Road

Defending champion Damiano Cunego is among the favourites going into Sunday's Amstel Gold Race, the only spring classic which takes place in the Netherlands. The 258.6km road race leads from Maastricht to Valkenburg in the hilly Limburg region in the south of the country, near the borders with Belgium and Germany. It features 31 torturous climbs, culminating in a 1000m ascent of the notorious Cauberg, and makes a grim mockery of the Netherlands' reputation as a flat country.

Price: $200 Web site: www.thuleracks.com The Thule 515 Prologue Pack is a new all inclusive bike rack system. The Prologue pack includes two Prologue fork mounts with locks and an extended ride-on adapter bar to fit factory car racks.

Cervélo TestTeam has been the surprise of the 2009 spring classics. The new squad has been racking up impressive results, including podiums in the opening three classics with Thor Hushovd (third at Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix) and the sensational Heinrich Haussler (second at Milan-San Remo and Flanders). That trend continued this week with Dominique Rollin notching his first European podium with third at the Belgian semi-classic Scheldeprijs on Wednesday.

San Luis Obispo, California, 17th April 2009 - Columbia-Highroad is heading to the Amstel Gold Race in Holland on Sunday with no clear leader but with some key riders clearly approaching top condition for the Ardennes Classics. “I wouldn’t say my form is fantastic, but my winning a stage in the Tour of the Basque Country last week is a very encouraging sign all the same,” says Italian Marco Pinotti. “Amstel isn’t a race which suits me 100 percent, but we’ve got a very well-balanced squad and hopefully I’ll be able to do something to support the team’s overall effort.”

American national road champion Tyler Hamilton announced his retirement from cycling on Friday after confirming that he tested positive for a banned substance in an herbal supplement he used to treat depression. The 38-year-old Hamilton confirmed that he had tested positive for Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) a multi-functional steroid he said was in an herbal remedy he took after he had stopped using prescription anti-depressants. Hamilton said his depression was initially diagnosed in 2003, a year that on the surface “was the best year of my life.”

Sunday’s menu calls for beer and bergs in southern Holland as the top riders in the world tackle the Amstel Gold Race, the hilly classic named for its sudsy title sponsor. This marks the 44th running of Amstel, which, along with Belgium’s Fleche-Wallonne (April 22) and Liege-Bastogne-Liege (April 26), comprises the Ardennes week of racing. But while Belgium has already enjoyed a full week of Classics, the Netherlands has not. It’s no surprise that beer swilling Dutch cycling fans arrive en masse to watch their country’s premier cycling event.

Carlos Barredo will have some big shoes to fill as Quick Step enters the Ardennes classics without the dominating presence of Paolo Bettini. Quick Step has grown accustomed to dominating the spring classics, first with Tom Boonen and Stijn Devolder on the cobbles and then with Bettini in the hilly classics such as Amstel Gold Race and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. With Bettini enjoying retirement, Quick Step is looking to the 27-year-old Barredo to step up and carry the team colors across the Ardennes.

What does a prototype Ford F-150 SVT Raptor off-road truck have in common with Adam Craig’s Giant Anthem X Advanced SL? Aside from race-tuned motors, onboard navigation systems, and hydraulic brakes, they both share suspension technology from FOX Racing Shox.

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When you come to Sea Otter with a sharp eye, you’ll bound see all sorts of cool stuff, whether it’s new team equipment or an in-the-works prototype. We saw wheels from Easton, a new bike from legend John Tomac and some natural wax lube designed by a MIT grad student — among other things.

The range of bikes and components on display at a typical Sea Otter Classic never fails to impress, and this 2009 edition is no exception. Although oriented more toward mountain riders than road, the products on display cross all categories. Here is the first sampling of goodies from the infield of Laguna Seca, as component and bike brands roll out the red carpet for riders, spectators and media. Ritchey

Three-time Amgen Tour of California champion Levi Leipheimer will contest the road and circuit races this Friday and Saturday at the Sea Otter Classic, event officials confirmed Thursday night. Leipheimer lives in Santa Rosa, California, 170 miles from Sea Otter’s home at Laguna Seca Raceway near Monterey. Leipheimer has raced Sea Otter before. In 2006 when riding for Gerolsteiner, the Montana native played a decisive role as a one-man team in the circuit race on the 2.6-mile loop. That year Jelly Belly’s Matty Rice took the win ahead of Health Net’s Karl Menzies.

Team Bissell steamrolled the Sea Otter Classic criterium Thursday, attacking the field en masse until they had three men clear. Morgan Schmitt was given the win after riding essentially a three-man team time trial with Ben Jacques-Maynes and Kirk O’Bee. With the field split into two groups behind them on an out-and-back course, Bissell’s three leaders decided the podium on the road. Jacques-Maynes, one of Bissell’s marquee riders who has already found success this year, let Schmitt know who got the top step.

Buried deep in a press release from the Cyclistes Professionnel Asociés released on Thursday was a rather troubling statistic. According to the CPA, there are a total of 866 riders registered with the UCI for the 2009 season. That total marks a drop of 21 percent in respect to 2008 and a 29 percent drop from 2007. The group said that a total of 476 riders were registered with 18 ProTour teams and another 390 riders with continental teams.

It’s official: Lance Armstrong will be in Venice next month to race the 2009 Giro d’Italia. "The recovery is going well and the plan is to be at the Giro," Armstrong spokesman Mark Higgins told VeloNews. Several Italian media outlets reported that Armstrong confirmed to race officials Thursday that he will be at the May 9 start of the centenary Giro.   Both La Gazzetta dello Sport and Tutto Bici reported that Giro race director Angelo Zomegnan received official confirmation from Armstrong on Thursday.  

Price: $750 to $3,350 Weight: Rim 195 grams Sizes: 606 effective rim diameter Web site: www.edgecomposites.com When it comes to weight, Edge Composites wants nothing to do with it for the new 25 Tubular wheelset, the company's premium climbing wheelset, with a low aero 24mm profile.

It’s a format not commonly seen in American races, but team managers preparing for this weekend’s Tour of the Battenkill say their teams are ready for the one-day race’s combination of dirt and paved roads and steep climbs.

There’s just no slowing down Jimmy Casper.   The French sprinter from Besson-Sojasun bolted to his second win this week after sprinting to victory in the 50th GP de Denain in France on Thursday. Casper also won Paris-Camembert on Tuesday.   Casper, a winner here in 2005 and 2006, covered the 202.7km course, which included a 15.2km circuit completed five times, in 4:40:18.  

Steven Cozza had a front-row seat for his debut at Paris-Roubaix on Sunday.   The 24-year-old bolted into the day’s main breakaway and then led the move across the famous Arenberg cobblestone section. Luckily, he wasn’t seriously injured in a late-race crash on a slick corner and was able to finish the race.   Things didn’t go as expected for the Garmin-Slipstream crew, who were quietly optimistic Martijn Maaskant would reach the final, top-three podium.  

Australian cyclist Robbie McEwen revealed on Thursday that he suffered concussion but did not fracture any ribs after falling in the McEwen gets a concussion, but no broken bones in the Scheldeprijs pile-up in Schoten, Belgium. "I have concussion, but my ribs, my collarbone and my pelvis are all intact," he told the Web site of Belgian television station Sporza. The Katusha rider landed heavily after coming off his bike in the closing stages of Wednesday's race and initially expressed fears that he had broken some ribs.

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Check out CyclingTips's author page.

Australia's Robbie McEwen and Belgium's Tom Boonen may have suffered fractures after both fell during the closing stages of the Scheldeprijs in Belgium on Wednesday. McEwen landed heavily on his right shoulder and seemed to be more seriously injured, according to Belgian TV station VRT. The Australian complained of pain in his head, his neck, his chest and his legs and said he could have concussion, broken ribs and a punctured lung. He was due to undergo medical examination later Wednesday.

Alessandro Petacchi (LPR) avoided a massive pileup in the closing meters of the bunch sprint to win Scheldeprijs on Wednesday in Belgium. Canadian Dominque Rollin (Cervélo TestTeam) steered clear of the mayhem to earn his first European podium with third place while Tony Cruz bolted to fourth in strong showing by BMC Racing that also saw Jeff Louder work into the day’s main breakaway. Louder joined a 14-man breakaway early in the race and was only caught in the closing 10km.

Dear Lennard, I saw the Prestaflator tool showed on VeloNews.com. Looks cool, but what kind of compressor is reasonable and affordable for road tires?  I have looked at compressors in the past and I generally only find industrial-like ones for nail guns, etc.  Is there an affordable one just for low volume higher pressure road tires? Samuel Dear Samuel,

Like many professional racers, Tony Cruz (BMC Racing) has a love-hate relationship with Paris-Roubaix. With Cruz, it’s mostly a love thing with the pavé, the history and the drama of the race, but he hates it that his dreams have been torpedoed by bad luck. Despite starting with high hopes in the team’s Paris-Roubaix debut, mechanical difficulties foiled Cruz’s ambitions Sunday and he was unable to reach the velodrome in what was his sixth Roubaix start of his career.

Tom Boonen is holding off his vacation for another few days.   The recently crowned Paris-Roubaix champion will line up Wednesday for 97th Scheldeprijs Vlaanderen before heading to the beach.   The Quick Step captain will be going for his third crown in the mid-week semi-classic, considered the final chapter for riders specializing in the northern classics before putting an end to their early season racing schedule.[nid:90514]  

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Price: $300 Web site: www.thecompetitiveedge.com New from Tanita, makers of precision scales and body composition monitors, the BC-558 Ironman InnerScan Body Composition Monitor. What sets the BC-558 apart from other body composition scales is its ability to measure the composition of each body segment — trunk, right arm, left arm, right leg, and left leg.

The Sea Otter Classic, which runs this Thursday through Sunday, is now in its 19th year. From humble origins in 1991, when just 450 attendees populated the event, to 2008, when almost 10,000 participants and 50,000 spectators packed the venue for the four-day festival, Sea Otter has become a fixture on the spring calendar.

Team Type 1's Alison Powers is the first leader of the 2009 Women’s Prestige Cycling Series, a points series. Powers earned the title thanks to a consistent strong performance at the Redlands Bicycle Classic, the traditional series opener. The series includes four events and only riders on teams who register with the series are eligible. So, for example, Team Columbia-Highroad's Ina Yoko Teutenberg won Redlands, but does not appear in the series points rankings because her team is not signed up with the series.

A few days after Boonen's victory, the photos are still rolling in from Paris-Roubaix. Despite this year's mostly dry conditions, teams were ready with bikes for all conditions. Padded bar tape, oversized tubular tires, box section aluminum rims, and closely matched front chainrings were virtually standard equipment. Other teams took things a step further, using cyclocross bikes, cantilever brakes, bar-top brake levers, and in some cases, custom hybrid road/cyclocross frames. Reporter Andrew Hood and photographer Graham Watson captured a few photos of team bikes just prior to the race.

Oft-injured Óscar Freire will be a surprise starter at this weekend’s Amstel Gold Race, something that will make title sponsor Rabobank happy.   The three-time world champion is still on the comeback trail from his crash at February’s Tour of California that left him with two broken ribs and kept him out of Milan-San Remo.   Freire made it through the demanding Vuelta al País Vasco last week and Rabobank team officials confirmed Tuesday that Freire will ride at Amstel.  

It’s time for pedal-bashers like Tom Boonen and Stijn Devolder to head to the beach.   For anyone with some gas left in the tank, there’s still some unfinished business at Sheldeprijs, typically the final sendoff for riders like Boonen before they take a break ahead of new goals later this season.   After that, the whippet-thin climbers and hilly course specialists step center stage to dominate headlines for the hilly classics of eastern Belgium and southern Holland through the end of April.  

The Quick Step team will line up at the 2009 Tour of Missouri, the race announced Tuesday. The team, currently leading the UCI word rankings, will join Astana, Cervelo TestTeam, Columbia-Highroad, Garmin-Slipstream, Liquigas and others at the event now in its third year. “It is a big win for Missouri that the world No. 1 ranked team has chosen to participate in one of the world’s top bike races,” Missouri Lt. Governor Peter Kinder said in a statement. Rosters for the Sept. 7-13 event will be announced this summer.

The U.S. Open of Cycling, scheduled for May 16, in Rhode Island, has been canceled, the event's promoter announced Tuesday. The event was first run in April of 2007 as the U.S. Open Cycling Championships, starting in Williamsburg, Virginia and ending in Richmond. "Unfortunately, we have not been able to secure the sponsorship needed to run the US Open of Cycling this year and are canceling the event," said Richard Durishin, Executive Director of the U.S. Open Cycling Foundation said.

Frenchman Jimmy Casper, riding for Besson-Sojasun, won the 202km Paris-Camembert semi-classic on Tuesday, fending off compatriot Romain Feillu (Agritubel) and Russia's Alexandre Efimkin (AG2R) in a sprint finish. "It's not normally a course for sprinters, so I'll savor it all the more," said Casper. "Conditions were ideal for me. We let the others go for it and then we worked on two kilometers — the last two kilometers. I thought for a moment in the sprint all was lost but then I saw an opening. It's a surprise win."

Kristin Armstrong is famous for both her success in bicycle racing, and the “type-A” attention to detail that keeps her climbing the podium at critical races every season. After a dropped chain in 2006 nearly cost her a gold medal at the world time trial championships, she resolved to never let the same mechanical malady derail another performance. She used a custom machined aluminum chain catcher in Beijing to help win gold. Now, after demand from both ProTour team mechanics and the public, a new K-Edge Chain Catcher has been refined for retail sale.

Swedish rider Emma Johansson (Red Sun) dashed to victory Monday in the Tour de Drenthe in Holland to take the third round of the 10-leg World Cup series. Johansson was the fastest out of a group of six riders that escaped in the 138km course. She ruined chances for a hometown victory, out-kicking Dutch riders Loes Gunnewijk and Chantal Black, second and third, respectively. Germany’s Ina Teutenberg led the main pack across the line to take seventh at seven seconds back.

Junior national team member Adam Leibovitz finished third overall in a very tight race at the Ster Van Zuid-Limburg stage race in Belgium on Monday, after leading the race through the weekend. Leibovitz won Friday's prologue, and held the overall lead through road stages on Saturday and Sunday, entering the final stage on Monday with a one-second lead over Belgium's Jonathan Breyne. On Monday, Leibovitz, from Indianapolis, finished in the pack at 66th, 22 seconds behind a six-rider breakaway.

Germany's Heinrich Haussler may have had a frustrating season so far at the major events, with second places at Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders, but he is on the top rung at one race: the UCI individual points rankings. Haussler's recent consistency has moved him into first place in the rankings, up from second place behind Allan Davis the last time the points were tallied. Meanwhile, Alberto Contador's win at the Tour of the Basque Country has vaulted him from 13th to second in the rankings.

A year after winning the race on his first visit, Spanish rider Alejandro Valverde will once again be in Normandy on Tuesday to get his teeth into the Paris-Camembert, even as he awaits the outcome of a doping investigation into him in Italy. Two weeks ago, the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) anti-doping prosecutor demanded a two-year ban for Valverde, embroiled in a Spanish blood doping probe. In March, Valverde, nicknamed The Green Bullet, told an Italian anti-doping hearing he had not done anything wrong and was not in any way mixed up in Spain's Operation Puerto scandal.

Price: $40 Web site: www.prestaflator.com

Price: $1,700 Sizes: Four sizes Web site: www.litespeed.com Litespeed is re-releasing its titanium Pisgah mountain bike frame. Features on the new Pisgah include the RDS dropout system for quick conversion to singlespeed dropouts, new geometry showcasing an oversized tube set, asymmetric chain stays for maximum drivetrain stiffness, power transfer and tire clearance.[nid:90491]

Price: $60 Weight: 180 to 200 grams Sizes: 650 x 23 and 700 x 19, 23, and 25 Colors: Black Web site: www.bontrager.com The folks over at Bontrager are more than excited about their newest performance tire, the Race X Lite Aero TT tire. After testing this new tire they have concluded that it is the fastest tire on the market. Bontrager believes that the new Race X Lite Aero TT tire will shave seconds off of your time trial.

China's Jin Long made history for his country here on Sunday by competing in arguably the world's toughest one-day classic bike race, the prestigious Paris-Roubaix. Unfortunately for Jin, his pre-race fears of not being able to negotiate the 27 sections of bone-shaking cobblestones peppered throughout the northern French epic came true as he failed to make it to the 100km mark. As a result, Jin did not make it to the finish line in Roubaix's famous outdoor velodrome where Belgian star Tom Boonen triumphed to join the elite club of three-time winners.

Sixteen people were injured, three of them seriously, when a race organizers’ motorbike struck a crowd of spectators during Paris-Roubaix on Sunday. Fire and rescue officials from Lille said 15 victims had to be evacuated, including three in serious condition, including a 4-year-old child. Colonel Bruno Moulart, commander of emergency intervention, said the injured were members of the same family, adding that he did not believe any lives were at risk. The victims were being transported to hospitals in Lille and Valenciennes, according to police.

Defending champion Tom Boonen soloed to victory in a dusty, crash-filled Paris-Roubaix on Sunday as Quick Step, Cervélo TestTeam and Silence-Lotto slugged it out toe to toe over the cobblestone trophy awarded to the victor in the Hell of the North.?? "The race was very hard," said the big Belgian after collecting his third win here, following triumphs in 2005 and 2008. Praising runner-up Filippo Pozzato (Katusha), he added: "This victory for me is the most beautiful because I beat Pozzato, who is a great champion."

Editor's Note: Will Frischkorn is a pro with the Garmin-Slipstream team. He is participating in Paris-Roubaix on Sunday. You can read his previous VeloNews.com columns here.

Fresh from retiring from one of the peloton’s most prolific careers, Erik Zabel is still busy at the races. These days he's working with the young riders at Columbia-Highroad. Mark Cavendish won Milan-San Remo after consulting with Zabel. "That was just amazing," Zabel said of Cavendish's closing sprint, and now the German veteran is officially working with several of the young riders on Columbia. "I'm an advisor for the young riders’ development for the Highroad team," Zabel said at the Tour of Flanders.

The following rosters were provided by ASO, organizers of Paris-Roubaix and updated as of Saturday, April 11.

Quick Step

Saxo Bank

Astana's Alberto Contador won the Tour of the Basque Country on Saturday, after clinching the sixth and final stage, a 24km time trial around the town of Zalla. It was the second straight Tour of the Basque Country title win for the defending Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España champion. "It's incredible how I continue to progress in my time trial work," said Contador, who took part in the event as part of his preparations for the Tour de France.

Only a few riders are capable of winning Sunday’s 107th edition of Paris-Roubaix, and the number of favorites gets even smaller when you consider the strength of their teams. Given that premise, the winner should come from the Columbia-Highroad, Quick Step, Rabobank or Saxo Bank teams. And that means that George Hincapie, Tom Boonen, Stijn Devolder, Juan Antonio Flecha or Fabian Cancellara will be on the top step of the podium in the Roubaix velodrome Sunday evening.

The 259 kilometers between Compiègne and Roubaix are largely flat, but the Hell of the North has never been distinguished by climbs. What sets the so-called Queen of the Classics apart are the 52.9 kilometers of pavé, the often rough cobbles dating back as many as 200 years and carefully maintained by fans, promoters and local governments in northern France.

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Lance Armstrong said Friday that French anti-doping authorities have been working to prevent him from racing in this year’s Tour de France. Armstrong, who says he has submitted to 24 drug tests since his return to professional racing in September, said the French anti-doping body (AFLD) appears poised to keep him from riding the race he won seven times between 1999 and 2005.

Sean Kelly once said that “a Paris-Roubaix without rain is not a true Paris-Roubaix.” Although now reporting from the sidelines, the two-time winner of the Hell of the North may get at least some satisfaction on Sunday as forecasts call for a 30-percent chance of scattered showers throughout the day when riders embark on the 259.5-kilometer (161 miles) route from Compiègne to the northern French city of Roubaix.

Fueling up once the alarm sounds is critical.

A day after Michael Albasini won after a long breakaway, Marco Pinotti delivered Columbia-Highroad’s second straight stage victory at the Vuelta al País Vasco on Friday. The veteran Italian put his strong time trialing skills to good use in a late attack and then held off a late charge from Vicenzo Nibali (Liquigas) to win a cold and rainy fifth stage from Gueñes to Zalla.

Johan Bruyneel vigorously defended Lance Armstrong against accusations by French authorities that the seven-time Tour de France champion may have run afoul with anti-doping rules during an out-of-competition test last month in southern France. The Astana general manager, who arrived at the Vuelta al País Vasco on Thursday evening, told the Spanish sports daily MARCA that Armstrong did nothing wrong and insisted that the French have it out for Armstrong.

Chris Horner (Astana) jumped on a plane Friday to return to the United States, but he’s hopeful he’ll be on another flight back to Europe in time to start the Giro d’Italia. Horner, 37, survived a harrowing crash in Thursday’s fourth stage at the Vuelta al País Vasco when he went sliding under a steel guard-rail and escaped without serious injury. Initial X-rays taken Thursday evening at a Spanish hospital did not reveal any broken bones, but the veteran American will undergo more examinations upon his return to the U.S.

The Italian cycling community is big on traditions, and the Giro d’Italia organizer’s choice to repeat one of the most famous stages in the event’s 100-year history was greeted with enthusiasm when it was announced in the winter. At 254-kilometer, stage 10 from Cuneo to Pinerolo through the high Alps was identical to the one in 1949, when campionissimo Fausto Coppi destroyed the opposition with a massive 200km-plus solo breakaway that saw him finish almost 12 minutes ahead of the runner-up, his national rival Gino Bartali, and more than 19 minutes ahead of the rest.

Andrew Bajadali secured the final overall win of the Tour of Thailand Thursday, after his Kelly Benefit Strategies team controlled the action for much of the final stage, a 76km circuit race in Udon Thani. Kelly's wrapped up the race with Jake Erker in fourth overall, Zach Bell sixth and Dan Bowman seventh. The team also won the team classification and finished second on points.

The product development offices Crankbrothers comfortably fill a medium-sized building three blocks from the water in downtown Laguna Beach, California. Step out the front door and you are presented two choices: Turn right to surf or left and take a short spin to rough trails that require a healthy dose of bike handling skill to negotiate. The area is the stomping ground of the Laguna Rads, a long-established group of mountain bike riders, many of whom were instrumental in shaping the sport in its early days.

As the Paris-Roubaix weekend draws near, several teams have announced plans to use special edition frames in the legendary race. German brand Canyon Bicycles, sponsor of Silence-Lotto, has created a “Pavé” version of its Ultimate AL frameset for the team to use. And thanks to a wild-card invitation, the BMC racing team will take the start in Compeigne, with four riders piloting a new carbon-aluminum SLX model, instead of the standard ProMachine SLC01 carbon model.

Silence-Lotto's special edition from Canyon Bicycles

Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Slipstream) finished third in the 161km fourth stage at the Vuelta al País Vasco in Spain, joining a successful, three-man breakaway on Thursday. Michael Albasini (Columbia-Highroad) kicked to victory, with Jurgen Van den Broucke (Silence-Lotto) coming through second and Vande Velde slotting into third after an all-day break in a hilly, seven-climb stage in Spain’s Basque Country.

Edvald Boasson Hagen. His name doesn’t exactly roll off your tongue, but it’s a name you’d better remember because the young Norwegian is only 21 and he has just won his first spring classic. Ghent-Wevelgem may not be the biggest of the classics, and a lot of young riders have won it and not gone on to bigger and better results. But it seems that Boasson Hagen is a little different, a little more special.

Antonio Colom is one of those Spanish riders well known and respected within the peloton, but perhaps not so famous beyond the Pyrénées. A solid climber and consistent performer in week-long stage races, Colom should be called “Mr. Spring,” for his consistent performances in early season races such as Paris-Nice, Ruta del Sol and the Mallorca Challenge. Colom, who turns 31 next month, is in his 10th season as a professional. After a few years on smaller Spanish teams, he joined the Banesto team in 2004 for three seasons before two years with Astana.

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Check out CyclingTips's author page.

Kelly Benefit Strategies was arguably the most prominent domestic squad to be denied an invitation to February's Tour of California, but the scrappy team has refocused its season and is currently on a tear, dominating stage races on two continents. At the Tour of Thailand, Kelly's Andrew Bajadali took over the GC lead Wednesday, taking the leader's jersey off the shoulders of teammate Jake Erker, who had led the race all week. With one stage left in Thailand, Kelly leads the team GC and has four riders in the top five on GC.

Agritubel's David Le Lay took a narrow lead in the Circuit de la Sarthe stage race in France on Wednesday, after winning the morning's 94km road race and then finishing 10 seconds off the pace, in 14th place, in the afternoon's 6k individual time trial. Jimmy Engoulvent (Besson Chausures-Sojasun) won the time trial, finishing one second ahead of Astana's Andreas Kloden. American Jeff Louder of BMC was eighth and moved into tenth place on the GC following the time trial. The race concludes Friday.

Scott teases time trial bike

The Nature Valley Grand Prix women’s race is joining the men’s as an invitational in 2009. Both races filled in 2008, with teams being turned away. The men’s race had filled for the past five years, but this was a first for the women.

In a thrilling preview of what awaits in the Tour de France later this summer, some of cycling’s top climbers went mano-a-mano up the precipitous green hills of Spain’s Basque Country in Wednesday’s third stage at the Vuelta al País Vasco. Alberto Contador (Astana) attacked with 5km to go on the short but steep Cat. 1 Alto de Ixua to drop rivals he’ll be facing off against in July and ride into the overall leader’s jersey.

Lance Armstrong's Astana team expressed optimism Wednesday over his prospects of recovering from his broken collarbone in time to line up for next month's Tour of Italy. The seven-time Tour de France winner's participation in the Giro, which starts on May 9 was thrown into doubt after he required surgery following his fall in the Vuelta Castilla y Leon race in Spain on March 25. The Texan had a stainless steel plate and 12 screws inserted to stabilize his right collarbone, which was broken in four places, but is now back in training.

The Giro d’Italia is losing one of its marquee stages across the Alps for its centennial celebration due to access problems on the French side of the border. Race officials announced Wednesday that the blockbuster, five-climb 250km stage over the Col d’Izoard and other emblematic climbs in the French Alps scheduled for stage 10 on May 19 between Cuneo and Pinerolo will be altered and stay entirely inside Italy.

Tyler Farrar’s recovery from a shoulder injury is on track and he’s expecting to return to racing next month at the Tour de Romandie. The Garmin-Slipstream sprinter ? who beat back Mark Cavendish in a stage victory at Tirreno-Adriatico in mid-March ? crashed during Milan-San Remo and suffered an AC separation in his right shoulder. No surgery was required, but the injury kept Farrar out of the northern classics this year.

Just two and a half weeks after scoring a brilliant sprint victory in the longest of the European single-day races, Milan-San Remo, Mark Cavendish of the Columbia-Highroad team looks all set to add another classic to his burgeoning list of wins.

Lance Armstrong said he is outraged at claims from France that he had not behaved himself during an out of competition drug test earlier this season. The French Anti-doping Agency (AFLD) had announced on Monday that they had compiled a report on the seven-time Tour de France champion's behavior while undergoing the test. AFLD president Pierre Bordry revealed that he had sent the report to the International Cycling Union (UCI) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on March 30. He did not reveal the report's contents.