Road

The Operación Puerto doping investigation looks to be running into rocky legal waters and could end without anyone facing charges at all. According to legal sources quoted in the Spanish daily El Mundo, judges overseeing the case are considering dropping charges if more evidence isn’t forthcoming. Spanish authorities rocked cycling in May when they uncovered an alleged blood doping ring involving some of the sport’s biggest names, including Giro d’Italia champion Ivan Basso, 1997 Tour de France champion Jan Ullrich and more than 50 others. The raids found large quantities of steroids, EPO,

ProTour champion Alejandro Valverde is enjoying a vacation this week in the Caribbean island of Curacao, but he’s already thinking about the 2007 season. Valverde will take another two weeks’ break before getting back into serious training to prepare for the upcoming year where he hopes to confirm the success of his breakout season. “I had a great season this year despite the disappointment at the Tour. I was the most consistent all year long and I was able to win some big races,” Valverde told VeloNews. “My season next year will be the same as this year, except that maybe I won’t race the

I haven’t raced in my home state of Colorado for more than a month, so it was nice to not have the weekend hassles of traffic, parking, shuttle buses, security checks, disgruntled airline employees, crappy airport food, rental cars and long drives to races. This time, it was just down the road. Unfortunately, I had some heavy – and unrelated – work to do before race day. As a bike shop owner in Colorado, one thing I couldn’t avoid this past weekend was VeloSwap. VeloSwap is a massive annual swap meet for all things related to cycling. If you are looking for a deal on a new bike, a

Concerns about fire danger have forced the cancellation of the 2006 Red Bull Road Rage in Tuna Canyon at Malibu, California, according to organizers. "After close evaluation of the current fire-danger conditions by the Malibu City fire chief, the decision was made today to cancel the event," organizers announced via press release on Tuesday. "While disappointed, everyone at Red Bull is in full support of whatever action is necessary for the safety of the local community. Red Bull would like to thank all of the athletes, media and bike industry for their support of the event." Organizers

It seems the upstart Tinkoff team isn’t shy about courting tainted big names and the baggage that might come with them. The Russian-Italian continental team – already having signed German sprinter Danilo Hondo and courting Tyler Hamilton – has reportedly offered 1997 Tour de France champion Jan Ullrich a multi-million-dollar contract to ride for the 2007 season. The German daily Bild is reporting that a 3.8 million euro offer is on the table for Ullrich, who was among nine riders from four teams kicked out ahead of July’s Tour for links to an alleged blood-doping ring based in Spain, a

Is Stan the solution?Dear Lennard,I read the article in the latest issue of VeloNews about Hutchinson's tubeless road tires and up and coming new tubeless road rims.What prevents me from using a Stan's No-Tube kit along with Mavic Ksyriums and a pair of new Michelin Pro Race tires or even a new pair of cross tires. Is it a safety issue?By the way, I have used Mavic Crossmax SL, a Stan's No-Tube kit with my tire of choice with great success off road.JoeDear Joe,Yes, it most certainly is a safety issue! I had the same idea whenI got my first bottle of Stan’s NoTubes. I slapped a

Manolo Saiz, implicated in the Spanish doping scandal Operacion Puerto, was granted a ProTour license for his cycling team on Monday by the Union Cycliste Internationale. The team, formerly called Liberty Seguros, then Astana-Würth, and now Astana, is led by Vuelta a España champion Alexandre Vinokourov. The team is owned by Active Bay, and Saiz is a major shareholder of that company. Saiz resigned as team director in June, a month after being swept up in a raid in which police seized bags of blood and doping substances and equipment. He was questioned by police in Madrid after reportedly

Next year’s Tour de France doesn’t include any of the rumored features. No Paris-Roubaix cobbles. No team time trial. No Puy-de-Dôme. No climb over the unpaved Colle della Finestre in Italy. No Mont Ventoux. Even so, the 2007 Tour route announced last Thursday in Paris does include a host of unexpected challenges that could produce a race as tumultuous as any Tour in the past decade. But the bigger questions, particularly for American fans, are: (1) can the 2006 Tour-champion-in-limbo Floyd Landis win his appeal against a drugs violation, fully recover from his hip surgery, and find a team

Twenty-three-year-old Radomir Simunek Jr. (Palmans-Collstrop) won the third round of the UCI World Cup cyclo-cross series held Saturday in the Czech Republic. Simunek celebrated his first World Cup win in front of a Czech crowd at the site of the 2001 World Championships in Tabor. Simunek joined an early attack by Bart Wellens (Fidea)and rode with the former world champion for the bulk of the hour-long event. Simunek, however, proved to be the stronger of the two on Saturday and he powered away from the Belgian on the final lap. "I tried a little acceleration," Simunek said, "and I found I

Tour de France officials assured an overall winner to the 2006 edition will be named and discounted speculation that the race would be left without a victor if Floyd Landis fails in his efforts to beat back doping charges. “Of course there will be a winner. I don’t understand this debate. This is sport, not just a ride,” said ASO president Patrice Clerc at Thursday’s presentation of the 2007 Tour route. “The Tour is the most important bike race of the world, so it’s obvious there will be a winner. If someone cheats and it’s confirmed, then the cheater is not the winner and the second-place

No one who saw the dramatic highlights reel the Amaury Sports Organization presented on Thursday will say that the organizers of the Tour de France are downplaying the doping that has so undermined the event’s image. The eight-and-a-half-minute video, which played at the unveiling of the 2007 route, began and ended with the subject of doping, just as the three-week race did last July. There were 40 seconds of footage of the chaotic disqualifications of so many top riders at the start of the race (allegedly snared in the Spanish Operacion Puerto doping plot) and 40 seconds more of Floyd

Manolo Saiz, the team manager implicated in the Operación Puerto doping investigation, was told on Friday that his ProTour license remains valid for the time being at least. The decision to allow Saiz to provisionally continue operating was taken by the Union Cycliste Internationale's licensing commission. But in a statement the UCI made clear its displeasure at the lack of vital information from the Spanish authorities heading Operación Puerto to help it in its ruling on Saiz. Operación Puerto is the wide-ranging police inquiry into an alleged blood doping network run by Madrid-based

The Italian cycling federation dropped doping allegations against Giro d'Italia champion Ivan Basso on Friday. The organization upheld the Italian Olympic Committee's recommendation that the case against Basso be dismissed, the federation said in a statement. Basso was excluded from this year's Tour de France after being linked to the Spanish Operacion Puerto doping investigation. "It's the right outcome," Basso's lawyer, Massimo Martelli, told The Associated Press. "More than being happy, we feel it was deserved."

A bright, vibrant light has gone out in the cycling community as well asin the community of cancer survivors.Karen Hornbostel, a four-time master’s national road champion and recipientof the 2003 Lance Armstrong Spirit of Survivorship award passed away peacefullyat home in Littleton, Colorado, surrounded by family and friends on Tuesday,October 24, eight days past her 54th birthday. She had battled metastaticbreast cancer for over 13 years. Hornbostel made a difference in the cyclingcommunity with her devotion to improving opportunities for women in cyclingas well as with her infectious wit

Newly-installed Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme said there was no alternative to producing a “clean” winner of next year's race after unveiling the 2007 route in Paris on Thursday. This year's edition was beset by doping controversies, which were compounded by a Spanish doping investigation which embroiled top riders Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso. Combined, they have left the sport fighting for its credibility. The winner of the race's yellow jersey, American Floyd Landis, added to the scandal when he tested positive for testosterone on stage 17. Having proclaimed his

Oscar Pereiro is frustrated at suggestions that Tour de France officials are considering leaving the 2006 Tour without an official winner. Faced with the unsavory prospect of seeing winner Floyd Landis disqualified for doping, Tour officials are reportedly considering leaving the 2006 results as they stand, without an official winner and runner-up Pereiro staying where he is in the No. 2 spot. An angry Pereiro said he wouldn’t race next year in the Tour if Landis can’t win in his legal battle to clear his name and he wasn’t awarded the overall victory. “I don’t have a lot of information

I ’m in seat 14B right now on a return flight to Denver and since I’m notmuch into watching “The Lake House” with Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves,and the woman sitting behind me seems to be having a wrestling match withher tray table which is keeping me awake, I decided to kill some flighttime by recapping my weekend travels. On Friday, my girlfriend Heather and I traveled to Baltimore, Marylandwhere her folks, who live close by, picked us up and let us use their houseas our home base for the first weekend in the Verge MAC Cyclocross Series. The first two races in the very popular

In what Health Net is describing as a “rebirth,” the team announced the addition of ProTour riders Ryder Hesjedal and Rory Sutherland for 2007 following the departures of Gord Fraser, Mike Sayers and Scott Moninger. The moves are part of sweeping changes for the team that includes seven new riders coming onboard for next year. “Both guys have started and finished grand tours, and they have a lot of experience racing at the top level in Europe,” said Jeff Corbett, sport director for Health Net presented by Maxxis. “(Ryder’s) a good time trialist and a strong climber. He and Nathan (O’Neill)

Don’t expect to see many of cycling’s marquee names at Thursday’s unveiling of the 2007 Tour de France route.Unlike most years, when the October presentation typically draws racing’s glitterati, VeloNews has learned that several major stars are staying away in droves from the annual ceremony.One major rider told VeloNews that racers are boycotting the ceremony in the wake of the ongoing spat between the UCI and the organizers of cycling’s most important three-week tours. In a similar protest, riders also boycotted the podium ceremony following the season-closer at Giro di Lombardia earlier

Given the doubts surrounding 2006 Tour de France winner Floyd Landis, thestill uncertain fallout from the Operación Puerto dopinginvestigation and the grand tours continuing power struggle with the UCIProTour, this Thursday’s 2007 Tour de France presentation in  Pariscan only be contentious. It’s rumored that Landis won’t even get a mention in this year’s Tourvideo produced by race organizer ASO, while a big asterisk will replacehis name in the official list of winners. And, like last year, new racedirector Christian Prudhomme will no doubt have some strong words to sayabout the sport’s

Riders may not thank them for it but organizers of the often-epic Paris-Roubaix spring classic have decided to add another cobbled section to next year's race. The famed classic, also known as the “Hell of the North” and characterized by its multiple crashes and mud-splattered finishers, Paris-Roubaix, held on April 15 next year, is one of the cornerstones of single-day racing. Last year's winner, Fabian Cancellara, deposed Belgian favorite Tom Boonen to lift the fabled cobblestone trophy aloft after seeing some of his rivals snared by a train's level crossing. Next year, the

Commonwealth Games cycling silver medalist Hayden Roulston defied his doctors to win the New Zealand road title Sunday in Dunedin, two months after being told he has a life-threatening heart condition. The 25-year-old claimed he was "100 percent cured" but refused to disclose details of his treatment. Roulston was told by his cardiologist two months ago to quit riding after he was diagnosed with the heart disease arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia. "I wanted to prove a point and show everyone that I was back," Roulston said after the race. "So I rode really conservatively at the

Belgian national champion Sven Nys won round two of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup Sunday in Kalmthout, Belgium, riding away from breakaway partner Francis Mourey of France on the final lap of the hour-long event. Nys (Rabobank) thus solidified his hold on the overall World Cup lead, having also won the opening round October 1 in Aigle, Switzerland. On Sunday, Nys and Mourey (Française des Jeux) joined Czech rider Zdenek Mlynar in setting an early lead in the 10-lap race. With four laps remaining, however, Mlynar faded back and then rolled a tire, completely falling out of contention. Up

The Austrian cycling federation is prepared to help former Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich, currently under investigation for doping, by issuing him with a professional license. Ullrich is currently without a team and fighting off doping allegations which came in the wake of a Spanish doping investigation dubbed Operación Puerto. The Swiss-based Ullrich, who has denied doping and also any link to the Spanish investigation, split with the Swiss cycling federation on Thursday. The 32-year-old winner of the 1997 Tour de France insisted the split does not mean the end of his career. Now

Final standings are in from the 2006 Women’s Prestige Cycling Series (www.womencyclists.com),and showing the parity in domestic women’s road racing, four differentteams took category titles. At September’s Hurricane Florence-shortenedCD&P Bermuda Grand Prix, Webcor-Platinum came from behind to claimthe team title, while an absent world time-trial champion Kristin Armstrong(Lipton) retained her individual lead. The Women’s Prestige Cycling Series began at the Nature Valley GrandFinal 2007 NRC RankingIndividual Women1. Tina Pic, Colavita-Cooking Light, 2106 points2. Kristin Armstrong, Lipton,

Not much has happened in the last week and half since I returned from the sufferfest in Gloucester. I decided not to race last weekend and spent most of my time working at the shop and training. We are converting nearly a third of our bike shop into a specialty Nordic ski shop, called Boulder Nordic Sport, which will be operated by my good friend, Nathan Schultz. You might remember Nathan from the NORBA pro mountain bike circuit. He raced for the Schwinn-Toyota Team and was the driving force behind the NEMA- Ionic Bikes Team, a team that sponsored Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski. Speaking of things

Ivan Basso might not have it so easy finding a new team for the 2007 season as the cloud of doping allegations look likely to continue to haunt the Italian rider despite being cleared by Italian officials last week of any possible sanctions. The 2006 Giro d’Italia champion “divorced” with his Team CSC this week in a mutual agreement that frees the Italian from the remaining two years on his contract with the Danish team. Despite initial reports that Basso might be tipped to join Discovery Channel or Milram, both teams have denied interest Basso. Milram officials said the Puerto links to

Tyler Hamilton has been linked to a deal to join new Italian-Russian continental team Tinkoff for the 2007 racing season and could be part of the team’s roster set to be revealed Monday. Team officials wouldn’t confirm Friday if they have signed the 35-year-old, but other sources told VeloNews that Hamilton is poised to sign a contract that could mark his return to competition after serving a two-year racing ban for blood doping. “I have contact with many riders and the Tinkoff team is very interesting to many riders. We have a long list of riders and Tyler Hamilton is among them,” Tinkoff

Former Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich on Thursday announced his split from the Swiss cycling federation but maintained that his career is not over. The Swiss-based German star is still fighting off doping allegations which came in the wake of a Spanish doping investigation dubbed Operación Puerto. However Ullrich, who was fired by T-Mobile after the team suspended him before the start of the Tour de France, appears to have some hope of getting back to competing. Ullrich said he may seek a license in his native Germany, instead. "This split from the Swiss federation doesn't mean

Tom Boonen has signed up to take part in a 10-hour endurance race at the wheel of a Porsche 996, the former world cycling champion reported on Thursday. The 25-year-old Quick Step rider is normally known for his prowess in one-day cycling classics and can count the prestigious Paris-Roubaix, Tour of Flanders and world road race crowns among his list of honors. Now with the season drawing to a close Boonen will team up with Belgian pair Bert Longin and Anthony Kumpen, the national touring endurance champion,for the race which will be held at the Zolder race track - which coincidentally

Why does my Mavic freehub squeal?

Team CSC and Italian star Ivan Basso cut ties in a mutual agreement Wednesday that releases the 2006 Giro d’Italia champion from the remaining two years of his contract with the Danish team. Basso was forced out of the Tour de France this summer after he was linked to an alleged blood doping ring in Spain. Despite the fact that Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) officials subsequently recommended that he be cleared, the relationship between Basso and Team CSC boss Bjarne Riis appear to have been irreparably soured. “After all that has happened, especially this summer, Team CSC and Ivan Basso

Peña joins Unibet.comMore ex-Phonak riders are finding contracts for next season as the Swiss team begins to shut down. The latest to escape the unemployment line is Colombian Victor Hugo Peña, who penned a two-year deal to join Unibet.com for the 2007-08 seasons. The 32-year-old raced the past two seasons with Phonak, but the team raced its last competition in Saturday’s Giro di Lombardia after the Floyd Landis doping scandal prompted new sponsor iShares to pull out of its sponsorship deal to continue the team. Peña became the first Colombian to wear the maillot jaune during the 2003 Tour

Crunch timeDear Lennard,I have Campagnolo record 10-speed shifters. In fact the componentsare all campy record, except the wheels. I have been having a terribletime with the front shifter. It gets hung up and won't shift or is veryhard to shift and then it makes a terrible crunching noise. I have theCampagnolo triple front derailleur. Two different mechanics have lookedat it, without taking the levers apart, and nether has been able to diagnoseit or fix it. Any suggestions?DebbieDear Debbie,That’s the beauty of Campagnolo Ergo Power; you can fix it if somethinggets jammed inside.

Basque climbing ace Iban Mayo has penned a two-year deal with Saunier Duval-Prodir that he hopes will spark his return to his best when he was lighting up the roads at the Tour de France. Mayo made the difficult decision to leave his longtime home with Euskaltel-Euskadi, where he raced since turning pro in 2000, to join Saunier Duval in a move he called “a liberation.” “I changed teams with the intention of improving and the reference is the 2003 season. To be close to that level would be fantastic,” Mayo said during a press conference. “I needed to change the airs. Saunier Duval is an

Alejandro Valverde officially received his overall 2006 ProTour trophy in a special gala Saturday evening in Italy following the Giro di Lombardia despite an ugly catfight between the UCI and race organizers. The Caisse d’Epargne-Illes Balears captain almost skipped the season finale following the ongoing spat between the UCI and race organizers RCS, which didn’t want to allow the UCI to present the ProTour jersey to Valverde on the post-race podium. Riders boycotted the podium, but Valverde received his moment in the spotlight later that evening in an awards ceremony sponsored by the

Giro d'Italia winner Ivan Basso, looking to race again after the Italian Olympic Committee recommended that doping allegations against him be dropped, says he has been courted by Lance Armstrong's former team, Discovery Channel. ''They made me a concrete proposal but I am open to other solutions,'' the Italian rider said in an interview published Monday by French sports newspaper L'Equipe. Basso gave no details. Discovery has been looking for a replacement for Armstrong, who retired after winning his seventh consecutive Tour de France in 2005. Basso said there

Italy's reigning Olympic and world champion Paolo Bettini has given his full support to ProTour champion Alejandro Valverde at the start of Saturday's season-ending Tour of Lombardy. Valverde, one of the most consistent performers this season, is mathematically guaranteed winning the ProTour's white jersey for dominating the season-long series. However, organizers of the one-day Italian classic refused to carry out a podium award ceremony for television purposes at Lake Como where Valverde would have been handed his white jersey prize. The reasons appear to relate to a rift

In Saturday’s Giro di Lombardia, Paolo Bettini discovered the best way to ease the pain of the recent death of his older brother was to win in his name. The recently crowned world champion nearly retired after his brother, Sauro, died in a car crash just days after Bettini won the rainbow jersey Sept. 24 in Salzburg, Austria. Only insistence by Bettini’s father convinced the Quick Step-Innergetic captain to carry on. On Saturday under cool fall skies, an emotional Bettini poured all his anguish into his pedals to win the season final in the 245km Lombardia. “Today I was not pedaling alone,”

Ivan Basso – cleared by Italian officials of doping allegations on Thursday – will not race in Saturday’s Giro di Lombardia. Basso spoke with Team CSC manager Bjarne Riis and decided not to take part in the season finale despite being cleared to race after Italian officials ruled there wasn’t enough evidence to open an investigation into whether the 2006 Giro d’Italia champion was linked to an alleged doping ring in Spain. “I am a free man but Riis decided it would be better if I don’t race Lombardia,” Basso told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “Bjarne told me it was not an ethics-driven decision

Passions were running high in Mendrisio, Switzerland on Friday 24 hours before the UCI ProTour comes to its climax in the 100th edition of the Tour of Lombardy. First, a “reprieved” Ivan Basso said he wasn’t going to make a dramatic return to racing at the Italian classic. ProTour leader Alejandro Valverde then scratched from the list of starters to protest the organizers’ decision not to present the ProTour champion’s jersey on the winners’ podium. And defending champion Paolo Bettini gave an emotional press conference following the death last week of his older brother. Basso looks like

The Italian Olympic Committee recommended Thursday that doping charges be dropped against Giro d'Italia winner Ivan Basso, one of nine riders barred from this summer's Tour de France. The committee's anti-doping commission said it will make the recommendation to the disciplinary body of the Italian Cycling Federation, which can decide whether to try the rider or dismiss the case. Basso and 1997 Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich were among those excluded from the Tour after being implicated in a Spanish doping investigation. Basso, one of the prerace favorites, denied the

I am glad last week is over. I had a sinus infection, flatted four timeson three separate training rides, forgot to call my mom on her birthday,failed to pre-register for the UCI races in Gloucester and raced like Iwas carrying two 30-pound sand bags on my back. Now, may I have some cheese with my whine? Don’t get me wrong, I had a great trip to the beautiful Northeast forthe first round of the Crank Brothers Gran Prix of Cyclocross in Gloucester,Massachusetts, but to be honest it didn’t really go according to plan.Not to worry though, everyone has a bad race now and then and there arestill

American veteran Tony Cruz and Danish TT specialist Brian Vandborg are the latest additions for Discovery Channel as the team continues to reload in the post-Lance Armstrong era. Cruz, who raced with the team from 2001-05, returns to Discovery Channel after riding one season with Toyota-United while Vandborg, fresh off finishing fourth in the world time trial championships, joins the squad after three seasons with Team CSC. “Brian and Tony both come to our Team with a high-level of professionalism and a proven history. I know that we will be able to count on these guys throughout the

How can I re-finish my titanium frame?

Why are my Mavic wheels noisy?

Should I grease my Campy Ultra-torque spindle?

Australian cyclist Karl Menzies won the second stage of the Herald Sun Tour on Monday and holds the overall lead over German Tobias Erler. Menzies, who finished third in Sunday's opening stage, won Monday's 110-mile stage between the towns of Shepparton and Bendigo in 4 hours, 16 minutes and 40 seconds. Mitchell Docker of Australia was second, two seconds behind, followed by Erler. In the overall standings, Menzies has a six-second lead over Erler. Menzies, riding for the U.S.-based HealthNet team, made a decisive break in the last of the three 1.17-mile closing laps in central

Australian Karl Menzies (HealthNet) won the second stage of the Herald Sun tour of Victoria state on Monday and held the overall lead over Germany's Tobias Erler. Menzies, who finished third in Sunday's opening stage, won Monday's 179-kilometer (110-mile) stage between the towns of Shepparton and Bendigo in a time of 4 hours, 16 minutes and 40 seconds. Mitchell Docker of Australia was second, two seconds behind, followed by Erler, giving Menzies a six-second lead over Erler on GC. Menzies made a decisive break in the last of the three 1.9-kilometer (1.17-mile) closing laps in

The long French victory drought at Paris-Tours was just a hazy memory on Sunday as Frederic Guesdon won the 100th edition of the classic race. The veteran rider from Brittany beat Norway's Kurt-Asle Arvesen at the line, the two of them representing the final, desperate remnant of a 28-man pack that broke away more than four hours earlier. Crossing the finish on the famous Avenue du Grammont in Tours, just eight seconds behind the first two riders, were 35 pursuers led by Stuart O'Grady. They had come some 254km, under sunny skies, from the outskirts of Paris. Guesdon, who turns 35

Day two of the Crank Brothers Grand Prix of Cyclocross once again saw sunny skies and a wide-open speedway of a course in Gloucester, Massachusetts. In the women’s race, Lyne Bessette (Cyclocrossworld.com) charged to the front just as she had the day before — only this time, both Wendy Simms (Kona) and Georgia Gould (Luna) managed to find her wheel. While the rest of the field shattered, Gould and Simms surprised spectators as they shadowed the hard-charging Bessette despite multiple attacks and accelerations throughout the course.

Melbourne, Australia - Australian Hilton Clarke won the opening stage of the Herald Sun cycling tour of Victoria state Sunday for the U.S.-based Navigators team. Clarke was one of six riders to join an early breakaway in the criterium stage at Shepparton in north-central Victoria. The group built a lead of more than a minute halfway through the stage. Australian team members Robbie McEwen and Simon Gerrans, last year's winner, worked hard to cut their advantage to 20 seconds but the lead group was able to hold off their pursuers. Clarke, who won the final stage of last year's

On what could only be described as an ideal fall day, the Crank Brother’s Grand Prix of Cyclocross kicked off in Stage Fort Park in Gloucester, Massachusetts on Saturday. With racers coming off long road and mountain seasons, as well as the Interbike week, no one was too sure of who or what to expect, except that it was going to be fast.

The 2006 USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships concluded Saturdayafter Jennie Reed (Spike) and Sarah Hammer (Ouch) added more stars-and-stripesjerseys to their closets.  Reed claimed two more national titles tosweep the women's sprint events with four victories and Hammer won thewomen's 15-kilometer scratch race to score a hat trick in the enduranceevents.After successfully defending her sprint and 500-meter time trial victoriesearlier in the week, Reed won the keirin and teamed up with Liz Carlson(East Coast Velo) to win the women's team sprint Saturday.Hammer, already

A who's who of cycling's fastest sprinters will assemble in Paris on Sunday hoping to claim a prestigious victory in what will be the 100th edition of the Paris-Tours one-day classic. From Belgian starlet Tom Boonen to aging German Erik Zabel, almost the entire European sprint squadron will turn up to pay their respects in the254.5 km race that was first won by Eugene Prevost, as an amateur, in 1896. Quick Step sprinter Boonen recently failed to defend his world champion's rainbow jersey in Salzburg, and will be motivated to make amends on a luscious and seemingly endless

The 2006 USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships continued Fridaynight as both Sarah Hammer (Ouch) and Jennie Reed (Spike) each rode totheir second national title of the week. After setting a new nationalrecord in the women's three-kilometer individual pursuit Wednesday, Hammertook a convincing win in the 25-kilometer points race while Reed addeda women's 500-meter time trial title to her sprint jersey. Giddeon Massie (Spike) also captured his first-career men's sprint titleand the TIAA-CREF foursome of Mike Creed , Mike Friedman, Will Frischkornand Brad Huff bested a

Recently crowned Paolo Bettini will return to racing less than a week after his brother died in a car accident. The Italian Olympic champion said Thursday he will race in a pair of one-day semi-classics this weekend in Italy out of respect to his older brother, Sauro, who died Monday in a car crash near the family’s home in Bibbona, Italy. “I have spoken to my relatives and have decided to race on,” said Bettini. “In this difficult time my wish is return to my family and to wear this jersey (the world champion's rainbow jersey) with pride in memory of Sauro.” Quick Step officials

Carson, California - Three more national champions were crowned in Southern California Thursday night as the 2006 USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships closed the books on day two of the four-day event. In the men's kilometer time trial, Stephen Hill (East Point Track Club) clocked a winning time of 1 minute, 6.239 seconds to claim the national title ahead of silver medalist Steve Beardsley (Rubicon-Chinook Cycling) and third-place finisher David Espinoza (JC Investors). With none of the top-three finishers from 2005 returning, there was no clear-cut favorite in the 26-rider

Don’t count cycling legend Eddy Merckx among the pessimists who think the sport is on the wane after a string of high-profile doping scandals.Speaking the London Telegraph, the 61-year-old Belgian said cycling retains its charm and appeal among the general public. “Cycling sometimes gets a bad press but it always comes through, in fact I am very optimistic as present,” Merckx told the paper. “Its dope testing is the most severe and frequent in the world, much more than any other sport. No wonder we catch people. Cycling has identified many culprits and they have been dealt with. Other

Not all the news coming out of Las Vegas at last week’s Interbike trade show was product related. Some North American teams and riders used the occasion to announce their plans for the 2007 season — a season that looks to see some big changes. Some had more immediate objectives, such as Fred Rodriguez’s announcement that he plans to race the final four events of the upcoming Crank Brothers U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclo-cross. And even when news wasn’t officially released, trying to quell a rumor on the Sands Convention Center showroom is about as likely as trying to find a ray of sunlight in a

Ouch. It’s been more than eight months since I suffered through my lastcyclo-cross race in Belgium and let me tell you it doesn’t take long toremember why ‘cross is such a tough sport. It also doesn’t take long toremember why it’s so much fun, either. A few weeks ago in Boulder, Colorado, we had our first group cyclo-crosstraining ride, which is called – for lack of a more creative description– the “Wednesday morning ‘cross ride.” For the past seven years, from Septemberthrough ‘Cross Nationals, I’ve rolled my body out of bed at the crack ofdawn every Wednesday morning for this group ride.

After breaking an 11-year drought with a world title in the women's three-kilometer individual pursuit in April, Sara Hammer (Ouch Pro Cycling) eclipsed another 11-year-old mark Wednesday, setting a new national record inthe same event during the opening session of the USA Cycling EliteTrack National Championships at the ADT Event Center. In the ensuingfinals Wednesday evening, Hammer added another national title to herrésumé, catching silver medalist Katie Compton (Spike) six laps into the 12 lap race. Hammer clocked a time of 3:32.865 seconds to smash the previous national record of

“I’m 49 and realized I’m halfway done,” my former boss Tom Ritchey told me wistfully at Interbike. “What am I going to do with the second half of my life?” His answer is Project Rwanda (www.projectrwanda.org), a development project designed to assist in lifting Rwandans out of the devastating financial conditions they find themselves in after their devastating 1994 civil war marked by tribal genocide and the deaths of nearly a million Rwandans in 100 days. At the heart of Ritchey’s involvement is a new bicycle he is designing from the ground up to make transportation in general and

Embattled Tour de France winner Floyd Landis reiterated his innocence against doping charges and promised he will return to racing following his rehabilitation from hip surgery last week. In an interview with the Associated Press, Landis said his rehab sessions will provide him focus following rocky months since winning the 2006 Tour that included doping allegations as well as the suicide of his father-in-law. “Things have been up and down for me,” Landis said Monday in an interview with the AP. “I’ll be happy when it's a little more simple. I’ll get through it though. I have a strong

Santiago Botero has been cleared by Colombian cycling authorities of possible sanctions for alleged links to the Operación Puerto doping investigation in Spain. The disciplinary committee of the Federación Colombiana de Ciclismo revealed that the dossier of evidence forwarded by the UCI wasn’t enough to punish the former world time trial champion. “There’s nothing to it,” said Ettore Sangiovanni, president of the Colombian federation, in wire reports. “There’s no real proof and only suppositions.” In June, Phonak suspended Botero along with Spanish brothers Ignacio and José Enrique

A week after busting open the world road championships to spring compatriot Alejandro Valverde onto the final podium, Spanish rider Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) punched his way to victory in Sunday’s rainy Züri Metzgete classic. Sanchez took the initiative again, jumping away from the lead breakaway with about 12km to go in the 241km hilly course and held off a fast chase featuring Stuart O’Grady and world time trial champion Fabian Cancellara (both CSC), Michael Boogerd (Rabobank) and Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner) to snatch his first classics victory. “The weather didn’t bother me

Geoff Brown has seen some of the biggest stars come and go during his 14-year stint as one of Europe’s top professional mechanics, but he still loves the thrill of a bike race. For the first time since 1993 when he heads back to North America at the end of the season, he’ll stay there. Brown has decided it’s time to change gears. He’ll leave Discovery Channel to join the Canadian Symetrics team on the North American circuit. VeloNews.com: How did you get started as a mechanic? Geoff Brown: I started working in a department store putting bikes together. I come from a cycling family. My dad

Success in Las Vegas is all about playing the odds. Of the hundreds of thousands of people who gamble in the Nevada desert city each year, only a handful will hit it big. Similarly, of the thousands of new bikes and related products that crop up at Interbike each year, only a few will become huge hits. Only time will tell which will fly and which will eventually flop. As this year’s Interbike bicycle industry trade show wrapped up in Las Vegas on Friday evening, the display booths came down, bikes, products and clothing got packed into boxes and our crew headed back to the Rockies. Here’s

The miracle comeback of Saul Raisin took another step forward as he returned to Europe this week for the first time since nearly dying in a crash last April in France. Raisin, 23, hasn’t ruled out a return to the professional peloton next year if he continues to make positive steps in his recovery. He’s back in Europe this week for a month-long visit and he’s already climbed some of the big cols near his home in Monaco. “My goal is to move back to Europe in January and do some intense training and see how far I can go,” Raisin told VeloNews. “There’s no guarantee I can race again, but

Wasted and wounded, it ain't what the moon didI've got what I paid for now. . . ."Tom Traubert's Blues" by Tom Waits LAS VEGAS, Nev. — It’s easy to go cyborg at Interbike. After a long day of stalking the show floor, translating MarketSpeak® into English, and even longer nights spent consuming volatile liquids and denouncing various Enemies of the People, you don’t sleep so much as crash. Come morning, you reboot, hoping that your RAM reorganizes itself along tidy, functional little lines. This almost never happens. Thus, breakfast is a must, preferably within walking distance,

Liquigas sticking by PaoliniLiquigas will not suspend Italian rider Luca Paolini despite allegations he’s part of a new doping investigation underway by prosecutors in Bergamo. Earlier this month, Italian authorities raided several homes, including Paolini’s, and a fitness center as part of an investigation dubbed “Operation Athena.” Authorities rounded up some $300,000 worth of alleged banned substances. Under rules outlined in the ProTour’s Ethics Code, riders under investigation are meant to be suspended from their respective teams. Nine riders from four teams were left out of the 2006

After two days of railing the trails in Bootleg Canyon, most Interbike attendees are ready to get out of the sun. Some are battered and some are bruised, but most are just looking forward to a day without dust and sweat. The inside show also ushers in a different feel, where the Outdoor Demo is about the ride, inside Interbike is much more about the business. Exhibitors and attendee’s break out their branded button down shirts and they caffeinate early. For a day on the Interbike show floor is somewhat akin to a hard stage of a week-long race. During our first day, we covered quite a bit of

Beleaguered Tour de France champion Floyd Landis is scheduled to undergo hip replacement surgery today. According to his personal web page, Landis will focus on his pending surgery and recovery while his legal team prepares his defense against charges that he tested positive for irregular testosterone levels en route to his overall Tour victory in July.“Floyd is going to undergo a state-of-the-art procedure that will maximize his chances of returning to racing at the top level,” said Brent Kay, M.D., Landis’ physician and assistant clinical professor of medicine at Loma Linda University

The second and final day of Interbike’s Outdoor Demo began has it has for the past few years, the annual 8 a.m. “Hangover Road Ride” sponsored by the trade show and by Scott USA. A hearty group of 100 riders showed up, heading immediately downhill for a good quarter of the 24-mile out-and-back loop, with the remaining half of the out leg being rolling, yet continuing to lose altitude. We rode into the park at Lake Mead and turned around at the point where the Colorado River first flows into the huge reservoir. Nice and cool relative to the heat of the day, once that truly settled in, and

Recently crowned Paolo Bettini will debut his rainbow jersey this weekend as he’ll line up to defend his title at the Zuri Metzgete on Sunday in Zürich and again at the Giro di Lombardia to conclude the season on October 14. Bettini hasn’t stopped partying since winning the world championships Sunday in Salzburg. “My career is perfect now. I’ve won everything I’ve ever dreamed of winning,” Bettini said. “I will wear an important jersey and I can’t imagine that I will just be in the back of the bunch.” Bettini also confirmed he’ll race at least through the 2008 Olympic Summer Games, where

Twenty-five years ago, the first Interbike trade show opened its doors with 135 exhibitors under the roof of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Steve Ready and Herb Wetenkamp took it upon themselves to position and plan Interbike for the early fall of 1982; their hope was that dealers would have more of an influence on manufacturers. At the time, there were four other domestic industry shows, all of which took place between January and March. On Monday Interbike kicked off its 25th anniversary with its Outdoor Demo exhibition. This outdoor segment of Interbike has steadily gained steam since

Editor at large Patrick O'Grady is roaming the halls of Interbike again this year and threatens to send occasional updates whenever he finds a tavern with wireless Internet access. Here's the first installment. — Editor LAS VEGAS, Nevada — It beats me how they always manage to assemble this monstrous trade show in time for opening day, especially considering that some outfits (not VeloNews.com) can't even arrange a hotel room for barnstorming libel artisans who turn up at dark-thirty with a Subaru full of electronica, drawing tools and attitude. After sorting out my living

Basso case long from overIvan Basso could be taken to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) if he is cleared of suspected doping at ahearing in Italy due to a lack of evidence. A top Italian federation official told AFP Sunday at the world road cycling championships there was no concrete evidence against Basso, one of a reported 58 riders alleged to be implicated in Operación Puerto in Spain. The Giro d’Italia winner was suspended by his CSC team a day prior to the start of the Tour de France because of supposed evidence linking him to the Spanish affair. Basso has not turned a pedal in

On the eve of the 25th annual Interbike trade show, set to kickoff in Las Vegas, Nevada, this week, Cannondale got a bit of a jump on the competition and formally released its new Rush Carbon bicycle at a company event held over the weekend at Brian Head, Utah. The new bike is the evolution of the aluminum Rush introduced last year in Park City. The Rush platform, with 110 millimeters of travel front and rear, is specifically built for the needs of the long haul racer. All aspects of the bike are designed for ultra-endurance racing, though Christoph Sauser demonstrated the aluminum bike’s

Nearly a week of racing and celebrations came to an end Sunday, when the UCI World Championships ended in Salzburg, Austria, with Paolo Bettini's victory in the 265-kilometer prefessional men's road race.As always, photographer Casey Gibson was there to capture the feel of what it's like to spend a day at the world's.