Road

T-Mobile TeamDirector: Mario Kummer1. Steffen Wesemann2. Rolf Aldag3. Andreas Klier4. Daniele Nardello5. Jan Schaffrath6. Stephan Schreck7. Serguei Ivanov8. Erik ZabelBouygues TelecomDirector: Christian Guiberteau11. Laurent Brochard12. Chavanel Sébastien13. Mathieu Claude14. Anthony Geslin15. Christophe Kern16. Franck Renier17. Thomas Voeckler18. Unai Yus KerejetaCofidisDirector: Alain Deloeuil21. Jimmy Casper22. Jimmy Engoulvent23. Peter Farazijn24. Jans Koerts25. Thierry Marichal26. Stuart O'Grady27. Staf Scheirlinckx28. Matthew WhiteCredit AgricoleDirector: Serge

German sprinter Danilo Hondo has been suspended by his Gerolsteiner team in the wake of a failed anti-doping control taken March 1, team manager Hans-Michael Holczer confirmed Friday. Team officials said Hondo will remain on suspension until results from a B-test are received. Hondo, 31, faces a two-year racing ban if found positive. Officials have refused to reveal the name of the substance. Hondo, second at Milan-San Remo last month, failed a test during the Vuelta a Murcia in early March where he won two stages. “Danilo swears he cannot explain the positive sample,” Holczer told the

Health Net-Maxxis rolled into stage 2 of the Redlands Bicycle Classic as the clear favorites for a stage win. After putting four riders into the top 10 at Thursday’s time trial up Mt. Rubidoux, Health Net seemed a sure bet to defend Chris Wherry’s 12-second overall lead, and even extend its dominance over the Redlands field, in Friday’s 107-mile Oak Glen road race. That is, until luck and Trent Lowe (Jittery Joe’s-Kalahari) took a hand. The former left Health Net bruised, battered and ill, and the latter took the stage win. Scroll down for a photo gallery from Casey Gibson Luck launched

Lance Armstrong voluntarily appeared before an Italian magistrate in Tuscanyon Wednesday in an effort to “clear up questions” regarding an unusualexchange between the American and Filippo Simeoni at last year’s Tour deFrance. The Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport reported Thursdaythat Armstrong requested a meeting with magistrate Giuseppe Quattrocchiin order to clear up threatened charges of “witness intimidation” afterArmstrong chased down a break that included Simeoni for the express purposeof bringing the Domina Vacanze rider back into the peloton. (see "Mercadowins, but

Green will likely be the dominant color at the 21st edition of the Redlands Bicycle Classic, as it kicks off Thursday and runs though Sunday in and around Southern California’s “Inland Empire,” the San Bernadino Valley. The usually brown valley – normally dried out by dry Santa Ana winds and the burning SoCal sun – shows something of an emerald tint this year, largely a result of the wettest California spring in recent memory, with more than double the region’s usual annual precipitation in just three months. But green hills aside, the moisture has brought unwelcome hardships to the race

Discovery Channel successfully defended its title at the Three Days of De Panne and barnstormed through the final stage to score important victories ahead of this weekend’s Tour of Flanders. Rising Belgian rider Stijn Devolder scored a major win with the overall title while veteran workhorse Viatcheslav Ekimov proved yet again he’s still one of the best after taking the win in the afternoon time trial. Devolder went into the time trial finale trailing Alessandro Ballan (Lampre-Caffita) by four seconds following the morning road stage won by Belgian national champ Tom Steels

Rising like a rocky turret from the flat floor of Riverside Valley, Mt. Rubidoux – site of Thursday’s Redlands prologue – was battered by constant westerly winds that gusted up to 50 mph. It took a combination of strength, perseverance and the right equipment to give Health Net’s Chris Wherry and Webcor’s Christine Thorburn the honors on a more-than-blustery day in Southern California. For the nearly 200 riders who worked their way up the 5km asphalt corkscrew to Rubidoux’s summit, the trip up the mountain was like rolling into a sandy tornado. Riders were initially greeted by a strong

Depending on your current training cycle, resistance training or weighttraining is often part of the program, while the goals and emphasis ofthe resistance session may progress from an endurance to a power emphasisduring your season. Following specific nutrition guidelines for weighttraining can make the most of these muscle and power building sessions.Hormones in your body, specifically growth hormone, testosterone, insulin,and insulin like growth factor, largely control muscle growth. Nutritioncan very effectively support your efforts to increase lean body mass byaffecting these hormone

Media speculation about Lance Armstrong’s cycling future hit a fever pitch Wednesday following an interview with the French daily Le Figaro when the six-time Tour de France champion advised journalists to turn up at a press conference April 18 ahead of the Tour de Georgia. “If I were you, I’d go there. I have something important to say,” Armstrong said. “I won’t be doing the Tour forever. But it’s still too early to talk about it. I will announce it to you, to the world, only later.” Armstrong, who turns 34 in September, only reluctantly announced he’d be returning to the Tour this year for a

Laurent Brochard (Bouygues Telecom), won the Paris-Camembert semi-classicrace in Vimoutiers, France, for a third time Tuesday.Former world champion Brochard crossed the line after 200km of ridingwith a lead of a few seconds over the first group of pursuers, includingsix-time Tour de France winner American Lance Armstrong.Brochard, 37, also won the French Cup event - a one-day race from Magnanville,west of Paris, to Vimoutiers in Normandy - in 2001 in 2003."I have really found my form," Brochard said afterwards. "PhysicallyI feel just as good as a few years ago and mentally I'm

Clamping powerDear Lennard,I am hearing that disc brakes can cause the axel to shift within thedropouts when paired with standard quick release skewers causing alignmentproblems in the rotor/caliper interface. Is this true? If so, is movingto a beefier mechanism (such as a new Marzocchi QR20 fork) the only fix?Is there a difference between steel and titanium skewers in this respect?I am thinking of making the change to discs and need to know how much hiddencost there is, new fork, hub, etc.BlairDear Blair,Yes, that’s true. Indeed, the clamping force is definitely less withsome skewer designs

Editor's Note: Nineteen-year-old Larssyn Staley - the 2003 world champion in the junior women's points race - is the only American riding for the Swiss-based Andeer team. Throughout her first season on the continent,the Beaverton, Oregon, native will be sending us updates about life inthe women's peloton and providing a newcomer's perspective on racing in Europe.Two weeks ago I had my first race in Italy. After that race, I couldn’t get over the chaotic mess of the field. However, having that race under my belt, I rode in the field with ease this weekend at The Trofeo Alfredo

Things are looking up for Christian Vande Velde and his chances to race in the Giro d’Italia next month. The 28-year-old American re-injured his back early in the season, but returned to racing over the weekend with eyes toward helping Team CSC captain Ivan Basso in the season’s first grand tour. “My main goal is still the Giro, even though Bjarne (Riis) is trying to keep the pressure off me, which I totally appreciate,” Vande Velde said. “I know that as long as I’m healthy, I’ll be a great asset to the team, but I don’t want to go there if I'm not a 100 percent for Ivan, because I know

Reigning world road race champion Oscar Freire (Rabobank) warmed up for next week's Tour of Flanders by winning the Fleche Brabanconne one-day classic held over 198km between Zaventem and Beersel, Belgium, on Sunday. The 29-year-old Freire, who a few weeks ago won the Tirreno-Adriatico stage race, held off Dutchman Marc Lotz of QuickStep and Davitamon’s Belgian Axel Merckx, who took third place after 3:38:56 of racing. Freire was one of the day's main animators, the Spaniard forming part of a 15-strong group that charged out of the main field in the latter stages of the race. The

Bobby Julich is enjoying the finest form of his career, scoring his most important victories in the past month after picking up where he left off last summer with the bronze medal in the Olympic time trial. Over the winter, Julich fully recovered from a broken wrist he suffered during a fall in the stage to Plateau de Beille in the Tour de France. He snatched victory in Paris-Nice earlier this month and confirmed he’s in top form with an equally impressive win in the “mini-Tour de France” in this weekend’s Critérium International. “It’s as if I’m riding a wave after Paris-Nice and I really

Emotions ran high at the ADT Center velodrome Saturday night in Carson, California, when all four finals produced first-time world champions: Great Britain scored gold in the team pursuit and women’s sprint, Australia won the women’s pursuit, and Denmark took the men’s scratch race. The British pursuiters won in grand style, crushing a young Dutch squad in the final by a four-second margin, Defending champion Australia took bronze ahead of New Zealand. “We’ve been getting silver medals year in, year out,” said British veteran Chris Newton. “We were nearly there last year, so this makes up

Dutchman Thomas Dekker, of the Rabobank team, stunned a host of established professionals by winning the 98.5km second stage of the Criterium international race between Vieilles Forges to here on Sunday. The 20-year-old Dutchman's victory gave him the race lead and he is now well primed to take the overall honours after the third and concluding stage, an 8.3km time trial held on Sunday afternoon. (Results are now posted.) Dekker, the winner of last year’s Tour of Normandy and the prestigious GP Eddy Merckx two-man time trial (with Koen de Kort), beat out Liberty's Jörg Jaksche and

CSC's Bobby Julich continued his great early season form by winning the Criterium International three-stage race as it wrapped up in Charleville-Mezieres, France, Sunday, after dominating the concluding time trial. Julich, the winner of Paris-Nice less than a month ago - the first leg of the 27-race Pro Tour series - won the 8.3km time trial to overhaul Dutchman Thomas Dekker, the winner of the 98.5km second stage which was held in the morning. Julich had come third in Sunday's second stage behind Liberty rider Jörg Jaksche and Dekker. It left the American with a three-second

The final day of racing at the world track championships in Carson, California, featured two themes which had been gaining momentum throughout this four-day event. One was good for Great Britain, the other not-so-hot for the host country. On the upside was the continued rise of the British squad. After placing a solid second behind the Australians on the track at last summer’s Olympic in Athens, the Brits climbed the final hurdle in Southern California, snagging four gold — double that of any other nation racing at the ADT Event Center velodrome. The final win came courtesy of Rob Hayles

Boonen takes E3 Prijs VlaanderenBelgian sprinter Tom Boonen coasted to victory in the E3 Prijs Vlaanderen Saturday as he warms up for next weekend's Tour of Flanders, the fourth race in the 27-leg Pro Tour series. Boonen, who rides for Quick Step, crossed the finish line of the 200km race ahead of Germany's Andreas Klier (T-Mobile), who had been the 24-year-old Belgian's breakaway companion for nearly a third of the race. Belgian Peter Van Petegem (Davitamon-Lotto) crossed 10 seconds later for third. Boonen's second consecutive victory here, his fifth win this year, followed

Never in the 40-year history of the kilometer time trial or 25-year history of the keirin had a Dutchman won a world title. Remarkably, within the space of a few minutes on Friday night at the ADT Center velodrome in Carson, California, the men in orange raced to gold medals in both of those disciplines. First Theo Bos, 21, won a superb kilo competition in 1:01.165, a record performance in North America, and then Teun Mulder, 23, took a dominant win in the keirin. “We can train together now in the same jersey,” quipped Bos, whose latest rainbow jersey complements the world title he won in

Spaniard Isaac Galvez (Illes Balears) drew first blood on Saturday as the three-stage Critérium International opened in Charleville-Mezieres. In claiming his first victory on French soil, the former track racer handed another disappointment to one-time sprint king Erik Zabel (T-Mobile), who crossed in second place. Robert Forster (Gerolsteiner) took third. Illes Balears was looking to add another Mallorcan to the roster when it recruited 29-year-old Galvez, a 1999 world track champion in the Madison. And after pulling out of the UCI world track championships being held in Los Angeles

Australia is assured of the gold medal in the women's 3km individual pursuit at the UCI world track cycling championships after Katie Mactier and Katherine Bates qualified for the final. Theo Bos of the Netherlands, meanwhile, rocketed to a 10.192 in 200-meter sprint qualifying and will look to add a second gold medal to the one he collected on Friday in the kilometer time trial. Mactier posted the best time of the Saturday-morning session at the ADT Center velodrome in Carson, California, finishing well ahead of her compatriot in 3 minutes, 38.325 seconds. Bates was second in

Normally if a group of event organizers announced a multi-day bike race that was slated to commence in less than year, but had no title sponsor, a route or even exact dates, you’d chalk it up as the standard baseless hyperbole that has so often characterized proposed cycling events in the U.S. But when AEG president and CEO Tim Leiweke backed up the announcement of what will be the inaugural Tour of California with the boldest of statements, you have to believe this event is actually going to get off the ground as planned come February 2006. “The decision we had to make at AEG, and with

The fans that almost filled Carson, California’s ADT Event Center velodrome on Thursday night had come hoping to cheer homeboy Colby Pearce to a world championship medal in the points race. But when the Colorado rider failed to break into the top 10, the crowd turned its attention to the last race of the night: the men’s team sprint. With no American team entered, locals chose Great Britain’s Jamie Staff (also a world BMX champion) who lives just down the road, near San Diego, as a local favorite. Staff has been something of a fixture at the new Carson velodrome, training two or three times

Liquigas’s Magnus Bäckstedt charged into the public eye last year when he won the most revered of all the spring classics, Paris-Roubaix, the Hell of the North. In preparing an in-depth feature for thecurrent issue of VeloNews European correspondent Andrew Hoodsat down with Bäckstedt earlier this year at Liquigas's team camp.In this, the second part of a two-part interview (clickhere to see Part 1), Bäckstedt recalls the experience of winningwhat has become the most prestigious single-day bicycle race in the world.VeloNews: Were you tapped to be the guy for the cobbles? Magnus

Contador wins Setmana CatalanaSpaniard Alberto Contador (Liberty Seguros) won the Setmana Catalana on Friday. Swiss rider Fabian Cancellara (Fassa Bortolo) edged American Tom Danielson (Discovery Channel) by just seven seconds to won the fifth and final stage, a 17km time trial around Palau-Solita i Plegamans, near Barcelona. Contador crossed in fourth, good enough for the overall title. Danielson, meanwhile, wound up fourth overall. Setmana CatalanaStage 5, Palau-Solita i Plegamans1. Fabian Cancellara (Swi), Fassa Bortolo, 17km in 19:292. Tom Danielson (USA), Discovery Channel, at 0:073.

Magnus Bäckstedt turned a childhood dream into reality at Paris-Roubaix last April. To just about everyone watching the Hell of the North that day, the big man from Sweden was a surprise winner, but when you listen to Bäckstedt and appreciate the hard work and focus he brings to his job, that win over the cobbles to Roubaix may not have been such a long-shot after all. In preparing an in-depth feature for the current issue of VeloNews European correspondent Andrew Hood sat down with Bäckstedt earlier this year. In a two-part interview on the eve of the spring classics, Bäckstedt recounts how

Lance Armstrong will return to European cycling next week in a bid to relaunch his Tour de France preparations following an early setback at Paris-Nice earlier this month. Armstrong dropped out of the French stage race, the first of the 27-race Pro Tour circuit, due to illness. However the 33-year-old will get his preparations back on track by racing Sunday's Fleche Brabanconne in Belgium, his Discovery Channel team announced Thursday. Two days later the six-times Tour de France winner, who will bid for a seventh yellow jersey in July, will ride the popular one-day Paris-Camembert race,

Editor's Note: Nineteen-year-old Larssyn Staley - the 2003 world champion in the junior women's points race - is the only American riding for theSwiss-based Andeer team. Throughout her first season on the continent,the Beaverton, Oregon, native will be sending us updates about life inthe women's peloton and providing a newcomer's perspective on racing in Europe.It’s spring here in Switzerland and the air is filledwith… with… well, it’s filled with fertilizer.It seems like every field I ride past is getting covered in fertilizerby the same means by which we water our fields.

Colby Pearce has a great chance to set the standard for the home country when the 2005 UCI World Track Championships get underway Thursday in the ADT Event Center, Carson, California. Pearce, 32, has had a successful World Cup season, with second and third places in the points race at two rounds of the competition. His chance to claim a world’s medal comes Thursday evening. The final of the men 40km points race is the likely highlight of this opening session of the March 24-27 track world’s, and Pearce is going to need all the vocal support the home crowd can muster. Earning a medal will be

Lance Armstrong will race the Tour of Flanders on April 3, but he’ll go as a “domestique” to help longtime teammate George Hincapie, said Discovery Channel sport director Johan Bruyneel. Armstrong hasn’t raced since March 9 when he pulled out of Paris-Nice with a slight fever, but has been building his fitness in training near his European base in Girona, Spain. Armstrong is expected to return to action at Paris-Camembert on March 29, though he still might race at Brabantse Pijl two days earlier. “He’ll go to Flanders as a ‘domestique,’ but not to win,” Bruyneel was quoted on the Spanish

The ABCs of tire sizeDear Lennard,What does the c stand for on a 700c rim and or tire? What unit of measurement is this and how is it determined?BWDear BW,The “c” is not a unit of measurement. It merely designates a certain international rim/tire standard. A 700C rim has a 622mm bead-seat diameter (diameter of the tire bead circle), and you will often find this number imprinted on 700C tires and rim strips. Obviously, there is nothing you could measure on the wheel or tire and come up with 700 units of anything (the outer diameter of a 700C X 23mm road tire is about 668mm).To illustrate the

Davide Rebellin admits it will be all but impossible to repeat last year’s winning streak, when he took a rare treble with a sweep of the Ardennes classics. Coming into the 2005 season, the Gerolsteiner rider is instead hoping to spread the wealth, targeting wins from March to October as he eyes cycling’s new ProTour. Rebellin came up short in last weekend’s Milan-San Remo, but he was one of the main protagonists on the ill-fated attack over the Poggio. That new aggressiveness will be the hallmark of the Italian’s 2005 campaign. Earlier this year, VeloNews European correspondent Andrew Hood

Chris Horner (Saunier Duval) let his presence be known in dramatic fashion in Tuesday’s second stage of the Setmana Catalana, starting an early sprint and nearly sneaking away with the stage victory. Horner was part of a larger group that chased back on to a front group of 25 riders with 2km to go in the mountainous 168.8km stage from Lloret de Mar to Empuriabrava. Horner started an early sprint, but was swarmed by Italian Claudio Corioni (Fassa Bortolo) at the line to take eighth in his best result so far in his European return. Corioni held off Aitor Perez (Spiuk) to score his first

The finally finally shone on Southern California's San Dimas Stage Race on Sunday as Ivan Dominguez (Health Net-Maxxis) and Tina Mayolo Pic (Quark) won the closing criterium in Old Town San Dimas. Our man Casey Gibson was on the scene, and below is a sampling of what he saw through his lens.

Talk of major changes in the Milan-San Remo route look closer to becoming reality after race officials publicly acknowledged that the Cipressa and Poggio climbs just don’t pack the punch they used to. Race director Angelo Zomegnan told reporters “we’re thinking about” adding another major climb in the final run of the 294km Milan-San Remo which ended Saturday in a bunch sprint for the sixth time in seven years. “A race as long as this and it’s decided in the final meters, does that seem normal?” Zomegnan said. “If you think about it, in 10 years nothing much has happened or not much, except

Gord Fraser (Health Net-Maxxis) and Erinne Willock (Webcor Builders) took the rain-soaked second stage of the San Dimas Stage Race on Saturday. Fraser won a 24-man dash to the line at the end of the 98-mile Incycle-Cannondale Road Race, run on a 7-mile loop with a flat 1km straight to the finish line. Willock had a wider margin of victory in the 56-mile women’s race, crossing 19 seconds ahead of the raging pack. Tina Pic (Quark) took the bunch sprint with Magen Long (The Bicycle Store) third. General-classification standings were not available. Racing concludes Sunday with the San Dimas

Alessandro Petacchi is now the undisputed king of the sprints following his emotional victory down the Via Roma in Saturday’s Milan-San Remo. Mario Cipollini, who finished with the lead bunch in what he promises will be his last Milan-San Remo, was quick to tip his hat to Petacchi in a clear passing of the baton in the power rankings of the Italian sprinter hierarchy. “I can imagine what he feels at this moment,” Cipollini said Saturday on the Via Roma just three years after he won. “It’s his consecration as a rider of high quality.” It’s also chaos at the finish when an Italian wins the

Imagine that you are a fireman stationed in the small town of Amer in Spain. Now if you really didn't know anything about cycling, I can guarantee thatyou'd think the sport is pretty weird. You’d probably be right, too.You see, the Amer fire station sits at the bottom of one of the veryfew quality climbs within a short distance of Girona. So on any given day,in addition to the usual hard-working firemen washing the trucks and coilinghose, you’re bound to see a steady parade of bike riders, even a grandtour winner or two: Roberto, Lance, George, Tyler, Levi, Floyd, Fred, Michael…need I

[nid:30483]There is no longer an asterisk next to Alessandro Petacchi’s palmares. For the sprinter who’s dominated the speed game since his breakthrough 2000 season, Petacchi was being pegged as a man who couldn’t win a mass gallop in long-distance races. The naysayers only pointed to the 2004 Milan-San Remo and the 2003 Paris-Tours, two occasions when the “gentleman sprinter” died – or some say choked – at the line.

Germany’s Trixi Worrack (Equipe Nurnberger Versicherung) won the seventh edition of the 118km Primavera Rosa, the women’s Milan-San Remo, on Saturday. The 23-year-old Worrack jumped in the last kilometer to win the third round of the women’s World Cup by a second over Britain’s Nicole Cooke (Safi-Pasta Zara Manhattan) and Australian Oenone Wood (Nurnberger) on the Via Roma de San Remo. In the World Cup competition, Wood leads with 85 points, followed by Worrack with 80 and Netherlander Suzanne De Goede (Van Bemmelen) third with 78.

Start List - Milan-San Remo (as of March 18, 2005)1. Oscar Freire Gomez (Sp), Rabobank2. Erik Dekker (Nl), Rabobank3. Jan Boven (Nl), Rabobank4. Maarten Den Bakker (Nl), Rabobank5. Pedro Horrillo Munoz (Sp), Rabobank6. Karsten Kroon (Nl), Rabobank7. Gerben LÖwik (Nl), Rabobank8. Marc Wauters (B), Rabobank9. Ruggero Marzoli (I), Acqua & Sapone - Adria Mobil10. Gabriele Balducci (I), Acqua & Sapone - Adria Mobil11. Jure Golcer (SLO), Acqua & Sapone - Adria Mobil12. Simone Masciarelli (I), Acqua & Sapone - Adria Mobil13. Bo Hamburger (Dk), Acqua & Sapone - Adria Mobil14. Giuseppe Palumbo (I),

World champion Oscar Freire (Rabobank) will saddle up for Milan-San Remo on Saturday as perhaps the smartest bet for victory after the 29-year-old won three stages at Tirreno-Adriatico last week on his way to taking the overall honors. In a race where those who took part were guaranteed long, uninterrupted days of racing, unlike at Paris-Nice, Italian sprinter Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo) also showed his form, beating the likes of Freire, Stuart O'Grady (Cofidis), Robbie McEwen (Davitamon-Lotto) and Norway's Thor Hushovd on his way to matching Freire's stage tally of

Tom Boonen says Quick Step teammate Paolo Bettini enters Saturday’s Milan-San Remo as the leader, but didn’t discount his chances if it comes down to a sprint on the Via Roma. “The past two times I’ve raced here I lost a lot on the Poggio, losing my position. The key will be at the front,” Boonen said in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport on the eve of the classic kickoff. “I’m sure I will be able to hang on going over the Cipressa and the Poggio.” Boonen downplayed the hint of rivalry between himself and Olympic champion Bettini, who enters La Primavera after struggling with an

Health Net-Maxxis swept the opener at California’s San Dimas Stage Race on Friday, putting Scott Moninger atop the podium followed by three of his teammates. Moninger won the Glendora Chevrolet Time Trial, shortened by rainy weather to just 3.8 miles up Glendora Canyon Road, in 13:33, followed by Chris Wherry at 24 seconds back, John Lieswyn at 0:24 and Mike Jones at 0:35. In women’s racing, it was a pair of T-Mobiles bracketing a Rona as Kristin Armstrong took the honors in 15:46 ahead of Canadian Genèvieve Jeanson at 0:19 and Kimberly Baldwin at 0:31. Stage 2, Saturday’s

Lance Armstrong received yet another award this week after receivingthe Grand Prix de l’Academie des Sports in Paris on Tuesday, where he toldreporters he’s behind in his preparation for the Tour de France. Armstrong said wintry weather at the recent Paris-Nice wasn’t the idealsetting for his return to Europe. Cold weather and a fever prompted theTexan to not start the fourth stage. “Maybe I shouldn’t have started Paris-Nice. It was a hard race, veryfast, intense and with bad weather,” he said. “I must admit I’m a littlebit behind, more than I normally would be.” Armstrong insisted he’ll

Paolo Bettini would rather win the Tour of Flanders instead of another Milan-San Remo. That’s not to say the Cricket isn’t interested in Saturday’s classicissima, a race he won in 2003. “Milan-San Remo is an objective, but this year I really like the Tour of Flanders, a race I’ve never won,” he said in an interview with the Spanish daily AS. “It’s not easy to say, ‘I wan to win a race,’ and later go do it. One of my characteristics is tenacity. When I set an objective, I prepare for it 100 percent to achieve it.” The Quick Step star didn’t have his trademark bounce in Tirreno-Adriatico,

Following his overall victory at Tirreno-Adriatico, Spain's Oscar Freirehas assumed the leader's jersey of the UCI's new ProTour race series.Freire moved past the series's first overall leader, American BobbyJulich (CSC). Like Freire, Julich won 50 ProTour points for his overallvictory at Paris-Nice, but the Rabobank sprinter also earned three additionalpoints for his three stage victories in the week-long Italian stage race.The next event in the ProTour is Saturday's edition of Milan-San Remo, a former World Cup event with a points distribution identical to those earned

Dear Monique,Many thanks for all of the nutrition advice recently posted in yourweb column. I had a couple of follow-up questions that I hoped you couldhelp me with. What should my basic caloric intake be on the days that Ido not train or ride, and what should comprise the majority of these calories?I am currently at 145 lb. and want to maintain this weight.Jed H.Dear Jed,Your questions bring up the important consideration of nutritionalrecovery on rest or very light training days. On rest days most enduranceathletes are concerned about not overeating, and adjusting to a drop incalorie

It's not every day that the President shows up for your bike show. Butas a measure of how important the bicycle industry has become to the economicengine of Taiwan, PresidentChen Shui-bian took a break from his saber-rattling with mainland Chinaover the issue of Taiwan's independence to deliver the keynote speech atthe opening of the 18th annual Taipei International Cycle Show, March 4- 7. With an impressive contingent of gat-packing bodyguards discreetly protecting his flanks for the ribbon-cutting, President Chen proclaimed himself a card-carrying member of the bicycle fan club.

Rabobanks's Oscar Freire won the overall title at Tirreno-Adriatico as the week-long event ended in Civitanova, Italy, on Tuesday. Freire was well-placed in the middle of the field at the end of a race won by Fassa Bortolo’s Alessandro Petacchi who, like Freire, has won three stages in this, the second event in the new UCI Pro Tour. "I did not take part in the sprint, but I am particularly pleased because, apart from winning the race, I won three stages," Freire said. "I didn't expect I would do as well as that." Earning 50 points for the overall title and one point for each of

Team CSC boss Bjarne Riis took personal satisfaction in Bobby Julich’s dramatic victory in Paris-Nice. After all, it was the 1996 Tour de France winner who helped resurrect Julich’s fortunes by bringing him into the iconoclastic Danish team for the 2004 season. Julich was quick to praise Riis for his revival. When asked before the start of Sunday’s stage how he could explain his winning ways, Julich gave a precise answer. “One thing and that’s Bjarne Riis,” said Julich, who became the first American to the Race to the Sun. “Bjarne has a gift. He takes chances on people. We all believe in

For triathletes, Profile offers the TriStryke saddle, which in additionto a huge center vent and titanium rails boasts notches underneath at thefront and rear to make racking your bike easier in the transition area.At 275 grams, the TriStryke is available now.PZ ComponentsPZ Components is the new name for Pazzazz, a moniker that never caughton for reasons we'll let others decide. But the attractions of PZ's partsare undebatable: nice design, great features, and attractive pricing. PZ's focus in recent years has been on composite technology, and this year thecompany is offering

Fassa Bortolo’s Alessandro Petacchi took his second stage victory of this year’s Tirreno-Adriatico on Monday, winning the sixth stage of the race, a 164km circuit near Civitanova. Rabobank’s Oscar Freire held on to the leader’s jersey finishing second to Petacchi, just ahead of Australian Robbie McEwen. Freire started from a long way out with veteran sprinter Mario Cipollini in his slipstream, but he was not able to match the speed of Petacchi. Petacchi, who has amassed stage victories in each of the three-week “grand tours” – the Giro d’ Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a España –

Bobby Julich held off a flurry of vicious attacks from Alejandro Valverde (Illes Balears) and Constantino Zaballa’s entire Saunier Duval team in Sunday’s final stage of Paris-Nice, taking the overall title to the very first event in the UCI’s new ProTour calendar. But it almost didn’t happen that way. Indeed, Julich believed that the worst was behind him as he rolled to the crest of the day’s final climb, the Col d’Eze, just 16km from the day’s finish in Nice. Just a descent and a flat ride to the finish stood between him and certain victory in Paris-Nice when he suffered an unexpected

QuickStep’s Servais Knaven claimed the fifth stage of the week-long Tirreno-Adriatico stage race in style in Saltara, Italy, on Sunday. Spain's reigning world road race champion Oscar Freire of the Rabobank team retained the overall lead ahead of Tuesday's final stage, having won the three previous stages. The 34-year-old Knaven, the 2001 winner of Paris-Roubaix, claimed his first victory of the season after seeing his brave attack 25km into the 170km race, which started and ended in Saltara, come to fruition. The Dutchman was soon joined by four riders and together they went on

The introduction of major reforms in cycling by the International CyclingUnion (UCI) has led to the creation of a new Pro Tour series, the firstrace of which, the Paris-Nice, ended on Sunday.Now coupled with major stage races, the series will also replace boththe 10-race World Cup - which included many one-day classics such as theMilan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix - and the UCI world rankings. Instead,the Pro Tour's 27 races, which will include the Tours of Italy, Franceand Spain, will reward the riders with the most points with a Pro Tourleader's jersey.The Tour de France, being the

Bobby Julich (Team CSC) advanced one day closer to the most important victory of his career after safely negotiating Saturday’s potentially dangerous 184km, six-climb stage into Cannes. Big Dutchman Joost Posthuma (Rabobank) took an impressive solo victory after dropping the remnants of the winning break on the day’s final climb at the Col du Tanneron with 20km to go. Julich, meanwhile, rode inside the protective cocoon of Bjarne Riis’s big red machine and enjoyed a relatively easy sunny ride through France’s stunning Var region. Jens Voigt muscled up the Cat. 2 Tanneron to reel in some

Bobby Julich was beaming in the yellow jersey at Saturday morning’s sign-in protocol before the start of the penultimate stage at Paris-Nice. The sun was shining, and with Julich holding a 19-second lead over Constantino Zaballa (Saunier Duval) and 20 seconds on Alejandro Valverde (Illes Balears), things were looking very bright indeed. “My legs are feeling good. I think if the weather stays good, I will be able to keep the jersey to Nice,” Julich said. “Today’s stage is more challenging than what happens on Sunday. I know the roads perfectly there, so I am confident.” There was some talk

World road champion Oscar Freire (Rabobank) claimed his third victory in as many days on Saturday, winning the fourth stage of Tirreno-Adriatico in Servigliano, Italy. Germany's Danilo Hondo (Gerolsteiner) finished second in the 160km stage, with Italian Fabrizio Guidi (Phonak) in third. "I didn't go out to win this stage especially," said Freire. "I wasn't even that well positioned for the final sprint. I had to make a special effort to get back to the front." Italian sprinter Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo), winner of stage 1, found the going tough once more on Saturday.

After a couple of days of technical bobbles, VeloNews.com's LIVE COVERAGE of Paris-Nice is back in time for the decisive fifth stage of the Race to the Sun, a tough 172.5km ride from Rognes to the top of Mt. Faron. To follow the action as it happens, simply CLICK HERE and stay with us to the finish to see just how this tough Category 1 climb shakes up the overall standings at this opening event of the UCI ProTour.

Bobby Julich went to bed last night joking to Team CSC roommate Jens Voigt about their prospects of snagging the maillot jaune in Friday’s 172.5km climbing stage up Mont Faron at Paris-Nice. “I said, ‘If one of us doesn’t come home today with the yellow jersey, we’re both sleeping on the floor,’” said the 33-year-old Julich. They’ll both get a very good sleep thanks to Julich, who surged into the leader’s jersey after holding off late attacks by Spanish rivals Alejandro Valverde (Illes Balears) and Constantine Zaballa (Saunier Duval) on the upper reaches of Mont Faron. Julich started the

Bobby Julich is a few hours away from realizing a career-long dream of taking the yellow jersey at Paris-Nice. Friday’s 172.5km fifth stage ends atop the twisting, 5.5km climb at Mont Faron, and Julich could grab the maillot jaune with a strong ride. “I would be lying if I wasn’t thinking of that. I know I have good legs,” said Julich who started the day 20 seconds back. “The steeper, punchier climbs aren’t really my forte, but it’s nice to have that 28 seconds to the other guys and that’s going to help out a lot.” The 33-year-old American moved into third overall after working himself

With the hint of spring in the air and the Buyer’s Guide long gone, I figured last week was the ideal time to follow up on an invitation to visit custom shoe builder D2 in Eagle, Colorado, about 20 miles east of Vail. Don Lamson and Dan Kurtanich (D2, get it?) have been working together the past three years to provide cyclists what they call “the finest cycling footwear money can buy.” You may recognize Lamson’s name. He has more than 20 years in the custom-shoe business, including time spent with Lampson Design and Doni. His business partner and old skiing buddy Kurtanich returned to

World road champion Oscar Freire (Rabobank) claimed his second victory in as many days after winning the third stage of Tirreno-Adriatico Friday. The 29-year-old Spanish sprinter had to dig deep after he struck a protruding railing in the final kilometer and had to fight his way out of the bunch before winning the sprint at the finish line. Frenchman Laurent Brochard (Bouygues Telecom) had launched a brave sprint for the finish with 500 meters to go in the 228km race from Tivoli to Torricella Sicura, but the unstoppable Freire caught the 1997 world road race champion, who eventually

Oscar Freire (Rabobank) won the second stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico race in Tivoli, Italy, on Thursday. The three-time world road race champion also takes the overall lead in the race which ends on Sunday. "I didn't have many ambitions at the start of the stage but I changed my mind during the race," Freire said. Freire, 29, held off compatriot Angel Vicioso and Laurent Brochard of France in a sprint finish over a largely flat course ending in Tivoli, 30 kilometers north of Rome. Friday will see the riders tackling a 228-kilometer stage from Tivoli to Torricella Sicura.

The winds of change blew through Paris-Nice in Thursday’s weather-shortened fourth stage as the peloton traded winter for the mistral. Lance Armstrong packed it in as cold and snow forced organizers to shorten the third stage in a row, but the peloton was back in shorts after the race moved into warmer climes of the Rhone valley. Fabian Cancellara (Fassa Bortolo) put down a Herculean sprint to beat veteran Jaan Kirsipuu (Credit Agricole) against a strong headwind into Montélimar while Bobby Julich (CSC) surged into contention after sneaking into the winning break late in the 101km

In what was great weather to go skiing in central France on Wednesday, the Paris-Nice bicycle stage doggedly pushed on despite frigid temperatures and snowy roads that forced organizers to shorten a stage for the second straight day. With snow piled four-feet deep alongside the road, race organizers had no choice but to cut the stage from 174km to 118km and eliminate the highest, snow-covered reaches of the course. Despite an early breakaway that included Floyd Landis (Phonak) and defending champion Jörg Jaksche (Liberty Seguros), the sprinters once again drove it home. Vicente Reynes (Illes

Lance Armstrong has dropped out of Paris-Nice, reportedly suffering from a sore throat and fever. "Lance woke up this morning with a sore throat and with the cold weather, he began to feel worse throughout the day," Discovery Channel director Johan Bruyneel said. "By the time we got back to the hotel, he was running a fever and we thought it best that he should withdraw and go home," he added. Armstrong had ridden an undistinguished race, finishing 99th on Wednesday’s stage, the second consecutive stage of the so-called "Race to the Sun" to be shortened in response to wintry temperatures

Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo) won Wednesday’s opener of Tirreno-Adriatico to take the bragging rights in the race stacked with sprinter talent. The win gives Petacchi a big boost following his upset loss to a resurgent Mario Cipollini (Liquigas-Bianchi) in the pair’s first duel of the season in the Giro di Lucca on Monday. Fassa Bortolo was back to its dominating self, executing the perfect train to deliver Petacchi to the line unchallenged in the 160km stage in Civitavecchia. Bernhard Eisel (FDJeux.com) finished second while Australian champion Robbie McEwen (Davitamon-Lotto) took

Belgium's Tom Boonen, of the Quick Step team, on Tuesday won the second stage of the Paris-Nice cycling race, reduced to 45km between Aigueperse and Thiers in central France because of snow. The 24-year-old, who had also won the first stage, earned the leader's jersey because of the bonus points he picked up. The Belgian rider finished several lengths ahead of Norway's Kurt-Asle Arvesen and Ukrainian Yaroslav Popovych. While Boonen said it had been a good try out for the Milan-San Remo classic later this month he added that taking the overall lead did not put him in pole

Marketing ploy?Dear Lennard,Shimano's website lists the Dura Ace 7800 hubset as being only 10-speedcompatible, but the Ultegra 6600 hubs are listed as both 9- and 10-speedcompatible. Is there actually a difference or is this "10-speed only" designation a marketing ploy?RobertDear Robert,The Dura-Ace hub has an aluminum 10-speed freehub body, while the Ultegrahub has a steel 9-speed freehub body. The 10-speed freehub body has a largerouter diameter and deeper splines. The deeper splines are more resistantto damage to the freehub body’s spline ribs due to torque on the cogs forcingthe

Oh Mexico… I finally finished my base up and got a few days of rest before I had to leave for the Vuelta Sonora Arizona road race. This road race was unlike any I had ever done before and probably will ever do again. Like any trip with a bunch of people you barely know going to a race you’ve never done before you have to take it with a grain of salt. This was no exception. I cut my Monday golf game short to make it home in time to catch a ride to Phoenix in a big van full of my new teammates for the week. The only people I knew on the team were Tulous, Jake and Pate and Tulous wasn’t even

Tom Boonen (Quick Step) won stage 1 of Paris-Nice on Monday, sprinting to victory ahead of a peloton that had been cracked into thirds by a pair of crashes in the final kilometers. Chilly weather, with temperatures barely above freezing, greeted the Race to the Sun as the peloton set off on the 186.5km stage, a relatively flat affair from the Parisian suburb of Etampes south to Chabris, with only the very small Category 3 Cote de Graviers at 10km to stretch the legs. American Fred Rodriguez (Davitamon) took the first intermediate sprint at 42km, edging Rabobank's Erik Dekker and

Liberty Seguros stamped its authority on the final stage of the Vueltaa Murcia in southern Spain. Aussie sprinter Allan Davis won his second stage in three days whileKoldo Gil wrapped up the overall title after finishing strong in Saturday’sclimbing stage at Collado Bermejo. Despite some early attempts at breakaways, the sprinter teams controlledthe pace to set up the bunch. Davis held off Danilo Hondo (Gerolsteiner),a winner of the first two stages, to snag his second victory on the season. Gil, 27, confirmed his status as one of Spain’s rising stars. He heldoff Damiano Cunego

Beautiful sunny weather and a near absence of wind opened the door for the sprinters as T-Mobile’s Ina Teutenberg and Juan Jose Haedo of Colavita scored wins in the McLane Pacific Foothills Road Race in California’s Central Valley on Sunday. The course, a 24-mile loop with a long flat stretch on the back side, was full of power hills that kept racers’ legs humming as the fields threw attacks and kept the pace high for the NRC’s season-opener. In the women’s race, active was the key word for the day as T-Mobile, Quark, and Webcor threw off a steady stream of attacks. Usually a windy race,

Jens Voigt (CSC) ripped the short, 4km prologue Sunday to win the Paris-Nice opener and earned the distinction of being the first winner on cycling’s new ProTour while six-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong played it safe 27 seconds slower. Voigt was the hottest thing going on a sunny, but cold day in the Parisian suburb of Issy-les-Moulineaux to kick off the season-long ProTour series with the 63rd Paris-Nice. The concise course featured a short punchy climb to start and some tight corners, but it was the on-form Voigt who delivered the winning ride of 5 minutes, 15 seconds. Tour

Ina-Yoko Teutenberg (T-Mobile) and Gord Fraser (Health Net-Maxxis) sprinted to victory on Saturday in the McLane Pacific Cycling Classic Downtown Grand Prix in Merced, California. The course, a flat, fast, 0.8-mile loop, had just enough turns to keep it interesting, and a slight southerly headwind on the one longer straightaway turned the end of most races into a field sprint. In the women’s pro/1-2 race, T-Mobile kept the pace high, launching attacks from the first lap and finishing with a clean set-up for their sprinter, Teutenberg. “It’s early in the season and it still hurts! It’s

Six-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong opens his 2005 campaign in Paris-Nice on Sunday when professional cycling enters a new era – that of the 20-team, 27-race ProTour. This will be Armstrong's first start in Paris-Nice since 1999, when he used the race as a training run on the way to returning to Paris in July as winner of his first Tour. He finished second to Laurent Jalabert in 1996 when riding for Motorola and won a stage in 1995. Armstrong’s Discovery Channel line-up includes Viatcheslav Ekimov, Yaroslav Popovych and Paolo Savoldelli, the 2002 Giro d'Italia winner, who