Road Racing

Just a few hours after finishing Paris-Roubaix, George and I met for dinner. We talked about the day, about the season, and about the future. All in all, George is happy. He knows he can win Paris-Roubaix, and that the best years are still to come. Everything was going great up until the Arenberg Forest. George made a good move and said he was having no real problems finding a good line. He was leaving people behind and making it look easy. When the front tire punctured, controlling the bike was almost impossible. Johan Bruyneel told him on the radio that there were wheels waiting at the

When the Crédit Agricole team’s Jérome Neuville crashed on the cobblestones at Quievy, 110km into the Hell of the North, he could not have known how close he was to becoming a human pancake. But as the bright yellow Mavic neutral service car slid toward the Frenchman’s prostrate body, the fear in his eyes registered the danger. That was the last we saw of him from inside the car, as driver Antonio Pacheco swerved to the right to avoid Neuville’s legs sprawled across the road. We hit something, and hard, but we could not tell if it was only his bike or if we had hit him as well. We jumped

Wednesday morning, a spring snow storm hit Colorado Springs. I managed to get to the airport, but soon learned that my departure for France would be delayed until Thursday. When I arrived back at the office, the entire staff was silently huddled around one computer. I peered over their shoulders to see live images of the final kilometer of Ghent-Wevelgem. Thank you, Mother Nature, for closing the airport George Hincapie is the strongest I have ever seen him. His power outputs are the highest they have ever been and his ability to maintain intense efforts is great. His strong performances

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In its third year of existence, the GAS women’s road team promises to be a force to be reckoned with in everything from major Tours to World Cup individual races and overall. Sponsored by an Italian jeans and sportswear company, the team has added more power this season to an already star-studded roster. At the team introduction on February 26, GAS spokesman Piergiorgio Dal Santo said, "We want to be the Mapei team of women’s cycling, both in terms of setting the standard for professionalism as well as by being the best team in the world." Joining 1997 world road champion and 2000 Giro

A lot of question marks hang over the men who will be battling for supremacy in this year's spring classics, which kicks off Saturday with the traditional Belgium season-opener, the Omloop Het Volk. The only sure things are that the weather will be cold -- a max of 37 degrees F. is forecast -- and the 200km race will be played out on its nine short climbs and 16 sections of cobblestones. It was raining Friday, ensuring that Saturday's course, under partly cloudy skies, will be as treacherous as ever. Double-comeback man Johan Museeuw will be defending his title, this time at the

Cannondale expanded its motorized product range this weekend with the release of its FX400 All-Terrain Vehicle. The ATV joins Cannondale’s MX400 motocrosser released last year and the XC400 cross-country motorbike, due for release in April. The first of the ATVs was delivered last week to Pennsylvania motorsports dealer Gatto Cycles to what the company says was a very enthusiastic reception. The $8000 FX400 sports a four-stroke engine with electronic fuel injection, and the industry’s first twin-spar perimeter aluminum ATV frame. Cannondale founder & president Joe Montgomery praised the

Former world road champion Alessandra Cappellotto is an energetic woman. She claims to be old for cycling (33), yet a normal February day for her consists of a five-hour training ride followed by an afternoon spent driving all around the area near Bassano del Grappa visiting suppliers for her bike shop. As she dashes from place to place in her silver Mercedes wagon, she handles calls on her cell phone regarding her bike shop, her teams, and the wellness center she will be opening in the fall. Her final meeting at saddle manufacturer Selle San Marco behind her, she rushes north to Bassano to

Citing notification from the sport's international governing body, officials with the U.S. Postal Service team have given their approval for testing of all riders' blood samples that were gathered during last year's Tour de France. According to a team press release on January 31, the request was made on January 30 by the Union Cycliste Internationale after that organization was contacted by French authorities with a request to turn over the samples. The team has given its approval, and also requested that "an independent expert of our own choosing" be allowed to assist in the

Team Telekom announced that it is throwing its biggest-ever budget at an assault on the Tour de France, won four years ago by its rider Jan Ullrich. Ullrich told journalists at the team's 2001 season launch, held in Bonn on January 29, that he was hungry for another yellow jersey, and said he was in the sort of shape to challenge reigning champion Lance Armstrong. "Every year that I don't win the Tour is a lost year," said the 27-year-old from Rostock in the former East Germany. "It's been a long time since I've been in such good shape and whatever happens I want to

The U.S. Postal Service is one of 16 teams that now have an official slot in the 2001 Tour de France, according to an announcement from the Société du Tour de France at a press conference in Paris, on January 23. Look for additional information later today on VeloNews.com. The teams announced today include: Germany: Telekom Belgium: Domo-Farm Frites Spain: IBanesto.com, Kelme, ONCE United States: US Postal France: AG2R, Bonjour, Cofidis, Crédit Agricole, Festina, Jean Delatour Italy: Fassa Bortolo, Lampre, Mapei Netherlands: Rabobank Four additional teams will be included for the

The line-up for this year's Tour might be a little thin when it kicks off in Dunkirk on July 7. By favoring three French Division 2 squads in its 16 pre-selections for the 2001 Tour de France on Tuesday, the race organizers left out the teams of Marco Pantani (Mercatone Uno-Albacom), Alex Zülle and Fernando Escartin (Team Coast), Laurent Jalabert (CSC-World Online), Pavel Tonkov and Chann McRae (Mercury-Viatel), Mario Cipollini and Laurent Dufaux (Saeco), Jeroen Blijlevens (Lotto-Adecco), David Etxebarria and Haimar Zubeldia (Euskaltel-Euskadi), and Christophe Mengin (La Française des

After four years of mountain-bike stage racing in Steamboat Springs, the Mercury Tour is no more. A press release issued by NORBA on Thursday said that the organization had been "unable to secure sponsorship in time to plan and execute the event in 2001." And that meant the end. The Mercury Tour’s four-year corporate sponsorship contracts had expired last year. The cancellation of the event, which began with hype and hope as the Lincoln Navigator Tour of the Rockies in 1997, leaves a big hole in the U.S. mountain-bike schedule. Many notable stars of the off-road world, including Rishi

The reigning king of downhill is taking a crack at another speed sport. Nicolas Vouilloz, last year’s World Cup champ, has been selected to race in the Rally of Monte Carlo. He’ll be driving a Renault Clio Williams Group N3. This is the most famous car race in France and is part of the World Rally Championships. Each day competitors will start in Monaco, racing multiple stages on the roads in the surrounding area, before returning to Monaco. This is actually the second time Vouilloz has tested his hand at auto racing. He competed in the Rally of Vence two months ago, and performed very

The French bank Crédit Lyonnais, a sponsor of the Tour de France for 20 years, will have the option of not renewing it's contract with the Tour after the 2003 race, although the bank won't make a decision until after the 2001 Tour according to Nicolas Chaine, the bank's director of communications. In 1994 Jean Peyrelevade took over as head of the struggling bank and decided to renew the contract with the Tour for another eight years, despite an annual cost of 35 million francs, in order to keep the company from appearing "truly moribund." The company has stuck with the Tour,

In 2000, the Tour LeFleur reached the high point of its seven-year existence when the Jackson, Mississippi, event played host to the U.S. Olympic Trials. Last week, the organizing committee announced that the race would not be back in 2001. "After the phenomenal year we had, hosting the Time Trial Championship and the U.S. Olympic Trials, we feel like we set a standard that we want to maintain," said Bo Bourne, Tour LeFleur creator, in a press release issued last Friday. "We added live television and the Jumbotron at the start/finish area. We also had other amenities and a level of

The 84th Giro d’Italia route was announced on November 11, and according to Marco Pantani, the 3572km race between Pescara on the eastern coast and Milan promises to be a “wide-open race.” Indeed, many of the stages of the May 19-June 10 race could favor a climber such as Pantani. The race includes 21 stages, an 8km prologue in Pescara, one rolling 55km time trial in stage 15, a foray into Slovenia, and one rest day before the San Remo-San Remo 17th stage. There are 22 major climbs spread out over 10 of the stages, with the highest being the Colle Fauniera at 2511 meters (8161 feet). Three

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Written by Josh at Zipp:Here is an excerpt from a PM I sent to somebody a few weeks ago on this identical topic. I hope this helps clarify things somewhat... The outer aluminum hoop in our clincher rims weighs only 200 grams, and therefore will get much hotter than a standard aluminum rim. Since the temperature of something is relative to the energy input/mass, a 200 gram rim will get twice as hot as a 400 gram rim for the same energy input. What happens is that if your descending a mountain at 70 degrees and you brake for 2 minutes and your standard aluminum rims heat to 220 degrees (an