VeloNews photographer Casey Gibson is more than a shootist – occasionally, he's an ironist. In sending his shots from Saturday's record-shattering day at the Olympic velodrome, he noted: "Too bad this track is slow, and the heat keeps them from going fast."
If the “warm-up” races in Downer's Grove, Illinois, were any indication, the national criterium championships on Sunday could see an unprecedented hat trick in the elite women's category, while the men's USPRO Criterium Championship could be a rough-and-tumble affair among the major domestic teams gunning for one of the last big races of the season. Saturday night's Ice Mountain USCF International Women's Open saw two-time defending national criterium champion Tina Pic (Genesis Scuba-FFCC) take a convincing victory on the eve of her title defense, while in the men's American Airlines Pro-Am
Bobby Julich, fresh off his bronze medal in the Olympic time trial, won’t start Sunday’s World Cup race, Zürich Metzgete. According to information from Team CSC, a medical check found another fracture in the wrist he broke in a fall during the Tour de France last month. Julich will likely get the wrist into a cast, but said earlier this week he wants to keep racing and is scheduled to race the GP Eddy Merckx later this month. Team CSC said Fränk Schleck is also questionable for the Swiss race, as he has not been able to train in a couple of days due to a knee injury. Replacing Julich in
Looking ahead to Sunday’s USPRO Criterium Championship in Downers Grove, Illinois, the phrase “the usual suspects” springs to mind, as the majority of the top domestic criterium racers will be on hand gunning for the race win and the stars-and-stripes champion’s jersey that’s up for grabs to the first American to cross the line. Several of the men have been there before, as the race will feature at least six former race winners and U.S. champions. That list of past winners includes 2002 winner Henk Vogels (Navigators Insurance), 2001 U.S. champion Kirk O’Bee (Navigators), 1999 winner Gord
For most Olympic athletes in Athens the heat is a hindrance, but when it comes to track racers, the balmier the better. The heat makes the boards of the 250-meter wooden track expand and tighten, and that makes conditions fast. That was certainly the case on the opening day of competition at the Olympic velodrome, where two Olympic records and one world record were eclipsed on a sizzling Friday afternoon in Greece. The new world’s best came in the women’s 500-meter time trial, with Aussie Anna Meares becoming the first woman to complete two laps in under 34 seconds. Her time of 33.952 also
Track events kicked off in Athens on Friday, and VeloNews photographer Casey Gibson was there.
Fred Rodriguez (Aqua e Sapone) just missed victory in the third leg ofthe “Trittico Lombardo” in Thursday’s 199.8km Copa Bernocchi. The newlycrowned American champion was perhaps out to make a point after being overlookedfor a last-chance spot to fill Lance Armstrong’s vacancy in the SummerOlympic Games in Athens.Angelo Furlan (Alessio) won in a mass gallop to the line, winning in5 hours, 3 minutes, 36 seconds, finishing ahead of Rodriguez. Coming throughthird was Giosuè Bonomi (Saeco).Copa Bernocchi (ITA 1.3)1. Angelo Furlan (Ita), Alessio, 199.8km in 5:03:362. Fred Rodriguez (USA), Aqua e
Britain, desperately searching around Athens for an Olympic gold medal, gets their big chance with an assault on the men's kilometer time trial on the opening day of the track cycling on Friday. The British look strongly placed to break through as they did in Sydney four years ago with world champion Chris Hoy, Craig MacLean or, possibly, defending Olympic champion Jason Queally in strong contention for gold. Back in 2000 it was a similar scenario before Queally became an instant hero when he claimed the kilo ahead of German Stefan Nimke and Australian Shane Kelly. Hoy has the form on the
Saeco gregario Leonardo Bertagnolli won Wednesday’s Copa Agostoni, thesecond leg of the “Trittico Lombardo” in northern Italy. Bertagnolli finishedahead of hard-luck Dario Frigo (Fassa Bortolo), trying to recapture hiswinning ways after missing most of the 2004 season.Copa Agostoni (ITA 1.2)1. Leonardo Bertagnolli (Ita), Saeco, 196km in 4 hours, 39 minutes(42.262 kph)2. Dario Frigo (Ita), Fassa Bortolo at 0:043. Gonzalo Bayarri (Spa), Phonak Hearing Systems4. Roberto Sgambelluri (Ita), Vini Caldirola-Nobili Rubinetterie5. Francisco Patxi Vila (Spa), Lampre all same timeFedrigo takes over
In the days leading up to women’s Olympic time trial, Dutchwoman Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel admitted she thought she might not be able to start. The triple gold-medalist from Sydney crashed hard in Sunday’s road race and said she had pain all over her body. But with the end of her career looming, Zijlaard-van Moorsel couldn’t let that be her final cycling memory. On Wednesday she authored a more appropriate chapter, winning a gold medal on a sun-kissed 24km course in the coastal suburbs of Athens. Zijlaard-van Moorsel stopped the clock in 31:11.53, 24.09 seconds ahead of American Dede
Wednesday turned out to be a remarkable day for U.S. riders at the Athens Olympics, as Americans took three of six medals available in the individual time trial.
As the sun crept above the horizon, bringing dawn to a new day here in Athens, Tyler Hamilton awoke with a terrible case of nerves. The afternoon Olympic time trial that awaited him was his last shot to truly erase the disappointment of his failed Tour de France bid a month earlier. Hamilton had said all week he had a good feeling about the 48km race to be contested in the southern suburbs of Greece’s capital, but now it was time to deliver. Half a day later the nice guy of American cycling had seen his premonition come true, besting reigning Olympic TT champion Viatcheslav Ekimov on a
When Bobby Julich crossed the finish line just 26.45 seconds behind teammate Tyler Hamilton in Wednesday’s Olympic individual time trial, it wasn’t just a victory for a man and his country–technology also won in the streets of Athens. Helping to power Julich’s bike were two very unusual chainrings that could very well transform the way we propel our bicycles in the future. Julich was riding a pair of French made, out-of-round, “Osymetric” chainrings which Julich claims have helped him all season. Now before you say, “Biopace,” think again. In a phone interview with VeloNews from France
Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel hopes to defend her Olympic time trial crowd on Wednesday despite a hard fall that knocked her out of Sunday’s road race and left her with bruises on shoulder, elbow and hip. The 34-year-old Dutchwoman, who won the road race, the individual time trial and the individual pursuit on the track at the Sydney Games four years ago, fell when she clipped Canadian Lyne Bessette’s rear wheel and brought Swiss Nicole Brandli crashing down on top of her. "I feel good, I slept good. I just hope that my legs are good," Zijlaard-van Moorsel said Tuesday of her recovery. "I
Dear Lennard,On one of the tech segments during the OLN coverage, they interviewed someone from CSC and he talked about a different type of chainring they were using for the time trials. But they didn't explain what the differences were. Did you hear anything about this?Leonard Dear Leonard,Those chainrings are called Harmonic, and they offer a larger gear ratio when the crank is horizontal than when it is vertical (the opposite of Biopace). I asked Bobby Julich about them, and he referred me to the company’s website. And lest you think they are a revival of the old Biopace design, Julich
Following two off days for the cycling events here at the Olympics in Athens, the men’s and women’s time trials are up next at Vouliagmeni Olympic Center. The 25-rider women’s field will kick things off at 1 p.m. local time on Wednesday, followed by 40 men at 3 p.m. The 24km-course starts on Athinas Avenue in front of the Vouliagmeni city hall, then heads down the coastal road to the turnaround at the Agia Marina. Wind will be a major factor in the race, which lacks any serious climbs but has several tough false flats. “The wind was really whipping [on Monday] and even today it’s blowing
Iban Mayo, the Basque rider on Euskaltel-Euskadi, is doubtful for the Vuelta a España with a virus that has sapped the strength of the lithe climber. Team manager Miguel Madariaga said they are awaiting results of blood analyses taken this week. “Until I have the results I don't want to say anything for certain,” Madariaga told the Spanish daily MARCA. “With the analysis that we have now, he can't race, his hematocrit is no higher than 37, and that means he has a virus. I'm waiting for the doctor's report but there a 90 percent chance that I believe he won't be able to race the
Lance Armstrong reaffirmed his intention to race the Tour de France again, but wouldn’t be specific on exactly when during a raucous welcoming home ceremony for the six-time Tour winner in his Texas hometown of Austin over the weekend. While many of cycling’s top names were disputing the Olympic road race, Armstrong was being cheered by 60,000 fans and contemplating his future. “I’ll definitely be back to the Tour,” Armstrong told The Associated Press, shortly before participating in a parade in his honor in his adopted hometown. “I think I have another year or two in me. That’s not just a
Arndt irked at German federation, not CarriganJudith Arndt says her hand gesture as she crossed the finish line in Sunday's women's road race in Athens was not directed at Australian winner Sara Carrigan, but rather at the German cycling federation for excluding her partner, Petra Rossner, from the German Olympic cycling team. Asked by reporters if her finger gesture was aimed at Carrigan, the 28-year-old said: "It wasn't anything to do with Sara. We gave the gold away. Petra is the best sprinter in the world. I'm sad that she did not ride with me. I dedicate my medal to her." The
As the Olympics head into their second day here in Athens, doping has been the big story with the focus on Greece’s top two sprinters and their infamous moped accident. But now comes news that cycling has been dragged into the law-breaking fray — albeit on a much smaller scale. The tawdry tale came to light late Saturday when Greek police announced that they’d arrested Anthony Cooke, father of top British cyclist Nicole Cooke. Apparently the senior Cooke ran afoul with the law when he and a friend were nabbed during a clandestine graffiti operation on one of the streets of the road course.
Och’ fined for water handup outside feed zoneU.S. Olympic road coach Jim Ochowicz was fined Sunday for giving a bottle of water to a rider outside the approved area during the men's road race on Saturday. Ochowicz was fined the equivalent of about $162 by the UCI. No rider was named or fined, officials said. Temperatures topped 100 degrees on parts of the course Saturday, so race officials allowed team cars to pass water and food to riders over an expanded stretch of the course. Temperatures were cooler for the women's road race Sunday along the same 8.2-mile course, but the more generous
Team doctors working with Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel said that it is still uncertain whether the Dutch cycling star will ride the Olympic women's individual time trial after a sickening tumble in the road race in Athens on Sunday. The 34-year-old world and Olympic champion badly bruised her shoulder, elbow and hip when she crashed from her bike two laps from the finish in the road race won by Australian Sara Carrigan. Zijlaard-van Moorsel was badly shaken and was unable to rejoin the race after landing heavily in a crash just as the race was beginning to sort itself out. "She is
The contrast couldn’t have been greater as the latest batch of cycling medalists faced the media shortly after the conclusion of the women’s Olympic road race on the downtown streets of Athens on Sunday. In the center seat of the raised podium sat Sara Carrigan, a starry gaze striped across her youthful face. Moments earlier the Aussie had grabbed gold, after pushing away from Judith Arndt on the last lap of the 118.8km race. Meanwhile, Arndt looked downright disgusted despite the silver medal swinging from her neck. The German was still seething over the Olympic-team exclusion of former
Ian Macgregor (TIAA-CREF/5280) won the under-23 national championship road race Friday at Utah’s Deer Valley Resort, attacking a 13-man breakaway and then fencing with Blake Caldwell (U.S. National) over the final kilometers. Macgregor and Mike Cody launched the first serious break of the day just 15km into the 193km race, run on the same circuit on which Lance Armstrong won his first road title 13 years ago. Soon, a second group of six riders bridged up, followed by another group of four that included Caldwell and U.S. National’s Stuart Gillespie. Then TIAA-CREF’s Todd Yesefski, Jay Ku, and
In the aftermath of the brutal 224.4km men’s Olympic road race run on the historic downtown streets of Athens on Saturday, the sentiment toward race winner Paolo Bettini was nearly universal. For a man so marked to still pull off a gold-medal victory was testament to his vast abilities on the bicycle. Outside of a stacked Spanish squad, Bettini’s name was the one most proffered when the favorites list was compiled, yet the Italian still managed to pull one of his trademark late-race escapes, earning him the first cycling gold of the 2004 Summer Games. Bettini grabbed victory by slipping away
Four years ago she was the toast of Olympic cycling, after winning three gold medals at the 2000 Games in Sydney. But this time around Dutchwoman Leontien Zijlaard-Van Moorsel brings more modest goals to the Games in Greece, where she’ll focus on the time trial and individual pursuit. “I don’t want to take too many risks [in the road race] because the other races are more important to me,” said Zijlaard-Van Moorsel, three days before the women’s cycling events kicked off with the 118.8km road race in downtown Athens on Sunday. “The individual pursuit is my first aim for sure. That’s what I
Just 24 hours before some of top European road pros get down to business in the hunt for Olympic medals, confusion was the order of the day after the UCI attempted to conduct drug tests on several high profile teams at the Olympic Village in Athens. According to a report on the T-Mobile Web site, Germans Jan Ullrich, Andreas Klöden, Erik Zabel, Jens Voigt and Michael Rich arrived for the test, but after an hour-long wait it became clear that it wouldn't take place. It was cancelled because the Italian and Dutch team management objected to the UCI conducting drugs tests at the Olympic
Tom Danielson, who returned to European racing at the Tour of Portugal last week, will race in two of three one-day races next week in Italy for his Fassa Bortolo team. Danielson returned to the United States for a mid-season break in July and raced in the tough 10-day Portuguese tour, finishing a solid seventh in the final day time trial en route to 31st overall. Danielson is building his form for a run at the Vuelta a España in September, which will mark his first three-week grand tour. Fassa Bortolo for 84th Tre Valli Varesine, August 17: Dario Cioni, Massimo Codol, Tom Danielson, Dario
Tom Danielson, who returned to European racing at the Tour of Portugal last week, will race in two of three one-day races next week in Italy for his Fassa Bortolo team. Danielson returned to the United States for a mid-season break in July and raced in the tough 10-day Portuguese tour, finishing a solid seventh in the final day time trial en route to 31st overall. Danielson is building his form for a run at the Vuelta a España in September, which will mark his first three-week grand tour. Fassa Bortolo for 84th Tre Valli Varesine, August 17: Dario Cioni, Massimo Codol, Tom Danielson, Dario
Jean-Patrick Nazon (Ag2r), winner of a stage in the Tour de France, won the morning sector of Thursday's action at the Tour de l'Ain in France. Nazon won the 83.5km stage from Izernore to Saint Genis Poully ahead of compatriot Jerome Pineau (Boulangère) and Saulius Ruskys. Earlier in the stage, Benjamin Noval (U.S. Postal Service) was part of a breakaway that included David Moncoutie (Cofidis) and Mikel Astarloza (Ag2r) that went over the Col de Cuvery. The trio was reeled in 9km to go to set up the mass gallop. American Tony Cruz, a winner on Wednesday, came through sixth for another fine
More sights from the lead-up days to the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.
Tyler Farrar (Health Net-Maxxis) won the national under-23 individual time trial championship on Thursday as the Park City Cycling Festival got under way in Utah. Farrar outpaced a pair of TIAA-CREF/5280 riders to win the title on the hilly, 36km course at Antelope Island State Park in Syracuse, finishing nearly 45 seconds up on Timmy Duggan with 11-time national champion Blake Caldwell third. On Friday, the U-23s tackle the 193km road-race championship on the same course used in 1991 when Lance Armstrong won his first national title. Stay tuned to VeloNews.com for more on the racing in
The final selection for the U.S. road team has been made, and it will be Christine Thorburn joining Dede Barry as America’s representatives in the Olympic time trial on Wednesday (August 18), a team source confirmed to VeloNews Thursday morning. Thorburn, who rides for the Webcor team back in the States, grabbed the spot ahead of T-Mobile rider Kristin Armstrong. Thorburn is the reigning U.S. national time trial champion, a title she won at the Olympic trials in Moreno Valley, California in mid June. On that day Thorburn stunned the heavily favored T-Mobile squad, taking an eight-second win
American Antonio Cruz (U.S. Postal Service-Berry Floor) won the second stage of the Tour de l’Ain on Wednesday, outsprinting Théo Eltink and Jerome Pineau (Brioches la Boulangère). Pineau remains the overall leader. The undulating 141.7km stage from Lagnieu to Oyonnax was marked by an 80km break that included David Moncoutié (Cofidis), Didier Rous (Brioches la Boulangere), Sylvain Calzati (RAGT Semances-MG Rove) and Pablo Lastras (Illes Balears). Once the break was caught with 20km to go, Cédric Vasseur (Cofidis) and Franck Renier (Brioches la Boulangere) tried to escape, but the
With just three days until the first of 18 cycling gold medals are handed out at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, Tyler Hamilton and the rest of the U.S. team were set to get their first look at the Olympic road race course late Wednesday afternoon. But no matter what they found on the streets of the downtown Athens course, both the men’s and women’s squads like their chances. Six of the team’s eight riders spent part of the afternoon in the International Zone (where the media is allowed) at the Olympic Village, doing interviews. Hamilton was the first to show up, and says that though
Here's a look at some of the sights on the days leading up the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.
Cunego wins Due Giorni Marchiagiana-GP Fred MengoniDamiano Cunego (Saeco) was back to his winning ways on Tuesday, outsprinting Team Italia’s Daniele Nardello and Cristian Moreni to win the Due Giorni Marchigiana-GP Fred Mengoni in Castelfidordo, Italy. It was the 11th win of the season for the young winner of the Giro d’Italia, who now is looking forward to the final part of the season, with his big objective the world championships in Verona. “Even I didn’t think I’d get back to form and win so quickly, even if I rode well at Camaiore and San Sebastian,” said Cunego, who capped his
Former world champion Oscar Camenzind (Phonak) has tested positive for EPO and was immediately removed from the Swiss Olympic team, according to information released Monday by the Swiss Olympic committee. Camenzind, 32, showed traces of the banned blood booster in a urine sample from a July 22 test conducted by the Swiss anti-doping agency. Under Swiss cycling rules, a rider can be suspended without a second follow-up test being conducted. Phonak also immediately suspended Carminzind from the team. “Every rider that gives a positive test during a race or during training for a product that
To revisit the COVERAGE OF THE 2004 TOUR DE FRANCE.
Arvesen wins Tour of DenmarkNorway’s Kurt-Asle Arvesen (CSC) won the Tour of Denmark on Sunday, finishing just two seconds ahead of German teammate Jens Voigt. Arvesen overhauled Voight by taking three bonus seconds in the final 195km stage, which was won by France’s Jimmy Casper (Cofidis). Australia's Stuart O'Grady (Cofidis), winner of the fifth stage of last month's Tour de France, finished third overall. Tour of Denmark1. Jimmy Casper (F), Cofidis, 195km in 4:34:502. Tomas Vaitkus (Lit), Landbouwkrediet-Colnago3. Stuart O'Grady (Aus), Cofidis3. Giosue Bonomi (I), Saeco5. Jeremy Hunt
Alison Dunlap (Luna) held off an impressive late-race charge by Jimena Florit (RLX Ralph Lauren) to collect her 14th career NORBA short-track win Sunday at Snowmass Village near Aspen, Colorado. With a stiff wind kicking up clouds of dust on the slopes of Snowmass, Dunlap's Luna team put in a show of power that only Florit was able to challenge. After two laps on the dry, dusty course, which climbed one of the lower ski slopes and then descended through a series of loose, rocky S-turns, Dunlap launched a vicious attack. “I could just tell there wasn't anyone feeling really gung-ho today,”
Overcoming the disappointment of mechanical problems that might have cost him the win in Saturday's cross-country race at round seven of the NORBA series in Snowmass Village, Colorado, Maxxis rider Geoff Kabush put in a show of power to win the men's short-track event on Sunday. Riding his gold full-suspension Turner bike, Kabush wasted little time fighting his way to the front, while the other 55 pro men swapped elbows and swallowed dust behind him. “I watched the women's race and saw that there wasn't going to be much drafting in this race,” said Kabush after beating GT-Hyundai's Todd
Kathy Pruitt completed the Luna-team double at Snowmass Village, Colorado, on Sunday, winning the women’s NORBA downhill race and adding to Alison Dunlap’s win in the short-track earlier in the day. In the men’s downhill, Australian Nathan Rennie (Santa Cruz Syndicate) ended Greg Minnaar’s three-race unbeaten streak to collect his second career NORBA downhill win. On a super-fast course that reminded riders of NORBA downhills of old, Pruitt edged her Luna teammate Marla Streb by 1.79 seconds for the win. “The key was to be consistent and not go off the course,” said Pruitt, the 2000 world
On Saturday in downtown Charlotte, North Carolina, Ivan Dominguez displayed his knack for winning big-time money criteriums, as he took the win at the inaugural Bank of America Invitational, featuring one of the biggest one-day payouts in the world. With $125,000 in prizes on the line, including $25,000 for first place, the Colavita Olive Oil rider beat out Health Net-Maxxis's Gord Fraser and Navigators Insurance's Henk Vogels in the mad dash to the finish. In the closing 10-laps of the 44-lap, 53-mile race, Health Net took control of the race, chasing down the late-race break that included
Spanish rider Miguel Angel Martin Perdiguero (Saunier Duval) uncorked a vicious sprint with 250 meters to the line in Saturday’s Clasica San Sebastián to surprise pre-race favorite Paolo Bettini (Quick Step) for the biggest win of his career. Martin Perdiguero was part of a seven-man break that cleared the always-decisive Category 1 climb up Alto de Jaizkibel with 31.5km to go in the sweltering 227km race across the verdant hills of northern Spain’s Basque Country. “I sprinted at 250 meters, it wasn’t too far,” said Martin Perdiguero, the first Spanish winner since 1990. “I was confident I
Ongarato sprints to win in PortugalAlberto Ongarato (Fassa Bortolo) won the 147.2km ninth stage of the Tour of Portugal between Figueira da Foz and Alcobaca on Saturday. The Italian outkicked Pedro Costa (ASC-Vila do Conde) and Ramon Zaragosa (Imoholding-Loule Jardim Hotel) to win in 3:18:48. With only Sunday’s final stage remaining, David Bernabeu (Milaneza-Maia) held onto his eight-second overall lead on David Arroyo (L.A. Pecol), with Rui Lavarinhas (Milaneza-Maia) third at 0:36. 66th Volta a Portugal (POR 2.2), Figueira da Foz to Alcobaca, 147.2km1. Alberto Ongarato (I) Fassa Bortolo,
It was a good day for Olympians at the Snowmass NORBA National event near Aspen, Colorado, on Saturday. Todd Wells (GT-Hyundai) and Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (RLX Ralph Lauren), the two American men selected for the Olympic mountain bike race in Athens later this month, finished first and second in the 24.6-mile men’s cross-country race. Jimena Florit (RLX Ralph Lauren), who will represent Argentina at the upcoming Olympic Games, won the 20-mile women’s cross-country race to move into the overall series lead in the women’s standings. It was the climbing strength of the 29-year-old Wells that
Bernabeau seizes lead in PortugalDavid Bernabeau (Milaneza-Maia) grabbed the overall lead from José Miguel Eliaz (LA Pecol) after finishing second to Elias’s teammate David Arroyo on Friday in the Tour of Portugal. Bernabeu now leads Arroyo by eight seconds with two days of racing remaining. His teammate, Rui Lavarinhas, finished third on the day and sits third overall at 36 seconds back. 66th Volta a Portugal (POR 2.2), Fundao to Torre, 143.4km1. David Arroyo (Sp) L.A. Pecol, 4:13:052. David Bernabeu (Sp) Milaneza-Maia, at 0:153. Rui Lavarinhas (Por) Milaneza-Maia, at 0:354. Nuno Ribeiro
Italian cyclist Massimiliano Lelli (Cofidis) was charged Thursday with drug importing and trafficking, and with inciting the use of doping products, French judicial sources said. The 36-year-old was one of nine subjects of a judicial inquiry into the alleged use of illegal substances by the Cofidis team, which has been under investigation in France since March 2003. Lelli was implicated by British rider David Millar and French rider Philippe Gaumont, both of whom have been sacked by Cofidis. Millar was handed a two-year ban and stripped of his world time trial title by the British cycling
Clerc takes Burgos finaleAurélien Clerc, a Swiss flier on the Quick Step team, sprinted to victory in the final stage of the Vuelta a Burgos in northern Spain on Thursday. Clerc was a clear winner ahead of Alexandre Usov (Phonak) and Roger Hammond (Mr Bookmaker.com) in the rolling stage to cap the four-day Burgos tour. Alejandro Valverde (Kelme) finished safely in the main bunch, choosing not to contest the final sprint after charging to three consecutive victories to claim the overall title for his 14th win of the 2004 season. Early in the rolling stage a group of 16 riders tore away from
The British cycling federation on Thursday banned David Millar from cycling for two years and stripped him of his world time trial for taking the banned performance enhancer EPO. The 27-year-old Scot's use of the blood booster erythropoietin was uncovered when French police raided his Biarritz home in June as part of their drug investigation into his team, Cofidis. Two empty capsules of Eprex, a commonly used form of EPO, were found in his flat. He later confessed to taking the prohibited substance in 2001 and 2003, an admission that led to his sacking by Cofidis. After the British cycling
Spanish sensation Alejandro Valverde earned a hat-trick Wednesday in the Vuelta a Burgos after taking his third consecutive stage in the difficult 139km climbing finish up the narrow, twisting roads to Lagunas de Neila. Valverde, a winner of the opening two stages of the four-day Burgos tour, faltered within the final kilometer of the steep climb with ramps as steep as 14 percent, but bounced back to catch the wheel of Italian Leonard Piepoli (Saunier Duval) and Denish Menchov (Illes Balears). Valverde caught back on with less than 200 meters to go and shot ahead of Menchov to score his
Chris Stockburger (U.S. National Team) rode to victory in the 36th edition of Le Tour de l’Abitibi after seizing the lead on the fifth of nine stages in the weeklong race. The race, run July 19-25 in Québec, Canada, is the only UCI Junior World Cup Race in North America. Stockburger, of Fort Collins, Colorado, took an eight-second lead on Zach Taylor (Hot Tubes) after the 83.5km road race from Senneterre to Val-d’Or, Québec. As part of a 14-rider breakaway, Stockburger picked up 1:31 on the rider from Marietta, Georgia, who had held the brown leader’s jersey since the first-stage team time
Dear Monique,In your recent article regarding daily fluid consumption (June 10, 2004) you briefly mentioned alcohol. I was wondering if studies have been made that confirm whether alcohol is beneficial or detrimental to athletic performance. I drink beer and wine regularly and am more concerned with the caloric aspect of the beverage rather than the chemical aspect. What are the effects on muscular recovery when consuming alcoholic beverages? Does consuming alcoholic beverages affect the body’s physiology during performance? What are the diuretic effects of alcohol
Alejandro Valverde (Kelme) stormed to his second consecutive victory Tuesday in the second stage of the four-day Tour of Burgos in northern Spain. A day after winning atop the Alp de Altotero on Monday, Valverde took a bunch sprint coming into Aranda de Duero to conclude the 170km stage. Francisco Mancebo (Illes Balears), fresh off his sixth-place finish in the Tour de France, fractured his left wrist in a crash and was forced to abandon. Vuelta a Burgos (SPA 2.1), Stage 2, Lerma to Aranda de Duero, 170.45km1. Alejandro Valverde (Sp), Comunidad Valenciana-Kelme 3:46:132.
Dear Lennard,There was much discussion before the Tour about Lance's mountain TT bike. In “The Lance Chronicles” he was trying several different models and he used the aero' bars on Mont Ventoux. What happened to them? Was it something at Ventoux that made him change?Anthony Dear Anthony,I’ll let Trek’s team liaison, Scott Daubert, field that one: There are two answers here. Steve Hed used one of the formulas we developed through F-One and learned that the clip-on’s weight would cost Lance six or seven seconds during his assault up L’Alpe d’Huez. Their aerodynamic advantage is impossible to
After narrowly missing a rainbow jersey in the 200-meter sprint at the junior world track championships on Saturday, Michael Blatchford was looking toward Sunday night’s team sprint as an opportunity for redemption. “We’ll get another chance tomorrow,” said the 18-year-old U.S. junior national sprint champion after taking the silver behind Australia’s Shane Perkins at the ADT Event Center velodrome near Los Angeles, California. Come Sunday, once again it was the U.S. versus Australia – but this time, the race was for bronze, after Germany and Japan advanced to the gold-medal round. In the
With a final stage breakaway at the International Tour de 'Toona in Pennsylvania, Health Net’s John Lieswyn and Scott Moninger were able to snatch the race lead away from Webcor Builders’ Chris Horner, with Moninger capturing the stage win and Lieswyn nailing down the overall title. In the women’s race, Quark’s Lyne Bessette led the seven-day event from start to finish, beating Canadian Olympic teammate Sue Palmer-Komar (Genesis Scuba) by 34 seconds in the overall. In the men’s race, Colavita Olive Oil’s Nathan O’Neill made an impressive return to the race where he suffered a crash that
U.S. Postal Service – soon to be Discovery Channel – got its man after Ukraine sensation Yaroslav Popovych agreed to a three-year contract to join the team beginning in 2005. Following weeks of speculation that the 24-year-old rising star was set to join Lance Armstrong at Postal Service, the team announced the news Monday. “I’m really excited to get Yaroslav on the team,” said team director Johan Bruyneel. “He’s a young rider who has shown his talent on numerous occasions. … I’m sure he still has a great margin of progression (to make), and I see him as a future contender for the Tour de
Hamburg is probably the easiest of the World Cups...but it is not easy. The race draws massive crowds and is always a welcome home race for Jan and the Telekom team after the Tour. The race starts out with a large flat loop and then several smaller loops with some tight turns and a steep climb. It is not the difficulty of the climb that splits the race up, but the fight for position going into the climb and the tight corners after the climb. As the World Cup script pretty much dictates, the race started off quick, a break got away, the peloton settled down and cruised along, and then
With the overwhelming support of a partisan home crowd, all signs seemed stacked in favor of American junior national sprint champion Michael Blatchford securing a rainbow jersey at the junior track world championships Saturday, held at the ADT Event Center velodrome near Los Angeles, California. Blatchford, who hails from the nearby city of Cypress, was first in the 200-meter qualifying sprints Friday, laying down a 10.696 ahead of Australia's Shane Perkins, winner of Thursday night's keirin, who rode a 10.701. And when both Blatchford and Perkins required just two rides in the
Stuart O’Grady continued on his winning ways Sunday after pipping pre-race favorites Paolo Bettini (Quick Step) and Igor Astarloa (Lampre) in a much tougher version of the HEW Cyclassics race in Germany. A new course took the World Cup riders over the short but steep Waseberg climb five times, including the final pass that broke up the main bunch in the final 15km. In a sprint finish, O’Grady shot ahead of last year’s winner, Bettini, to win his first World Cup victory of his career. World Cup series leader Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner) came through sixth to retain the overall lead while
Surviving an early crash on the slippery, rain-drenched New York streets, New Zealand’s Greg Henderson (Health Net-Maxxis) came back to win the third annual New York City Cycling Championships in a massive field sprint. Henderson shot off the wheel of countryman and teammate Hayden Godfrey in the final 50 meters of the 60-mile race through New York’s financial district for his highest-profile win of the year. Another teammate, designated sprinter Gord Fraser, said he wasn’t feeling great but still slotted in for second behind Henderson. “We wanted to be patient in the sprint,” said Fraser.
Surviving an early crash on the slippery, rain-drenched New York streets, New Zealand’s Greg Henderson (Health Net-Maxxis) came back to win the third annual New York City Cycling Championships in a massive field sprint. Henderson shot off the wheel of countryman and teammate Hayden Godfrey in the final 50 meters of the 60-mile race through New York’s financial district for his highest-profile win of the year. Another teammate, designated sprinter Gord Fraser, said he wasn’t feeling great but still slotted in for second behind Henderson. “We wanted to be patient in the sprint,” said Fraser.
When American Kimberly Geist took third place in the women’s 2km individual pursuit Friday, USA Cycling officials could breathe a sigh of relief. Though it was a narrowly won bronze medal, the host country was “on the board” at the junior track world championships, held in Los Angeles at the new world-class ADT Event Center velodrome. After qualifying fifth behind Marlijn Binnendijk (Netherlands), Geist beat out Australian Amanda Spratt, winner of the points race Thrusday, to enter the 3-4 final against New Zealand's Paddy Walker. Though Geist seemed to fade slightly during the middle
T-Mobile leader Jan Ullrich and his manager Walter Godefroot have talked through their differences and will continue to work together, Godefroot said here Saturday. "It was a good discussion. In the future we're going to speak more often together. Jan will continue to race for T-Mobile," said Godefroot. Both men refused to comment on the nature of the talks. Despite being heralded as Lance Armstrong's main rival on the Tour de France, former champion Ullrich finished fourth and a massive nine minutes behind the six-time winner, his lowest placing ever in seven races. Godefroot has
Cyclist Jobie Dajka was dropped from Australia's Olympic team after being found to have lied to a doping inquiry involving the country's top cyclists, the Australian Olympic Committee announced on Friday. Dajka admitted on Thursday he had been untruthful when he told an inquiry that he had not injected himself with performance-enhancing drugs in the room of a former teammate at the Australian Institute of Sport's cycling base in Adelaide. DNA evidence subsequently contradicted Dajka's statement to the inquiry, which was chaired by lawyer Robert Anderson, QC, the AOC said. "Given Anderson's
While Australia’s elite track program continues to facehardships and scandal, the country’s juniors have taken a strongholdat the junior track world championships, held at the new Home Depot Center’sADT Event Center velodrome in Carson, California, outside of Los Angeles. Two days into the five-day event, held July 28 through August 1, Australiahas taken three gold medals in six events; Germany leads the medal countwith five. Perhaps the greatest beacon of hope for the program’s new blood comesin the form of Michael Ford, the reigning junior world record holder inthe 3km individual pursuit.
Jan Ullrich (T-Mobile) will be among the starters Sunday for the sixth round of the 2004 World Cup stop in Hamburg, Germany for the HEW Cyclassics event. Also joining Ullrich, fresh off a somewhat disappointing fourth place finish in the Tour de France, will be T-Mobile teammates Andreas Klöden and Erik Zabel. Also set to race are two-time World Cup defending champion Paolo Bettini (Quick Step), current leader Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner), Peter Van Petegem (Lotto-Domo), Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole), Tom Boonen (Quick Step), Danilo Hondo (Gerolsteiner) and Milan-San Remo Oscar Freire
Iban Mayo will race the Vuelta a España (Sept. 4-26) after a meeting with team bosses Miguel Madariaga and Julián Gorospe on Wednesday. According to a report in the Diario Vasco, Mayo will be looking to make up for his disappointing performance in the 2004 Tour de France, which he abandoned during the Alps. Haimar Zubeldia, Euskaltel-Euskadi’s other star rider, will also start the Vuelta. Gorospe said he believes there’s enough time for both riders to recover from their problems in the Tour in time to be competitive for the Vuelta. McEwen discovers cause of back troubleLotto’s tenacious
An irritated Gilberto Simoni said he might never return to the Tour de France after a three-week debacle that saw the two-time Giro d’Italia champion never rate as a challenger to Lance Armstrong’s dominance. Simoni said his performance was hampered by the exclusion of Danilo Di Luca, two crashes – first in the team time trial and another crash at Angers -- then the exclusion of his domestique and friend Stefano Casagranda. “The Tour started badly and then was characterized by all the arguments and the bad weather rather than by the riders,” Simoni said in an interview on Saeco’s web page.
Before coming to Germany, I had a month-long break from racing. I took one week completely off the bike and then started to ramp up my training. I packed in some heavy mileage weeks, riding mostly with Michael each day. Riding with Michael pushes me into fitness, as he rides quite a bit faster than I generally do on my own. We would go out the door together each day, although often when we hit a major climb, or he needed to do some intensity, he would speed off ahead and I would keep going at my pace. It is neat to be able to share so much time together on the bike. Cycling has allowed us
Euskadi bikesDear Lennard,I have noticed that the Euskaltel team is riding a bike called Orbeathat looks very much like the new Kestrel full carbon frames I have seenin my local stores. Is the design just a common configuration of the tubedesign or are these companies in some way connected?Steve Dear Steve,Orbea is a large bike manufacturer. Indeed, it’s far bigger than Kestrel.Located in the Basque country of Spain, Orbea is part of the CooperativoMondragón, the world’s largest worker’s cooperative. Being co-ownersof their companies, workers tend to work harder and more devotedly thanthey
Lance Armstrong may have left the Tour de France with a record six victories under his belt, but the American has also left a huge question mark over his future participation in the race. Armstrong recently signed a contract to ride for a team which will be backed by the Discovery television channel following U.S. Postal's announcement last year they would not continue into 2005. For most teams sponsored by internationally recognized companies, the Tour de France is a must. However, it is not known what his new contract stipulates and whether or not Discovery has made the Tour de France one
Australian trackster Ben Kersten will have his appeal to be reinstated to the Athens Olympic team heard by a Cycling Australia (CA) tribunal on Thursday, his manager said on Monday. Kersten is appealing the decision by CA to remove his nomination for the Olympic team after Sean Eadie, the man he was called up to replace, was renominated by CA after being cleared of trying to import banned human growth hormones. The appeal is not connected with Eadie’s drugs tussle, but based on the assertion that Kersten should have been picked ahead of Eadie in the first place. Kersten originally missed
American climber-extraordinaire Tom Danielson (Fassa Bortolo) set anew record at the Mount Evans Hillclimb Saturday, taking a full four minutesand ten seconds off Mike Engleman’s 12-year-old course record. The threat of fog, rain, and snow didn’t deter Danielson, 26, who wason hiatus from his European schedule as he prepares to compete in the Vueltaa Espana in September. In his first ascent of the highest paved road inNorth America, Danielson hoped to break the mark and claim the $500 bonusfor doing so. “Given the weather, gradient inconsistencies, and the altitude change,it is too much to
Dear Lennard,Here’s a question. There was some hype about Lance’s speciallydeveloped skinsuit (Project 1 as seen on OLN) with wind tunnel testingand so forth. Special light jerseys for climbing and so on.How does that factor in when he’s in the yellow jersey? Does Nikehave to submit samples to the tour organization for approval to wear asthe yellow jersey?Charlie Dear Charlie,Yes, Nike made the white, yellow, polka-dot and green jerseys withthe same fabrics as the Postal clothing, so the TT suit is the Swift andthe jersey for mountain days is the HC, which I described in detail in the tech
Back in 1995, my parents owned a dog named Bosun. They bred him with a female named Baby. Tugboat was the pick of their litter. I chose him because he was the most animated of all the puppies. Quite often, Baby's owner would find Tugboat out of the puppy kennel and perched on its roof. He was an entertainer, even at a few weeks old. When Tugs was born back in Massachusetts, I was living in Colorado. When he was old enough to be separated from Baby and his eight siblings, he spent a brief hiatus at my parents' home in Marblehead. A couple weeks later he was loaded onto a plane, all by
Dear Lennard,How about a report on the stuff that hasn't work in the Tour? I don't think I've ever heard of more riders being injured in crashes or having to stop from broken handlebars, stems and forks and other equipment-related mishaps. One really goofy example is Phonak using track tires in the rainy team time trial. Are these folks pushing the envelope too far? I didn't used to thinkthe minimum bike weight was a good idea, but it might keep things safer. On the other hand, how about Ulrich on L'Alpe? It looks like he carriedan extra couple of pounds of useless aero stuff up the hill.