Road

Right now I’m in the car on my way back from the Hooglede World Cup and I still have mud caked to my legs and butt. Today was one of those days when you would give someone a hundred bucks for a long, hot shower just after finishing. Yes, it was another epic race in Belgium. It snowed last night, but today it warmed to a few degrees above freezing so the Belgian mud was very, very ripe. While loading up the car this morning I asked Michel, “How’s the weather out there?” He replied in a thick Belgian accent, “ It eez rain. It eez snow. It eez wind. It eez shit!” How’s that for a pep

Today was my last rest day and to be honest it was a little boring. I woke up, checked some e-mail, ate breakfast, went on a ride, showered, ate lunch, wrote my diary for VeloNews.com, got a massage, ate dinner and soon I will be off to bed. Even if only for one day, it was the life of a professional cyclist. I did help Michel clean our bikes this afternoon and it was interesting to note that he brushed diesel fuel on all the bikes as a degreaser before scrubbing them down with soap and water. Although it’s probably not the best thing for the environment or safe to use while roasting

It’s getting cold and white here! We woke up this morning to gray skies, a light dusting of snow and very chilly temperatures. Not to worry though because we planned to take the next couple days off in an effort to recover for the World Cup in Hooglede on New Year’s Eve. These rest days are a welcomed treat because I am definitely feeling some aches and pains as I try to keep pace with the Euro-crossers. After another lovely breakfast of muesli, yogurt, fresh fruit and hearty bread, Michel, Lyne and I got suited up in our cold weather gear for a little recovery ride through a local park.

I just returned from the Azencross in Loenhout and it was absolutely incredible. Plus, I actually finished without getting lapped! The course was a roller coaster of a ride that weaved in so many different directions that sometimes I forgot where I was going. There were bridges, whoop-dee-doos and so many spectators pressed against the course barriers that at times I felt like I was racing in a tunnel. If I wasn’t navigating a tricky corner, I was dodging plumes of cigarette smoke being blown in my face or empty beer cups strewn across the course. Once again, the Belgian fans did not

On the drive home last night from the Hoofstade World Cup a small storm front moved through that blanketed the ground with snow. I went to bed knowing that the next race was going to be a chilly one. Sure enough, today was my coldest day here, but it was nothing like the chill I felt when I nearly lost my fingers at this year’s U.S. Cyclo-cross Nationals. We didn’t have to leave Michel’s house too early this morning for today’s race in Veldegem because there was no women’s category so Lyne didn’t have a race. I forgot to mention yesterday that she had a great World Cup result that would have

Savings options? Dear Lennard, My question is regarding CO2 inflation cartridges. Is it okay to use CO2 cartridges that are labeled for use in BB guns and paint ball guns? I have been told that they contain a small amount of oil in them and because certain oils or lubricants can sometimes breakdown rubber that I should not use them. Is this true? These CO2 cartridges are sold at your local Wal-Mart or sporting goods store and are considerably cheaper. A box of 15 or 20 usually runs around 10 dollars as opposed to three or four dollars a cartridge at you local bike shop.

Today was the World Cup cross race in Hoofstade and it was a tough one. I was the last rider to get called to the line and one of first few to get lapped.

It is Christmas evening here in Belgium and we are just about to sit down to dinner, but I thought I’d give you a quick report. On Christmas Eve, my girlfriend Heather arrived by train from London, after spending some time there with her family. It is great to have her here. Anyone who would want to travel through Belgium with her boyfriend while he is racing in the winter must be quite special, or nuts, but I think the former. We had a delicious five-course meal that had my stomach bulging at the seams, although I still managed to find some room for a few Belgian chocolates at the very end.

Typically after U.S. Cyclo-cross Nationals I don’t touch my bike for almost a month, but here I am in Belgium racing a Superprestige on Christmas Eve. Well, "racing" might be the wrong term to use because it felt more like chasing, but more on that later. Today, Kiwi, Kashi Leuchs join us for a few days of cross racing in Belgium. He spends most of his time these days in Annecy, France, so it’s an easy trip for him. Kashi doesn’t race much 'cross, but last year he did a Belgian race with Michel and wanted to give it another go this year. Once again Michel’s mom prepped some delicious

Holiday greetings from Belgium! Well, I made it safely across the pondto begin my Belgian holiday cyclo-cross racing adventure. The plan is tocompete in seven Belgian cross races which kick off with the Superprestigein Diegem on Christmas Eve and end after a race in Saint Niklaas on January2nd. What the heck am I doing in Belgium to race cyclo-cross you might ask?Well, to by honest I’m not quite sure. All I know is this past summer Ihad an international travel voucher that needed to be redeemed. While decidingwhere to take my trip I met Michel Bajorek, a professional mechanic fromBelgium at

Tom Boonen is never likely to win cycling's most coveted stage race jersey, but after yet another roller-coaster year for cycling the Belgian star could boast of having won the next best thing. For many, the world champion's rainbow jersey, which Boonen won in September, is more prestigious than the Tour de France's famous yellow jersey, which American Lance Armstrong won for a record seventh time before retiring in July. Adieu to ArmstrongArmstrong's talent on the world's biggest race will remain undoubted although for many his decision to retire could not have come any

Making a Quantum leap?Dear Lennard,I have a circa 1996 Chorus 8-speed right index shifter (rear cogs). It is worn out and in a box. Do you know if it is possible to rebuild it as a ten-speed with the right parts?KhalilDear Khalil,No it is not. Eight-speed levers can only be upgraded to 9-speed, not to 10-speed. Also, the first year of 9-speed, with the current, more rounded shape to the knob atop the lever, could not be upgraded at all. After that, nine-speed levers could be upgraded to 10-speed.LennardTo click or not to clickDear Lennard, You recently received a letter regarding a freshly

Belgian Bart Wellens (Fidea), who kicked a spectator in last Sunday’s cyclo-cross in Overijse, Belgium, has been stripped of his victory in the race and faces a disciplinary hearing in 2006, according to the UCI. Wellens, who finished ahead of Lars Boom and Gerben de Knegt, originally had been disqualified on the day of the race, but after he spoke with the race jury, the decision was reversed and the win allowed to stand. On Monday, the Belgian cycling association demanded sanctions, criticizing the "soft" attitude of the race jury’s president and calling Wellens’s behavior

British cyclist David Millar, who is serving a two-year drugs ban, has signed to race for the Saunier Duval team next year, the Spanish outfit said Thursday. Millar agreed to a deal that will begin in June 2006 and finish at the end of 2007. "David Millar has signed a contract linking him to the team until the end of 2007," Saunier Duval said in a statement released on th team’s website. "He will be back on the road next June. David Millar is a great rider, and in Saunier Duval we believe he deserves a second chance to display his talent." The 28-year-old is serving a two-year ban for

At Wednesday’s presentation of the 2006 Vuelta a España in Madrid, the race director Victor Cordero said how he was "outraged" by 2005 winner Roberto Heras testing positive for EPO, while the Spanish state secretary for sports Jaime Lissavetzky spoke about taking a more "rigorous" approach to doping and having a "clean and ethical" race next year. But the fact that Heras did test positive shows that the UCI’s stepped-up anti-doping program is working. Doping in sport has been around for decades; it’s not a problem that can be suddenly eradicated. At least Cordero said he was planning a

Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong will go on trial for defamation after losing a preliminary hearing against Italian Filippo Simeoni. Armstrong called the Italian rider a "liar" in an interview with French newspaper Le Monde in 2003 after Simeoni had given evidence in 2002 to magistrates investigating disgraced Italian sports doctor Michele Ferrari. On Wednesday judge Nicola Insiti rejected a claim by Armstrong's defense and ordered a hearing to be held on March 7, 2006. Ferrari, who is alleged to have helped dozens of top athletes to safely administer illegal

A bunch of press releases, new products, and (gasp) a product alert have all piled up on my desktop over the past week. It’s time to purge. We first brought you the news a week ago, but we’ve since learned some more about the three-year deal between Health Net and Cannondale. The company will provide the team with Cannondale-branded clothing plus shoes and casual clothing from Diadora, a brand for which Cannondale owns North American distribution rights. "With the exception of Rudy helmets we’re head to toe," said Scott Struve, Cannondale’s product marketing manager. The riders have a

I had a recent experience in the medical care of an elite cyclist that,for me, became something of a baptism-by-fire education in sports physiology.Reviewing the results of an extensive set of blood tests on an elitecyclist who had recently fallen ill, I found myself at a complete lossto explain a mysterious abnormality that appeared on the charts.Was this a benign variation found in some elite cyclists or the firstdiagnosis of a serious or life-threatening illness? My God, could it alsobe doping? I felt I owed it to the athlete to figure it out. The investigationthat followed was a Pandora’s

The route of the 2006 Vuelta a España was unveiled Wednesday in Madrid with organizers calling for zero tolerance for doping following the recent Roberto Heras doping scandal. The presentation came only hours after it was reported that Liberty Seguros team president Manuel Pinera had decided to quit his post and would be selling his shares in Active Bay, which runs the team that employed Heras before the 2005 Vuelta champ was confirmed positive for EPO. Heras, who has protested his innocence and is appealing the decision that led to his sacking, has yet to be suspended for the expected two

The Belgian Cycling Federation said Tuesday that it feared losing the rights to hold two world championships after a high court suspended a doping ruling against former champion Ludovic Capelle. The Belgian Council of State on Monday suspended an 18-month doping sentence against the 2001 Belgian champion on procedural grounds, allowing the cyclist to race again. ''We do everything possible to keep the sport clean and then we see a decision like this,'' federation chairman Laurent De Backer told VRT television. He said the UCI might consider taking next year's world

The 18-month doping ban imposed on Belgian rider Ludovic Capelle has been lifted by Belgium's highest legal body involved with administrative matters, Flemish television station VRT reported on Monday. Capelle was suspended in October after testing positive for the blood booster EPO (erythropoeitin) during a race in June, but it has now been ruled that the proper procedure had not been followed. No details were given. The former Belgian champion had been sacked by his Landbouwkrediet team, and manager Gerard Bulens told the Belga news agency on Monday: "We terminated Ludovic's

Britain’s Nicole Cooke will be sidelined for three weeks after breaking a collarbone at the UCI track World Cup in Manchester, England. Cooke, 22, crashed in points-race qualifications on Friday evening, and an examination confirmed two cracks of the left clavicle, without displacement or complication, according to team manager Doug Dailey. The young Briton should take two to three weeks to recover, but she could resume training at the beginning of January, Dailey said.

Belgian Bart Wellens soloed to victory in the sixth round of the UCI cyclo-cross World Cup Sunday in Igorre, Spain. Czech Petr Dlask and Italian Enrico Franzoi crossed second and third, respectively. It was a black day for world champion Sven Nys of Belgium, undefeated through the first five rounds. Nys had a good start but suffered mechanical problems on the muddy, sodden course, and had to be satisfied with eighth place. Wellens, by contrast, was delighted with his performance. "I always gave the best of myself, but Nys was too strong in the earlier races," he said. "I continued to

Just how bad was the snow, freezing rain, wind, sleet and more snow on Friday, the opening day of the 2005 Liberty Mutual U.S. national cyclo-cross championships?

New Zealand edged Great Britain to take victory in the men's team pursuit Saturday at the Union Cycliste Internationale Track Cycling World Cup in Manchester, England. Great Britain had led the Kiwis into the dying seconds before just missing out on the line. The team's bid had been hampered by illness, with both Mark Cavendish and Rob Hayles falling sick with viruses this week. Hayles blamed his virus and also an incident at his local supermarket when he "clothes-lined" a bag snatcher attempting to escape on a bicycle. "That's got to be worth at least a couple of seconds,"

Organizers of cycling's top three stage races pulled out of the UCI ProTour circuit Friday after talks with the sport's governing body collapsed. Organizers of the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España said in a statement issued Friday that the UCI's plans for the 2006 series imposed too many restrictions. Race operators and the UCI have been at odds over how races are organized and funded. Organizers said the ProTour limits their ability to select teams for their races and that extending a temporary accord reached for 2005 made ''no

UCI president Pat McQuaid told VeloNews Friday that he was "not surprised" by the position taken by the organizers of the three grand tours, saying their decision to split from the UCI ProTour and return to a system of team invitations and wild cards for their events was "like going back to the Dark Ages." He believes that the grand tours made a pre-emptive move in view of a meeting planned this coming Monday between the UCI and the ProTour team sponsors. Speaking on a cell phone while transferring planes at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany, McQuaid said he had just heard of the grand

Sarah Hammer of Temecula, California, took gold in the women’s points race during the first day of competition at the Union Cycliste Internationale Track Cycling World Cup in Manchester, England. Hammer’s victory comes in her first World Cup since a one-year hiatus from cycling. Hammer, 22, lapped the field with China’s Yan Li to claim a majority of her points. Hammer will ride in the women’s pursuit in Saturday’s competition. Teammate Becky Quinn (Quakertown, Pennsylvania) consistently finished in the top four during the points race sprints, placing her sixth overall. Michael Blatchford

Belgian Sven Nys (Rabobank) won the fifth round of the cyclo-cross World Cup Wednesday in Milan. The world champion soloed to victory ahead of compatriot Erwin Vervecken (Fidea), who finished second at 12 seconds back, and Italian Enrico Franzoi (Lampre-Caffita), who took third just two seconds later. The win kept Nys’s unbeaten streak going in this year’s series and marked his 25th career victory in World Cup competition. In women's competition, the Netherlands' Daphny Van Den Brand (Van Bemmelen-AA Drink) won handily over countrywoman Marianne Vos, who finished more than 30

For many of us, the next few weeks are likely to include many socialoccasions filled with an abundance of foods (many high in fat), an overflowof alcoholic beverages, and hectic schedules that often thwart the bestlaid plans for calorie burning workouts.  Keeping the holidays healthyand minimizing any havoc created by too much food and drink, is best approachedby a mindful approach that combines behavior strategies, nutritional awareness,and realistic goals around food and exercise.Goal SettingFirst, start by clearly defining your goals for this holiday season.Perhaps you are currently

Cycling legend Sean Kelly will receive the Mick Doyle Golden Memory Award December 10 during the Canon Hayes National Sports Awards in Aherlow, Ireland. The prize is named for the Irish rugby player and coach who died in a car accident in Northern Ireland in 2004. Kelly won 193 races during his 17-year career, including nine classics and seven consecutive triumphs at Paris-Nice. He just missed the podium at the Tour de France in 1985, finishing fourth, and won the green points jersey in 1982, 1983, 1985 and 1989. Elder Nazon to end pro careerDamien Nazon (Crédit Agricole) has decided to

I am glad to be back in the States for a couple of days, getting ready for cyclo-cross nationals, because I had a serious craving for some good quality Mexican food and was starting to get a little bored hanging out in Belgium by myself. This week will be a welcome break from racing in Europe. What lies before you is my version of a preview — my picks — for ‘cross nationals this weekend. You might not agree with me, but hey, what do you know anyway? Seriously, with a forecast for snow on Friday and temperatures of a high around 30-34 degrees, the only thing certain for this weekend is that

One of cycling’s greatest-ever climbers, Charly Gaul of Luxembourg, died on Tuesday, two days short of his 73rd birthday. Gaul was hospitalized after a fall at his home in Itzig, 10km outside Luxembourg City, and died shortly before noon from a pulmonary embolism. He leaves a wife and a daughter. Gaul is best remembered for his exploits in the mountain stages of the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia, particularly in adverse weather conditions. He won the Giro in 1956 and 1959 and the Tour in 1958. At the Tour, Gaul was handicapped by racing in the era of national teams because Luxembourg, a

Screeeeeetch!Dear Lennard,I have a brand new Santa Cruz Blur equipped with Avid Juicy 7 discs. After a few rides in dry weather where the brakes performed flawlessly and silently, I rode the bike in the rain. I almost had to abandon braking altogether and just drag my feet to stop as the squealing sound was so loud it was shaking out my fillings. Since then, even in dry weather, the brakes continue to squeal on and off, and frankly I am afraid to use them in the wet again. The brakes are properly installed and bled. Did I not break them in long enough (three rides of easy road riding with

The legendary cobbles of the Forest of Arenberg could make their return to the traditional route of Paris-Roubaix, after a regional council voted to allocate 220,000 euros to aid in the repair of sections that have collapsed in recent years. Last January, the Amaury Sport Organization, the organizer of “The Hell of the North,” pulled the feared 2.4-kilometer stretch of cobbles from the race route because large portions were determined to be too dangerous, due to mining subsidence. At the time, Race director Jean-François Pescheux said that past coal mining operations in the area triggered a

My fall is filled with cyclo-cross. Along with writing about exciting ’cross technology, I race on a single-speed and give up five weekends every fall to help a local promoter put on his ’cross series here in Boulder, Colorado. The finals, which doubled as the American Cycling Association state championships, were raced this past Saturday at Xilinx Software’s Longmont campus — complete with drum line. The men’s race was one of the most exciting local events I have been to in recent memory. I was a spectator because a lapse in concentration a week and a half ago, while testing the hardness

World champion Sven Nys (Rabobank) won the fourth round of the UCI cyclo-cross World Cup on Sunday in Wetzikon, Switzerland — but the victory didn't come easily. The Belgian had to come from behind to take the win over Netherlander Richard Groenendaal and Belgian Bart Wellens, who crossed second and third, respectively. Nys flatted while answering an attack by Italian Enrico Franzoi and had to make up a deficit of more than two minutes on Groenendaal, who had taken the lead. Wellens and Groenendaal tried in vain to shed themselves of Nys, but the world No. 1 proved far superior to his

Logstor, Denmark (Reuters) -- CSC's Ivan Basso is determined to fill the cycling spotlight left by Lance Armstrong's retirement by attempting to win both the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France in 2006. Basso originally announced he would focus on the Tour de France after finishing second behind Armstrong this year. But he announced a surprise change of plan at his team's first training camp of the new season in northern Denmark."It's a risk going for two major races in the same season but I really want to try and win both the Giro and the Tour," Basso told Reuters. "It

For a man whose chief cyclo-cross training in 2005 has involved more hours spent remodeling his house than racing, Todd Wells (GT-Hyundai) has been using his race days to their fullest. With a strong elite men’s field gathered in anticipation of next weekend’s U.S. Cyclo-cross National Championships, Saturday’s W.E. Stedman Grand Prix in Wakefield, Rhode Island, round five of the 2005 Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series, was a regional race with national implications. But Wells put paid to the rest of the field’s dreams, dominating the cold, wind-whipped course from start to

At the ripe age of 34, Gilberto Simoni will be riding in the distinctive yellow and red jersey of Saunier Duval for the 2006 season. The two-time Giro d’Italia winner has already mapped out his season’s top goals, which includes a start at the inaugural Tour of California as well as a run at a third maglia rosa. "The team has an interest to go (to California) and make a good preparation," Simoni told the Spanish daily Diario Vasco. "Later we’ll see which races I will start, but it’s sure I will go to the United States." Simoni said he’s excited about the new team and ready to take over the

Rudy Pevenage, the veteran Belgian director who helped steer Bjarne Riis and Jan Ullrich to back-to-back Tour de France victories in the 1990s, is back in the good graces of T-Mobile and will officially rejoin the team as one of four sport directors for the 2006 season. Pevenage had a falling out with former T-Mobile manager Walter Godefroot three years ago and left to lead Team Coast, which dissolved in the midst of the 2003 season. He continued to work with Ullrich upon his return to T-Mobile in 2004, but only as an advisor and wasn’t allowed to officially travel with team staff during

Spanish rider Francisco Mancebo wants nothing less than the podium at next year’s Tour de France with the recent news that his new Ag2r-Prévoyance team is assured of a spot in the UCI’s ProTour. The French team earned a four-year ProTour license earlier this week to take over the spot vacated by Fassa Bortolo. With starts assured in all the major races, Mancebo sounds confident as he prepares for the coming season. "Every year I’ve been able to inch a little higher and my goal this year will be to climb on the Tour podium," Mancebo told the Spanish daily AS. "On paper the race looks very

Liberty Seguros is trying to put its best foot forward following the devastating news last week that Roberto Heras tested positive for the banned blood booster EPO. While Heras can expect an all-but-certain racing ban and the humiliation of having his 2005 Vuelta a España victory stripped away, the Spanish team is scrambling to limit the damage as it looks ahead to next season. Team manager Manolo Saiz has taken his fair share of flack, with some calling for his scalp in an avalanche of recriminations. Heras tested positive for EPO on the penultimate stage en route to winning the 2005

Dear readers,I am always amazed how a single reader letter can sometimes generate a flood of follow-up mail. Over the last couple of weeks I have received a good deal of e-mail about the potential problems people encounter when they soak chains in Simple Green for an extended period. Many of those notes focused on SRAM chains, and some writers suggested that it was the steel used in those chains that was the root of the problem.Now that I have learned a lot more about it, I doubt it. I believe that SRAM chains were mentioned most often simply because people who soak their chains for long

The French team AG2R has been granted a four-year ProTour license for 2006. The team was denied a ProTour ticket last season, but has bolstered its roster since, signing Spaniard Francesco Mancebo and Christophe Moreau. "One of my qualities is never not to doubt," said director Vincent Lavenu. "Last year, we could not obtain a license, but we continued by building something solid. This is a formidable reward." The announcement means that French squads account for five of the 20 ProTour teams. Spain is next best represented, with four teams, followed by Italy with three. Teams of the 2006

Giro d’Italia organizers are still holding firm to their bid to conclude the 2006 edition with a split-stage. Days after the 2006 route was announced earlier this month, the UCI shot down organizers’ plans to hold a morning time trial and an afternoon road stage on the Giro’s final day, citing rules that ProTour events can’t have split stages. Organizers, however, insist their plan still has merit because the Giro isn’t likely to be part of the ProTour in 2006. "The rules only apply to the ProTour," Giro race director Angelo Zomegnan told Tutto Bici. "The ProTour rules don’t allow

The UCI has upheld positive dope tests against Vuelta a España winner Roberto Heras and vehemently rejected complaints about its testing procedure. In a statement released late Friday, the UCI expressed its "full satisfaction with the way the procedures relating to this case were carried out and reaffirms its unconditional confidence in the method used to trace EPO." Heras tested positive for erythropoeitin after the 2005 Vuelta's 20th-stage time trial. On Friday a Spanish laboratory detected EPO in his second B sample. The 31-year-old Spaniard, who faces a two-year ban, insisted he

Spanish cycling is reeling following the confirmation that Roberto Heras tested positive for the banned blood-booster EPO in samples taken in the penultimate stage of the 2005 Vuelta a España. After the results of a counter-analysis conducted Monday by Spain’s Consejo Superior de Deportes were announced Friday, Heras – who will likely be stripped of his 2005 Vuelta crown and faces a two-year racing ban – charged that the test is flawed and promised a lengthy legal battle to clear his name. Heras is the most successful Spanish rider of his generation, winning the Vuelta a record four times

Chances of a clear resolution to the Roberto Heras doping case seemed lost after doubt and uncertainty over Heras’s counter-analysis was raised this week in Spain. On Wednesday, Heras and his legal team demanded that charges that he used the banned blood booster EPO en route to winning the 2005 Vuelta a España be dropped after follow-up tests were inconclusive. Anti-doping authorities stuck by their guns, however, insisting that further tests were required to fairly conclude if EPO can be identified in Heras’s urine sample taken on the penultimate stage of this year’s Vuelta. Officials

I got the galvanic corrosion and buzzin’ bottle boss bluesDear Lennard,I have a carbon frame road bike, and one of the water bottle bosseshas come loose. This makes for an irritating buzz, on any ride, and,I can't tighten the bolt sufficiently enough to stop the water bottle cagefrom bouncing a bit. Is there any type of epoxy, or other glue likesubstance that I can use to secure the boss?DaveHere’s an answer to your question from carbon guru Craig CalfeeMost carbon frames use aluminum Riv-nuts for water bottle bosses.The problem is that aluminum and carbon fiber don't get along well,

Levi Leipheimer, captain of the Gerolsteiner team, says he is one of "five or six cyclists" that can win the 2006 Tour De France. Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong retired after his victory last year and Leipheimer, sixth in this year's Tour, insists he is capable of following in his compatriot's footsteps. "I want to get on the podium at the Tour de France," said Leipheimer in a story from Agence France Presse. "I certainly think I am one of five or six riders capable of succeeding Lance Armstrong." Leipheimer, 31, showed his class by winning the 2005 Tour of

Four-time Vuelta a España winner Roberto Heras and his attorney cried foul on Wednesday after a Spanish laboratory said there had been a delay in the analysis of his B sample from the 2005 Vuelta's 20th-stage time trial. Heras, whose A sample tested positive for EPO after that penultimate stage, has maintained his innocence, arguing that there had been a mix-up in the laboratory and that he was confident of being cleared. During a press conference Wednesday, Heras told the Reuters news agency that the lab was "unable to reach a conclusion." "I expected a negative test, but what has

UCI president Pat McQuaid says the sports governing body is considering putting a double circuit in place to try to resolve the ongoing conflict concerning the ProTour. McQuaid's predecessor, Hein Verbruggen, introduced the ProTour in the autumn of 2004 to help modernize and better organize the often-hectic professional cycling calendar. But it met with resistance from race organizers — including the ASO (Amaury Sport Organization), whose portfolio of events includes the Tour de France — who believe the reforms were rushed in too quickly and without their input. McQuaid, who took over

Jan Ullrich and his T-Mobile teammates are hoping a military-style training camp in the Austrian Alps will deliver stronger results in the coming season. T-Mobile recently concluded a team meeting that included two-and-a-half days of team-building exercises in the snowy mountains. Team members hiked through heavy snow, built a rope bridge across a canyon and prepared meals together. "We went into a lot of these challenges, thinking we would never manage it," Ullrich said on T-Mobile’s web page. "But everybody weighed in, so that we devised the right strategy to achieve our goals. It was

German rider Danilo Hondo should find out in two weeks if an appeal against a one-year doping ban is successful, his lawyer said Tuesday after a lengthy hearing with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Hondo, who has a Swiss racing license, was handed a one-year ban by the Swiss Olympic association in June after he tested positive for carphedon, a banned stimulant, twice during the Tour of Murcia in Spain in April. The 31-year-old won two stages in that race, following up on his second-place finish behind Alessandro Petacchi in the prestigious, season-opening classic Milan-San Remo in

Now all Roberto Heras can do is wait. On Monday in Madrid, technicians conducted the counter-analysis on urine samples taken from the four-time Vuelta a España champion in the penultimate stage of this year’s race. The anti-doping test will confirm or clear Heras of charges he took the banned blood booster EPO en route to winning the 2005 title. On the advice of his lawyer, Heras waived his right to witness the procedure. In his place were two observers acting on his behalf: José María Buxeda, a member of his legal team, and Italian chemist Giuseppe Pierraccini, a specialist in the EPO test

Perhaps no doping test in Spanish racing history has as much at stake as Roberto Heras’s counter-analysis scheduled for Monday in Madrid. Many observers say the fate of the four-time Vuelta a España champion – who is facing allegations he used the banned blood-booster EPO en route to his 2005 victory – could have major impacts on the entire Spanish cycling community. Not only is Heras’s legacy and reputation at stake, but the credibility of cycling also hangs in the balance for many sport fans. If the follow-up tests on urine sample confirm the presence of EPO – and results are expected to

With bright sunshine and near-tropical heat, the Aloha spirit was alive and well Saturday in Santa Cruz, California, at round 5 of the Crank Brothers U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross. Hosted by the Northern Californian Velo Bella team, the final round of the Surf City Cyclo-cross series wasn't exactly a day at the beach - unless you count the weather, which inflicted mid-80s temperatures on a field more accustomed to snow, mud and bitter cold than to sweat, salt and baking heat. Instead of slick ice, racers were met with technically challenging loose and dry conditions, steep climbs and

An ambitious Jan Ullrich hinted Thursday he wants to win both the Tour de France and the Tour of Germany in 2006. Speaking via a video feed during the presentation of the 2006 Deutschland Tour, Ullrich said the nine-day, 1400km course better suits his style than the mountainous 2005 version, which saw Levi Leipheimer (Gerolsteiner) take the overall. "I rate the German tour almost as high as the Tour de France," Ullrich said via video during the presentation of the 2006 Deutschland Tour. "After finishing second this year, next time I want to win it." The 2006 German tour – featuring two

Ask your average die-hard cyclo-cross fanatic to comment on the burning social, political or economic issues of the day and you may not get much of a response. Ask, “Tubular or clincher?” and you’re bound to get an earful. Of course, much of what you hear is as likely to confuse as to enlighten. Old-school Euros will, without a doubt, defend their motto, “Tubulars or death!” North American racers with a mountain-bike background will thoughtfully explain that the tubular's advantages can be matched by superior rubber technology and the advanced tread patterns of today’s clinchers. No

Attorneys for Roberto Heras promise they’re ready for a fight if a counter-analysis scheduled for Monday confirms the four-time Vuelta a España champion used the banned blood-booster EPO. Andreu Garriga, the attorney for four-time Vuelta a España, is promising a lengthy legal battle if tests come back positive. “We will enter judicial and sporting (actions) and will support it with all the available resources,” Garriga told the Spanish daily AS. Heras is denying allegations that he used EPO en route to a record fourth Vuelta crown in September. Spanish cycling has been rocked following

Hi Monique,Now that coffee has been recommended as a good source of antioxidants, in moderation, of course, do you have any information regarding how the decaffeinating process may affect the antioxidant effect of coffee?LW Dear LW,As you are aware there was a recent headline grabbing study, which was actually presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society this past summer. This study received widespread attention and Americans were informed that coffee is the number one source of antioxidants in the American diet. As is often the case, this study begs that we once again “read the

The UCI’s ProTour Council shot down plans for a final split-stage proposed as part of the 2006 Giro d’Italia, saying rules don’t allow for more than one stage to be held a day in ProTour races. On Saturday, Giro race organizers announced the route for the 2006 edition that included a final stage with a morning 11km time trial on the Ghisallo climb and a 116km road finale into Milan. The decision came after sharp criticism from the Italian cycling riders federation as well as other riders, who insist the 2006 Giro finale was too demanding after such a long and challenging course. Giro race

Oh happy days again. I’m glad to be back in Belgium this winter racing `cross. I am actually stoked to be here, but I wasn't so hot on the ass kicking I received this weekend at the Pijnacker World Cup in The Netherlands. The legs just haven't really wanted to turn over lately, but that is bike racing and I am sure things will turn around shortly. That’s the hope anyhow. Jeremy POOOWERS! (as the French like to say) and I decided we would head down to Chateau Bernard last Friday to do a C2 race there. It was kind of a long drive at 800km, but as they say, “When in France I guess you

A cyclist operates on an entirely different calendar than do most people. Two weeks ago, my year began as I started training again. At Christmas, when everyone else is relaxing, raising a glass in front of the tree, enjoying time away from work, we’ll be back on our bikes getting ready for team training camp, which begins only a few weeks into January I woke up the morning of November 1st to find a training program in my e-mail inbox. That month off my bike had passed a whole lot quicker than the last month of the season in which I raced a very fast Vuelta and a miserably cold

With a host of common – and not-so-common – questions already answered in earlier Technical Q&A columns, I've been asked to touch on a few other topics now and then. In that vein, I will take this opportunity to tell you about the Gran Fondo Campagnolo, a very difficult mass-participation race I did for the third time this past June. The Italian Gran Fondo is a mass-participation event, but it is distinct from mass-participation rides here in the U.S. in that it is a race, and everyone wears a timing chip on his or her leg. The Triple Bypass in Colorado, for example (which I also did

Jan Ullrich will decide by next week whether or not he will start the 2006 Giro d’Italia. The 1997 Tour de France champion is still undecided about his racing schedule, but T-Mobile sport director Rudy Pevenage said Ullrich ought to ride the Giro. “He should ride it, for him it would be good,” Pevenage said. “It’s one of two options to get ready for the next Tour, either the Giro or the Tour de Suisse. He needs to decide soon.” Casero hangs it upSpanish veteran Angel Casero ended his career Sunday with a victory in the Criterium Internacional de Ciclismo de la Comunidad Valenciana. Igor

It’s going to be a climber’s paradise in the 2006 Giro d’Italia, with a return to such hallowed ground as the fearsome Mortirolo, the Gavia and a final-day showdown with a climbing time trial on the Madonna del Ghisallo. Giro organizers have delivered an innovative, if somewhat controversial course that blends the best of the Giro’s colorful legacy and the novelty of a split stage on the final day. The 89th edition of the corsa rosa features 21 stages, five summit finishes, a team time trial and three individual time trials in a battleground already being hailed as the most challenging Giro

Rabobank’s Sven Nijs easily won the third round of the UCI’s cyclo-cross World Cup in Pijnacker in the Netherlands on Sunday. Nijs rode away from his Dutch Rabobank teammate Richard Groenendaal and fellow Belgian Gerben De Knegt, after the trio moved off the front of the field early in the race. The win represents yet another in the Belgian’s recent domination of the discipline. Nijs, winner of cyclo-cross’s “triple crown” – Belgian national championship, world championship and overall World Cup title – won the first two rounds of the World Cup this year, taking the opener in Kalmthout,

David Millar is poised to return to the professional ranks this summer in what’s sure to be one of the most-watched and controversial comebacks in recent cycling history. Nearly two years after admitting he used the banned blood-booster EPO, Millar has signed a deal with the Spanish team Saunier Duval and is expected to start to the 2006 Tour de France just days after his two-year ban concludes June 23. Speaking to The Times, Millar said he wants his comeback to prove a point. "I want my comeback to be credible and inspiring, for me and for others and for younger kids. I owe that to

Organizers on Saturday unveiled the course of the 2006 Giro d'Italia, the 89th edition of Italy's most prestigious cycling race, starting in Belgium to pay homage to the victims of a 1956 mine disaster. The first of the 21-stage grand tour will be a 6.2km individual time test in Seraing. The second of four Belgian legs will end in Charleroi-Marcinelle, where 136 Italians were among 262 miners who perished following an explosion and fire in a coal mine. Paolo Savoldelli, this year's Giro champion, did not attend the unveiling ceremony in Milan but organizers said he was expected

The official presentation of the 2006 Giro d’Italia isn’t until Saturday, but riders are already protesting against leaked reports of a possible split stage on the final day. The Italian riders’ union got wind of a unique finale – with a climbing time trial and a road stage for the final stage of the season’s first grand tour – and it’s something they don’t like at all. “We perfectly agree with the rules of the (UCI) forbidding half-stages in grand tours, all the more reason for the last days of a race like the Giro d'Italia at the end of a tough week,” ACCPI president Amedeo Colombo

Johan Bruyneel confirmed that George Hincapie will be “a protected rider” for Discovery Channel in the 2006 Tour de France as America’s top pro team moves into the post-Armstrong era. Hincapie’s dramatic stage victory in the Pyrénées in July has raised expectations that the classics strongman could morph’ into an overall Tour contender, an idea that Bruyneel has been cautiously nurturing since the conclusion of this year’s Tour. “George will be one of our protected riders for next year’s Tour de France. He is able to finish in the top-10 in the overall classification and he's a rider

The immediate fate of four-time Vuelta a España champion Roberto Heras lies in the outcome of a counter-analysis scheduled for November 21. Heras faces a two-year racing ban and loss of his record fourth Vuelta crown if the follow-up urine test comes back positive for EPO. The Spanish rider continued to declare his innocence despite a test result from the penultimate stage of the Vuelta that revealed the presence of the banned blood booster. “I am completely sure that I am innocent and all I can do is wait until the second analysis to prove it,” Heras told Spanish television outside his

Solving the solvent questionDear Lennard,Thanks for the recent notes regarding carbon fiber and solvents/lubrication.I wonder if you could recommend a safe way to remove old tubular cementfrom carbon rims. If you have already addressed the issue, can you pointme in the right direction?ScottDear Scott,This is one of those questions that warrants an answer straight fromthe horse's mouth. I sent off your question to a few carbon rim manufacturersand got these responses back.LennardAnswer from HedAcetone, a stiff plastic bristle brush, and a lot of time arewhat you use to get the cement off a

Roberto Heras is denying allegations he took the banned blood booster EPO and expressed his confidence that a follow-up test will prove his innocence. On Monday, his Liberty Seguros team suspended the four-time Vuelta a España champion after traces of EPO were found in a urine sample taken after the penultimate stage of this year’s Vuelta. “It was a surprise to me when they told me,” Heras said on Spanish radio. “It was a shock, but we are convinced that it’s been a laboratory error. There can’t be any other reason. My lawyers are already working on the issue.” The UCI notified the team

Thomas Voeckler – the plucky Frenchman who soared into the yellow jersey in the 2004 Tour de France – couldn’t quite repeat the drama this year. By his own admission, the 26-year-old’s season fell far short of the expectations he had for himself. “I am disappointed with my season, but I knew it would be difficult to repeat the success of a year ago,” Voeckler told Ciclismag. “I would have liked to have had better results, but I couldn’t pull it off, though there were races when I was in the hunt.” The Bouygues Telecom rider enjoyed a breakout season in 2004, winning a stage in the Route du

Tom Boonen (Quick Step-Innergetic) wasted no time winning his first race in the rainbow, winning Saturday’s Amstel Curaçao Race in the Caribbean. Of course, the criterium on the Dutch Antilles is hardly in the same league as Paris-Roubaix or Tour of Flanders, but a win is a win, even when it doesn’t really count. The 25-year-old Belgian was decked out in a full-body white team jersey with the rainbow stripes he earned in Madrid in late September in full display. Boonen finished ahead of Giro d’Italia champion Paolo Savoldelli (Discovery Channel) while Dutch rider Peter Weening (Rabobank)

American Colby Pearce took the silver in the 30km points race on Saturday during day two of the UCI track World Cup in Moscow. The TIAA-CREF rider, from Boulder, Colorado, scored 27 points to secure the runner-up spot behind Argentina’s Sebastian Cancio, with 32 points. Petr Lazar of the Czech Republic was third with 24. In other action, Australia easily won the team pursuit; Stefan Nimke of Germany won the sprint; Natalia Tsylinskaya of Belarus took the 500-meter time trial; and China’s Lee Meifang con the individual pursuit. UCI World CupMoscow, RussiaNovember 5MenTeam pursuit1.

Two former champions regained their titles at the Canadian national cyclo-cross championships Saturday at the Hardwood Hills Mountain Bike Centre, 90 minutes north of Toronto. Lyne Bessette (Cyclocrossworld.com-Louis Garneau) won the women's title, after an absence of two years, and Peter Wedge (Kona-Les Gets) took his seventh Canadian title after his streak was snapped at six last year. The streak continuesBessette remains unbeaten in North America this season, with the nationals being her ninth consecutive win, and making her a strong contender for the world championships in Holland