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Alexandre Vinokourov’s Astana team could be forced into racing in cycling’s second division in 2007, after the UCI notified the team that it faces an automatic denial of its ProTour application. The UCI sent Astana general manager Marc Biver a fax Thursday, giving the team’s management company a preliminary negative notice that its application didn't fulfill all of the UCI’s required conditions for a ProTour license. The fax said that the team had not submitted evidence of adequate bank guarantees and added that there remains confusion regarding the status of the program’s main

The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.USADA chief off base on missed testEditor:[USADA General Counsel Travis] Tygart said. "Arguably, her first violation - missing a post-race test - might not even have been a violation in the U.S." Tell that to Jason Sager and Cale Redpath, who both missed tests at the Deer Valley NORBA,

KLM ’cross to preview 2007-08 nationals courseThe second KLM Marketing Solutions UCI Cyclocross is slated Sunday at Wyandotte County Park in Kansas City. The race, which will double as the Missouri State Cyclocross Championships, uses the same venue that will host the 2007-08 USA Cycling cyclo-cross national championships. "KLM Marketing Solutions has been working with the Unified Government for two years to ensure that the venue has the capabilities to host nationals," said Wayne Burns, director of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County Parks and Recreation Department. Four-time

Our foaming rantist enjoys the benefits of chiropractic

Trebon may get to avoid the mud a few times next year

Jesse Anthony will be the other 'crosser on Kodak

The 2006 Vuelta winner says he remains confident that he'll be racing ProTour events with or without a ProTour license.

Tilford

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Come to the Red Zinger/Coors Classic DVD Release Party and RiderReunion!Michael Aisner and VeloGear Produce the Definitive Red Zinger/Coors(r)Classic 3  Disc DVD Set Boulder, CO, November 30, 2006 - VeloGear invites you to theRedZinger/Coors Classic DVD release party and rider reunion to be heldat University Bikes on Thursday, December 7 beginning at 6:00 p.m.Finally, the Red Zinger/Coors Classic is available on DVD! VeloGearhas teamed with race producer Michael Aisner to present 8 hours of raretelevision coverage and documentary footage re-mastered in a 3 DVD set.Order the DVD today at

Cycling is on the menu as the 15th Asian Games kick off Friday in Doha, Qatar. The games officially begin with opening ceremonies choreographed by David Atkins, artistic director for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. By the time the Asian showcase ends on December 15, the 16-day games in this Arabian Gulf country will have brought together 10,500 athletes. The 39 sports range from traditional pursuits such as athletics, swimming and baseball to more obscure ones such as the Indian rural pastime of kabaddi and the centuries-old Malay ball game of sepak takraw, which is similar to volleyball

The president of cycling's world governing body told the Spanish government the lack of information in its doping investigation is damaging the sport. In a letter to Spanish sports minister Jaime Lissavetzky, Pat McQuaid said that the UCI felt helpless because the investigating judge refused to allow the use of information from the case for disciplinary action. The UCI also sent copies of the letter, which was published Thursday in Spanish sports daily El Mundo Deportivo, to the Spanish cycling Federation and the International Olympic Committee. "The UCI can do absolutely nothing about

The head of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said Thursday that the agreement reached with Canadian Geneviève Jeanson reflected “the most likely outcome” of a case involving her positive EPO test in 2005, even if she had appealed her case to the sporting world’s highest court. USADA general counsel Travis Tygart told VeloNews that even though Jeanson might have faced a lifetime ban from competition for what was technically a second violation, there was reason to believe that the International Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne would not have given the cyclist more than a two-year

Dear Bob,I’m a triathlete and regularly enjoy reading your column. Your recent column on lights and reflectors (see "ReflectedGlory") reminded me of a topic of debate between me and some friends. We’re hoping you can settle it. One day, during a particularly heavy fog, I passed a cyclist on the road. The cyclist was dressed in black and wearing a black helmet, and he did not have lights or reflectors. This started us talking; it seems like technically the cyclist may not be breaking any laws, but could the cyclist still be considered negligent if there was an accident? Some say yes. Some say

Press Release - Coors Classic DVD release party

Iranian cyclists train on the velodrome in Qatar

Canadian Geneviève Jeanson – once facing a life-time ban from competition - has reached an accord with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency that could see the retired cyclist racing her bike as soon as next summer. Jeanson, who held a U.S. license, announced her retirement in January after USADA officials said they would seek to ban her for life after she tested positive for EPO at Pennsylvania’s Tour de ‘Toona in 2005. Jeanson had been suspended earlier for a failure to appear for post-race doping test at the women’s edition of Fleche-Wallonne in 2004, meaning the Pennsylvania sample qualified as a

The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.An open letter to USADADear USADA:It's me again.It has been two years and I want to extend my congratulations in yourongoing fight against drug use in our sport. You win. I am more confusedthen ever.But the dopers? You continue to open the door wider and wider for them.(see "USADAdeal

Discovery Channel, Team CSC and Predictor-Lotto will compete in the 2007 Amgen Tour of California February 18-25, 2007, the race’s promoter and operator has announced. Sixteen teams are expected for the second edition of the race. The route will be announced in December. Floyd Landis, riding for Phonak, won the inaugural edition. "The level of competition returning for the second annual Amgen Tour of California rivals any race in the world and proves that cyclists and fans alike are hungry for this caliber of racing in America," said Shawn Hunter, president of AEG Sports. "We are excited

Jeanson at a news conference in 2004

Things to consider on a descentDear Lennard,What speed can a standard road bike achieve? I know there are a lotof factors. I am a 125 lb. rider and my max is 56.8 mph on a long downhill.I am talking standard road-race bike and attire. At what speed will a standard bike and rider's drag keep him from going any faster?It's hard to word this but I think you know what I mean.Chris Dear Chris,Yes, I can figure out what you are asking.When cycling, you must consider the forces of rolling resistance, airresistance and gravity, which when added together, give the power the riderputs out to

Cyclocross Movie Premiere To Raise Money For Junior RacersBoulder, CO - November 27, 2006 - Boulder Cycle Sport will hostthe Colorado premiere of TRANSITION 2 'CROSS THE POND at the Boulder Theaterto raise funds for the American Cycling Association's Cyclocross DevelopmentPrograms. All proceeds will be given to the TIAA-CREF/CLIF BAR Junior/U23and Mudskipper Youth Cyclocross Teams. Transition 2 spends the 2005 holiday season following a group of NorthAmericans as they travel through Belgium to compete with the best in theworld in the harsh and unforgiving heartland of cyclocross

The UCI warned the director of the Vuelta a España on Tuesday that the grand tour faces being downsized, according to the Spanish daily El Pais. UCI ProTour executive committee coordinator Alan Rumpf told Vuelta director Victor Cordero in a letter that the three-week format was under threat. And Rumpf said that they were considering running both the Tour of Germany and the Vuelta in September, and shortening the latter. "The three weeks of the Vuelta are under debate," Rumpf said in the letter, extracts from which were published in Tuesday's El Pais. "The commission is considering

USA Cycling announced today several changes and category upgrades it had secured for events on the USA Cycling Professional Tour that were confirmed at the UCI Road Commission Meeting in Montreux, Switzerland earlier this month. The 15-race series of international-caliber events, connected by a season-long points system, will make its debut in 2007 and feature some of the top athletes and teams from around the globe. The most significant changes since the calendar was announced include upgrades for two of the three inaugural events. Originally designated as category 2 races by the UCI, both

Bryan Lopes trying to hit sterminal at last year's Red Bull Road Rage

Vuelta chief Victor Cordero follows the final stage of the 2006 race in Madrid

Our latest reader-submitted Photo Gallery is now up for your viewing pleasure. Of course, a new gallery also means the naming of the winner of ourmost recent contest. Take the time to wander through that gallery and see if you agree or disagree with our choice of winner. It’s the season for ‘cross and Andrea Tucker’s untitled photo captured that tough, mucky aspect of a sport that many of love. Nice work, Andrea! Drop us a note at Rosters@InsideInc.com to work out the details and we’ll send you a copy of Graham Watson's "Landscapes of Cycling." And while you’re at it, tell us a

The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.Cyclists may be dishonest... but they're less dishonest than....Editor,There is so much sadness, So much wailing and gnashing of teeth. Somuch angst. Cyclists are cheats. Cycling is dirty. Cycling is doomed. It'sso embarrassing.Just hold on. Chill. It's not just cyclists who

Chi’ series concludes December 3The fourth and final race of the Chicago Cyclocross Cup racing series on December 3 will double as the Illinois State Cyclocross Championship. The race will be held at Montrose Park; lead sponsor is Turin of Evanston. The course makes use of the many natural and manmade areas of the park. Riders can expect a well-rounded course using pavement, gravel track, grass and sandy areas with off-camber and running sections mixed into each lap. Race flyers and information for the 2006 Chicago Cyclocross Cup can be found at www.chicrosscup.com. Nashville series headed

Untitled

World Madison champion Isaac Galvez (Caisse d'Epargne) died after an overnight fall during the Ghent six-day, the Belga news agency reported Sunday. Galvez, who has been a professional since 2000, died while being transported to a local hospital. An initial diagnosis suggests the cause of death was from an internal hemorrhage, however complete details will not be available until a full autopsy is completed on Sunday. After viewing video pictures organizers of the famous track event said the 31-year-old appeared to have hit a railing with his chin and chest after crashing when he came

While the sunny skies and high temperatures made it feel more like an early-season race, Saturday’s Gear Works Bay State Cyclocross packed all the punch of a classic East Coast ‘cross throwdown. Lyne Bessette (Cyclocrossworld.com) and Tim Johnson (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com), won their respective races in round 5 of the 2006 Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series, though under very different circumstances. The flowing Chocksett School course offered few technical challenges, instead rewarding flat-out strength and speed. Those requirements fit perfectly into Bessette’s skill

Sorry it’s been a while since my last journal entry. No excuses, just busy. It’s been a week now since I returned from the Pacific Northwest, where typical Oregon weather put an emphatic stamp on the end of another successful Crank Brothers U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross series. Yes, it rained. Yes, it was muddy. Yes, I am still picking mud out of my ears. Last weekend, while going through the security check at Denver International Airport an agent found a half-full water bottle I had accidentally left in my backpack. The security agent asked me to leave the area and empty the bottle. I

Galvez - pictured at the Ghent Six on Tuesday - died after a crash early Sunday

I'm all right! Three members of the TIAA-CREF-Clif Bar team

Former CSC wrench Nick Legan dials in my rig

Seattle's finest: Dale Knapp roosts the masters' field

Only in Portland

This sign should have been on Sunday's course

Tinfoil Chef

Sven Nys (Rabobank) displayed his dominance once again in round six of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup on Saturday, riding away from an elite lead group to a solo victory in Koksijde, Belgium. The World Cup leader and Belgian national champion had been at the head of a lead group containing teammates Gerben De Knegt and Sven Vanthourenhout, Bart Wellens (Fidea), and John Gadret (Ag2r Prevoyance). With five laps to go, Nys had begun chipping away at the group, and a lap later it was three Rabobank riders off the front through the start-finish area. Then Nys stepped on the gas, leaving his

Jesus Manzano has lodged a criminal complaint against the attorney representing former Liberty Seguros director Manolo Saiz, charging that he has been pressured to withdraw allegations he has made as part of the Spanish Operación Puerto investigation. The former Kelme pro filed his complaint November 14 with the Unidad Central Operativa de la Guardia Civil (UCO), the unit involved in the inquiry. The pressure Manzano’s complaint cites apparently stems from a meeting among Manzano, his wife, and his attorney, Santiago Lucas, at Lucas’s office. During that meeting, according to Manzano, Lucas

The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.Say again, Pedro?Editor,So let me get this straight: PedroDelgado thinks the problem with doping in cycling is that dopers aregetting caught?Steve ScottSan Diego, CaliforniaIt’s all about the “medicine”Editors,I had to laugh at Pedro’s remarks on our current doping crises. Thisis the man

Tyler Hamilton has signed a one-year deal with the Italian/Russian Tinkoff cycling team it was announced in Rome on Friday. The year-old continental team is bankrolled by Russian brewery magnate Oleg Tinkov and has recently been working to sign German Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich. Hamilton, once one of the sport’s top stars, completed a two-year ban for blood doping in September. Hamilton had hoped to sign with a ProTour team and return to the top level of the sport, but settled for a contract with the Continental squad as that option appeared unrealistic. In recent months UCI

Hamilton is back, with a one-year deal with the continental Tinkoff squad.

Swiss anti-doping officials said Thursday that they are likely to open disciplinary proceedings against former Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich in January. Bernhard Welten, the commission's legal expert, told AFP he expected the disciplinary body to deliver a ruling about two months after it takes up the case, the average for most cases its considers. Welten said he was waiting for documents to arrive from Germany before opening the procedure. "That will most probably be at the beginning of January. As soon as these documents are in I will put together the case file and petition the

Ullrich may face Swiss charges related to Puerto.

You may not agree with him, but you can't accuse 1988 Tour de France winner Pedro Delgado of being shy about stating his opinions regarding the sport in which he made his living. Now a cycling commentator for Spanish national television, Delgado still works in and around cycling and he often doesn’t like what he sees. In this the second of a two-part interview with VeloNews contributor Martin Hardie, Delgado discusses the dynamics of a sport long dominated by a pair of dominant riders – Miguel Indurain and Lance Armstrong – and of the doping scandals now enveloping the upper reaches of

Delgado worked for team leader Miguel Indurain at the 1992 Tour

The Ultimate Souvenir - Delgado gets his yellow jersey signed by fellow champions at the 2004 Tour presentation.

Delgado at the 2004 Tour presentation, with former winners Bjarne Riis and Jan Ullrich

Can a smaller Q-factor help knee pain?

What's the advantage of ceramics?

Skibby book reveals cycling’s darker sideIn his 15 years as a professional cyclist from 1986 to 2000 Denmark’s Jesper Skibby was one of the peloton’s most respected riders. He was a hard worker who used long breakaways to earn stage wins at the Giro d’Italia (1989), Vuelta a España (1991) and Tour de France (1993). That’s why the revelations in his autobiography “Skibby: Forstaa Mig Ret” (“Skibby: Understand Me Correctly”), to be published in Denmark on Wednesday, are so shocking. The book’s publisher Ekstra Bladets Forlag said on its Web site, “Jesper Skibby admits openly and honestly that,

It’s hard to imagine that it’s been 18 years since Pedro Delgado took a hard-fought victory at the 1988 Tour de France. These days, Delgado — “Perico” as he’s known in Spain — spends much of his time serving as a regular commentator for Spanish national television’s coverage of cycling. Working with colleague Carlos De Andres, Delgado offers viewers insightful and articulate commentary, often able to add that little extra to make viewers feel like they know what it’s like to be right there in the peloton. VeloNews contributor Martin Hardie recently spent an afternoon with the former cycling

Tour de Georgia organizers unveiled the 2007 route, which will include a time trial to the top of Lookout Mountain, a stage ending in Stone Mountain Park and the finish at Centennial Olympic Park. The 965.6-kilometer event, announced Tuesday, will begin April 16 in the Atlanta suburb of Peachtree City. Expanding from six to seven days, the race finishes April 22 at the downtown Atlanta park built for the 1996 Olympics. It is uncertain whether defending champion Floyd Landis will participate. He failed a drug test after winning the Tour de France, but denied any wrongdoing and will go before

Technical Q&A with Lennard Zinn - A new player?

A custom Zinn with a very low Q-factor

Delgado, on his way to winning the 1988 Tour de France

Delgado, the TV commentator, holding a model of his winning Tour de France bike from 1988.

Tour de Georgia expands to seven days

Our latest reader-submitted Photo Gallery is now up for your viewing pleasure. Of course, a new gallery also means the naming of the winner of ourmost recent contest. Take the time to wander through that gallery and see if you agree or disagree with our choice of winner. There was something compelling about Reid Neureiter’s “6-year old puddle riding.” Reid’s beautifully timed and composed shot encompasses one of the simple joys of owning your first bike. Nice work, Reid! Drop us a note at Rosters@InsideInc.com to work out the details and we’ll send you a copy of Graham Watson's

French sports minister Jean-Francois Lamour has been elected vice-president of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The two-time Olympic fencing champion was unopposed and elected by a show of hands at the meeting of the WADA executive committee in Montreal on Monday. Lamour, 50, who was endorsed by the Council of Europe for the post, thanked members for the confidence shown in him and promised "to work to strengthen WADA". Current WADA president Dick Pound's term expires in November of 2007 with Lamour now in line to succeed the Canadian. Lamour, a gold medalist at the 1984 Olympics

Fat-tire fans will remember Costa Rica’s 2006 La Ruta de los Conquistadores for the race’s epic, 60-mile stage 1 from Jaco to El Rodeo, which included 14,500 muddy feet of climbing and sent 50 percent of the field home early. They will also remember the triumph of the skinny 24-Colombian Leonardo Paez, who dominated the three-day race in just his first attempt. But for many, the lasting image of the 2006 la Ruta is that of bloodstained American Jeremiah Bishop (Trek-Volkswagen) rolling across the finish of Stage 2 after hitting the deck in the final kilometers. The high-speed crash mangled

6-year old puddle riding

Lamour is now Dick Pound's most likely successor

Not a pretty picture: It took Bishop some time to realize how bad the injury was.

A mix of adrenaline and endorphins got Bishop to the finish line

The pain got worse after the finish.

The damage was quite serious

Australia finished the top nation in this weekend's opening round of the UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics in Sydney, propelled by its women riders. Australia's women won four gold medals and their consistent performances across the board lifted the team to 103 points to finish four points clear of defending series champion the Netherlands after 16 events over three days. Russia finished third with 90 points ahead of Germany (75), France (54) and Great Britain (50). The highlight of the round was the world record ride by Australian Anna Meares, whose time of 33.944 seconds for

At the final race of the Crank Brothers U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross series, held Sunday near Portland, Oregon, race organizers finally got the muddy conditions ’cross is known for. The series final, the Scion Stumptown Cup, held on the grounds of the Hillsboro Stadium, provided the wet, slippery conditions mechanics dread and photographers embrace. "If every day is a fair-weather day, these guys can’t go to Belgium and expect to be ready to race," said series director Bruce Fina. "To be honest with you, if I could race any single day of the series, I would race on this day, because of the

Johnson hoping to be first to the showers (and the laundry)

Hey, we're from Boulder, but not even we know what this is about

Johnson goes surfing, Stumptown style

The women's field contemplates a bout of mud-wrestling

Simms shows Compton her heels

Nash hits the run-up

Bessette legs it through the goo