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UCI chief pat McQuaid on Friday promised to back reigning Tour de France champion Alberto Contador should he decide to take legal action over his exclusion from this year's race. The tour's organisers, Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), ruled on February 13 that Contador's Astana team would be barred from competing in this year's race as a result of doping scandals over the past two years. But International Cycling Union (UCI) president McQuaid said the decision is unfair.

Ian Downing - bike mechanic extraordinaire - ponders a new challenge

Unibet.com, the ProTour team that disintegrated last year after being barred from most events, is back, with a new name and new sponsor. The UCI has granted a one-year "wild card" license to the Swedish UCI professional continental team Cycle Collstrop, sponsored by a timber company. Last year the team was granted a ProTour license while sponsored by Unibet.com, a Swedish gambling Web site.

American Shawn Milne (Team Type 1) won Thursday's fifth stage of the Tour de Taiwan, moving into second place behind Health Net's John Murphy. It was the first professional race victory for the team. Milne won the Tour de Taiwan last year while on the Health Net team. His victory on Thursday came in a field sprint at the end of the 92-mile Hsinchu City circuit race, the event's longest stage. Murphy was sixth, while also picking up three points and a two-second time bonus for his second place in an intermediate sprint. Murphy is leading the GC and the points competition.

Graham Watson was following the tough stage 4, finishing up the infamous Mt. Ventoux.

It’s Taipei CYCLE 2008 (The 21st Annual Taipei Intl Cycle Show), one of the three most important cycle shows in the world and Asia’s largest, and it’s rapidly gearing up to show its stuff at the brand new NANGANG Exhibition Hall from March 13 to 16. According to the organizer, TAITRA (Taiwan External Trade Development Council), a record 762 exhibitors are coming to the show to use 2,842 — a 24% increase over last year’s count and the highest number ever!

Schwinn Bicycles, America's most recognized bicycle brand, today announced the signing of a partnership with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training (TNT), the world's largest endurance sports training and fundraising program, to become its first-ever national bicycle sponsor. Schwinn is owned by Dorel Industries (TSX: DII.B, DII.A).

Italian Raffaele Illiano (Diquigiovanni-Androni) won the second stage of Tirreno-Adriatico on Thursday, edging out countryman Enrico Gasparotto (Barloworld) in a sprint finish. Niklas Axelsson (Diquigiovanni-Androni) was third. The trio, with German Linus Gerdemann (Team High Road) and Saunier Duval teammates Riccardo Ricco and Eros Capecchi, went clear of the peloton on the last climb of the day, about 25km from the finale of the 203km leg from Civitavecchia to Gubbio.

Robert Gesink (Rabobank) couldn’t have picked a bigger stage to announce himself to the world. Holland’s first pure climber in a generation surged into the yellow jersey after Thursday’s summit finish on Mont Ventoux in a searing attack with 5km to go that left everyone choking on his fumes — except 2007 Tour de France runner-up Cadel Evans (Silence-Lotto). While Evans slipped past to win the stage, Gesink proved he’ll be a man to reckon with as he took control of Paris-Nice with three tough stages to go.

The information-technology company CSC is leaving professional cycling when its contract with Riis Cycling expires at the end of this year. A company spokesman said the decision reflects a shift in priorities as CSC makes new investments to implement a long-term growth plan. "Our involvement in the sport of cycling has been a positive and productive experience," said Henrik Bo Pedersen, the CSC executive responsible for overseeing the sponsorship.

Chavanel with Cunego - can he withstand the attacks on his jersey on Ventoux today?

Sven Beer (Branson High) cuts through the cake batter

Carolina Gomez Villafane (Los Gatos) on her way to winning in JV.

Tyler Giger (Salinas High) makes an early departure from the beach party

Nate Byrom (Nevada-Union) keeps the weight back and low

Lake Folsom set the backdrop of the NorCal High School Mountain Bike League’s second race of the series on March 9th. Although the water level was low this year, making the space for the crisp blue lake almost half empty, the day brought with it a half-full kind of spirit as racers proved once again that they are full of determination, character, and sportsmanship.

Portland International Raceway (PIR) is usually filled with racecars roaring around the track. On Monday nights in the summer, hundreds of cyclists will take over PIR as Lakeside Bicycles Monday Night Races kicks off its 12th season. “Bicycle racing continues to grow at PIR, and we see new racers each year trying it out,” said series organizers Jim Anderson, “We are adding clinics for novice women who want to see what the sport is all about, in hopes of seeing a growth in the women's fields. Also, with the addition of the track

Rams Cycling continues to climb to the top of the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Cycling Conference with outstanding results at the University of New Mexico Lobo Classic and Metro State/Denver University Time Trial and Criterium.

Gate bashers looking to earn the stars and stripes in four-cross racing, listen up: USA Cycling will hold the 2008 national championships in the discipline at New Mexico’s Chile Challenge, held May 26 at Angel Fire resort.

The National Race Calendar resumes this weekend with the Sequoia Cycling Classic in Central California. The town of Exeter will be the start of Saturday’s Yokohl Ranch Exeter Time Trial, a 40-kilometer out-and-back course with two significant climbs, and neighboring Visalia will host Sunday’s Visalia Criterium.

Team ODI/Southridge/Turner has signed both David 'K' and Brad Oein to race this season. Brad Oein had a great '07 season, winning the Golden State Championships in Jr.x and Qualifying to race at the World Championship in Scotland ... Now training in Austalia for the winter, you can expect to see plenty of top place finishes from this proven DH racer upon his Turner DHR race bike. His racing schedule has him back in the states just in time to race the first National race in Fontana CA.

Health Net's John Murphy at the Tour of Taiwan.

John Murphy of Health Net - Maxxis finished seventh in the third stage of the Tour of Taiwan, retaining the leader's jersey he earned earlier this week. Murphy's team said he used the climbing form developed at the Tour of California to stay within three seconds of the Australian stage winner, Peter McDonald (Drapac Porsche). McDonald moved up to second on GC, five seconds behind Murphy. Shawn Milne of Team Type 1 was third on the day and is now fourth on GC.

Titus Cycles, Inc., an Arizona high-end bicycle makers, has been purchased by Great Arizona Investments, a group that has holdings in a variety of industries. The new owners have created a business called GAI Cycles to operate Titus and any other cycling projects they enter. Titus, based in Tempe, had been owned by Vyatek Sports. The company was founded in 1991 and makes road and mountain bikes in stock and custom sizes, from aluminum, carbon and titanium. Titus CEO Pat Hus said the company has grown significantly in the last three years.

Gilbert soloed to his second career Het Volk victory on Shimano’s 7850-SL tubeless road wheel and Hutchinson’s Fusion 2 tubeless road tire.

After racing the final 22 kilometers alone, off the front, Francaise des Jeux rider Philippe Gilbert crossed the finish of Omloop Het Volk last week in victory. It was the second Het Volk win for the Belgian; his first came in 2006. The 2008 win was special to two of his sponsors and was a milestone for road technology, because Gilbert crossed the line on a tubeless wheel and tire.

Finally the race to the sun presents some welcome sunshine. Graham Watson was there to capture the action.

The bike world is mourning the death of Dick Burke, the founder of Trek Bicycle Corp., who died Monday evening at age 73. Burke founded the company during the 1970s bike boom, when he and his partners saw a need for high-end U.S.-made bikes. The company's first factory was in a red barn in Waterloo, Wisconsin and the company still makes many of its bikes in Wisconsin.

Oscar Freire (Rabobank) proved fastest among an elite group of sprinters on Wednesday, winning the first stage of Tirreno-Adriatico. Freire won the 160km stage around Civitavecchia in 4:10:01, just nicking Alessandro Petacchi (Milram) and Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Caisse D'Epargne). The former world champion will wear the leader's blue jersey in Thursday's second stage, over 203km from from Civitavecchia to Gubbio.

Disgraced German cyclist Patrik Sinkewitz on Wednesday has denied reports claiming he made allegations about former T-Mobile teammates' doping practices to federal officers. "I did not say anything concrete on the doping practices of other riders," Sinkewitz told German tabloid Bild on Wednesday. "I do not know where this information comes from."

Memorials are being planned for the two cyclists killed on a training ride Sunday in California. A memorial service for Matt Peterson will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Sports Basement, 1590 Bryant Street, San Francisco. Friends are planning a memorial ride Saturday afternoon in honor of Peterson and Kristy Gough. The ride will leave from Foothill College, 12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos Hills, at 2:30 More details: http://rememberingmatt.blogspot.com

A Frenchman hasn’t stood atop the Paris-Nice podium since Laurent Jalabert won the last of his three straight titles in 1997. Sylvain Chavanel (Cofidis) promises he can restore French pride in the "Race to the Sun" after moving into the race leader’s jersey in Wednesday’s roller-coaster stage that saw Finnish rider Kjell Carlström (Liquigas) take a breakaway stage victory into St. Étienne.

Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team adds Mexican National Time Trial Championship to List of Victories. Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team kicked off the first racing week in March with Jose Manuel “Chepe” Garcia winning the Mexican National Time Trial Championship. The victory will go a long way to assist “Chepe” in making the Mexican Olympic team that will be racing in Beijing this summer.

The Superdrome at Frisco, Texas, proudly announces their racing schedule for the 2008 season. This year sees the return of the Richardson Bike Mart Superdrome Points Series (SPS), the Moritz Sprint Series, the Matrix Cup, Texas Cup races, a Masters Regional, an Elite National Qualifier and Collegiate Conference racing. The Superdrome Development Program encourages youth participation in the sport by including heats for junior racers during each of the SPS events. For 2008 we will also introduce a series of skills clinics taught by National track racing champions.