Road

As Paolo Savoldelli was winning a stage in the Giro d’Italia, understudy Yaroslav Popovych slipped into the race leader’s jersey in the Volta a Cataluyna in what was a big day for the Discovery Channel team. Popovych finished second to stage winner Leonardo Piepoli (Saunier Duval) in the 237km march across the Catalan Pyrénées, which ended with the long summit finish to the Pal ski area in Andorra. “I was more interested in getting the stage win than the lead,” said Popovych, who holds an 11-second lead going into Friday’s 17km climbing time trial to the Arcalis ski area. “I've only

Tour of ConnecticutMay 20-22Start listColavita Olive Oil-Sutter Home1. Mark McCormack2. Juan Jose Haedo (Arg)3. Davide Frattini (I)4. Todd Herriott5. Aaron Olson6. Derek Wilkerson7. Gustavo Artacho (Arg)8. Tyler WrenWebcor Builders11. Charles Dionne (Can)12. David Clinger13. Bernard van Ulden14. Ben Haldeman15. Lucas Euser16. James Mattis17. Marc Collard18. Ted HuangFiordifrutta21. Jon Hamblen22. Phil Wong23. Mike Dietrich24. Chris Rozdilsky25. Larry Perera26. Dan Timmerman27. Matt White28. Josh GewirtzVolkswagen-Trek31. Alexandre Lavallée (Can)32. Alexandre Cloutier (Can)33. Jean Sébastien

MAROSTICA, Italy (AP) - The Union Cycliste Internationale has risen to the defense of teams that were targeted by police raids and criticized the publicity given to the anti-doping operation. The UCI said in a statement Thursday that the hypobaric equipment found in the hotel housing the Davitamon-Lotto team is not illegal, and medicines and bottles from intravenous drips reportedly used by Lotto and Saunier Duval were believed to be legal products. The police raid was carried out after Wednesday's 10th stage of the Giro d'Italia, which was won by Davitamon-Lotto captain Robbie

Robbie McEwen is a puckish little scrapper who’s made a career of knocking the crown off the big dogs. But pulling a hat-trick against the formidable Fassa Bortolo train in the opening 10 days of the 88th Giro d’Italia is something else. McEwen might as well be called the giant killer of the corsa rosa and the Davitamon-Lotto rider played his David card yet again in Wednesday’s 212km snoozer that started slow, got wet and ended hot across the flats of the Po Valley. With the ominous Dolomites brooding to the north, the peloton was in no hurry to go anywhere until it charged onto three laps

Horrillo on the marchIt’s often said Spanish rider Pedro Horrillo is too smart to be a bike racer. After all, he’s a guy who reads philosophy books and studied law before becoming enamored with the bike. But his intellectual proclivities come in handy sometimes, especially in his bids to out-wit the hard-charging peloton. The Rabobank attacker took advantage of a rising finish to hold off the main bunch to snag the win in the 157.8km third stage of the Volta a Cataluyna. Coming through second was Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole) while Italian Claudio Corioni (Fassa Bortolo) was third. “It

Carbohydrate supplements Hi, Monique,Thanks for the info you pass along in your articles, they really help in trying to sort through the tons of info that’s out there on sports nutrition. One quick question for you, though: You refer to a "high-carbohydrate supplement" in your article; can you give me one or two examples of a supplement and what amount of carb/kg you would recommend for consumption one hour before training? Thanks.Peter Hi, Peter,Many of these high-carbohydrate supplements can be consumed in the hour before exercise for a handy source of pre-training fuel. They can

With two selective stages over the weekend, the strengths and weaknesses of the Giro favorites were displayed. Ivan Basso (CSC) lost a little in stage 7 to Damiano Cunego and Gilberto Simoni (Lampre), while the reverse occurred in stage 8, and Paolo Savoldelli (Discovery Channel) was consistent and showed his form is only getting better as the race progresses. Dave Zabriskie (CSC) surprised some by winning the stage-8 time trial, but in my mind, he was one of the favorites going into it. Dave has been knocking at the door of a major international TT win for quite some time. His fifth-place

The rest day and come and gone. I am not sure just how rested I feel and now Stage 10 is on the horizon. I have mixed feelings about rest days. First off, I am not all that sure that they help you that much. In a way, I’d like it if we just got on with it and went home one day earlier. On the other hand, you do need a little respite from the stress of bike racing, just to relax. In that sense, the rest day is “rest” in the psychological sense than it is the physical. Still, I did sleep for two hours this afternoon, so I guess I was a bit tired, after all. One thing about the rest day is

Backstedt carries Gasparotto to win in CataluynaThere’s no better wheel to be on than one belonging to the big Swede with speed, Magnus Backstedt. The 2004 Paris-Roubaix winner blocked the wind and a lot more in the perfect set-up for young Liquigas-Bianchi teammate Enrico Gasparotto, who shot to victory in Tuesday’s second stage of the Volta a Cataluyna. “Backstedt was decisive in my victory today,” said the 23-year-old after scoring his first win in the pro ranks. “He brought me to the front in the last kilometer and accelerated very fast. It was like following a race horse.” Thanks to

Wow - what a Giro we're seen so far. After two individual time trials, eight road stages, and 1592 kilometers, the top 10 riders overall are separated by two minutes and 11 seconds, the top 20 by 3:48, and the top 50 by 8:29. That last figure alone can be lost on one bad day in the mountains. Heck - it can be lost on one ’Big Bird’ turns pink flamingo. It all started when that character known as “Big Bird” – a.k.a., 25-year-old Australian Brett Lancaster (Ceramica Panaria-Navigare) - decided to ditch Sesame Street that evening and ride down the Lungomare Italo Falcomata in Reggio

If at first you don't succeed... Try, try again. That's the motto being adopted by Fassa Bortolo, who, after several failed attempts, finally got their Silver Train in motion, sending Alessandro Petacchi to the line for his first stage victory of the 2005 Giro. It would have been a travesty if he didn't win. With wide-open streets and generous corners, the stage was tailor-made for his team to deliver their man in fine form to the line. And that's exactly what the team managed to do on Monday, at the close of a 139km race from Firenze to Ravenna. With his lead-out men

Andy Bajadali (Vitamin Cottage) and Ann Trombley (Excel Sports) stood atop the final podium at the Excel Sports Boulder Stage Race on Sunday, a double-stage day that began with a brutal hill climb and ended in a furiously contested criterium. Racing began with the morning’s Sunshine Canyon Hill Climb, a 9-mile stage that climbed 3300 feet. In the men’s race, Chris Baldwin (Navigators Insurance) initiated the winning move early on the first steep pitch. “There were six guys left, and I’m like, ‘God, this is the race,’” said. Andy Bajadali (Vitamin Cottage), who took second in front of Mitch

Sunday May 15, 2005 -Yesterday (Saturday) was a tough day...I had a lot of flashbacks of riding with Lance and Johann.Obviously we didn't have the jersey, yet. We weren't even planning ontrying to get the jersey, but we had decided as a team to make a statement,so we spent most of the day up front – not chasing an unthreatening break– but riding up there to show that Ivan and the team are here to play offenseand not to be put on the defensive. Ivan and Bjarne are also being verycareful to keep him out of trouble.Thestage was crazy, with its crosswinds and wet roads, so our

Although no cyclist from the University of Colorado stepped atop the podium at the NCCA Collegiate Road Cycling National Championships in Lawrence, Kansas, the team as a whole posted enough top-10 finishes to wrap up the Division I team omnium title on Sunday. After the women’s team of Molly Hummel, Kelly Murphy, Sarah Levy and Melissa Thompson finished third in Sunday’s 12-mile team time trial and the men’s squad of Collin Becker, Josh Bezecny, Taylor Kneuven and Adam Blanchard finished seventh, the Buffaloes topped Cal Berkeley by 36 points. It’s the first team omnium road title for CU

A new technical criterium at the Joe Martin Stage Race in Fayetteville, Arkansas, proved the undoing of Jelly Belly-PoolGel as the 28th annual stage race concluded on Sunday. Scott Moninger (Health Net) leapt into first place on general classification after finishing a close second to Garrett Peltonin (Advantage-Endeavor), who won the fourth and final stage. Health Net sent Chris Wherry and John Lieswyn out to an early lead in the 90-minute race, building a 40-second gap on the main field. Teammate Greg Henderson bridged up as Jelly Belly led a furious chase, decimating the peloton. About

Forty five kilometers is more than enough to sort out the men from the boys and on Sunday the man of the moment turned out to be an American by the name of David Zabriskie, who blazed into Firenze under the Tuscan sun at a fantastic average speed of 46.140kph. It was the second grand tour stage win for this Utah native, who now spends his European summers in Spain and winters in California. His first came not so long ago, on Stage 11 of the 2004 Vuelta a España, where the 26-year-old staged an audacious, 162 kilometer solo adventure of suffering - and then did the incredible by actually

Day two of the 2005 NCCA Collegiate Road Cycling National Championships saw riders tackle the 23.2-mile loop around Perry Lake, roughly 20 miles outside of downtown Lawrence, Kansas. The relatively flat course featured a handful of rolling hills, and the varied terrain matched with gusty winds made for a variety of results at the finish line. The women’s Division I road race managed to stay clumped together throughout the entire two-lap, 56.4-mile ordeal. Early in the race they were packed tightly enough to send several riders to the tarmac, including last year’s road-race winner, Stephane

Anderson, Eposti take stage 2 in BoulderKim Anderson (Colavita-Cooking Light) outsprinted Mari Holden (T-Mobile) to win stage 2 of the Excel Sports Boulder Stage Race on Saturday, while Paul Eposti (Haul n’ Ass) caught a lead trio napping and slipped past for the victory in the men’s race. The 8.5-mile Boulder-Roubaix circuit, which was mostly dirt, wrought a fair amount of havoc among the peloton. No follow vehicles were allowed, though three pits were set up along the circuit, so when Ann Trombley (Excel Sports) flatted in the early going of the 42.5-mile women’s race, teammate Maatje

After two days of rain swamped the streets of Lawrence, Kansas, the NCCA Collegiate Road Cycling National Championships opener on Friday was a seminar in crash avoidance, and not everyone passed. “It was pretty crazy for the entire race. I just tried to stay at the front and stay out of trouble,” said Stanford’s Amber Rais, who won the 60-minute women’s Division I race in Friday’s Sunflower Outdoor & Bike Criteriums, run on a rain-slick, L-shaped, mile-long course in downtown Lawrence. After local hero Steve Tilford started the day off with a victory in the 45-minute open crit, the hourlong

Baldwin, Holden win Boulder Stage Race kickoffChris Baldwin (Navigators) and Mari Holden (T-Mobile) won the opening stage of the 2005 Excel Sports Boulder Stage Race on Friday, a short individual time trial that took in the hardest sections of the old Morgul Bismarck course outside Superior, Colorado. Baldwin was the only rider to post a time under 16 minutes for the hilly TT, which climbed 1100 feet in seven miles, ascending the fabled Wall, Hump and feed-zone hills. Baldwin covered the course in 15:42, besting teammate Phil Zajicek by 29 seconds, with Tim Duggan (TIAA-CREF) third at 34

The first week of the Giro is finished. The parcours has not been particularly tough in comparison to what lies ahead in the next two weeks, but the riders have still faced many obstacles. With nearly 200 riders heading into the rather technical finishing kilometers of the first week’s flat to rolling stages, many fell victim to crashes. Stages 4 and 6 were particularly messy in the final, with several crashes causing injuries, abandons and lost time. It is amazing to see fallen riders leap up and jump back onto their bikes. They never want to quit. Even when the injuries are bad, the

Today, the rolling hills of Tuscany left their mark on the 2005 Giro d'Italia, as the first successful breakaway saw 27-year-old Liberty Seguros rider Koldo Gil triumphant in Pistoia. It was a beautiful victory on an ugly day; not just due to the overcast, rainy weather, but for the Sammommé climb that split the peloton into pieces, and most likely dashed the hopes of more than a few overall contenders. Just 12 riders finished 20 seconds in arrears of the victorious Gil – Damiano Cunego (Lampre), Danilo Di Luca (Liquigas-Bianchi), Mirko Celestino (Domina Vacanze), Patrice Halgand

I am officially out of touch with the outside world. I had no idea that they evacuated the capitol and the White House the other day because of what they thought might be some kind of terrorist attack. I don't even know what day that was... heck I don't even know what day this is. My daily concerns tend to focus on just a few things: eating, sleeping and spending the stage helping to keep Ivan out of trouble here and there. We've already done one week of racing and when we're not on the bike, we're often looking for something – anything – to do. That's especially

When the sprint is rough, tough, tight and twisty, there's only one person you should bank on. Despite missing the entire spring due to a virus, speed demon Robbie McEwen (Davitamon-Lotto) is just about back to his best form, winning today's crash-filled finale in Marina di Grosseto with apparent ease. In fact, in a rare show of generosity, the 32-year-old Queenslander tried to give the stage to his fellow Aussie and loyal lead-out man, Henk Vogels, soft-pedaling in second wheel with a kilometer to go, and allowing Vogels to surreptitiously sail off the front. It was a great move,

Who can remember the last time the maglia rosa swapped shoulders every day in the first seven days? We can't. But it's good. Actually, it's great; it means this ProTour thing is working. There's certainly a stronger field of sprinters, as shown by Alessandro Petacchi's lack of success to date. And Fassa Bortolo fan or not, you have to admit it's great to see a new depth to the Giro. But to derail the Silver Train, the other sprinters' teams have brought along quality gregarios, unafraid of fighting the Fassas in the final kilometers, so it's a deeper field

With a few of the tifosi a little disheartened by what they saw on Wednesday, some may have been hoping to see another of their guys in pink. Well today, Danilo Di Luca gave them their wish. After his performance in L'Aquila, the 29-year-old darling of Italian cycling has surely won all the hearts of his countrymen. As they did at Pais Vasco, Amstel Gold, Flèche Wallonne and two days ago in Giffoni Valle Piana, his Liquigas-Bianchi team rode their hearts out, setting Di Luca up perfectly for the final kilometer and in a finale like Thursday’s, the speedster from Spoltore proved

It’s the day before the 2005 collegiate road nationals, and already the Kansas clouds have offered up a blustering tempest that would send Dorothy and Toto running for cover. Less than 20 hours before the start of Friday’s race, the entire Manhattan-Topeka-Lawrence area is under an extreme thunderstorm, flood and tornado warning. Still, more than 500 collegiate cyclists – ranging from rosy-cheeked freshmen to bearded doctoral candidates – have descended on the University of Kansas’ hometown in preparation for Friday’s Sunflower Criterium, which spins a 1-mile, L-shaped loop near downtown

The common thread we've seen running through the last two stages of the Giro has involved an early breakaway of riders hoping to stay away for the stage win, but falling just short. In the final kilometers of stage 3, the riders passed over a category-2 climb, and indications of who's on form were provided. All the favorites fared well, but a few stood out, like Damiano Cunego and stage winner Danilo Di Luca. Di Luca has had a spectacular start to the season, with two World Cup victories in April. We could see him in the maglia rosa in the next few days, as he is a climber and can

Wednesday, May 11As I mentioned before, this is my first Giro d’Italia. I’ve ridden the Tour de France before, but this is different. On the surface, the racing is much more relaxed. You have the attacks at the start, then maybe a break forms… and then everything is pretty much controlled until the end, when they pull the guys back and then you see this rush to the line. While it is more relaxed on one level, that changes things down the road, so you end up with some moments when you’re totally bored and others when it’s complete panic. Take Tuesday for example. We were pretty relaxed and

Another unpredictable day in Italia. It's the only way to describe this first week of the 2005 Giro d'Italia, where, yet again, on a stage seemingly set for the pure sprinter, things went horribly wrong. Just as he did three days ago in Tropea, Paolo Bettini (QuickStep) foiled the fast guys' plans, attacking with vengeance on a not-so-straightforward finale, then burying the hatchet with a punchy sprint finish. Or so he thought... Only Baden Cooke (La Française des Jeux) had the legs and the audacity to challenge Bettini, but suspect sprinting tactics from the Olympic road champ

What a difference a year makes. Ivan Basso joined Team CSC for the 2004 season, and under Bjarne Riis’s watchful eye, the reserved, almost shy Italian took a major leap forward in his professional career. Last year he was the only rider strong enough to stay with Lance Armstrong in the Pyrénées and earned a stage victory and third-place Tour de France podium for his efforts. Basso has grown out of his shell with Riis, building the necessary skills to forge that “killer instinct” so necessary to win cycling’s grueling three-week grand tours. Basso is now racing in the first week of the Giro

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. Well, the maglia rosa only took a day's leave off Paolo Bettini's shoulders before the 31-year-old Italian decided he wanted it again. When stage winner Danilo Di Luca (Liquigas-Bianchi) lit it up on the decisive climb of Santa Tecla, Il Grillo simply hopped, skipped and jumped into the lead group, and held his top-10 position all the way to the end. By virtue of his eighth place in Giffoni Valle Piana, Bettini resumed his place at the top of the leader board, nine seconds ahead of Di Luca and 17 in front of defending Giro champion

Will a 31.7mm bar fit a 31.8mm stem?Dear Lennard,What do you think of using a 31.7 diameter road bar with a 31.8 stem? I'm under the impression that it is widely accepted to be okay. to use 25.8 diameter bars with 26.0 stems, and I do this on three of my bikes as I really like Deda bars, but prefer other stems. I would like to change one bike to a Thomson X4 stem and Deda oversize bars.Shane Dear Shane,The oversized handlebar diameter is done on an inch standard, namely 1-1/4”. Well, 1.25 inches is equal to 31.75mm, putting it squarely between the 31.7mm and 31.8mm dimensions. My opinion

The 88th Giro d’Italia is already in full flight and there’s no more beautiful spectacle in cycling than the corsa rosa. With its passionate tifosi, its dramatic backdrops and action-packed racing, the Giro is the race of the season for many fans worldwide. While the Tour de France has eclipsed its Italian neighbor in statue and prestige in the past quarter century, the Giro looks to be creeping closer to parity with the French colossus. Thanks to a variety of reasons, this year’s Giro is sure to be more thrilling than the Tour and a much more entertaining race to watch. Look at the

I have to say the Giro is really cool. It’s my first time in this race … in fact, it’s the first time for a bunch of guys, everyone from 20-year-old kids, in their first year, up to Erik Zabel, who is making his first appearance at the Giro at the age of 34. He’s done something like 12 Tours de France, but never the Giro, until this year. The ProTour is part of the reason. Every top team has to be here and riders are looking at the season a little bit differently. Instead of spending May training, they come here to help the team, spin the legs and get some nice weather to boot. I figure

It was a battle of the bumping elbows on the mean streets of Santa Maria del Cedro in southern Italy, but fearless Robbie McEwen (Davitamon-Lotto) slipped through unscathed to claim both the win and the maglia rosa. The first 181 kilometers of the 182km second stage along the absolutely stunning Calabrian coast unfolded pretty much as can be expected, but then things got downright ornery as the peloton bore down on the final 1000 meters. There was an outright rebellion as Crédit Agricole and Davitamon-Lotto refused to step aside for Fassa Bortolo and undisputed sprint king Alessandro

Paolo Bettini couldn’t be happier asking scoring his first career Giro d’Italia stage victory and snagging the maglia rosa for good measure in Sunday’s action-packed first stage. The Olympic champion lived up to his signature nickname, the Cricket, and jumped away from the bunch with a perfectly timed attack to derail Fassa Bortolo’s feared Silver Train in the opening stage of the 88th Giro. “Winning everything together -- the first road stage, my first [Giro] stage and the pink jersey -- is great,” said Bettini, who bounced into the lead ahead of prologue winner Brett Lancaster thanks to

Jackson Stewart (Kodak Gallery-Sierra Nevada) and Christine Thorburn (Webcor Builders) won their respective races in the 32nd Testarossa Vineyards Cat's Hill Classic on Saturday in Los Gatos, California. Los Gatos native Stewart outsprinted his longtime friend, former teammate, and 1998 Los Gatos High School classmate Zach Walker (McGuire-Langdale) for the win. Stewart and Walker, with Ben Haldeman (Webcor Builders) and Glen Mitchell (Kodak Gallery-Sierra Nevada), had broken away with 15 laps remaining. Mitchell lost contact with four laps remaining and drifted back to a chasing trio -

The prologue and the first two stages of the Giro are now completed and the riders are beginning to settle into the rhythm of the grand tour. For the next three weeks, they will pedal, eat, get massage, and try to recover. Being a part of the race is like joining a traveling circus, as everyone moves from one town to the next each day, putting on a show. The same faces appear each day in the peloton, but in a different order, and the ups and downs encountered make each day unique for each rider. The fans along the roadside are often dressed in pink, and even decorate their towns in pink.

Finishing on the podium Saturday night and just two seconds behind Australian maglia rosa Brett Lancaster, the smart money was on Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo) to earn a stage win and take over the leader's jersey at the end of Sunday's 208 kilometer stage from from Reggio Calabria to Tropea. But a short, but steep, final rise to the finish seemed to nearly derail the Silver Train of Fassa Bortolo, opening the door for a well-timed final kilometer attack from QuickStep's Paolo Bettini. Timing his jump to perfection, and reminiscent of the attack that led to his Olympic

Fedrigo claims Dunkirk; Rodriguez third in finaleFred Rodriguez (Davitamon-Lotto) finished third in Sunday's final stage of the Four Days of Dunkirk in northern France. Adam Wadecki (Intel Action) won the mass gallop to wrap up the five-stage race, with Tomas Vaitkus (Ag2r) second. Pierrick Fedrigo (Bouygues Telecom) finished safely in the main bunch to sew up the overall title. Stage 5 results1. Adam Wadecki (Pol) Intel Action, 165.5km in 3:43:192. Tomas Vaitkus (Lit), Ag2r Prevoyance, same time3. Fred Rodriguez (USA), Davitamon-Lotto, s.t.4. Crescenzo D'Amore (I), Acqua & Sapone,

Aussie Brett Lancaster (Ceramica Panaria-Navigare) put his gold-medal track skills to good use Saturday evening, winning the short prologue to kick-start the 88th Giro d'Italia and grab the first maglia rosa. The 25-year-old from Victoria posted a time of 1 minute, 20 seconds for the 1.15km prologue, run under brilliant spring skies in Reggio Calabria, with Sicily and the brooding Mt. Etna in the backdrop. The course was peculiar for a grand-tour prologue; long and straight, with nary a curve, it was a drag strip for the start of what should be an exciting corsa rosa. But it suited

Giro Images

Tonkov wins in SpainInstead of racing in the Giro d’Italia, Russian veteran Pavel Tonkov won the opening stage of the Clasica de Alcobendas in the suburbs north of Madrid on a hot Saturday afternoon. The 36-year-old won the opening stage of the so-called “mini-Vuelta a España,” which finished with a Cat. 1 climb atop the Puerto de Navacarrada. The “czar” punched the accelerator with 500 meters to go to finish ahead of José Angel Gómez Marchante (Saunier Duval) and Fran Pérez (Milaneza). “I’m very pleased with this victory. I felt my condition improving by the day and today I proved it,”

2005 Giro d'Italia CoverageTime Trial - May 7Stage 1 - May 8Stage 2 - May 9Stage 3 - May 10Stage 4 - May 11Stage 5 - May 12Stage 6 - May 13Stage 7 - May 14Stage 8 - May 15Stage 9 - May 16REST DAY - May 17Stage 10 - May 18Stage 11 - May 19Stage 12 - May 20Stage 13 - May 21Stage 14 - May 22Stage 15 - May 23REST DAY - May 24Stage 16 - May 25Stage 17 - May 26Stage 18 - May 27Stage 19 - May 28Stage 20 - May 29Live CoverageLive CoverageLive CoverageLive CoverageLive CoverageLive CoverageLive CoverageLive CoverageLive CoverageLive CoverageREST DAYLive CoverageLive CoverageLive CoverageLive

From this Saturday’s prologue in REGGIO CALABRIA all the way through to the final sprint in Milan on Sunday, May 29, VeloNews.com is pleased once again to offer live up-to-the-minute coverage of the 88th edition of the Giro d’Italia. With commentary from VeloNews reporters, photos and even contests, viewers can be kept abreast of developments in Italy’s national tour, the first major three-week race to be conducted under the auspices of the UCI’s new ProTour.

Voeckler wins in Dunkirk, Gerdemann takes overFrench champion Thomas Voeckler (Bouygues Télécom) won Wednesday’s third stage of the Four Days of Dunkirk, but the real story was new overall leader Linus Gerdemann. The 22-year-old German moved into the yellow jersey (as well as the best climber’s jersey and the young rider’s jersey) in his first race with Team CSC. Talk about some serious podium time. “I have three jerseys, I have three jerseys,” was all Gerdemann could muster after leaving the podium, trying to convince himself what had just happened was real. Gerdemann wisely followed an

With 12 Aussies, five Americans, two Canadians, a Brit and a New Zealander, there may be a record number of English-speakers starting the 2005 Giro d’Italia on Saturday. The teams arrived on Wednesday evening for UCI medical testing and the team presentation. The race itself gets under way with a 1.5km prologue Saturday evening in Reggio Calabria. After three days of relaxation in their hotels, facing a course whose end you can see from the beginning, riders will be exploding out of the start gate. Discovery Channel’s Michael Barry said everyone is “very eager to get started.” The Discovery

Remember the adage, “Start drinking before you get thirsty?” Perhaps this is a medical truism that isn’t. A surprising article about a study of hyponatremia among marathon runners in the April 14 New England Journal of Medicine may inspire Velonews.com readers to rethink how they drink. Thirteen percent of Boston Marathon finishers who participated in the study by Dr. Christopher Almond et al suffered hyponatremia (abnormally low blood sodium), mostly caused by overhydrating. 1 Three participants had dangerously low levels of blood sodium. The early symptoms of hyponatremia - confusion,

Cunego 'ready' for Giro defenseDamiano Cunego said he’s arriving in peak form just in time to defend his Giro d’Italia title. Like arch-rival Ivan Basso, Cunego is also planning on racing in the Tour de France, so both riders are arriving to the Giro a little off peak fitness with the idea of being able to hit their stride for the decisive second half of the Giro. “The victory at Romandie lifted the pressure from me for not having a win so far this season,” Cunego told Datasport. “I had some good feelings in the time trial in Lausanne, but obviously my condition wasn’t at the top. I

I love the tropics. Before Sea Otter, Meg and I took a trip to Rincon, Puerto Rico, for the Ultimate Dirt Challenge mountain bike race. Rincon is a small town on the northwest side of the island that is legendary for its incredible waves, but for a week it was taken over by mountain bikers. I was lucky enough to find out about this race last year while chasing points for the Olympics and looking for races that were warm and dry as opposed to the wet and dreary Euro races. I can’t say enough good things about the promoters, Doel and Jorge. These guys put on the best race I go to all year. The

There’s no stopping Belgian phenom Philippe Gilbert in France. After taking a pass on the Giro d’Italia because he felt he wasn’t in top form to compete in the season’s grand tour debut, the Française Des Jeux rider scored an impressive victory in Thursday’s 204km second stage to grab the overall lead at the Four Days of Dunkirk. Overnight leader Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole) slipped to second after finishing eight seconds back in fifth place. Gilbert charged away from a 19-man breakaway with just three kilometers to go on the course that pounded over two sections of pavé featured in

Tentative start list for 2005 Giro d'Italia - as of Thursday May 5.North American riders in BOLDLampre-CaffitaDamiano Cunego  (I)Gilberto Simoni  (I)Paolo Fornaciari  (I)Evgeni Petrov  (Rus)Andrea Tonti  (I)Marius Sabaliauskas  (Lit)Gorazd Stangelj  (SLO)Sylvester Szmyd  (Pol)Francisco J Vila Errandonea  (Sp)Bouygues TelecomWalter Beneteau (F)Giovanni Bernaudeau (F)Olivier Bonnaire (F)Mathieu Claude (F)Christophe Kern (F)Laurent Lefevre (F)Rony Martias (F)Franck Renier (F)Didier Rous (F)Ceramica PanariaEmanuele Sella (I)Luca Mazzanti (I)Julio Alberto Perez Cuapio (Mex)Paolo Tiralongo

Portuguese rider Nuno Ribeiro has been excluded from the 88th Giro d’Italia after blood screenings conducted Thursday revealed hematocrit levels at 52 percent, two points above the UCI’s permissible 50 percent “speed limit.” The Liberty Seguros rider was the only one of the 198 scheduled starters to fail the routine blood tests carried out by UCI officials in Reggio Calabria ahead of Saturday’s prologue start of the season’s first grand tour. A fifth-year pro, Ribeiro was deemed “inapt” and will take a forced 15-day “health stop,” leaving Liberty Seguros captain Michele Scarponi with one

Thor Hushovd (Crédit Agricole) drew first blood in the opening stageof the Four Days of Dunkirk in northern France on Wednesday. The Norwegian national champion held off Jimmy Casper (Cofidis) in the153km stage from Dunkirk to Marcq-en-Baroeul to take the opener and jumpinto the leader's jersey. Jaroslaw Zarebski (Intel-Action) came throughthird. Americans Fred Rodriguez (Davitamon-Lotto) and Kirk O'Bee (Navigators)finished safely in the front group, but weren't in the finale to disputefor the stage victory. Amerrican Saul Raisin (Credit Agricole) and ColombianCesar Grajales

During the build phase of training, higher intensity and longer workoutsrequire more glycogen for fuel and what you eat the in the few hours beforetraining is essential so that you have adequate fuel to train. This isespecially important when you have two daily training sessions. A perfectlytimed and portioned pre-training meal or snack can replenish fuel depletedfrom a previous training session, provide early morning fuel, and superchargeyou for training later in the day.Metabolically speaking, there are two distinct time periods for pre-trainingmeal timing: 2-4 hours before and 30-60

Gerolsteiner’s Davide Rebellin has ruled himself out of the Giro d'Italia only a few days before the prologue in Reggio Calabria, it was reported by the ANSA news agency on Tuesday. The 33-year-old all-rounder had been one of his team's main hopes for the race but Rebellin said he is suffering from fatigue following the three Ardennes Classics. The Ardennes classics include the Amstel Gold Race, the Fleche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège - all of which are raced over distances of over 250km and held within the space of a week. Rebellin became the first rider to win all three of

The importance of gluing in earnestDear Lennard,I read with interest your detailed plan for gluing tubulars in yournewCycling Primer. One thing I left out in my process of gluing on a newtire is to scrape the latex on the base tape on my Vittoria Open Corsa– it did not look like it had anything to scrape. Anyway, since I havealready put a couple layers of glue onto the base tape and mounted thetire, how can I go back and re-scrape and re-glue this tire? Or is it toolate?AndrewDear Andrew,Interesting timing on this, as I just wrote an article on tubular gluingfor the VeloNews issue No.8,

It was two former champions winning it all on Sunday in the fifth and final stage of the Outside Magazine Tour of the Gila, The Gila Monster Road Race. The pro men’s race offered an exciting finish with Team Seasilver’s Burke Swindlehurst coming from behind to win for the third time. Starting the stage 23 seconds behind overall leader Andrew Bajadali of Vitamin Cottage, Swindlehurst won the 106.4-mile stage in 4:55:38. Tecos’ Ubaldo Mesa followed Swindlehurst 25 seconds later to take second while Aerospace Engineering-VMG’s Ivan Stevic finished third, 33 seconds behind the leader. Bajadali

Despite Santiago Botero’s win in the Tour de Romandie over the weekend, Italian Danilo Di Luca (Liquigas-Bianchi) continued his hold on the ProTour series lead. After ripping through April, winning the Vuelta a Pais Vasco, Amstel Gold and Flèche Wallone, Di Luca’s lead wasn’t under fire in the last week of the month. Bobby Julich (CSC) and George Hincapie (Discovery Channel) remained in the top 10 with 75 points. Alberto Contador (Liberty Seguros), the young Spanish rider who won a stage at Romandie, nudged into the top 10 with 67 points. In the team standings, Rabobank continued its hold

Phonak’s Santiago Botero signaled his return to winning ways by claiming overall victory in the Tour of Romandie, the 11th race of the 27-leg Pro Tour series. Botero claimed victory after winning the final stage time trial held over a 20.4-kilometer route in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Sunday. The Colombian, a former world champion in the discipline, came over the finish line to beat Australian specialist Brad McGee, with overnight race leader Damiano Cunego of Italy finishing third on the stage. Botero's victory comes in the wake of a relatively barren spell, most of which he endured

Until recently I had forgotten how much fun it is to just get out and ride for the sake of riding. Over the past 10 winters (give or take a few) I have been logging mile-upon-mile, all in the name of establishing a good base to support my body throughout the next six to eight months of torture it would be put through racing. You see for the last 15 years, right up until about 8 months ago, I was working hard to be a professional cyclist. In some ways I made it, and lived a small part of the dream I had been chasing. I have raced in the pro-class at NORBA Nationals, and I have stood atop

David Zabriskie and Christian Vande Velde will be spending much of May plying the roads of Italy after being selected as part of the nine-man Team CSC squad for the upcoming Giro d’Italia. The two Americans will be riding in support of Team CSC captain Ivan Basso in the hunt for the maglia rosa in the season’s first three-week tour which kicks off with a short prologue May 7 in Reggio Calabria. It will be the first Giro for both riders. “I think we have a strong team and I know for sure that all our riders are extremely motivated to go all out for Ivan,” said Team CSC boss Bjarne Riis. “No

Erik Zabel won for the first time this season after taking Sunday’s Rund um den Henninger Turm in Frankfurt for the third time of his career. The 34-year-old German ace has been stuck a cold spell this season, unable to score a victory despite some close calls. The T-Mobile rider slipped away with a group of 20 riders with 35km to go in what proved to be the winning move of the 211km race. Zabel broke free with a 300-meter sprint to the line and was timed in 5 hours, 10 minutes, 34 seconds in a ride through Frankfurt's streets to score his 149th career victory. Alejandro Borrajo

Mario Cipollini said if he couldn’t live up to his own expectations, he didn’t want to let down the legion of fans who’ve followed his 17-year career. The 38-year-old -- the winner of a record 42 stages on the Giro d’Italia and 189 career victories – decided to pull the plug just a week before the start of the 2005 Giro. “I didn't feel up to my usual standard," Cipo said during a press conference Friday. “Two months ago I gave my best to win the Milan-San Remo race but on the same day I understood that it was time to admit to my limits. My mind was still competitive, but I didn't

Ina Yoko Teutenberg (T-Mobile) and Jose Delarosa (Tecos) claimed victories on Friday in stage 3 of the Outside Magazine Tour of the Gila. The Fort Bayard Inner Loop Road Race added up to 80 miles with 5781 feet of climbing for men, and 77.9 miles with 5854 feet of vertical for women. The men’s stage wound up as a 26-man dash for the line, with Delarosa’s teammate Gregorio Ladino crossing the line first. But when Ladino was relegated for a centerline violation in the final kilometer, the victory went to Delarosa, with Neil Shirley (Team Seasilver) second and David Clinger (Webcor Builders)

Spaniard Alberto Contador (Liberty Seguros) won the 144km fourth stage of the Tour de Romandie on Saturday between Chatel St-Denis and Les Paccots ahead of Italians Leonardo Piepoli (Saunier Duval) and Damiano Cunego (Lampre). In finishing third and picking up bonus time, Cunego took the overall race lead from Santiago Botero (Phonak) as the Lampre rider warms up for the defense of his Giro d'Italia title next month. Botero crossed sixth on the stage and slipped to second overall, three seconds back, with just Sunday's 20.4km individual time trial in Lausanne remaining. Denis

As if the torrents of rain that soaked last week’s Tour of Georgia weren’t enough to dampen the state’s bicycle racing fan base, the clouds once again offered up soggy conditions for the 25th running of the Athens Twilight Criterium, in downtown Athens, on Saturday. The estimated crowd of 15,000 was noticeably smaller for this race – in past years it had swelled to more than 40,0000. “It’s a little smaller this year, but Twilight night is still the biggest non-football event in this town,” said race director Gene Dixon, who has organized the race every year since it’s inception in 1980.

Silver City, N.M. - Silver City residents handed over the streets of their historic downtown for the fourth stage of The Outside Magazine Tour of the Gila Saturday. In return, they got the chance to see something special, both Todd Wells and Cat Malone winning their first National Race Calendar stage victories. Wells sprinted across the finish line, leading a peloton of 83, to finish the race at 1:34:33 in the men’s pro. A former national mountain bike champion, Wells said this win gave him a little vindication as a road racer. “I do a lot of cyclo-cross racing, which is similar to

It seems international politics can even trickle down to stymie bicycle racers. Yaroslav Popovych, the promising grand tour rider in his first season with Discovery Channel, has been having problems getting the proper visa following the recent political upheaval in his native Ukraine that made headlines worldwide. After some early season racing, Popovych had returned to the Ukraine to settle some paperwork issues, an ordeal that won’t keep him from starting this summer’s Tour de France. “It’s been difficult for him to obtain the necessary visa due to the change in governments but I talked

Mexico’s Team Tecos crossed one-two in stage 2 of the Outside Magazine Tour of the Gila on Thursday, while T-Mobile’s Kim Baldwin collected both the stage win and the overall leader’s pink jersey. Ubaldo Mesa (Tecos) won the mountainous, 94-mile Silver City-Mogollon Pass Road Race in 4:11:43, 29 seconds ahead of teammate Gregorio Ladino. Ivan Stevic (Aerospace Engineering-VMG), second overall at last week’s La Vuelta de Bisbee stage race in Arizona, finished third. Andrew Bajadali (Vitamin Cottage), sixth on the day at 48 seconds back, moved into the overall lead, three seconds ahead of

It was a comeback of sorts for both protagonists in Friday’s hard-fought third stage at the Tour de Romandie. Damiano Cunego – winless so far in the 2005 season – emphatically put to rest any notion that he’s not up to the task of defending his Giro d’Italia title. Santiago Botero, meanwhile, slipped into the leader’s jersey after two frustrating and unproductive seasons in the T-Mobile/Telekom team. For both, it was a return to the winner’s circle. And it bodes well for both riders as they look to larger goals later in the season. Cunego slipped ahead Russia's Denis Menchov

Oscar Pereiro kept the yellow jersey in Wednesday’s first stage of the Tour de Romandie despite Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo) moving into a tie with the Spanish prologue winner. Pereiro won the opening prologue in Geneva by less than a half-second over the surprising Paolo Savoldelli (Discovery Channel), but to Pereiro, it was no surprise at all that he won. “I told the team and also my wife that I'd celebrate my first win of the season in Geneva. I'm in good shape. Also, the course, which is very demanding technically, is ideal for me. The fact that I was the last rider to

Ryan Blickem and Geneviève Jeanson began their respective races at the Outside Magazine Tour of the Gila Stage Race on Wednesday with victories in the Dan Potts Memorial Time Trial. Blickem, racing for Healthmaxx-BOOM Enterprises, turned a time of 36:42 for the 16.15-mile, out-and-back TT, which started and finished in Tyrone, New Mexico, ascending 6394-foot Little Burro Pass in each direction. Andrew Bajadali (Vitamin Cottage) took second at 37 seconds slower, with teammate Jon Tarkington third at 0:52. Jeanson cranked out a 40:25.92 to take the win by 45 seconds over Kimberly Baldwin

If there was any doubt that Alessandro Petacchi wouldn’t be ready for the Giro d’Italia, he’s erasing those at alarming rate in the Tour de Romandie. The Italian won his second stage in a row and pulled on the yellow jersey in Thursday’s second stage. Italians Daniele Colli (Liquigas-Bianchi) and Mirco Lorenzetto (Domina Vacanze) were second and third, respectively. Overnight leader Oscar Pereiro (Phonak) lost his lead on time bonuses. “I’m feeling good,” Petacchi said. “I still don’t have the form I did at Tirreno or San Remo, but I have good rhythm for this time of year. I need to work on

The Vuelta Ciclista a Castilla y León starts Wednesday in northern Spain, but don’t expect to see any big names among the 15 starting teams. Without ProTour status, the relatively minor stage race is verging toward extinction after being excluded from cycling’s new super-league. Like so many other smaller races left out of the 20-team series, event organizers are finding it difficult to keep the race above water. “We are facing a dark future for many of the races not in the ProTour,” said Gregorio Morena, president of the Spanish races association. “Without the ProTour, the races can’t

Alessandro Petacchi continued on his winning ways, charging to his 15th win of the 2005 season in Wednesday’s first stage of the Tour de Romandie. And it’s not even May yet. The Milan-San Remo champion out-kicked Tom Steels (Davitamon-Lotto) on the 167km circuit course to snag a soggy victory in central Switzerland. "Winning is never easy when you're the favorite, but my team did a great job yet again," Petacchi said. “It was a tough stage because we raced hard and the weather was pretty bad all day. Fortunately we went through the finish area three times during the stage and so I knew

Michele Scarponi won’t be among the starters for Tuesday’s prologue at the Tour de Romandie, the Italian rider who will lead Liberty Seguros in the upcoming Giro d’Italia. For many riders, the Romandie tour is the ideal warm-up before the season’s first grand tour, but that’s not the thinking of Liberty Seguros boss Manolo Saiz. Only Joseba Beloki will be racing this week in Switzerland among the Liberty riders heading to the Giro start May 7. “I believe the Giro will be decided between the second and third weeks, so I preferred (the Giro leaders) to come slightly short of form and they

This time he means it. One-time super sprinter Mario Cipollini announced plans to retire from cycling on Tuesday, exiting the peloton before this year’s edition of the Giro d'Italia. The 38-year old, whose 42 stage wins in the Giro is a record, retired two years ago before coming back and breaking the Giro stage-win mark established by Alfredo Binda. However, this time, the flamboyant Italian, known as the “Lion King,” to many of his fans, appears to be serious about his decision. "Announcing my withdrawal less than two weeks before the Giro d'Italia is a painful but honest

Just a year ago, Phonak rider Tyler Hamilton roared through the final time trial at the six-day Tour de Romandie to defend his title. The emotional victory gave the Swiss team a huge boost in the run up to what would be its first Tour de France. A year later, Hamilton wasn’t in Geneva for Tuesday’s short opening prologue for the 2005 edition. Instead, he’s fighting to save his cycling career after receiving a two-year racing ban for homologous blood doping. That left it up to unsung and under-rated Oscar Pereiro to save the day for the Phonak team in the second most-important stage race in