Road

Comunidad Valenciana-Kelme has been through the wringer the past few weeks. First, the team has endured the indignity of fired racer Jesus Manzano's charges of organized doping practices within the team, in a paid interview in one of Spain’s largest sports dailies. Then the team was banned from the Tour de France, followed by the Giro d’Italia, which delivered the same bad news just yesterday. On the heels of all this, new title sponsor Comunidad Valenciana announced it is having second thoughts about spending 1.8 million euros to underwrite a team that only races in Spain. But Alejandro

Tom Danielson is racing in this week’s Tour de Romandie in Switzerland, his third major stage race in Europe since penning a two-year deal with the Italian team Fassa Bortolo. The 26-year-old Coloradan is quickly learning the ropes of European-style racing. His first race with Fassa Bortolo was GP Costa delgi Etruschi, an early season jaunt along the Italian coast. Hassles with his working papers prompted a quick trip back to Colorado in March before his first ‘real’ race at Setmana Catalana, a tough UCI-rated 2.1 race in northern Spain. Illness promoted Danielson to pull out of the even

Scott Moninger (Health Net-Maxxis) won the 92-mile Silver City to Mogollon stage of the Tour of the Gila Thursday, leading a strung-out peloton up the final 5.5-mile Category 1 finshing climb and finishing 20 seconds ahead defending winner Drew Miller (Landis-Trek-VW). With his effort, Moninger overtook time-trial winner Ryan Blickem (Aida's Bail Bonds) for the lead on the general classification. And although Blickem’s full-minute advantage after yesterday’s time trial was enough to keep him in the GC hunt after finishing 2:24 down on Thursday, it looks like the Tour of the Gila will live

The knives were out in what was expected to be an innocuous second stage of the 58th Tour de Romandie in Switzerland on Thursday With some serious mountain stages on the menu Friday and Saturday, Thursday’s 156km circuit stage into Romont served up a nice appetizer for what awaits this weekend. Stefano Garzelli (Vini Caldirola) confirmed he’s on rising form just in time for the Giro d’Italia with an impressive stage-win on the rising finish near the historic chateau at Romont. A winner two weeks ago at the Tour of Aragon in Spain, Garzelli led home a group of 27 riders fractured by Phonak’s

We’re still settling down from the madness that was this year’s Sea Otter. While you can read the blow-by-blow race coverage in VeloNews No. 8, I thought I’d follow up on one of the more interesting tech stories fluttering about the Laguna Seca raceway: The return of Scott U.S.A to the United States market. You may or may not remember when Scott – which began life as a ski pole manufacturer – became involved in cycling. The company started producing aero' handlebars based on Boone Lennon's design way back in 1986. Of course, the brand really hit the big time when Greg LeMond used a Scott

Race officials revealed the 2005 Tour de France will start with a 19kmindividual time trial with the Vendée region of western France hostingthe “grand depart.”The time trial and two road stages will be featured for the openingof the 92nd edition July 2-4, 2005, which will then push east toward Choletinto central France, Societe du Tour de France officials revealed Thursday.Challans will be the site of the “Grand depart,” but the first stagewill be a 19km ITT from nearby Fromentine to Noirmoutier en l’Ile. Becauseof its length, it will be called stage one rather than a prologue, raceofficials

Veteran sprinter Jan Svorada (Lampre) proved he still has it in the sprint, taking victory Wednesday in the opening road stage of the 58th Tour de Romandie against a field of young guns nipping at his heels. The 35-year-old Czech sprinter has racked up 70 wins since turning pro in 1991, including stage victories in all three grand tours. He won his second race as a pro at Romandie in 1992, but seemed happier in 2004. “I’ve arrived here in good condition and I really wanted to win a stage,” said Svorada, who barely held off a late-charge by Marco Zanotti (Vini Caldirola). “The team worked

The peloton ripped apart over a Category 2 climb midway through the opening stage of the five-day Vuelta a Castilla y León in northern Spain. Strong winds finished off the job as José Ivan Gutierrez (Illes Balears) drove home a seven-man group. Pre-race favorites Comunidad Valenciana-Kelme missed the move, which Liberty Seguros had leader Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano safely tucked into the seven-rider group that came through 29 seconds ahead of the chasing Alejandro Valverde (Comunidad Valenciana-Kelme). Joining Gutierrez in the lead break were Galdeano, teammate David Navas, Gorka Beloki (La

Dear Monique,I have heard a lot about the glycemic index. There seems to be no low glycemic index sports drink on the market. I know that Gatorade is high glycemic, and that fructose is low glycemic. Wouldn’t a fructose only sports drink be better (provided it had the right balance of electrolytes)? It would be low glycemic and work for diabetics, and not raise insulin or blood sugar levels like sucrose. Wouldn’t this be a better alternative than a high glycemic product? I have heard some negatives things about fructose in relation to tolerance. Also, how important is the 4- to 8-percent

The 18th annual 2004 National Geographic Adventure Tour of the Gila got underway Wednesday in Silver City, New Mexico, opening with the Tyrone Time Trial, a hilly 16-mile out-and-back course. Ryan Blickem (Aida’s Bail Bonds) of Albuquerque, New Mexico took the men’s event in 36:01, a full minute ahead of second place and former Gila winner Scott Moninger (Healthnet/Maxxis). In the women’s time trial, Amber Neben (T-Mobile), posted a time 18 seconds faster than her teammate Mari Holden, a former world champion time trialist and fresh of a three-day, four-stage training stint in the pro men’s

Brad McGee – winner of the 2003 Tour de France opening prologue – sliced his way through a short, technical course in Geneva to win Tuesday’s opening prologue of the 58th Tour of Romandie. Fueled by his recent success on the track, McGee put his excellent time trial skills to good use on the narrow 3.4km course to claim the victory three seconds faster than Olaf Pollack (Gerolsteiner). Defending champion Tyler Hamilton (Phonak) didn’t take any unnecessary risks and finished fifth at eight seconds back. Hamilton’s Phonak team, motivated to win the race on home soil, put three riders into

Dear Lennard,Aargh -- so much about getting UST tires on the rim (seelastweek's Technical Q&A), now what about some help with getting themoff!?!? I mounted my tires pretty easily, but I just bought some Stan's andneed to yank them off again to install the Stan's. And I can't for thelife of me get them off. Any help?Philip Dear Philip,The first thing you need to do is to deflate it completely. Starting opposite the valve, push one bead inward with your thumb sothat it drops into the rim valley all of the way around. That reduces thecircumference it encompasses when you push it over the

Over the last week I have been in Belgium, at a hotel just outside of Liège. This was our base for the Ardennes classics of the spring: Amstel, Fleche and Liège. The hotel here is a bit of a bike zoo at the moment with several teams of riders cooped up in rooms, bikes and trucks filling the parking lot and fans flowing in and out of the lobby looking for a photo with their hero or a free hat or water-bottle. This week marks the transition in the season from the flatter cobbled races to the hillier races. Some of the riders from Roubaix will push through until Amstel but few will go all the

Dario Frigo, plagued by a viral infection since Paris-Nice, won’t start next month’s Giro d’Italia. Instead, Fassa Bortolo has tapped the in-form Frank Vandenbroucke to take his place as team captain. Frigo became sick during Paris-Nice and has been unable to effectively train since then. Frigo -- kicked out of the 2001 Giro by his team after being found with banned substances during the San Remo raids -- scored victories last year at Paris-Nice and won a Giro stage, but has yet to win this year. Vandenbroucke, meanwhile, has been riding strong throughout the spring despite not scoring a

Final Overall Standings 1. Lance Armstrong (USA) U.S. Postal Service, at 1066.4km in 25:39:20 (41.566kph) 2. Jens Voigt (G) CSC, at 0:24 3. Chris Horner (USA) Webcor, at 1:01 4. Bobby Julich (USA) CSC, at 1:57 5. Viatcheslav Ekimov (Rus) U.S. Postal Service, at 2:59 6. Cesar Grajales Calle (Col) Jittery Joe's Coffee, at 3:07 7. Scott Moninger (USA) Health Net/Maxxis, at 3:44 8. Sergio Marinangeli (I) Domina Vacanze, at 4:06 9. Brian Vandborg (Dk) CSC, at 4:52 10. Eric Wohlberg (CAN) Sierra Nevada, at 5:25 Full Results

PHONAK HEARING SYSTEMS1. Tyler Hamilton (USA)2. Niki Aebersold (Swi)3. Oscar Camenzind (Swi)4. Martin Elmiger (Swi)5. Bert Grabsch (G)6. Gutierrez José Enrique (Sp)7. Oscar Pereiro Sio (Sp)8. Gregory Rast (Swi)T-MOBILE TEAM11. Steffen Wesemann (G)12. Mario Aerts (B)13. Giuseppe Guerini (I)14. Matthias Kessler (G)15. Klöden Andréas (G)16. Daniele Nardello (I)17. Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz)18. Erik Zabel (G)LOTTO - DOMO21. Peter Van Petegem (B)22. Serge Baguet (B)23. Christophe Brandt (B)24. Thierry Marichal (B)25. Axel Merckx (B)27. Rik Verbrugghe (B)28. Piotr Wadecki (Pol)29. Glenn D'Hollander

Tyler Hamilton said Sunday that he is focusing all of his efforts on a strong showing at this year’s Tour de France, perhaps joining his former boss and teammate on the podium. The 33-year-old from Massachusetts, who left U.S. Postal just over two years ago having helped Lance Armstrong win the first three of five yellow jerseys, failed to repeat his success from last year when he won the Liège-Bastogne- Liège World Cup classic for the Danish CSC team. Hamilton on Sunday finished ninth on the season's fifth World Cup race, finishing 12 seconds behind winner Davide Rebellin who claimed his

There was plenty of racing in Europe beyond the Ardennes. Here’s a round-up of all of Sunday’s other action: Cunego takes another winRising Italian star Damiano Cunego (Saeco) took another big victory Sunday in the 65th Giro dello Appennino (ITA 1.2), an important one-day race coming just days following his breakthrough victory at the Giro di Trentino earlier this week. 65th Giro dello Appennino (ITA 1.2)1. Damiano Cunego (I), Saeco 5h13:372. Giuliano Figueras (I), Ceramiche Panaria3. Rinaldo Nocentini (I), Acqua & Sapone4. Luis Jimenez (Col), Formaggi Pinzolo5. Gilberto Simoni (I),

Davide Frattini (Team Monex) and Lynn Gaggioli (T-Mobile) wrapped up the overall titles at La Vuelta de Bisbee Sunday morning despite both final stages being won by gutsy solo breakaways. Burke Swindlehurst (Navigators) found a reserve of strength after having to contend for his top-three spot without team support and powered the infamous Tombstone Canyon climb for his solo win. In an almost 50-mile breakaway, two-year cycling veteran Michelle Beltran (Red 5 Racing), stormed up the final climb minutes ahead of the field to claim her stage win. The day opened with GC leaders holding known,

There’s now little doubt that Gerolsteiner’s Italian wonder man Davide Rebellin is the man of the week, the man of the month, maybe even the man of the year. That seven-year gap between World Cup victories after the two he scored in August 1997 was more like a blockage than a drought. Suddenly, last Sunday in the Netherlands, the dam broke and in eight days Rebellin has simply swept away his opposition in a torrent of victories: Amstel Gold Race, Flèche Wallonne, Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

Gord Fraser of Health Net-Maxxis took the final stage of the Dodge Tour de Georgia Sunday, beating out Juan Jose Haedo (Colavita Olive Oil) and 2002 world champion Mario Cipollini (Domina Vacanze) in a high-speed 65kph dash to the line. There were no significant changes to the general classification, sealing the final overall victory for U.S. Postal-Berry Floor's Lance Armstrong.

Tyler Hamilton (Phonak) said he’s feeling strong and will be motivated to defend his title in Sunday’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège race in Belgium. Since joining Phonak, the popular New Englander has been quietly building his form for July’s Tour de France. He narrowly missed victory in the final time trial at the Tour of the Basque Country in early April and worked himself into an early attack in Wednesday’s Flèche Wallone. “You maybe didn't see it on Wednesday, but I consider myself to be in good shape, maybe slightly below that of a year ago but not by much,” Hamilton told Belgian newspaper La

The sunshine that enveloped the green hills of the Ardennes Saturday evening augers well for the Italians who have arrived in force for Sunday’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Not only do they have the highest number of starters (44) and teams (six) for this World Cup race, but they have also delivered the race winner four times in the past seven years. Last year, of course, Tyler Hamilton broke their stranglehold with a brilliant solo victory ahead of two other non-Italians, Spaniard Iban Mayo of Euskaltel-Euskadi and Dutchman Michael Boogerd of Rabobank. Both Hamilton (race No. 1) and Boogerd (No.

Colombian climber Cesar Grajales of the Athens-based Jittery Joe’s team won one for the homeboys on Saturday, and our man Casey Gibson was on the scene as Grajales, race leader Lance Armstrong (U.S. Postal Service-Berry Floor), second-placed Jens Voigt (CSC) and defending champion Chris Horner (Webcor Builders) fought for every steep yard along the climb to the highest point in Georgia. Check out Casey's photo gallery from stage 6:

Kate Sherwin (Team Kenda Tire) and Scott Blanchard (Eclipse Racing) won the first of two stages on Saturday during the 26th annual La Vuelta de Bisbee in Arizona. The morning’s stage also shook up the overall, with Lynn Gaggioli (T-Mobile) and Davide Frattini (Team Monex) taking over the lead on GC. Come the afternoon’s 8.3-mile Warren Time Trial, Gaggioli padded her overall lead by winning the stage, while Frattini surrendered a bit of time to defending LVDB champion Drew Miller (Landis-Trek-VW), who took the men’s win. The Sulphur Springs Road Race course rolled out of the old mining town

Colombian climber Cesar Grajales of the Athens, Georgia-based Jittery Joe’s team took the biggest victory of his career Saturday at the Dodge Tour de Georgia, escaping from a select group to solo away atop the hors categorie Brasstown Bald Mountain ascent.

Our man Casey Gibson was on the job in Georgia today for what he called a "great, great stage." And as usual, he caught both stars and watercarriers in the performance of their duties. Here's a look at his stage-5 portfolio.

Burke Swindlehurst (Navigators) and Brooke Ourada (Victory Brewing) were fastest out of the gate on Friday as the 26th La Vuelta de Bisbee got under way in southern Arizona. The four-stage NRC event kicked off with the Mule Pass Individual Time Trial, a 2.8-mile grinder with 837 feet of elevation gain that wound through the center street in this small desert town and up the switchbacks of Tombstone Canyon. A head wind blasted the opening mile and a half, enhancing the difficulty of the climb. Swindlehurst covered the course in 10:01, just three seconds faster than Jacob Erker (Team

My T-Mobile teammates traveled home to America 10 days ago after a month of racing in Europe. They passed up on racing Flèche Wallonne in favor of a little rest, relaxation and build-up for the next set of races on the schedule. I was eager to race at Flèche, though I’d be without teammates – I had never competed in this classic race before and knew it would be a course that I would like. I got the opportunity to race with a mixed team, Basis–T-Mobile, a truly international squad with riders from Canada, the United States, Israel and France. They live in the Aude region of France between

Jason McCartney shot out of a six-man breakaway with more than 32km remaining to win the epic 137.5-mile fifth stage of the Dodge Tour de Georgia on Friday. The Health Net-Maxxis rider made his move on the fourth of five classified climbs as the break's lead over a U.S. Postal-driven chase began to dwindle, from six minutes to four.

Reigning world road champion Igor Astarloa has been released by the embattled Cofidis team because he wanted to compete in two one-day classics next week and the team has abandoned competition while conducting an investigation into allegations of organized doping by several former and current riders. "Igor Astarloa is now free to sign for another team," said Cofidis in a statement on Friday. The 28-year-old Spaniard, who had joined the team in January and was under contract until 2006, will now join the Italian team Lampre. Another of the team's reigning champions, Britain's David Millar,

The day after Lance Armstrong scored a rare double victory in a single day at the Dodge Tour de Georgia, the U.S. Postal Service announced that it will cease sponsoring the five-time Tour de France winner and his team at the end of the 2004 season. The postal service, which has sponsored the team for eight years in an effort to increase business overseas, has decided to go “in another direction” with its advertising, spokesman Gerry McKiernan told The Associated Press. The agency has been criticized for spending money on the sponsorship, particularly in light of three postal-rate increases

On the same day that Jan Ullrich announced that he had opted out of Sunday’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège World Cup, Dodge Tour de Georgia crowd favorite Lance Armstrong fired a warning shot to his Tour de France rival when he won the stage 3 field sprint into Rome, finishing ahead of Ivan Dominguez (Colavita Olive Oil) and Ben Brooks (Jelly Belly).

It really hasn’t been all that long since an elite cyclist won two UCI-sanctioned races on the same day: seven weeks, to be precise. The rider was CSC’s Jens Voigt, and the event was the two-day, three stage French Critérium International. Voigt took the overall on March 28 by winning the 98.5km morning climbing stage in a three-up sprint, and followed up with a win in the final 8.3km time trial, besting U.S. Postal-Berry Floor’s Lance Armstrong by four seconds on the stage and 14 seconds overall.

Spanish climber Juan Miguel Mercardo (Quick Step) went on the attack in the third stage of the Giro di Trentino and was rewarded with a stage victory for his efforts. Mercado attacked the lead group at the Passo Uldarico climb and held on to win, 25 seconds ahead of Giuseppe Muraglia (Formaggi Pinzolo Fiave). The new father quickly dedicated the victory to his daughter. “It is a great satisfaction to have won today. During the last climb I made another attack and I arrived at the finish line alone,” Mercado said. “I want to dedicate this victory to my daughter, Aiñoa, who was born three

The first major reform of professional cycling became a reality here Thursday when the sport's ruling body announced dates for the all-new Pro Tour circuit. As of next year 28 of Europe's most popular races - from the one-day Paris-Roubaix classic to the three-week Tour de France - will become part of a circuit that aims to solidify competition by obliging all major teams, licensed by the Union Cycliste Internationale, to take part. "Our aim is to begin a more realistic project," said Alain Rumpf, the president of the Professional Cycling Council who announced the news here ahead of

Drew Miller (Landis-Trek-VW) will be on hand to defend his title at the 26th La Vuelta de Bisbee this weekend, beginning with Friday’s Mule Pass Individual Time Trial. The 36-year-old Flagstaff racer says both he and his team are somewhat weaker than they’d like to be going into the four-stage National Race Calendar event – Miller is recovering from a bout of flu, while teammate Scott Price had a nasty crash at the Redlands Bicycle Classic. “My form and fitness were good earlier this spring,” Miller said. “Redlands started well, but I ended it with the flu. I've taken a couple steps back

Only three of the one-day European classics have summit finishes: the Amstel Gold Race, the Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. After winning the first two of these races in the past four days, Italy’s Davide Rebellin is uncannily confident that he can win the third of these hilly events this coming Sunday.

When Italian superstar “Super Mario” Cipollini failed to contest the opening sprint stage of the Dodge Tour de Georgia on Monday, the sport’s cognoscenti immediately questioned what might be amiss with 2002 world champion. Was it the criterium-style finishing circuits that slowed down his Domina Vacanze lead-out train? Was he out of sorts in the near 90-degree heat? Perhaps he had simply arrived in the U.S. out of shape, or maybe, some supposed, the realities of age had finally caught up with the 37-year-old sprinter.

Like an annual rite of spring, the Sea Otter is not only the first major outing of both domestic and international-caliber mountain and road teams, but it’s also one of the best opportunities to see next year’s product now. Here’s a quick look at an assortment of mountain bike related goodies spotted while we roamed the pits. Photo #1 The most significant question of the day for the pro racers competing in the super XC was tire selection. Choices ranged from traditional size 26x2.0 knobby and semi-slick tires to 700x32c cyclo-cross tires. On of the race’s favorites, Trek/VW’s Sue Haywood

The reigning French national women’s champion Sonia Huguet scored her first international victory at Wednesday’s Flèche Wallonne, but it was the fight for the 2004 UCI World Cup that held center stage at the hilly 97.5km event. And that brought added success to Australia’s Oenone Wood, who extended her overall lead by 20 points on Russia’s Zulfia Zabirova. So after five of the year’s nine World Cup races, Wood has 202 points to Zabirova’s 154, while Mirjam Melchers of the Netherlands remained in third with 115 despite finishing outside the points Wednesday. After Wood, 23, crossed the line

Just in case anyone thought Tuesday's victory was a fluke, Italian Damiano Cunego (Saeco) won Wednesday's demanding five-climb second stage to secure his hold on the leader's jersey in the Giro di Trentino. Cunego, the 1999 junior world champion, shot off alone to win the 171km second stage to win in 4 hours, 50 minutes, 23 seconds. The 22-year-old finished 34 seconds ahead of Saeco team captain and Trentino defending champion Gilberto Simoni. The four-stage Giro di Trentino continues Thursday with the 165km third stage from Roncone Breguzzo to Fiavè. Giro di Trentino (ITA 2.2), Stage 21.

Dear Lennard,The question is simple enough: What is the quickest/best way to change/fixa tubeless tire? While I love the ride characteristics and generally betterflat resistance of tubeless, fixing a flat--when it eventually does happen-orsimply swapping tires for another tread pattern is nothing short of anordeal. Skinned knuckles, broken tire levers (which you're not supposedto use anyway) and at least a half-hour's worth mano-a-rubber WWF styleaction seem to be the minimum commitment. On a recent ride, a friend who used a tubeless sealant nicked his sidewallon a sharp rock, adding a

Canadian veteran Gord Fraser (Health Net-Maxxis) took the opening stage of the 2004 Dodge Tour de Georgia Tuesday, beating sprint specialist Ivan Dominguez (Colavita Olive Oil) and last month’s Criterium International winner Jens Voigt (CSC) to the finish line in front of an enthusiastic downtown Macon crowd. Fraser’s lead-out man Greg Henderson finished fourth, with Landbouwkredit-Colnago’s Ukrainian sprinter Yuri Metlushenko in fifth.

Defending Dodge Tour de Georgia champion Chris Horner made a bold pre-race press conference statement Monday when he announced he would not be content with anything less than overall victory. “My form is very good,” said Horner, who is fresh off an overall win at the Sea Otter Classic to add to his stage race wins at Redlands, Pomona Valley and just about every other domestic stage race he has chosen over the past two years. “I’ve got the legs and I’m here to win. Anything less and I won’t be satisfied.” It’s not the first time Horner has predicted victory. Last September, on the eve of the

Former junior world champion Damiano Cunego (Saeco) delivered his first big victory as a pro in the opening stage of the four-day Giro di Trentino in northern Italy. The 22-year-old, who won the junior world title in 1999, attacked late in the 168km opening stage and held off Jure Golcer (Formaggi Pinzolo Fiave) to take the stage. Vaunted as one of the future grand tour hopes in Italy, Cunego is a keen climber eager to show his stuff in the next month’s Giro d’Italia. Two-time Giro champion Gilberto Simoni (Saeco) came to life under the Italian (not Tuscan) sun and finished sixth in the

Gilberto Simoni admitted he’s not on the same form as he was this time last year after stumbling through a lackluster string of performances in Spain. The defending Giro d’Italia champion said cold, rainy weather during the Tour of the Basque Country and the Tour of Aragon were not to his liking. He abandoned both races while arch-rival Stefano Garzelli (Vini Caldirola) took victory in Aragon on final-day time bonuses. "I know I’m not in the same form as I was last year and I know that Garzelli is definitely riding better than me at the moment,” Simoni said on the team’s web page. “However,

Pro racers from across the U.S. and Europe trickled in to the town of Macon,Georgia, over the weekend as organizers of the country’s richest stagerace, the Dodge Tour de Georgia, made final preparations to commence racingTuesday, April 20. In only its second year, the event received a huge boost with the Januaryannouncement that five-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong wouldbring his U.S. Postal Service-Berry Floor team to the event and use therace as preparation for a sixth consecutive Tour win. Shortly thereafter,2003 title-sponsor Dodge renewed its commitment for 2004, and a more

Joe and Dirk answer questions on rowing for cyclists and customizing a second peak

It had been seven years since Gerolsteiner’s Davide Rebellin had taken back-to-back World Cup victories at the Clasica San Sebastian and Championship of Zürich. And despite having won 30 races since then, he was desperate to regain the prestige that had been grabbed in recent years by his fellow Italians Paolo Bettini and Danilo Di Luca.

Alison Dunlap and Filip Meirhaeghe entered Sunday’s cross-country races with the same goal but entirely different strategies. Dunlap needed do little more than follow the wheels in front of her, knowing that as long as she stayed close her 1:03 lead in the overall standings was safe. Meirhaeghe, meanwhile, had some work to do. Trailing GC leader Seamus McGrath by 14 seconds, and with three other riders in front of him, the reigning world champion would need to go on the attack if he hoped to end up with the day’s biggest prize. In the end both plans worked, as Dunlap and Meirhaeghe left

Stefano Garzelli (Vini Caldirola) outfoxed – and outsprinted – Denis Menchov (Illes Balears) to snatch overall victory in the 49th Tour of Aragon in Spain. Garzelli finished third behind stage-winner Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo) to earn a four-second time bonus to put him in a tie with Menchov, who held the lead since winning the opening stage Wednesday to the ski area at Valdelinares. Based on stage placements, however, Garzelli earned the tie-breaker and the overall title in an important victory as he prepares for next month’s Giro d’Italia. “The objective was to arrive in good

With a stiff crosswind blowing across the Laguna Seca Raceway, the third event of the Sea Otter Classic mountain-bike stage race saw a former (Alison Dunlap) and current (Filip Meirhaeghe) world champion take short track wins on a cool Saturday afternoon. In the women’s race it was overall race leader Dunlap (Luna) breaking away from a lead group of four on the last lap, earning her second stage win in three days. Right on Dunlap’s wheel was Canadian Melanie McQuaid, who made the initial last-lap move that would eventually spring Dunlap to the win. “Melanie really split the field by

Reigning champion Alexandre Vinokourov leads a growing list of contenders for victory at Sunday's Amstel Gold Race, where the Dutch hosts will be hoping that Michael Boogerd's ship comes in. Along with compatriot and Rabobank teammate Erik Dekker, the 31-year-old Dutchman is the most popular rider in the country, but since his only win here in 1999 he has had to stop short of the top step on his other three visits to the podium. Dekker has also won the race, in 2001. Last year, “Boogie,” a stage winner on the 2002 Tour de France, had to shuffle with Lance Armstrong in the final kilometers

A day after losing a stage by inches in the Tour of Aragon, Spanish rider Oscar Laguna (Relax-Bodysol) got it right in Saturday’s 192km fourth stage from Huesca to La Muela. Laguna, who lost to compatriot Constantino Zaballa (Saunier Duval) in a photo-finish Friday into Sabiñanigo, nipped Colombian rider Ivan Parra (CV-Kelme) to take his team’s first win of the 2004 season. Laguna and Parra were the only survivors out of a seven-man break that split away early in Saturday’s relatively flat stage. The hard-working main bunch slowly picked off the break, but the two stayed away. Parra started

Chris Horner wasn’t shy when talking about his strategy for today’s 100-mile road race finale to the 2004 Sea Otter Stage Race: wait as long as possible to attack for the stage and overall win. Neither was he coy when discussing the reason for his simple plan: save his legs as much as possible for the Tour of Georgia, which starts on Tuesday. The beauty of Horner’s simple plan was that it actually worked, giving the 32-year-old Webcor rider the stage and overall victories in the three-stage event. With a few fruitless breaks punctuating the first three-quarters of the stage, and with the

For 16 of the 17 laps in Friday’s women’s circuit race at the Laguna Seca Raceway it seemed that the winner would emerge from the lumbering pack. But after a disappointing ride in yesterday’s prologue, Lyne Bessette (Quark) decided that leaving her fortunes to a field sprint was a bad idea. So with less than a lap to go, Bessette launched a go-for-broke attack on the course’s main climb. And it worked. “I wanted to take one shot,” said Bessette. “I didn’t want to do two attacks at 80 percent, I wanted to do one at 100 percent. I knew it wasn’t going to come down to a field sprint, because

Representatives of French cycling, which has been rocked recently by the Cofidis doping affair, have agreed that doping testers should be allowed to carry out random controls at riders' homes. Random dope testing at athletes' homes is against the law in France – however, since the Cofidis affair exploded in January, a number of top riders have spoken out about the need for harsh measures. A roundtable meeting held in Paris Friday brought together the management of top teams, the French cycling federation, riders and race organizers in a bid to thrash out the possible solutions to the

The action was hot despite the cold and rain in Friday’s third stage of the Tour of Aragon in Spain. Constantino Zaballa (Saunier Duval) won a photo-finish, seven-up sprint against Oscar Laguna (Relax-Bodysol) as Denis Menchov (Illes Balears) retained the overall lead. Zaballa and Laguna were part of a seven-man break that peeled away from the main bunch over the final Category 3 climb about 25km from the finish line, and the chase was on. Illes Balears checked an early move that chugged away over the day’s main obstacles – two Cat. 1 climbs in the opening 90km. Menchov was part of the

Canadians Seamus McGrath and Kiara Bisaro walked away with stage wins on day two of the Sea Otter Classic mountain bike stage race. But Friday’s time trial didn’t change the names at the top of the overall standings, as American Alison Dunlap and Swiss rider Thomas Frischknecht maintained their GC leads. The women kicked off racing, taking on the 5-mile TT course under mostly clear skies at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California. The course started next to the finish of the dual slalom track, heading up a slight rise before dumping riders onto the raceway tarmac. There another short

A Spanish judge will launch an investigation into the accusations of professional cyclist Jesus Manzano that a system of organized doping existed while he was riding for the Kelme team. Although Spain has no specific anti-doping laws, an unnamed Madrid judge said through a statement that he had opened the investigation because of a possible breach of public-health legislation. According to the penal code, such offenses can carry a sentence of up to six years in prison. Manzano, who rode with the Kelme team for three years but was dropped from the squad last September, published his

Last Friday we finished up racing in the Tour of the Basque country. Nice terrain, green hills, and cold wet weather. The race is a five-day Hors Categorie UCI race which many teams have as an objective for the early season or use as a trampoline to gain fitness before the Ardennes classics. The race offers up undulating and mountainous terrain, with several climbs each day - 25 over the five days - with much of the distance of the race being covered on narrow farm roads. Our team went to Pays Basque with loose objectives. Floyd knew he would be able to race for the overall but the rest of

Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo) was the easy winner in Thursday’s 167kmsecond stage in the Tour of Aragon in Spain. Russian Denis Menchov (IllesBalears), winner of Wednesday’s climbing stage, easily retained the leader’sjersey in the sunny day in the saddle.Petacchi won by two bike lengths ahead of Massimo Strazzer (SaunierDuval) in the Italian’s first victory since his dramatic breakdown in lastmonth’s Milan-San Remo.“I’m very happy to win today,” Petacchi said. “Illes Balears helpedus control the stage and my team worked perfectly for me in the sprint.The team said this was a stage for

World road champion Igor Astarloa appears set to leave the embattled Cofidis team if he cannot compete in two one-day classics next week. Cofidis president Francois Migraine announced last Friday that France's top team would be suspended from all racing while an investigation into alleged doping among several former and current riders is held. The decision meant that another of the team's reigning champions, Britain's David Millar - who won the time trial title in Canada - was prevented from competing in his World Cup track debut at Manchester on Saturday. Millar has expressed support for

On paper a three-kilometer, downhill time trial would seem perfectly suitedto a rider with power to burn and trained in the art of the short hardeffort. As it turned out, that’s exactly the type of ride that did wintoday’s prologue at the Sea Otter Classic road stage race. New ZealanderHayden Godfrey (Health Net) spends a big portion of the season racing theteam and individual pursuits, making his physiology ideally suited forthe sub-3:00 effort. Godfrey’s win, and Health Net placing all six riders in the top 10,marked the first crack in Chris Horner’s dominance of the domestic racingscene

With 75 percent of the 2.9-mile track on pavement, it was no surprise that road tactics played a big part in the opening mountain bike event at the 2004 Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California on Thursday. It was also no surprise that a pair of supreme riders — Alison Dunlap and Thomas Frischknecht — walked away with the inaugural wins in the first-ever super cross-country. In the women’s race, Dunlap (Luna) took a sprint win ahead of Canadian Chrissy Redden (Subaru-Gary Fisher). The pair was part of a 28-rider group that separated itself from the field early in the 75-minute race, which

While scaled back in size for 2004, the Sea Otter Classic road stage race still aspires to be one of the better multi-day races in the U.S. With only three stages, down from the four in 2003, Sea Otter organizers have chosen to center all of the racing around the grounds of the Laguna Seca raceway, with every stage starting and finishing on the track’s familiar tarmac. Racing commences Thursday, and runs through Saturday. As the final event of the active California spring stage race season, Sea Otter seems the perfect opportunity for Webcor’s Chris Horner to complete the Golden State sweep.

Tom Boonen (Quick Step) proved he’s the natural successor for the departingJohan Museeuw after the young Belgian won Wednesday’s Scheldeprijs Vlaanderenon the same day his mentor, teammate and friend raced his last as a pro. In what was the final race for Belgian classics legend Johan Museeuw, fittingly, it was his 23-year-old Quick Step team-mate who took the plaudits. Boonen, whom many believe is worthy of emulating his revered compatriot, held off Lotto’s Robbie McEwen and De Nardi's Simone Cadamuro at the finish line of the 200km race between Antwerp and Schoten. It was his second

Dear Monique,Since the beginning of the year, I've been exercising regularly to lose weight. As a former competitive cyclist, my preferred method, up to this point, has been to take part in "spinning" sessions, or riding my indoor trainer, four to five days per week. I've also recently started to mix in some moderate weight/resistance training two to three times per week. Here's my problem. Since the beginning of January, when I started my routine on a more regular basis, I have not been able to lose a single pound. According to my heart rate monitor, I've burned enough calories in four

The doping investigation which prompted France’s top team to withdraw from competition has already cast a deep shadow over July's Tour de France. The Cofidis affair has stirred up memories of the 1998 "Tour of Shame" which was rocked by police raids and led to the Festina trial in 2000 in which Richard Virenque and his teammates revealed the widespread use of doping in cycling. Tour de France director Jean-Marie Leblanc has so far declined to take any measures against Cofidis, even though he has already barred Spanish team Kelme from the race on doping grounds. "Let's be patient. Let's

French rider Franck Bouyer (La Boulangère) won the Paris-Camembert race in France on Tuesday, edging Thomas Lovkist (FDJeux.com) to take the French semi-classic. Bouyer, a winner of a stage last week in the Circuit de la Sarthe, escaped with Lovkist and held off the Swede to take the victory. Johan Coenem (Mr Bookmaker) led the main bunch in at 20 seconds back. Paris-Camembert was the sixth leg of the French Cup series and Bouyer moves into third overall behind series leader Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole). 65th Paris-Camembert Lepetit (FRA 1.2)1. Franck Bouyer (F), La Boulangère, 4:29

Dear Lennard,I would like to know how to assess whether a bicycle crank arm or the pedal shaft is bent following a road crash or just hitting an object with the pedal as often happens off-road. Apart from obvious signs like the crank arm hitting the frame or other visible damage, there should be a way to determine that the pedal shaft is perfectly horizontal and 90 degrees to the frame. Hitting an object with the pedal may slightly bend parts upward when the pedal is at the bottom. Then when the pedal is at the 12 o'clock position the damage is effectively doubled as the effective bend is

Bobby Julich (Team CSC) is scheduled to fly to the United States on Tuesday, where he will race in the Tour of Georgia later this month. It’s the first time the American has raced in front of the home crowd since 1996 and Julich is expecting a strong race following his impressive spring campaign in Europe. Julich finished third at Paris-Nice in March and won the final time trial at the Tour of the Basque Country on Friday, his first win in Europe since 1997. “Anything that happens in Georgia now will be icing on the cake,” Julich said after nipping compatriot Tyler Hamilton (Phonak) by

Australian veteran Scott Sunderland couldn't have asked for a better debut on the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix, the third round in the ten-race World Cup on Sunday. Sunderland, at 37 made his debut on the world's toughest one-day cycling race over 261 km - 51 of which were over 26 bike-rattling cobblestones. Afterwards, the Aussie positively gushed with delight as teammate Magnus Backstedt secured an historic victory for Sweden, and for their Italian team Alessio. Backstedt, a 29-year-old sprinter, signaled his intentions with a second place finish behind Tom Boonen in Wednesday's

FDJeux.com’s Baden Cooke said Monday that he is about to file suit against a French newspaper over an article suggesting that he had injected himself with a banned stimulant. Tuesday's edition of Le Monde includes extracts from a telephone conversation recorded by the police in September 2001. In it French cyclist Philippe Boyer, who was handed a one year prison sentence last year for drug trafficking, is claimed to be talking to a supposed friend of Cooke's, a woman called Sandrine. She tells Boyer that Cooke, who won the Tour de France green points jersey last year, had felt ill after

Dear Joe,I am 41-years-old and I do just about any activity that involves cycling, including triathlons and duathlons. One of the things that I noticed is that I can maintain a higher heart rate running than I can while on my bike. Is there a different lactate threshold heart rate (LTHR) for running than there is for cycling?Thank you,Steven Crane Dear Steven,Yes. Actually, this is quite normal for an athlete to have differences in heart rate at lactate threshold for different sports. Part of the answer involves the amount of muscle fibers used within different sports. Running simply

Magnus Backstedt (Alessio) was as surprised as anyone after realizing a childhood dream by winning the 102nd edition of Paris-Roubaix in a sprint finish on Sunday. The big Swede, 6-foot-3 and just under 200 pounds, outsprinted Tristan Hoffman (CSC) and Roger Hammond (MrBookmaker.com) to win the grueling 261km “Hell of the North.”

As a former two-time winner of Paris-Roubaix, Marc Madiot knows all about the effects the weather can have on anyone's chances of victory on the race known as the "Hell of the North.” Madiot, now the team manager with Fdjeux.com, won the race in 1985, sandwiched in between the two victories of Irish sprinter Sean Kelly, then did it again six years later, in 1991. In good conditions, Paris-Roubaix is enough to give any pro rider cause for concern. But add a sprinkling of rain on one of the race's 26 cobblestone sections, and buoyant hopes of victory can soon drown in despair. "When it

Cofidis, the sponsor of France's top cycling team, has made no decision on its future in the sport following its decision to pull the team out of all competitions. The credit company's president, Francois Migraine, said very little after an emergency meeting Saturday in Marcq-en-Baroeil, France, with his team managers and a select few riders. "It was a discussion between me and them," said Migraine. Team sprinter Jimmy Casper, meanwhile, said Cofidis simply wanted to put things right and expressed confidence that its future could be assured. "The boss told us we have to get back on the

During the days preceding Paris-Roubaix, the talk is often of the weather, which, over the years, has often put the hell in the Hell of the North at this one-of-a-kind spring classic. TUNE IN TO VELONEWS.COM beginning at 8 a.m. Eastern time Sunday for our live updates from the 102nd Paris-Roubaix, with on-the-spot assistance from VeloNews editor Kip Mikler, European correspondent Andrew Hood and photographer Graham Watson. If it rains for Sunday’s 102nd running of the race, as it did memorably two years ago, the 26 cobblestone sections of the 261km route will become the enemy of the 184