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Dear Readers,
Welcome to this week's edition of The Prologue, VeloNews.com's summary of the latest news from the world of competitive cycling.

Chris Eatough (Trek-Volkswagen) and Jari Kirkland (Boulder Performance Network) took convincing victories in the solo categories at the 2007 EAS 24-Hours of Moab. Over 1300 riders competed in the country’s largest 24-hour cross-country mountain-bike race, which celebrated its 13th anniversary. For Eatough, the six-time world 24-hour Solo champion, 2007 marked his first time racing at Moab. The Maryland native had previously bypassed the Moab race in favor of the 24-Hours of Adrenaline world championships. But with that race held this year at California’s Laguna Seca speedway, Eatough opted

It’s mid-October and while the Tour of Lombardy is this weekend, the domestic racing season is over. It’s the time of year when battle-weary riders rest their tired legs, reconnect with family and friends, quit shaving their legs and maybe even put on a few pounds. It’s a time that’s supposed to be relaxing, a short counter-balance to a long and stressful race season that now runs from February’s Amgen Tour of California through September’s USA Crits finals in Las Vegas. Health Net-Maxxis rider Kirk O’Bee has been spending time with his 5-year-old son Samuel, riding him to kindergarten and

It appears to be a case of expect the unexpected at the Jayco Herald Sun Tour. Friday in Wangaratta, a town a stone's throw away from Glenrowan, home of great Australian outlaw Ned Kelly, early race leader Matt Wilson and his Unibet.com team piled on the pressure on a short transitional stage through the north-eastern Victorian countryside. By the day's end and with two stages remaining, the 30-year-old found himself back at the top of the leader-board. The finale was equally exciting, with a breakaway group of three fighting out the finish. Two DFL-Cyclingnews riders, Cameron

While two-time defending world champion Paolo Bettini (Quick Step-Innergetic) is heavily favored to score his third consecutive Tour of Lombardy victory on Saturday, the venerable 242km fall classic is not the only title in play. The 2007 ProTour series is also up for grabs because the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) this week handed longtime ProTour leader Danilo Di Luca (Liquigas) a three-month suspension for his implication in the 2004 Oil for Drugs scandal, which caused the UCI to drop him from the standings. These developments put the consistent Cadel Evans (Predictor-Lotto) into the

You have to appreciate the matter-of-fact frankness of Sven Nys. With the 2007-2008 cyclocross World Cup set to commence Sunday in Kalmthout, the Belgian has set a simple but lofty season-long goal. “It is nothing special, I just want to be the best rider of season,” said the Rabobank rider during an exclusive interview with VeloNews at his modest two-story home in Baal. “That is my goal every year. I don’t have one important race. For me every race is important. That’s how people know me – I am good from the first race to the last and I try to win every time.” Of course even the

Pete Lopinto is one of several talented riders now looking for work.

O'Bee hopes the Stars-n-Stripes jersey will catch the eye of some directors out there.

Stetina wants to race in Europe, but may opt to ride in the U.S. for '08.

The consumate support rider, Stefano Barberi still managed to claim the KOM jersey at Mt. Hood.

Cooke says his time in Europe was a tough - but valuable - learning experience.

Wilson is happy to be back in the jersey, but not thrilled about how he got there

Jennings triumphs over Herzig to win the fifth stage.

Van Leijen led the group of favorites home, but never expected to face what would ensue, penalised 20 seconds for drafting and losing the lead.

Bettini has won here for the past two years, with last year's race serving as an emotional homage to his recently deceased brother.

Lake Como serves as one of the world's most beautiful venues.

The hills eventually take a heavy toll on tired legs.

Nys and his '05 rainbow

World Cup trophies to spare

Nys's non-ghost-written autobiogrpahy has sold 15,000 copies

At home with Sven

Hardman trophies

Dear Bob,I have a question about getting harassed by police here in the NewYork/New Jersey area, and wanted to ask what you would do in that situation.First incident, I am waiting at a light, it turns green, and as I proceedthrough the intersection, I drop my chain. No cars coming from the rightside (which would be right on red anyhow), and I have the green. I stoptwo feet from the curb to put my chain back on, I am there for literallytwo seconds when I hear barked behind me, "are you going to get out ofthe road or am I going to have to give you a ticket," by a police officer. I said,

The 2007 Jayco Herald Sun Tour is looking every bit the nail-biter it was last year. At the close of play Thursday, the top five riders on general classification are separated by half a minute. Matthew Wilson of Unibet may have lost his golden tunic his race is far from over, with just eight seconds between him and new race leader, Joost Van Leijen of the Dutch national team. However, on the 116.5 kilometer fourth stage to Falls Creek, Astana's Steve Morabito was the man of the moment. Into a block headwind and 10km from the line, the 24-year-old boldly attacked a lead group that was

Giro d’Italia champion Danilo Di Luca, banned this week for three months for alleged links to controversial Italian doctor Carlo Santuccione, has been disqualified from the ProTour series. The UCI made the ruling late Thursday in a decision that will push Cadel Evans into the overall series lead going into the ProTour finale at the Giro di Lombardia on Saturday in Italy. Di Luca, 31, was slapped with a three-month ban Tuesday by the Italian Olympic Committee for alleged contact with Santuccione, the controversial doctor at the center of the “Oil for Drugs” doping investigation dating back

The UCI continues its hard line against dopers with plans to roll out a “biological passport” for all ProTour riders in 2008 that will provide a snapshot of blood indicators. All riders will undergo a battery of urine and blood tests to determine naturally occurring levels of hemotacrit, hemoglobin and other biological indicators that can be used as a reference for each rider. “What is means is that the rider becomes his own reference point,” UCI anti-doping coordinator Anne Gripper told Eurosport. “We look for variations in a rider’s individual profile to determine whether there may be

Life in the big city

Di Luca after assuming the ProTour lead following Fleche Wallonne

Morabito wins the stage.

The day's early break, driven by Scott Zwizanski of Bissell-SRAM.

New race leader, Joost Van Leijen of the Dutch National Team

Aussie cycling hero Stuart O'Grady (Jayco Australian National Team) just keeps getting better every day.

Osteoporosis prevention and treatment has long focused mainly on women. It is true that men build larger and stronger bones early in life and are less likely to develop this disease, which is characterized by less dense, brittle bone mass more susceptible to fracture. Yet according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, two million men currently have osteoporosis and another 12 million with low bone mass are at risk. Clearly a focus on prevention is also important for men, and osteoporosis is likely underdiagnosed in this gender and certainly not as extensively studied. There are many steps

Jason McCartney isn’t done with Europe yet. The 34-year-old Iowan has penned a two-year deal with Team CSC that will keep him on cycling’s biggest stages through the 2009 season. The contract news comes after a successful fall campaign that saw McCartney win a stage at the Vuelta a España in a dramatic attacking victory that finally put his name in the headlines after working diligently in the background for others. The victory came just in time as Discovery Channel was folding at the end of this season and riders were scrambling to find jobs. McCartney was linked to a move to the new-look

Wednesday in Beechworth, Astana's Aaron Kemps timed an uphill dash for cash to perfection, overcoming a technical, bumpy ride to the finish and taking advantage of a late recapture to assert his authority as the in-form sprinter of the Jayco Herald Sun Tour. For those vying for overall honors four days from now, the 139.5-kilometer third stage ended without incident, as race leader Matthew Wilson of Unibet.com maintained his 17-second advantage over teammate Baden Cooke, with SouthAustralia.com-AIS young gun Simon Clarke a further five seconds back. Whether Wilson, diagnosed with

The Mailbag is a regular department on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have read in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to webletters@insideinc.com. Please include your full name, hometown and state or nation. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Writers are encouraged to limit their submissions to one letter per month. The letters published here contain the opinions of the submitting authors and should not be viewed as reflecting the opinions, policies or positions of VeloNews.com, VeloNews magazine or our parent company,

Athletes aren’t the only ones thinking about picking up and moving on as the season winds down. USA Cycling is reportedly among a number of national governing bodies contemplating a change in venue if the U.S. Olympic Committee decides to demolish the building they share at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. USA Cycling is house-hunting in Colorado Springs, but also finds itself being courted by Ogden, Utah, according to a local newspaper. "The reality is that the one of the two buildings we currently occupy, along with several other national governing bodies and USOC

The French anti-doping agency (AFLD) on Wednesday said it intends to pursue doping charges against Floyd Landis, purportedly to close a legal loophole which could allow him to compete in the Tour de France while technically banned. Landis was stripped of his 2006 Tour de France title for doping and suspended for two years by the UCI from any competitions the governing body sanctions. But the situation could arise whereby Landis could compete again if the Tour de France took place outside of the auspices of the UCI, a real possibility given that the Tour is currently battling with the

There are countless ways to end a season. The most direct is wrapping up the last big race of the year followed by a huge night out. The opposite end of the spectrum is filled with the crazies that decide they’d like to keep it rolling with track or cyclocross and never really end it at all. Ouch. Six of us on Slipstream this year decided to go for the moderation method and head south of the border for the 2nd Vuelta Chihuahua, starting in Ciudad Juarez and finishing in Chihuahua city, seven days later. While a couple of the boys kept it rolling pretty well after Missouri, a few of us took

The Feedzone with Monique Ryan: Building better bones

McCartney's Vuelta stage win couldn't have come at a better time.

Astana's Aaron Kemps just edges out Stuart Shaw (Drapac Porsche) and Felix Odebrecht (Wiesenhof) to claim the third stage of the Jayco Herald Sun Tour.

Koji Fukushima (Nippo-Meitan La Trobe City) goes for glory en route to Beechworth.

Things are expected to get a little messy on the climb to Falls Creek for race leader Matthew Wilson.

Despite riding for different teams, Tasmanian brothers Wesley and Bernard Sulzberger wanted to make sure one of them ended up the winner in Mansfield on Tuesday. Working alone in the escape, each stood a 1-in-8 chance of success, but as a family unit, they became the odds-on favorites to win the second stage of the Jayco Herald Sun Tour. Aussie Matthew Wilson (Unibet.com), benefiting from a decisive escape in Monday’s stage, maintained his grip on the overall lead, despite finishing more than three minutes down on Tuesday’s stage winners. Blood is thicker than...After more than 60

There was so much to see at Interbike that I wanted to take some time to features some of the show's more unique items that might not have made it into the wealth of coverage of the show here on Velonews.com or in print in VeloNews magazine.

Giro d’Italia winner Danilo Di Luca was hit with a three-month racing ban Tuesday that will force him out of this weekend’s ProTour showdown at the Giro di Lombardia. Di Luca received the suspension for alleged links to controversial Italian doctor Carlo Santuccione, who is the center of an ongoing investigation dubbed “Oils for Drugs,” which dates back to 2003. Police believe that Santuccione is the ringleader of an alleged doping ring involving cyclists and other athletes. Di Luca was heard in telephone taps conversing with Santuccione, but has denied all wrong-doing. Di Luca was hounded

Former French sports minister Jean-Francois Lamour on Tuesday slammed the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) as outdated as he announced that he was quitting as vice-president of the body. Lamour, a two-time Olympic fencing champion, also confirmed that he would not be going forward with his bid to succeed Dick Pound as WADA president in next month's election in Madrid. "I've decided to resign from the WADA vice-presidency and to withdraw my candidacy," Lamour, for long the front-runner for the job, told a press conference on Tuesday. "More than ever I am a fighter but being a fighter

Velocity makes it possible to personalize your rims with outlandish designs. Rather than painting or anodizing the rim in those patterns, those are entire-rim stickers die-cut to fit the rim’s curvature.

There are many Velocity rim sticker patterns to choose from.

How many of you have coat hangers made out of a Reynolds carbon rim section, a piece of spoke, and a valve stem?

ToPeak’s Jango “Multi-Activity” bike is a completely integrated bike, from the lights to the computer and the rack. For instance, a fender, rack and computer sensor plug into its suspension fork without straps.

Jango's (Bob-type) single-wheel trailer mounts only on a Jango’s special rear dropouts.

ToPeak’s Allay saddle has an inflatable bladder; pump it or let air out to adjust the pressure to your liking.

Shimano’s WR80 women’s shoe and R220 men’s road shoe are, at $250, each one model down from the top yet still have a heat-molded custom fit. Shimano also offers a do-at-home Custom-Fit insole kit for $35 that can be used in any shoe.

eSoles’ Paraic McGlynn says, “We have the world’s largest database of foot scans.” Therefore eSoles can create custom insoles, modular stock insoles with three different medial arch heights and various metatarsal arch support buttons.

Wilier Triestina’s new CronoCento monocoque time trial bike owes its interesting shape to its design by aero guru John Cobb.

Argon18’s E-114 time trial frame sells for $3750 with brakes, handlebar and seatpost; it is an E-112 frame with a new aero fork system that shields the front of the head tube.

Add parabola-shaped spacers on the front fairing of the fork to change the stem height on the Argon18 E-114 time trial bike.

FSA’s fully carbon aero under-bar bottle drinking system has bendable hoses and two reservoirs for two different drinks. Each reservoir has a big hole to make filling a snap, even in between the handlebars.

A piano hinge rotating on a spoke makes it possible to move the bar strap around easily on the FSA aero under-bar drinking system.

The new $300/pr FSA K-Force brake calipers weigh 137 grams each and feature carbon pad holders, titanium hardware, and thrust bearings. The SL-K brake shares the same design but uses standard materials and weighs 21 grams more per caliper.

Monty’s Travel Blocks are premium wooden travel spacers with skewers to protect your fork and rear dropouts while flying with or shipping your bike.

Thule’s Load-Off folding chair has an integral tarp and a helmet-storage compartment. It allows you to change in style.

3T, the venerable Italian handlebar and stem brand has been re-launched under new ownership, and its new director of product development is Richard McAinsh, who served as head of composite design for the Ferrari Formula One team for eight years.

The Prologo Choice saddle has an interchangeable snap-on cover; the snaps are sunken into recesses in the shell so that you don’t feel them when riding.

You can change the color of your Prologo Choice saddle color to match whatever you happen to be wearing that day. The shells come in three different sizes.

Wesley Sulzberger teamed up with his brother Bernard to overpower Ludewig in the final kilometers.

Wilson keeps his lead

Di Luca's season is over

Spain's Oscar Pereiro (Caisse d’Epargne) received the yellow jersey from the 2006 Tour de France at a ceremony in Madrid, officially replacing U.S. rider Floyd Landis, who has been stripped of his title for doping. "This is an emotional moment, a day that I will never forget," said Pereiro after Tour director Christian Prudhomme awarded him the jersey. "Finally! It has been long, too long, you are a late winner but a real winner," said Prudhomme. "You have the right to your place among the winners of the Tour, it was on the road that you won.” Pereiro finished 57 seconds behind Landis

Our latest reader-submitted Photo Gallery is now ready for your viewing pleasure. Of course, a new gallery also means the naming of the winner of our most recent contest. It’s fall and a long season is winding down… a perfect time to let loose and have a little fun on our ‘cross bikes. Renee Callaway’s “Cyclocross Wisconsin Style” captures the mood of this time of year perfectly. Nice work Renee. Please drop us a note at Rosters@InsideInc.comto work out the details and we’ll send you a copy of our new Coors Classic DVD. Meanwhile, go ahead and take a look at our latest gallery, decide

The Mailbag is a regular department on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have read in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to webletters@insideinc.com. Please include your full name, hometown and state or nation. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Writers are encouraged to limit their submissions to one letter per month. The letters published here contain the opinions of the submitting authors and should not be viewed as reflecting the opinions, policies or positions of VeloNews.com, VeloNews magazine or our parent company,

Nys opens Superprestige series with winSven Nys (Rabobank) won the Superprestige opener on Sunday in Ruddervoorde, Belgium. Fidea teammates Zdenek Stybar and Bart Wellens were second and third at four and eight seconds back, respectively. Americans Jonathan Page (Sunweb) and Ryan Trebon (Kona-YourKey) crossed in 18th and 19th spots at 1:36 back. Nys leads the series with 15 points. Stybar sits second with 14 while Wellens is third with 13. Superprestige Ruudervoorde1. Sven Nys (B), Rabobank, 1:00:432. Zdenek Stybar (Cze), Fidea, at 0:043. Bart Wellens (B), Fidea, at 0:084. Niels Albert

An impressive show of strength brought Matthew Wilson (Unibet.com) opening-day honors and the race lead to boot in the Jayco Herald Sun Tour. As the seven-day stage race began for real Monday in Bendigo, the 2004 Australian road champion launched a bid for victory with 5km remaining. "Coming into town, Baden [Cooke] was telling me he wasn't feeling really good and that I should go for it myself,” Wilson said. “It was so windy so that guys were getting blown off the road; there was a lot of confusion and I just sort of slipped away there... and then, well, I guess the gods were shining

It's been a long and uncertain wait for Pereiro, but it may not be over.

Cyclocross Wisconsin Style

Nys won Sunday's Ruddervoorde Superprestige, the first Superprestige race of the season.

Wilson gave it everything he had, taking the stage . . .

. . . and the lead