Road

Editor's Note: Rock Racing pro Freddie Rodriguez, a three-time USPRO champion, has submitted the following letter to VeloNews.com urging his fellow pros to vote in the upcoming USPRO board elections, and to vote for Rock Racing team owner Michael Ball. Rodriguez's letter is reproduced in its entirety below. Writers who support other board candidates are welcome to submit letters in their support.

Italian cyclist Emanuele Sella has admitted taking the banned blood booster EPO. After a hearing before the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) on Friday in Rome, in which he and compatriot Marta Bastianelli were banned from all competitions, Sella issued a statement in which he admitted having had access “to an unauthorized drug” and “clarified the context” in which he had received it. "I have got a weight off my shoulders. I'm conscious of what I did and as a result I decided to cooperate," Sella told Gazzetta dello Sport after the hearing.

France's Jeannie Longo will write another considerable chapter in cycling's history books this Sunday when she becomes only the third woman to compete in seven Olympic Games. Longo, the 1996 Olympic champion, who has 13 world titles, is set to follow in the footsteps of Jamaican track star Merlene Ottey and Swedish fencer Kerstin Palm. Come the 126.4km women's road race on Sunday, the wily Longo will want to be treated as just another rider with hopes of stepping on to the Olympic podium.

Things will be very different for Jason McCartney as he lines up Saturday in what will be his second crack at an Olympic medal. Four years ago, after winning the qualifying race to make the U.S. Olympic team for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, the Iowan was in sweltering Athens as a wide-eyed domestic pro lining up against the likes of Paolo Bettini. Flash forward four years and McCartney, now 34, will be breaking a sweat again in the heat, humidity and smog of Beijing. The thrill of being at the Olympics is still there, but long gone is the sense that he doesn’t belong.

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From selling bikes to helping design the Olympic road course, Todd McKean is China’s main man when it comes to cycling. In Part 1 of our interview, McKean discussed the upcoming Olympic Games. In this segment he talks grassroots cycling, riding in Beijing and Cycling’s future in China.

Alison Powers (Colavita-Sutter Home) and Jonathan Chodroff (CRCA-Empire Cycling Team) won the national elite time trial championships in Irvine, California, on Wednesday. Elite Women Powers said she fulfilled a goal she set seven months ago by besting second-place finisher Mara Abbott (Team Columbia) by 1 minute, 39 seconds. Chrissy Ruiter (ValueAct Capital) came in third at 51:05.50.

Riders have been checking out the course for the 2008 Olympic road race in Beijing. Photographer Casey Gibson has been, too.

The stage profile for the 245.4km Great Wall Olympic road course — which the elite men face on Saturday — looks like a comb placed on its end with seven sharp teeth pointing straight up. The section of the comb’s handle represents the flat 78.8 km tour of Beijing’s landmarks, including the Temple of Heaven, the Great Hall of the People, Tiananmen Square and the National Stadium.

Four American cyclists who wore filter masks because of pollution concerns when arriving in Beijing apologized Wednesday to Olympic organizers, U.S. Olympic Committee chief executive Jim Scherr said. Mike Friedman, Bobby Lea, Sarah Hammer and Jennie Reed were among about 200 athletes from an American delegation of 596 who were issued masks by their national governing bodies to combat pollution in Beijing. "They've now seen how their actions have been perceived," Scherr said. "They were very eager to take the right action, which was to apologize to their hosts."

Anti-doping tests used at the Olympics and other major sporting events are too often based on faulty science and statistical methods that can yield erroneous results, a researcher charged Wednesday in a leading scientific journal. Donald Berry, an expert in biostatistics at the University of Texas, used the case of American cyclist Floyd Landis to point up flaws in anti-doping procedures, but cautioned that the problems he uncovered apply across the board to lab tests designed to ferret out athletes who cheat by using performance enhancing substances.

British cycling chief Dave Brailsford is confident his Olympic squad will blaze a trail to the podium in Beijing by medaling in 11 of the sport's 18 finals. The Manchester-based Performance Director of British track cycling conceded, however, they could leave some medal opportunities for their rivals. A total of 54 medals will be on offer from the 18 finals in cycling's four disciplines of road cycling, track, mountain bike and BMX in Beijing, and 30 of those medals will be won at the Laoshan velodrome.

Switzerland’s Michael Albasini will miss the Olympic Games after a crash during a training ride in Beijing on Tuesday. Albasini, who broke his collarbone, was examined in the Olympic Village clinic ahead of his return to Switzerland. The 27-year-old will not be replaced in the Swiss team for Saturday's race.

Tour de France runner-up Cadel Evans arrived in China for the Olympic Games Wednesday, putting a positive spin on a knee injury which temporarily sidelined his hopes of competing in the time trial. The 31-year-old slipped and injured his knee at a Post-Tour de France party last month. Uncertainty over his injury meant Evans, who will lead Australia's medal hopes in the road race this Saturday, gave up his time trial spot to Michael Rogers - a former three-time world champion.

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Italian cyclist Emanuele Sella, who won three stages at this year's Tour of Italy, has failed an International Cycling Union (UCI) drugs test, according to reports on Tuesday. Sella, who rides for the CSF team, tested positive for the banned blood booster EPO (erythropoietin) in an out-of-competition test on July 23. The 27-year-old would not be drawn into commenting on the control, telling the ANSA news agency: "I know nothing of this story. Nothing has been said to me. Nothing is true."

Four of us climbed into the back of the borrowed team Saturn truck, picking good spots for our lawn chairs. Once we were settled, the door was pulled shut and locked. We sat in darkness while our team captain, Steve Bauer climbed into the passenger’s seat beside Fernando, our mechanic and the driver, up in the cab. The southern air was hot and muggy and the back of the truck, filled with bikes and wheels was at first refreshingly cool in contrast to the outside air.

Racing in hot, humid conditions, worsened by pollution levels, is not the only thing worrying Spain's big favorite for the Olympic cycling road race this Saturday. Alejandro Valverde comes into the 248.5km race, said to be one of the toughest ever at an Olympics, fresh from the Tour de France where he finished ninth overall and won the opening stage. As one of the most feared all-rounders in the business, Valverde could be the man to succeed formidable Italian Paolo Bettini, the world champion for the past two years.

Australian cyclist Michael Rogers is looking forward to putting his skills back on the international stage after what has proved to be a trying year for the Columbia Team pro. Rogers crashed out of the Tour de France last year while in the virtual yellow jersey, and took months to get over his injuries. He then battled the effects of glandular fever, setting his career back further and effectively costing him a place on his team's squad for this year's Tour where his teammates won an impressive five stages.

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Trek/VW rider Chris Eatough came from behind to win the 24 Hours of 9-Mile solo national championships in Wausau, Wisconsin, Saturday. Pua Sawicki defended her 2007 title with 18 laps, which she completed in 24 hours and 3 minutes. [nid:81316] In the men’s race, Josh Tostada led the race early on, riding 15-mile laps in under an hour. “[Tostada] really put me into difficulty, he and I were very evenly matched,” Eatough said. “But my pit crew has our routine dialed, and the new bike let me race even faster.”

Next month's Tour of Missouri will feature that kind of lineup rarely seen in the U.S., with all the top U.S.-based squads taking on European-based teams including Liquigas and Rabobank. While the teams have yet to release their complete rosters for the Sept. 9-14 event, the race organizers on Monday announced the final list of teams:

Brooke Miller (Tibco) and Bissell’s Ted King won the Hanes Park Classic in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on Sunday. Action Images’ Kurt Jambretz was there to photograph the action on the 1.3 mile circuit around a park in Winston-Salem’s Historic West End neighborhood.

Tour de France runner-up Cadel Evans has recovered sufficiently from a knee injury and will compete at the Beijing Olympics this week, Australian Olympic officials said Monday. The 31-year-old Australian slipped on a wet floor last week at a post-Tour party and had been receiving intense treatment on a knee injury in Italy. Evans originally withdrew from the August 13 Olympic time trial, 13 but the Australian Olympic Committee has received confirmation that he will arrive in Beijing on Wednesday to compete in the road race on Saturday.

Joining a winning break on the final stage of the Tour of Elk Grove, David Veilleux (Kelly Benefit) won the overall title of the Illinois stage race. It was a big weekend, with appearances by several top American riders, including Astana's Chris Horner, who suffered a broken collarbone in Saturday's second stage. Action Images’ Ben Ross was there to photograph the action.

Price: $180 Weight: 340 grams Web site: www.louisgarneau.com Air Sticks to It: Louis Garneau launched its new Supperleggera helmet at the Tour de France on the heads of Bouygues-Telecom’s riders. The golf ball-like dimples on the front of the helmet are said to capture a small layer of air, thus promoting better laminar air flow, making it faster aerodynamically. Besides better flow, the helmet is lighter and comes with a five-color sticker set so that you can match it to your team kit.

Marie-Helene Premont (Rocky Mountain) and Julien Absalon (Orbea) virtually assured themselves of overall victories in the season-long cross-country World Cup series by turning in strong rides at the seventh round in Bromont, Quebec, on Sunday. Absalon took his second consecutive win in the series, while Premont finished second to Canadian Olympic team mate Catharine Pendrel (Luna), who won her first ever World Cup.

It’s impossible to talk about bicycle racing in China without mentioning the name Todd McKean. McKean, 40, is a longtime bike enthusiast who has lived in China for the past two decades. He is the third generation of his family to spend the majority of his adult life in the world’s most populated nation.

Astana’s Chris Horner will miss the Vuelta a España later this month after suffering a broken collarbone in a crash at the Tour of Elk Grove on Saturday. Horner broke his left clavicle in a crash in the final sprint of the second stage of the Illinois stage race and, after crossing the finish line, was transported to a nearby hospital where the break was diagnosed.

Colavita-Sutter Home’s Alejandro Borrajo and Katherine Carroll (Aaron’s) claimed victory at the fifth annual Presbyterian Hospital Invitational Criterium in Charlotte, North Carolina, the eighth event in the 2008 USA CRITS Series. With the help of teammate Kyle Wamsley, Borrajo beat a small, select group of elite criterium riders that escaped the main field just over an hour into the race. The Argentine sprinter added another win to his already successful season by outracing last year's winner, Frank Pipp (Health Net), and Emile Abraham (Team Type 1).

Sam Hill (Monster Energy-Iron Horse) regained the lead in the men's downhill World Cup on Saturday over Greg Minnaar (Santa Cruz Syndicate), after beating his South African rival by 2.7 seconds. In the women's race, Rachel Atherton (Animal Commencal) extended her lead over Sabrina Jonnier (Maxxis) with her second consecutive win.

Cofidis' Rik Verbrugghe broke his clavicle in a fall Saturday in the Clasica San Sebastian. The Belgian, 34, fell in the first part of the race. A former stage winner in the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, Verbrugghe has suffered numerous health problems in recent seasons, notably a fall in the 2006 Tour that left him with a broken leg. This year Verbrugghe left the Giro in the first week with a wrist injury.

Italy's Damiano Cunego, still feeling the effects of a fall in the Tour de France, on Saturday pulled out of the Olympic road race event in Beijing, his Lampre team announced. He finished 36th in Saturday's Clásica San Sebastián, more than nine minutes behind winner Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne), as he returned to competition after pulling out of the Grand Boucle three days before the end. "I was having bad sensations when going uphill," the reigning Amstel Gold race champion said. "I had problems breathing and a persistent headache."

The International Cycling Union (UCI) on Saturday confirmed it has granted Australia a second starting place in the men's Olympic road time trial with Cycling Australia saying it had gratefully accepted following discussions with the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC). Cadel Evans was originally down as the sole Aussie rider but then withdrew last Tuesday because of a knee injury, ceding his berth to three-time world champion, Michael Rogers.

Caisse d'Epargne's Alejandro Valverde won Saturday's Clásica San Sebastián by outsprinting a group of about ten riders including Davide Rebellin, Paolo Bettini, Franco Pellizotti, Denis Menchov and Samuel Sánchez. The group formed after Bettini's Quick Step team put the hammer down in the final kilometers, leading into the Cat. 3 Alto de Arkale climb 16km from the finish. Bettini attacked twice on the climb and whittled the peloton down to about a dozen riders.

Saturday's Clásica San Sebastián is Spain's major one-day classic, the first major race since the end of the Tour de France, and an important Olympic road race tune up. As such, the 225-kilometer race features a stellar line-up, with starters including Carlos Sastre, Alberto Contador, Alejandro Valverde, Paulo Bettini and Davide Rebellin, among others. (full rosters below). The course is famous for its Jaizkebel climb, a Cat. 1 toughy that comes about 40km from the finish and the Cat. 3 Alto de Arkale, just 16km from the end.

Neal Henderson is the Sport Science Manager at Boulder Center for Sports Medicine. He is a USA Cycling certified coach and works with a diverse clientele at BCSM. He has been Taylor Phinney’s personal coach since 2006 and will is traveling with Phinney and his family in the lead-up to the Beijing Olympics. "Votre hard-drive ne marche pas ... c'est morte" is something that I didn't want to hear today.

Frenchman Sandy Casar confirmed Saturday that he has extended his Francaise des Jeux team contract by two years. The 29-year-old, who turned professional in 2000, was the top French finisher in this year's Tour de France where he placed 14th. Casar won the 18th stage of last year's Tour de France, and was second in the 16th stage this year at Jausiers behind compatriot Cyril Dessel of Ag2r.

A combination of timing, tactics and sheer leg power on a climb that will be raced seven times during the men's Olympic road race is a must for any cyclist aiming for gold in Beijing. But the climbers in the peloton will do better if they can also close out the day with a formidable sprint. The men's Olympic road race will finish near the Great Wall on August 9 and Spaniard Alejandro Valverde will be hoping to live up to his childhood nickname of El Imbatido (the unbeaten one) when he challenges Italy's formidable reigning champion Paolo Bettini.

The Crédit Agricole team has not found a new sponsor and team director Roger Legeay has given team riders free rein to pursue contracts for next season. The bank that has supported the team since 1998 is ending its sponsorship after this season. Legeay has been trying to line up a replacement, but recent negotiations with potential sponsors were not successful. Legeay told AFP that his top riders have told him they will hold off signing with another team until after August 15.