Road

Scores of attacks in the final laps in the chaotic men’s U23 world championships failed to break the elastic to the sprinters and 22-year-old Peter Velits of Slovakia confidently snagged the rainbow jersey in a crash-marred bunch sprint. The pace wasn’t hard enough over the hilly, 19.1km circuit for several late-race breakaway attempts to stick. The Norwegians did most of the heavy lifting to reel in the remnants of a 12-man group in the final lap, but their work was all for naught. Pre-race favorite Edvald Boasson Hagen of Norway tumbled in a finish line crash behind French and Swiss

Alejandro Valverde starts Sunday’s world championship as an outside favorite to win the rainbow jersey. With three-time defending champion Oscar Freire back and a favorite to win a record fourth title if the race comes down to a sprint, Valverde will play the joker on a strong Spanish squad. Of course, it hasn’t been an easy lead up to the world’s for ’Balaverde’. It took a CAS ruling Wednesday to assure his start Sunday after the UCI wanted to ban Valverde over alleged links to Operación Puerto. Valverde admits the pre-race controversy proved to be distracting, but he vows to get revenge

Defending world champion Paolo Bettini said Saturday that he intends to sue German television station ZDF for accusing him of providing former teammate Patrik Sinkewitz with doping products. ZDF reported that it based its report on statements from Sinkewitz, but the German cyclist later denied mentioning the name of Bettini. Bettini was given the all clear to defend his crown in Sunday's elite men's title at the cycling world championships, despite a bid by organisers to bar him from the competition. Bettini had slammed what he termed "a campaign of denigration of which the town

A hall brimming with almost 20,000 people eager and optimistic about bikesis a rarified atmosphere for a bike enthusiast to hang out in. and allof those people buying bikes makes it possible for a number of bike-relatedphilanthropic organizations to thrive as well.Interbike began with a talk by six organizations doing work in third-worldcountries to make a difference with bikes. Left to right, F.K. Day of www.WorldBicycleRelief.org,Steve Madden of BikeTown from www.bicycling.com,Hans Rey of www.Wheels4Life.org,Bradley Schroeder of www.CaliforniaBike.org,Ben Capron of www.TrueOverdrive.com,and

Cuban sprinter Ivan Dominguez (Toyota-United) caught and passed a surging Martin Gilbert (Kelly Benefit Strategies) on the last of 55 laps to win the inaugural Vegas World Criterium championships on Thursday. The race, held in the parking lot of the Mandalay Bay hotel/casino in Las Vegas, marked the final event of the 2007 USA Crits series. “I only had one bullet to fire today and I waited until the end,” said Dominguez, who admitted his legs lacked their normal kick after the Tour of Missouri. Dominguez won two stages and the point’s jersey in that race. The Las Vegas race marked the

A German court has cleared Italy's Paolo Bettini to defend his title in Sunday's elite men's title at the cycling world championships in Stuttgart. The reigning champion's participation was in doubt after German cyclist Patrik Sinkewitz claimed Bettini had supplied him with doping products. The organizers insisted that Bettini sign the full UCI anti-doping agreement which makes it compulsory for every rider to provide a blood sample before Sunday's race. Bettini says demanding a sample is a breach of his human rights and has also refused to sign any agreement because of

What a year Cadel Evans has had. His second place at the Tour de France made history as he became the first Australian to stand on the podium of cycling’s marquee race and he’s consistently been with the best from February all the way in to this weekend’s world championships, where he’ll line up as an outsider for gold on the Australian team in Stuttgart. But as good as Evans’ season has been, it could have been even better – a lot better. The Predictor-Lotto rider’s consistency was borderline great. Just consider the following: Evans missed winning the Tour by 23 seconds and fell short

Although the clouds overhead were heavy and gray in Stuttgart Friday, there was a hint of optimism surrounding the three U.S. national teams that hasn’t been felt at a world championships in recent years. Perhaps that is because in addition to perhaps the best women’s team USA Cycling has ever sent, for the first time since 2003 Discovery Channel rider George Hincapie is spearheading the men’s elite team heading into Sunday’s road race. Hincapie’s 2007 season took saw him take an unceremonious and unplanned break after fracturing his wrist at the Amgen Tour of California, but he has

George Hincapie sat in a U.S. national team jersey Friday afternoon for lunch in Stuttgart with another dozen pros, but only two compatriots shared the meal. Joining him at the table were Brits, an Italian, a German sport director and one team manager with a Cheshire cat’s grin in the form of Bob Stapleton. Hincapie won’t officially don a T-Mobile jersey until later this season, but the 34-year-old American was the marquee name among 10 new riders unveiled for the German team for the 2008 season. For Hincapie, the move marks a clear departure from his past as he’s set to ride on only his

During Wednesday evening’s CrossVegas event Kona’s Ryan Trebon won on a brand new pair of wheels from FSA, providing a good excuse to look at a few new deeper section carbon rims that debuted at this year’s show. Besides FSA, both Easton and Reynolds have new or refined wheels for 2008. Titanium has also been a prominent product at this year’s show, could it be that some, more traditionally minded riders are suffering from too much carbon fiber in their diet? We wouldn’t go quite that far yet as it seems most of the industry is still gaga over string and glue construction for all types of

Giro d’Italia winner Danilo Di Luca announced late Thursday he was pulling out of the cycling world championships. Di Luca's withdrawal from Sunday's elite men's road race came after calls that he be handed a four month suspension for his connection with a drugs scandal by Italy's Olympic Committee (CONI). "It's a scandal, the procurer has done everything so that I don't compete at the championships," said the Italian. Di Luca's withdrawal out came after a dramatic day at the world championships in which world road champion Paolo Bettini was reported to have

Fabian Cancellara might have been satisfied with his 2007 season after wearing the yellow jersey for the better part of a week and winning two stages at the Tour de France, but the chance to defend his rainbow jersey in the elite men’s world time trial race proved too alluring. Laszlo Bodrogi of Hungary claimed silver at 52 seconds off the pace with Dutch rider Stef Clement taking bronze at 57 seconds slower on the rolling 44.9km course in the hills around Stuttgart,. But this show was all about Cancellara. The big Swiss time machine caught his one-minute man, Vladimir Gusev of Russia, at

It was a soggy day in Stuttgart as the elite men set off in pursuit of the world time-trial title. But a little rain couldn't keep Fabian Cancellara off the top step of the podium for the second consecutive year. Nor could it prevent Casey Gibson from chronicling the day's action.

Cycling’s international racing calendar was turned upside down Thursday after the UCI announced that the three grand tours and select one-day classics are no longer part of the ProTour cycling calendar. In a sweeping restructuring of the European racing calendar, the UCI vows to forge ahead with its controversial ProTour concept that will open with the Tour Down Under in 2008 and potentially include national tours in China and Russia in 2009. “This is about being realistic and pragmatic,” McQuaid said. “It’s not a position that the UCI has created. (The grand tours) could have come aboard

A perfect weather day yesterday ended with a road ride back to the stripwith three friends from SRAM, and today started for me with a ride backout to the Outdoor Demo at Boulder City’s Bootleg Canyon. After 5-10 minutesof standing around, I took off with maybe 100 other riders for the annualTourof Lake Mead, formerly known as The Hangover Ride. Still cool, verywindy and hilly, this 24-mile out-and-back offers some great views andcan offer a punishing pace at the front. I may have gotten a great warmup to riding mountain bikes at the pre-Interbikedemo, but before I got to ride my first bike

Ryan Trebon (Kona-Les Gets) and Lyne Bessette (Cyclocrossworld.com) won the inaugural Excel Sports CrossVegas Wednesday in Las Vegas. [nid:40750]A thousands-strong crowd journeyed to the Desert Breeze Soccer Complex to watch the first major cyclo-cross race to be held in conjunction with the Interbike trade show, running this week at the Sands Expo & Convention Center. CrossVegas was the brainchild of Coloradan Chris Grealish, a longtime 'cross promoter who organized the 2006 Boulder Cup, the fifth round of the U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross Series.

Nearly 19,000 people packed into the Sands Expo & Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the opening day of the indoor portion of the 2007 Interbike trade show on Wednesday. Aisles were packed and booths were abuzz on the show’s opening day. And besides the goings-on inside, two races were organized alongside the show. The first was the Boulder-Denver Courier Events-produced Excel Sports CrossVegas, held Wednesday night. Kona-YourKey.com’s Ryan Trebon won the well-attended event — and in the process took some revenge on Christian Heule (Stevens), who won Star Crossed and the Rad Racing

Olympic and world cycling champion Paolo Bettini supplied sacked German cyclist Patrik Sinkewitz with doping products, according to television reports in Germany on Wednesday. Sinkewitz, 26, was dismissed by T-Mobile during this year's Tour de France when abnormal levels of testosterone were found in his blood during a pre-race drugs test. The German later admitted he had used 'Testogel' patches to help aid recovery. But according to reports on German channel ZDF, Sinkewitz is quoted in a document as naming the reigning world and Olympic champion and retired Italian Davide

Without the official numbers (those will be tallied by Wednesday), it can’t be claimed with any certainty that day two of the 2007 Interbike Dirt Demo in Bootleg Canyon, Nevada broke any records, but if the lines were an indication — it did. Those not lucky enough to make it onto the first round of shuttles to the demo area went on to spend more than two hours trying to get to Bootleg. In past editions of the show it has rarely taken more than 50 minutes. “They have five buses,” said Elaine, one of the senior citizens who was working for the Las Vegas chamber of commerce by making sure

Cyclo-crossers across the world, take note. A pair of past and present world champion ’cross racers, under-23 world cross champ Lars Boom and three-time world elite women’s champ Hanka Kupfernagel, each won world time trial titles in Stuttgart, Germany, Wednesday. And both credited the muddy discipline for their success. Taking it a step further, Boom said he would focus on cyclo-cross for at least two more years. Winning a world under-23 time-trial championship might be something all developing riders dream of, but Boom, a Rabobank continental professional development team rider has

A North Carolina sports management firm has announced preliminary plans to organize a 27-stage transcontinental “Tour of America,” with an $11 million prize list.In a release issued Wednesday, Aqu, Inc. promised to reveal further details – including dates – at a press conference scheduled for Thursday at the Interbike trade show in Las Vegas.In its release, the company said it expects the race will be “the largest spectator event in the history of U.S. sports, covering approximately 4000 miles from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.”Distances2007 Tour de France - 3553.9kmLongest stage:

In less than two days I will be lining up with some of the premiere cyclo-cross racers in the world at Cross Vegas during the Interbike trade show in Las Vegas. It’s safe to say I am completely unprepared. An extremely busy summer at the bike shop kept training time to a minimum, but you know what they say, “duty calls.” I guess I shouldn’t really complain because just nine months ago I was standing on the front porch of my Boulder, Colorado, town home staring at a letter from the United States Anti-Doping Agency stating I had committed a doping violation. Me, the guy who first took the

One more in the bag. That brings my tally of grand tours to nine out of 10 finished. None have been the same, all have had their ups and downs, but one thing is 100-percent certain and that unfortuneately is that there is nothing like the Tour de France. For instance, on Sunday I was in the bus on the way to the airport, watching the podium presentation on TV, instead of sipping Champagne with my team. In fact, I was already checked in to my flight to Barcelona before Carlos had finished all his interviews! That kind of scenario leaves you with a strange feeling, but one you quickly get

Demo Days are here again as part of the 2007 Interbike trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show starts the way it should, with people riding bikes in Bootleg Canyon, Nevada, a well-maintained mountain bike trail system roughly 20 miles outside of the Las Vegas city limits. The area offers riders multiple cross-country trails, a dirt jumping area, BMX track, road course and downhill mountain bike course. The clear skies and comfortable 75-degree temperature made a perfect day for the event. For 2008 the Outdoor Demo's booth expo area moved to a more developed area with more pavement and

The weather was perfect, the venue is great and getting better, and the attendance was abundant for the first day of the Outdoor Demo at Boulder City’s Bootleg Canyon. The sunny, yet unseasonably cool 75-degree weather meant perfect conditions. Not hot, not cold, sunny, only occasional strong wind – those are nice conditions to ride a bike in. The display booth area is a lot bigger now, with much of it even paved, making road riding a more viable option for bike testing than in the past. Whereas in past years I have rarely taken a road test ride, given that the mountain bike riding is

Big names and big teams have dominated the world’s for the past several years, with established stars such as Oscar Freire, Tom Boonen and Paolo Bettini from Spain, Belgium and Italy, respectively, taking the rainbow jersey in the elite men’s road race. Is it time for an outsider to hold off the favorites? On paper, the 19.1km circuit in Stuttgart looks like it could be challenging enough to serve up an attack-laden finale and perhaps deliver a breakaway victor to end the run of relatively large bunch sprints that have dominated the world championships for the better part of a decade. Each

Professional cycling teams have agreed to cover the significant cost of random doping controls as the sport continues to look for effective solutions to weeding out drugs cheats. The Tour de France was hit with several doping scandals in 2007, a year in which the ongoing Operación Puerto doping affair in Spain dominated the headlines for the troubled sport. The latest anti-doping initiative is the brainchild of the International Professional Cycling Teams (IPCT) association. It has been inspired by the internal anti-doping programs of the CSC, T-Mobile and Slipstream teams, and will be

The 62nd Vuelta a España wasn’t without its controversies. Carlos Sastre accused race leader Denis Menchov of forming alliances. Universal criticism rained down on a long, boring 52km time trial in Zaragoza. Riders complained that the top-heavy course, with its most important stages packed into the opening 10 days, left for a dull and unexciting second half. But one thing was largely missing from this year’s Spanish tour – doping scandals. The Vuelta has been wracked by its fair share of doping controversies the past few years, including the disastrous EPO positive of 2005 winner Roberto

The UCI cyclocross season had its West Coast kickoff this past weekend in Washington state with Star Crossed, a Saturday-night party disguised as a ’cross race at Marymoor Park Velodrome in Redmond, followed by Sunday’s Rad Racing Gran Prix at Steilacoom Park in Lakewood.

Veteran cycling team director Len Pettyjohn and 17-year pro Scott Moninger have joined the Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team as director and assistant director, respectively. Harm Jansen will direct his final race for Toyota-United at the World Championship Sports Network USA Crits Finals on Thursday in Las Vegas. Pettyjohn, 66, has worked with the likes of Greg LeMond, Davis Phinney, Alexi Grewal and Moninger while directing a number of domestic teams, from the Panasonic squad of 1980-81 to the dominant Coors Light team of the early 1990s. Moninger, 41, has 275 victories to his credit and

After three long weeks of sometimes exciting racing, the remaining 145 riders rolled into a festive welcome in the heart of downtown Madrid to conclude the 2007 Vuelta a España with an exhilarating finishing sprint. Daniele Bennati (Lampre-Fondital) used his lethal bike stab to hold off Alessandro Petacchi (Milram) to win his third stage in Sunday’s final romp into Madrid and bring an end to the season’s final grand tour.

The World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) has backed UCI demands for a doping investigation into Spanish cycling ace Alejandro Valverde. The UCI believes it has enough evidence on Valverde to show that he was involved in the Operación Puerto doping affair in Spain, and has recently said he would be banned for next week's world road race championships. Valverde, who finished third in last year's championships, has always protested his innocence - and has recently won the support of the Spanish cycling federation (RFEC). The RFEC believes its rider has no case to answer and said it would

Samuel Sánchez delivered his third stage victory of this year’s Vuelta a España to secure his Basque Euskaltel-Euskadi team its first-ever podium finish in a grand tour in the team’s 14-year history. Sánchez roared over Saturday’s short 20km individual time trial in the suburbs north of Madrid to knock Cadel Evans (Predictor-Lotto) off the podium and give compatriot Carlos Sastre (CSC) a good fright for the second spot on the podium.

SRAM announced Thursday that it intends to acquire wheel and component maker Zipp within the next 60 days. The two signed a non-binding letter of intent. The purchase would add a vital piece to SRAM’s puzzle, which already includes road and mountain bike drivetrain components (branded SRAM), suspension parts (branded RockShox), brakes (branded Avid) and road and mountain bike cranks, bars, stems and seatposts (branded Truvativ). “Zipp is a great company and respected brand, with a strong management team, advanced technology and superb manufacturing capability,” said Stan Day, SRAM’s chief

SRAM announced Thursday that it intends to acquire wheel and component maker Zipp within the next 60 days. The two signed a non-binding letter of intent. The purchase would add a vital piece to SRAM’s puzzle, which already includes road and mountain bike drivetrain components (branded SRAM), suspension parts (branded RockShox), brakes (branded Avid) and road and mountain bike cranks, bars, stems and seatposts (branded Truvativ). “Zipp is a great company and respected brand, with a strong management team, advanced technology and superb manufacturing capability,” said Stan Day, SRAM’s chief

Yesterday it was Vladimir Efimkin, today it was Cadel Evans. Team CSC’s Carlos Sastre played executioner for the second straight day and clawed his way ahead of Evans into second place overall Friday at the Vuelta a España after a grueling, six-climb stage finishing atop the rainy and foggy Abantos summit. Samuel Sánchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) won ahead of ahead of Dani Moreno (Relax-GAM) to score his second stage victory of this year’s Vuelta while Sastre crossed the line third just ahead of race leader Denis Menchov (Rabobank) at three seconds back.

Belgian cycling star Tom Boonen has pulled out of the world road race championships due to injuries on his knee and back, the Belgian cycling federation said Thursday. Quick Step's 2005 world champion has thus been forced to bring the curtain down on what has been a mitigated season by his high standards. Boonen, who counts the prestigious Paris-Roubaix and Tour of Flanders one-day classics among his many victories, crashed last week during a stage on the Vuelta a España and abandoned the race complaining of back and knee pain. A fitness test on Thursday confirmed Boonen's worst

Team CSC’s Carlos Sastre has been complaining all week that the 2007 Vuelta a España just wasn’t hard enough. With the top GC spots jammed in a deadlock since the climbing stage to Cerler in the Pyrénées, it seemed the relatively easy second half of the Vuelta was dooming the 32-year-old Spanish climber to yet another fourth-place result in a grand tour. Sastre – already twice fourth in the Tour de France and once fourth in the Vuelta -- was so frustrated, so fed up, that he even said he wasn’t going to attack anymore.

American Floyd Landis has been formally stripped of his 2006 Tour de France title after an arbitration panel ruled against his challenge of a positive doping test result from that year’s edition of the race.

UCI president Pat McQuaid is ready to give in to demands by organizers of cycling's three three-week Tours who want out of the ProTour calendar of races. McQuaid said that major changes could be made to the ProTour race series as early as next year. The UCI introduced the ProTour calendar three years ago in a bid to promote a rich series of races with all the top teams and riders. However a powerful coalition consisting of the organizers of the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a España, has constantly opposed the ProTour, which has no system of relegation or promotion for teams

A second sprint victory in the Vuelta a España couldn’t erase disappointment for Daniele Bennati (Lampre-Fondital) after being overlooked for a spot on the Italian national team for next week’s world championships. The Liguigas-bound rider found out overnight he was left off the Stuttgart squad and smashed that frustration into his pedals Wednesday to beat the men whom he wanted to support, Paolo Bettini, and compatriot Alessandro Petacchi in the 175km 17th stage from Ciudad Real to Talavera de la Reina.

Normally I try and refrain from writing race reports. I figure that most people read enough “this guy attacked and then those teams chased that guy and then this team did the lead out and those guys sprinted and that guy won” and if I can come up with something about our lives or experiences that give insight into what racing a bike is all about it might be more interesting. At least I tell myself that… I figure that I update my blog with all the standard race report action and have tried to maintain the philosophy that if writing is on a real web site rather than a blog I should put some

I have been wearing a black bracelet that says “Harden The F**k Up” since the first of July. Stuart O’Grady gave them to us before the start of the Tour de France in London and we all wore them with pride. Even when things are going good, you are always one hundred corners away from victory but only one away from defeat. Then, of course, when Stuey crashed horrifically out of the Tour, broke 10 bones, and was stuck in a hospital bed we didn't even think of taking them off. I still haven't, it reminds me how easy it is take things for granted. Stuey lives in Monaco, thousands of

I had the chance to catch “The Flying Scotsman” at a special showing at the Boulder Theater. While the movie takes some liberties with the order of events and the details of how they unfolded, it tells the gist of Graeme Obree’s story ratherwell. In many ways, it reminded me that – as far as the UCI is concerned – the more things change, the more they remain the same. The film’s characterization of the UCI, and its troglodyte attitude toward maverick innovators like Obree, is unfortunately quite accurate, especially when those inventive types beat established cycling stars using

The U.S. team comes with one of its strongest and competitive squads since 2003 for this year’s 2007 UCI road world championships, set for September 26-30 in Stuttgart, Germany. The American team, which will be looking to improve on its two-medal haul from last year in Austria, brings defending world time trial champion Kristin Armstrong and such ProTour riders as George Hinicapie, Bobby Julich, Dave Zabriskie and Christian Vande Velde. Eight elite men, including seven from ProTour teams, eight elite women and six U23 men were named to the U.S. national team as USA Cycling released the

Colombians made a name for themselves in the 1980s and 1990s by winning when the road turned uphill. Such stars as Lucho Herrera, Fabio Parra and the latest incarnation in the form of Mauricio Soler put Colombia on the international cycling map thanks to their bird-like builds and innate ability to soar like condors up Europe’s steepest roads. Santiago Botero broke the mold with his consistency in the race against the clock, but Colombians and summit finishes were synonymous in the peloton.

The 155 remaining riders of the 62nd Vuelta a España enjoy their second and final rest day Monday as the season’s final grand tour enters its final week of racing. Overall leader Denis Menchov looks unbeatable with only six stages remaining. The 29-year-old Russian rolled out of the Pyrénées last weekend with a solid lead of 2:01 over surprisingly tough Vladimir Efimkin (Caisse d’Epargne) and 2:27 to third-place Cadel Evans (Predictor-Lotto). Eternal podium contender Carlos Sastre (CSC) is poised in fourth at 3:02 if any of the leaders tumble. “I feel like I have the Vuelta 70 percent

[nid:40552]Ivan Dominguez put an emphatic stamp on his run to the Tour of Missouri's sprint points title, winning the final stage of this 562.2-mile, six-day race, which concluded Sunday in downtown St. Louis. Dominguez (Toyota-United) emerged from a scrambled sprint along Market Street, comfortably holding off Andrew Pinfold (Symmetrics) and Dominique Rollin (KodakGallery-Sierra Nevada), who were second and third in the 74.2-mile, seven-lap circuit race.

When the road drops downhill, there’s no one faster than Samuel Sánchez. Perhaps Damiano Cunego (Lampre-Fondital) didn’t know what was in store when Sánchez disappeared off the Cat. 1 Alto de Monachil summit some 20km from the finish line in Granada. But Manuel “Triki” Beltrán (Liquigas) sure did.

In a symbolic sign of the times, Slipstream’s Danny Pate launched a brave solo attack inside a kilometer to go and held it all the way to the line, taking victory in stage 5 of the Tour of Missouri Saturday. Pate’s triumph is arguably the biggest win in the short history of the Boulder, Colorado-based team that is poised to take over the mantel of American cycling following the imminent demise of Discovery Channel.

Navigators to end sponsorshipThe Navigators Insurance pro cycling team, the longest-running professional team in American cycling, will come to an end this season as its title sponsor has opted not to renew its sponsorship for 2008. Navigators Insurance has sponsored the New Jersey-based professional team bearing its name for 14 years, making it the longest continuous team sponsorship in American cycling history and one of the longest running in the world. The team began in 1994 with the mission to help encourage and provide opportunity for budding American cycling talent, and with the

Iowan Jason McCartney (Discovery) attacked out a breakaway group of 11 to win the 14th stage of the 2007 Vuelta a España, a hilly 207-kilometer ride Puerto Lumbreras to Villacarrillo, on Saturday.

Just when it looked like the Vuelta a España was stuck on the repeat button, all hell broke loose in Friday´s 176km 13th stage. Take away the wild battles in the Pyrenees, and it seemed the Vuelta had stolen the script from the movie “Groundhog Day.” Day after day, the same plot unfolded: an early break, lots of TV for Spain´s second-division no-hopers, the peloton on siesta, the sprint teams revving up the chase, the breakaway caught with 8km to go, a sprinter sweeping across the line in the fight to see who gets kisses from the podium girls.

Okay, I admit I have no idea where I am. I am driving southwest right now to our new hotel. We are entering the region of Murcia, which is somewhat akin to the southwest of the states: Desert, sharp mountains, rocks, sleepy villages, nada. But this is all part of my new tactic of making the race go by faster. I know the date and the stage, but apart from that, I have no idea where I was today or yesterday after the stage ended. This is quite common during a long stage race in a different land. But given that I have lived here in Spain for the last 10 years and know Spain from its food to

Luciano Pagliarini took a convincing sprint win at the conclusion of stage 4 of the Tour of Missouri on Friday, moving into a tie atop the points jersey standings in the process. [nid:40511]The Brazilian Prodir-Saunier Duval rider blasted straight up the gut of the finishing straight of Columbia’s East Walnut Street, lunging his bike across the line ahead of Canadian Andrew Pinfold (Symmetrics) and Cuban Ivan Dominguez (Toyota-United), who were a distant second and third respectively.

Denis Menchov will never be accused of being outspoken. A man of few words, the 29-year-old Russian clearly prefers to let his legs do the talking. So far through this Vuelta a España, the Rabobank captain has kept his cards close to his chest. He’s ridden with solid consistency in the decisive mountain and time trial stages to take firm control of the race, but he’s loath to talk about it. For the past few days, Menchov has more or less avoided the media as the Vuelta pushes south toward the next decisive stage in Sunday’s mountain stage into Granada. Until then, Menchov seems intent on

The rollercoaster ride that is George Hincapie's cycling career took a decidedly upward turn on Thursday, as the American posted a solid sixth-place effort in the Tour of Missouri's stage 3 time trial. Hincapie was more than two minutes back of teammate and stage winner Levi Leipheimer, but he put time into all the other members of Wednesday's decisive 12-man breakaway, and now has a commanding lead in the overall standings of this six-day, 600-mile race that ends Sunday in St. Louis.

German rider Andreas Klöden, who suffered a bad accident in training at the beginning of September, announced on Thursday that he has withdrawn from this month's world road championships in Stuttgart. "Unfortunately, I do not have enough time to be to 100 percent ready for the beginning of the world championships," said the 32-year-old Astana rider on his website. "I have told the people in charge of the German cycling federation that I won't be racing in Stuttgart. It would not have been fair to replace one of my colleagues who is fit.” Klöden suffered a hand and hip injury when

If there was any doubt that Alessandro Petacchi was back at his best, he erased them with an emphatic finishing surge Thursday to claim his second straight sprint victory at the Vuelta a España. On a day when another breakaway attempt fell short, Milram did the heavy lifting to reel in the attackers to put Ale-Jet in position to win the 173km 12th stage from Algemesí to Hellín.

A long stage and a long break and the Tour of Missouri is changed for good. Our man Casey Gibson was there to see it all.

Barring a repeat of the bad luck that has periodically plagued George Hincapie the last couple years, the American is in solid position to win the overall title at the inaugural Tour of Missouri. On Wednesday, the Discovery Channel rider was part of a 12-rider break that rolled off the front of the field early in the rolling 125.6-mile stage 2 run from Clinton to Springfield and never looked back. At the finish, when Hincapie darted out of the small pack to take the stage win, the trailing field was more than 14 minutes behind.

Alessandro Petacchi (Milram) made yet another comeback after sprinting to victory in Wednesday’s otherwise routine 11th stage at the Vuelta a España. It was his first major victory since the Italian ace tested non-negative for Salbutamol at the Giro d’Italia and his career teetered on the edge of disaster. The Italian cycling federation eventually cleared Petacchi of what could have been a two-year racing ban, but the proud Petacchi was forced to sit on the sidelines during the Tour de France.

When the Dura-Ace 7800 group was introduced for the 2004 season, it didn’t feature a hint of carbon fiber despite the fact that Campagnolo was offering ample amounts of the material throughout its flagship Record group. At the time Shimano relied on its ability to forge high quality aluminum at its Osaka factories. Four years later, carbon fiber is quite evident in Shimano's 2008 line. Four of Dura-Ace’s five wheel models feature carbon fiber rims, while a fifth uses scandium. The just released XTR Shadow rear derailleur sports a true carbon fiber pulley cage. And to put the icing on

How ironic is it that on the rest day we wake up two hours earlier than on any other day during the entire race? Okay, okay, I know getting up at 7:30 is not that early at all. Shoot, a majority of the working people out there have already been to the gym and commuted to work by this time. But it is really early for us right now and keep in mind that this is Spain. Let's put it this way, one of our neighbors yelled at Leah yesterday for walking our dog before 9 in the morning! That's because when their dog hears our over-grown Weimaraner, he freaks out, starts barking and wakes

Photo Gallery Below On a day when I pause every year to reflect on what the future may holdfor all of us, I think about the things that give me a little hope forthat future. One of those things is seeing kids on bikes. The future seems a lotbrighter to me if lots of kids are riding bikes, ensuring a healthier nextgeneration of adults treading more lightly on the earth with another toolto combat global warming and oil dependence. There are a number of great programs around the country that are successfulin creating passionate young bike riders, and I think all of them shouldbe encouraged. I

It seems like just yesterday that the Slipstream squad was hanging out in Julien, California, banging out some early season miles and planning the loooong year ahead. Somehow, it’s already September and I’m now at the Tour of Missouri and just about to wrap up another season; amazing how fast the year goes by. Not that I’m done quite yet. For one thing, I still have six days of racing here and then another six in October in Mexico, but with fall in the air the mood circulating the dining room is certainly that of eager anticipation of the coming off-season. Plans of vacations to come,

Cuban speedster Ivan Dominguez earned the first yellow jersey of the inaugural Tour of Missouri, blasting across the line at the end of stage 1 on a sun-splashed Tuesday in Kansas City. The Toyota United rider’s triumph came at the expense of Canadian Zach Bell (Symmetrics) and American Kyle Wamsley (Navigators) who were second and third respectively on the opening day of this six-stage, 600-mile race that will head west to east across the Show Me State before finishing on Sunday in St. Louis.

The inaugural six-stage Tour of Missouri, the third and final of America’s three “grand tours,” kicks off Tuesday in Kansas City. The 600-mile course will travel a counter-clockwise route, ending on Sunday, September 16, in St. Louis. In between the state’s largest cities are stops in Clinton, Springfield, Branson, Lebanon, Columbia, Jefferson City, and St. Charles.

How much is Denis Menchov dominating the 2007 Vuelta a España? If the amount of lipstick on his cheeks from receiving kisses from the podium girls is any indication, a lot. The 29-year-old Rabobank captain won the longest and hardest stage of this year’s Vuelta on a sunny and windy Monday high in Andorra to carry a solid lead of more than two minutes to compatriot Vladimir Efimkin (Caisse d’Epargne) into Tuesday’s rest day. Just add up the quality podium time Menchov enjoyed: stage winner, race leader, mountain jersey and the combined jersey. That’s a lot of kisses.

Mark Cavendish (T-Mobile) began his bid to win the Tour of Britain in style with a powerful finish to take the first stage on Monday in Southampton. Cavendish, who held the yellow jersey after the prologue, stormed away in the sprint finish after good work by teammates Roger Hammond and Frantisek Rabon had given him an ideal platform. The 22-year-old from the Isle of Man blew away Steven Caethoven and Juan Jose Haedo in the final 200 meters to clinch his 10th stage win of the season. and take a 14-second lead over Russia's Nikolai Trusov. Holland's Piet Rooijakkers, who took the

Monday’s exciting stage at the Vuelta a España saw the return of polemica, a tried and true European journalistic tradition of a battle of words fought out in headlines. The “he said-she said” tug-of-wars used to fill the pages of European sports dailies until the dirty business of doping scandals took all the fun out of being a cycling journalist. Those glory days returned briefly Monday as exhausted and frustrated riders started to point fingers at one another at the finish of the frenetic 214km “queen stage” across the Spanish Pyrenees. The first salvo came from Team CSC’s Carlos

[nid:40410]Two years ago, Denis Menchov was declared victor of the Vuelta a España months after Roberto Heras tested positive for EPO and was eventually dethroned. The Rabobank rider never enjoyed his moment on the winner’s podium and remains bitter about the whole business. Flash forward to Sunday’s first of two decisive climbing stages across the Spanish Pyrénées, when the soft-spoken Russian followed the attacking Leonardo Piepoli to climb solidly into the leader’s jersey .

Nearly three minutes ahead of a confusion-laden finale, and after some 160 kilometers in the breakaway, Will Frischkorn (Slipstream-Chipotle) soloed to victory in the Univest Grand Prix in Souderton, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Frischkorn launched a perfect counter following teammate Tim Duggan’s probing attack with eight laps of the race’s 5-kilometer finishing circuit remaining. Duggan and Frischkorn accounted for half of a four-man break that entered the finishing loops together following a challenging 109-kilometer loop through the Montgomery County countryside. Together with Columbian

Stijn Devolder (Discovery Channel) became stronger as the 52.2km individual time trial into Zaragoza unfolded to surge into the overall leader’s jersey Saturday at the Vuelta a España. His rivals are hoping that trend doesn’t continue going into a pair of decisive climbing stages in the Pyrénées, or this Vuelta might well be over.

Wind. Friend, foe, annoyance and pain in the ass...literally. The last three days have been ridden in and around Zarragoza home of tumbleweed and wind. There isn't anything to stop the wind around here other than the occasional guard rail or rock. So everyone knows when they come in this area it is gonna be spectacular in some way, shape or form. So that is no doubt why the organizers always seem to map the race through this area, it certainly isn't because of the spectators. And of course it didn't disappoint. Spills, thrills and Zarragoza. It splits the field, causes tension

Cycling's international governing body, the UCI, on Saturday upheld its earlier decision to exclude Spain’s Alejandro Valverde from the World Cycling Championships in Stuttgart at the end of the month. The announcement comes after the Spanish cycling federation openlydefied the UCI by registering Valverde for the championships. Valverde's participation at the event on September 25-30 had been up in the air because of growing suspicions over his alleged links to the Operación Puerto doping affair in Spain. Operación Puertoerupted in May 2006 after police raided the premises of

Evans believes in Vuelta chancesCadel Evans (Predictor-Lotto) was the big question mark coming into this year’s Vuelta a España. Would the Tour de France runner-up come to Spain intent on winning the Vuelta or was he here instead to prepare for the world championships? Evans admitted he didn’t even know the answer to that question until Tuesday’s climbing stage at Lagos de Covadonga. Despite having the Spanish Armada and Russian émigré Denis Menchov ganging up on him, Evans held tough and enters Saturday’s decisive time trial as the heavy favorite to ride into contention for overall

Perhaps Oscar Freire has a sixth sense. After winning three out of the first six stages at the Vuelta a España, the Rabobank sprinter had his crash radar up and decided to take himself out of Friday’s sprint into Zaragoza. Sure enough. There was a nasty spill with about 30km to go that took down American Christian Vande Velde (CSC) when the peloton was roaring at 65kph to erase the day’s main breakaway.

I love it when a plan comes together!Col. John "Hannibal" SmithThe A-Team We don't have the strongest team out there, but we made the most outof every member of the team on Tuesday. In the process we squeezed outevery possible second from the opposition.Carlos is looking good and he is more secure with the team by the daywhich makes him calm and relaxed and that makes us calm......and on andon.Placing three of us in the break sounds better than it really is, giventhat there were 38 of us! But two of us climb quite well and we used thatto launch Carlos up the Covadonga: Me for the middle

It’s going to take more than a nasty crash to keep Christian Vande Velde from finishing this year’s Vuelta a España. The 31-year-old American is racing what’s his last major European race in a Team CSC jersey before switching to the up-and-coming Slipstream squad for the 2008 season and he wants to go out on a winning note. “I didn’t want to stop the race. The truth is, I felt horrible and I’m still pretty beat up. I still don’t feel great,” Vande Velde told VeloNews. “I want to go out with CSC on a good note. I hope to feel better in the coming days.” Vande Velde crashed twice in the