher took her second world cyclo-cross title on her home turf Sunday morning. “We’ve talked about the world’s taking place in Pont-Château for a long time, but actually doing them, and winning, was another thing,” said Leboucher. “And I couldn’t have won without Maryline’s help behind.” She was referring to her teammate Maryline Salvetat, who closely marked two-time world champion Hanka Kupfernagel when the German was the only rider strong enough to chase

Bart Wellens made the right choice, Mario De Clercq didn’t. The younger of Belgium’s past world elite cyclo-cross champions chose to start the final sprint from the front. The older man chose to follow. And though there was only about an inch between their knobby front tires at the line, Wellens just held on. “Eight times out of 10 I would lose the sprint to Mario, so it was a great honor to beat him,” said a jubilant Wellens, 25, who thus kept the title he first earned last year in Monopoli, Italy. “Today was much more special for me than Monopoli.” Perhaps this was De Clercq’s final best

It was clear that Saturday afternoon’s under-23 men’s race at the cyclo-cross world’s in Pont-Château, France, was going to be dramatic and highly tactical when there was a crash on the first turn. This was not just another of those crashes caused by a traffic jam of riders when they are still grouped together. This crash happened right at the front when the first six riders tangled wheels and fell on a muddy, off-camber slope as they emerged from the long bend. Among the six fallers were the three top favorites: defending champion Enrico Franzoi of Italy; Belgian champion Wesley Van der

Right from the gun, I gotta apologize because I missed last week’s column. I swear; it was the damn 2004 VeloNews Buyer’s Guide that made me (not) do it. You see, it falls upon my (and Lennard Zinn’s) shoulders to put this puppy out every year and, since last year’s edition was something of a success, the beast has gotten even bigger this time around. Of course, that means more pages to fill; more bikes and components to write about; more (hopefully) insightful features to generate. So getting back to last week’s excuse, I found myself with VeloNews photo editor Galen Nathanson

Hi Lennard,I have an opportunity to buy a new frame (steel with carbon fiber rearstays) that has a 1-1/8-inch head tube for an integrated head set. A coupleof years ago I bought a 1-inch threadless carbon fiber fork -- with steelsteerer tube -- that I'd like to use rather than having to buy an 1-1/8-inchfork.I have three questions:1. Is there a product (headset or adapter) on the market that fits 1-inch forks to a 1-1/8-inch frame?2. Are there any shims that can be used with a 1-1/8-inch head setto fit 1-inch forks?3. Do you have any other suggestions or do I have to buy a 1-1/8-inch

It’s not quite the Champs-Élysées, but for the tens of thousands who turned out for the final stage of the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under on Sunday it was a race finale to rival anything on the world stage. Not only did top sprinters Baden Cooke and Robbie McEwen take the top-two finish spots for the day, one of Adelaide's favorite sons, Patrick Jonker, duly bowed out a winner after a distinguished 14-year career in the pro ranks. Jonker, 34, earmarked this year's event as his last as a professional cyclist, and in a fairytale ending he achieved a dream result.

Ben Day, Queensland’s time-trial champion, led home an all-Aussie trifecta in the penultimate stage of the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under at Willunga on Saturday. While the Team Australia rider won in style, beating Tour de France sprinters Robbie McEwen (Lotto) and Baden Cooke (FDJeux.com)after attacking 3km from the finish, it will be South Australian Patrick Jonker who will be acclaimed the overall victor when the Tour ends on Sunday. Jonker, 34, riding in his swansong tour after a distinguished career, holds a nearly unassailable 1:34 lead over McEwen with Belgian Philippe Gilbert

Australian Patrick Jonker maintained his overall lead after Friday's 141km fourth stage of the Jacobs Creek Tour Down Under as Lotto’s sprinter Robbie McEwen won his second bunch finish. Jonker finished in the main field in 28th, holding on to a 1:38 advantage in general classification over McEwen, who moved into second place overall. McEwen, who was disappointed to finish third in yesterday’s sprint into Victor Harbor, said today’s win makes up for that loss. “It’s still always going to be the one that got away but it’s good to be able to win today,” he said, adding that he hadn’t planned

FDJeux.com’s Philippe Gilbert was a brilliant winner of Thursday's third stage of the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under, but South Australian Patrick Jonker (UniSA )has all but guaranteed he will finish his illustrious career on an high note. Jonker, 34, took over the leader's yellow jersey from David McPartland (Team Australia) and now leads the overall standings by 1:39 at the half-way mark of this six-day stage race. It’s a situation that Jonker, who has earmarked this event as his swansong, would have only dreamed about. And it came about Thursday because he had the legs to ensure he was in

Dear Lennard,Your maintenance book has been a great help to me in building my firsttwo bikes. I've noticed from your book that you've recommended changingthe chain approximately every 1500 miles. Of course, I read this afterI put 4k on my current drivetrain! I have a Campy record 10-speed groupwith 13-26 in the back. I use dry lube. It still shifts great and wearlooks very low. There hasn't been any skipping at all.Could you please clarify for me about this issue; Are you suggestingthat the same cassette be kept and the chain switched out every 1500 miles?I've read conflicting suggestions on

Well, the holidays are certainly over – here at VeloNews, we're hard back at it. I'm working on putting together our second Buyer's Guide, which means I'm up to my eyeballs in catalogs, price sheets and unreadable-image CDs. Our guide isn’t one of those all-inclusive publications, providing the brand and make of every single bicycle on the market – instead, it’s a selective compilation showcasing what we feel are the crown jewels and best values of 2004. So far, it's obvious that most of our pro-level road bikes incorporate carbon into their frames (if they’re not entirely built of carbon).

Funky disco drop-outDear Lennard;Last Saturday I installed a new Kelly rigid mountain bike fork on aGunnar Ruffian. Friends at the shop were a little miffed by the drop-outson the fork. Seems that they are, in a sense, forward/upward facing. Somephone calls yielded some vague information about problems with wheels runningdisc brakes coming loose from 'standard' forks. Can you comment on thisproblem? Can you tell me if you've seen Kelly's solution to the problem and,if so, what you think of the design?Judd Dear Judd;Well, you can just barely see that the dropouts face forward on thatKelly

WARNING: WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO READ CONTAINS SEVERAL EXPLICIT REFERENCES TO MOTORCYCLES. IF YOU ARE OFFENDED BY THE OF NOTION OF NON-HUMAN-POWERED TWO-WHEELED VEHICLES, PLEASE SKIP TO ANOTHER SECTION OF THIS WEBSITE NOW. Well, I just got back in from a bit of vacation time over the holidays [hope you had a good one]. Instead of the usual “hang-out-and-eat-and-drink-myself-silly” holiday, I chose to head south of the border with a pal of mine for a little two-wheeled adventure. As much as I’m a fan of the mountain bike, I had to concede that this trip required a bit more oomph in order to

Dear Lennard;I've seen many times when you recommend a pair of custom orthoticsto alleviate many common cycling issues. I plan on having a pair made formyself, but therein lies my question: when shopping around for a podiatrist(I've heard too many stories about people purchasing expensive orthotics,which then turned out to not be effective), what does an athlete need tospecifically ask or have done to maximize their monetary efficiency? I know that all custom orthotics will be different based on the individual'sneeds, but I'd like some advice from a man who's had effective orthoticsmade. Are

Challenger Wong Kam Po (Pocari Sweat Hong Kong) gave it all he had in stage seven of the Tour of South China Sea, but there was no wresting the overall lead from Russian Oleg Grishkin (Moscow City Sports Association) Maros Kovac (Dukla Trencin) won the hilly stage on Coloane, Macao, but the real race was between Grishkin and Wong, first and second on GC. After a couple of early breaks were reeled in, Wong attacked with five laps to go, joined by Alexey Kolessov (Kazakhstan National Team) and Robert Nagy (Dukla Trencin). Grishkin’s team kept the move under control, commanding the front of

Dear Lennard,So there are two Giro TT helmets, right? (The round one that everyone has and the square one that Lance rides.) In the Vuelta I noticed that David Millar was wearing the square variant. What's the deal with this? Is one faster in certain conditions? Why David and Lance?– Geoff Dear Geoff,As far as I know, Lance’s helmet is not available for sale, whereas the other one is. Lance’s was designed specifically for him and works well with the hump in his back. Apparently, Millar has reason to believe that it is fast for him, too. When I was at the final time trial in the Tour in 2001,

The Moscow City Sports Association team showed that they are the class of the field on Tuesday in the Tour of South China Sea. During the sixth stage at Zhuhai, the team worked like a well-oiled machine to deliver Russian sprinter Oleg Grishkin to his fourth win in this tour. Kam Po Wong (Pocari Sweat Hong Kong) collected six bonus seconds by finishing second, and that may prove important in the final calculations, as he is the favorite in Wednesday’s stage on Coloane Island, which finishes up a steep climb. The stage began with a flurry of attacks. American Chris Baumann (Sierra

Russian sprinter Oleg Grishkin (Moscow City Sports Association) won the fifth stage of the Tour of South China Sea on Monday, taking the bunch sprint just ahead of Aussie Brett Aitken (Bicisport Australia). It was the third victory so far in the eighth annual race for Grishkin, who claimed stages one and four, and holds the overall lead just 13 seconds ahead of Kam Po Wong (Pocari Sweat Hong Kong) and a further second over Aitken. The tour has been a sprinter’s race since stage three, and while Grishkin didn’t look good in the hilly second stage, where he briefly surrendered the jersey to

Dear Lennard;I wrote you this question right after I saw the downtube shifter onLance's bike last July, but I'm guessing it got lost in the flood of TDFe-mails, so here it is again:During one of the mountain stages, I saw an old-school front derailleurdowntube shifter on Lance's bike, and then in a later stage, I saw oneon Ullrich's bike. What is up with that? Were they really front shifters,or for something different?TedDear Ted;Yes, they are front shifters to save the weight of the STI or Ergopowerlever and extra cable and housing.LennardDear Lennard;I was intrigued by your statement that

Who would have known that Christmas would come early this year? Well, for the nerdy technical staff of VeloNews, anyway. Flashback to this past Friday. It’s the annual Christmas party for the management and staff of Inside Communications (the publisher of VeloNews), and everyone is all tidied up and pretending to be on our best behavior. As I’m loitering around the buffet line, secretly trying to hone in on the calamari, I overhear our very own John Wilcockson mentioning something about “Tyler’s bike” to our editor, Kip Mikler. My attention switches from the succulent deep-fried squid to

The rain stopped in Portland Sunday, but the mud stayed, and, if anything, it got muckier as racers contested the final day of the U.S. national cyclo-cross championships. The day’s two favorites scored big wins in the elite categories, as Alison Dunlap took a decisive win in the women’s race while Jonathan Page – visiting the States amid a season racing ‘cross in Belgium – repeated as first across the line in the men’s event.

[nid:26610]In just his first year racing in the U-23 category, 18-year-old Jesse Anthony took a fifth consecutive national cyclo-cross championship in a dramatic, mud-soaked battle with Alan Obye (Balance Bar-Devo) and Anthony’s Hot Tubes teammate Zak Grabowski. Obye’s teammate Troy Wells, younger brother of 2001 national ‘cross champ Todd Wells, was in the hunt early but fell off the pace to take fourth. Missing from the action was No.1 U-23 ranked Jeremy Powers (NCC-Bikereg.com) who suffered from the flu all week and finished out of contention.

I just got back in from Boston where VeloNews ad rep Nick Ramey and I narrowly missed New England’s, “Worst Winter Storm of the Year -- so far.” Thanks to a bit of sweet-talking from Ramey, we were able to sneak aboard one of the last flights out of Bean-town before the FAA cracked-down as hard on outgoing flights from Logan International as Tipper Gore did on harsh lyrics. But we weren’t just in town to shuck oysters and draw butter. Nope, we both actually had a bit of work to do while visiting a few key manufacturers. I needed to visit with two of the country’s top titanium manufacturers

Dear Readers;It's fall and, as is usually the case, some folks' hearts turn to cyclo-cross.I often get questions about brake selection on 'cross bikes, so I am offeringtwo recent examples.LennardDear VeloNews;Let me start by saying thanks to your magazine for making me a fanof cyclo-cross. I primarily ride the road with an occasional trip ontothe dirt on my mountain bike but have never owned or ridden a cross bike,my question is; why do cross racers prefer cantilever brakes over V-brakes?Mountain bikes changed over to V-brakes and/or disc brakes years ago forbetter brake performance, I don't

It looks like winter has been playing hooky around these parts, which is just fine with me. I have actually had a chance to do some real mountain biking for the past two 55-degree, sunshine-filled days. You’ll get no complaints from me about there not being enough snow here in Colorado. I say let’s keep the riding season rollin’. Don’t get me wrong – not all of our recent riding has been in the relatively toasty 50-degree range. There have been a few days in the mid-30s, and light-snow days in the teens, too. These chilly days have given me the chance to break out a few samples of the latest

More compact issuesDear Lennard;In response to your Q&Aabout compact cranks - I know that Stronglight makes chainrings ina 130mm bolt pattern that will fit Shimano cranks in sizes down to 38T.Do you know of any companies that make rings in the 34-36T range in a 130mmsize? As much as I would like to save money and just buy new rings, swappingout my inner ring from a 39 to a 38 isn't enough to justify a change. IfI want an inner ring smaller than 38, is my only option to change the wholecrankset? I'm already at 12-27 in the back.BarryDear Barry;You cannot fit any smaller than a 38T on a

Dear Lennard;I am considering changing my Dura Ace triple back to a double. I noticedthat FSA now makes a Carbon Pro Compact Crank with a 34/50. It would seemthat this combination would give me gearing that would benefit me duringthe "mountain" centuries that I enjoy. Any thoughts on the pros and cons of having a 34/50 crankset?PaulDear Paul;I just got one of these FSA cranksets myself to try out and ordereda Pinarello one as well. I have been intrigued by them ever since FaustoPinarello, who originated the modern incarnation of these size rings, ravedto me a couple of years ago about riding

There’s a ton of product to talk about, but first things first:58 years ago, on the 25th of November 1945, was the first day ofwork for a young Ernesto Colnago at the Gloria factory in Milan. Now that’san anniversary worth celebrating. On a more personal note: have spent a bit of time off the bike due toa bit of hardware removal surgery from my once-busted leg, but receiveda fine incentive last Friday to get off my butt and hit Boulder’s final‘cross race of the season. With any semblance of fitness long-gone, thelast thing I was looking to do was go head-to-head with the legion of

Dear Lennard;What is your formula for measuring crank arm length? I have a 73cminseam with a size 39 foot. I have been on 170's for two years and havebeen able to progress with all training except hills. I was becoming frustratedbecause I'm only 130 pounds and should be able to fly up them. I've trieddifferent styles of climbing, etc. My husband and I decided the lack ofa 25 was not the issue; I just could not get on top of the gears I wasusing. I read your column and we had a 165mm from my son's bike and decidedto try.I feel I'm getting on top of the gear, a good feeling because I feelI have

Just stopped by the offices of Maverick American to say hi to the guys and ran into resident marketing guru, Steven Elmes. To be totally honest, I was officially on the Maverick premises to visit with our resident mad engineer/tester Mark Rhomberg who inhabits a small corner of the spacious 5000 square foot facility (complete with 1 acre backyard dirt jumping area) . On my way through the Maverick assembly area I ran into Elmes and his beautiful assortment of freshly painted Maverick frames. As he briefly showed me a few of the latest paint schemes Maverick is offering (my favorite was the

Just 48 hours from the August 28 opening of this year’s Eurobike trade show, Shimano lawyers filed an injunction against the SRAM corporation forbidding the manufacturer from exhibiting and distributing its new trigger-shifter line in Germany. Caught by surprise, SRAM scrambled to amend its ’04 catalogs and pull all of its trigger-shifter technology from its display at the trade show in Friedrichshafen, Germany. For almost three long months SRAM waited with bated breath to see if the German court would interpret its trigger shifter as being an infringement on Shimano’s RapidFire Plus

Dear Lennard;I wonder if you could share your opinion on the compatibility of carbonfiber handlebars with some of the current four-bolt designed handlebarstems that have a split faceplate.Without naming brands, I've been getting feedback from a representativeof one of the handlebar companies that the four-bolt/split-faceplate designcould create an unsafe (his word was "scary") connection with carbon fiberhandlebars and might even cause breakage. The problem is, this opinionis just that - an opinion - and I’m not hearing this same concernfrom anyone else.Because a handlebar breakage could be

Like many of you, I’ve spent a good chunk of my cycling season parked infront of my TV watching OLN’s impressive road and mountain bike racingcoverage. And with that coverage I’ve received an equally significant shareof marketing bombardment from our cycling-friendly friends at Subaru NorthAmerica. You know the pitch, somewhere between 15 and 20 times an hour,you get a healthy does of Lance telling you he (and the latest Subaru model)are, “Driven By What’s Inside.” Now, I’m not sure about you, but I fail to make a firm connection betweenthe motivational “drive” it takes a cyclist to win five

The second day of the Vergegear.com Mid-Atlantic Cyclo-Cross Championship Seriesdouble-header moved to Marysville, Pennsylvania for the Harrisburg City Islanders’ Rockville Bridge ‘Cross Classic. For the second day in a row, the Gearworks/Spin Arts duo of Marianne Stover and Anna Milkowski overpowered the Elite Women’s field to claim their second one-two finish of the weekend. As she did in the previous day’s Saturn Classic, Stover established a sizeable gap on the first lap and hammered on to extend that lead out to approximately one minute over teammate Milkowski. Hanging tough in

The route of the 87th Giro d’Italia was announced Saturday, with organizers promising a more demanding opening week and a shorter, tougher finish than in this year’s edition. A nearly all-Italian event comprising a prologue and 20 stages, with one start and finish in Croatia, the 2004 Giro will cover 3435 kilometers, with 12 flat stages, four rolling and three in the high mountains. Organizers concede that Italy’s grand tour will be “slightly biased towards climbers,” with only a single time trial; there were two races against the clock in both 2003 and ‘02. The longer stages will come

A funny thing happened last week - my house almost burned down. Well, to be perfectly honest, the Jamestown fire that started last Wednesday morning burned to within about five miles of my house in the Boulder foothills. Other than worrying about losing everything I own, and possibly getting burned alive in the box canyon that encloses my place, the experience was quite enlightening. I say “enlightening” because the unpleasant situation afforded me less than an hour to evaluate all my stuff and decide what to cram into the back of my little Volkswagen. Sure, grab the important documents

Can roof rack separate carbon fork and dropout?Dear Lennard,The fork dropout on my 1-inch Kestrel EMS Pro carbon fork with steel steerer (actually it's a Cannondale Slice fork made by Kestrel that came on my CAAD4) de-bonded on me. I didn't notice it until I was checking the tightness of the bike on the Yakima roof rack with the fork mount (full-length wheel tray and rear wheel stripped down). Do you think using a roof rack with the fork-mount set-up causes undo stress on the fork's dropout bonding? I notice that bikes mounted this way shake while driving down the road. I replaced the fork

Can roof rack separate carbon fork and dropout?Dear Lennard,The fork dropout on my 1-inch Kestrel EMS Pro carbon fork with steel steerer (actually it's a Cannondale Slice fork made by Kestrel that came on my CAAD4) de-bonded on me. I didn't notice it until I was checking the tightness of the bike on the Yakima roof rack with the fork mount (full-length wheel tray and rear wheel stripped down). Do you think using a roof rack with the fork-mount set-up causes undo stress on the fork's dropout bonding? I notice that bikes mounted this way shake while driving down the road. I replaced the fork

Alison Dunlap (Luna) and Ryan Trebon (Easton-Kona) were the best of the best on Saturday at the Central Massachusetts Cyclo-Cross to End Homelessness in Worcester. The course in the UCI Cat. 2 race was dry and very fast, with riders in the elite men’s and women’s races turning laps of about five minutes. In the women’s race, the first lap saw a group of six riders coalesce, including Dunlap, Anne Knapp (Kona), Carmen D’Aluisio and Gina Hall (Clif Bar), Mary McConneloug (Seven Cycles), and Rhonda Mazza (Vanilla Bicycles-Sellwood Cycle). Constant pressure from D’Aluisio and Hall eventually

In the closing lap of Sunday’s Clif Bar/ECV Cyclo-cross race in Gloucester, Mass., round two of the Verge New England ‘Cross series, Ryan Trebon came up a couple corners and a few squirts of tubular glue short of turning in one of the most impressive set of upset wins in American cyclo-cross memory. Having won Saturday’s UCI race in Worcester, Massachusetts, Trebon (Kona East) again made the decisive break in Gloucester, storming off the front with Todd Wells (Mongoose-Hyundai) in what seemed likely to end up as a two-man sprint for the win.

The Pittsburgh-based Fort-GPOA squad pulled off a double triumph Sunday in round five of the Vergegear.com Mid-Atlantic Cyclo-Cross Championship Series, winning both elite categories in the Beacon Cross in Bridgeton, New Jersey. In the women’s race, Betsy Schauer took early command and never looked back, though Megan Render (Snow Valley) never gave up and kept charging all the way to the line. Caitlyn Tuel (Sobe/Cannondale) rode solidly to claim third and Sami Fournier (Velo Bella) took fourth. Bonnie Stoeckl (Evolution Racing) finished fifth. In the men’s contest, Fort-GPOA teammates Ryan

Okay, okay, I spoke too soon. A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned how clever I believed myself to be by running SpinSkins tire liners in the season kick-off cyclo-cross race here in Boulder. You see, Goathead thorn season is in full swing around these parts, and many of my less fortunate competitors fell victim to their penetrating bite. Me? I was able to finish the race thanks to the lightweight Kevlar tire liners I had installed the night before under my Michelin ‘cross tires. How clever I thought I was. Fast forward to the first annual VeloCross cyclo-cross race held in and around

Dear Lennard,I have two bikes. Each bike has the same saddle and handlebar.I set up both bikes with the same measurement from saddle tip to bottombracket. Each bike has the same measurement from saddle tip to the centerof the stem/handlebar. On one bike the stem blocks the view of the fronthub. On the other the front hub falls in front of the stem. I measuredand their is a 1cm difference from bb to front hub between the bikes.Should I be concerned that I can see the front hub? Should I usea longer stem? Will this effect my handling?--Jeff Dear Jeff,Don’t sweat it. If you are happy with your

American Tim Johnson on Sunday completed a fairytale ending to the VicRoads Herald Sun Tour when he came from behind to overwhelm leader Luke Roberts and claim the $10,000 winner's check. Trailing by 39 seconds before the tour's final stage on the torturous Australian Open course at Buninyong, Johnson, 26, surged from the peloton to join breakaway riders Scott Moninger and Scott Guyton with four of the eight laps remaining of the 10.2km circuit. The trio then defied the bunch to bring them back, although South Australian Roberts made a couple of fruitless attempts to bridge the gap. At

Former national cyclo-cross champion Marc Gullickson took advantage of a sparsely attended field at Soldier Hollow, Utah, taking top honors at yet another UCI event Saturday. While the majority of the country’s top racers were contesting a pair of UCI evens on the East Coast over the weekend, Gullickson found competition in Alan Obye (Balance Bar/Devo), who got out to an early lead before Gullickson took control, eventually finishing 39 seconds ahead. Obye held on to second place ahead of Bart Gillespie (Team Biogen). The women’s field saw only three starters, with Sally Warner (Team

The U.S. string of UCI-ranked cyclo-cross races swung back to the East Coast on Saturday with the Wooden Wheels Granogue ‘cross near Wilmington, Delaware. Despite a heavy morning frost that left the grassy track slick for the day’s opening races, weather conditions proved kind to elite racers, with the afternoon sun drying the course to a hard, fast surface. Held at Granogue Estate, on one of the several DuPont family estates that dot the rolling hills outside of Wilmington, the race’s tough power climbs, steep, barriered run-up, and numerous off-camber sections ensured that racers with

Ever get back from a vacation and only weeks later remember you still have undeveloped photos? In the digital age, there's less of an excuse but, nonetheless I still had a few left-over shots banging about my hard drive from the Interbike show. The following shots are some of random highs and lows of the 2003 Interbike trade show. Enjoy! Andrew--

Dear Lennard;I have used your book "Zinn & the Art of Road Bike Maintenance"quite a bit and love it. I just bought a road frame and am building a bikefrom scratch. Your book has lots of useful information, but I probablyneed more instruction on building up a bike (what order to do things in,etc.). Is there anything you can recommend?--JohnDear John;I can certainly recommend my "Mountain Bike Performance Handbook" ifyou are starting out with tapping and facing the bottom bracket and reamingand facing the head tube. You can buy that book from me directly, sinceVeloPress/VeloGear does not stock

A new technical edict from cycling’s international governing body has sent professional cyclo-cross racers scrambling for new equipment… and maybe grasping for an explanation. According to a technical updated posted to USA Cycling’s website, professional cyclo-cross racers will no longer be able to run disc brakes in UCI sanctioned events. According to the report, the ban will take effect on November 1, 2003, forcing riders and sponsors to quickly re-equip bikes. In some cases, that replacement doesn’t come easily. According to Chris Peck, Cannondale’s director of research and development,

Just like last year, Michele Bartoli (Fassa Bortolo) won Saturday’s Giro di Lombardia, the final major European race of the 2003 racing season. Just like last year, Bartoli was left off the Italian road world’s team and came into the “Race of the Falling Leaves” with something to prove. Unlike last year, this time he won the hilly Lombardia with a forceful solo attack with less than 20km to go. Cofidis rider Angelo Lopeboselli was the only rider who stood up to the challenge, but the cagey Bartoli held off the young gun to sprint to victory. Saturday’s 97th running of Lombardia started with

When Marc Gullickson decided to fly back east for the opening round of the 2003 Verge New England Cyclo-cross Series in New Gloucester, Maine, the Redline racer really didn’t know what to expect. With the world road championships only a week prior, surely top New England ‘crossers like Tim Johnson and Mark McCormack (Saturn) would rest after their efforts in Hamilton. But Gullickson, the defending New England series champion, ended up with a tougher fight on his hands than he might have imagined, as McCormack and five-time Canadian ‘cross champ Peter Wedge (Kona) both made surprise