Road Racing

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

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

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

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

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,

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

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

Photo Gallery - Day 3 at Mexico City World Cup

Race leader Paolo Bettini (Quick Step) won the sixth stage of Tirreno-Adriatico, a 185km race from Monte San Pietrangeli to Torre San Patrizio.Bettini was awarded the stage win after a photo-finish, claiming precious bonus seconds at the finish ahead of Tuesday's final stage over 162km around Benedetto Del Tronto. He now has an seven-second lead over Freire, the Rabobank rider whom the diminutive Italian will have to keep a close eye on Tuesday. Monday's stage came to life after 60km of racing shortly after Italian veteran Mario Cipollini had called it a day, climbing into the team car with

Roberto Petito (Fassa Bortolo) won the fifth stage of Tirreno-Adriatico on Sunday, a 215 kilometer ride from Paglieta to Torricella Sicura near the Adriatic coast. The 33-year-old Italian won a sprint finish to cross the finish line in 5:20:51, ahead of Ukranian Sergey Matveyev (Ceramiche Panaria-Margres) and Swede Magnus Backstedt (Alessio-Bianchi). Reigning World Cup champion Paolo Bettini kept the leader's jersey. Monday's sixth stage is a 185km ride from Monte San Pietrangeli to Torre San Patrizio. Tirreno-Adriatico, Italy's first major race of the season and a traditional warm-up

CSC team manager Bjarne Riis was credited as the master tactician of this year’s edition of Paris-Nice as his team took three of the top four spots in the final overall standings after Sunday’s eighth and final stage was won by T-Mobile's Alexander Vinokourov. The 27-year-old Jaksche, from Germany, took control of the race on the opening day's time trial and retained the leader's yellow jersey throughout mainly thanks to his team's support and wily tactics. CSC also had American Bobby Julich finish third and German Jens Voigt take fourth place. It is the second major win of the season for

Americans Alison Dunlap and Jeremiah Bishop grabbed a pair of dramatic cross-country wins on the final day of racing at the opening stop of the NORBA National Mountain Bike Series in Waco, Texas on Sunday. In the final GC it was the day’s second-place finishers, Alison Sydor and Geoff Kabush, taking the overall titles. In the women’s race it didn’t take long for it to become a two-rider affair. After a quick start loop to shake things out for the run into the tight twisting singletrack of Cameron Park, Sydor and Dunlap quickly gapped the rest of the field, and carried a two-minute advantage

The 17th annual Taipei International Cycle Show is in full swing in Taiwan this week, and VeloNews technical writer Lennard Zinn is there plying the aisles to catch a glimpse of some of the product we can expect to hit the shelves at our local bike shops in the coming year. ITM wraps it upITM has discovered that wrapping the center section of an aluminum bar with carbon saves weight, increases strength, stiffness and fatigue life, and is way cheaper than an entire carbon bar. Same goes for a carbon-wrapped seat post. This does not apply to the carbon-wrapped stem, however, since this is a

One look at the short track course at Cameron Park, and you knew the day’s racing was going to be more fat boy crit than traditional STXC. With more than half the circuit on paved road, a blistering pace and bar-to-bar racing was almost guaranteed. The only question was whether anyone would be able to make a break stick, or would things come down to a sprint. The answer was both on Saturday at the opening race of the NORBA National Mountain Bike Series in Waco, Texas. In the women’s race, it was Canadian Alison Sydor earning her second win in two days, after charging away from American

Women's 500m time trial1 Natalia Tsylinskaya (Blr),34:587 (52.043 kph),2 Anna Meares (Aus),34:5973 Yvonne Hijgenaar (Nl),34:8644 Cuihua Jiang (Chn),34:9405 Simona Krupeckaite (Lit),35:1276 Svetlana Grankovskaia (Rus),35:1757 Lori-Ann Muenzer (Can),35:2358 Nancy Contreras Reyes (Mex),35:2709 Clara Sanchez (F),35:41310 Elisa Frisioni (I),35:50511 Iryna Yanovych (Ukr),35:60112 Sayuri Osuga (Jpn),35:89413 Yumary Gonzalez Valdinieso (Cub), 36:31514 Diana Garcia (Col),36:37815 Karelia Juthid Machado Jaimes (Vz), 36:68516 Tanya Lindenmuth (USA),37:10717 Szilvia Szabolcsi (Hun),37:204Women's 3000m

The United States got off to a winning start at round two of the UCI Track World Cup on Friday in Aguascalientes, Mexico, thanks to winning performances from Colby Pearce and Erin Mirabella. Pearce, of Boulder, Colorado, won the men’s 15km scratch race ahead of Greg Henderson (NZL). In the following event, Mirabella, of Racine, Wisconsin, claimed the women’s 20km points race ahead of Lada Kozlikova (CZE). Tanya Lindenmuth of Trexlertown, Pennsylvania, also put in a strong performance. After posting the best qualifying time in the morning session, Lindenmuth placed second in the women’s

Alexander Vinokourov (T-Mobile), winner at Paris-Nice for the last two years, clinched his second win of the 2004 race with a fine solo effort in the seventh stage on Saturday. The 30-year-old from Kazakhstan broke away on the seafront of Cannes, 6km from the finish of the 185.5km stage from Dignes-les-Bains to Cannes, chased down Spaniard Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) – who had attacked at the summit of the Col du Tanneron, the last of the day's climbs, 20km from the finish – and brought the victory home in style, 18 seconds ahead of Luxembourg's Kim Kirchen (Fassa Bortolo).

Reigning World Cup champion Paolo Bettini (Quick Step) won the fourth stage of Tirreno-Adriatico from Isernia to Paglietta Saturday. With the win, Bettini took the overall lead from Spain's former two-time world champion Oscar Freire (Rabobank). Rolf Aldag (T-Mobile) took a flyer after summiting the Valico di Rionero Sannitico about 60km into the 173km stage, but was retrieved after just 10km off the front. A few attacks followed shortly thereafter, but nothing stuck until Andrea Tafi (Alessio-Bianchi) launched a solo break, putting 2:55 on the bunch before Rabobank organized a chase to

The 17th annual Taipei International Cycle Show is in full swing in Taiwan this week and VeloNews technical writer Lennard Zinn is there plying the aisles to catch a glimpse of some of the product we can expect to hit the shelves of our local bike shops in the coming year. New PlayersCompetition has consistently driven manufacturing costs down over the last few decades. Bike production, once centered in Europe, moved to Japan in the 1970s and ‘80s, then to Taiwan and eventually to the People’s Republic of China. Now a new player is entering the market, perhaps giving even producers in the

A cagey Denis Menchov (Illes Baleares) held his fire until the final kilometers, then took his best shot, chasing down and outsprinting a three-man breakaway on the Col de Manse to claim the 173.5km sixth stage of Paris-Nice race from Rasteau to Gap on Friday. The threesome of Spaniard Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi), American Floyd Landis (U.S. Postal) and Belgian Dave Bruylandts (Chocolade Jacques) had surged ahead on the final climb, some 10km from the line. But Menchov leapt from the first chase group to join the trio, then pipped them at the finish in a four-up dash to the line.

Spaniard Oscar Freire (Rabobank) took the lead in the Tirreno-Adriatico cycling race after winning the 168km third stage between Maddaloni and Isernia on Friday. The 28-year-old Freire came in ahead of Ukrainian rider Vladimir Duma (Landbouwkrediet-Colnago) and Rabobank teammate Michael Boogerd of the Netherlands for his third stage win of the season. He overtakes Italian Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo), winner of the first two stages, as the overall leader. The battle started early with a series of attacks from Spaniard Angel Vicioso (Liberty Seguros), Estonian Janek Tombak (Cofidis)

Leading a strong Canadian showing that has typified the NORBA series for several years now, Alison Sydor and Seamus McGrath posted the top time-trial times at the National Mountain Bike Series opener on Friday in Waco, Texas. In a flip-flop of usual protocol, the men kicked off the day’s racing, which was held on the twisty trails of Waco’s Cameron Park. The course was a three-mile circuit that started on pavement, but quickly gave way to tight single-track that kept riders on their toes the entire time. “There wasn’t much climbing, but it was really sketchy and loose in a lot of the

Two-time defending champion Alexandre Vinokourov dedicated his win in the 215km fifth stage of Paris-Nice to his friend Andrei Kivilev who was killed in last year's event. "It's fantastic. I wanted to win for him," said the 30-year-old Kazakh rider of the stage he was determined to win in memory of compatriot Kivilev, who died after a fall on March 11, 2003. Winner of the last two editions of Paris-Nice, Vinokourov missed a key break on Monday and now sits more than five minutes down in the overall standings. But on Thursday, Vinokourov managed to join a key CSC-driven break that resembled

With great fanfare, awarding of prizes for design innovations, political speeches, and a ribbon cutting ceremony, the four-day, 17th annual Taipei International Cycle Show is off, once again marking the beginning of the bicycle selling season. This where the big orders are placed by some of the world’s largest manufacturers and importers. It’s also where hush-hush new developments for as far out as the 2005 season and beyond are revealed, albeit generally to major buyers and behind closed doors. Still, new products that have not yet been seen abound and in many cases they’ve already been

With a start list that included Tinker Juarez, Dave Wiens and a pair of Subaru-Gary Fisher pros, Charlie Storm had to figure a top five would have been a great day. Throw in the fact that Storm flatted on the first lap of the 60-mile marathon race that kicked off the first stop of the NORBA Mountain Bike Series in Texas, and a top 10 would have looked pretty good. But that puncture — and one to the lead moto — turned out to be Storm’s lucky break. While he was pulled off on the side of the 20-mile circuit that twisted its way through the Broken Oak and C-Bar ranches 30 miles south of Waco,

While Shimano and RockShox/SRAM have each scheduled their official worldwide press launches for two weeks from now, quite a bit of information has already leaked out of both companies regarding their 2005 technology.In order to quell the leaks – or at least ensure the accuracy of the news that’s out there – both companies opted to open their respective information floodgates at least part of the way on Tuesday when they each issued “pre-release” press releases. Look for complete reports from RockShox’s March 28th-31st press camp in Las Vegas and Shimano’s Los Angeles product launch on April

Snow has forced the cancellation of the fourth stage of Paris-Nice, a planned 179km race through the mountainous Loire and Auvergne regions of central France Wednesday. Race director Jean-Marie Leblanc said conditions on the day's biggest climb, the Category 2 Col de la Croix de l'Homme Mort, made racing unsafe. "It's minus four degrees (Celsius) on Col de la Croix de l'Homme Mort, the road is wet and the snow is still falling," said Leblanc after the start time was pushed back twice before finally being cancelled. German CSC rider Jörg Jaksche holds the overall race lead with a six-second

Lotto's Leon van Bon won the third stage of Paris-Nice, a 229km ride between Chapelle-Saint-Ursin and Roanne on Tuesday, finishing just ahead of Gerolsteiner's Thomas Ziegler. Van Bon and Ziegler slipped off the front of the field just before the 30km mark and built up a lead that peaked at more 13 minutes at one point. The two finished just ahead of the main field, nearly 200km after their initial escape. Quick Step's Tom Boonen won the field sprint 25 seconds after the two leaders crossed the line. German CSC rider Jörg Jaksche retained the overall race lead with a six-second advantage

It was a day of heavy damage in Monday’s second stage of Paris-Nice. No, no one crashed, but a half-dozen favorites were all-but-eliminated when Team CSC and U.S. Postal Service collaborated to drive a deep five-minute wedge into the eight-day race. Five Postals and the entire CSC team drove a lead group of 36 into Montargis in the windy 166.5km stage across rolling farmland south of Paris. Spanish rider Pedro Horrillo (Quick Step) rejoiced in his most important victory of his career while two-time defending champion Alexandre Vinokourov (T-Mobile), Erik Dekker (Rabobank), Laurent

When Jorg Jaksche raced with Telekom and ONCE early in his career, he didn’t get much of a chance to ride for himself. Most of his efforts were supporting proven leaders Jan Ullrich or Joseba Beloki. Now that he’s been giving the leadership mantle since joining Team CSC over the off-season, the 27-year-old German is taking full advantage of the opportunity. Jaksche won the Tour Mediterranean in February and added an even more important victory Sunday in the 13.2km opening time trial of the 62rd Paris-Nice. “When I rode at the other teams I was always a worker for others, which was fine

Sorta like the swallows returning to Capistrano, one of my regular annual duties is to bundle-up and head out to Bloomington, Minnesota, for Quality Bicycle Products' annual open house. One of the largest bicycle distributors in the United States, QBP opens its door every February to interested shop owners who are keen on getting a glimpse at some of this year's latest technology. Representatives from many of QBP’s clients make the trip out, set up a booth and profess the merits of their products. In short, it’s a really mini-Interbike without the cigarette smoke, slot machines or

Dear readers,I don’t know about all of you, but I’m getting tired of talking aboutchains, even though the mail keeps pouring in about them. I do want toadd, though, that Shimano's Wayne Stetina just told me that he would neveradvise flipping over a 10-speed chain, so this method is only for 9-speedand lower.Leaving chains, here are a couple of related questions to which a singleanswer might suffice.LennardFreeing up my freehubDear Lennard,I have your "Zinn& The Art of Road Bike Maintenance" book but would like to knowwhere I can find or purchase specific instructions on how to remove theMavic

While most of us are busy trying to catch-up with what’s going on with2004 suspension, most manufacturers have long been working on their 2005product lines. Fact is, says Manitou’s Joel Smith, that company is “pushinghard to put the finishing touches on 2005 and move ahead with our 2006product line.” How’s that for looking ahead? Manitou invited VeloNews to Phoenix, Arizona, last month to spenda weekend riding its new 2005 fork line. While the California-based suspensionmanufacturer will unveil new improvements throughout the full range ofits 2005 line (later this summer) Smith figured it

Team Adidas Fiat Rotwild was the first to cross the finish line on Saturday as The Cape Epic, an eight-stage mountain-bike stage race in South Africa, got under way. The 750km stage race, which began on the Garden Route in Knysna and ends March 6 at the Spier Wine Estate, just outside Cape Town, will send its 273 teams through the Western Cape and across some of the most magnificent mountain passes in South Africa. Each team consists of two riders, who must stay together throughout the race. The first stage, a 120km leg that gained 3050 meters of elevation as it crossed the Outeniqua

There was no stopping Alejandro Valverde (CV-Kelme) as he shot to his second win a row and into the overall leader’s jersey as he won a wet and messy stage into Sagunto to claim the third stage of the Tour of Valencia. Valverde timed his move perfectly, came off the fifth wheel and sprung to his third victory of the season. With the 10-second time bonus, he nudged ahead of Toni Colom (Illes Balears) by one second to take the leader’s jersey. “I have good form now and I want to take advantage of it,” said Valverde, who came across ahead of sprint specialists Isaac Galvez (Illes Balears) and

I just got back from a whirlwind trip out to Wisconsin where VeloNews's Nick Ramey and I were able to visit with both Trek and Pacific Cycle. With one long day slated for our Trek visit, we had high hopes of getting a look at what the venerable company is planning for coming years and, 12 hours later, we left very satisfied. Our main guide for the day was Fisher/LeMond/Klein/Bontrager brand coordinator Ryan Atkinson. Our stops included visits to the massive 182,000-square-foot Whitewater production facility where 240 employees assemble many of the Trek, Fisher, Klein and LeMond models. While

Dear readers,I have gotten so much mail on the chain wear and replacement issue, thatI decided to clarify my perspective on the cost/benefit equation and postthe best samples of the mail I have recently received opposing as wellas supporting my position. I just completed writing a new book that I turned in to VeloPress lastThursday, two hours before flying off for my annual appointment to competein (or suffer through) the American Birkebeiner, the great 51km cross-countryski race in Wisconsin. The book, which is sort of my "Top 50" list of things you can do tobe faster, more efficient, more

Katie Mactier, 28, (Jayco) leads Australia’s four-day Geelong Tour after claiming a delayed victory in the opening twilight time trial stage raced at the Bellarine Peninsula beachside town of Portarlington. Her victory came in unusual circumstances after officials amended the original result when a recording error was noticed. After reviewing the timing tape officials moved Mactier into first and Sydney’s Kate Bates, 21, (NSWIS), who was originally awarded the win, down to fourth. Bates, while disappointed, accepted the mistake with good grace while Mactier was thrilled to learn she would

A day after losing Saturday’s time trial by one second to teammate LanceArmstrong, U.S. Postal’s Floyd Landis continued strong to win Sunday’sclimbing stage and claimed the overall title at the Tour of the Algarve. The difficult 178km stage was held over narrow roads and steep climbsin the hills north of Portugal’s glimmering Algarve coast. A breakawaypeeled away early, but the favorites moved to the front for the secondand final charge up the Category summit finish at Malhao. Landis held off Peter Farazijn (Cofidis) to win by five seconds andclaim his first individual title in Europe since

Dear Lennard,I am considering purchasing a compact chainring with my next bike.I am confused. Some literature suggests that the 50/34 tooth compact chainringwith a 11-23 cassette has a more expanded range than the conventional 53/39chainring with a 12-25 cassette. Is there a formula for determining the"high" and "low" range of gearing?RobDear Rob,There sure is!Gear = (number of chainring teeth) X (tire diameter) & divide; (number of cog teeth)If you want the gear in inches, put in the tire diameter in inches.To find out how far you get with each pedal stroke (gear rollout), multiply the gear

Here's a quick update on my earlier reporton Michelin’s announced plans to begin testing its tubeless road tiretechnology.I also wanted to thank all those readers who sent in additional questionsfor me to ask Michelin’s Steve White when I finally managed to corner himon the phone. As luck would have it, White called me early this morningto clear-up my questions.The following is an edited transcript of our discussion: VeloNews: Steve, how easy will it be to seat and inflate a tubelessroad tire? I’m also curious how regular riders might be able to patch andreinflate tubeless road tires out in

U.S. Postal Service wasted no time to score its first victory of the 2004 season as Max Van Heeswijk edged Oscar Freire (Rabobank) to win Monday’s second stage of the Ruta del Sol. Erik Zabel (T-Mobile) came through third in the 184km stage from Arcos de la Frontera to Benalmádena to grab the overall lead in the five-day race in southern Spain. U.S. Postal’s George Hincapie didn’t take his planned departure in Sunday’s opening stage after suffering stomach problems and might race later this week alongside Lance Armstrong at the Tour of Algarve in Portugal. Michael Rasmussen (Rabobank) also

In a sport long dominated by a Belgian juggernaut, Richard Groendendaal scored an upset World Cup cyclo-cross victory in front of hometown crowd on Sunday and grabbed the season’s overall title in the process. By winning the double-point final in the six-race World Cup series in Pijnacker in the Netherlands, Groenendaal unseated former World Cup leader Sven Nijs - his Rabobank teammate - and denied world champion Bart Wellens a shot at scoring cyclo-cross’s “grand slam” (the World Cup title along with the Belgian and world championships). While he rode a strong solo race at the front of the

[nid:26885]For the second consecutive year, Panaria’s Ruben Bongiorno took the field sprint at the Tour de Langkawi’s closing stage, a steamy hot, 60km criterium through Malaysia’s capital city of Kuala Lumpur. With no major changes to the overall classification, Colombia Selle Italia’s Freddy Gonzalez — King of the Mountains at the Giro d’Italia in 2001 and 2003 — took top honors, his biggest win to date.

Walter Perez of Argentina won the 15km men’s scratch race as the UCI Track World Cup season kicked off on Friday in Moscow, Russia. Perez won in 17:41:321, ahead of Volodymyr Rybin (Ukraine) and Christopher Newton (Great Britain). American Colby Pearce was fifth, the strongest American showing on the day. In the women's 20km points race, it was Olga Slyusareva (Russia) taking the win with 25 points. Belem Guerrero (Mexico) was second with 17, while Yoanka Gonzalez Perez (Cuba) took third with 11. Americans Erin Mirabella and Sarah Hammer finished 16th and 25th, respectively.

[nid:26873]Colombia-Selle Italia’s svelte climbers Ruber Marin and Freddy Gonzalez conquered the steep 25km ascent to Malaysia’s Genting Highlands during stage 9 of the Tour de Langkawi, taking 1-2 on the day and keeping the leader’s jersey within the team after fellow countryman and first-year teammate Marlon Perez was dropped in the final 6km.

[nid:26864]Brazilian sprinter Luciano Pagliarini (Lampre) took a chaotic mass sprint at the end of the Tour de Langkawi’s eighth stage Friday, edging out Enrico Degano of Barloworldin a photo finish. Graeme Brown (Panaria) finished third, while Gord Fraserof Health Net-Maxxis took fourth. It was Pagliarini's second field sprint victory in as many days, bothexecuted to perfection without the use of a teammate’s lead-out. When askedabout the aggressive sprint, which saw Panaria’s Ruben Bongiorno and Wismilack’sMatnur Matnur crash in the final 500m, Pagliarini laughed.

In the beginning there was RockShox. When first raced in 1990, Paul Turner’sRS-1 fork jump-started the suspension revolution. As you’re most likelyaware, Manitou followed suit and produced its own elastomer-sprung forkjust a year later. Within two short years the two suspension companieshad locked horns over market share (albeit small dollars way back then). Fast forward to 2004 and the two are back at it again-this time vyingover potentially millions of dollars in original equipment spec' and aftermarket sales. Stroll on down to your local bike shop and take an informal poll and I’ll bet

[nid:26855]On a hot, flat stage 7 designed for the peloton’s musclemen, Brazilian hotshot Luciano Pagliarini (Lampre) took a mass sprint Thursday, narrowly edging out points leader Gord Fraser (Health Net). It was Pagliarini’s first win this year, to add to the three consecutive wins he took in Malaysia in 2003. “I want to thank my team,” a grinning Pagliarini said, clearly happy to have the first win of the year under his belt. “They had a lot of confidence in me, and brought me to the finish.”

Keeping important parts comfyDear Lennard,This isn't a nuts and bolts question, but I thought you might shedsome light on this subject. Most roadies I know (including myself) preferto wear bib shorts with leg warmers instead of tights in cold weather.I can't understand why nobody makes a short with a windproof panel in thesensitive chamois region. Surely I'm not the first to think of this.JayDear Jay,Good question! No, you are certainly not the first to wonder this!Here are somewhat contradictory answers from De Marchi and from Sportful,which also owns Castelli.From De MarchiDear Lennard,The

[nid:26838]Canadian rocket Eric Wohlberg stormed through a tight 18km circuit in central Melaka to take the time-trial stage of the Telekom Malaysia Le Tour de Langkawi on Tuesday. “I went as hard as I could. It was really tough out to the turn but I had the lead at that point and was really surfing coming back,” Wohlberg said at the finish. It was a double triumph for the strong man, originally from Ontario but now residing in California, as he also led his compatriots Roland Green and Peter Wedge to the team prize.

[nid:26834]It was another day for breakaways in Malaysia, as Australian Sean Sullivan of the South African Barloworld squad took the fourth stage of the Tour de Langkawi in a dramatic two-up sprint against breakaway companion Devis Miorin (De-Nardi) after 100km off the front. Behind, Canadian Gord Fraser of Health Net won the bunch sprint for a second consecutive day, adding to his points jersey tally and confirming that, at this tour, he’s the sprinter to beat.

Teammates Marlon Perez and Freddy Gonzalez of the Columbia-Selle Italia squad set the stage for the general classification on the first of two mountain stages at the 10-day Tour de Langkawi Saturday, finishing first and second on the day’s nearly 60km gradual climb into the Cameron Highlands. It was a good day for the South American squad, which now holds both the yellow leader’s jersey (Perez) and the blue sprinter’s jersey (Gonzalez).

With our 2004 Buyer’s Guide entering the critical home stretch, I was hoping I’d be able to dodge this week’s Tech Report, but this press release from Michelin was too important to overlook. As rumored for the past three years, tubeless technology is officially making the crossover to the road. Here are some excerpts from Michelin’s release: Michelin is initially targeting the world of professional road racing in 2004 with three new products: the Michelin Pro Race Tubeless, the Michelin Pro Grip Tubeless and the Michelin Pro Grip Special Paves Tubeless. This year, Michelin-sponsored

[nid:26826]Spectators at the finish of the Tour de Langkawi’s flat stage 1 from Penang to Taiping, Malaysia, were surprised to see the peloton roll across the line intact without a contested sprint. What initially appeared to be a rider protest proved to be more a matter of survival after local police marshals errantly waived traffic onto the course following the first of two 8km closing circuits.

Things that work and things that don't Dear Lennard, Would my 9-speed FSA Carbon cranks work with my 2004 Campagnolo Record 10-speed? Do I need to take off my 10-speed rings from my Record cranks and put them on the FSA cranks? Chad Dear Chad, Yes, it will work fine as is. And you could not take your Campy rings and put them on the FSA crank anyway, because the Campy rings have a 135mm bolt circle, and the FSA crank has a 130mm bolt circle (or 110mm, if it is a Compact Road crankset). Lennard Were it a Brooks, it would just be getting broken in Dear Lennard, How many miles can a saddle last

Using the climbing skills that won her the world mountain-bike title at Mont-Ste-Anne five years ago, French off-road star Laurence Leboucher took her second world cyclo-cross title on her home turf Sunday morning. “We’ve talked about the world’s taking place in Pont-Château for a long time, but actually doing them, and winning, was another thing,” said Leboucher. “And I couldn’t have won without Maryline’s help behind.” She was referring to her teammate Maryline Salvetat, who closely marked two-time world champion Hanka Kupfernagel when the German was the only rider strong enough to chase

Bart Wellens made the right choice, Mario De Clercq didn’t. The younger of Belgium’s past world elite cyclo-cross champions chose to start the final sprint from the front. The older man chose to follow. And though there was only about an inch between their knobby front tires at the line, Wellens just held on. “Eight times out of 10 I would lose the sprint to Mario, so it was a great honor to beat him,” said a jubilant Wellens, 25, who thus kept the title he first earned last year in Monopoli, Italy. “Today was much more special for me than Monopoli.” Perhaps this was De Clercq’s final best

It was clear that Saturday afternoon’s under-23 men’s race at the cyclo-cross world’s in Pont-Château, France, was going to be dramatic and highly tactical when there was a crash on the first turn. This was not just another of those crashes caused by a traffic jam of riders when they are still grouped together. This crash happened right at the front when the first six riders tangled wheels and fell on a muddy, off-camber slope as they emerged from the long bend. Among the six fallers were the three top favorites: defending champion Enrico Franzoi of Italy; Belgian champion Wesley Van der

Right from the gun, I gotta apologize because I missed last week’s column. I swear; it was the damn 2004 VeloNews Buyer’s Guide that made me (not) do it. You see, it falls upon my (and Lennard Zinn’s) shoulders to put this puppy out every year and, since last year’s edition was something of a success, the beast has gotten even bigger this time around. Of course, that means more pages to fill; more bikes and components to write about; more (hopefully) insightful features to generate. So getting back to last week’s excuse, I found myself with VeloNews photo editor Galen Nathanson

Hi Lennard,I have an opportunity to buy a new frame (steel with carbon fiber rearstays) that has a 1-1/8-inch head tube for an integrated head set. A coupleof years ago I bought a 1-inch threadless carbon fiber fork -- with steelsteerer tube -- that I'd like to use rather than having to buy an 1-1/8-inchfork.I have three questions:1. Is there a product (headset or adapter) on the market that fits 1-inch forks to a 1-1/8-inch frame?2. Are there any shims that can be used with a 1-1/8-inch head setto fit 1-inch forks?3. Do you have any other suggestions or do I have to buy a 1-1/8-inch

It’s not quite the Champs-Élysées, but for the tens of thousands who turned out for the final stage of the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under on Sunday it was a race finale to rival anything on the world stage. Not only did top sprinters Baden Cooke and Robbie McEwen take the top-two finish spots for the day, one of Adelaide's favorite sons, Patrick Jonker, duly bowed out a winner after a distinguished 14-year career in the pro ranks. Jonker, 34, earmarked this year's event as his last as a professional cyclist, and in a fairytale ending he achieved a dream result.

Ben Day, Queensland’s time-trial champion, led home an all-Aussie trifecta in the penultimate stage of the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under at Willunga on Saturday. While the Team Australia rider won in style, beating Tour de France sprinters Robbie McEwen (Lotto) and Baden Cooke (FDJeux.com)after attacking 3km from the finish, it will be South Australian Patrick Jonker who will be acclaimed the overall victor when the Tour ends on Sunday. Jonker, 34, riding in his swansong tour after a distinguished career, holds a nearly unassailable 1:34 lead over McEwen with Belgian Philippe Gilbert

Australian Patrick Jonker maintained his overall lead after Friday's 141km fourth stage of the Jacobs Creek Tour Down Under as Lotto’s sprinter Robbie McEwen won his second bunch finish. Jonker finished in the main field in 28th, holding on to a 1:38 advantage in general classification over McEwen, who moved into second place overall. McEwen, who was disappointed to finish third in yesterday’s sprint into Victor Harbor, said today’s win makes up for that loss. “It’s still always going to be the one that got away but it’s good to be able to win today,” he said, adding that he hadn’t planned

FDJeux.com’s Philippe Gilbert was a brilliant winner of Thursday's third stage of the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under, but South Australian Patrick Jonker (UniSA )has all but guaranteed he will finish his illustrious career on an high note. Jonker, 34, took over the leader's yellow jersey from David McPartland (Team Australia) and now leads the overall standings by 1:39 at the half-way mark of this six-day stage race. It’s a situation that Jonker, who has earmarked this event as his swansong, would have only dreamed about. And it came about Thursday because he had the legs to ensure he was in

Dear Lennard,Your maintenance book has been a great help to me in building my firsttwo bikes. I've noticed from your book that you've recommended changingthe chain approximately every 1500 miles. Of course, I read this afterI put 4k on my current drivetrain! I have a Campy record 10-speed groupwith 13-26 in the back. I use dry lube. It still shifts great and wearlooks very low. There hasn't been any skipping at all.Could you please clarify for me about this issue; Are you suggestingthat the same cassette be kept and the chain switched out every 1500 miles?I've read conflicting suggestions on

Well, the holidays are certainly over – here at VeloNews, we're hard back at it. I'm working on putting together our second Buyer's Guide, which means I'm up to my eyeballs in catalogs, price sheets and unreadable-image CDs. Our guide isn’t one of those all-inclusive publications, providing the brand and make of every single bicycle on the market – instead, it’s a selective compilation showcasing what we feel are the crown jewels and best values of 2004. So far, it's obvious that most of our pro-level road bikes incorporate carbon into their frames (if they’re not entirely built of carbon).

Funky disco drop-outDear Lennard;Last Saturday I installed a new Kelly rigid mountain bike fork on aGunnar Ruffian. Friends at the shop were a little miffed by the drop-outson the fork. Seems that they are, in a sense, forward/upward facing. Somephone calls yielded some vague information about problems with wheels runningdisc brakes coming loose from 'standard' forks. Can you comment on thisproblem? Can you tell me if you've seen Kelly's solution to the problem and,if so, what you think of the design?Judd Dear Judd;Well, you can just barely see that the dropouts face forward on thatKelly

WARNING: WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO READ CONTAINS SEVERAL EXPLICIT REFERENCES TO MOTORCYCLES. IF YOU ARE OFFENDED BY THE OF NOTION OF NON-HUMAN-POWERED TWO-WHEELED VEHICLES, PLEASE SKIP TO ANOTHER SECTION OF THIS WEBSITE NOW. Well, I just got back in from a bit of vacation time over the holidays [hope you had a good one]. Instead of the usual “hang-out-and-eat-and-drink-myself-silly” holiday, I chose to head south of the border with a pal of mine for a little two-wheeled adventure. As much as I’m a fan of the mountain bike, I had to concede that this trip required a bit more oomph in order to

Dear Lennard;I've seen many times when you recommend a pair of custom orthoticsto alleviate many common cycling issues. I plan on having a pair made formyself, but therein lies my question: when shopping around for a podiatrist(I've heard too many stories about people purchasing expensive orthotics,which then turned out to not be effective), what does an athlete need tospecifically ask or have done to maximize their monetary efficiency? I know that all custom orthotics will be different based on the individual'sneeds, but I'd like some advice from a man who's had effective orthoticsmade. Are

Challenger Wong Kam Po (Pocari Sweat Hong Kong) gave it all he had in stage seven of the Tour of South China Sea, but there was no wresting the overall lead from Russian Oleg Grishkin (Moscow City Sports Association) Maros Kovac (Dukla Trencin) won the hilly stage on Coloane, Macao, but the real race was between Grishkin and Wong, first and second on GC. After a couple of early breaks were reeled in, Wong attacked with five laps to go, joined by Alexey Kolessov (Kazakhstan National Team) and Robert Nagy (Dukla Trencin). Grishkin’s team kept the move under control, commanding the front of

Dear Lennard,So there are two Giro TT helmets, right? (The round one that everyone has and the square one that Lance rides.) In the Vuelta I noticed that David Millar was wearing the square variant. What's the deal with this? Is one faster in certain conditions? Why David and Lance?– Geoff Dear Geoff,As far as I know, Lance’s helmet is not available for sale, whereas the other one is. Lance’s was designed specifically for him and works well with the hump in his back. Apparently, Millar has reason to believe that it is fast for him, too. When I was at the final time trial in the Tour in 2001,

The Moscow City Sports Association team showed that they are the class of the field on Tuesday in the Tour of South China Sea. During the sixth stage at Zhuhai, the team worked like a well-oiled machine to deliver Russian sprinter Oleg Grishkin to his fourth win in this tour. Kam Po Wong (Pocari Sweat Hong Kong) collected six bonus seconds by finishing second, and that may prove important in the final calculations, as he is the favorite in Wednesday’s stage on Coloane Island, which finishes up a steep climb. The stage began with a flurry of attacks. American Chris Baumann (Sierra

Russian sprinter Oleg Grishkin (Moscow City Sports Association) won the fifth stage of the Tour of South China Sea on Monday, taking the bunch sprint just ahead of Aussie Brett Aitken (Bicisport Australia). It was the third victory so far in the eighth annual race for Grishkin, who claimed stages one and four, and holds the overall lead just 13 seconds ahead of Kam Po Wong (Pocari Sweat Hong Kong) and a further second over Aitken. The tour has been a sprinter’s race since stage three, and while Grishkin didn’t look good in the hilly second stage, where he briefly surrendered the jersey to

Dear Lennard;I wrote you this question right after I saw the downtube shifter onLance's bike last July, but I'm guessing it got lost in the flood of TDFe-mails, so here it is again:During one of the mountain stages, I saw an old-school front derailleurdowntube shifter on Lance's bike, and then in a later stage, I saw oneon Ullrich's bike. What is up with that? Were they really front shifters,or for something different?TedDear Ted;Yes, they are front shifters to save the weight of the STI or Ergopowerlever and extra cable and housing.LennardDear Lennard;I was intrigued by your statement that

Who would have known that Christmas would come early this year? Well, for the nerdy technical staff of VeloNews, anyway. Flashback to this past Friday. It’s the annual Christmas party for the management and staff of Inside Communications (the publisher of VeloNews), and everyone is all tidied up and pretending to be on our best behavior. As I’m loitering around the buffet line, secretly trying to hone in on the calamari, I overhear our very own John Wilcockson mentioning something about “Tyler’s bike” to our editor, Kip Mikler. My attention switches from the succulent deep-fried squid to