This Week in Pro Cycling – February 22, 2008

Dear Readers,
Welcome to the latest edition of The Prologue, the weekly summary of news from the world of professional cycling by your friends at VeloNews.com.

We hope you’ve been tuning in to follow the action at this week’s Amgen Tour of California. It’s been a spectacular event so far, starting with Sunday’s prologue on the Stanford University campus, sprint wins by JJ Haedo and Tom Boonen. The action really ramped up with Wednesday’s spectacular GC shake-up that ended with young Robert Gesink winning the Tour’s toughest stage and defending champion Levi Leipheimer moving into the yellow jersey.

Thursday’s long wet ride to San Luis Obispo did not result in many changes in the overall standings, but the seven-hour stage, cold and wind and the effects of a stomach bug that has been making the rounds in the peloton, took a toll on the field, with many riders forced to pull out of the week-long stage race. [More] The creeping crud’s most notable victim was then race-leader Tyler Farrar, who pulled out of the race on Wednesday. We wish him a speedy recovery.

The final standings in this country’s biggest stage race may come down to Friday’s decisive Solvang time trial, so we’d like to encourage you to tune in to our Live Coverage to see who emerges on top of the podium after this 15-mile race against the clock.

It’s been a great week and the final three stages of the 2008 Amgen Tour of California promise to be just as exciting. We have a full crew in California, so be sure to check out our complete coverage throughout.

There’s been other racing around the world, including recent wins by Alessandro Petacchi at the Ruta del Sol and Tomas Vaitkus’s victory at the Volta ao Algarve, but but we have to admit we’ve been paying most attention to the biggie in this country. It’s been a great week, seeing some of the world’s best fight it out on roads in our backyard.

Have a good week and be sure to check in to follow all of the action, right here on VeloNews.com.

Sincerely,

Charles Pelkey
Senior Editor – VeloNews.com
CPelkey@insideinc.com