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The pleasant roadside views of Sonoma County wineries will mark the start of Stage 2, but the scenery will soon be forgotten when the peloton hits a major climb just 12 miles into the race. The ascent of the steep Trinity Road climb followed by a treacherous descent toward more wineries in Napa Valley will be sure to break up the field. After that, the peloton will continue east toward Sacramento. Riders will pass Lake Berryessa, then head through Davis, known as one of the best cycling towns in the U.S. With a quick turn to the north, the route will then follow the Sacramento River to the

After a neutral start with parade laps through Stockton’s revitalized downtown area, the peloton will head west through California’s farmlands. Riders will travel through Tracy and then encounter Patterson Pass, a new climb in this year’s race. Following Patterson Pass, they’ll pass through the city of Livermore before connecting to a climb up Calaveras Road. This long, constant grade, which was also used in the 2006 Amgen Tour of California, leads to the most difficult climb of the race, the Category 1 (most difficult) Sierra Road climb in San José. After completing this KOM (King of the

The remarkable views of Stage 4 will make it a favorite for riders and spectators alike. Beginning in Seaside with a short neutral lap and traveling along a similar route to last year’s Stage 4, the peloton will head south on scenic Highway 1 where the mountains and redwood forests flank the PacificOcean. At more than 130 miles long, and with three KOMs, this is the longest stage ofthe race and will test the riders on consistently hilly and technical terrain. The six-hour day will take the riders through Big Sur and past Hearst Castle before shifting inland toward the finish at the

The quaint Danish village of Solvang has become a cycling destination and serves as the host city of many ProTour team training camps each winter. At only 14.5-miles long, the Stage 5 time trial in Solvang is an ideal location for spectators to view the race. Conveniently, the start and finish are located just two blocks apart. The route will highlight some of the most beautiful areas and towns of Central California, winding through quaint towns, vineyards, farms and one short but steep climb. Shorter, flatterand faster than last year’s time trial, Stage 5will be a challenging test for the

This could be the pivotal stage of this year’s Amgen Tour of California. Stage 6 is not only long, at 105 miles, but it features four King of the Mountain climbs, two sprints and a demanding finishing circuit in Santa Clarita. With this year’s individual time trial being less selective than last year’s, there could be several contenders separated by just a few seconds at this point in the race. After a start in view of the Santa Barbara shoreline, Stage 6, which is sponsored by Health Net, will be the last chance for a solid favorite to emerge before the circuit race finale in Long Beach.

The Stage 7 circuit race is flat and fast, and sure to be a favorite with spectators. This is where the sprinters will come to the fore, as the pack races 10 laps around a circuit course in downtown Long Beach. Sponsored by Amgen, the stage includes part of the famous Long Beach Grand Prix course used for CART races. These roads are wide and fast. Views of San Pedro Bay and the Pacific Ocean will be visible for the entire course, with a backdrop of the famed Queen Mary in the bay. Course designers expect a hard sprint to the finish. Just like with the grand tours of Europe, a win on the

Where are you spending your off-season?

George may have his work cut out for him this year.

Farrar will keep his Cofidis kit for '07

Van Avermaet takes his first win as a pro

Boonen deals with a balky bike

Cretskens enjoys a moment with another Belgian who knows a little something about winning races

Ho, hum - you race by one desert fortress, you've raced by them all

Amgen Tour of California - Prologue

Amgen Tour of California - Prologue

Amgen Tour of California - Stage 1

Amgen Tour of California - Stage 1

Amgen Tour of California - Stage 3

Amgen Tour of California - Stage 3

Amgen Tour of California - Stage 4

Amgen Tour of California - Stage 4

Amgen Tour of California - Stage 5

Amgen Tour of California - Stage 5

Amgen Tour of California - Stage 6

Amgen Tour of California - Stage 7

At its customary pre-season training camp in Solvang, California, the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team opened the doors of the Royal Scandinavian Inn to the media on Monday and Tuesday for an opportunity to meet the team’s riders. In lieu of an official team presentation, which will be offered via video on the team’s Web site, thepaceline.com, team representatives arranged one-on-one interviews with print, Web and video journalists in Solvang, a small Danish settlement in central California. Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, a part owner of the team, was in attendance at

Led by 2006 Giro d'Italia winner Ivan Basso, the Discovery Channel CyclingTeam is heading into the 2007 season with high hopes. The team is now holdingits traditional pre-seasontraining camp in Solvang, California. Earlier this week, the team openedits doors to reporters and photographers. VeloNews photographerCasey Gibson was there to capture the scene.

Come the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, the entire episode could make ideal fodder for one of NBC’s sappy vignettes about struggle and sacrifice. But right now Mike Friedman is ready to put his ordeal with dangerous blood clots, doping innuendo and an aborted spring racing campaign behind him. The 24-year-old just wants to race his bike and build on a promising debut season in 2006 where he finished top American at the International Championship in Philadelphia, and won a pair of U.S. national track titles. “People hear blood and they immediately think drugs,” lamented Friedman, who last

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Belgian Tom Boonen dominated Australian Graeme Brown in a bunch sprint to win an explosive fourth stage of the Tour of Qatar on Wednedsday. Quick Step’s Boonen thus picked up his third individual stage win in as many days after a mainly flat 139km of racing between the Camelodrome and the Gulf of Doha. Brazilian Murilo Fischer (Liquigas) finished third behind Rabobank’s Brown, who on Monday was accused of causing mayhem in the bunch sprint during which Predictor-Lotto’s Tom Steels crashed and was left with a broken collarbone. Boonen will take a 27-second lead over teammate Steven De Jongh

Sastre focusing on Tour-Vuelta doubleTeam CSC’s Carlos Sastre believes he can aim even higher at the Tour de France and is taking aim at the final podium for the 2007 edition. Fourth overall in last year’s Tour as well as at the Vuelta a España, the Spanish climber said he’ll skip the Giro d’Italia to focus on preparing exclusively for the Tour before rebounding for a run at the Spanish tour. “I will work for victory in both the Tour and the Vuelta,” Sastre told Spanish journalists. “These are the most important races for me and I’d honestly like to shine.” The decision will end Sastre’s

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,

To say that the decision to sign Basso was not without controversy is an understatement. Will the gamble pay off?

Leipheimer has made adjustments in his 2007 plan.

Beppu with the recently retired Ekimov

Not many places better for early season training

Cruz toys with a new ride

Och' with Sean Yates

Planning the day's ride

Armstrong still has a big investment in the team

Ivan Basso is attracting his fair share of attention in Solvang

Tony Cruz and Ekimov lead an early morning ride.

Even though he is retired, Eki still has a good time on the training ride.

Tom Danielson further hones those climbing skills.

Basso and Rubiera

Hincapie shows off his stars and stripes.

Hincapie and Czech rider Pavel Padrnos

Leipheimer moves up to take a pull

Basso at the front

Basso tries out his new TT helmet.

The team heads back to Solvang past a walnut grove.

Long time Discovery Channel mechanic Vince Gee washes up a bike after the ride.

Head mechanic Julien DeVries checks measurements on a new bike.

Leipheimer is still deciding which pair to wear.

Basso relaxes after an easy ride and time with reporters

Boonen leaves little doubt as to whose sprint is better... at least at this point in the season.

Boonen and Leif Hoste up front

The break

Lastweek I reported on the first day of the CyclingScience Symposium and Expo at the Hotel Boulderado in Boulder, Colorado. The conference featured a second day of lectures, followed by a third expo day at which purveyors of equipment and services for improving cycling performance offered their products for public view. Tied up by other commitments, I was unable to attend the expo, but I did find the second lecture day to be fascinating. Computer-modeling your musclesDan Heil, Ph.D., FACSM, an associate professor of exercise physiology at Montana State University in Bozeman gave a very

Tour de France officials are frustrated over the slow progress of the Floyd Landis disciplinary case and are looking at the very likely prospect that the case won’t be resolved before the start of the 2007 Tour. Speaking to the Spanish daily AS during a break at the Tour of Qatar, Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme deplored the slow pace of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. Asked if he expects the case to be resolved before the July 7 start in London, Prudhomme replied, “Unfortunately, I am afraid not. " “It’s the same thing that happened to the Vuelta a España with Denis Menchov,” he

Belgium's Tom Boonen (Quick Step) won the third stage of the Tour of Qatar around Doha on Tuesday, beating Italian sprint king Alessandro Petacchi (Milram) for the second consecutive day. Austria's Bernard Eisel (T-Mobile) took third spot behind Boonen who strengthened his grip on the leader's gold jersey. Boonen said afterwards: "I was in about 50th place with three kilometers to go, which was too far back, but Matteo Tosatto helped me get up to the front. I then let the Milram team do the work before waiting for the right moment to start my sprint." Boonen refused to go

Lawyers for Jan Ullrich have submitted their opposition to Swiss authorities' decision to send a sample of the cyclist's saliva to German prosecutors, the Bonn office said Tuesday. Bonn prosecutors want to compare the Swiss samples with those seized by Spanish authorities during the Spanish drug inquiry Operación Puerto last May to determine whether the German was a client of the raided laboratory run by Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes. "The Swiss tribunal must now decide whether or not to accept our request," said prosecutors' spokesman Friedrich Apostel. "If they believe us

Embattled 2006 Tour de France winner Floyd Landis says he doubts he will race professionally this season even if he is cleared of doping charges. In an interview with the U.S. sports television network ESPN, Landis said he and his lawyers have become frustrated with obstacles delaying his chance to make his case to a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) arbitration panel. "I've pretty much written off this season," Landis said. Landis, 31, said no hearing date has been set yet and none is likely before late spring, — perhaps late May or June — and as a result it would be out of the question

USA Cycling and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency announced Tuesday that two riders, previously suspended for missing doping tests, have had their licenses reinstated, after both agencies concluded that harsh penalties were unfair in both cases. Cale Redpath of Durango, Colorado and Alice Pennington of Hood River, Oregon both accepted one-year suspensions for failure to appear after being selected as reserve athletes at USA Cycling and UCI-sanctioned events during the 2006 season. Normally, anti-doping rules require that podium finishers and a select group of randomly chosen riders are required to

Pruitt

Kautz

Neptune

Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme is frustrated by the slow speed of the Landis case.

Boonen bests Petacchi again

Healion held a lead of more than seven minutes - but it wasn't enough

There's a highway sign you don't see often in the other tours

He faced scorpions, snakes and hostile U.S. soldiers and his bicycle took a beating, but the 63-year-old Chechen now back home after cycling to and from Mecca says he is counting his blessings. Dzhanar-Aliyev Magomed-Ali returned to this war-torn Chechnya town on January 18. His pilgrimage, or hajj, to the Muslim holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, had little in common with the exploits of most Western adventurers. But his story reflects the dogged determination of many older people in this battle-scarred region of southern Russia, which has spent most of the last 12 years in armed conflict

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. Take the time to wander through that gallery and see if you agree or disagree with our choice of winners this week. This time around, we found Felipe Borja’s “Cycling in the Andes Imbabura-Ecuador” reminded us of the real joy of solitary cycling in some of the world’s most beautiful territory. Congratulations Felipe. Nice work. Please drop us a note at Rosters@InsideInc.comto work out the details and we’ll send you a

Christian Vande Velde rides into the 2007 season with renewed confidence he can pick up where he left off last year, which included a stop atop a winner’s podium for the first time in his European racing career. “It’s not easy to win in Europe. Now that I’ve done it, I know it’s possible again and it doesn’t seem so far-fetched,” Vande Velde said. “The confidence is going to play a big factor. Just knowing you can do it and knowing you’ve succeeded the year before, you’re just going to have more confidence overall.” The 30-year-old all-rounder won the Tour of Luxembourg, his first victory

Former world champion Tom Boonen won the second stage of the Tour of Qatar over 135km from Al Wakra to Doha on Monday, moving into the overall leader's gold jersey in the process. The Quick Step rider beat Milram's Alessandro Petacchi and Frenchman Jean-Patrick Nazon in a sprint finish to snatch the gold jersey from his Dutch teammate Steven de Jong, who held it after Quick Step's team time trial victory in Sunday's opening stage. The defending Tour of Qatar champion Boonen admitted he had been lucky to win after Pettachi's Milram team launched their leader's sprint

Beat the postage increase: Lock in your current subscription price!On May 6, the United States Postal Service is raising periodicals-classpostage rates by 11 percent. As a result, VeloNews subscriptionprices will have to go up. As a special offer to current subscribers weare offering the opportunity to 'lock-in' your current discounted pricingby extending or renewing your subscription today at our pre-May 6 prices.To take advantage of this limited-time-only offer, please visit oursubscription page. You'll need to enter your current address; our systemwill then present you with the