Road Racing

Former Durango resident Missy Giove and Australian Chris Kovarik each captured downhill wins on the final day of racing at NORBA No. 4 in Durango, Colorado on Sunday. After two days of racing on and around the Fort Lewis College campus, the pros headed 30 miles up highway 550 to compete on the same downhill track that was used at last year's World Cup race here. And like last year there were plenty of eye-popping problems that wowed fans, but gave many riders fits. One such section was a tricky off-camber rock garden that killed all your speed if you didn't find a clean line. Giove was one

Goldy’s Heather Albert assumed her race leader’s jersey with style Saturday, winning the hilly 100-mile sixth stage at the International in severe heat. In the men’s race, Jason McCartney of Bianchi-Grand Performance pulled off a surprise victory 16 seconds ahead of race leader Danny Pate (Prime Alliance.) “Winning ‘The International’ has been my intent since the beginning of the cycling season,” said Albert moments before the women’s race, adding that she was ready to take on any challengers. “To see my goal reaching fruition is quite gratifying.” From the gun, Team Rona began attacking,

The inaugural year of NORBA's new mountain cross discipline rolled on Saturday in Durango with some big crashes by two of the sports top stars, and a pair of big wins for Eric Carter and Sabrina Jonnier. Before racing even began, then series leader Tara Llanes met with disaster, going down hard during the warm-up session on the steep Chapman Hill course and suffering what was initially diagnosed as a broken collarbone. According to several eyewitnesses Llanes came up short on one of the big double jumps that preceded the finish line and went sailing over her bars. The Yeti-Pearl Izumi rider

Start with the fact that the short track at NORBA NCS No. 4 was held almost entirely on the track around a football field, then add the kind of extremely muddy conditions usually reserved for wintertime European cyclo-cross races, and you have a picture of the racing in Durango, Colorado on Saturday. After a torrential mid-afternoon rainstorm soaked the Fort Lewis College campus, riders lined up in front of the small stadium's grandstand for a 20-minutes, plus 3 laps race that was thoroughly entertaining to watch, but hell to ride in. When all was done Alison Dunlap (Luna) and Ryder Hesjedal

One got here 10 days ago, while the other arrived at 2 a.m. this morning. But when racing on Friday was done, the result was the same for Jimena Florit and Roland Green, as both took impressive cross-country wins at NORBA No. 4 in Durango, Colorado. Florit (RLX-Polo Sport) was the early arrival, rolling into this tourist town in southwest Colorado more than a week ago to get used to the altitude and learn the ins and outs of the tough Durango course. And when race day finally did arrive, she was on form from beginning to end, out-dueling reigning world champion Alison Dunlap in a

For the third time in five stages, the leader’s jersey of the seven-day International stage race traded hands within the Prime Alliance team. After sweeping the opening stage’s time trial-- Svein Tuft narrowly edged out teammate Matt Decanio, and U-23 world time trial champion Danny Pate finished third – the team has led the race consecutively in that order. Tuft passed the jersey to Decanio after the opening two stages, and Friday, it was Pate’s turn. Riders began the day tentatively, slowly rolling into the scenic four-lap, 80-mile circuit race around Martinsburg, Pennsylvania, a few

Australia smashed the world 4000 meter team pursuit record in the final of the Commonwealth Games at Manchester Thursday night. Graeme Brown, Peter Dawson, Mark Renshaw and Stephen Wooldridge clocked 3:59.483 to beat the old world mark of 3:59.710 set by Germany at Sydney Olympic Games in 2000. Australia took the gold medal ahead of England, whose 4:02.665 was a national record. "At last year's world's we didn't even finish the first round because we crashed -- and I caused it -- so this is great," said Renshaw. "For Australia to pitch four guys together, get them to train for three weeks

The Prime Alliance cycling team maintained race leadership today at the fourth stage of the International, a 60-mile circuit race in Holidaysburg, Pennsylvania. Taking the approach of covering moves, instead of riding a defensive tempo, Prime Alliance effectively forced the other teams in the peloton to ride at the front to keep the field intact. Right from the gun, race leader Matt Decanio covered a four-man break away group, which was caught after five miles. Soon after, a nine-man escape formed containing Svein Tuft, Prime Alliance’s former race leader. The group gained a maximum of 1:45

The seven-day International stage race continued on Tuesday with the 74-mile second stage in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, with Rona’s Nicole Freedman and 7UP-Nutra Fig’s Charles Dionne taking the stage wins in the women’s and men’s races, respectively. The women’s race came down to a big field sprint finish in Johnstown, with Goldy’s Heather Albert the first to jump, with about 400 meters to go. Freedman came through 150 meters from the line to take the win, followed by Gina Grain (Boise) and Andrea Hannos (Rona). Race leader Manon Jutras stayed in the yellow leader’s jersey for her Rona

In the third stage of the seven-day International stage race (formerly known as Tour de ‘Toona), Prime Allliance’s Mattt Decanio took the stage win, and overall race lead, by winning the 101-mile Jonestown-to-Altoona road race. An early breakaway gained almost seven minutes before reabsorbed, while at the 70-mile mark four men broke free at the base of the day’s second big climb. The group consisted of Decanio and teammate Danny Pate, Mercury’s Plamen Stoyanov and Sierra Nevada’s Ben Jacques-Maynes. The four worked together until Pate attacked in the final 5 kilometers, forcing Stoyanov

Canadians Manon Jutras(Rona) and Svein Tuft (Prime Alliance) took the first leaders' jerseys at The International(formerly the Tour de 'Toona) in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday. Jutras completed the opening 5.67km time trial less than a second ahead of Leah Goldstein (Team Boise), with recently crowned U.S. road champion Jessica Phillips (Saturn) in third. In the men's race, Tuft led a Prime Alliance sweep, followed by teammates Matt DeCanio and Danny Pate. 7UP's John Lieswyn and Doug Ziewacz rounded out the top five. Both Jutras and Tuft were stepping up in the absence of their

Australia scored another 1-2 in the women's points race at the Commonwealth games in Manchester, England, Tuesday with Kathy Bates and Rochelle Gilmour winning gold and silver. Canada's Clara Hughes took the bronze medal. Hughes initiated a break approximately 20 laps into the race, and was joined by Bates, Nicole Cooke (Wales) and Frances Newstead (England). The foursome lapped the field to gain ten points each, but Bates and her teammates proved to be dominant in the sprints, with the winner figuring in almost every one. With 20 laps to go, the race for gold was essentially over, but

The maple leaf was a common sight on the podium this weekend at the Commonwealth Games, as Canadian riders took both gold medals and asilver in the cross-country. Chrissy Redden held off a late charge bySusy Pryde (New Zealand) to take the women's gold, and Roland Green andSeamus McGrath easily cruised to a 1-2 finish in the men's race before acrowd of over 50,000. The 6.5 kilometer circuit around the village of Rivington, north ofManchester, wasn't regarded as technical, but certainly demanding with its relentless intensity. A long gravel and pavement climb followed by a sharp descent

Lance Armstrong is king for a day once again in the City of Light. The Texan confirmed that he’s cycling’s most dominant force in a generationafter winning four stages en route to his fourth consecutive Tour de Francevictory. Armstrong basked in his moment in the sun on a brilliant summerafternoon in Paris. Surrounded by thousands of his fans on the Champs-Elysées,Armstrong was clearly enjoying his day. President George W. Bush even calledto congratulate him. “It’s an honor and it makes me happy to be able to win again,” Armstrongsaid. “It was a long three weeks. With so many mountains, it

(Editor's Note: - North American riders listed in bold;Riderson North American teams underlined)1. Robbie McEwen (Aus), LOT, 144 km in 3:30:47 (40.990 kph)2. Baden Cooke (Aus), FDJ, at at 00:00.3. Damien Nazon (Fra), BJR, at 00:00.4. Fabio Baldato (Ita), FAS, at 00:00.5. Davide Casarotto (Ita), ALS, at 00:00.6. Stuart O'Grady (Aus), C.A, at 00:00.7. Erik Zabel (Ger), TEL, at 00:00.8. Jan Svorada (Cze), LAM, at 00:00.9. Arvis Piziks (Lat), CST, at 00:00.10. Nicola Loda (Ita), FAS, at 00:00.11. Christophe Agnolutto (Fra), A2R, at 00:00.12. Gianluca Bortolami (Ita), TAC, at 00:00.13. Danilo

Jonathan Vaughters (Crédit Agricole) came all the way back to Colorado from the Tour de France to tackle one of his favorite races, the 38th running of the Bob Cook Memorial Mount Evans Hill Climb, only to find Scott Moninger (Mercury) there waiting for him. Named in honor of its five-time winner, the late Bob Cook, the 28-mile race ascends from 7540 feet at the start in Idaho Springs to 14,265 feet at the finish atop Mount Evans. Noting the windy conditions at the bottom on Saturday, neither Vaughters nor Moninger expected to topple Mike Engleman’s course record of 1:45:30, set in

Commonwealth Games records were set in both the men's 1000m time trial and the women's 500m time trial during the first night of track competition. Chris Hoy (Scotland) beat his friend and mentor JasonQueally (England) with a personal best time of 1:01.726. In the women's race, Kerrie Meares' 35.084 second ride was half a second in front of favored Lori-Ann Muenzer, who finished with the bronze, behind a surprising Julie Paulding (England). "I didn't know what to expect" said Meares, "but I did hope that I could do a personal best, that's what I was achieving for here." Muenzer was

Stage Results - Stage 19 - Régnié-Durette - Mâcon(TT)(Editor's Note: - North American riders listed in bold;Riderson North American teams underlined)1. Lance Armstrong (USA), U.S. Postal, 50 km in 1:03:50 (46.997kph)2. Raimondas Rumsas (Lit), Lampre-Daikin, at 00:53.3. Laszlo Bodrogi (Hun), Mapei-Quick Step, at 01:06.4. David Millar (Gbr), Cofidis, at 01:14.5. Igor Gonzalez Galdeano (Spa), ONCE, at 01:42.6. Serhiy Honchar (Ukr), Fassa Bortolo, at 01:43.7. Raivis Belohvosciks (Lat), Lampre-Daikin, at 02:09.8. Santiago Botero (Col), Kelme-Costa Blanca, at 02:11.9. Joseba

Lance Armstrong was not about to lose another time trial. The three-time Tour de France champion -- who’s about to become thefour-time Tour champion Sunday in Paris -- had some business to settlein Saturday’s 50km time trial through the spectacular wine country of France’sBeaujolais region. Armstrong roared over the final half of the difficult, challenging courseto make up a 17-second deficit on Lampre-Daikin’s Raimondas Rumsas.Armstrong’s fourth stage victory in this year’s Tour is a nice punctuationmark to the race he’s dominated from start to finish. The 2002 Tour will soon be in the

Clara Hughes surprised even herself by taking the gold medal in the women's 23.4 kilometer individual time trial today. Australia's Anne Millward was second, and another Canadian, Lyne Bessette was third. The course was an 11.7 kilometer loop, the same one to be used for theroad race next week. The riders face narrow twisting roads, witha series of stepstone climbs halfway through each loop. While thereis no extended climbing, the short power climbs range from 6% to 17%. The day began overcast and gray, but as the last riders were completingtheir second lap the sun came out. Palmer-Komar

In some ways, the 2002 Tour de France is pretty much ending the way it started. The first road stage of the Tour de France way back on July 7 was muchlike the final true road stage Friday: long, hard and very hilly over narrowroads. Nearly three weeks ago in Luxembourg, the peloton hit the difficultfirst stage of the Tour with Lance Armstrong in the yellow jerseyafter winning the opening prologue. Friday’s 176.5km stage 18 ended thelast real day of hard racing with Armstrong back in yellow. All that remains in the 89th Tour de France is Saturday’s final timetrial and Sunday’s frolic back to

Results Stage 18 -- Cluses to Bourg-en-BresseOverall, points, KOM and other results below.(Editor's Note: - North American riders listed in bold;Riderson North American teams underlined)1. Thor Hushovd (Nor), Credit Agricole, 176.5 km in 4:28:282. Christophe Mengin (F), FDJeux.com, at 00:00.3. Jakob Piil (Den), CSC-Tiscali, at 00:05.4. Leon Van Bon (Ned), Domo-Farm Frites, at 00:33.5. Jorg Jaksche (Ger), ONCE, at 00:33.6. Nicki Sorensen (Den), CSC-Tiscali, at 00:33.7. Gian Matteo Fagnini (I), Telekom, at 00:40.8. Erik Dekker (Ned), Rabobank, at 00:40.9. Thierry Loder (F), Ag2R Prevoyance, at

Results from days 1 and 2 of junior track nationals at the Major Taylor Velodrome in Indianapolis, Indiana.

A Swiss disciplinary committee on Friday handed down a suspension to Italian cyclist Stefano Garzelli after he failed a drugs test during this year’s Giro d’Italia. But the two-year penalty, which takes effect on Saturday, will be suspended after April 23, 2003, allowing the 29 year-old to take part in next year's Giro, the judge heading the committee, Henry Peter, said. Peter told AFP that the board had decided not to apply the full minimum two year ban for a first offence because Garzelli had no history of suspected doping, and the traces of the drug Probenecid found in the tests were

There was a relaxed feeling at the start of Thursday’s stage 17 deep inthe French Alps. The hardest mountain stage of the Tour to La Plagne wascomfortably behind everyone. But four hard climbs still stood between theracers and the finish line in Cluses. From there it might be a relativelyeasy ride back to Paris for Sunday’s conclusion on the Champs Elysées. Lance Armstrong again defended his yellow jersey as his U.S.Postal Service team worked hard to cover every move made by his most dangerousrivals. In the end, a three-man break slipped away from the clutches of thepeloton and Dario Frigo

Results: Stage 17 - Thursday, July 25: Aime - ClusesOverall, points, KOM and other results below.(Editor's Note: - North American riders listed in bold;Riderson North American teams underlined)1. Dario Frigo (Ita), Tacconi Sport, 142 km in 4:02:27(35.141 kph)2. Mario Aerts (Bel), Lotto-Adecco, at 00:00.3. Giuseppe Guerini (Ita), Telekom, at 00:02.4. David Moncoutie (F), Cofidis, at 02:55.5. Thor Hushovd (Nor), Credit Agricole, at 02:58.6. Laurent Lefevre (F), Jean Delatour, at 02:58.7. Unai Osa (Sp), iBanesto.com, at 02:58.8. Marcos Serrano (Sp), ONCE, at 02:58.9. Jorg Jaksche (G), ONCE, at

The steepest and most difficult mountains of the 2002 Tourde France delivered yet another long breakaway that held out to the endfor victory. Rabobank’s Michael Boogerd attacked on a descent towin his first Tour stage victory on a summit in Wednesday’s 16th stage.The big-toothed Dutch rider held off a late-stage charge by overall leaderLance Armstrong to take what he called the best moment of his professionalcareer. Just like Richard Virenque at Mont Ventoux, Boogerd’s escapegave him a nice cushion at the bottom of the beyond-category climb to LaPlagne, deep in the heart of the French

Results: Stage 16 - Wednesday, July 24: Les Deux-Alpes - LaPlagneOverall, points, KOM and other results below.(Editor's Note: - North American riders listed in bold;Riderson North American teams underlined)1. Michael Boogerd (Ned), Rabobank, at 5:48:29 (30.905 kph, at2. Carlos Sastre (Sp), CSC-Tiscali, at 01:25.3. Lance Armstrong (USA), U.S. Postal, at 01:25.4. Joseba Beloki (Sp), ONCE, at 02:02.5. Raimondas Rumsas (Lit), Lampre, at 02:02.6. Levi Leipheimer (USA), Rabobank, at 02:10.7. Ivan Basso (I), Fassa Bortolo, at 02:14.8. Jose Azevedo (Por), ONCE, at 02:14.9. Santiago Botero (Col),

The longest stage in the Tour de France wasn’t the longest day on the bike.That honor goes to last Friday’s stage to Plateau de Beille that lastedfor almost seven hours. The peloton was in a hurry to finish the seven rated climbs in Tuesday’shot 226km stage 15, a day that looked harder in the road book than it didon the road. They just made it through in less than six hours. A seven-man breakaway pulled off the front with about 150km to go andnever looked back over the rural, rolling roads that took the Tour throughsome of the most spectacular scenery so far in this year’s race. Santiago

Results - Stage 15 - Tuesday, July 23: Vaison-la-Romaine - LesDeux-Alpe(Editor's Note: - North American riders listed in bold;Riders on North American teams underlined)1. Santiago Botero (Col), Kelme-Costa Blanca, at 5:55:16 (38.253 kph)2. Mario Aerts (B), Lotto-Adecco, at 1:513. Axel Merckx (B), Domo-Farm Frites, at 02:30.4. Emmanuel Magnien (F), Bonjour, at 04:22.5. Sandy Casar (F), FDJeux.com, at 04:28.6. Vicente Garcia-Acosta (Sp), iBanesto.com, at 05:15.7. Raimondas Rumsas (Lit), Lampre-Daikin, at 06:41.8. Joseba Beloki (Sp), ONCE, at 06:41.9. Lance Armstrong (USA), U.S. Postal, at

American Tyler Farrar, riding for the U.S. national team, won the eight-stage Tour de L’Abitibi stage race, which ended Sunday. Farrar won the individual time trial stage, and placed second in two other stages of the junior World Cup event. Farrar finished 16 seconds ahead of the Saturn Development team’s Oliver Stiler-Cote, with three more Saturn riders – Craig Wilcox, Jesse Anthony and the Netherlands’ Norman Meerkerk rounding out the top 5.

The biggest purse track event in North America, the Alpenrose Velodrome Challenge concluded Sunday. A stiff breeze made the homestretch about 3 mph slower than the backstretch and a baking hot sun further added to the difficulties. Conditions, however, did not deter the athletes from some record-breaking performances nor hundreds of fans from packing the bleachers and lining the rails of the 268-meter track located on the grounds of the Alpenrose Dairy in the Southwest hills of Portland, Oregon. The day started with sprint qualifiers for women and masters and the close proximity of

Richard Virenque of the Domo-Farm Frites team hungtough to win a remarkable stage victory on the summit of Mont Ventoux Sunday, while Lance Armstrong of the U.S. Postal Service left all of hismain rivals in the dust to consolidate his yellow jersey and pull 4:21ahead of runner-up Joseba Beloki of ONCE-Eroski. This challenging 221km stage 14 from Lodève also had its victims.Former race leader Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano of ONCE-Eroski droppedout of third place, while Colombian Santiago Botero of Kelme-CostaBlanca cracked on the above-category 21km Ventoux climb and tumbled outof fifth into 18th

Results - Stage 14 Lodève - Mont Ventoux - 221km(Overall standings below)*note - North American riders in bold - Riders on NorthAmerican-based teams underlined1. Richard Virenque (F), Domo-Farm Frites, 221 km in 5:43:26 (38.610kph)2. Alexandre Botcharov (Rus), Ag2R Prevoyance, at at 01:58.3. Lance Armstrong (USA), U.S. Postal, at 02:20.4. Marco Serpellini (I), Lampre Daikin, at 02:54.5. Raimondas Rumsas (Lit), Lampre Daikin, at 03:36.6. Ivan Basso (I), Fassa Bortolo, at 03:39.7. Francisco Mancebo (Spa), iBanesto.com, at 03:51.8. Joseba Beloki (Spa), ONCE, at 04:05.9. Dariusz Baranowski (Pol),

If two days in the Pyrénées didn’t create enough heat inthe 2002 Tour de France, the sun made sure it was hot on Saturday’s fast,windy 171km stage 13 from Lavelanet to Béziers. Temperatures soared as the Tour rolled out of the foothills of the Pyrénéeswith an appointment with Mont Ventoux awaiting on Sunday. First, therewas a hot day in the saddle to finish. The French made a mass exodus for the beach as the summer holiday seasonstarted, but vacation wasn’t on the mind of Laurent Jalabert. Thesoon-to-be-retired Frenchman will have plenty of time to lie on the beachonce he hangs up the

Results- Stage 13(Overall, points, KOM and other standings below)*note - North American riders in Bold - Riders on North American sponsored teams underlined1. David Millar (GB), Cofidis, 171 km in 4:08:18, (41.321 kph)2. David Etxebarria (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, at at 00:00.3. Michael Boogerd (Nl), Rabobank, at 00:00.4. Laurent Brochard (F), Jean Delatour, at 00:00.5. David Latasa (Sp), iBanesto.com, at 00:04.6. Javier Pascual Rodriguez (Sp), iBanesto.com, at 00:56.7. Eddy Mazzoleni (I), Tacconi Sport, at 00:56.8. Miguel Martinez (F), Mapei, at 01:06.9. Beat Zberg (Swi), Rabobank, at

At the start line of next weekend’s International in Altoona, PA, there will be new faces sporting the stars and stripes jersey of national champion. Team Saturn’s 24 year-old Jessica Phillips took her first win of the year-- and the biggest of her young career-- in downtown Nashville Sunday, winning the women’s USCF Elite national championship in a two-up sprint. In the men’s race, Scottie Weiss, 30, of the West Virginia/GoMart squad won a hot and sweaty 118.8-mile race, breaking away from a five-man split to cross the line alone. Taking home the title of women’s national Espoir champion

The Alpenrose Velodrome Challenge continued Saturday in Portland, Oregon in sunny and breezy conditions. Anyone who thinks that track racing is dead has not been to the AVC as hundreds of spectators packed the bleachers to enjoy the warm weather and some hot racing. The morning session began with U.S. 200 meter record holder Jeffrey LaBauve (Focus 2004) knocking down another of Marty Nothstein’s marks, and this time it was the 200 meter time trial record (11:44) that Nothstein set last year. LaBauve blazed around the track in 11:34 to best Stephen Alfred (11:77) and Canadian Keith Bruneau

Stage results (overall, points, KOM, team and other standings below)1. Lance Armstrong (USA), U.S. Postal, 199.5 km in 6:00:29(average:33.205 kph) 2. Roberto Heras (Sp), U.S. Postal, at 01:04. 3. Joseba Beloki (Sp), ONCE, at 01:04. 4. Santiago Botero (Col), Kelme, at 01:11. 5. Igor Gonzalez Galdeano (Sp), ONCE, at 01:11. 6. Raimondas Rumsas (Lit), Lampre, at 01:23. 7. Carlos Sastre (Sp), CSC-Tiscali, at 01:33. 8. Marcos Serrano (Sp), ONCE, at 01:37. 9. Oscar Sevilla (Sp), Kelme, at 02:07. 10. Andrei Kivilev (Kaz), Lampre, at 02:39. 11. Axel Merckx (Bel), Domo-Farm Frites, at 02:47. 12. David

The Alpenrose Velodrome Challenge, now the biggest purse track event in North America, opened Friday in Portland, Oregon with the time trial events. Despite cool, cloudy, and breezy conditions the steeply banked 268 meter oval and noisy crowd drew out some outstanding performances. The highlights included a new track record in the pursuit and a near-miss in the Kilometer. Perennial pursuit power Mike Tillman of Schroeder Iron won the Men’s 4000m Individual Pursuit final in 4:54:23. Chris Carlson’s old mark of 4:54:87 dated back to the EDS Cup held here in 1997. World Masters Champion

The sun was shining on Lance Armstrong at Friday’s 199km stage12 of the 2002 Tour de France. The three-time defending champion woke upwearing the maillot jaune for the 37th day of his career. Movie star buddyRobin Williams kept things light at the start, joking with fans and signingautographs. And though Friday’s hot, long, five-climb stage through theFrench Pyrénées was much harder than Thursday’s two-climbstage, the result was the same. Armstrong won the stage in a much more familiar style, attacking with6km to go. He dropped a group of 11 riders and finished alone. ONCE’s Joseba Beloki

Check in with our special Tour de Francesection here on VeloNews.com to get the latest news, results and photos from today’s stage.

Lance Armstrong is back in his favorite color of summer. The three-time defending champion won Thursday’s 158km stage 11, eraseda 26-second deficit and moved into the overall race lead, just as everyonehad expected. To hear Armstrong tell the tale, however, it wasn’t quite as easy asin years past. Yes, he made his trademark move in the first mountain stage.Yes, he took time out of his opponents. But Armstrong said he couldn’thave done it without superb work from his U.S. Postal Service teammates. Hundreds of American fans showed up to watch the fireworks. And plentythere were. It was

1. Lance Armstrong (USA), U.S. Postal, at, 158 km in 4hr 21 min 57sec(36.190 kph)2. Joseba Beloki (Spa), ONCE, at 00:07.3. Roberto Heras (Spa), U.S. Postal, at 00:13.4. Francisco Mancebo (Spa), iBanesto.com, at 01:16.5. Raimondas Rumsas (Lit), Lampre, at 01:16.6. Oscar Sevilla (Spa), Kelme, at 01:23.7. Ivan Basso (Ita), Fassa Bortolo, at 01:23.8. Andrei Kivilev (Kaz), Cofidis, at 01:34.9. Laurent Jalabert (Fra), CSC-Tiscali, at 01:49.10. Jose Azevedo (Por), ONCE, at 01:52.11. Igor Gonzalez Galdeano (Spa), ONCE, at 01:54.12. Christophe Moreau (Fra), Credit Agricole, at 01:57.13. Massimiliano

Outside of Nashville, Tennesee, the USCF National Time Trial Championships were held Thursday, with US Postal's Dylan Casey and Saturn's Kimberly Bruckner taking home the stars-and-stripes jerseys. Heat, intermittent rains, and unpredictable wind soured the course for the women's race. Bruckner, the overwhelming favorite who has been wearing the national champion's jersey since winning both the national time trial and road race championships last year, was last to leave the staging area. Prior to her arrival, the top time of 53:17 was posted by T-Mobile's Amber Neben, a former mountain

The French finally earned their stage win in this year’s Tour de France.After being skunked on Bastille Day by the Dutch, Jean Delatour’s PatriceHalgand scored one for the home country at Pau on Wednesday. This short, 147km stage 10 was an appetizer before one of the 89th Tour’smain courses: the first climbing stage in the Pyrénées. Thoseamong the 181 riders remaining in the peloton who are hoping to fight forthe final podium know they will have to be at their best to tackle theCat. 1 climb that leads to the finish at La Mongie. On Wednesday, Spanish hero Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano

1. Patrice Halgand (F), Jean Delatour, 147 km in3:00 min 15sec (48.932 kph)2. Jerome Pineau (F), Bonjour, at 00:27.3. Stuart O'Grady (Aus), Credit Agricole, at 00:33.4. Ludo Dierckxsens (B), Lampre, at 00:33.5. Pedro Horillo (Sp), Mapei, at 01:00.6. Andy Flickinger (F), Ag2R Prevoyance, at 01:00.7. Nicolas Vogondy (F), fdjeux.com, at 01:00.8. Nico Mattan (B), Cofidis, at 01:00.9. Constantino Zaballa (Sp), Kelme, at 01:00.10. Enrico Cassani (I), Domo-Farm Frites, at 01:02.11. Unai Etxebarria (Ven), Euskaltel, at 03:29.12. Baden Cooke (Aus), fdjeux.com, at 03:57.13. Robbie McEwen (Aus), Lotto,

Just when everyone was ready to ordain Lance Armstrong as winner of Monday’s52km individual time trial, the Tour de France delivered another surprise. In blustery conditions, Armstrong was out-motored by Colombian SantiagoBotero, the same racer who beat the Texan at the Dauphiné Libérétime trial in June. The result stunned many, who expected Armstrong to blaze to yet anotherdominant victory. Instead, the U.S. Postal team leader finished second,11 seconds slower than Botero, and didn’t eat up enough time to grab themaillot jaune from Spanish rider Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano. It was a double

1. Santiago Botero (Col), Kelme, at, 52 km in 1hr 02min 18sec(average: 50.080 kph, at2. Lance Armstrong (USA), U.S. Postal, at 00:11.3. Serhiy Honchar (Ukr), Fassa Bortolo, at 00:18.4. Igor Gonzalez Galdeano (Spa), ONCE, at 00:19.5. Laszlo Bodrogi (Hun), Mapei, at 00:25.6. Raimondas Rumsas (Lit), Lampre, at 00:25.7. David Millar (Gbr), Cofidis, at 00:50.8. Dario Frigo (Ita), Tacconi Sport, at 01:34.9. Andrea Peron (Ita), CSC-Tiscali, at 01:34.10. Joseba Beloki (Spa), ONCE, at 01:38.11. Viatcheslav Ekimov (Rus), U.S. Postal, at 01:41.12. Tyler Hamilton (USA), CSC-Tiscali, at 01:56.13. Marc

Russian Svetlana Boubnenkova of the Aliverti Kookai team won the 13th Giro d’Italia Femminile, a race that ended Sunday in Gorla Minore and was dominated by women from eastern Europe. Boubnenkova took over the race lead of the 10-day race on stage 3, when she won the 110.5km stage from Lari to Cascina, 18 seconds ahead of 2000 world champion Zinaida Stahurskaia (Chirio Forno d’Asolo) of Belarus. Boubnenkova cemented her overall win three days later, with a win in the 19.7km stage 6 time trial in Suno, near Lake Maggiore in northern Italy, where she beat Lithuanian Rasa Polikeviciute (Acca due

After Sunday's final stage at Cascade-- a short criterium course won by Saturn's Chris Fisher and Hutch's Sandy Espeseth-- there was no change in the overall standings, sealing victory for Chris Wherry (Mercury) and Kimberly Bruckner (Saturn). Entering the criterium, Bruckner had the overall sealed up, leading by over six minutes as a result of her dominant performance in the opening stage's road race. Still, she came out swinging Sunday, attacking the field with eight laps to go, with only Espeseth joining her. At the line, Espeseth benefitted from Bruckner's final efforts for the stage

Sunday’s eighth stage of the Tour de France was a long, hot day in thesaddle across France’s Brittany region and the peloton wanted to get itover with quickly. It was a stage that spelled the end for Mapei’s OscarFreire and Lotto’s Aart Vierhouten, both victims of Saturday’slate-race crashes did not start on Sunday. The group roared past huge crowds of fans celebrating France’s BastilleDay and covered nearly 100 kilometers in the first two hours. A seven–manbreakaway slipped away midway through the stage and became the second successfulbreak of the 89th Tour. Rabobank’s Karsten Kroon ruined

1. Karsten Kroon (Nl), Rabobank, at , 217.5 km in 4hr 36 min 52sec (47.135kph)2. Servais Knaven (Nl), Domo-Farm Frites, at at 00:00.3. Erik Dekker (Nl), Rabobank, at 00:00.4. Franck Renier (F), Bonjour, at 00:00.5. Sebastien Hinault (F), Credit Agricole, at 00:00.6. Stephane Auge (F), Jean Delatour, at 00:00.7. Raivis Belohvosciks (Lat), Lampre, at 00:00.8. Robbie McEwen (Aus), Lotto, at 01:55.9. Erik Zabel (G), Telekom, at 01:55.10. Baden Cooke (Aus), FDJeux.com, at 01:55.11. Stuart O'Grady (Aus), Credit Agricole, at 01:55.12. Jan Svorada ((Cz), Lampre, at 01:55.13. Fred Rodriguez (USA),

Successfully staying away from the field, 7UP-Nutra Fig's John Lieswyn and Hutch's Nicole Demars tasted victory Saturday at stage 5 of the Cascade Classic in Bend, Oregon. In the women's 56-mile race over rolling hills and a tough climb after the start/finish, several attacks were reabsorbed before a breakaway finally stuck with Demars and Saturn's Jessica Phillips. The two rode nearly half the 56-mile race together off the front, creating a comfortable gap of 2:30 by the last seven-mile lap. Demars had the better punch at the finish, with Phillips taking second place. The consistent

Britain's Steve Peat and Frenchwoman Anne-Caroline Chausson turned in a pair of heroic performances Sunday, each taking wins at World Cup downhill No. 4 in Telluride, Colorado. Chausson's victory was one of the most memorable of her illustrious career, as she beat out Sabrina Jonnier on the short, dry and dusty Telluride track. When day broke in southwest Colorado the Volvo-Cannondale rider could barely walk, still feeling the effects of a bad crash suffered in Saturday's four-cross. Following the mishap she was taken off the course on an inflatable backboard, then had to make the two-hour

Eric Carter and Sabrina Jonnier were the last riders standings when the dust — literally — cleared after a carnage-filled evening of four-cross racing at World Cup No. 4 in Telluride, Colorado on Saturday. Among those who didn’t ride off the course were reigning dual world champions Brian Lopes and Anne-Caroline Chausson, who both suffered highlight-reel crashes on the lightning-fast, John Tomac designed course. Lopes, who went down right at the finish of one semifinal round, but did manage to clean himself off and returned for the small final to take fifth, which allowed the GT-Fox rider to

Just when people were complaining that the 2002 Tour de France was gettingboring, Saturday’s seventh stage gave everyone a quick kick in the derrière. Three-time defending champion Lance Armstrong was caught up ina late-stage crash and lost 27 seconds to race leader Igor Gonzalezde Galdeano (ONCE-Eroski). Armstrong didn’t fall, but U.S. Postal Service riders George Hincapie and Roberto Heras did. Two late-race crashes sent scores of riders to the pavement and sentFrenchman Didier Rous to the hospital and out of the race. Worldchampion Oscar Freire of Mapei-Quick Step and Crédit Agricoleteam

1. Bradley McGee (Aus), FDJeux.com, at , 176 km in 4:10:56 (42.083kph)2. Jaan Kirsipuu (Est), Ag2R, at 00:00.3. Pedro Horillo (Sp), Mapei, at 00:00.4. Robbie McEwen (Aus), Lotto, at 00:00.5. Erik Zabel (G), Telekom, at 00:00.6. Stuart O'Grady (Aus), Credit Agricole, at 00:00.7. Jan Svorada (Cz), Lampre, at 00:00.8. Baden Cooke (Aus), FDJeux.com, at 00:00.9. Fred Rodriguez (USA), Domo-Farm Frites, at 00:00.10. Thor Hushovd (N), Credit Agricole, at 00:00.11. Andrej Hauptman (Slo), Taconi Sport, at 00:00.12. Francisco Mancebo (Sp), iBanesto, at 00:00.13. Francois Simon (F), Bonjour, at 00:00.14.

Stage Four of the Cascade Cycling Classic was raced Friday night in downtown Bend, with no changes in the overall standings. Racing on a flat, six-turn course in front of thousands of spectators, Mercury controlled the field, defending race leader Chris Wherry and bringing sprinters Henk Vogels and Gord Fraser across the line in first and second, respectively. While originally leading out Fraser, Vogelshad so much left he was able to stay on the front all the way to the line. Third was believed to be, unofficially, Russell Stevenson of Prime Alliance in the photo finish while Saturn's

Alexandre Cloutier and Clara Hughes were among the winners at the Canadian national track championships in Bromont, with Cloutier taking the men’s 4000-meter individual pursuit and Hughes winning the women’s pursuit. Other senior winners included Lori-Ann Muenzer and Steen Madsen in the match sprints and Marc Ernsting in the points race.

One did it from the front, the other from one place back. But in the end both strategies paid off, as Alison Dunlap and Kashi Leuchs took wins in the Telluride 360 Adventure Festival cross-country omnium. Leuchs earned victory by putting together a pair of second-place finishes during the two-day event, and that gave the Volvo-Cannondale rider 4 points, two less than Subaru-Gary Fisher's Ryder Hesjedal and Leuchs' teammate, Christoph Sauser. Meanwhile, Dunlap was untouchable both days, adding a dominating win in the short track on Saturday to go with her equally impressive effort in

Stage Results - Friday, July 12: Forges-les-Eaux - Alençon(Overall, mountain, points, team and other standings below)1. Erik Zabel (G), Telekom, 199.5 km in 4:23:07 (45.493 kph)2. Oscar Freire (Sp), Mapei3. Robbie McEwen (Aus), Lotto4. Jan Svorada (Cz), Lampre5. Serguei Ivanov (Rus), Fassa Bartolo6. Baden Cooke (Aus), FDJeux.com7. Thor Hushovd (Nor), C.A8. Laurent Brochard (F), Jean Delatour9. Arvis Piziks (Lat), CSC-Tiscali10. Andrej Hauptman (Slo), Tacconi11. Paolo Bossoni (I), Tacconi12. Mauro Radaelli (I), Tacconi13. Francois Simon (F), Bonjour14. Stefano Casagranda (I), Alessio15.

With the second half of the 2002 Tour de France packed with mountainstages and time trials, the sprinters are hungry to get what they can whilethe stages are flat. Thursday’s l breakaway  into Rouen was the first to arrive at the finish since Rubens Bertogliati made a successful late dash to the line in Luxembourg last Sunday. Scores of riders had similar designs in Friday’s long, 199.5km (123.6-mile) stage from Forges-les-Eaux to Alençon, but the sprinting teams such as Lotto, Telekom and Mapei shut them all down. The peloton roared into Alençon with Germany’s Erik Zabelanxious to get the

So why did ONCE go so fast on Wednesday? Was it because the team pedaled harder and stayed in better formation and had good equipment? Well, that is one explanation. Another is that all of the other teams only had nine riders, while they had ONCE (Spanish for “eleven”)! Sorry... I had to throw that in. Beyond the numbers, it is worth noting that the teams that go fastest have 100 percent of the riders wearing aero helmets, rather than a mixture of headgear and even of clothing and equipment. You also tend to see other riders on fast teams using their aero’ bars further back in the line,

Luna's Alison Dunlap and Volvo-Cannondale's Christoph Sauser won the opening stages of the two-day International Cross-Country Omnium, as the pro mountain-bike racing portion of the Telluride 360 Adventure Festival got underway Friday in southwestern Colorado. In the women's race, Dunlap turned her three laps around the 5.1-mile loop in 1:45:21, 48 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Shonny Vanlandingham (SoBe-Cannondale). RLX-Polo Sport's Jimena Florit was another 2:53 behind in third. Mary Grigson (Subaru-Gary Fisher) and Katerina Hanusova (Luna) completed the podium. "I felt terrible

VeloNews technical writer Lennard Zinn is a frame builder, a formerU.S. national team rider and author of several books on bikes and bikemaintenance. This is Zinn's weekly VeloNews.com column devoted to addressingreaders' technical questions about bikes, their care and feeding and howwe as riders can use them as comfortably and efficiently as possible. Readerscan send brief technical questions directlyto Zinn. We'll try to print a representative sample of questions ineach column.Follow-up from previous discussions:There was plenty of input from readers on the subject of mixing

Stage 3 of the Cascade Cycling Clasic - a 1.08 mile uphill time trial - was won Friday by Prime Alliance's Chris Horner and Saturn's Kimberly Bruckner. There was no major change in the GC, as Chris Wherry managed to finish six seconds back of Horner to hold his overall lead. Bruckner, the winner of Thursday's road race, continues to wear the leader's jersey in the women's field, leading by nearly seven minutes. Located just minutes from downtown Bend, the closed course was completely inside of Pilot Butte State Park. The first 300 meters of the race is on a winding bike lane, before a

A long flat stage in the Tour de France can seem incredibly boring, but then something happens. It always does in the Tour.For the overall race favorites, Thursday’s 195km (121-mile) fifth stageacross the lush farm country of northern France was a relatively easy day in the saddle. But for the rest of the peloton, there was the usual mix of drama, glory and disappointment. Lance Armstrong said his U.S. Postal Service team worked wellto keep him out of heavy crosswinds, while the Spanish ONCE-Eroski teamsuccessfully defended the race leader’s yellow jersey for Igor Gonzalezde Galdeano. Up in

At the start of Thursday's 76-mile McKenzie Pass Road Race-- stage 2 of the Cascade Cycling Classic in Oregon -- Saturn's Trent Klasna made the first big move of the day and was joined on the attack by a handful of other riders, including Mercury's Gord Fraser and Mike Sayers, and representatives from Prime Alliance, Navigators and Sierra Nevada. Their gap grew to 1:30, forcing Prime Alliance into chase mode for Chris Horner back in the pack. When they were caught on McKenzie Pass, the hard tempo left only 40 riders left. About a dozen riders soon went clear from that group, including

I could tell you that I can't believe our team was treated like a pretty boy fresh into a maximum security prison today. But, I won’t, since I do believe it and I suppose we did about as well as we could have. No there weren't any outstanding mistakes, or headwinds that the rest of the teams missed. No excuses, we just weren't right as rain today -- as we haven't been for the first bit of this Tour. At this point I think we'll be licking our wounds for a bit, and hoping for one of Jens's attacks to work out and restore the morale of the troops. Enough of the past, how about tomorrow?

Oscar Freire sprinted past Robbie McEwen and Erik Zabel to win stage two aboard the mount that has brought so many victories to Mapei and Rabobank. He was riding a Shimano Dura-Ace equipped Colnago C40, the 2.5-pound frame that won Paris-Roubaix five times between 1995 and 2000. But it is not just another bonded carbon frame, since Colnago’s construction methods C40 are unique and analogous to its method of constructing steel frames. Integral to the C40 are one-piece molded, hand-finished carbon lugs that eliminate the bonding problems and weight of aluminum lugs and are stronger,

Henk Vogels got Mercury rising at the Columbia River Bank Cascade Cycling Classic stage race, getting the better of Svein Tuft (Prime Alliance) to win the stage-1 Pacific Power Road Race July 10 in Bend, Oregon. The two were given the same time in the 110-mile stage, just five seconds ahead of Chris Baldwin (Navigators), Gord Fraser (Mercury and the rest of the top 20. The six-stage race continues on Thursday with the 72-mile Deschutes Brewery Road Race, a hilly leg-breaker with 7,000 feet of climbing. The elite women’s five-stage race starts on Thursday as well.

5:20 p.m. The ONCE team won the fourth stage of the Tour de France as it finished in Château-Thierry Wednesday after a 67.5km team time trial from Epernay. ONCE's Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano of Spain took the leader's yellow jersey. ONCE finished 16 seconds ahead of the US Postal team of reigning champion Lance Armstrong, while the CSC team of Tyler Hamilton and Laurent Jalabert finished third. Here are the final standings from today's team time trial:1. ONCE - EROSKI 01:19:492. US POSTAL SERVICE 01:20:05, at 00:163. TEAM CSC TISCALI 01:20:35, at 00:464. FASSA BORTOLO 01:21:19, at 01:305.

The yellow jersey is an elusive piece of clothing. During Wednesday’s67.5km team time trial it slipped through the hands of several riders before falling onto the shoulders of Spanish rider Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano. Thanks to an impressive victory by his ONCE-Eroski team in the 2002Tour’s stage 4, Galdeano becomes the first Spanish rider to earn the maillotjaune since five-time Tour champion Miguel Indurain last wore it onwinning his final Tour in 1995. CSC-Tiscali’s Laurent Jalabert seemed destined to snag the jersey thathe’s been chasing since finishing just two seconds behind Lance

5:15 p.m. Either way, Zabel -- who finished second in the stage -- is the new overall leader of the Tour de France. 5:13 p.m. It's a huge scramble for the front. McEwen gets it.... but he's moved out of his line, and cut across Zabel's line. 5:10 p.m. All of the big players are up front. Nico Mantan is attacking. He's caught. Zabel is up front on his own... the Telekoms are not in a position to lead out their man. 5:08 p.m. With 4km to go, Lotto is at the front. Telekom is beginning to set up Zabel. 5:05 p.m. The swarm is beginning. With 5km to go, the sprinters are moving up,

You can always count on Jacky Durand. The 35-year-old bulldogof a racer just keeps on trying. And try he did, with one of his epic trademark attacks early in Tuesday’s174.5-km stage from Metz to Reims. It didn’t work. It rarely does, butit was a good show for the French fans as the 2002 Tour de France camehome after three hot and humid days in Luxembourg and Germany. Durand attacked just 6km into the stage and got reeled in with 6km togo. He didn’t win the stage – his last Tour stage-win came in 1998 – buthe did earn the day’s Coeur de Lion prize for most combative rider. Australian Robbie

Monday’s 181km stage 2 of the 2002 Tour de France was supposed tobe an Erik Zabel homecoming party. The script was already written:Zabel, already resplendent in the green jersey, would win the stage afterhard work by his Telekom team to bring the race to a bunch sprint and takethe yellow jersey, all in front of a rowdy German crowd lining the roadsestimated to top one million. As it happens so often in the Tour, though, it didn’t quite turn outthat way. Not only did the Telekom man not win the field sprint, he finishedonly third and he left the yellow jersey in the hands of Lampre's

Brent Dawson (Jelly Belly-Carlsbad Clothing) and Tina Mayolo-Pic (Diet Rite) took home the top prizes at the Wendy’s International Cycling Classic, the six-race series of criteriums in Ohio that ended Sunday. Dawson beat out 7UP-Nutra Fig’s Dan Schmatz in the final points standings while national criterium champion Nicole Freedman (Rona) was runner-up to Mayolo-Pic. Mayolo-Pic didn’t win a single stage, but finished the week with three second-place finishes and two third places to top Freedman, who won the series opener in Powell, Ohio. Rona scored a total of three wins, with Melissa Holt

On Sunday, Saturn’s Viktor Repinski won the 4 Bridges of Elgin road race in Elgin, Illinois. The only UCI under-23 race on the U.S. calendar, 4 Bridges of Elgin has slowly grown into one of the biggest races on the calendar for up-and-coming young riders, with past winners including Charles Dionne and Danny Pate. Repinski, Saturn’s 21-year-old from Belarus, broke clear with about a mile to go in the 66-mile race. The Saturn rider soloed in, while Jonathan Erdelyi (C-bike.com) led in a nine-rider chase group just five seconds behind. Erdelyi took second, with Shawn Milne (Wheelworks-Mengoni)

Cycling journalists love to play with numbers. All day long, the hackswere figuring the time splits among the favorites in the chase for theyellow jersey in the 192.5-km opening stage of the 2002 Tour de France. Prologue winner Lance Armstrong revealed he wasn’t interestedin defending the maillot jaune when he conceded the time bonusesat the first intermediate sprint after 50km, so the jersey was prime forthe picking. All eyes were on the established riders, especially those immediatelybehind Armstrong in the overnight standings, Laurent Jalabert (CSC-Tiscali)and Raimondas Rumsas