Road

With the 2006 Giro d’Italia kicking off with a 6.2-kilometer individual time trial in Seraing, Belgium, on Saturday, teams are at their hotels and now all that’s left is the waiting… and a bit of prognosticating. Our editors take a detailed look at this year’s Giro in the current issue of VeloNews. Here’s an updated look at the teams and their chances for success in the first of this year’s grand tours. DISCOVERY CHANNEL (USA)Race numbers: 1-9GC contender: Paolo Savoldelli (I): Il Falco is looking for his third Giro win. Last year he showed his ability to come into form as the race went

Chris Baldwin (Toyota United) and Anne Samplonius (Team Biovail) won the first stage of the Teleperformance Tour of the Gila on Wednesday. Baldwin, the reigning U.S. national time-trial champion, covered the Tyrone Time Trial – a 15.7-mile out-and-back course with 1070 feet of climbing – in 34:51, 40 seconds up on Scott Moninger (Health Net-Maxxis) and 1:21 on Burke Swindlehurst (Navigators). Samplonius won in 40:33, with Kristin Armstrong (Team Lipton) second at 0:20 and Erinne Willock (Webcor) third at 0:53. Thursday's Stage 2, the Silver City-Mogollon Road Race, sends men off for 92

After the race, I transferred all my stuff from my team car to the USA Cycling team car and began my journey with them. Shannon Koch and I decided to head to our hotel by bike. Jim, the national team coach, told me it was a short ride. He was right. It was just 12km, but it was over a climb and after just finishing my first World Cup, it felt more like 50. The general morale with the team was good, though, and I was happy to be racing with them in the coming week. The next day we headed to Salzburg, Austria. The stage race in the Czech Republic did not start until Thursday and Jim didn?t

Itaian Roberto Petito (Tenax) grabbed the lead at the Four Days of Dunkirkafter winning Thursday’s second stage between Arques and Le-Cateau-Cambresis.Petito was part of a breakaway that pulled clear in the 204km stagethat also hit some cobblestoned road across northern France. Petito heldoff Stephane Petilleau (Bretagne-Jean Floch) to claim the stage as thebreakaway faded under pressure from the chasing peloton. Simone Cadamuro(Milram) led the main bunch across the line for third at 37 seconds back.Petito now leads Petilleau by four seconds while overnight leader FrancescoChicchi (Quick

Fred Rodriguez (Davitamon-Lotto) just missed a victory in Wednesday’s 161km opener of the Four Days of Dunkirk after Italian Francesco Chicchi (Quick Step-Davitamon) out-kicked him in a bunch sprint.The rival Belgian teams went head-to-head not for the first time this season and once again it was Quick Step getting the better end of the bargain. It was Chicchi’s second win of the season to go along with a stage he won in the Drie Daagse Van West Vlaanderen in March.“Today I had the ‘pilot’ of Wouter Weylandt. I lost the wheel and then followed the wheel of teammate Steven de Jongh, only

When Danilo Di Luca and the other 197 starters in the 89th Giro d’Italialine up for the first road stage in Belgium on Sunday, they will standfor a moment of silence. Their thoughts will reach out to 262 coalminers,more than half of them Italian, who died 50 years ago in the Bois de Caziermining disaster at Charleroi-Marcinelle, where Sunday’s stage finishes.Di Luca will be particularly affected because more than one third of theItalians who lost their lives in that 1956 tragedy were from the Italianracer’s home province of Pescara. Choosing to start the 2006 Giro in the heart of Belgian’s

While XTR shifting systems made waves at last month?s Sea Otter Classic, Shimano left us in the dark concerning the details of the rest of the group. Still we don?t have the whole story, but Shimano has now offered a look at the new braking options the group will offer. The two most interesting features of the new system are the perpendicular or radial master cylinder on the brake lever and new mono-body design on the calipers. The new lever design frees up space on the bar and provides for a smoother modulating brake, while the single forged mono-body caliper lightens the system and

Mating Mavic, Campy and ShimanoDear Lennard, I've got some 2004 Mavic Cosmic Carbones with a Campy cassette and have recently bought a bike with Dura-Ace 10 transmission. What would I have to do to use the Cosmics on this bike?Andy Dear Andy,Those wheels would not shift worth beans using a Campy 10 cogset with a Shimano 10 transmission. You could buy and install a Shimano 10-speed cogset and a Mavic freehub body for Shimano (called "M10"), interchanging it with that "ED10" freehub body and Campy cogset. Alternatively, you may be able to locate some aftermarket cogs for a Campy freehub

After a frustrating 2005 campaign, Damiano Cunego looks to be back in the form he had two years ago when he surged to a surprising and dominant Giro d’Italia victory in 2004. His victory in Saturday’s GP Industria was his sixth in this year’s campaign and reveals the 22-year-old is back at his best in time for the Giro. “Damiano is ready,” Lampre sport director Giuseppe Martinelli told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “For the Giro, we’ll bring a squad built around him, a team that’s strong for the climbs and that will support him. The favorite is Ivan Basso, who will be able to gain some minutes

Reigning NRC champion Scott Moninger (Health Net-Maxxis), a quartet of national champs and two three-time winners are among the athletes slated to race the Teleperformance Tour of the Gila May 3-7 in and around Silver City, New Mexico. Defending titlist Burke Swindlehurst (Navigators) and fellow three-timer Drew Miller (Successful Living.com-ParkPre) will be hunting that elusive fourth victory during the 20th annual NRC race. Swindlehurst is bringing just one teammate with him — but it happens to be Phil Zajicek, fresh off last weekend’s overall victory at La Vuelta de Bisbee in

There’s good news for Saul Raisin as it appears he could be returning to the United States soon following a life-and-death struggle in a French hospital. The 23-year-old lapsed into a life-threatening coma following a crash last month in the Circuit de la Sarthe, but according to a report posted on his web page, Raisin is improving by the day and he’s expected to travel back to Georgia to begin rehabilitation. “Hopefully this will be our last report from France. Saul is strong enough to move home and we have started the ball rolling,” his parents wrote. “Saul is improving every day. He is

The finale of La Vuelta de Bisbee, the Tombstone Road Race, lived up to its reputation as the decisive stage on Sunday as Phil Zajicek (Navigators) confirmed his grip on the overall lead while Felicia Gomez (Webcor) displaced Mari Holden (T-Mobile) in the women’s competition. La Vuelta wrapped its 28th year under clear skies, light winds and mild temperatures as riders braced themselves for the day’s labors (87 miles and more than 6400 feet of climbing for elite men, and 58 miles-4400 feet for women and masters). The rolling terrain west of Bisbee allowed a break to form 38 miles into the

Every picture tells a story, don't it? Rod Stewart certainly thought so, and so does Mason Ibas, who forwards these pictures of the men's Tombstone Road Race, which wrapped up the 28th annual La Vuelta de Bisbee on Sunday.

The second day of The 28th La Vuelta de Bisbee saw the lead change hands in both the men’s and women’s fields. Phil Zajicek (Navigators) pulled on the yellow jersey after Friday’s prologue, but found himself down by 18 seconds after Saturday morning’s Stage 1 Sulphur Springs Road Race, won by Joey Thompson (Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Daniel Vaillancourt (CCB-VW-Time) was second and Mike Telega (California Giant) third, both in the same time. But Zajicek reclaimed the jersey after the Stage 2 Warren Time Trial, posting a time of 14:31, 14 seconds ahead of Curtis Gunn (Successful

Cadel Evans of Australia snatched victory at the 60th edition of the Tour de Romandie on Sunday, decisively winning the time trial that concluded the Swiss stage race and putting an exclamation mark on the statement his Davitamon-Lotto team made here this week. With his 22-second margin on the 20.4km course, Evans leapfrogged over the two Spaniards who preceded him in the standings at the start of the day. Those two men, Alberto Contador (Liberty Seguros) and Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears), finished second and third on general classification. "This morning I woke up

Punching yet another notch in his extensive victory belt, Gord Fraser recaptured his title at this year’s Nalley Historic Roswell Criterium, north of Atlanta, on Sunday with a markedly reduced squad of riders from his Health Net team. After 40 minutes of racing, a four-man break composed of heavy hitters Alex Candelario (Jelly Belly), Viktor Rapinski (Colavita-Sutter Home), Vassili Davidenko (Navigators Insurance) and J. J. Haedo(Toyota-United Pro Cycling) lead the field for much of the remainder of the evening with gaps of up to 20seconds. But during the penultimate lap of the 0.8-mile

With the exception of the rain that plagued last year’s race, Saturday's 27th running of the Athens Twilight Criterium proved to be nearly a re-run of2005 edition.Under cool gray skies, the field of 20 teams kept up the traditionally fast pace associated with the .55 mile course throughout the evening.The initially prime-hungry pack saw a multiple rider pile-up by the third lap, and control of the race shifted hands often during the initialthird of the 80-lap event.

The 28th annual La Vuelta de Bisbee got under way Friday afternoon with the Mule Pass Prologue. Uncharacteristically cool weather greeted the cyclists for the 2.8-mile climb, but a stiff headwind on the course erased any thoughts of a course record despite the mild temperatures. Phil Zajicek (Navigators) posted a time of 10.25 in the elite men’s division to take the top spot on general classification. Jeremy Powers (Jelly Belly) stands three seconds back, with Corey Collier (Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory) eight seconds down. The women’s prologue saw Felicia Gomez (Webcor) put 15 seconds

The young Spanish phenom’ Alejandro Valverde maintained the momentum of his outstanding April campaign on Saturday to win the monster climbing stage of the Tour of Romandie, setting up what is sure to be a dramatic showdown in Lausanne. This week-long stage race, now in its 60th edition, will finish up there on Sunday with a 20-kilometer individual time trial. Race leader Alberto Contador said he will do his best to hold off his talented countryman Valverde. “Tomorrow if I win that’s great, but if not I’m still content,” said Valverde, adding that he learned to respect the steep streets of

Preliminary start list - 2006 Giro d'Italia(North Americans in Bold)DISCOVERY CHANNEL1. Paolo Savoldelli, (ITA)2. Tom Danielson, (USA)3. Manuel Beltran Martinez, (SP)4. Viatcheslav Ekimov, (RUS)5. Benoit Joachim, (LUX)6. Jason Mccartney, (USA)7. Pavel Padrnos, (CZE)8. José Luis Rubiera Vigil, (SP)9. Matthew White, (AUS)AG2R PREVOYANCE11. Sylvain Calzati, (FRA)12. Inigo Chaurreau Bernardez, (SP)13. Philip Deignan, (IRL)14. Renaud Dion, (FRA)15. Hubert Dupont, (FRA)16. John Gadret, (FRA)17. Yuriy Krivtsov, (UKR)18. Carl Naibo, (FRA)19. Tomas Vaitkus, (LTU)BOUYGUES TELECOM21. Giovanni

Alberto Contador Velasco, the 23-year-old Spaniard on the Liberty Seguros squad, won the third stage of the Tour de Romandie on Friday, attacking midway up the 9km climb to the finish at Leysin, Switzerland. Contador took the yellow jersey away from Chris Horner (Davitamon-Lotto), who had won the previous day’s stage. The American now sits in ninth, 57 seconds off the pace, with two more days of racing to come: a mountain stage on Saturday and a time trial on Sunday. The Spanish climber now has a fragile lead on a pair of dangerous men who finished second and third in Friday’s race:

American Chris Horner (Davitamon-Lotto) attacked with perfect timing to win the second stage of the Tour de Romandie on Thursday and take the race leader's yellow jersey from prologue winner Paolo Savoldelli (Discovery Channel). Horner completed the rainy, 171.2km stage beginning and ending in Porrentry in 4 hours, 16 minutes, 22 seconds. Germany's Jörg Jaksche (Liberty Seguros), who claimed second place at four seconds back, beat out local favorite Alexandre Moos (Phonak), who finished third. Spain's Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d’Epargne-Illes Balears) crossed fourth, seven

The folks at Bontrager took an opportunity at last week’s Tour de Georgia to introduce additions to the brand’s high-end road racing product lineup. Major additions include an expansion of the Aeolus deep-dish aerodynamic wheel line as well as a new time trial disc wheel – all produced under a partnership with HED Cycling Products. Why aero?For the last few years riders have put a premium on weight and all but ignoring aerodynamics. Recently, even at the sports top level, aerodynamic advantage has only been considered when it comes to time trialing. But whether you look at a grand tour

With a name like Charles Bradley Huff, you might expect someone with the reserve and restraint of a character in a Victorian novel, rather than a guy who likes to mix it up in the rough and tumble world of bunch sprints. But the 27-year-old TIAA-CREF rider is clearly in the latter category and is already making his presence known in his first year as a pro. Huff – he goes by Brad – scored TIAA-CREF’s first European win of the 2006 season with a sprint victory in the Tour of Normandie in April. “I was in yellow for three days and three days in green, I won a stage and near-stage win. I

The 28th La Vuelta de Bisbee gets rolling beginning Friday in the high desert country of southeastern Arizona. Racing in the three-day, four-stage race begins Friday, April 28, with the Mule Pass Time Trial, an uphill charge through the heart of Old Bisbee that gains 837 vertical feet in 2.8 miles. Malcolm Elliott set the elite men’s record of 9:18 in 1993; Leslee Schenk posted the elite women’s best time of 10:33 in 1987. Saturday, April 29, is a double stage day. The Sulphur Springs Road Race (79.3 miles for elite men, 45.8 miles for elite women) tours the rolling rural roads east of

Team CSC’s Jens Voigt has been making new friends all spring. Normally, the German marauder is off the front in some suicidal attack, nose to the wind, a tactic that’s served him well with an impressive haul of 11 wins before the end of April in both 2004 and 2005. This year, he´s been uncharacteristically quiet, hidden away in the bunch and getting a new vision on the peloton. “I´ve discovered riders in the peloton I´ve never seen before,” Voigt said. “I´m finishing in groups I´ve never seen before, so it´s like a whole new view of the world!” It’s not as if the 34-year-old is getting

Last season, Dr. Massimo Testa accepted two new clients: Gerolsteiner’s Levi Leipheimer and me, a cycling coach and amateur racer. Testa worked for over a decade as a sports doctor for pro teams including 7-Eleven, Motorola and Mapei, and is now a sports-medicine physician at the University of California-Davis. Under Testa’s coaching last year, Leipheimer won the Tour of Germany and finished seventh in the Tour de France. I didn’t reach all my personal goals, but did succeed in expanding my coaching abilities. I first tried to hire Testa years ago on an Andy Hampsten bicycle tour in Italy.

German Tour de France hopeful Jan Ullrich said Wednesday that he wouldgo "through the pain barrier" to ensure he is in top condition for theTour start on July 1.A knee injury forced T-Mobile captain Ullrich to postpone his startto the season but the German rider is taking part in the Tour of Romandiein Switzerland, which began on Tuesday, and hopes to get back to his bestover the next two months."The motivation is there but the form is not. But I am glad to be backand free of my knee problems," Ullrich said at his training camp on Wednesday."I have a lot of ground to make up but I have

Australian Robbie McEwen dominated a bunch sprint to win the first stage of the six-day Tour de Romandie Wednesday in Payerne, Switzerland. The Davitamon-Lotto sprinter burst ahead of a small group of contenders in the final 200 meters of the winding, rain-soaked 169km stage finale to cross the finish line in triumph. Italian Mirco Lorenzetto (Milram) finished second ahead of Lampre's Daniele Bennati. Jan Ullrich (T-Mobile) finished with the pack in his 2006 season debut, and former Romandie champion Paolo Savoldelli (Discovery Channel), who won the prologue on Tuesday, retained the

Robbie McEwen of Davitamon-Lotto won the rainy first stage of the Tour de Romandie on Wednesday, the most important day of the race for the Australian sprinter. After his respectable finish in the previous day’s prologue in Geneva (he finished 29th, 12:53 behind winner Paolo Savoldelli), he spoke to VeloNews at length about his race, his rib injury last month, and his expectations for the Tour de Romandie. McEwen had gone early in the race, in order to leave more time for cooling down and getting a massage. The road was dry when he raced, and he said he hoped rain would arrive to impede the

Water SolutionDear Readers,It seems that whenever it is raining somewhere in the USA, I get questionsabout drain holes in the bottom bracket and rims. In the past, I have advisedpeople to drill their own if they are not present, but of course that isat great risk of voiding their warranties. However, here is a solutionthat might appeal to those whose bikes are filling up with water as wellas for those who do not want to void their warranties.LennardDear Lennard,I recently discovered it's not difficult to drill a hole down the centerof the set screw that holds the cable guide in place

In partone of our interview with Mauro Gianetti we spoke to the SaunierDuval manager about Gilberto Simoni and the North American talent pipeline intothe European peloton. In the second of this two-part interview, Giannettitalks about the team's newest star and the comeback of David Millar, setto return to racing in the 2006 Tour de France just days after his two-yearracing ban ends. VN: The return of Millar will be big news, how did you agree to a contract? MG: We had contact through mutual friends. They told me that Millar had started to train and that he wanted to make a comeback. In

Paolo Savoldelli of Italy, the pokerfaced deputy of the Discovery Channel team, won the prologue of the Tour de Romandie on Tuesday, mastering the sharp corners and hairpins of a 3.4km circuit through Geneva, Switzerland. The race saw the return of T-Mobile’s German centerpiece Jan Ullrich, who has been out of competition with a knee injury. Ullrich appeared tanned and shaggy after a week of training in Tuscany, Italy. A team spokesman said his knee was 100 percent – no pain, stiffness or swelling. Savoldelli won Romandie in 2000, when it was some 812km long. This season, the 60-year-old

Saunier Duval-Prodir rolls into the heart of the 2006 as a dramatically different team. Eleven riders from last year are gone, replaced by big names such as Gilberto Simoni, David Millar, Koldo Gil and Luciano Pagliarini. Now in its third year in formation, Saunier Duval has matured in its goals and aspirations, taking aim for bigger fish, namely the Giro d’Italia with two-time champion Simoni. The return of Millar after a two-year racing ban is sure to attract a lot of attention, even more so if Millar can snag the yellow jersey in the opening prologue at the Tour this year in what will be

Tour de France hopeful Jan Ullrich (T-Mobile) will finally launch the start of his season at the Tour de Romandie on Tuesday where a strong line-up awaits the German in the Swiss Alps. Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d’Epargne-Illes Balears), the recent winner of the Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Flèche Wallonne one-day classics, will be one of the headline acts in the race, which serves as a warm-up for the upcoming Giro d'Italia. Although the 653km race starts and finishes with time trials through the streets of Geneva and Lausanne, the rest of the six-day event snakes through the hills and

Final Overall 1. Floyd Landis (USA), Phonak, 24:00:54 2. Thomas Danielson (USA), Discovery Channel Pro Cycling, 00:04 3. Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr), Discovery Channel Pro Cycling, 01:55 4. Gutierrez Cataluna José Enrique (Sp), Phonak, 02:11 5. Janez Brajkovic (SLO), Discovery Channel Pro Cycling, 02:15 6. David Zabriskie (USA), CSC, 02:31 7. Nathan O'Neill (Aus), Health Net Maxxis, 03:45 8. Marco Pinotti (I), Saunier Duval, 03:54 9. Christopher Baldwin (USA), Toyota-United, 04:01 10. Augusto Cesar Augusto (Col), Navigators Insurance, 04:20

Chalk one up for the little guys. Following a five-day shutout in which domestic teams failed to win a single stage and only managed two top-three finishes against their ProTour foes, Toyota-United speedster Juan Jose Haedo earned a measure of redemption for the U.S.-based squads at the Ford Tour de Georgia, taking a bunch-sprint win on the final day of racing. The Argentine finished half a bike length ahead of Canadian Gord Fraser (Health Net-Maxxis), with Phonak’s Aurelien Clerc third at the finish of Sunday’s 118.2-mile stage from Cumming to Alpharetta.

Alejandro Valverde, whose fans sometimes call him Balaverde, the Green Bullet, added a second notch to his list of classics victories on Sunday in a riveting 92nd edition of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, raced on a splendidly sunny spring day. The verdict was always in doubt after repeated attacks in the finale failed to break up a 12-strong group that eventually contested a ragged sprint, which Valverde of Caisse d’Épargne-Illes Balears clearly won from the Italians Paolo Bettini of Quick Step-Innergetic and Damiano Cunego of Lampre-Fondital.

The amazing spring run of Floyd Landis continued on Saturday, as the American stared down a stiff challenge from Tom Danielson and the Discovery Channel team during the brutal Stage 5 climb up Brasstown Bald at the 2006 Ford Tour de Georgia.

Since his break-through victory last Sunday at the Amstel Gold Race, FrankSchleck has seen his stock rise like a meteor. “He seems like a fragileguy,” his CSC team manager Bjarne Riis commented this week, “but he hasa huge resistance.”Schleck confirmed his good form on Wednesday at the Flèche Wallonne,where he was one of three riders, with CSC teammate Karsten Kroon and SamuelSanchez of Euskaltel, who finished at the top of the Mur de Huy just behindwinner Alejandro Valverde of Caisse d’Épargne-Illes Balears.In placing fourth at the Flèche, Schleck rode a smart race inview of the difficulties

Fred Rodriguez must like it in Dahlonega. For the second time in thefour-year history of the Tour de Georgia, the American speedstersprinted to a stage win in this small college town at the base of theBlue Ridge Mountains. Rodriguez burst across the line ahead of Italian Matteo Tosatto (QuickStep-Innergetic) and Discovery’s Yaroslav Popovych to grab victory inthe 118.9-mile stage that begin in Dalton.

‘Chechu’ free to fly againJosé Luis Rubiera has been a fixture at Discovery Channel since joining the team for the 2001 season, but now he’s relishing the opportunity to show what he can do. Always a loyal lieutenant to seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, “Chechu” is free to fly again this year as the team reloads in the post-Armstrong era. Speaking to journalists at the recent Tour of the Basque Country, the Spanish climbing ace says he’s looking forward to chance to stake out some results for himself. “We have a lot of experience on this team from many years and we all

A more aggressive, more exciting edition of Liège-Bastogne-Liège resulted last year when the organizers restored the “Bermuda Triangle” to the Belgian classic’s 262km course. The series of three critical climbs — Côte de Wanne, Côte de Stockeu and Côte de la Haute-Levée — in the space of just 12km around the town of Stavelot split the peloton into shreds. Only 35 riders from the 180-strong pack emerged from the “triangle” with a chance of winning. As a result, none of the pre-race favorites had more than a couple of teammates to help them in the final 80km. This gave an opening for CSC’s

A more aggressive, more exciting edition of Liège-Bastogne-Liège resulted last year when the organizers restored the "Bermuda Triangle" to the Belgian classic’s 262kmn course. The series of three critical climbs — Côte de Wanne, Côte de Stockeu and Côte de la Haute-Levée — in the space of just 12km around the town of Stavelot split the peloton into shreds. Only 35 riders from the 180-strong pack emerged from the "triangle" with a chance of winning. As a result, none of the pre-race favorites had more than a couple of teammates to help them in the final 80km. This gave an opening for

For the second time in two years the battle for supremacy at the Tour de Georgia is setting up as a showdown between Americans Floyd Landis and Tom Danielson after they vaulted into the top two places in the overall standings by finishing 1-2 in the Stage 3 individual time trial on Thursday.

Spanish rider David Muñoz (Comunidad Valenciana) snatched the third stage of the Giro di Trentino in Italy on Thursday, but Damiano Cunego (Lampre-Fondital) remained safely in the race leader’s jersey. With the win in the 168km stage from Romeno to Tione, Muñoz marks just his second victory of his career to go along with a stage in the 2002 Tour of Portugal. Muñoz escaped with five other riders just 10km into the day’s course and was fastest of the bunch. Cunego, meanwhile, remained safely inside the peloton to retain the race leaders’ jersey. The 2004 Giro d’Italia champion sounded

Check out all the videos from the Tour de Georgia. Exclusive race highlights and interviews. Check out https://www.velonews.com/vntv/

Yaroslav Popovych sure knows how to impress the boss. With Discovery Channel’s Lance Armstrong looking on for the first time here in Georgia, the rising star from the Ukraine made a late-race escape to win Stage 2 of the 2006 Ford Tour de Georgia on Wednesday.

The U.S. Postal Service ain't got nothin' on Casey Gibson when it comes to the "neither rain nor . . . " bit. He was out there on a rainy day in Georgia, bringing it all back home to you. Here it is.

Spanish riders virtually overran the 70th edition of the Flèche Wallonne classic on Wednesday. Whenever there was a significant break, a Spaniard was in it; and when it came to the stiff finishing climb up the Mur de Huy, one Spaniard after another attacked before Alejandro Valverde surged in the final 200 meters to score his first victory in a ProTour classic.

Aussie Stuart O´Grady returned to action in Monday’s Rund um Köln after missing the northern classics with injuries. O´Grady cracked some ribs in a high-speed fall at Tirreno-Adriatico in early March, forcing him to the sidelines for Milan-San Remo and Tour of Flanders, two classics where he’s previously finished on the podium. A healthy O´Grady is back on the bike and looking to rebuild his form for the Tour de France. This year, O´Grady said he'll be at the service of team captain Ivan Basso and won’t be chasing the green jersey. "If it was going to happen, it would have happened by

Rebellin dreams of one moreTwo years ago, Davide Rebellin was riding the best wave of his career, surging to an incredible treble that included a sweep of the Ardennes classics with back-to-back wins at Amstel Gold Race, Fleche Wallone and Liege-Bastogne-Liege. This year, a banged-up Rebellin is dreaming of winning just one. A crash at the Tour of the Basque Country earlier this month left the Gerolsteiner captain with some injuries to his ribs, but it´s not stopping him of aiming for more Ardennes glory. “I´d love to win another, because it would serve as a kind of confirmation,” Rebellin

With its shorter distance and steeper finish, the Flèche Wallonne is a perfect transition from last Sunday’s Amstel Gold Race and next Sunday’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège. The Flèche is only 202km, compared with the Amstel’s 253km and Liège’s 262km, and that shorter distance sometimes gives early breaks a better chance of survival, but the finish on the infamous Mur de Huy (a kilometer at 9.5 percent, with two bends topping 19 percent in the middle) gives the Flèche its defining feature. The past two years, Amstel winners Danilo Di Luca (2005) and Davide Rebellin (2004) have also won the Flèche,

Like a good real-estate agent, Lars Michaelsen knows that location is everything – especially when it comes to the waning moments of a bunch sprint. While some of the race's top sprinters were missing from the end game, the longtime CSC pro outgunned American Fred Rodriguez (Davitamon-Lotto) and Aussie Caleb Manion (Jelly Belly) on Tuesday to win the 128.9-mile gallop from Augusta to Macon on day one of the 2006 Ford Tour de Georgia.

Ace shooter Casey Gibson was on hand Tuesday as the Ford Tour de Georgia kicked off in Augusta ... here's what he sent home.

It’s almost difficult to believe that a year has passed since last year’sTour de Georgia, which will be remembered not only for an aggressive raceseparated by nine seconds between Americans Floyd Landis, Levi Leipheimerand overall winner Tom Danielson, but also for the pre-race press conferencethat brought the world the news that Lance Armstrong would retire after attempting a historic seventh Tour de France victory. In Armstrong’s swan song American race appearance, the defending 2004Tour de Georgia champion had an admittedly sub-par time trial and rodein support of his young teammate

Theo Bos made it look easy in a daring showdown against Craig MacLean to win his second match sprint world title in three years. MacLean’s brawn was no match for Bos’s pounce. The big Dutchman sprang away from the Scot after a cat-and-mouse game in two heats to win the men’s sprint title in Sunday’s final day of action at the world track cycling championships in Bordeaux, France. "This world title comes at a high level because all the riders coming off the Commonwealth are in really good shape, so this means a lot for me," said Bos, who’s been nicknamed by the Dutch press as the "Boss of

Many experts predicted that Sunday’s Amstel Gold Race would end in a bunchsprint up the climb to the finish on the infamous Cauberg hill in Valkenberg.The experts were wrong, and after a blizzard of attacks in the final 60km,CSC’s Frank Schleck emerged from a 10-man break with 10km to go and scoredhis first-ever classics victory. “It never hurts to attack,” said Schleck, who is the first rider fromLuxembourg to win a classic in more than 50 years. “I saw that [Sergei]Ivanov attacked, I saw that [Paolo] Bettini attacked, so I decided to takemy chance.”

Great Britain was fastest in morning qualifying for the men´s team pursuit while the upstart Americans finished 12th on a day when they were hoping for more. The Brits stopped the clock in 4:04.074, relegating Australia to second place in 4:04.403. The Dutch were third and the Ukraine fourth to secure spots in the medal rounds on Saturday evening. The Americans – featuring Mike Creed, Mike Friedman, Danny Pate and Brad Huff – posted a time of 4:14.952. It was well short of their goal of 4:09, but faster than the team´s previous best of 4:16 at the Los Angeles World Cup race. “We have the

It took race judges several minutes to decide what French veteran Jerome Neuville already knew – that he won the men´s 15km scratch race in a photo finish. For Neuville, a former roadie who turned to the track to win two world titles in the Madison, his narrow victory over Argentina´s Angel Colla capped a dramatic race marked by a daring breakaway that held out to the end. “It was a long race and I didn´t believe it until the end, even at the line,” Neuville said. “I am so glad I didn´t retire after the Athens Olympics. At 30, people don´t want to see progression, but results. I had a lot

Olympic champion Paolo Bettini is the hot favorite to win Sunday’s Amstel Gold Race, the eighth event in the 2006 UCI ProTour. The Italian has never won this challenging Dutch classic, but he came in third on his last appearance at the race two years ago, and he has won most of the world’s other hilly classics: Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2000 and 2002, the Clasico San Sebastian in 2003, the Championship of Zürich in 2001 and 2005, and last October, the Tour of Lombardy. At age 32, Bettini is at his peak. His climbing strength has improved over the years, his sprint is better than ever (as he

Australia took a nail-biter to win the men’s team pursuit in a pitched battle against arch-rival Great Britain in Saturday’s action at the world track cycling championships. The Brits were fastest in qualifying, but the Aussies clawed back with an impressive victory against the team – racing as England, not Great Britain - that beat them on their home track in Melbourne last month at the Commonwealth Games. "This is the sweetest world title of my four," said Peter Dawson after the Aussies won in 4:01.491 to the British team’s 4:01.527. "The battle was going back and forth and it came down

Germany's Robert Bartko will defend his world pursuit crown against Jens Mouris of the Netherlands at the world track cycling championships in Bordeaux, France, on Friday evening. Bartko, who celebrated the birth of his second child on Thursday, clocked 4:23.115 in his heat to seal the fastest time in qualifying and thus secure his final spot against Mouris who had timed 4:24.045. Britain's Paul Manning, the Commonwealth champion in the 16-lap, 4000-meter event, will race for the bronze medal against Frenchman Fabien Sanchez. Bartko is a two-time winner of the individual pursuit,

When does a classic become a classic? That question has often been asked about the Amstel Gold Race because it wasn’t founded until 1966. That’s 72 years after the oldest of the classics, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and even 30 years after the youngest spring classic, the Flèche Wallonne. But now that the Dutch race has reached its 40th anniversary, most people in the sport agree that Amstel Gold (which is actually "a sturdy, full-flavored bock beer" brewed by Heineken’s Amstel brewery in Maastricht) is finally a true classic. That certainly wasn’t the case with the first edition. Original race

Chris Hoy started last but finished first in the men’s kilometer time trial to end an exciting day of racing in the second day of competition at the 2006 world track cycling championships. The British rider was fastest at all the splits to relegate Australian Ben Kersten to silver and crowd favorite Francois Pervis to bronze. Hoy won in 1:01.361, more than a half-second faster than Kersten in 1:02.085. Pervis was third at 1:02.696. Despite a healthy pedigree in the dramatic kilo, Hoy wasn’t so sure he still had it him coming into Bordeaux after disappointment at the recent Commonwealth Games.

The 2006 Tour de Georgia kicks off on Tuesday in Augusta, and VeloNews.com will be there as North America's only hors classe (2.HC) professional cycling stage race begins its grueling 600-mile-plus journey toward the finish April 23 in Alpharetta. The six-day, six-stage race will return to the Georgia host cities of Macon, Fayetteville, Rome, Dalton, Dahlonega, Blairsville/Union County, Brasstown Bald Mountain/Towns County, and Alpharetta. New host cities for 2006 include Chickamauga/Walker County, Cumming/Forsyth County and Chattanooga, Tennessee. Tune into VeloNews.com for continuous

Officials remain cautiously optimistic Saul Raisin can experience a full recovery after the 23-year-old Georgia resident pulled out of a coma earlier this week. Roger Legeay, sport director at Crédit Agricole, said Raisin has been able to move both his arms and legs and that doctors are expected to remove the breathing apparatus possibly as soon as Saturday. "The critical part is past," Legeay told VeloNews on Friday. "Now we are waiting to see how his recovery comes. We don’t know how fast the recovery will be, but we know it will be a long time." Raisin crashed April 4 in the first stage

Sarah Hammer gladly traded bagels for a gold medal Thursday to win the first American track title in 10 years in the women’s individual pursuit. Two years ago, Hammer was burned out and left racing for a taste of the real world. That meant waking up at 5 a.m. – not to go on a training ride, but to work a bagel shop in Colorado Springs while she considered her immediate future. In January last year, she decided that cycling left a better aftertaste than reality and returned to competition more mature and focused. "I’m blown away," Hammer said after winning in 3:37.227. "It’s not so hard

After Tom Boonen rounded out the first half of the spring classics season by winning the GP Schelde near Antwerp on Wednesday, he said he was looking forward to some vacation time before building up toward a green-jersey bid at the Tour de France. While the current UCI ProTour leader (see standings below) puts up his feet by the pool at his home in Monte Carlo or in Spain’s Canary Islands, his co-leader at Quick Step-Innergetic, Paolo Bettini, will be coping with harsher weather (and the reality of racing) in the hills of the Netherlands and Belgium. This Sunday’s Amstel Gold Race, next

The French team gave something for the packed house to cheer about in a riveting victory over Great Britain in the men’s team sprint in Thursday night at the world track championships. Led by Gregory Bauge, Mickael Bourgain and veteran Arnaud Tournant, the French relegated defending world champions Great Britain into runner-up status as the fans’ enthusiasm seemed to inject the French with energy. "It’s very satisfying to win at home because this team is very young and no one expected much of us," Tournant said. "This will boost the morale for the team for the rest of the weekend." The

Lance Armstrong's defamation trial ended Thursday after charges were withdrawn by Italian cyclist Filippo Simeoni. Armstrong also withdrew his defamation action against Simeoni, the lawyer for the Tour de France great said. Neither Armstrong nor Simeoni was at the court in Latina, near Rome. "The case is over after both actions have been withdrawn," lawyer Enrico Nan said. Simeoni brought defamation charges against Armstrong following an April 2003 report in the French newspaper Le Monde. In the article, Armstrong contended that Simeoni had agreed to testify against doctor Michele

Britain's rich array of track-cycling talent is preparing to battle their Australian, French and Dutch rivals at the world championships beginning Thursday in Bordeaux, France. At last year’s world’s in Los Angeles, Britain's track team dominated the competition with four gold medals, and six medals in total. And at this year’s Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia, they showed that once again they are on form. Riders from Scotland, England, Wales and even the Isle of Man got to fly their national flag on the games’ podium. But both Australia and France have a thing or two to

George Hincapie won’t face surgery after all. The 32-year-old Discovery Channel rider crashed twice in Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix, injuring one wrist and his right shoulder, but an exam Tuesday found that an operation would not be necessary. Doctors determined that the crash resulted in a third-degree separation of Hincapie's shoulder as well as a severely bruised wrist. His shoulder will be taped and placed in a sling until he can resume riding. "I was happy to hear that I will not need surgery," Hincapie said from his home in Greenville, South Carolina. "I will be off the bike for about

Just a few minutes before six am Saturday morning we departed Zurich andstarted on a four and a half hour drive to Cadolzburg, Germany for the“Frühjahrspreis des RSC Fürth”. Cadolzburg is in Bayern Germanynear Nürnberg. For once we left not only on time but ahead of schedule.It was the first race I’ve don’t this year where we didn’t drive to therace the day before. So it was a change in thinking to just out ofthe car after the long drive and get on my bike and race.The race had only one climb which we went through four times, it wassteep and on cobbles. The start finish is on the middle of

Dear Readers, Well, I just got back from Sea Otter, and I’m sure you’ve read my review of the SRAM road group. There were lots of other cool things there, including pieces of the new XTR and lots of new mountain bike stuff from SRAM, Avid,Hayes, RockShox, Fox, Magura, Cat Eye, and many others. But one thing remained the same – my mailbox filling up with letters on the subject of wheel rotational weight and what difference it makes when climbing. The first time around, I published a letter saying it made almost no difference. The next time we revisited, I published letters saying it was a big deal.

Peter Van Petegem’s Davitamon-Lotto team has lodged a complaint with the UCI over their rider’s disqualification in last Sunday's Paris-Roubaix. The Belgian, who finished third behind winner Fabien Cancellara (CSC) and Leif Hoste (Discovery Channel), was disqualified along with Hoste and Discovery teammate Vladimir Gusev after the trio ignored a barrier at a railway crossing and continued racing without waiting for the train to pass. In its complaint, Davitamon argues that the group riding behind Van Petegem, containing ProTour leader Tom Boonen (Quick Step), also of Belgium — who was

Introduced at last year’s Interbike trade show, SRAM formally rolled out its new road group at Sea Otter this week, giving media and others the chance to actually ride what the once-little company is using to take on the giants of the component industry. The company is actually introducing two new road groups: the top-of-the-line Force group and the price-point Rival. Both share the same design on all components, with the Force group getting extra touches like carbon fiber lever blades, a magnesium lever body, and titanium gears and bolts. A pair of Force levers, for example, weighs in at

For the second consecutive year four racers took convincing wins in their respective events. In the downhill, under clear skies, 2005 Sea Otter omnium winner Jared Graves (Yeti-Fox) won by nearly three seconds over current DH world champ Fabien Barel (Kona-Les Gets), while Tracy Moseley (Kona-Les Gets) defended her 2005 Sea Otter DH title. Later in the afternoon, the temperature dropped and a steady rain greased the mountain-cross course. Undaunted, reigning world champions and Team GT riders Brian Lopes and Jill Kintner took comfortable wins in the men’s and women’s races,

Tom Boonen has been riding like an unstoppable freight train all year, and it may have been another freight train that denied him a shot at a successive win in the toughest of all the Spring Classics. The world champion has been knocking off wins (12 so far this year) almost as fast as some of his fans pound down Belgian beers, but the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix on Sunday became a proving ground for another rising star.

Just the second Swiss victory in 10 editions of Paris-Roubaix. An American’s dreams of victory turned nightmare by a broken fork. And three of the top five finishers disqualified for riding through a train crossing while the gates were down. All in all, an epic Hell of the North, and Graham Watson was there to capture the action.