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Casinos betting on Philly International
Two casino companies hoping to become players in Philadelphia have taken a hand in underwriting the financially strapped TD Bank Philadelphia International Cycling Championship. SugarHouse and Foxwoods Development have committed $100,000 each as part of a one-year agreement, according to Pro Cycling Tour CEO David Chauner.
Leipheimer, Kristin Armstrong win Gila time trials
Levi Leipheimer continued to stamp his authority on the SRAM Tour of the Gila, winning the 16-mile stage-3 time trial in a record time of 32:59. Bissell's Tom Zirbel placed second at 33:52 with Leipheimer's Mellow Johnny's teammate Lance Armstrong rounding out the podium. In the women's race, Kristin Armstrong (Cervélo TestTeam) also broke a course record — Jeannie Longo's — winning her second stage in 37:36 and maintaining her overall lead. Alison Powers (Team Type 1) finished second, with Anne Samplonius (Lip Smacker) third.
Columbia’s Rabon regains lead at Romandie
Columbia-Highroad won the stage-3 team time trial at the Tour de Romandie on Friday, slotting Czech Frantisek Rabon back into the leader’s jersey he first claimed in the prologue. Caisse d'Epargne finished second at 10 seconds back with Saxo Bank third a further six seconds in arrears.
Wegmann wins Eschborn-Frankfurt
Milram put two riders on the podium in the Eschborn-Frankfurt City Loop on Friday, with Fabian Wegmann outsprinting Karsten Kroon (Saxo Bank) for the win and teammate Christian Knees taking third at 19 seconds back. The 48th edition of the race, formerly called the Rund um den Henninger Turn, covers a series of loops around Frankfurt in southwestern Germany.
Saxo Bank will race 2009 Tour of Missouri
Saxo Bank will line up at September's Tour of Missouri, adding some more star power to an already packed roster. The race announced Thursday that the Danish-based team would join Quick Step, Garmin-Slipstream, Columbia-Highroad, Cervelo TestTeam, Astana, Liquigas, Jelly Belly and BMC Racing. Team rosters for the Sept. 7-13 race will be announced in August. The race will host a total of 15 teams.
Colavita’s Haedo wins Gila field sprint, as Leipheimer retains lead.
Colavita's Lucas Sebastian Haedo won a field sprint to end Thursday's second stage of the SRAM Tour of the Gila in New Mexico, as Levi Leipheimer finished in the lead pack to retain his overall lead heading into Friday's time trial stage. Leipheimer's teammates on the Mellow Johnny's team, Lance Armstrong and Chris Horner, slaved at the front of the pack for much of the day, keeping in check a four-man breakaway containing Floyd Landis (OUCH-Maxxis).
New toys from spring races
With these last few prototypes and new products, we thought we’d add a few items to those that struck our fancy at this year’s Sea Otter tech expo. We still have more new bikes, frames, parts, and accessories that were shown, so we plan to gradually get those stories, along with some pro mountain bikes, up on VeloNews.com over the course of the next few months. Niterider has a bright future
Mayer released, Kohl’s manager remains jailed
Austria’s former national Nordic ski coach Walter Mayer was released on Thursday after spending more than a month in custody, on suspicion of dealing in doping substances, court sources said. The 52-year-old Mayer was arrested on March 22, suspected of obtaining and providing illegal doping substances, including the banned blood booster EPO and its modern successor CERA, according to the prosecution. He was remanded into custody on March 25.
Absalon, Chengyuan Win MTB World Cup No. 2
Julien Absalon (Orbea) seized the lead of the cross-country Nissan UCI Mountain Bike World Cup on Sunday after winning round two of the series in Offenburg, Germany.
Freire wins stage, Rast keeps Romandie lead
Three-time world champion Oscar Freire (Rabobank) won the second stage of the Tour de Romandie on Thursday after a breakaway by teammates Cadel Evans and Philippe Gilbert (Silence-Lotto) was stifled just a few kilometers before the finish line. The Silence-Lotto duo took advantage of the hilly course around northwestern Switzerland to break away on the final climb near the town of La Chaux-de-Fonds. But Evans, the 2006 Romandie winner, and Gilbert were reeled in by the peloton led by late entry Alejandro Valverde just four kilometers from the finish.
Changes To The Warny
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Part II: A conversation with Christian Vande Velde
Christian Vande Velde is facing a busy schedule in coming weeks, with the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France looming as his main targets of the year. For the Giro, Vande Velde wants to help his team defend their victory in the team time trial and get another crack at the pink jersey. For the Tour, the 32-year-old wants to pick up where he finished off last year in his breakthrough performance and aim for the final podium in Paris.
Essential Roadtrip Skills
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How Lance Armstrong’s decision to race Gila unintentionally hurt Team BMC
By the time you are reading this, Lance Armstrong and his Astana teammates — sorry, Mellow Johnny’s teammates — Levi Leipheimer and Chris Horner have completed the opening stage of the SRAM Tour of the Gila, in New Mexico. To no one’s surprise, Leipheimer won the opening stage, which ended with the 5km Mogollon climb. Things should get interesting watching those three defend the lead against several top-notch domestic teams packing eight-man rosters.