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left to right: Christopher Jones, Javier Zapata, Nathan Bowman

Kabush takes his pull.... when it counts.

SWEEEEP! Luna does it again

“It’s the best one-day race in cycling.” American Chris Horner, who placed eighth at last year’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège, says this weekend’s coming edition is the highlight of the season. But the Predictor-Lotto man’s assessment could just as easily come from world champion Paolo Bettini (Quick Step-Innergetic) or defending Liège champion Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d’Epargne), or any of the 192 riders expected to start the 93rd edition of Liège Sunday, the final race of the spring classics season. “It’s a race almost any type of rider can win — a climber, a Tour rider, a time-trial

Southern California’s picturesque Santa Ynez Valley is internationally renowned for its miles of grapevines and upscale wineries. But this weekend it’s the area’s singletrack earning the attention, as the National Mountain-Bike Series rumbles into town for the April 28-29 Firestone Santa Ynez Classic mountain-bike festival. In its eighth year, the Santa Ynez Classic has become the largest off-road festival in Southern California. The weekend features cross-country, short-track, downhill and Super D competition. New for 2007, all the events are part of USA Cycling’s National Mountain-Bike

A former trainer who once worked with now-retired Jan Ullrich has claimed that the 1997 Tour de France winner was injected with erythropoietin during the 1996 edition of the race. Jeff d' Hont, a Belgian soigneur employed by the Telekom team from 1992 till 1996, claimed in the German weekly newspaper Der Spiegel that Ullrich took the banned blood booster in 1996. He also claims the German team's medical supervisors, who coninue to work for the team under its current name T-Mobile, encouraged use of EPO. D'Hont accused two doctors, Lothar Heinrich and Andreas Schmid, of having

With just one stage remaining, Michael Grabinger (Successful Living) and Meshy Holt (Expresscopy.com) lead their respective categories in the 29th La Vuelta de Bisbee. Grabinger scored a pair of runner-up finishes on Saturday’s wind-whipped, double-stage day to move into the overall lead, just five seconds ahead of Phil Zajicek (Navigators Insurance). The victory in the Stage 1 Sulphur Springs Road Race went to Mexico’s Antonio Aldape (Halcones). Adalpe, countryman and teammate David Salomon and Grabinger had been part of a 13-man break that formed at the first bonus sprint in the 79-mile

Australian sprinter Jonathan Cantwell won his second stage in as many days Saturday at stage 6 of the Tour of Virginia, as Alejandro Borrajo continued to cut into Colombian Javier Zapata’s general classification lead. “It’s getting a little surreal by now,” said Cantwell (Kahala-La Grange), who trails Borrajo (Rite Aid) by six points in the sprint classification. Borrajo finished third in Saturday’s criterium stage, earning a four-second time bonus. Zapata (Caico) finished 11th, with the same time as the pack. Borrajo now trails Zapata in the GC standings by eight seconds. The 35-mile

At just 22, Canadian cross-country rider Max Plaxton (Rocky Mountain-Haywood) already owns palmarès worthy of envy. He is twice the Pan-American U-23 champion (2006 and ‘07) and owns a bronze medal from the 2006 world championships U-23 cross-country race. Now, with countrymen Geoff Kabush and Seamus McGrath entering their 30s, Plaxton is undeniably the future of Canadian cross-country racing. “Young Max,” as his peers call him, took another step toward the big time by winning his first NMBBS race — Saturday’s short-track cross-country at the National Mountain Bike Series’s Santa Ynez

Valverde won in 2006, taking a race that favors all-around talents

Liège-Bastogne-Liège - The Classic closer of the Ardennes

Horner calls La Doyenne 'the best one-day race in cycling.'

Bettini says he's recovered from the stomach problems that ailed him at Flèche

Bettini's right when he calls Liège 'the hardest classic by far.'

Evans says he may be riding in support of Horner

The Santa Ynez Classic is drawing more attention this year

Barry Wicks

JHK astride his 29-er

Gould has had an amazing early season

The men's break charges back to Bisbee

Holt, all alone out front and loving it

Zajicek driving the break

Nash, Plaxton score wins at Santa Ynez short-track

Nash, Plaxton score wins at Santa Ynez short-track

I felt like Bullwinkle J. Moose just after he had pulled his Mr. Know-It-All act and Rocky had made him look like an idiot. I am that idiot. I got signed up for a medical bike fit at the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine the other day, part of my preps for Ride the Rockies this summer. I wanted to be ready. I wanted to make sure the bike was ready for me. Andy Pruitt, Ed.D, an internationally known expert in bike fit and cycling physiology, looked me over to try and determine a physical baseline for how I felt and why I felt the way I did on the bike. An X-ray from Boulder Community

The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you havea comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen incycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write toWebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name andhome town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Writersare encouraged to limit their submissions to one letter per month.The letters published here contain the opinions of the submittingauthors and should not be viewed as reflecting the opinions, policies or positionsof VeloNews.com, VeloNews magazine or our parent company,

Defending Giro d’Italia champion Ivan Basso’s career is on hold ashe awaits an appearance before an Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) investigatingpanel next Wednesday in Rome. The panel has reopened an investigation into alleged ties between the29-year-old Italian and Eufemiano Fuentes, the infamous sports doctor atthe center of the Operación Puerto scandal in Spain. Basso was among nine riders barred from participation in the 2006 Tourde France when notes seized in the police raids that marked the Puertoinvestigation appeared to link them to an apparent doping ring headedby Fuentes. While

Corey Collier (Team Einstein’s) and Meshy Holt (Expresscopy.com) took top honors on Friday as the 29th La Vuelta de Bisbee got under way in southern Arizona. Beautiful weather greeted the 240 riders starting the Mule Pass prologue, a 2.8-mile time trial along Main Street from the heart of Old Bisbee to the top of Mule Pass. Collier was fastest among the elite men with a time of 9:56, besting David Solomon (Halcones) by 14 seconds. Third on the day was Michael Grabinger (Successful Living) at 16 seconds. Only 20 seconds seperate the top eight riders. The women’s field saw Holt finish in

Aussie Jonathan Cantwell claimed a sprint victory at stage 5 of the Tour of Virginia Friday, as Argentinean Alejandro Borrajo continued to whittle down Colombian Javier Zapata’s overall lead. Taking second and the resulting time bonus in a group sprint, Borrajo (Rite Aid) shaved six seconds off Zapata’s (Caico) lead, bringing the Colombian’s GC advantage to just 12 seconds. Cantwell, originally riding support for Kahala-La Grange, was able to take advantage of the group sprint, thanks to the peloton re-materializing in the final kilometers of the race. Early on in the drizzly, 99-mile

Wrist healed, George is back!

“The Puerto Nine” (From top, L-R) Jan Ullrich and Oscar Sevilla (T-Mobile), Ivan Basso (CSC), Francesco Mancebo (AG2R), Joseba Beloki, Isidro Nozal, Australia's Allan Davis, Sergio Paulinho and Alberto Contador (Astana-Wurth).

Will Basso be in a position to defend his Giro trophy?

Basso's future may hang by a strand - so to speak.

Last September, Basso was elated after his last appearance before CONI investigators.

Holt starts her ride in downtown Bisbee

Collier climbs to the top of Mule Pass

GC leader Javier Zapata is congratulated by Staunton police chief Jim Williams.

(From left to right) Alejandro Borrajo, Jonathan Cantwell, Ben Raby.

Web Programmer/DeveloperSports publisher seeks Web Programmer/Developer for its high-profile Web sites. Successful candidate would be responsible for web site maintenance, site design/architecture/presentation, development of a new corporate site, and application development. Must have 3 to 5 years experience with Internet-based businesses and strong Internet, emerging technologies and computer knowledge including: MySQL, including phpMyAdmin web interfacePERL programming, including DB, XML, and librariesProcess management and scheduling via cronHTML, php programmingCross-browser compatible

Mid-way through a long stint on the road and with what feels like a revolving door of hotel rooms, flights and long drives, I’ve begun to notice some of the quirks that we cyclists end up adopting in an attempt to make hotels and restaurants seem just a bit more comfortable and similar to home. To lay a bit of groundwork, a bit about the Slipstream Sports setup here in Europe: While almost all of us live in Girona, when at the races our one constant is the team RV. The team’s growing and on a bit of a shopping spree right now but at this point we’re hanging out in what most people think of

Sports Nutritionist Monique Ryan Updates Best-Selling Nutrition Bookfor CyclistsNew edition provides nutritional strategies to improve performancein six endurance sportsBoulder, CO, USA - April, 2007 - VeloPress is pleased to announcethe publication of Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes, 2nd Ed., thelatest book from nationally recognized sports nutritionist Monique Ryan.The book is now available in bookstores and from VeloGear.com.Endurance athletes regularly push their bodies to the limits with astrenuous training regimen that demands smart nutrition. In Sports Nutritionfor Endurance

Join Discovery HD Theater to: Beat the Clock, Tame the Mountainsand Taste VictoryDo you have what it takes to race in France this summer?If you think you can climb the hardest stages of the world’s best-knowncycling race, then Discovery Club1080, presented by Discovery HD Theater,invites you to saddle up to test your skills this summer.Discovery Club1080 is looking for two cycling enthusiasts to star inan upcoming program. If selected, you'll travel to Spain to meet ridersand coaches from the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team. They’ll show youthe ins and outs of training for the

Dave Zabriskie, winner of a Giro d’Italia stage in 2005, is returning to the Italian stage race next month as part of Team CSC’s nine-man squad for the corsa rosa. Zabriskie, 28, won stage eight in the 2005 Giro and then went on to win the opening time trial at the Tour de France that same year. Coupled with his 2004 Vuelta a España stage victory, the feat distinguishes him as the only American rider to win stages in all three grand tours. The Giro will also mark the grand tour debut of Juan José Haedo, the Argentine sprinter who’s already scored wins in the United States and Europe. Team

Michele Scarponi (Acqua e Sapone) has been targeted by the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) in connection with his implication in the Operación Puerto doping affair which erupted last May. CONI this week announced that Giro d'Italia winner Ivan Basso, now under suspension from the Discovery Channel team, has been asked to attend a hearing on May 2 to answer charges on his implication in the scandal. Scarponi, who at the time of the Puerto investigation was a member of the Liberty Seguros team, has been ordered to appear on Wednesday as well, but at 8:30 in the morning. Basso is slated

Although the three final spring Classics have similar protagonists that highlight the classification, the races are quite unique and different from one another. Amstel is a technical course loaded with short steep climbs on tiny roads; Flèche, the shortest of the three, is a race that essentially comes down to one climb, the Mur de Huy, and is a race that is nervous, fast with open roads and fewer climbs; Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the hardest of the three, has longer climbs, is the longest in distance, the most selective and perhaps, the least tactical, as the strongest man usually wins. Under

As much of the U.S. has shivered and slogged through this spring, down along Arizona’s border with Mexico it’s been all sunshine and temperatures in the mid-70’s. It’s a perfect setting for some serious bike racing — and time to head to Bisbee for the 29th edition of La Vuelta de Bisbee. La Vuelta gives young riders the chance to mix it up with seasoned pros in a blue-collar stage race. Among the 240 riders taking the start for this year’s three-day race are defending champion Phil Zajicek (Navigators); the U23 Team WM squad; two pro teams from Mexico (Halcones and Tecos); and the world deaf

With a victory in stage 4, Argentinean Alejandro Borrajo cut race leader Javier Zapata’s overall lead to 18 seconds Thursday in the 2007 Tour of Virginia. Zapata (Team Caico) came into the stage boasting a 58-second lead over the second-place Borrajo (Rite Aid), but the Argentinean joined an early break on Thursday’s 103-mile stage from Douthat to Waynesboro and stayed away to win. Borrajo, who finished fifth in the points classification in the 2004 Giro d’Italia, rolled through the three Cat. 1 and two Cat. 3 climbs. Sprinter Kayle Leogrande (Rock Racing) mounted a successful chase effort

Press Release - Ryan Updates Best-Selling Nutrition Book

Zabriskie remains the only American to win stages in all three grand tours.

Cruz gets ready for the rough road to Roubaix.

The Mule Mountains await on Stage 3

Zapata holds his lead despite losing time on Thursday

With third-placed Bowman a minute down, the Tour of Virginia is shaping up to be a two-man race.

Dear Monique,I have read your interesting and informative article posted on VeloNews.com on 28th march 2007 about EatingRight for Those Long Rides. I have one question relating to the amount of carbohydrate you should consume per hour during your long ride if you have had a pre-ride meal 3-4 hours, 2 hours, or 1 hour before the start of your ride. Do you consume different amounts of carbohydrate per hour during your ride depending on the size and timing of your pre-ride meal> For example, would you consume more per hour of the ride if you have only had a small pre-ride meal 1 hour before you

Perhaps more than anyone, Team CSC manager Bjarne Riis is watching with interest the latest developments concerning defending Giro d’Italia champion Ivan Basso. On Tuesday, Discovery Channel was forced to suspend the ex-CSC captain after Italian authorities decided to re-open a probe into Basso’s alleged links to the Operación Puerto blood doping scandal. “I have no regrets. I couldn’t do anything else than what I did. It was my decision. I cannot change the past. I prefer to focus on the future,” Riis told VeloNews. “It was difficult to see Ivan leave the team because we worked so hard,

top 5 : 1. Vos, 2. Cooke. 3. Arndt, 4. Amber Neben, 5. kristin Armstrong (U.S. National)

Long after this spring classics season passes into history, the spate of races that stretch from the baking Tour of Flanders of several weeks ago through this Sunday’s expected 80-degree Liége-Bastogne-Liége might be most remembered for their balmy, unseasonable weather. And when the day comes that the 2007 spring classics results are but answers to a trivia question, Gerolsteiner veteran Davide Rebellin might still be winning races.

After a stage in the lead at the Tour of Virginia, Russ Langley gave up the general classification leader’s jersey to Team Caico’s Javier Zapata of Colombia after stage 3 Wednesday. Zapata, down six seconds heading into the third stage, rode clear from an early breakaway on the 110-mile stage through the Alleghany Highlands, the first true road race and the longest of the seven-stage tour. Heading up the Cat 1. Warms Springs Mountain, Zapata launched himself off the front and didn’t look back. Zapata came into stage 3 in 11th place overall after a tough performance in stage 2, a 25-mile

Riis and Basso faces painful choices on the eve of the 2006 Tour de France.

top 5 : 1. Vos, 2. Cooke. 3. Arndt, 4. Amber Neben, 5. kristin Armstrong (U.S. National)

Rebellin wins Fleche for the second time.

Rebellin adds to his list of Ardennes victories.

Fleche Wallone is often decided on the Mur de Huy

A warm day in the Ardennes

Valverde puts his team into the chase

Merckx steps it up

Gilbert gives it a dig

Di Luca joins a dangerous break

Rebellin and Kessler mix it up

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. This week’s winning photograph captures the essence of competitive cycling, even the participants aren’t actually going anywhere. Take a look at Luke Seemann’s “Chicago IRO Sprints,” and see if you agree. Nice work, Luke. 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 what

Discovery Channel rider Ivan Basso will skip Wednesday’s Flèche Wallone and Sunday’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège over growing pressure to boycott riders with links to the Operación Puerto doping investigation heats up again. The Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport reported Tuesday that the decision comes following an agreement between Discovery Channel team officials and race organizer ASO, which runs the Tour de France as well as the two upcoming Ardennes classics. Both sides agreed it would be more pragmatic to keep the Italian out of the hilly spring classics to avoid a potentially

Valverde press conference turns uglyA press conference with defending Flèche Wallone-Liège-Bastogne-Liège champion Alejandro Valverde turned ugly Monday when Belgian journalists tried to corner the Spanish rider on links to the Operación Puerto doping investigation. When pressed that his name might be among the scores of nicknames found in police documents as part of the Spanish investigation last May, Valverde said he had nothing to worry about. “I am tranquil,” Valverde told journalists. “I know that I don’t have any problem, because if I did, I wouldn’t have been able to race in

The Classics are traditionally hard men’s races held over tough courses under miserable spring conditions. This morning, the day after the Amstel Gold Race, we woke up to another day of glorious sunshine, pulled on our shorts and t-shirts and headed down to the hotel lobby breakfast—not the weather we expected and we nearly all had sunburns from the race. Half of the team from Amstel is staying in Belgium for Fleche and Liege while the others closed the door on their Classics campaign and headed home, as they had been up here since mid-March. Generally teams trade their sprinters and

During this month’s Sea Otter Classic, Princeton Tec invited some of us on a night ride to roll out its new Switchback lights. Princeton Tec’s Sean Leslie lined up local Monterey bike mechanic, single-speed devotee and high-school senior Erik Ebberoth to lead the ride. Ebberoth took us on some great trails, perfectly suited to testing lights, weaving in and out and up and down through thick underbrush and overhanging trees laden with long strands of moss dangling low over the trail. We slapped the lights on our borrowed full-suspension Konas, which was easy thanks to the quick-open slotted

Following the announcement that the Italian Olympic Committee has made additional inquiries regarding Ivan Basso’s involvement in the Operación Puerto case, the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team issued the following news release:DISCOVERY CHANNEL TEAM MANAGEMENT ASK BASSO TO FOREGO COMPETITION PENDING INVESTIGATIONTeam management at Tailwind Sports has requested that Italian rider Ivan Basso not compete pending further information in a new investigation coming out of Italy. The Italian Cycling Federation and Italian Olympic Committee conducted a full review last fall of Basso’s implication

A Spanish magazine reported on Tuesday that bags allegedly containing the blood of defending Giro d’Italia champion Ivan Basso will be taken from Spain to Italy for DNA analysis. Basso was suspended by the Discovery Channel team on Tuesday, after theItalian authorities announced they wanted to question him further over his involvement in the Operación Puerto. In May 2006 Madrid police seized bags of blood and doping productsduring a laboratory raid, along with codenames of cyclists and documents that seemed to indicate the existence of a program of organized doping and blood doping.

The 71st Flèche Wallonne is set to start Wednesday morning in Charleroi, Belgium, amid swirling controversy surrounding the non-participation of both Discovery Channel’s Giro d’Italia champion Ivan Basso and the embattled Unibet.com team. The race’s name, meaning the “Walloon Arrow,” stems from its eastwardly course direction from the industrial city of Charleroi to Huy, in the French-speaking Walloon, or Wallonia, region of Belgium — an area that represents roughly one-third of Belgium’s population and one half of its territory. The UCI ProTour race will feature a start list of 24 teams