Road

For domestic road racers, the road to the top is a long one. USA Cycling's National Racing Calendar includes 35 events across 23 states, stretching from the Amgen Women's Criterium, held during the Tour of California in February, through to the Priority Health Grand Cycling Classic in September in Michigan. The men's series starts this week with the Redlands Bicycle Classic in California. The womens series began with the Amgen Womens Criterium.

Professional endurance competitor Rebecca Rusch has tackled her fair share of adventure races and 24-Hour mountain bike races throughout the years. Now, the Idahoan is in South Africa, competing alongside teammate Cristina Begy in the Absa Cape Epic, a nine-day endurance mountain bike stage race across the country’s scenic Western Cape. And we’re along for the ride. — Editor

The lead has again changed the men’s division at South Africa’s 2008 Absa Cape Epic as the Cannondale-Vredestein squad of Jakob Fuglsang and Roel Paulissen won the stage 3 journey from Calitzdorp to Riversdale, and assumed the yellow leader’s jersey after the Songo.info team of Burry Stander and Christoph Sauser abandoned.

If you haven’t heard of him already, Greg Van Avermaet is a name to watch in the upcoming northern classics. Strong and fast, the 22-year-old Silence-Lotto sprinter won five races last year as a neo-pro. Some in Belgium are already calling him the “next Tom Boonen.” Van Avermaet, shy and reserved, shrugs off such talk.

David Salomon (P&S-Specialized) and Leda Cox (America's Dairyland) were crowned the champions of the 22nd Tucson Bicycle Classic after the third and final stage on Sunday. Brian Forbes (RideClean) and Clare Vlahopoulos (America's Dairyland) won their respective races during the finale, the Artisan Prosthetics Circuit race, run on a rolling, 5.6-mile loop with 300 feet of climbing per lap.

Barry Wicks’ transition from top-tier cyclocrosser to mountain bike strongman appears to be going well. The 26-year-old Kona rider, already a household name on the domestic ‘cross scene, took his first-ever NMBS victory at Sunday’s short-track in Fontana, California. Wicks out-sprinted breakaway companion Adam Craig (Giant) to take the STXC win and then followed up the victory with another win, again out sprinting Craig to take the Super D title.

If Jennie Reed couldn't quite believe her world title, then neither could the home crowd at the Manchester velodrome. Reed's jubilant gold medal in the women's keirin, the climactic event in five days of racing, was greeted with stunned silence by the British fans who had become drunk on the success that Team GB had claimed in the 2008 World Track Championships. "This is the first world championship of my career and I have got a gold medal so I am just elated," Reed said, as she came off the track.

Symmetrics’ Cameron Evans did what was necessary to overtake Rock Racing’s Oscar Sevilla on Sunday, taking the overall title at this weekend’s San Dimas Stage Race in California. Evans joined a winning break in the Cannondale Incycle Old Town Classic and, over the course of the 90-minute, six-corner criterium, grabbed just enough time to take the overall title by one second over the one-time Tour de France best young rider.

The International Tour de Toona has been scaled down from a seven-day stage race to a one-day criterium this year, but hopes to return as multi-stage event in 2009, The Altoona Mirror reported Saturday. Race director Larry Bilotto said several issues contributed to the decision, including two ongoing lawsuits. The Altoona Bicycle Club, which runs the event, is currently involved

God has indeed saved the queen, judging by the number of times we heard the British national anthem during the world track championships in Manchester. I don’t know the lyrics, so I kept singing our domestic knockoff, “My country ’tis of thee. . . .” I was dying to hear the American national anthem.

Professional endurance competitor Rebecca Rusch has tackled her fair share of adventure races and 24-Hour mountain bike races throughout the years. Now, the Idahoan is in South Africa, competing alongside teammate Cristina Begy in the Absa Cape Epic, a nine-day endurance mountain bike stage race across the country’s scenic Western Cape. And we’re along for the ride. —Editor

Day three of the 2008 Absa Cape Epic produced a third stage winner in the men’s category, as Jakob Fuglsang and Roel Paulissen (Cannondale-Vredestein) took top honors. The two, runners-up in 2007, gapped race leaders Christoph Sauser and Burry Stander (Songo.info) on the grueling 137km journey from George to Calitzdorp. Stander and Sauser, however, retained their overall lead.

Sylvain Chavanel’s spectacular spring just keeps getting better. With the biggest victories of his career coming since February, the 28-year-old Frenchman attacked with about 20km to go to hold off the Belgian specialists in Sunday’s rain-soaked 48th Brabantse Pijl. Three riders – Ermanno Capelli (Saunier Duval), Wouter Mol (Batavus) and Raynold Smith (Collstrop) – attacked at 35km to build up a 5:35 lead before Cofidis took control of the chase.

American Jennie Reed ended Britain's gold rush when she overpowered Victoria Pendleton to win the keirin in the final event of the world track cycling championships on Sunday. Defending champion Pendleton, a gold winner in the team sprint and sprint, claimed the silver medal, with Germany's Christin Muche taking the bronze after a photo-finish decision.

Jens Voigt (Team CSC) won the Critérium International on Sunday in Charleville-Mezieres. The 36-year-old Voigt took the leader’s yellow jersey after finishing second in the morning’s stage 2, a 98.5km leg between Les Vieilles Forges and Monthermé won by Australian Simon Gerrans (Crédit Agricole) with Spaniard Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d’Epargne) third. The third and final stage, a 8.3km time trial, was won by Norwegian Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team High Road), seven seconds ahead of teammate Tony Martin and a further six in front of Gustav Larsson (Team CSC).

Alejandro Borrajo (Colavita-Sutter Home) sprinted to victory Saturday in stage 2 of the San Dimas Stage Race. Borrajo overpowered Henk Vogels (Toyota-United) and Jonathan Cantwell (Jittery Joes) to take the 84-mile San Dimas Hospital Road Race. Oscar Sevilla (Rock Racing) retained his leader’s jersey, but at a cost — a 5 percent time cut that trimmed 17 riders from the field saw the team lose Peter Dawson, Rahsaan Bahati and Adam Switters, leaving a five-man squad to defend Sevilla’s lead in Sunday’s finale, the Incycle/Cannondale San Dimas Classic criterium.

Eric Schildge (Fiordifrutta) edged out CCB International's Colin Jaskiewicz and Daniel Estevez (CRCA/Sakonnet Technology U25) in a photo finish at the Michael Schott Memorial Race in Marblehead, Massachusetts, on Sunday. The Marblehead race, held on a rolling 2.2-mile circuit on a rocky neck jutting into the Atlantic Ocean, is one of the longest running one-day races in New England, and a traditional season opener for the New England road scene.

Australian Simon Gerrans (Crédit Agricole) won stage two of the Critérium International on Sunday ahead of breakaway companion Jens Voigt (CSC), who took the yellow jersey and seems ideally positioned for the final victory. Gerrans finished four seconds ahead of the German and 90 seconds up on Spaniard Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d’Epargne), who took the bunch sprint for third in the 98.5km stage between Les Vieilles Forges and Monthermé. The race was neutralized for more than 30 minutes because of a demonstration by employees of a nearby factory.

Carlos Hernandez (P&S-Specialized) and Leda Cox (America's Dairyland) won stage 2 of the 22nd Tucson Bicycle Classic on Saturday, a windswept affair run on a rolling, 20-mile circuit. Hernandez and teammate David Salomon finished one-two in the Sahuarita Loop Road race (80 miles for men, 60 for women). The duo crossed in 3:12:25, 13 seconds ahead of a chase group containing race leader Joshua Liberles (Colavita New Mexico-JNF), led in by Alex Bhogal (Mazurcoaching.com).

A beaming Jennie Reed, cheered on by her American teammate, Taylor Phinney, stepped down from the medal podium in Manchester after claiming the bronze medal in the women's sprints, to pronounce herself "very pleased" with her third place, behind Simona Krupeckaite of Lithuania and - look away now if you're suffering from Brit-fest fatigue - gold medal winner, Victoria Pendleton of Team GB.

Geoff Kabush (Maxxis) and Georgia Gould (Luna) picked up where they left off on the National Mountain Bike Series, winning the 2008 NMBS cross-country opener in Fontana, California, on Saturday.

Reigning world marathon cross-country champion Christoph Sauser and his young teammate Burry Stander grabbed the overall lead of South Africa’s Absa Cape Epic in winning the race’ stage 1 from Knysna to George. The Rocky Mountain duo of Pia Sundstedt and Alison Sydor took the victory in the women’s race, also moving into the overall lead with seven stages remaining.

Kurt-Asle Arvesen (CSC) is one of those riders who can be counted on to work into breakaways and win. He pulled off a stunning victory last year in stage 8 in the Giro d’Italia against Paolo Bettini in the rainbow jersey and George Hincapie as part of a huge, 18-rider move. In 2005, he has two major close calls, finishing second in Paris-Tours and second to Paolo Savoldelli in a stage in Lance Armstrong’s last Tour de France. The 33-year-old Norwegian used all of his accumulated savvy Saturday to out-fox a six-man breakaway in the 51st E3 Prijs Vlaanderen in Belgium.

Those no-hope breakaways that inevitably get reeled in within sight of the finish line seem to be working more these days. Some say it’s a sign that the peloton is cleaning up and that attacking riders have more chances of winning. Others insist it’s business as usual, at least tactically, and that sometimes breakaways work, but usually not.

Silence-Lotto’s Cadel Evans won the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali, which finished with the fifth and final stage over 169.1 kilometers from Castellarano to Sassuolo on Saturday. Emanuele Sella won the final stage by holding off the fast charging Stefano Garzelli and Vincenzo Nibali at the finish. Sella surprised all by breaking for home with just over one kilometer still to ride. Garzelii and Nibali were trying to overhaul Evans in the overall standings but the Australian held on to win by 17 seconds ahead of Garzelli, with Nibali third at 1:15.

Joshua Liberles (Colavita-New Mexico-JNF) and Melissa McWhirter (Colavita-Arizona) took the honors on Friday as the 22nd Tucson Bicycle Classic kicked off with the Old Tucson/McCain Loop Road Time Trial. Liberles finished the 3-mile course, which featured a pair of stiff climbs, in seven minutes and 35 seconds. Drew Miller (Landis-Trek) took second at three seconds back with Phillip Gaimon (Fiordifrutta) third at eight seconds. McWhirter won the women’s race in eight minutes, 16 seconds, with Sarah Swanson (Summit Velo) second at 0:22 and Melanie Meyers (Specialized) third at 0:27.

The Beijing Olympic mountain bike course is punctuated by short, steep, smooth climbs that favor a powerful rider like Giant’s Adam Craig. The descents on the Chinese course, too, are smooth. It’s the sort of terrain that doesn’t offer advantage to Craig’s Anthem Advanced full suspension bike; rather it calls for a light, stiff frame able to transfer maximum power on smooth trails. Giant just delivered on Craig’s special request for an Olympic hardtail.

Despite suffering a mechanical near the finish, Rock Racing's Oscar Sevilla scored a win in the opening stage of the San Dimas stage race, a 3.8-mile uphill time trial in San Gabriel Canyon. While losing more than 30 seconds as he fixed his bike, Sevilla managed a seven-second win over second-placed Peter Stetina (VMG-Felt), who now leads the under-25 category. In the pro women's division, team High Road's Mara Abbott and Kimberly Anderson took top honors, finish first and second, with times of 15:27 and 16:13 respectively.

Far from the hullabaloo and pre-Olympic hype surrounding Great Britain’s track team, Jennie Reed of the United States was quietly making her resolute way into the medal positions in the women's sprint finals. Reed, 29, has maintained the good form that took her to runner's up spot in the sprints in the Los Angeles World Cup earlier this year, where she also won the keirin.

Britain's Chris Hoy made a mark in track cycling’s history books by winning his first try at a world sprint title in Manchester, England, on Friday Hoy, the reigning world keirin champion and a former kilometer and team sprint champion, claimed the gold medal ahead of Frenchman Kevin Sireau in a tense two-round final. Sireau, racing in white as the reigning World Cup sprint champion, finished second to claim the silver with his French compatriot Mickael Bourgain claiming the bronze after a two-leg victory over Italian Roberto Chiappa.

Defending Tour de France champion Alberto Contador denied rumors Friday he was preparing to jump ship to defend his title in July with another team. Moments after securing the overall title at the Vuelta a Castilla y León on Friday’s fifth and final stage, Contador told reporters he won’t change teams to race the Tour even though Astana has been denied entry into the race.

If I were to write the perfect classified ad to recruit top female athletes to track cycling it would look like this:

Tired of your current sport? You might have an Olympic future in Cycling! Oarswomen, listen up – Rebecca Romero of England came from a top career as a single sculler to win a silver medal in cycling in less than 365 days. Add another year to that and she’s a double World Cycling Champion, supported by the best funding in women’s cycling. And to top it off, the crowds and media LOVE her, she’s a national hero. What more could a girl want?

Australia's reigning Olympic 500 meter time trial champion Anna Meares is celebrating after hearing she has qualified for the sprint event in Beijing. Australia's sole women's sprint spot at the Games was under threat because of Meares' place in the world rankings, but results from the world championships in Manchester, England, on Friday mean she can no longer be overtaken. Meares is absent from the world championships as she recovers from injuries sustained in a serious crash at the Los Angeles round of the World Cup in January.

The editors of Slate magazine's website have run across what they believe is the stupidest bike lane in America, so dumb they've even made a video about it.

Come on VeloNewsers, surely with all of the miles we're putting in on American roads, one of us can top it. If you run across a design that serves even less of a purpose, drop a line to Slate , but be sure to cc us on that email.

Professional endurance competitor Rebecca Rusch has tackled her fair share of adventure races and 24-Hour mountain bike races throughout the years. Now, the Idahoan is in South Africa competing in the Absa Cape Epic, a nine-day endurance mountain bike stage race across the country’s scenic Western Cape. And we’re along for the ride. - Editor

Trek-Volkswagen’s Susan Haywood and Jenny Smith took the women’s category while Kevin Evans and David George (MTN-Energade) won the men’s in the opening prologue of South Africa’s 2008 Absa Cape Epic on Friday. The two women completed the 17km course, which spun a hilly circuit around the port city of Knysna, in 42:51.2. The pair, both regulars on North America’s National Mountain Bike Series, crossed the line with a 40-second advantage on the Rocky Mountain team of Alison Sydor and Pia Sundstedt.

Crédit Agricole’s ace sprinter Thor Hushovd says he is prepared to boycott the opening ceremony to the Beijing Olympics in August to protest Chinese repression in Tibet. "We sports people do not have any particular responsibility to take a stance over what is happening in China," he told Norway’s Faedrelandsvennen newspaper. "But all the same we can have some influence by snubbing the opening ceremony in Beijing. That would be a valid form of protest and I am prepared to do it,” Hushovd said. "However, from there to boycotting the Games entirely is a huge step.”

You know the guy who couldn’t pass a calculus exam even if the fate of the human race depended on it, but who can count blackjack cards like one of those brainy MIT kids or Rain Man? Well, I guess don’t really either, but I do know I am not that guy. After being put through my paces at the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine testing lab, I did a similar battery of threshold and power exams outdoors a week later. Much to my chagrin — but not surprise — the outdoor results were very similar to the indoor ones. I remain average.

Bobby Julich is never afraid to speak his mind. Like many inside the peloton, Julich is worried about the growing tensions between the UCI and the major race organizers led by the Amaury Sport Organisation, noting that the split may permanently damage the sport. This weekend, the veteran CSC rider lines up for the Critérium International, a race he won in his big comeback season in 2005. Julich’s big goal of the year is to perform well in ASO’s flagship event, the Tour de France.

When newly crowned world women's pursuit champion Rebecca Romero first climbed onto a track bike, she fell off. Any hardened trackie knows that such a tumble is not an unusual experience, but it is a measure of the former Olympic rower’s determination that two years to the day that the Team GB rider first made close acquaintance with the boards of Manchester velodrome, she became world pursuit champion.