The Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) confirmed Wednesday that the athlete under investigation for a doping violation at last summer’s Olympics is cyclist Davide Rebellin. The 37-year-old, who earlier this month won the prestigious Flèche Wallonne spring classic, tested for the new generation of EPO — a Continuous Erythropoiesis Receptor Activator (CERA) — in an International Olympic Committee re-test of samples from Beijing.
Christian Vande Velde relished a day at the beach with his two young daughters over the past weekend because he knew it would probably be his last quiet day for a long time. The Garmin-Slipstream captain is entering the heart of his racing season, 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.
Dear Lennard,
In your Earth Day column there was a question about a cracked carbon frame. Since it is a save the earth day of posting I thought I would ask about the possibility of repairing a cracked carbon frame (small crack obviously). Since you can buy epoxy and carbon, would it be possible to repair a carbon frame? It would be ugly but would it be rideable?
Scott
Dear Scott,
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Czech rider Frantisek Rabon (Columbia-Highroad) on Tuesday won the Prologue of the Tour de Romandie, a 3.1km time-trial through the streets of the Swiss city of Lausanne.
French cyclist Sandy Casar (Française Des Jeux), took second place two seconds behind.
One of the favorites of the six day race in western Switzerland, late entry Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne) of Spain, was third, while American Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Slipstream) took fourth.
Prologue, Tour de Romandie
1. Frantisek Rabon (Cz), Columbia-Highroad, 3.1km in 3:45
The Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) announced Tuesday it has learned that one of that country's athletes tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance at last summer’s Olympic Games in Beijing. According to a news release issued Tuesday, CONI was informed of a positive A sample and has notified the athlete of the result. Under the provisions of the World Anti-Doping Code, he or she has the option to ask that his B sample be tested to confirm the result.
It seems Lance Armstrong will meet the Gila Monster after all. The seven-time Tour de France winner and two Astana teammates will race the SRAM Tour of the Gila in Silver City, New Mexico, after USA Cycling and the UCI negotiated a compromise over the international governing body’s rules regarding UCI Pro riders’ participation in national events.
One big breakaway and a stage victory can change everything for a professional cyclist. Just ask Simon Gerrans, a fifth-year pro at Cervélo TestTeam who scored a breakthrough win in last year’s Tour de France in stage 15 to Prato Nevoso in Italy.
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Almost four years ago, someone handed me a set of synthetic brake and shifter cables, and said, “Check these out!” Until then, I’d never thought that traditional steel cables were heavy, but the feathery Power Cordz were dramatically lighter than any other cables I had used. Without any instructions (other than to wrap the cables 180 degrees around pinch bolts for the most secure attachment) I installed them on my road bike. Two years of virtually friction-free and flawless performance left me with a great impression.
Rocky Mountain and Specialized both exhibited new hardtail and full-suspension 29ers during the April 16-19 Sea Otter Classic at Laguna Seca Raceway, while Niner frosted its extensive big-wheel cake with an array of sweet-looking rigid carbon forks.