Road

Ivan Basso was eager to prove at the Giro del Trentino that he is back on form and must be considered the favorite for the Giro d’Italia. He did just that, and his efforts were assisted by having the right tool, namely his new, all-carbon Cannondale SuperSix. The SuperSix has taken a big jump in frame design since it was introduced in 2008, and its performance was a surprise to me. Being 6-foot-5, off-the-shelf bikes are rarely big enough for me to ride comfortably. Even if they are, the tallest size often tends to shimmy at high speeds or with the hands off the bars.

Tuesday’s first mountain stage provided an interesting antipasti of who’s going to be the main attraction in this centenary Giro d’Italia.   Danilo Di Luca (LPR), the 2007 Giro champion, sprinted to victory ahead of 2000 Giro winner Stefano Garzelli (Acqua e Sapone) out of an elite group of about 40 riders to remind everyone that he’s still a force to reckon with.  

Rarely has a modern grand tour entered the mountains as early as does this year’s Giro. After a brief team time trial and two flattish stages disrupted by crashes (because of the maximum-size field of 198 riders racing on narrow, technical finishing circuits), the three-week race heads for the Dolomites on Tuesday.

Framebuilder Ugo De Rosa can look back on a glorious past, having built steel bicycles for a long line of champions, among them Eddy Merckx and Francesco Moser. But the De Rosa family continues to press forward, producing frames in a variety of materials to meet the demands of a rapidly changing market. The rise of carbon fiber “changed the Italian bicycle industry,” said Doriano De Rosa, one of Ugo’s sons.

Christian Vande Velde came into his own last season with a run of stunning successes: A strong showing at the Tour of California, the pink jersey at the Giro, a stellar fourth place in the Tour de France, and to cap the season, the Tour of Missouri overall win. This year Vande Velde scored a stage win at Paris-Nice, and looks set for another top season that he hopes is set back only slightly by his injuries in Monday's stage 3 crash at the Giro.

Team Quick Step’s management has urged Tom Boonen to undergo professional counseling after his second positive test for cocaine, but added that it would stand by him while he serves a suspension. The 28-year-old Boonen, Belgium's top cyclist, is facing up to what could be a premature end to his impressive career after his second positive test for cocaine, which came just two weeks after winning Paris-Roubaix for the third time. He first tested positive for the drug in May 2008.

Price: $15 to $30 Sizes: SM/Med and L/XL Colors: Dozens Web site: www.walzcaps.com Walz Caps is a producer of a wide range of stylish cycling caps. Their handmade in the USA caps are available with many color and pattern options within each of seven styles.

Price: $50 to $260 each Sizes: 8mm to 30mm Web site: www.bocabearings.com Boca Bearings has upgraded its ceramic bearing line with the new Peeka Boo 5. The new Peeka Boo 5 uses both ceramic races and ceramic balls, which Boca believes contributes to a greater reduction of friction and perhaps a better wear rate. The races are ABEC 5 and made of Zirconia, and the balls are grade 5 and made of Silicon Nitride. Boca believe that the new grade-5 balls are more spherical than previously available.

It was a bittersweet day for Garmin-Slipstream in Monday’s third stage at the Giro d’Italia.   Tyler Farrar bolted to second place in the stage, climbed into second place overall at eight seconds back of race leader Alessandro Petacchi (LPR) as well as second in the points jersey and earned some prime podium time with the best young rider’s jersey.   That was the good news.   Team captain Christian Vande Velde crashed out of the Giro in a spill with about 50km to go and suffered serious injuries that will complicate his preparations for the Tour de France.  

There’s never a dull moment at the Giro d’Italia.   Just when it seemed like things were bordering on routine, all hell broke loose and the final 50km of the 198km march from Grado to Valdobbiadene turned into a crash derby.   Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Slipstream) was the primary victim, crashing out with a broken rib with about 50km to go before another spill with about 12km to go completely blocked the entire breadth of the road just as the peloton ramped up for the sprint.

The anti-doping tribunal of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) on Monday banned Spanish cyclist Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne) from competing on Italian soil for two years, the Ansa news agency announced. Valverde was cited for his role in the Operación Puerto blood doping scandal, which first came to light in May of 2006. The Spaniard can therefore not compete in any race that takes place in Italian territory, ruling him out of the next Tour de France, the 16th stage of which passes through Italy's Val D'Aosta region on July 21.

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This year, Ted King is making his professional European racing debut with the upstart Cervélo TestTeam.

UC-Davis made its mark in Division 1 competition Sunday at collegiate nationals, defending its men's time trial title, scoring a surprise victory in the women's TTT, and, when the numbers were all crunched, coming away with the prestigious overall team omnium title. In Div. 2, the Furman University men defended their TTT title while Whitman College upset MIT for the women. Whitman took the Div. 2 overall team ominum title.

On the final day of the Joe Martin Stage Race, a technical criterium with over 100 feet of climbing per one-mile lap, OUCH-Maxxis played perfect defense to secure Rory Sutherland’s third consecutive victory. At the race’s finish, it was Team Type 1’s Chris Jones and Luis Amaran of Colavita-Sutter Home emerging from the remnants of a 10-rider break to finish first and second in the stage, respectively. Amaran’s teammate, Lucas Sebastian Haedo, won the field sprint, putting him on the podium for the third time in the three days.

In a battle of the Olympic gold medalists, Kristin Armstrong (Cervélo TestTeam) outsprinted Marianne Vos (DSB Bank-Nederland Bloeit) to win the 86th Tour de Berne on Sunday. The American scored her first World Cup win by nipping her Dutch rival to win the 135.8km World Cup race in 3:30:19. Trixi Worrack (Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung) crossed third at 47 seconds back. Armstrong won gold last year in the Olympic time trial, while Vos — a three-time world champ on the road, in cyclocross and in the points race — collected gold in the Beijing points race.

Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa (Caisse d'Epargne) won the Four Days of Dunkirk following Sunday's sixth and final stage. Andre Greipel (Columbia-Highroad) took the 172.3km finale in a sprint finish ahead of Jurgen Roelandts (Silence-Lotto) and Frenchman Sebastien Chavanel (Française des Jeux). Da Costa, who assumed the overall lead on Saturday, became the first Portuguese to win the event. The 22-year-old turned pro just two years ago with the modest Benfica team before switching to Caisse d'Epargne.

Alessandro Petacchi (LPR) has won 164 races during his long career, but his relegation of British sprint ace Mark Cavendish (Columbia-Highroad) to second on Sunday was one of his sweetest victories. Only the 2005 Milan-San Remo and his first career Giro stage win in 2003 — versus Mario Cipollini — mean more to the 35-year-old, who was back in the Giro d’Italia winner’s circle Sunday for the first time since serving his controversial racing ban last year.

Quick Step’s management said Sunday that it would not beg the Tour de France to include Tom Boonen in this year's race. Boonen, a 28-year-old one-day specialist who was crowned world champion in 2005, is facing up to what could be a premature end to his impressive career after testing positive a second time for cocaine. He tested positive for cocaine two weeks ago, after winning his third Paris-Roubaix. It was barely a year after he first tested positive for the drug, in May 2008.

Milram’s Focus

In first kilometer of the 20-kilometer team time trial we found what we needed to win: speed and fluidity. Riding together prior to today’s opening team time trial we knew what we were capable of doing as a team but we also knew that if the race wasn’t ridden prudently the team would come undone within meters. A corner taken poorly, acceleration at the wrong moment, or heroic selfishness would break the rhythm. The machine we were creating needed to have the pace of a metronome.

“It was tense from the word go,” said Mike Tamayo, director of OUCH-Maxxis, the team leading the Joe Martin Stage Race heading into Saturday’s 92-mile circuit race. But despite a breakaway containing many of the top general classification riders staying away late into the race, at the finish it was again Colavita-Sutter Home’s Lucas Sebastian Haedo placing first in a large field sprint ahead of Johnathan Cantwell (Fly V-Successful Living) and Nic Sanderson (Rock Racing).

The University of Vermont won for a second day in a row at the collegiate national road championships on Saturday. UVM's Colin Jaskiewicz took the Division 1 men's criterium win at the race in downtown Fort Collins, Colorado, the day after teammates Jamey Driscoll and Will Dugan went 1-2 in the road race.

There were no pink jerseys for Lance Armstrong, but the seven-time Tour de France champion was content with Astana’s steady third-place performance in Saturday’s team time trial to open the 2009 Giro d’Itali. The 37-year-old Giro rookie led the squad across the line as Astana stopped the clock in 22 minutes, 3 seconds on the 20.5km course on Lido di Venezia. That was good enough for third behind Columbia-Highroad and Garmin-Slipstream.

The Belgian-based Quick Step team has suspended Tom Boonen after learning that the three-time Paris-Roubaix winner has tested positive for cocaine for the second time in a year. Boonen, who recently claimed his third victory in the prestigious “hell of the North,” is alleged to have tested positive two weeks after that race, on April 24 or 25. News of the test positive led prosecutors to order a raid on Boonen's home, confirmation of which was given by top public prosecutor Jan Poels to the Sudpresse daily newspaper group and the Het Laatste Nieuws newspaper.

Mark Cavendish was cool as a cat as he watched team after team fall short of besting Columbia-Highroad on the flat 20.5km course in Lido di Venezia. The Cannonball had plenty of time to consider he was about to become the first British rider to wear the maglia rosa. Columbia started first among 22 teams and he had to wait nearly two hours to secure the victory until Giro rookie Lance Armstrong led final-team Astana across the line 13 seconds short.

The University of Vermont took the top two spots at the division I men’s Collegiate National championship road race on Friday, while Carla Swart (Lees-McRae College) repeated in the D1 women’s road race title. In Division 2, Princeton's Nick Frey solo'd for the men’s title, while Emma Bast (Mount Holyoke College) took the sprint in the women's race.

With Mark Cavendish primed for the sprints, and Michael Rogers and Thomas Lövkvist riding with no pressure for the GC, Columbia-Highroad has its bases covered on the eve of the Giro d’Italia. The squad brings a balanced team with a heavy emphasis on stage victories and breakaways with no pressure but quiet ambition to perform well in the GC.

A deluge of early morning rain dampened Fayetteville’s Ozark Mountain roads on the Friday morning prior to the 110-mile second stage of the Joe Martin Stage Race. When the skies finally parted, it was OUCH-Maxxis’s Rory Sutherland outsprinting a large field to take second place behind Colavita-Sutter Home-Cooking Light’s Lucas Sebastian Haedo. Sutherland secured the overall lead in the process via a 10-second time bonus.

Saxo Bank strongman Fabian “Spartacus” Cancellara wants an even faster bike on which to trounce into submission those mere mortals who do their best simply to survive a race against the clock. Cancellara may now have the ideal weapon in the Specialized S-Works TTR, a sleek rig you will see raced for the first time in Saturday’s stage 1 team time trial at the Giro d’Italia. Most distinctive is the TTR’s stem/nose cone, which extends straight forward from the top of the top tube, covers the head tube and front brake and is integrated with the aero bar.

BMC Jeff Louder and Cervelo TestTeam's Kristin Armstrong lead the National Racing Calendar standings following last weekend's SRAM Tour of the Gila. Louder won the Redlands Bicycle Classic and has spent most of his time in Europe since then.

The USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships will be held in Fort Collins, Colorado, this weekend, May 7-10. For the second year in a row, Colorado State University, in partnership with the Fort Collins Cycling Festival, will host student athletes from up to 60 colleges and universities.

In a crowded boat full of tourists, nine of us, dressed in our bright yellow team kits sat together as a calm wind blew our hair. The sun was low in the sky and the Adriatic a murky turquoise. School kids touring Venice with their class pushed, laughed and sang songs to beats tapped out on the boat rails while we spoke about the race course, our effort in training, the fluidity needed to win the team time trial, and the coming three weeks of racing.

The most recent in a series of customized Trek bikes for Lance Armstrong will debut this weekend at the Giro d’Italia. Part of an “artist bike” series, production of which was coordinated by Jamie O’Shea of Supertouch (an art and culture blog), the latest bikes are especially eye-catching.

Weeks of hype and anticipation culminate Saturday as the centennial celebration of cycling’s most colorful and emotional race finally clicks into gear. The Giro d’Italia is celebrating its 100th birthday with all the raw emotion, intense passion and hard-edged racing that makes the Italian grand tour one of the season’s highlights. Stepping center-stage with aplomb is Lance Armstrong, back in his first grand tour since winning the 2005 Tour de France.

Mavic’s TraComp carbon-spoke system, in which the spoke works in both traction and compression, has had a somewhat rocky beginning. A recall this year of all R-Sys front wheels was a black eye for Mavic, a company that has always prided itself on the reliability of its wheels.

In 2007, when Team Bissell’s Ben Jacques-Maynes raced to a fifth place finish at the Joe Martin Stage Race’s uphill, 2 1/2-mile time trial, he said time trial bikes were the norm. “This year I show up and everyone’s on road bikes with light wheels,” Jacques-Maynes said. “I know my time trial bike is light and I can get it up a hill just fine. There’s a half mile of flat road before the climb starts, and being in your time trial position for that section can be the one-second between winning and losing.”

Kazakhstan's Alexandre Vinokourov has said he wants to launch a comeback later this year after competing a two-year suspension for a doping offense. "I do not want to end my career on such a sour note. It's time to announce my return to action," the 35-year-old told L'Equipe sports daily. Vinokourov was kicked out of the 2007 Tour de France after being found guilty of blood doping and he was also hit with a two-year suspension from competition. That suspension will come to an end on July 23 leaving him free to find a team.

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In an eleventh-hour deal, Universal Sports secured rights to the Giro d’Italia and will be airing live, start-to-finish coverage of each stage of the 2009 race. Fans in America will be able to watch complete daily coverage live online at universalsports.com and a taped, same-day show on cable, if Universal’s station is available in their region. After months of negotiations seemed to fall apart between RCS Sport — the Giro’s parent company — and Universal Sports executive producer David Michaels, a deal was completed Thursday morning.

VeloNews reporter Fred Dreier’s three-week stretch of European race coverage was marred by the theft of his shoulder bag, including a camera and computer. However, he managed to score a steal of his own while in Houffalize, Belgium, for the third round of the UCI mountain bike World Cup. He made it home this week with very interesting shots of new SRAM mountain bike parts.

Cross-country riders aren’t the only mountain bike racers with a weight obsession. The World Cup gravity crew has been working on trimming grams, too, and that’s a big issue when you have a bike like Yeti’s 303DH, which excels in just about every aspect … except for that hefty number of grams that might be trimmed.

A spokesman for Lance Armstrong says he and his team will start the Giro d'Italia this weekend wearing Astana uniforms, despite ongoing financial difficulties at the team. Armstrong's spokesman Mark Higgins told VeloNews one thing is certain: "It will be Astana colors for the Giro when it starts on Saturday."

The UCI on Thursday confirmed that Katusha rider Christian Pfannberger has been provisionally suspended after failing an out-of-competition test for Recombinant Erythropoietin (EPO). The Austrian rider tested positive for EPO in an out-of-competition test on March 19 and analysis was conducted at the WADA-accredited laboratory in Seibersdorf, Austria, the UCI reported.

Of all the major players, Carlos Sastre has been the quietest so far through the 2009 season. While riders such as Alberto Contador or Andy Schleck have notched impressive victories, the defending Tour de France champion has been in an early-season hibernation. Sastre insists that he’s fully awoken from his spring slumber and vows to come to life in the three-week Giro d’Italia, starting Saturday in Venice.

Born in the shadow of the Brickyard, Zipp Speed Weaponry has a history like no other company in cycling. Headquartered within sight of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Zipp design, production and testing facility is deeply rooted in both motor sports and bicycle racing. Folded into the carbon laminate of every part that leaves the factory is knowledge gained from years of trial, error and wind tunnel testing.

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After four years of racing in February, the 2010 Amgen Tour of California will be held May 16-23, during the same time slot as the Giro d’Italia. America’s biggest stage race will move from its winter dates into the spring, taking dates on the UCI calendar occupied this year by the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya ProTour event.

Rising star Catharine Pendrel of team Luna Chix was a slim 14 seconds short of winning the Houffalize World Cup on Sunday. The featherweight Canadian had a breakout season two years ago and continues in her bid to become the top North American female mountain bike racer. Although Team Luna Chix is taking a more selective approach to the 2009 World Cup series, she’ll still have plenty of opportunity to thrive.

Caisse d’Epargne’s Alejandro Valverde announced on Wednesday that he intends to file a lawsuit against Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) anti-doping prosecutor Ettore Torri. "Mr Torri acts, in a repeatedly obstinate manner, with total disregard for the Spanish legal authorities, refusing to submit to the decision of the Madrid judge that forbids CONI from using criminal evidence against athletes," Valverde said in a statement.

French rider Jimmy Engoulvent gave his small Besson-Sojasol squad another big win in the second stage at the Four Days of Dunkirk on Wednesday. Engoulvent out-kicked the pack in the 178.9km stage to claim victory. André Greipel – the big German sprinter who is back to racing action for the first time since breaking his leg at the Tour Down Under back in January – finished second in the stage to take the leader’s jersey. Greipel moves ahead of second-place Sebastian Chavanel (FDJeux) with Stephen De Jongh (Quick Step).

The Russian-sponsored Katusha team has suspended Austrian rider Christian Pfannberger following a non-negative doping control, the team reported Wednesday. According to Katusha officials, Pfannberger gave a non-negative result in a surprise, out-of-competition control at his home on March 19. There was no indication of what type of product might be involved.

Defending Giro d’Italia champion Alberto Contador will be watching this year’s corsa rosa on TV. That’s just fine for Contador, who has bet everything on winning the Tour de France. “I’m going to be able to enjoy it from home, even though good memories from last year will make me feel a little nostalgic. This year my objective is the Tour. There’ll be a time for going back to Italy,” Contador explained in a press note. “It’ll be a lovely Giro, with lots of very good riders fighting for victory. It’ll be quite interesting for the spectator.”

Garmin-Slipstream’s Giro d’Italia starts upside down, with the team’s most important stage coming on day 1 and everything else after that being a bonus in the three-week Italian grand tour starting Saturday. With that in mind, the American team lines up with a loaded squad that should bring more firepower in the team’s quest to defend its title in the team time trial in the opening stage in Venice.

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Hood River, Ore., May 5, 2009 – This year’s Mt. Hood Cycling Classic is excited to announce that Pacific Power, one of the West’s leading electric utilities serving approximately 1.7 million customers in six western states, has signed on as the race’s Title Sponsor for 2009. With hard times falling on many American races, Pacific Power’s commitment is a sign of the strength and viability of one the toughest stage races in the U.S.

You’re likely to see lots of Felt bikes in the coming days, especially with the Garmin-Slipstream team at this week’s start of the Giro d’Italia. Rest assured, however, none of them will racing this new bike from Felt. We caught a glimpse of this prototype mountain bike last month. It’s a new full suspension cross-country machine that Felt makes for sponsored racers.

Dutch rider Kenny van Hummel out kicked the pack to win the 186.5km opening stage at the Four Days of Dunkirk on Tuesday in northern France. The Skil-Shimano sprinter came through ahead of Sebastian Chavanel (FDJeux) and Belgian Steven de Jongh (Quick Step). The victory comes as Van Hummel is posting a string of promising results. He notched three second places in April before notching his first win in 2009 at the Ronde Van Overijssel on Saturday. The 55th Four Days of Dunkirk continues Wednesday with the second stage from Coudekerque-Branche to Arques.

Filippo Simeoni thought winning the Italian national championship last year would help him salvage the final years of his career. He was wrong. The prestigious tricolore jersey didn’t help him find a ride with a larger, better-funded team and Simeoni was forced to stay with bottom-rung Ceramica Flaminia during 2009. At least he was holding out hope on wearing the distinctive Italian jersey during the Giro d’Italia. But those dreams were dashed when race organizers overlooked Simeoni’s modest squad when handing out wild-card invitations.

After strong performances in 2008, Joaquim Rodríguez has finally earned the confidence of his team and rolls into the Giro d’Italia as team leader for Caisse d’Epargne. With four Giros under his belt, including 17th last year, he will carry the Caisse d’Epargne hopes into the season’s first grand tour. “I hope to be up front in the GC and win a stage,” Rodríguez said. “That’s my objective, but in the Giro, the most important thing is to do well and enjoy being on the bike last year.”

The Italian L.P.R. Brakes team appears to have its bases covered for the upcoming Giro d’Italia. The team will boast the firepower of Alessandro Petacchi in the sprint stages and then work for 2007 champion Danilo Di Luca for the overall title. Sprint ace Petacchi will be back in his first grand tour since the 2007 Vuelta a España following his controversial ban for high levels of the asthma medication Salbutamol. A winner of 19 Giro stages, Petacchi will also take aim for the points jersey.

The Astana cycling team on Tuesday named an international line-up to support Americans Lance Armstrong and Levi Leipheimer in the Giro d’Italia, which starts in Venice on Saturday. Six nations are represented in the group containing Leipheimer and seven-time Tour de France champion Armstrong, who has returned to the sport this season after retiring in 2005. Leipheimer and Armstrong took first and second place in last week's Tour of the Gila in New Mexico, where they competed alongside compatriot Chris Horner.

With the season’s first grand tour clicking into gear this weekend, there’s not a lot on the international calendar this week. Stage races in France and Poland are the main highlights, along with the fifth leg of the women’s World Cup this weekend in Switzerland. Otherwise, all eyes will be on the buildup for the Giro d’Italia, starting Saturday in Venice. Tuesday to Sunday

Dear Readers,
I’m in the Denver airport about to fly to Italy for the Giro d’Italia. I have enjoyed a lot of the feedback from a few recent columns, and I thought you might as well. Next time you hear from me will be from the Giro, so look for some cool bikes for the team time trial soon.
Lennard

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Check out CyclingTips's author page.

Price: $200 Sizes: 39 to 48 Colors: White/blue, white/black, and red/silver Web site: www.northwave.com Northwave introduces the Aerlite 3 road shoe, an evolution of the Aerator concept. As one of Northwave's top-shelf cycling shoes, the Aerlite 3 is designed for comfortable lightweight performance.

Colavita-Sutter Home teammates Kyle Wamsley and Tina Pic both needed the finish-line camera to confirm their respective victories in Sunday's Global BMW Sandy Springs Criterium in Sandy Springs, Georgia. The photo finish in the men's USA CRITS Speed Week finale gave Wamsley the edge over Ken Hanson (Team Type 1) and Andrew Pinfold (OUCH-Maxxis), while Pic took the win from Kori Seehafer (Team Type 1) and Brooke Miller (Team Tibco). It was so close at the line that a weary Wamsley didn’t even realize he had won until announcer Chad Andrews congratulated him on the victory.

Mark Cavendish, the only member of Britain's successful track cycling team to fail to win a medal at the Beijing Olympics, has hit out at the nation's obsession with the Games. Cavendish went to Beijing as the Madison world champion alongside Bradley Wiggins, but the duo's competitions earlier in the year left them weary and they finished ninth. The 23-year-old from the Isle of Man had won four Tour de France stages in July, while Wiggins had already won golds in the individual pursuit and team pursuit by the time he competed in the Madison.

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Fly V's Phil Zajicek won Sunday's Gila Monster stage of the SRAM Tour of the Gila, outsprinting Mellow Johnny's teammates Lance Armstrong and Levi Leipheimer in the final, technical meters of the 106-mile stage. Zajicek, who has won several stages at the Gila in prior years, said the win Sunday was the biggest of his career. "Because I beat Lance and Levi," he happily told VeloNews at the finish. Leipheimer secured his overall win, while Armstrong moved up to second and Zajicek moved into third on the final GC standings.

Czech rider Roman Kreuziger (Liquigas) won the Tour of Romandie after the fifth and final stage which was won by three-time world champion Oscar Freire in Geneva on Sunday. Freire scored his second win in the Swiss stage race in bunch sprint for his Rabobank team holding off the threat of promising young American Tyler Farrar of the Garmin team. Kreuziger, an up-and-coming stage race specialist who is only 23 years old, won the Tour of Switzerland last year having finished runner-up in the 2008 edition of the Tour of Romandie.

French champion Jeannie Longo, won France’s Trophée des Grimpeurs (the Climbers' Trophy) in Argenteuil for the fifth time in her career on Sunday. The 50-year-old from Grenoble finished alone, 53 seconds ahead of teammate Edwige Pitel. Longo won the event 2001, 2004, 2007 and 2008, a record made all the more impressive given that the Trophée des Grimpeurs, part of the Coupe de France, didn’t include a womens event until 2000.

Moving one step up on the winner’s podium from his place in 2008, Karl Menzies of the OUCH Pro Cycling Team beat out Colavita-Sutter Home speedster Kyle Wamsley to win the 2009 installment of the Sunny King Criterium in Anniston, Alabama Saturday. “This is a great town (to race in).” Menzies said after his win. “I finished second here last year to Hilton Clarke, and I didn’t want to finish second here again.” Despite early bouts of heavy showers, the weather was once again ideal for racing by the time the pro squads took to the 1.1 km course.

Citing a lack of financial support due “extremely challenging economic times,” organizers of the inaugural Tour de New York have cancelled the event for this year. Tour de New York Executive Director, Scott Page, said that despite solid support from the City of Rochester, the race did not have enough money to “produce the world-class event” organizers had hoped for.

Levi Leipheimer's Tour of the Gila almost went sideways just six corners from the end of Saturday's Downtown Silver City crit, when the race leader rolled a tire while dodging a crash. Leipheimer finished on teammate Chris Horner's bike and retained his lead.

VeloNews, along with two other reporters, sat down with Chris Horner, Levi Leipheimer and Lance Armstrong Saturday morning at the house where they're bunked, up in the hills outside of Silver City, New Mexico.

Roman Kreuziger (Liquigas) won the 157.5km “Queen stage” of the Tour de Romandie, between Estavayer-le-Lac and Sainte-Croix, and took over the leader’s jersey for his efforts. Kreuziger, who outsprinted Estonian Rein Taaramae (Cofidis), and seven seconds ahead of Russian Vladimir Karpets (Katusha), who now sits second overall. Kreuziger emerged at the front of the field after a long day that whittled the peloton down to just 35 or 40 riders.

With about 20 kilometers remaining in the Grand Prix Hoboken, the course narrowed and the smooth pavement gave way to cobblestones. The jarring straightaway suddenly bent into an abrupt 150-degree turn. Adding insult (and injury), three sets of railroad tracks crisscrossed the tight turn creating a maniacal web of steel ruts, cracked cobbles and skinny tires.

Following an exciting Stage 4 victory that earned him the yellow jersey, Rock Racing’s Francisco Mancebo held on in Saturday’s fifth and final stage of the 53rd Vuelta a Asturias to claim a GC win in his home country of Spain. In Friday’s stage from Cafes Toscaf to El Acebo, Mancebo crushed three category one climbs and a mountain-top finish to move him from eighth place into the race lead. He placed fifth in today’s 178 km stage from Cangas de Narcea to Oviedo and was still a comfortable 24 seconds ahead of his closest challenger, Tiago Machado of Madeinox Boavista.