Road

Rasa and Jolanta Polikeviciute are laying down the law at the 2003 women’s Giro d'Italia. Their adversaries are surrendering to the twins; the two Lithuanians, along with their countrywoman, Edita Pucinskaite swept the first three positions on the tour’s opening stage and sit comfortably atop general classification. The first stage of the Giro d'Italia started in Grumo Nevano, seen off by a large group of spectators, and it concluded 119 kilometers later in Guardia Sanframondi, in the province of Benevento. Rasa attacked 10 km from the line, on the second ascent from Castelvenere to

Usually, it’s Colorado that finds itself invaded by Texans come summertime. But at the 2003 USCF Junior/Espoir Road National Championships, held over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, it was Colorado on the attack in the Lone Star State – along with young racers from Oregon to Pennsylvania and all points in between. Junior and espoir road races Zak Grabowski (Lafayette, Colorado) claimed the first stars-and-stripes jersey of the weekend by winning the relatively flat 90-mile 17-18 road race on Thursday in Normangee. Despite the sweltering Texas temperatures, Grabowski shot away in the

Zinaida Stahurskaia (Chirio Forno D’asolo) outsprinted the major contenders on the final climb to San Marco dei Cavoti to win the second stage of the women’s Giro d’Italia on Sunday. Lithuanian Rasa Polikieviciute (Team 2002 Aurora Rsm) remains in the pink jersey despite having given up nine seconds to her closest rival, countrywoman Edita Pucinskaite (Michele Fanini). American Amber Neben (T-Mobile) holds 10th place overall. The attacks were continuous on the 85km stage. All were in vain, though, and the stage concluded with Stahurskaia just barely beating Pucinskaite to the line. "I am

Jan Ullrich is looking fit and determined in what's a comeback Tour de France for the 1997 champion. After a dark 2002, when he suffered two knee surgeries and tested positive for the party drug ecstasy, Ullrich is back with modest aspirations for Saturday's start of the Tour. "I'll do my best in this Tour. It will be even a surprise for me because I don't know where my form truly is," Ullrich said in a press conference Friday. "I would be happy with a stage victory. I don't know what to expect for the overall standings." It was nearly a year ago to the day that Ullrich faced the world's

Tour de France chief Jean-Marie Leblanc admitted Friday that organizers of this year's race had been duped into reaching agreement with Batasuna, the banned political wing of the armed Basque separatist group ETA, to allow the 16th stage between Pau and Bayonne in southwestern France to be conducted bilingually. The annoucement by Batasuna earlier in the day that they had agreed a deal for the stage to be in both French and Euskara, the language of the Basque people, led to a storm of protest. "We were conned, tricked," claimed Leblanc on the eve of the start of the centenary Tour. "I've

Australian Michael Rogers is psyching himself up for a dramatic debut on the Tour de France with plans to go all out and win the first yellow jersey of the race's centenary edition. The 23-year-old who hails from Canberra has hit a rich vein of form on the European cycling calendar over the past few months winning the Tour of Belgium, the Tour of Germany and last week's Route du Sud. As well as his obvious skills as a time trialing force, it was Rogers' crushing time trial win on the penultimate stage of the latter race that propelled him forward as a major favorite for Saturday's 6.5km

Four-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong was the man of the hour in Paris on Thursday when he gave his annual pre-Tour press conference. Just minutes after his pre-race health checkup, Armstrong walked before 200 members of the world’s press. Flanked by body guards and members of his entourage, photographers were snapping pictures of the arrival of cycling’s king. Armstrong looked and sounded confident. “I can’t think of a better way to spend July,” he quipped. Despite coming in as the undisputed king of cycling, the 31-year-old said it’s wrong to call the Tour a one-man race. He

Jan Ullrich is leaving for Paris Wednesday after being on hand for the birth of his new daughter on Tuesday in Freiburg, Germany. The daughter of the 29-year-old Bianchi team leader and his girlfriend Gaby Weis had been due on July 14, right in the middle of the Tour de France. But Weis went into labor early Monday morning. More than 24 hours later, doctors opted to deliver Sarah Maria Ullrich via caesarian. "I'm the most fortunate man in the world!” the 1997 Tour winner announced on his website. “I am so happy that I could be there for her birth… I am dancing on clouds right now. This is

Dr. Richardson;I just finished reading your latest article about road rash and I hadone remaining question. I recently went down and had road rash on my wristand from my knee to my ankle. I rinsed it off using my water bottle rightaway and cut my ride short. When I got home, I ran water over it, clenched my jaw, held (and probablybroke in several places) my fellow rider's hand and prepared to wash itwith a washcloth and antibacterial soap, which I finally did. There, allclean. But it got infected anyway (where is that Duoderm-making god?).A trip to urgent care and an antibiotic (which I

Monique;I am a 46 year old Masters (Cat 3) and weigh 153 pounds Following a periodization program, every three to four weeks I plan on a “recovery” week, dropping my training hours by 50 to 60 percent. In order to maintain my weight, do I need to decrease my caloric intake during the recovery week? For example, if I decrease the training by five hours, nominally at 700-800 calories burned per hour, should I decrease my caloric intake that week by 4000 calories? Or will my body’s “weight memory” keep my weight relatively static? Thank you, -- MK Dear MK;That’s a very good question as many

Team CSC’s Tyler Hamilton says he’s more than ready for his first Tour de France as a team leader and says he’s put everything into being prepared for Saturday’s start. “I’m confident, but certainly not cocky. The Tour is stacked with talented riders. I know my work is cut out with me, but I will ride with the best of my ability to have a good race,” Hamilton told VeloNews on Monday. “I feel like I’m as ready as I’m ever going to be.” Hamilton is being hyped as a possible usurper to Lance Armstrong’s Tour throne, but the 32-year-old New Englander is trying to take a more realistic approach

Dear Lennard Zinn,I currently suffer from iliotibial band syndrome, which tends to affecthigher-mileage runners and cyclists. It causes a pain on the outside ofthe knee due to the repetitive motion of bending the knee. There is quitea bit of info on the problem with regard to runners but very little concerningcycling. I have gone to physical therapy and received a cortisone injectionfrom a knee specialist. Not much has helped. Have you heard of this affectingother riders? If so, do you know of any potential treatment options thatI have not tried? I can give up running but not cycling.

Coverage of the 2003 Tour de France

U.S. Postal's George Hincapie is back and says he feels "better than ever" in time for Saturday's start of the 2003 Tour de France. Sidelined with health problems that derailed his spring classics campaign, Hincapie turned to non-traditional medicine to help find a cure for sinus problems and parasites that impaired his breathing and recovery. Now he's back in time to help Lance Armstrong make a run for a possible record-tying fifth Tour. "I feel great, I feel really fresh and have a lot of enthusiasm to be on the bike," Hincapie told VeloNews from his home base in Girona, Spain. "Every

American Floyd Landis has overcome a fractured hip to be named as the ninth and final rider to round out the Tour de France lineup for Lance Armstrong's U.S. Postal Service team. Landis was on the bubble to make the Postal selection after falling on his hip in a training accident in January, but rode strong enough during June's Dauphiné Libéré to edge out Luxembourg rider Benoit Joachim to nab the ninth spot. Earlier this month, U.S. Postal's sport director Johan Bruyneel announced eight of the riders. Seven of the eight riders from Armstrong's winning team last year are back, including

Tour de France boss Jean-Marie Leblanc has committed himself to the world's biggest bicycle race by vowing to remain in charge beyond 2004 when his current contract runs out. Leblanc, who has guided the tour's fortunes since 1988, was invited to stay on by Patrice Clerc, the president of the organizing body of the competition (ASO) and he says he has agreed. Turning to the tour's future, Leblanc said that he was always on the look out for new ideas, but that he saw little that could be changed. "We are competing against other events on the one hand and against ourselves on the other.

When Lance Armstrong begins his bid for a record-tying fifth consecutive Tour de France title this Saturday, cycling fans around the world will be able to follow the race in more detail than ever before, right here on VeloNews.com, the online news source presented by VeloNews, the world's largest competitive cycling magazine. Beginning today, Monday, June 30, our 2003 Tour deFrance site is up and running and already filled with full details on every one of the Tour's 21 daily stages, team rosters, technical news and great features and photo galleries on the 100-year history of the world’s

While American pros have Philly in earlier in the month, the bulk of the professional peloton holds its national championships on the last Sunday of June. The UCI holds this weekend open for national championship races and those were held throughout Europe on Sunday. (The American race is granted the dual status of an invitational, allowing foreign riders the chance to participate and promoters to shift the date to accommodate that.) France: Rous wins ahead of VirenqueVeteran Didier Rous (Brioches) won ahead of Richard Virenque (Quick Step) in the hotly contested French national road race.

The Hamiltonroad World's course has been tested, and passed with flying colors at theCanadian Road Nationals, grinding down a field of 121 men to just 17 finishers.Genevieve Jeanson (Rona-Esker) finally won the senior national road titlethat has eluded her, while Dominique Perras (Equipe Quebec) scooped themen's title despite Saturn and Navigator's sending up foreign riders tohelp their Canadian pros.Asexpected, the women's race came down to two riders - Genevieve Jeanson(Rona-Esker) and Lyne Bessette (Saturn). What wasn't expected was sprintfinish after nine laps and 18 trips up the Niagara

Spain's Miguel Indurain, the only rider to have won the Tour de France five times in a row (1991-95) believes Germany's Jan Ullrich has it in him to beat four-time winner Lance Armstrong. The 32-year-old Armstrong (U.S. Postal) will equal Indurain's achievement if he wins this year's centenary race, which is being held July 5-27. Ullrich has only recently returned to competition after a difficult year in which he sat out a ban for taking recreational drugs, left his long-time Telekom team, then joined Team Coast only to see the outfit collapse after a suspension because of its financial

For a reasonably flat island, Great Britain produces some fast downhill racers. British riders Steve Peat (Orange) and Fionn Griffiths (Foes) swept to victory in their respective downhill events today at the Mont -Ste-Anne World Cup. The new 1.2km course made for brief races and left little margin for error. Peat, who missed most of the early season with a wrist injury, scored his first win of 2003 with a scintillating final run that evicted South Africa’s Greg Minaar (Haro-Lee Dungarees) from the leader’s hot seat by a scant .06 second. “I’ve won here twice before so I definitely like

Racing on a course that favored the riders who could combine cunning and strength, Eric Carter (Mongoose-Hyundai) and Katrina Miller (Jamis) took Saturday’s World Cup four-cross event in Mont-Ste-Anne, Quebec. Despite racing with a broken hand, Carter continued his winning ways, adding to his mountain-cross win from last weekend’s NORBA event in Mount Snow, Vermont, and his win from the World Cup stop in France. “I was really struggling to figure out this course yesterday in practice, but I didn’t take any ibuprofen yesterday, and I did today,” said Carter, “That seemed to make a big

Saturn riders Chris Horner and Katie Mactier won the third and pivotal stage of the Fitchburg-Longsjo Classic. Contested over a hilly course culminating at the summit of Mt. Wachussett, the outcome cemented Saturn’s chances of repeating its overall sweep at Nature Valley just two weeks ago, where Mactier and Viktor Rapinski entered the final stage in the race lead. With only a criterium remaining to upset the standings, Mactier and either Horner (second overall, 25 seconds back) or Rapinski (overall GC leader) stand to walk away the race winner. In the women's 78-mile race, Sarah Ulmer of

Chris Carmichael is predicting Lance Armstrong will win his fifth consecutive Tour de France if the Texan arrives in the same form as years past. Carmichael – Armstrong’s longtime coach and trainer – said the four-time winner is on track to arrive in top condition. The Texan is currently training at altitude in Switzerland to hone his form and will leave Thursday for Paris for the start of the 2003 Tour. “I think if Lance is at the same condition as last year, barring incident, injury or illness, I believe he’ll win,” Carmichael told VeloNews. “I think if he’s back at that same level as

World champion Mario Cipollini's hopes of joining this year's Tour de France peloton were dashed Friday after an international arbitration body rejected an appeal by the Italian's Domina Vacanze team. Tour bosses did not award Cipollini's Italian outfit one of the four remaining wild-card invitations for this year's centenary race (July 5-27), causing uproar in Italian cycling. Domina Vacanze appealed, with lawyers saying that as world champion he should have been given an automatic entry. But a body set up by the Professional Cycling Council (CCP) to rule on the decision said Friday in

Jan Ullrich has pulled out of the German national road race championships because he wants to spend the few rest days he has remaining before the Tour de France with his pregnant girlfriend, he said Friday. Ullrich, the reigning Olympic road race champion, will return to the Tour after being absent last year due to injury. With the Tour starting Saturday July 5, the 29-year-old Bianchi rider feels that taking part in Sunday's national championships would be unfair to his pregnant girlfriend, Gaby Weis. The 1997 Tour winner and four-time runner-up said he was "aware a lot of people would be

With three teams in the Tour de France, Fausto Pinarello is very busy in the months leading up to the race, especially this season. Pinarello's company builds the bicycles for the Telekom, iBanesto.com and Fassa Bortolo teams, and the preparation details are almost too numerous to comprehend. Every single bike requires custom dimensions, and specific needs have to be addressed with each rider, particularly high-profile stars like Erik Zabel, Ivan Basso and Unai Osa. This year, the task has been particularly challenging because Pinarello planned to deliver a fully custom version of his

Ever since Mario Cipollini, adorned in the yellow jersey of the Tour de France leader, leaned into a television camera during a 1997 stage and said, “Cannondale is best bike,” it was clear that the Bedford, Pennsylvania, company could make bikes capable of scoring victories in the Tour. Cannondale paved the way for other American bike makers such as Trek, Specialized, Klein, GT and Litespeed into the European peloton. But then came the bankruptcy. Following an ill-fated decision to enter the motorsports market, Cannondale found itself deeply in debt with an unsalable motorcycle, struggling

They rode 2922 miles, climbed more than 82,000 feet, and crossed 14 states to get from San Diego to Atlantic City. Some sped across, fighting to be first. Others crawled across, battling simply to finish. A few withdrew, their bodies failing their intentions. One lost his life on a desolate stretch of New Mexico highway. They were drenched by rain, slowed by wind, and torched by the desert sun. But everyone who crossed the finish line of the 2003 Insight Race Across America on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City shared a victory for even completing what Outside magazine once called the world’s

Saturn made it a double on the first day of the Canadian nationalchampionships, with Eric Wohlberg and Lyne Bessette taking the men's and women's national time-trial titles. The event is being held in Hamilton, Ontario, on the same course planned for the road world’s in October, so in addition to the numerous titles on the line, the organization was trying out its plan to close down the center of a city of more than 600,000 people for the first time. Overall, the indications are that the test was successful. The 21km course that the elite men and women raced (two laps and one lap,

It was hot, hot, hot at the second stage of the Fitchburg-Longsjo Classic – so hot, in fact, that the officials clipped three laps from the women’s race and one from the men’s as temperatures boiled past the 100-degree mark. Despite the trimmings, the racing would get even hotter on the 3.1-mile course, with its sharp finishing climb. The 74-mile men’s race saw attacks from the gun, though nothing stuck until Mike Sayers (Health Net) and Chris Horner (Saturn) got away. The twosome opened a gap of about a minute on a chase group containing race leader Chris Baldwin (Navigators), until

After being overlooked for the Tour de France by his Telekom team, American Bobby Julich will now prepare for September’s Vuelta a España and October’s world championships. “Bobby’s plan now is to come back to the U.S. to do some high altitude training during July, then have a great Vuelta and world championships at the end of the season,” read an entry on Julich’s official web page. Telekom will be anchored by sprinting ace Erik Zabel and three riders with eyes on the final podium: Santiago Botero, Alexandre Vinokourov and Paolo Savoldelli. Rounding out the team are Rolf Aldag, Matthias

More than 800 cyclists of all categories will descend on Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Thursday to compete in the Fitchburg-Longsjo Classic stage race. Now in its 44th edition — the race was first held as a single-day event in 1960 — Fitchburg-Longsjo has evolved into one of the major races on the U.S. calendar; past competitors include Greg LeMond, Lance Armstrong, Eric and Beth Heiden, Rebecca Twigg, Connie Carpenter and Davis Phinney. The event began as a tribute to Arthur M. Longsjo, Jr., a Fitchburg native and the first person to compete in both the Summer (cycling) and Winter (speed

Stage 1 of the Fitchburg-Longsjo Classic, a seven-mile out-and-back time trial finishing with a 500 meter climb, was held Thursday in scorching New England heat and humidity, with Navigators Chris Baldwin and Kiwi Sarah Ulmer (TDS) taking their respective leaders jerseys. In the women's race, Saturn's Jessica Phillips was the first to set a time that looked to stick on the leader's board with an 18:26:29. Phillips remained the leader until Ulmer (TDS) flew across the line fourteen seconds faster. Ulmer’s time of 18:12:88 remained untouched as Phillips’ Saturn teammate Katie Mactier finished

Three-straight Tour de France podium appearances gives Joseba Beloki quiet confidence going into the 2003 Tour. Often criticized for simply following rather than attacking, Beloki believes his time has come. The ONCE rider says he’s feeling better than ever and promises to give reigning champion Lance Armstrong a run for his money. “I feel better than other years,” Beloki told the Spanish sports daily AS in an interview. “I will go to win. I believe it’s time. You have to try to force Armstrong’s decline instead of just waiting for it and I believe this is a good year for that to

Dear Doctor;I am a 42-year-old Cat. 2 racer with a history of lifelong fitness and no significant health problems. I recently had a blood cholesterol screening done at a health fair while I was out of town.My levels were:total cholesterol 142 mg/dLHDL = 42mg/dlLDL = 80mg/dlTotal/HDL Ratio = 3.38The doctor on hand told me that I should see a cardiologist when I return home, because my ratio – total to HDL - was 3.38, well below the target value of 4.0. Despite the fact that my overall level was low, he felt I might be developing harmful plaque deposits in my blood vessels. Upon return home I

Alexander Vinokourov just couldn't help himself. Leading the Tour of Switzerland since regaining the overall lead in Tuesday's time trial, the Kazakh jumped with less than a kilometer to go in Wednesday's 152km final stage into Aarau and was caught 300 meters from the line. It's not that he really needed the stage win. Second-place rider Francesco Casagrande (Lampre) didn't start the ninth and final stage due to high fever and a urinary infection and all Vinokourov had to do was finish safely in the main bunch to claim final victory. "I tried to win the stage but I'm not disappointed at

Dear Monique;What is the best way to take in sodium during a competition? In longer triathlons I invariably experience cramping during the run, which I suspect is due to some level of naturemia. Can I simply add salt to my drinking water, or is there a better way? -- HD Dear Monique;I am a road cyclist who is prone to leg cramping during strenuous rides, particularly on hot days or hill climbs. I have tried many remedies, but to no avail. Recently I came across a website advertising a sports drink that claims to keep cramps at bay with 282 mg sodium, 584 mg potassium, and 210 mg of

Rogers sews up Route du Sud Quick Step's Michael Rogers held off challengers in Tuesday's 156km climb-riddled finale to clinch the overall title of the 27th Route du Sud. Cofidis' David Moncoutie jumped ahead of Alessio's Pietro Caucchioli to win the final stage, which included climbs up the Col de Peyresourde and finished on a steep climb up the on the Port de Balès summit. "It has been a difficult day, but today my teammates were fantastic," Rogers said, a winner of five races this season. "The last up hill section was really very hard. When Moncoutie and Caucchioli launched themselves

Dear Lennard Zinn;Is it true that the Zipp clincher 404/303s will break up when tire pressure exceeds 140? --JV Dear JV;Below is a long answer to your question, but it is worth reading, as it addresses, in addition to the specific Zipp question, the general question many of us have about how much pressure a clincher rim can handle.--Lennard Answer from ZippDear Lennard and JV;In short, no, a ZIPP 303 or 404 clincher will not break up when tire pressure exceeds 140psi. The source of this concern may stem from one or both of two sources: either from the Maximum psi sticker ZIPP now applies to

Alexandre Vinokourov regained the overall lead of the 67th Tour of Switzerland on Tuesday after erasing a 37-second gap to Italian Francesco Casagrande in the 33km individual time trial. Australian Brad McGee (Fdjeux.com) surprised Germans Uwe Peschel and 1997 Tour de France champion Jan Ullrich to claim the stage victory. American Bobby Julich (Telekom) was seventh. Riding in 90-degree heat, McGee was timed in 42 minutes, 20.77 seconds, 23 seconds faster than Peschel (Gerolsteiner) and 50 seconds faster than Ullrich (Bianchi). Vinokourov was poised to recapture the lead from Casagrande

Allen Larsen fell into an embrace with his family moments after winning the 2003 Insight Race Across America at 9:42 a.m. Tuesday morning, exactly eight days, 23 hours, and 36 minutes and 2992 miles after he left San Diego. Larsen maintained a 13.55 mile per hour average over the duration to win RAAM in only his second year competing in the non-stop transcontinental bike race. Larsen took a gamble early on when he opted to forego a rest break until after he reached New Mexico, 700 miles and almost two days into the race. The risky tactic earned him a lead he never relinquished. The move

They say curiosity killed the cat but, as I write this, I still feel pretty good. It's one of those trivial little technical details that's been plaguing me this entire race season: why on earth is the men's world cross-country mountain bike champion wearing mid-level shoes both racing on the road and off? Earlier this year, we saw Roland Green compete in the Tour de Langkawi not sporting Shimano's top-of-the-line SH-R214 carbon road shoe, but instead, the Canadian was seen donning the single strap SH-TR01 triathlon shoe. Later in the year, we see Green roll up to both NORBA and world cup

Aussie Michael Rogers won Monday’s 34km individual time trial and grabbed the overall lead of the Route du Sud race in southern France. Rogers was fastest over the rolling course to score his fourth win of the 2003 season. “The route was tricky. There wasn’t even a meter of flat,” Rogers said. “The roads were narrows and dangerous, making it easy to make mistakes. I was very cautious and thankfully everything turned out well.” Rogers moves 1:51 ahead of Frenchman Nicolas Vogondy (Fdjeux.com) with one stage to go. “Tomorrow there are two up hill sections roughly half way through the

Telekom’s Sergei Yakovlev won the seventh and longest stage of the Tour du Suisse on Monday while Lampre’s Francesco Casagrande finished safely in the main bunch to retain the overall lead. The Kazakh rider was part of a six-man breakaway that led for 160 km of the 231-km stage which began in Switzerland and ended just over the German border. Yakovlev’s American teammate, Bobby Julich, was part of an eight-man chase group that was sent down the road in case the leaders wilted under the long distances. Yakovlev jumped out of the break with 15km to go and hung on to score the win while

John Lieswyn and his 7UP-Maxxis squad successfully defended the yellow jersey in the final stage of the Grand Prix Cycliste de Beauce, Lubor Tesar (Ed's Systeme-ZVVZ) just holding off Charles Dionne (Canadian National) to take the final stage victory. Lieswyn had held the jersey from stage one, and started the final stage47 seconds in front of Chris Baldwin (Navigators). Tomas Konecny (Ed'sSystem-ZVVZ) and Danny Pate (Prime Alliance) were also less than a minute behind, so 7 Up could not afford to rest, despite having spent a week at the front of the peloton. The final stage of Beauce is no

Harreither-VAV Versicherung won the 2003 Insight Race Across America team competition Sunday night when the four men crossed the finish line on the boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey at 10:13 p.m.(EST). The four Austrian cyclists rode a relay from San Diego over the course of six days, six hours and 13 minutes. After initial head-to-head battles with Team Vail-Go Fast in the deserts of Southern California, Harreither has led the race since Vail withdrew after one of its riders was killed in a tragic accident in New Mexico. (see "RAAM rider killed in New Mexico") The members of the

Phonak’s Oscar Pereiro held off his pursuers to take a solo victory in the sixth stage of the Tour of Switzerland Sunday, a 135km ride around Silvaplana. Bianchi’s Jan Ullrich came in just over a minute later followed by the promising Kim Kirchen of Luxembourg. Francesco Casagrande (Lampre) retained the overall lead of the race ahead of Tuesday's 33km time trial where second-placed Alexandre Vinokourov (Telekom) is aiming to regain the lead. Kazakh rider Vinokourov may well keep his promise. His 37-second deficit will seem like almost nothing given his excellent season so far, having won

Paternia’s Jose Antonio Pecharroman held off the best efforts of U.S. Postal's Roberto Heras to claim overall victory in the Tour of Catalunya after Sunday's seventh and final stage in Barcelona. The 25-year-old Pecharroman beat Heras by 43 seconds with two more Spaniards Koldo Gil and Rafael Casero coming third and fourth in the overall standings. Angel Vicioso (ONCE) won the final stage after holding off Postal’s George Hincapie in the sprint. Both Heras and Hincapie will be key elements in the American team in the next fortnight as Lance Armstrong gets his record-equalling bid for a

Jose Antonio Pecharroman (Paternina) virtually secured victory in the Tourof Catalunya on Saturday after winning a time trial to take the overalllead from defending champion Roberto Heras.Pecharroman covered the 8.14-mile sixth leg in 21 minutes and 49 seconds.Heras, the defending champion riding for the U.S. Postal Service team,finished 52 seconds back. The time lag cost Heras the nine-second overalllead he held over Pecharroman for the last two days.With one stage remaining, Pecharroman now holds a comfortable 43-secondoverall lead over Heras in Spain's oldest bike race. Sunday's final

Lampre’s Francesco Casagrande won the 177m fifth stage of the Tour of Switzerland Saturday, reaching the summit finish at La Punt with enough of a margin to take the overall lead in the Swiss national tour. Casagrande, who began the day six seconds behind overall leader, Alexandre Vinokourov (Telekom), at the start of the stage, finished 39sec ahead of the Kazakh following the 20km ascent of the Col du Albula at 2315m altitude. When Casagrande attacked only Vinokourov could stay with him though he soon concluded the effort was taking a toll on him and eased off as the Italian continued

John Lieswyn continues to hold onto the lead at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Beauce after two stages back-to-back on Saturday. In the morning's 15-kilometer time trial, the 7UP-Maxxis rider finished second to Navigator's Chris Baldwin, the U.S. national time trial champion. Baldwin, the reigning U.S. time trial champion, professes to be surprised at his performances in the race against the clock this year. "I don't know why, but this year I'm really hot,” Baldwin said. “I guess a good bike equals good results." Eric Wohlberg (Canadian National), the perennial Canadian national time trial

As you slept last night, they rode. As you ate breakfast three days ago, they rode. As you commuted to work all last week, they rode. Think of anything you’ve done over the last week, and while you’ve been doing it, riders in the 2003 Race Across American have been riding. They have endured rainstorms, burning deserts, headwinds, crosswinds and even the joy of the occasional tailwind. They have crossed more than a dozen mountains. They have hammered through the night on roads so straight they could not tell how far they’d gone. They have plummeted in and out of rolling hills so steep,

Rabobank’s Oscar Freire outkicked the bunch to win the fifth stage of the Tour of Catalunya Friday. Freire finished the 166.3km stage from Llivia to Manresa in 3:46:37, ahead of Angel Vicioso (ONCE-Eroski) and Rene Haselbacher (Gerolsteiner). Results:1. Oscar Freire (Sp), Rabobank, 3:46:372. Angel Vicioso (Sp), ONCE-Eroski, same time3. Rene Haselbacher (Aut), Gerolsteiner, s.t.4. Roberto Lozano (Sp), Kelme, s.t.5. Inaki Isasi (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, s.t.6. Carlos Torrent (Sp), Paternina-Costa Almeria, s.t.7. Filippo Pozzato (I), Fassa Bortolo, s.t.8. George Hincapie (USA), U.S. Postal.

Up-and-coming Frenchman Sandy Casar held off a bunch of big-name sprinters to win the fourth stage of the Tour of Switzerland between Viege and Losone on Friday. Casar, the 24-year-old Fdjeux.com rider who made his name when finishing second in last year's Paris-Nice, held off Luxembourg's Kim Kirchen and Australian Stuart O'Grady after the 166.5km ride. Coming in just behind was Australian sprinter Robbie McEwen, the winner of last year's Tour de France green jersey, and CSC's talented Kiwi Julian Dean - both of whom had battled at the finish on Thursday. Alexander Vinokourov of

As Insight Race Across America leader Allen Larsen passed a time station Friday morning in Jefferson City, Missouri, he was nearly 200 miles ahead of second-place Rob Kish. And once again, thanks to back and neck pain from an old traffic accident, he was wearing a back and neck brace – but not the homemade wood-and-duct-tape kind that made his rookie-of-the-year finish last year so memorable. At his current pace, which has fallen a little from challenging Pete Penseyres's 1986 transcontinental record of 15.4 mph, Larsen should win RAAM by Monday. In the team competition, the four-man

John Lieswyn successfully defended his yellow jersey today at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Beauce on the tough Mont Megantic stage, finishing second to former Beauce winner Tomas Konecny, who moved up to second in the general classification. Lieswyn credited his 7UP-Maxxis teammates with inspiring him to ride so well on the feared final climb, which reaches 18 percent in places. "I'm just happy that I didn't let the team down,” he said. “The closer I got to Megantic, the more pressure I felt, because the guys were killing themselves for me. They gave me the confidence and inspiration to do

Francesco Casagrande (Lampre) won the third stage of the Tour of Switzerland on Thursday to move into second place overall. The Italian is now six seconds behind leader AlexanderVinokourov (Telekom) of Kazakhstan, after winning the 205km stage from Nyon to the Saas Fee ski resort in five hours, 10 minutes, 38 seconds. Mountain specialist Casagrande took the initiative on the final 20kmclimb in the Alps after the riders had traveled around Lake Geneva andthrough the valley of the River Rhone. He finished 13 seconds clear ofLuxembourg's Kim Kirchen (Fassa Bortolo), with leader Vinokourov

Jesus Maria Manzano (Kelme) won the fourth stage of the Tour of Catalunya, a 157km race from Andorra to Llivia on Thursday. Rene Hasselbacher (Gerolsteiner) crossed second, followed by Matthias Kessler (Telekom) in third. U.S. Postal’s Roberto Heras finished 13th to retain the overall lead ahead of Jose Pecharroman (Paternita-Costa Almeria) and Santiago Blanco (Colchon Relax-Fuenlabrada). Heras’s teammate George Hincapie cracked the top 10 on today’s stage, crossing in sixth. Results:1. Jesus Maria Manzano (Sp) Kelme, 4:17:552. Rene Hasselbacher (A), Gerolsteiner, at 0:123. Matthias Kessler

Allen Larsen continued to build his lead over the 2003 Insight Race Across America solo field Thursday – he passed through Yates Center, Kansas, 180 miles ahead of second-place Rob Kish. Larsen, last year’s Rookie of the Year, has maintained an average speed of 15.33 mph, just seven-tenths of a second off the record set by Pete Penseyres in 1986 (15.4). Meanwhile, after the tragic loss of teammate Brett Malin in an Tuesday-night accident in rural New Mexico, Team Vail-Go Fast has withdrawn from the race, handing the lead over to Team Harreither-VAV Versich. The Austrian team is also in

Gord Fraser (Health Net) rebounded overnight from a disappointing finish in the second stage of the Grand Prix Cycliste de Beauce to record his 13th career win at the race in stage 3. John Lieswyn (7UP-Maxxis) finished with the peloton and remains in the yellow jersey. The 151km Lac Etchemin stage is one of the hardest in the race, and has been instrumental in determining the final winner in past years. In 2001, Henk Vogels took the leader's jersey during this stage after a long breakaway, and last year a split in the field put all but 20 riders out of contention. The stage is "relentless,"

Wow! That's all I have to say when reflecting on the past seven days. My colleagues have had their hands full covering all the heated racing action going on around the world ... but I've had my plate loaded with late-breaking tech developments. Don't think tech can be as exciting as racing? You've got two choices here: Hit your browser's "Back" button to get your fill of blow-by-blow race coverage, or read on to find out why this has been one of the most exciting weeks of tech coverage since I began working with VeloNews. Dura-Ace again! First off, Dura-Ace is in the house. Well, it was

John Lieswyn (7UP-Maxxis) survived a scare in the final 1500 meters of stage 2 at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Beauce to retain the overall leader's jersey, while Oleg Grishkine (Navigators) took the stage win ahead of local favorite Charles Dionne (Canadian National). The 169km stage through the rolling countryside south of Québec City unfolded as expected, with a break of five riders going clear 6km into the race. Jindrich Vana (Ed's System-ZVVZ) and Trent Wilson (Flanders-Iteamnova.com) started the break, and were quickly joined by Cam Evans (Canadian National), Jeff Hansen (Atlas Cold

Brett Malin, a 30-year-old from Vail, Colorado, was killed late Tuesday when he was hit by an 18-wheel tractor-trailer rig moments after completing a leg of the 2003 Race Across America. Malin, a member of the four-man Vail-Go Fast team, was riding along a rural stretch of U.S. Highway 60, 10 miles east of Pie Town, New Mexico, when he completed a 30-minute relay leg in the race a few minutes before midnight and was quickly relieved by teammate Zach Bingham. As is the practice of teams competing in RAAM, Malin’s pace vehicle passed him to continue down the course with the team’s new rider.

Dear Monique;I just read your article on pre-race eating. I will be racing for thefirst time this July and this is a big concern for me as I am very sensitiveto low fuel levels. I have heard that it is a good idea to eat three hoursbefore a race. Most of the races I know of start around 8:00 a.m. to 8:30a.m. This requires eating at 5:00 a.m., or so. The problems I have withthis are waking up (and feeling rested) and being able to eat any kindof significant amount that early in morning. Even at my normal waking hour,I can’t eat much. Is this really the best way? Are there alternatives orother

Mario Cipollini's Domina Vacanze team on Wednesday threatened to sue the organizers of the Tour de France for being excluded from this year's race. In a statement posted on its official website, Domina Vacanze team officials said that if their appeal to the UCI to be included in the Tour was rejected they would seriously consider taking legal action in the matter. The Italian team, which was overlooked for one of the four wild card places, is unhappy that several of the teams invited to take part in this year's centenary race ranked considerably below Domina Vacanze in the UCI rankings.

Lotto-Domo's Robbie McEwen has claimed his first-ever stage win in the Tour de Suisse on Wednesday. The 31-year-old Aussie topped a Southern Hemispheric podium he beat CSC’s New Zealander Julian Dean and fellow Australian Stuart O'Grady (Crédit Agricole). Telekom’s Alexandre Vinokourov retained the overall lead. Another Australian Bradley McGee saw his hopes of playing a part in the finish ruined as he had his route blocked by a Lotto team-mate of McEwen's in the final 500 meters - it also prevented him from gaining enough bonus time to replace Vinokourov as overall leader. However McEwen

Dear Lennard;I'm building a front wheel for my new FSR, and I am concerned about the torsional rigidity of the front wheel. The spare parts I have can allow me to do radial lacing or standard three-cross. I'm running a Fox Float RL 80mm fork, a standard non-disc XT front hub, and a Bontrager Valiant 32-hole rim. I have run both wheels (three-cross and radial laced) on my old bike with a 75mm Marzocchi bomber Z3, and the three-cross wheel seemed to steer much better. I would prefer to do the radial because it looks cool and I have nice butted spokes for that wheel. By the way I weigh 180, am

After an aggressive ride, Telekom’s Alexander Vinokourov took a win in the opening stage of the Tour de Suisse. Vinokourov had been on the attack throughout the latter portion of the 163km stage from Egerkingen to Le Locle, but never managed to initiate a successful break until the closing meters as the peloton charged to the finish in Le Locle. Vinokourov managed to slip away with Fassa Bortolo’s Sergei Ivanov, before beating the Russian to the line, in a winning time of 4:13:43. Miguel Angel Martin Perdiguero (Domina Vacanze) took third, two seconds back. The victory was particularly

The 2003 Insight Race Across America moved into it’s third day and the field strung out across Arizona and New Mexico by Tuesday morning. Allen Larsen leads the solo field commandingly, hitting the Pie Town, New Mexico time station at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. Larsen’s strategy of not sleeping until New Mexico is paying off. His impressive 14.94 mile per hour average has put him about 4.5 hours in front of rookie phenomenon Marko Baloh and almost 6 hours up on 18-time RAAM racing legend Rob Kish. But such a risk can just as easily work against Larsen as for him. His support crew has

The Grande Prix Cycliste de Beauce kicked off Tuesday with a hard 125-kilometer stage around the environs of Quebec City. John Lieswyn (7Up-Maxxis) took the stage and the first leader's jersey in a two-up finish with Chris Baldwin (Navigators). The opening stage was a wake up call to the riders: you will be climbing; A lot. After four circuits of an 8-kilometer loop with a significant climb on the south side of the St Lawrence River, in the town of Levis, the peloton headed north across the river to Quebec, where they did another eight circuits, with a tough 14-percent climb each lap. The

Monday, June 16th As the sun came up on the second day of the Insight Race Across America on Monday, the lead solo racers have already passed the time station in Congress, Arizona, 336 miles into the race. Riders weathered temperatures reaching beyond 110 degrees across the Southern California desert before making it into the steep, but cooler, roads of Arizona. By Monday morning there was a battle developing at the front of the race for the lead. Through Sunday night, the number one position on the road changed hands several times as four riders, Rob Kish, Marco Baloh, Allen Larsen, and

Fassa Bortolo’s Fabian Cancellara was the fastest Monday in the opening prologue of the 67th Tour de Suisse on a 7.1km course in Egerkingen. The 22-year-old Swiss rider won the opening prologue of the Tour of Romandie last month and pipped Spanish rider Oscar Pereiro (Phonak) just one second. Aussie Brad McGee (Fdjeux.com) came across third at two seconds slower. “The course was very hard, but the crowd carried me along,” Cancellara said. “I think my team can win this race, but maybe not me. I still have time.” Defending champion Alex Zülle finished fourth at four seconds back. It was

After a halting start to his season, former Tour de France champion and four-time runner-up Jan Ullrich said Sunday that it is probably unrealistic for him to expect to contest for overall victory in this year’s Tour de France, adding that the Vuelta a España and the world championships are his top targets for the year. "I am not placing myself under any special pressure, because I could not carry out perfect preparation for the Tour," the German cyclist, who won the world's toughest cycling race in 1997, told NZZ am Sonntag. Ullrich, who is taking on the Tour of Switzerland starting on

Lance Armstrong quieted the nay-sayers Sunday and won his second consecutive Dauphiné Libéré after holding off yet more attacks from the indefatigable Iban Mayo in the 174km finale from Briançon to Grenoble. Cofidis rider Cedric Vasseur attacked on the Category 1 Col du Coq with 40km to go to win his first race of the season. Mayo tried in vain to shake Armstrong one last time but the Texan matched his every move. Mayo, Armstrong, Credit Agricole’s Christophe Moreau and iBanesto.com’s Juan Miguel Mercado rolled in at 2:09 back of Vasseur. It was an exciting and intense week for Armstrong,

After riding Saturday’s cross-country in leftover mud from Friday’s drenching rain, riders were treated to a batch of fresh mud during the NORBA NCS #2 short track cross-country at Snowshoe Mountain, West Virginia. The skies opened up at 10 a.m. Sunday, and a steady downpour created slick conditions on the short, fast track, but Subaru-Gary Fisher’ Chrissy Redden and Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (RLX-Ralph Lauren) stayed upright and at the front to take the STXC titles. For Redden, it was a sixth NORBA short track win, and perhaps her hardest fought. Midway through the race, a strong front group

The solo riders in the 2003 Insight Race across America rolled out along San Diego’s Harbor Boulevard at 7 a.m. Sunday, escorted by police motorcycles and several hundred local cyclists and supporters, beginning a cross-country competition that will end more than eight days later on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In the 18-rider field rode Rob Kish, a 17-time finisher, ultramarathon cycling legend and inspiration to anyone who has attempted the RAAM since he first lined up in 1985. Beside him rode Allen Larsen, last year’s Rookie of the Year and a definite contender for this

It was another stellar day for the men and women of Saturn Cycling, as they swept the closing stage — and overall — of Minnesota’s Nature Valley Grand Prix, with Trent Klasna and Katie Mactier taking top honors. Saturn dominated the podium all week long; both the men and women won four of their respective five stages. Coming into Sunday’s Stillwater criterium, Mactier’s podium-top finish was all but assured, but then again, it was so thought of Saturn’s powerful Viktor Rapinski, who started the stage with a 1:02 lead over defending race champion John Lieswyn (7UP-Maxxis). But it was not

On Fathers' Day, June 15, five-month-old Zach McCarthy watched his dad take on some of the biggest names in U.S. domestic racing and beat every one of them to the white line. With a field that included Tour de France veteran Jonathan Vaughters, national time-trial champ Chris Baldwin, and a host of top locals, the 2003 Historic Downtown Longmont (Colorado) Criterium provided an exciting day of racing. Picturesque manicured streets, pleasant temperatures and a gentle breeze disguised the exercise in suffering that ensued from the gun. As Travis Jones (Team Stealth), observed, the flat

Editor's note: Vincent Gee is mechanic for the U.S. Postal ServiceCycling Team, largely responsible for the domestic circuit. Gee will bereporting back to VeloNews.com throughout the season.June 5 - Tuesday’s race in Lancaster was raining all day long but today (Thursday), it was dry. Nonetheless, it was bike wash, followed by bike wash, followed by yet another bike wash yesterday and this morning. The Lancaster race ended really late Tuesday so we put the dirty bikes away for the night and set off to a late dinner. Wednesday morning Julien (head mechanic) Allen Buttler and I pulled them