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Vogels and Heal are heroes in Gila crit
The last turn of the Tour of the Gila's criterium is key for daredevil sprinters with the nerve to attack into the narrow left-hander and charge to the finish less than 300 meters away. The riders enter the turn at top speed thanks to a wide-open descent, and a mistake means high-siding it into a raised Old Western-style sidewalk on the outside of the turn. On Saturday, to the glee of the spectators who assemble on the sidewalk, the men's and women's winner each attacked coming into the turn and held their advantage to the line.
Gritty De Bonis claims Romandie’s queen stage
Francesco De Bonis (Gerolsteiner) pulled off a gutsy victory in the mountainous stage 4 of the Tour de Romandie, answering late charges by Manuel Beltran (Liquigas) and John Gadret (Ag2r-La Mondiale) to cross the line first in Zinal after having spent most of the day out front. Andreas Klöden (Astana) retained the overall lead by 35 seconds over Roman Kreuziger (Cze), Liquigas with Marco Pinotti (Team High Road) third at 0:43.
MTB World Cup Round 3: Hot and fast in Madrid
The Mountain Bike World Cup moves from northern Europe to the southern climes of Madrid for round three in the cross-country series this weekend. While the downtown location and non-technical circuit differs from the previous two races in Houffalize, Belgium, and Offenburg, Germany, one thing that has not changed is the continuing good weather that is expected for Sunday.
Bronchitis will keep Petacchi out of Giro d’Italia
Milram sprint specialist Alessandro Petacchi will miss next week’s start of the Giro d’Italia after he was diagnosed with bronchitis, the German/Italian team said Saturday. "I'm very sorry that I won't be able to start in the Giro d'Italia," said Petacchi in a statement. "Yesterday (Friday), I thought that I would be able to start, even if my condition is very bad because I have not been able to train the last 12 days. I feel better now but there is not enough time for a good training.
Merckx: Happily retired and carefully weighing his options
Axel Merckx was back at the races last month in the Ardennes, but this time dressed in civilian clothes. The son of Eddy Merckx was made a triumphant return in his native Belgium and had a handful of cycling tourists in tow as he made the rounds before Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
Toyota will not renew its three-year deal with the Toyota-United team.
Toyota Motor Sales, USA, will not renew its three-year contract to sponsor the Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team, the team announced Friday. Team owner Sean Tucker held a conference call with team riders, staff and managers to tell them that the car company will let its three-year contract expire at the end of this season. Tucker said he is looking to find another sponsor in the next 100 days.
Candelario, Pic win in South Carolina
Kelly Benefit Strategies rider Alex Candelario negotiated a tricky circuit and rode his leadout train to victory in the latest installment of the USA CRITS Speed Week series on Thursday in Greenwood, South Carolina, “The team rode really well,” Candelario said. “We knew we’d probably be riding for a field sprint, so we lined up all the boys with 10 laps to go. They did a great job of keeping guys in check. One of the Rock Racing guys jumped in the final, but Martin Gilbert responded and dropped me off at 250 meters to go.”
Bissell’s big boys take control of the Gila time trial
On another blustery day in southwestern New Mexico, Bissell's big men Tom Zirbel and Ben Jacques-Maynes hammered on the GC contenders to take the first two spots in the 16.4-mile Tyrone time trial. Zirbel turned a 34:26, beating his teammate by about 17 second and third place rider Chris Wherry (Toyota-United) by 49 seconds.
UCI bio passport snares first suspect
At least one top professional cyclist is to face doping charges after thousands of blood samples were analyzed as part of the Union Cycliste International’s blood passport program, the UCI said Friday. The UCI did not reveal the identity of the cyclist concerned, but said he is one of 23 riders who "warranted further scrutiny" following 2172 tests on blood samples as part of their far-reaching passport scheme.
Klöden wins ITT, seizes lead at Romandie
Andreas Klöden (Astana) won the stage 3 individual time trial and seized the overall lead of the Tour de Romandie on Friday. The 18.8km course included a dozen flat kilometers, a 266-meter climb with a pitch of 12 percent, and a rapid descent to the Place de la Planta with a twisting, turning final 500 meters that almost proved the Astana man’s undoing — Klöden clipped a barrier in the finale, but kept it upright to win the stage in 25 minutes and 32 seconds.
Reader Gallery 5/2/08
Winter training is over, and the racing season is just getting under way. Here is a nice selection of reader photos that we've been saving up for you. If you've got some cool photos, send them our way! Submit your photos here
The race for Beijing: An Offenburg report card
Two rounds of the 2008 UCI World Cup are now in the books, and the North American chase for the Beijing Olympics is beginning to take shape. Round two saw riders tackle the 5.1km course in Offenburg, Germany, which many have referred to as the most technical ride on the World Cup circuit.
Sastre, Schleck take a pass on Giro
Last year’s runner-up Andy Schleck and Spanish climber Carlos Sastre will both skip this month’s Giro d’Italia in favor of a run at the Tour de France podium. The two Team CSC stars have opted to put everything on the Tour and will leave the Giro to other riders on the squad. While Schleck, 22, had already decided in favor of the Tour even before his dramatic run through Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday, Sastre ended speculation over the weekend that he might start the Giro.