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The Amgen Tour of California is just rolling into its second year as a domestic event, but its organizers hope it can become the fourth grand tour of worldwide bicycle racing. "Our finish line is to host a grand tour," said Shawn Hunter, president of AEG Sports, during a kickoff press conference at the Argonaut Hotel at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf. "People laughed when we said that over a year ago. They said, ‘Let’s see you pull off one year of the race first.’ Well, we did, and we’re constantly looking for ways to improve. We want to grow this into a fourth grand tour. We want to

Ace shooter Casey Gibson was clicking away on Saturday as the second Amgen Tour of California prepared to get under way. Here's a sampler of what he saw.

Leipheimer looks like the man to watch in this year's Amgen Tour

Hincapie and Julich meet the press in San Francisco

Bettini's appearance in California is equal parts training and tourism

Next question, please

USA Cycling's Sean Petty fields a query

The professional continental team Slipstream-Chipotle (formerly TIAA-CREF) is heading to the Amgen Tour of California happy to know that it will also participate in this year’s the prestigious Criterium International stage race. ASO, the organizing body of the Tour de France, gave Slipstream-Chipotle the invitation late last week. "Everyone is really excited about this, as it’s a race that all the young guys have read about and dreamed of competing in," said team director Jonathan Vaughters. “As an organization, we are very grateful that ASO has given us this opportunity to race in one of

Luis León Sánchez (Illes Balears-Caisse d’Epargne) hopes his victory in the Mallorca Challenge will help put behind him some painful chapters that were threatening to overwhelm his promising career. The 23-year-old claimed the unofficial overall title Thursday at the five-day Mallorca series (riders are allowed to pick and choose which stages they start) and he said the win takes some weight off his shoulders. “I was motivated to achieve a victory as soon as possible to send it to my brother,” Sánchez told EFE, referring to his older brother who died in a quad accident last year. “I’ve done

World Anti-Doping Agency chairman Richard Pound said Friday he has no regrets about his abrasive style in dealing with famous athletes which earned him a warning from the International Olympic Committee. "I'm very happy to be known by the enemies I make," Pound told reporters on the sidelines of a two-day anti-doping conference in Athens. "You're dealing in most cases with organized cheating and hypocrisy beyond belief. You've got to challenge them; you've got to be right in their face." Demonized in Athens prior to the 2004 Games for making acidic remarks on the

Tyler Hamilton will likely race the 2007 Giro d’Italia after Tinkoff Credit Systems was among 22 teams named Friday to start the corsa rosa in May. Hamilton, who returned to racing last week following a two-year racing ban, said returning to the Giro was one of his top goals for the 2007 season. Hamilton won a stage and finished second overall in the 2002 Giro. Giro organizers RCS Sport released its official start list Friday with some controversy. Left out was new ProTour team Unibet.com, which has been facing the scorn of Giro and Tour de France officials as part of the ever-widening

Buyer’s Guide CorrectionBrain fade set in on the finishing sprint for the VeloNews Buyer’sGuide. The North American Handmade Bicycle Show, March 2 – 4, takes placein San Jose, California, not San Diego as the Buyer’s Guide states. Forcomplete information, visit the Show’s site: www.handmadebicycleshow.com 

Tour de France Extends Partnership with VeloNews Through 2009For immediate release:February 16, 2007 Paris, France — The organizers of the Tour de France, Paris-based Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), have again chosen VeloNews to be their North American media partner, extending an existing publishing agreement through 2009. The 2007 edition of The Official Guide to the Tour de France will mark the seventh consecutive year that VeloNews has produced this key marketing tool for the biggest annual sporting event in the world. The decision to extend the coveted agreement with the Tour for

With the hours counting down to the start of the Amgen Tour of California, race officials have one small request: Please leave your cans of paint at home. Medalist Sports technical director Chuck Hodge, one of the men responsible for designing stage routes, also has the responsibility of applying for race permits to city and county officials. Whether it’s at the Tour of California or Tour de Georgia, Hodge said one of the biggest obstacles in the permit-application process comes down to community anger over roads covered with the painted names of riders. "I know every cycling fan thinks

Ellis

Ellis puts a lot of stock in a formula that Vaughters has used to build the team over the years.

Luis León Sánchez wins the Mallorca Challenge

This custom Llewellyn, commissioned by San Francisco collector Brett Horton, will be one of the works of art on display at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show, March 2 – 4, in San Jose, California.

Tour de France extends partnership with VeloNews through 2009

Tour de France extends partnership with VeloNews through 2009

Organizers of the 2007 Amgen Tour of California on Wednesday released a list of riders* slated to compete in this year’s event, slated to begin in San Francisco.  North American riders in bold*Team rosters are subject to changeProTour TeamsDiscovery Channel Pro Cycling Team [USA]The Discovery Channel’s big off-season news was the controversial signing of Giro d’Italia champion Ivan Basso from CSC — controversial because, despite his being cleared to race by the Italian authorities, his status regarding the Spanish blood-doping scandal Operación Puerto could change through 2007. Basso won’t be

Perhaps more than anyone, Spanish rider Oscar Pereiro laments the slow wheels of justice when it comes to resolving the Floyd Landis doping case at the 2006 Tour de France. Pereiro, as runner-up in last year’s Tour, has the most to gain if Landis loses in his bid to prove his innocence against doping charges. And Pereiro maintains he has lost the most of any of the other protagonists in the unfortunate scenario if Landis becomes the first rider of the modern era to have his Tour crown stripped away. “I couldn’t and my team couldn’t maximize the benefits of a Tour victory because of this

TARGETRAINING, a premiere Connecticut personal and endurance coaching company, continues its support of the pro peloton with the introduction of the 2007 TARGETRAINING Women’s Professional Cycling Team. It hopes to add to the momentum of women’s racing in the United States. TARGETRAINING’s Chief Executive, Rick Spear, said that "women endurance athletes are a key aspect of the future of the sport and that we should help in this effort." The team gathers a dynamic squad of women: Rebecca Much, multiple US Champion and U23 World Time Trial Silver Medalist; Megan Elliot, former US Road Race

Either way it goes, Pereiro just wants a resolution.

The waiting game: Pereiro is frustrated with the slow wheels of justice.

Team TARGETRAINING

The ongoing feud between the grand tours and the UCI turned nastier this week when Giro d’Italia organizers said they will guarantee invitations to only 18 of the 20 teams in the ProTour league for the upcoming edition of the corsa rosa. The decision shows just how deep the divisions are between cycling’s most important race organizers and the sport’s governing body. While there’s been no official word from the UCI, a strong reaction is expected. Giro organizer RCS Sport said new ProTour team Unibet.com won’t be allowed to race the season’s first grand tour (May 12-June 3) and said the

You can’t rest on your laurels in the world of cycling. The old adage that you’re only as good as your last race appears to apply doubly in the product world these days. Barely have consumers had time to get their hands on the stuff introduced at Interbike, when new, lighter, faster (and probably pricier) product is making early appearances in the peloton. This year’s Mallorca Challenge turned into a prime opportunity for manufacturers to try out new gear on teams and to offer reasonably orchestrated “sneak peeks” at the some beautiful product that will likely appear in shops by year’s

When half a dozen of the world’s top professional cycling teams showedup for the start of the inaugural Amgen Tour of California in February2006, they didn’t quite know what to expect. Was this going to be an early-seasonevent only half-heartedly contested by Tour de France riders nervous aboutpeaking too soon? Or would the stars allow their lieutenants to race forthe win while using the race as training for themselves?In the end, the efforts made by overall winner Floyd Landis and hismain challengers DaveZabriskie, BobbyJulich, GeorgeHincapie, LeviLeipheimer and Cadel Evans proved they could

SIMON SPOTLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT to Publish Floyd Landis’ POSITIVELY FALSEFor Immediate ReleaseFebruary 14, 2007 (New York City). Simon Spotlight Entertainment(SSE), an imprint of Simon & Schuster, announced today that it willpublish a book by cyclist Floyd Landis, the 2006 Tour de France winnerwho was accused three days after winning the race of taking banned performanceenhancing drugs and who is currently fighting these allegations. In POSITIVELYFALSE, Landis will tell his compelling life story–from being born intoa strict Pennsylvania Mennonite family where he cultivated an

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 18: PROLOGUEINDIVIDUAL TIME TRIALPresented by Union BankSTART: Justin Herman Plaza,San Francisco, 1 p.m. to 3:23 p.m.DISTANCE: 1.9 milesLifestyle Festival Presented by Health NetHOURS: 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19: STAGE1Presented by HerbalifeSTART: Sausalito, 11 a.m.DISTANCE: 96.7 milesSPRINTS: Point Reyes, Tomales, Bodega BayFINISH: Santa RosaETA: 3:13 p.m. to 3:50 p.m.Lifestyle Festival Presented by Health NetHOURS: 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20: STAGE2START: Santa Rosa, 10 a.m.DISTANCE: 116.3 milesSPRINTS: Winters, DavisFINISH:

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 do not necessarily reflect the opinions, policies or positionsof VeloNews.com, VeloNews magazine or our parent company, InsideCommunications,

Tour Wars: Angelo Zomegnan (Giro d'Italia), Christian Prudhomme (Tour de France) and Victore Cordero (Vuelta a Espana) are standing firm against the ProTour

Zomegnan may invite as many as six wild-cards to the Giro.

This year's race to the sun will be a tough one.

Tech Report: It’s only February, but look at all the new stuff

The Astana team was sporting new wheels, too.

Scenery like this and the chance for good weather may make the Tour of California an early season draw for years to come.

2007 Amgen Tour of California - stage details and host cities

2007 Amgen Tour of California - stage details and host cities

2007 Amgen Tour of California - stage details and host cities

2007 Amgen Tour of California - stage details and host cities

Not much has been revealed about the new stage race due to take place on the East Coast this August, but the Montréal-Boston Tour is likely to be the biggest cycling event New England has seen since the second Tour de Trump finished in Boston in May of 1990. The eight-day, 1200km race will feature four days in Canada’s Québec province, followed by one day in Vermont, two days in New Hampshire, with the finale in Massachusetts. Race organizer Daniel Manibal, who also runs the women’s Montréal World Cup race and Tour du Grand Montréal stage race in June, has indicated that there will be a

For the past few days, VeloNews European correspondent Andrew Hood has been chasing feature stories on the Balearic Island of Mallorca, a big draw for professional cycling teams hoping to shake out their winter kinks under sunny skies. The Mallorca Challenge serves as an early season warm-up that boasts an unusual format, allowing riders to compete in individual races or to vie for an overall title. This weekend saw a victory by ace sprinter Oscar Freire, who hasn’t raced since August. The three-time world champion hopes for a big year after injuries have forced him to miss the 2005 and 2006

Less than a week after SRAM announced a voluntary recall of a limited numberof Force frontbrake calipers, the company has expanded the recall to include rearcalipers. The expansion is due to incorrect grain structure in the titaniumused to manufacturer the caliper mounting bolts of both front and rearbrakes.SRAM urges consumers not to ride a bicycle equipped with the affectedbrakes. The mounting bolt can fail causing the brake caliper to detachfrom the frame of fork.SRAM assures its partners that the issue has been corrected and thatit has ended its relationship with the suspect supplier. The

February 13, 2007: This week’s issue of VeloNews includes a 54-page guide for the 2007 Sea Otter Classic, to be held April 12 – 15, 2007. The Sea Otter Classic is a four-day ‘Celebration of Sport’ welcoming enthusiasts of all ages and skill levels, from toddler to senior, recreational rider to world-class pro athlete. The festival hosts a non-stop schedule of events-- road, cross-country and gravity events for amateurs and professionals, road and mountain bike tours for non-competitive riders, and also features the world’s largest outdoor consumer bike exposition. In addition to planning

David de la Fuente only found he was going to the 2006 Tour de France a week before the start, but the plucky 25-year-old Spaniard made the most of the opportunity. The Saunier Duval-Prodir rider snagged the best climber’s jersey in the third stage only to recapture it in the Pyrenees and nearly ride it all the way to Paris before Michael Rasmussen surged late to take it away for good. His panache earned him the most combative rider’s prize and lots of attention from the Spanish press. “It was an amazing experience and once that I took advantage of from the start,” De la Fuente told VeloNews.

Angel Fire ski resort sits in a secluded corner of northern New Mexico, about two hour’s drive from Santa Fe. A far cry from the mega resorts in neighboring Colorado, Angel Fire prides itself as a winter and summertime playground where the crowds are light and the price of admission is low. Like many other ski areas, Angel Fire hosts mountain-bike races in the summer — the Chile Challenge is a regular stop on the Mountain States Cup. In 2005, the venue hit the pinnacle of its mountain-bike racing when it hosted a stop on the UCI World Cup — the first American World Cup since 2001. Angel Fire

Montréal-Boston Tour route set for August

T-Mobile's Patrik Sinkewitz is happy to be back at Mallorca. The team decamped here for more than two weeks in January and Monday's start was loaded with German fans. Mallorca's population includes 20 percent German-speaking residents.

Peter Van Petegem made his Quick Step-Innergetic debut on Sunday. The Belgian classics tough-man will be the team's wild-card during the northern classics this year, playing joker to Paolo Bettini and Tom Boonen.

Reigning world mountain bike champion Gunn-Rita Dahle enjoyed the action Sunday. She will stay for nearly a month in Mallorca to prepare for the 2007 season.

Jose Luis Chechu Rubiera doesn't look too concerned that sponsor Discovery Channel is leaving at the end of the 2007 season.

2006 Milan- San Remo winner Filippo Pozzato, in his new Liquigas kit, was hanging with a few of his old Quick Step buddies.

Santi Perez in his new Relax kit.

Oscar Freire looks pensive before his first race since winning the Vatenfall Classics in August. Plagued by back problems, the three-time world champion said he's riding without pain again.

Freire squirts past the right side of the peloton to win Sunday's Mallorca Challenge opener. He's hoping to regain his form after missing world's for two years running.

Riders spin by with Mallorca's towering cathedral in the background in Sunday's opening stage. The cathedral dates back to the 14th century and is one of the largest in Spain.

The Cat. 2 Coll de Soller will be one of the steep climbs featured in Tuesday's and Wednesday's climbing stages. This year's route includes 15 rated climbs and cuts through the spectacular Tramuntana mountains along Mallorca's rugged

Dutch veteran Michael Boogerd is still going strong. VeloNews spied the big-toothed classics star leading Rabobank on an intense training ride along the mountainous rugged coastline Saturday.

Who says the peloton hasn't gone international? Astana is the first top-level pro team registered in Kazakhstan.

The brother and sister of Isaac Galvez were overcome with emotion in a special homage to the late Illes Balears rider ahead of Sunday's start. Galvez died in a crash during a track race in November. He won two stages in last year's Mallorca C

David Millar is in Mallorca, working to hone his TT skills

Can he make another run at the climber's jersey?

Mancebo found a place to land.

Our latest reader-submitted PhotoGallery is now ready for your viewing pleasure. Of course, a new gallery also means the naming of the winner of our most recent contest. We had a tough time picking a winner this week, we can assure you. There were two images that stood out in our minds and we kept going back and forth. Fortunately, it was a letter from a reader that settled the question for us. As reader Erin Hinnov remarked, “I like the stark imagery of the White Rim photo, but the story about Josh brought me to tears. If I had to go with just the artistry of the photos, I vote White

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 do not necessarily reflect the opinions, policies or positionsof VeloNews.com, VeloNews magazine or our parent company, InsideCommunications,

International Olympic Committee officials have rebuked World Anti-DopingAgency (WADA) chairman Dick Pound for comments critical of cyclist LanceArmstrong, according to newspaper reports. The Los Angeles Times and New York Times reported thatthe IOC Ethics Commission censure was dated February 2 and came followinga complaint filed in 2005 by the American, a seven-time Tour de Francewinner."It's not common that the IOC comes out and issues a reprimand or awarning about one of their members at all. This is as close to a censureas it could get," Armstrong told the New York Times, calling

German attacker Stefan Schumacher says his planned Tour de France debut later this season will help him decide where his future lies. If he can get through the Tour in good shape, he might try to focus on improving his skills to perhaps battle for the overall prize in the future. If not, he’ll instead focus his energy into winning stages and shining in the classics. It all depends on how things go in July. “I don’t know if I can ever challenge for the Tour, but what happens this year will tell me a lot,” Schumacher told VeloNews before the start of Monday’s stage at the Mallorca Challenge.

February is the perfect time to come out to Arizona and test the early-season fitness. The temperature is ideal, the variety of terrain staggering, and the level of competition at the early races is typically top-notch. Pros, too, flock to Tucson for their warm weather training tune-up, and will often race a few local events before joining their teams for the full-on race calendar. Although the caliber of racing is typically high, participants were caught a bit off guard when Tom Danielson (Discovery Channel) and his wife Kristin (Velo Bella) showed up for the Bartlett Lake Time Trial on

In the 20 years that the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame has existed, morethan 100 individuals have been inducted — both in person or posthumously.Their names vary from 1899 world sprint champion Major Taylor to three-timeTour de France winner Greg LeMond. And now you can nominate your favoriterider for consideration in the “class of ’07.” The main requirements are that nominees be U.S. citizens and have notraced for five years — so that rules out nominating shoo-ins like LanceArmstrong and Marty Nothstein for another few years. There are actuallyfive categories of competitors eligible for the

White Rim Trail - Canyonlands National Park Utah

Josh

Schumacher wants to exploit his strengths

Calvente hopes he and the Agritubel team get invited to the Tour

Danielson gets ready to roll

The Danielsons look to be enjoying the warm AZ weather

Danielson in the desert