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American Jennie Reed won gold in the keirin on Saturday during round three of the UCI Track World Cup in Manchester, England. Reed, of Kirkland, Washington, fourth in yesterday’s women's sprint, beat Susan Panzer (Germany) and Daniela Larreal (Venezuela) in the keirin to take the first gold medal of the event for the United States. ResultsWomen500 meter time trial1. Yvonne Hijgenaar (Ned) 35.1892. Yonghua Jiang (Chn) 35.3103. Victoria Pendleton (GB) 35.4993000 meter individual pursuit1. Katherine Bates (Aus), 3:35.352, beat 2. Emma Davies (GB), 3:42.768; 3. Hanka Kupfernagel (G), 3:43.275,

One of the greatest episodes in the history of cycling's World Cup will come to an end Sunday when Belgian classics king Johan Museeuw races his final Paris-Roubaix. Considered the toughest one-day race in the world, the French classic needs no introduction. Tour de France legend Bernard Hinault once described it in less-than-glowing terms. "It's not a race, it's more like a cyclo-cross," raged Hinault, who, nonetheless, had to have a go and eventually tamed the "Hell of the North" himself in 1981. The 38-year-old Museeuw, who will finally hang up his wheels three days afterwards at the GP

Bradley McGee signaled his intentions to better his Olympic bronze medal from four years ago when Athens comes around by scoring a comprehensive World Cup win in the 4000-meter individual pursuit Friday night in Manchester, England. The Australian, who rides with the French professional road team FDJeux.com, finished nearly seven seconds ahead of Sergi Escobar Roure in the final with a time of 4:19.696. Great Britain's Paul Manning won the ride-off for bronze against Russian Alexander Serov. The event was McGee's only chance of staking his claim to a spot on the Australian Olympic team

Johan Museeuw seeks a record-equaling fourth victory in the Paris-Roubaix classic on Sunday, knowing that most of his rivals come from within his own Quick Step-Davitamon team. Victory would put Museeuw on a par with compatriot Roger de Vlaeminck, the only man to have conquered the cobblestones of "The Hell of the North" four times. Apart from last year's winner, Peter Van Petegem, Musseuw's leading rivals will be familiar faces. Belgian hopeful Tom Boonen, winner of the Ghent-Wevelgem classic this week, Hungary's Laszlo Bodrogi, 2001 winner Servais Knaven from the Netherlands and

Bobby Julich (CSC) was back in the spotlight Friday at the Vuelta a Pais Vasco after nipping compatriot Tyler Hamilton (Phonak) by less than one second to win his first race since 1998. Julich was ecstatic with the narrow victory on a technical, rain-slicked 8.5km course that featured a short, steep climb in the rugged mountains of northern Spain. “It’s unbelievable. What a comeback in less than a couple of months,” Julich said after covering the course in 11 minutes, 57 seconds (42.62 kph). “The moment I signed with Bjarne Riis I knew this was possible. This feels really good.” Russian

France's top cycling team, Cofidis, will not be entering any more races for the foreseeable future, beginning with Sunday's Paris-Roubaix classic, the third race in the 10-leg World Cup. Cofidis is battling a series of doping allegations, and press reports in Friday's newspapers only served to further put the team in the mire. Today, the team's sponsor, credit company Cofidis, issued a statement that said in part: "In the face of the seriousness of recent allegations, the Cofidis company has decided to take some time out to reflect on the current situation. As a consequence, as of today and

With 4 to 8 inches of snow expected to fall over Boulder, Colorado, between Friday evening and Saturday afternoon, the Colorado Roubaix road race has been rescheduled for late May. The tough event, which features a rolling, 17-mile loop circumnavigating washboard dirt, paved and gravel roads around the Boulder Reservoir, was being billed as the stateside race most closely resembling a Paris-Roubaix-style event. Scheduled one day before the European classic, the race was expected to draw Colorado-based members of Health Net, Ofoto, and TIAA-CREF-5280, and many in the area’s elite-level

Four American racers were poised to jump into contention for the overall title at the demanding Vuelta al Pais Vasco going into today’s challenging climbing stage to Lekunberri, won by Denis Menchov (Illes Balears). Floyd Landis (U.S. Postal Service) and Levi Leipheimer (Rabobank) started Thursday’s stage in the select group of 20 riders tied with the same time as leader Alejandro Valverde (Kelme). Bobby Julich (CSC) and Tyler Hamilton (Phonak) sit just eight seconds out of the lead going into the climb-riddled stage, which features a long Category 1 climb that tops out just 3km from the

Denis Menchov, a quiet Russian on the Illes Balears team, ruined the party for the hometown heroes of the Euskaltel-Euskadi team in Thursday’s decisive climbing stage in the Vuelta a Pais Vasco. Menchov punched the accelerator with 500 meters to go up the short but steep Category 1 Alto Azpiroz climb near the finish of the 182km fourth stage to quickly drop David Etxebarria (Euskaltel). The Russian didn’t look back as he crested the summit and hammered the final 3km to the finish line to score his second stage win this season and seize the overall lead. Menchov, the best young rider of the

Poke around our sport a bit and you’re sure to find a handful of ex-pro’s still making a healthy living as shills… er… spokespersons for a particular product. Sometimes, like George Foreman pitching his line of “Double Knockout” grills, many of the cycling spokespeople know (or care) little about the product they’ve associated themselves with (no offense George). Still, even if you throw out the long list of “big time” names connected to product solely to make a quick buck, you’ll get a healthy list of riders who are seriously committed to improving the sport and bettering a particular

Germany's Jan Ullrich said Thursday he is happy to amble along at the back of the peloton in preparation for his main challenge of the year - facing Lance Armstrong during what is bound to be an unmissable Tour de France in July. Ullrich, the 1997 Tour winner who returned to form with another runner-up finish behind Armstrong last year, is taking part in this week's Circuit de La Sarthe race with no ambitions of winning stages or the race itself. While 32-year-old Armstrong has increased his training load ahead of the July 3-25 showpiece, during which the American U.S. Postal rider will bid

Ludovic Turpin gave France its second winner in two days at the Circuitde la Sarthe as the Ag2r rider held off a pair of Aussies to win the secondstage.Two riders -- Yuryi Kristvov (Ag2r) and Luis Sanchez (Liberty Seguros)– went on the attack early on to build up an eight-minute lead. Kristvovwas reeled in with just 5km to go to set up the sprint.Franck Bouyer (La Boulangere) retained the overall lead after finishingsafely in the main pack that came into Montreuil for a mass gallop. Turpinedged Robbie McEwen (Lotto-Domo) and Allan Davis (Liberty Seguros), whocame through third. American Fred

image files - April 7+

It would have been a shame, really, if it had ended any other way. After treating the local fans to a display of power in the 66th running of Ghent-Wevelgem in Belgium on Wednesday, the Quick Step-Davitamon team turned to its young gun Tom Boonen to close the deal. The 23-year-old did so magnificently, continuing his rise to stardom by outfoxing a group of seasoned sprinters including Magnus Backstedt (Alessio-Bianchi) and Jaan Kirsipuu (AG2R), who finished second and third respectively.

The troubled Kelme team hopes winning will help erase the bad memories of the past few weeks. The Spanish team brushed off recent doping allegations by ex-rider Jesus Manzano and won Wednesday’s third stage of the Tour of the Basque Country and bounced back into the overall lead. First-year pro Carlos Zarate held on during an epic solo move to win his first pro victory while Alejandro Valverde, winner of the opening stage, shot ahead of the peloton to claim second and recapture the overall lead. “I still can’t believe I won,” said Zarate, who held a nearly two-minute lead over the Category

Spanish cyclist Jesus Manzano appeared in court in Turin, Italy, on Tuesdaywhere he was questioned by prosecutors who are trying to find out moreabout doping in the sport.Manzano, whose recent claims about doping practices at his former Kelmeteam have rocked the sport to its foundations in Spain, appeared in frontof public prosecutor Raffaele Guariniello at the city's Palace of Justice.Guariniello, who is leading his own investigation into doping practicesin the sport in Italy, quizzed Manzano for three-and-a-half hours."It was a long and tough interrogation," said the 25-year-old, who

Dear Lennard,For the sake of example, let’s say you are in 39/17 and switch to 53/23 (or whatever the equivalent ratio is). Assuming the gear size is the same, is the 53/23 more efficient because the chain is on a larger tooth cog?When compared, does the rider have more leverage on generating rotation of the rear wheel when using the larger ring? Also, does the 53T chainring reduce leverage that the crank arm exerts on the chain and thus the back wheel?TreyFrom Wayne Stetina at ShimanoAn interesting question to be sure. Basically at the heart of the debateabout any potential advantages for

It’s spring in Basque Country and that means rainy, cool weather. Tuesday’s 180km second stage of the Vuelta al Pais Vasco followed that script as riders hit a string of short, but steep climbs in the rugged mountains of northern Spain. Beat Zberg (Gerolsteiner) was fastest out of a group of 40 riders that cleared the day’s many hurdles to claim the stage victory ahead of Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel). Danilo Di Luca (Saeco) started his sprint too early and faded to fourth, but it was a good move as he slipped into the overall leader’s jersey. The rollercoaster stage featured a tough

As a team, we made the most of our time between the Castilla and Flanders World Cups by scheduling a sponsor visit to our sponsor to SRM in Germany, getting in some solid training rides and organizing a pre-ride of the course in Flanders. The SRM headquarters is close to the borders of Belgium and the Netherlands. Ulrich Schoberer, the inventor of the SRM, welcomed us to the company. The company is named after him, though for English speakers, Schoberer Rad Messtechnik is a little bit more difficult to say than “SRM.” Schoberer is a great host, he took us for nice dinners, did some testing

Kelme’s Alejandro Valverde won the first stage of the Tour du Pays Basque – the Tour of the Basque country – a 139km run around Bergara, on Monday. Valverde, recent winner of the Tour of Murcia, prevailed in a sprint finish at the end of the opening day's stage, which featured three climbs. His compatriot Angel Vicioso and Davide Rebellin of Italy filled the minor placings. While Valverde was celebrating, fellow Spaniard Joseba Beloki retired before the end after failing to keep up with the pace. I the final Category 2 climb nine kilometers from the end the Saeco riders Gilberto Simoni and

Getting back on the horse that threw yaDear Joe,I'm a 60-year-old recreational rider (2500 miles per year) who endo-edand fractured my C1 and C2 vertebra last July.Ignoring the fact that everyone thinks I'm crazy to get back on thebike, what are some things to watch out for as I recondition my body aftera six-month layoff?My physical therapist has me doing isometric, stretching and weighttraining to increase my neck flexibility and strengthen my neck and backmuscles. I have some residual limitation in my neck movement as a resultof my injury. For example, it's hard for me to look left and

Start ListLotto-Domo:1. Peter Van Petegem (B)2. Wim Vansevenant (B)3. Aart Vierhouten (Nl)4. Niko Eeckhout (B)5. Leif Hoste (B)6. Leon Van Bon (Nl)7. Thierry Marichal (B)8. Serge Baguet. (B)Chocolade Jacques-Wincor Nixdorf:11. Jans Koerts (Nl)12. Dave Bruylandts (B)14. Gerben Lowik (Nl)15. Chris Peers (B)16. Geert Verheyen (B)17. Jan Van Velzen (Nl)18. Bart Voskamp (Nl)19. Bert Hiemstra (Nl).Landbouwkrediet-Colnago:21. Jacky Durand (F)22. Ludo Dierckxsens (B)23. Ludovic Capelle (B)24. Geert Van Bondt (B)25. Lorenzo Bernucci (I)26. Marc Streel (B)27. Tony Bracke (B)28. Bert De Waele.

Zulfia Zabirova took a page from the men’s playbook to win the women’s Tour of Flanders. Like many past Flanders champions, she used the cobbled slopes of the day’s penultimate climb, the infamous Muur de Geraardsbergen, to catapult to a solo victory in the first World Cup edition of the race. After starting in Oudenaarde and scaling the Kruisberg, the 96km Ronde Van Vlaanderen Vrouwen merged with the men’s course just before the Boigneberg, the first of the final eight climbs the two races shared on the day. Despite Farm Frites-Hartol’s concerted efforts to control the race for Leontien Van

The Tour of Flanders, the second leg of the ten-race World Cup, smiled unkindly on a few of the Australian riders competing over a tough 257km of cobblestones and short steep climbs from Bruges to Meerbeke on Sunday. Victorian Baden Cooke, one of a handful of realistic contenders for theFlemish classic known as the Ronde --won by the relatively unknown but experienced German Steffen Wesemann -- crashed out just after the halfway stage. His Fdjeux.com team-mate Matt Wilson, the Australian national champion, failed to finish as steady crosswinds pounded the peloton throughout. With 64km

Boston, MA (April 3-4, 2003) - Hundreds of collegiate cyclists from the Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference (ECCC) convened on the Boston area for the third annual Boston Beanpot Classic. The races included the BU team time trial in historic Concord, a criterium on the Tufts campus in Somerville, and the Grafton Hills road race promoted by Harvard. Saturday night featured a catered banquet dinner by Wentworth with keynote speaker Jonathan Vaughters providing tales and tips to the hundreds of attendees. The University of Vermont took top honors in Division 1 for the weekend, and fought

Many longtime observers of the Tour of Flanders, the traditional kickoff to northern Europe’s World Cup classics, estimated Sunday’s crowds to be the largest in recent memory for the Belgian race known here as the “Ronde.” From the frigid morning start in Bruge’s historic Grote Markt to the surprise finish in the small town of Meerbeke, thousands pressed against the barriers lining the 257km course. Most were straining to see, among other things, one last glimpse of Johan Museeuw in action: a legendary Belgian in a legendary Belgian event.

When Johan Museeuw began racing as a professional cyclist, in 1988, Ronald Reagan was president of the United States, Dustin Hoffman’s “Rain Man” was selling out movie theaters, and the Netherlands became the first European country to be linked to the Internet. Museeuw, now 39, competes in his final four races in the first part of April, determined to add at least one more victory to his record haul of 11 World Cup classics. Nothing could make Museeuw happier than winning Sunday’s Tour of Flanders (the Ronde van Vlaanderen), or April 11’s Paris-Roubaix. The legendary Belgian rider has won

Cycling's most successful active one-day rider – Johan Museeuw, the “Lion of Flanders” — will continue winding down his lengthy career on the second race of the 10-leg World Cup here on Sunday. Museeuw, who is gunning for a record fourth victory in the 88th Tour of Flanders before he retires after the GP de l'Escaut on April 14, admits that as he approaches hanging up his bike for good, what should be his final roar on the “Ronde” could turn out to be more of a whimper. The 38-year-old Belgian conceded this week that his failing legs "on the harder climbs" mean he could end up playing a

This time of year is almost like Christmas for those of us who love bicycles and the annual improvements to the technology that adds to the pleasureof riding them. That's right, it’s time for the 2005 product roll-outs! I've really been enjoying the fact that next year’s suspension product lines are going to be marked by serious competition and some major developments. Manufacturers have been particularly eager to showcase technology to help them hold or regain a foothold in the lucrative bicycle suspension fork and shock market. Manitou was first this year to debut its 2005 product

After finishing third in the fourth and final stage, U.S Postal’s George Hincapie has won the overall title at the Three Days of De Panne, the warm-up before this weekend’s World Cup race, the Tour of Flanders. Quick Step’s Hungarian time trial specialist, Lazlo Bodrogi, won the final stage a 13.7km time trial at Le Panne in northern Belgium. Hincapie's victory is the ninth of the season by the Postal team. Hincapie entered Thursday's 13.7km time trial in third place overall, 16 seconds back of race leader Baden Cooke of FDJeux.com. Hincapie finished the stage five seconds behind Bodrogi to

One January 1, 2004, caffeine was removed from the World Anti-DopingAgency prohibited list, after being a “controlled to restricted drug” inthe world of athletic performance for years, and moved to the “monitoringlist.” Prior to this change caffeine urine levels of greater than 12 microgramsper millimeter were considered illegal. The reason for this change, notesWADA, is really very practical. This old limit has always given caffeinea unique position as a “potentially” performance-enhancing drug, implyingthat higher doses of caffeine are required to improve performance. However,this is

FDJeux’s Aussie sprinter Baden Cooke moved into the overall lead after scoring a win in stage 2 of the Three Days of De Panne, a 237km race from Zottegem to Coxyde in Northern Belgium Wednesday. Cooke, who finished second in Tuesday’s opening stage, beat Saeco’s Giosué Bonomi and Rabobank’s Steven De Jongh, who took third. The day was marked by an early escape by Rabobank’s Matt Hayman, Bart Voskamp (Chocolade Jacques) and Stefan Van Dijk, who eventually built a lead of nearly eight minutes on the main field, before the Gerolsteiner team of race leader Daniel Hondo took up the chase. Upon

Avoiding the grindDear Lennard,I'm having a problem with my 13-39 X 53/39 Campy Chorus (2003) set-up.When it is on the 39 ring and in the 26 or 29 cog, the space between thecog and the upper roller/jockey of the derailleur is so close that thechain is rubbed/grinded in between. I have tried turning the screw on thederailleur cage but to no avail. It appears that the chain is too longeven if I followed the somewhat confusing instruction of the Campy manual.Can you please share any other tip to determine proper chain length? I'vesearched the VeloNews archives for your feature on this asI

Gerolsteiner’s Danilo Hondo won the first stage of the Three Days of De Panne on Tuesday, taking a sprint win at the end of 196km race from Middelkerke to Zottegem, Belgium. Hondo charged to the line, beating Baden Cooke (fdjeux.com), U.S. Postal’s George Hincapie and Luca Paolini (Quick Step) and 20 others who had formed a strong breakaway group about 9km from the finish. With time bonuses considered, Hondo now enjoys a four-second lead over Cooke on GC, with Hincapie rounding out the top three at six seconds. American David Clinger (Domina Vacanze) also made the break and finished the day

Dear Joe and Dirk,Mine has to be a pretty common problem. With work, kids, a job, a mortgage… well you know the drill. When it gets down to it, I can really only ride maybe three days a week for two hours max. Some weeks it is only two days with one of the rides being on the trainer. With such minimal training time, should I spend a larger percentage of my time doing hard riding (intervals, etc) since I am less likely to over-train? How should you adjust the time spent in each zone when you have more than adequate recovery time?Thanks,Don Don,You are not uncommon and trying to get the

Usually when the time changes in the spring of each year, it is accompanied by an improvement in the weather, but here in Salamanca, we experienced a serious digression in the conditions over night as Europe moved into to daylight savings time. We awoke to dark skies and snow flurries. It was hard to believe we were in Spain or that it was the end of March. In keeping with the mood, Cathy Marsal wished me a “Merry Christmas” as we were warming up. It seems like the spring weather has been especially harsh this year in Europe. Michael sent me a text message from France, where he was racing

Over the past week, I have been in Northern Europe getting reacquainted with the cold weather. I have had a good schedule in the last months as I have only raced in the south of Spain and Portugal and have not had to suffer and endure the frigid temps in the rest of Europe. In Dwaars door Vlandaaren, a one-day race in Flanders; I was initiated to the cobbles, bergs, wind and cold. All in all, it was a pretty good experience and one I would go back and fight through again. This year we have a great team for the classics, as Max, Devolder, George and Eki’ are all riding well enough to win any

Team CSC just keeps rolling. After the Danish-based squad earned wins for Jörg Jaksche at the Mediterranean Tour and Paris-Nice, it was the turn this weekend of Jaksche’s fellow German Jens Voigt to dominate the Critérium International. Voigt, 32, won both of Sunday’s two stages to take the overall victory by 12 seconds over the emerging Spanish star José Ivan Gutierrez of Balears-Banesto. A still-improving Lance Armstrong finished third another two seconds back, with CSC’s rejuvenated Bobby Julich a further two seconds behind in fourth. In the closing 8.3km time trial, Voigt beat

Chris Horner and Lyne Bessette successfully defended their respective leader's jersey on Sunday's final stage of the 20th-anniversary Redlands Bicycle Classic, with Horner taking his fourth win in five years and Bessette winning the women's race for the second time. On the closing Sunset Loop road race, Bessette was content to defend the race lead and seal the overall win, opening the door for an opportunistic and gutsy win by Victory Brewing's Nicole Demars. However, in the men's race, Horner took the opportunity to deliver one more blow to the reeling Health Net team, setting up his Webcor

The delicate operation of putting the roof over the Olympic velodrome in Athens has been completed two days ahead of schedule, a spokesman for the structure's Spanish designer, Santiago Calatrava, reported Sunday. The spokesman said the roof's success augured well for the controversial yet-to-be installed cover over the Olympic stadium, also designed by Calatrava. "This represents a good test," he said. The Olympic stadium roof will be installed using the same technique as its cycling cousin, which weighed 4000 tons and measured 106 by 154 meters. It was slid into place along 135 meters of

The Vuelta Castilla y Léon is a three-day tour that started in Valladolid and traveled to Salamanca. The field was incredibly strong here, 160 riders, including several world and Olympic champions. The terrain is rather desolate in this region of Spain, as there are not too many trees, mountains or small towns in the countryside, so the high winds that nature provides have had a profound effect on the racing. T-Mobile started this race with five girls – Dotsie Cowden, Amber Neben, Kimberly Bruckner, Stacey Peters and me. After day one, we began calling ourselves the “Bad News Bears,” as

The Cours Aristide Briand in Charleville-Mezières is not as long or as wide as the Champs-Élysées in Paris, but French sprinter Jean-Patrick Nazon likes them both. He was won the most important sprints of his career on the two avenues, and he continued that run on Saturday in the opening stage of the two-day Critérium International. Last July, on a sultry summer’s day, Nazon took the final stage of the Tour de France thanks more to his bustling style than his erratic finishing speed. That gave this 6-foot, 163-pound rider a half-length verdict over his inherently faster Aussie rivals Baden

At Saturday’s criteriums at the Redlands Bicycle Classic, the Genesis Scuba squad showed why it will be a favorite at criteriums all year long, with Tina Pic and Laura Van Gilder going one-two in the women’s race, while in the men’s event, Jelly Belly-Aramark continued to build its case as an upper echelon team for the 2004 season, delivering Alex Candelario to one of the biggest wins of his career. The men’s race also saw some controversy at the finish, with Gord Fraser tangling with Charles Dionne, and Fraser getting relegated from his third-place finish. The men’s race saw non-stop

Tour de France winner Stephen Roche has rejected suggestions by an Italian judge that he took performance-enhancing drugs during his career, according to the Irish Independent. "I have never taken performance-enhancing drugs, whether banned or unbanned, on or off the list, at any time,” said Roche. "In fact, I underwent hundreds of tests during my career and all were negative.” The issue of drug taking during Roche's career, during which he won the Tour, the Giro d’Italia and the world championship road race all in one season (1987), arose after the publication this week of an Italian

Organizers of the Tour de France on Friday ruled out the possibility of the scandalized Kelme team being handed a wild-card invitation to this year's race. The decision comes days after former Kelme professional Jesus Manzano blew the whistle on what he claims to be systematic doping within the Spanish team. Last month, Tour organizers announced the 21 teams for this year's race - at which American Lance Armstrong will be bidding for a record sixth victory - but left open the possibility of a 22nd team participating. Today, Tour director Jean-Marie Leblanc said the option of having a 22nd

Spanish rider Joaquin Rodriguez (Saunier Duval) won the Setmana Catalana on Friday by just two seconds after finishing seventh on the 168km fifth and final stage, between Solsona and Parets del Valles. Angel Edo (Milaneza) won the stage ahead of Josep Jufre (Relax-Bodysol) and Martin Perdiguero (Saunier Duval), while Rodriguez finished with a bunch just behind, holding onto half of the four-second lead he gained after finishing second behind American Levi Leipheimer (Rabobank) on the race's hardest climbing stage on Thursday. Leipheimer wound up 14th overall. The start of Friday's final

For Chris Horner, Friday’s Panorama Point circuit race was simply another day of defending his yellow leader’s jersey at the Redlands Bicycle Classic. For Lyne Bessette, however, Friday’s race finally saw her overtake Geneviève Jeanson (RONA) and move into the women’s overall race lead. Horner and Bessette now lead the race, while Ivan Dominguez (Colavita Olive Oil) and Kristin Armstrong (T-Mobile) took big stage wins for their teams. Despite winning the prologue and the stage 1 Crestline road race, Jeanson has shown weaknesses all week long, most notably on Thursday’s stage to Oak Glen,

Former world Madison champion Robert Sassone, who is being investigated after drugs were found at his home, has admitted making a "mistake" which would ruin his life. Sassone, 26, who also tested positive for a steroid derivative last year, printed an open letter in the French-language New Caledonians newspaper on Thursday saying he was paying heavily for his actions. "I didn't kill anyone, but this mistake, which I will explain to the judge, I'm paying for heavily and in cash. It will ruin my life because I dreamt of a career in cycling," said Sassone, a member of the Cofidis team until

Saeco’s Mirko Celestino won the second stage of the five-stage Coppi-Bartali international as it finished in Faenza Thursday. Celestino, took a 12-man sprint at the end of the day’s 206km stage from Riccione in northern Italy. By beating Ruggero Marzoli and Giuliano Figueras to the line, Celestino also assumed the overall lead going into Friday’s 176km stage from Emilia to Scandiano. Astarloa injuredWorld road race champion Igor Astarloa (Cofidis) suffered head and neck injuries in an accident while out riding, according to Gazzetta dello sport. The 27-year-old Spaniard was training near

Rabobank’s Levi Leipheimer brushed off the effects of a crash earlier in the week to win the fourth stage of Setmana Catalana atop the Port del Compte on Thursday. Saunier Duval’s Joaquin Rodriguez, who finished alongside the American, took the overall lead after the 179.5km stage ride from Palau Solita I Plegamans which finished on the summit of the Category 1 Port del Compte. The stage started with attacks after the first kilometer. By the third kilometer, Gonzalo Bayarri (Phonak) tried his luck and managed to build a small gap on the field. He was soon joined by nine others, including

Unless you’ve been vacationing on the dark side of the moon for the past year, you’re probably aware the UCI has mandated the use of helmets for the pro peloton. While the majority of the 2003 pro road season saw riders with certified skid-lids worn during mass start stages and events, all bets were off for team and individual time trials. For the 2003 season the UCI simply let the time trialists slide when it came to wearing a protective helmet (the millimeter-thin aerodynamic fairings the riders wore don’t offer any protection). Welcome to 2004You may have noticed riders no longer

Webcor. Jittery Joe’s. Jelly Belly. For the second day in a row, those were the three teams represented on the men’s podium at the Redlands Bicycle Classic, as Chris Horner won for the third day in a row and extended his overall race lead. Meanwhile, the women’s race tightened up, as Lyne Bessette took the stage victory on Oak Glen and cut deeply into Geneviève Jeanson’s race lead. For the second day, Horner’s Webcor squad held in check the efforts of the big-budget Health Net-Maxxis team to put the pressure on Horner. As they did on Wednesday’s Crestline stage, Health Net banked on the

Isaac Galvez handed his Illes Balears-Banesto team a welcome stage victory on the third day of Setmana Catalana in Montcada I Reixac on Wednesday, pipping T-Mobile's Erik Zabel on the finish line. After two days of Swiss domination, with wins going to Fabian Cancellara and Beat Zberg, Galvez finally handed Spain a victory following the 159.5km stage from Castello d'Empuries. Miguel Angel Martin Perdiguero (Saunier Duval) took the overall race lead after finishing third. Galvez, meanwhile, had to wait for a photo finish decision before being told he had beat T-Mobile veteran Zabel, who

Heading into this year’s U.S. road racing season, it was pretty clear that there were only one or two teams that could be called powerhouse squads. For the rest, the addition of some seasoned professionals gave them credibility, but they would have to step it up at the races to show that they belonged in the upper echelon of U.S. teams. The Webcor Builders team clearly fell in that second group, but at least on the first road stage of the Redlands Bicycle Classic in Southern California, they showed that they’re ready to make that step. Webcor successfully defended Chris Horner’s yellow race

Krebs, carbs and crampsDear Joe and Dirk,Am I misunderstanding the current hypothesis on how cyclists are ableto fuel sustained high output or is it possible that we need to revisitour assumptions about how long the body can maintain maximum output givenonly fat as an energy source? I have often read descriptions of human metabolism that would lead meto believe that it is not possible to sustain high energy output withouteither loading up on or consuming a ready source of carbohydrates to deliverATP as fuel. This does not match with my experience. I am a type II diabeticand in order to stay

Is repair an option?Dear Lennard,I have had trouble with my car rack not holding the fork properly.Recently, a bike with a Deda Black Magic fork was victimized by this lousypiece of gear. While the bike stayed on the rack, one of the fork tipswas twisted (the other came out of the mount). It was an easy matter tobend the tip back into shape. However, is it safe to ride the bike?JimDear Jim,No, it is not safe. You need to buy a new fork… and should considerbuying a new rack.LennardSlip-slidin' awayDear Lennard,I recently purchased a USE Alien carbon seatpost for my Look KG461(27.2 mm). It is a

Tuesday’s windy 160km second stage of Setmana Catalana came down to a fist-pumping affair. Beat Zberg (Gerolsteiner) was pumping his in the air in delight after snatching victory in the final 20 meters while Frank Vandenbroucke (Fassa Bortolo) was pounding his handlebars in frustration after just missing a win. Vandenbroucke attacked off the lead group of about 20 riders with just under 1km to go and turned onto the finishing stretch with just enough gap that it appeared the troubled Belgian would grab the win. But Zberg shot past in the final 20 meters to snag the win and move into the

The 2004 Redlands Bicycle Classic kicked off on a typical hazy Southern California spring day on Tuesday, and it was business as usual for two riders who have dominated the event in recent years. Chris Horner (Webcor), who has won Redlands three of the past four years, and Geneviève Jeanson (RONA), who has won two of the last three Classics, put an early stamp on what should be a tough week of racing. Each scored a convincing win in the 3.2-mile prologue time trial to the top of Mount Rubidoux in the city of Riverside. Jeanson has had a slow start to the season, after having problems

Fabian Cancellara (Fassa Bortolo), a young Swiss bull known more for his time trial than his sprint, surprised the favorites to claim the opening stage of the Setmana Catalana in Spain. A group of about 40 riders cleared the Category 1 Alt de Sant Grau about 35km to go in the 165km stage and charged into rainy Lloret de Mar for a mass gallop. Rafael Casero (Saunier Duval) was caught with 200 meters to go and Cancellara relegated Milan-San Remo runner-up Erik Zabel (T-Mobile) to second place. Spanish rider Javier Ramirez (Liberty Seguros) went on a long solo move starting at 65 kilometers

Landbouwkrediet’s Bert De Waele won the 27th edition of the Cycliste Cholet-Pays de Loire on Sunday. The 202km race is the third round of the Coupe de France series, still led by Crédit Agricole’s Thor Hushovd. De Waele soloed in five seconds ahead of Brioches La Boulangere’s Didier Rous, Hushovd and Luxembourgian Frank Schleck (CSC). The day’s initial attack was launched by Belgian Frederik Willems (Vlaanderen - T-Interim - Eddy Merckx ). After a series of attacks, a group of four -- Patrice Halgand, Frederic Guesdon, Thomas Voeckler and the Jurgen Van de Walle -- bridged up to Willems at

Lyne Bessette (Quark) and Chris Horner (Webcor) won the overall titles at the season’s first major event, the Pomona Valley Stage Race in San Dimas, California, as Quark’s Sarah Uhl and Mariano Friedick (Jelly Belly) won the final stage on Sunday. Uhl was part of Quark’s successful effort to fend off any challenges to Bessette’s hold on the leaders jersey, chasing down a series of attacks from the Rona team. Uhl then nipped sprinter Tina Mayolo Pic (Genesis) at the line as the 55-minute event end in a field sprint. Horner began the 90-minute men’s race with a solid hold on the overall

The Primavera World Cup runs over the last 120 kilometers of the classic men’s Milan-San Remo World Cup course. It starts in the town of Varazze, just West of Genoa. I traveled to the start of the race two days early to meet up with my teammates and pre-ride the course. My teammates, Amber Neben, Kimberly Bruckner, Stacey Peters and Dotsie Cowden, had just arrived from the United States. We had only five riders to start in Primavera, as there are some very important races going on the U.S. that our sponsors want to make a solid presence in, like Redlands and Sea Otter. ReconnaissanceWe

Just like last year, Zoulfia Zabirova (Let’s Go Finland) attacked on the Cipressa climb in the 118km Primavera Rosa. And just like last year, Zabirova came down Via Roma the victor. Coming across the line solo, the Russian held up two fingers – for the victory and for her second consecutive Primavera victory. Dutch rider Mirjam Melchers (Farm Frites-Hartol) led the main bunch through to take second. Check back later for results and a complete report from VeloNews European correspondent Andrew Hood.

Fallen professional cyclist Jesus Manzano said Saturday he is ready to make a statement about alleged doping practices while he rode for the Spanish Kelme team from 2000 to 2003. Manzano told the Spanish sports daily MARCA that he wanted revenge for the way he was treated by Kelme last year and vowed that he would "make what Philippe Gaumont said a few days ago in France seem like a children's story.” "What is going to come out has real substance, I’ve got proof of all I’m going to say. I'm not going to do what Gaumont has done, I’m going to give all of the details," said Manzano, referring

Erik Zabel’s world went from bright to very black in a split second on the Via Roma at the end of the 95th Milan-San Remo on Saturday. The German sprinter thought he’d come around Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo) to win Milan-San Remo for the fifth time. But just as he was lifting his hands in celebration, Spanish sprinter Oscar Freire (Rabobank) shoved his bike across the line to snatch the win by inches.

Chris Horner (Webcor) and the rest of the guys showed up to race Saturday at the Pomona Valley Stage Race, but Horner showed up first, winning a shortened Glendora Mountain Time Trial. Horner covered the climb in 15:12, putting a minute on Cesar Grajales (Jittery Joe's Coffee) and a further two seconds on Scott Moninger (Health Net). As the women tackled their second stage, meanwhile, it was Kristin Armstrong (T-Mobile) taking the win at 19.25. Lyne Bessette (Quark) was second best at 19 seconds back, followed by Erin Mirabella (Red 5 Racing) in third at 37 seconds back. Bessette took over

Chris Horner (Webcor) made it two for two at the Pomona Valley Stage Race on Saturday, winning the 96-mile Incycle Puddingstone Road Race ahead of Nieko Biskner (Ofoto-Lombardi Sports). Eric Wohlberg (Sierra Nevada) won a six-up tussle for third at six seconds back. Horner maintains a comfortable lead going into Sunday’s Cannondale Old Town San Dimas Criterium, with nearly 90 seconds on second-placed Cesar Grajales (Jittery Joe's Coffee) and 1:43 on Wohlberg. In the women’s race, meanwhile, it was Magali Le Floch (Quark) taking the win ahead of Tina Pic (Genesis Scuba) with Lyne Bessette,

Australian Baden Cooke has played down his chance of fulfilling one of his childhood dreams when he saddles up for Milan-San Remo on Saturday. The first race of the World Cup season - a 294km ride from Italy's fashion capital to the Mediterranean coast resort - would in normal circumstances be well within the Victoria rider's grasp; he has emerged as one of the most feared sprinters in the peloton since making his European debut two years ago. However, a virus that has laid low more than one member of the peloton last week has compromised 25-year-old Cooke's chances of victory in what will

Scottish cyclist Graeme Obree has overcome a suicide attempt to get back in shape for an attempt on Chris Boardman's world hour record next month. Obree made his breakthrough in 1993 when he won at the world track championships in Norway on a homemade bike with a bearing salvaged from a washing machine. In the same year, he broke the one-hour world record by covering 51.596km, but the record stood for just six days before Olympic gold medalist Boardman shattered it, only for Obree to reclaim the record in 1994. Obree retired in 1997 after being diagnosed with manic depression. Two years ago

1907 Lucien Petit-Breton (F) Bianchi1908 Cyrille Van Hauwaert (I)1909 Luigi Ganna (I)1910 Eugene Christophe (F)1911 Gustave Garrigou (F)1912 Henri Pellissier (F)1913 Odiel Defraeye (I)1914 Ugo Agostoni (I)1915 Ezio Corlaita (I)1917 Gaetano Belloni (I)1918 Costante Girardengo (I)1919 Angelo Cremo (I)1920 Gaetano Belloni (I)1921 Costante Girardengo (I)1922 Giovanni Brunero (I)1923 Costante Girardengo (I)1924 Pietro Linari (I)1925 Costante Girardengo (I)1926 Costante Girardengo (I)1927 Pietro Chesi (I)1928 Costante Girardengo (I)1929 Alfredo Binda (I)1930 Michele Mara (I)1931 Alfredo Binda

As the 2004 season kicks-off, most of you competitive mountain bikers have either just finished or are nearing completion of your race rigs. While a handful of you are fortunate to have a complete bicycle shipped to you from a generous sponsor, the lion’s share of you will have to carefully piece together a race-worthy bike under the ever-present restrictions of a working stiff’s budget. Building a bike from the wheels-up can provide the clearest insight into the technical savvy of the particular owner. It’s easy to dress up a high quality frame (full suspension or hard tail) with full

Laura Van Gilder (Genesis-Scuba) sprinted to victory in the opening stage of the fifth annual Pomona Valley Stage Race on Thursday in San Dimas, California. Van Gilder outkicked Magen Long (OBRU-The Bicycle Store) and Lyne Bessette (Quark), coming around on the final straight after Bessette attacked on the climb, to win the San Dimas Hospital Circuit Race in 1:15:46. The race was run on a 3.5-mile loop in Frank G. Bonelli Regional County Park, a course that the pro men decided was too dangerous for their 150-rider field, in a dispute reminiscent of the Redwood City circuit race in last

Dear Monique,Great stuff recently on earlymorning training sessions. What about the opposite end of the spectrumfor those who jump on the trainer and crank out a few intervals just beforebed? If doing one to two hours with some tempo or threshold work andthen heading to bed for the night, what is good post ride nutrition? Typically,if training during the day, I would have a good recovery shake after training,but drinking down a several hundred calorie shake just before bed doesnot seem like the best idea.Thanks!SR Dear SR,While training in the evening may not be ideal, it is of course

Paolo Bettini could become only the 12th rider to win the World Cup opening Milan-San Remo for the second year in a row when the one-day classic kicks off this Saturday. The 29-year-old Italian, who rides for Quick Step, got his season off to the perfect start last year when he won the La Primavera for the first time before lifting the ten-race World Cup title for the second year in a row. This year the energetic rider known as the “little cricket” has already laid some solid foundations, winning Tirreno-Adriatico on Tuesday after claiming two stage wins to show his sprinting form. Bettini

Five-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong has elected to skip Saturday's World Cup opener, Milan-San Remo. U.S. Postal's Dirk Demol told AFP that Milan-San Remo does not fit in to the Texan's build-up for his attempt at a record sixth straight win in cycling's premier prize. Armstrong's next scheduled race is the Criterium International in the Ardennes region of Belgium at the end of the month.AFP2004 Bettini wants to avoid sprintDefending Milan-San Remo champion Paolo Bettini (Quick Step) says he wants to do everything to avoid a sprint coming down the Via Roma on Saturday. That,

Be sure to tune in for VeloNews.com's LIVE COVERAGE of the 95th edition of Milan-San Remo - brought to you by Steve Bauer Bike Tours - on Saturday, March 20, 2004.Start List - 95th Milan San-Remo1. Paolo Bettini (I), Quick Step-Davitamon2. Tom Boonen (B), Quick Step-Davitamon3. Davide Bramati (I), Quick Step-Davitamon4. Nick Nuyens (B), Quick Step-Davitamon5. Luca Paolini (I), Quick Step-Davitamon6. Michael Rogers (Aus), Quick Step-Davitamon7. Pedro Horrillo Munoz (Sp), Quick Step-Davitamon8. Stefano Zanini (I), Quick Step-Davitamon11. Laurent Brochard (F), Ag2R Prevoyance12. Nazon Jean

Spanish cycling legend Miguel Indurain said Lance Armstrong has what it takes to win the record sixth Tour de France. Armstrong matched Indurain’s mark of five consecutive Tours in last year’s hard fought battle, but Indurain told the Spanish daily MARCA that Armstrong looks more motivated than ever. “As we see him going now, and looking at his rivals, I see him with the capacity to win a sixth Tour,” Indurain said. “I see him with the same motivation as other years and his results so far this year indicate he took care of himself over the winter.” Indurain, who has participated in two

Paolo Bettini (Quick Step) has won the overall title in the 39th edition of Tirreno-Adriatico, finishing in the main field and preserving his five-second lead over Oscar Freire (Rabobank). Fassa Bortolo sprinter Alessandro Petacchi won the 162km stage that finished in San Benedetto Del Tronto, his third win of the race. Freire clawed back two seconds on Bettini to lose by five but his chances had evaporated after making contact with another rider during the mass sprint. “Mentally it has been a stressful day," said Bettini. "Well, to be honest the entire Tirreno-Adriatico has been. I had to

The road backDear Joe and Dirk,After taking about two years off the bike (young kids), I spent thiswinter preparing for a return to competitive cycling. Then, in lateJanuary, I had the bad fortune to endure a case of mononucleosis.Admittedly it was only after I had mono for four weeks that I bought theTraining Bible, but now I want to be sure I don't overdo it as I returnto the preparation phase.While I fear my racing season might be effectively done, especiallyafter two years off, can you offer any recommendations or cautions as Iproceed? I'm 39 and, now that I've had mono, am only a couple