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Bamako, Mali — The Niger, the biggest river in West Africa, is more than 4000km long.For a third of its length the Niger cuts a giant swathe through the nationof Mali. On Tuesday, the kilometer-wide waterway served as the backdropto a very unusual bike race at the bustling river port of Mopti. Most ofthe starters would be from Mali, a country that is so impoverished thatits 11 million population includes only 60 or so cyclists with the meansto compete at a national level.Two dozen of them will be taking on seven Saunier Duval-Prodir teamprofessionals in a road race to launch the UCI ProTour

Any chances of a deal between T-Mobile and Alejandro Valverde may have been derailed Monday as Spanish news reports suggest that the Illes Balears rider, too, has been implicated in the Operación Puerto affair. A spokesman for T-Mobile on Monday denied suggestions by Valverde’s agent that the team was prepared to pay 3 million euros to buy out the rider’s contract with his Spanish team. Early on Tuesday, the Spanish newspaper ABC reported that documents seized from Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes showed a cryptic reference to “Valv,” followed by “Piti,” the name of the rider’s dog. Fuentes was once

Questions regarding Hincapie's broken steerer and slipping carbon seatposts.

Well so far it's been quite the eventful cyclo-cross season. Racing the UCI events, having the bikes stolen, the wonderful support I received from sponsors and friends, a new sponsor (sort of, more on that later) and something that I still can't believe actually happened, a dry, fast cyclo-cross nationals in Providence, Rhode Island! While racing in the mud can be a lot of fun, I’ve decided the dry fast courses are much better as I’ve become a bit delicate after living in Colorado. I really enjoyed not having to wash the chamois three times afterwards, and waking up the next morning

The UCI has filed a complaint with the European Commission alleging that organizers of cycling's three biggest races have conspired to sabotage the ProTour series. The move is the latest chapter in the long running dispute between the sport's ruling body, which launched the ProTour in 2004, and the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana. In a statement Tuesday the UCI asserted that the three tour organizers are acting as an illegal monopoly. "The UCI has today decided to prepare an official complaint which it will lodge with the European Commission, against the

Valverde fought valiantly to keep the leader's jersey at the '06 Vuelta.

Hincapie's day on the cobbles ended badly in 2006

Compton - now a three-time U.S. champ.

Our latest reader-submitted Photo Gallery has been posted, along with a special year-end gallery, featuring contest winners from throughout 2006. 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 winners this week. Considering some of our past winners, you might notice our bias for “working bikes,” those rides people use for every day work and transportation. Reflecting that, we really appreciated the bike and the people in Jim Tannenhill’s “Water portage

Alejandro Valverde, currently under contract with the Illes Baléares-Caissed'Epargne, may be leaving the team to join a re-vamped T-Mobile squad. According to Monday’s edition of El Pais, the team is activelycourting the ProTourwinner as a replacement for Jan Ullrich, who the team fired this pastsummer. Ullrich was barred from the Tour de France after he and severalother riders were implicated in the Operación Puerto druginvestigation. The newspaper quoted Valverde’s agent as saying the T-Mobile team hasmade an offer significant enough to “put aside any reservations we mighthave about

I knew that this wasn’t going to be the usual bike-racing trip when the neatly dressed Arab businessman sitting next to me on the Royal Air Maroc flight from Paris-Orly to Casablanca Sunday night began chanting a prayer before we took off. He ended his salutation by blessing both me and his other neighbor, a young black West African. Perhaps the man’s prayers ensured a safe trip, even though we were an hour late touching down in the Moroccan city. It took another 20 minutes before the plane’s door opened and we stepped down into a cool, misty night, lit by a waning, watery moon. After

Water portage in China

Valverde at last year's Vuelta.

Inside Cycling with John Wilcockson: On the road to Mali

European countries held their national championship events for elite men’s cyclo-cross on Sunday. In the most closely watched contest of the weekend, Bart Wellens (Fidea) earned his third national championship, winning the prestigious Belgian title ahead of teammate Klaas Vantornout and Rabobank’s Sven Nys. Wellens win denied Nys the chance to earn a rare cyclo-cross hat trick, winning the Belgian, world and World Cup titles in a single season. Nys, who crashed early in the race on Sunday, has a solid lead in the World Cup series and is considered one of the favorites for the world

Wellens scored his third Belgian title on Sunday

Without any new offers since the end of his contract with Bouygues Telecom at the end of 2006, Walter Bénéteau has decided to retire. The 34-year-old Frenchman turned pro in 2000 when he joined the newly formed Bonjour team. He has raced his entire pro career for current Bouygues boss Jean-René Bernaudeau. Bénéteau has finished every Tour de France since turning pro and raced the Giro d'Italia-Tour double in 2005 and the Vuelta a España-Tour double last season. Dessel, defending champ Gerrans target Tour Down UnderCyril Dessel, who wore the yellow jersey for a day during the 2006 Tour

Franzoi, Rossi win Italian crownsEnrico Franzoi (Lampre-Fondital) won the Italian cyclo-cross championships on Saturday in Lucques. Marco Aurelio Fontana (Selle Italia-Guerciotti) took the runner-up spot just one second back with Marco Bianco (L'Arcobaleno Carraio) third at three seconds. Vania Rossi (Italiana Carburanti) won the women’s title ahead of Milena Calvani (Simec) and Francesca Cucciniello (Selle Italia-Guerciotti). Dlask takes Czech titlePetr Dlask (Fidea) won the Czech Republic cyclo-cross championship on Saturday in the town of Ceska Lipa. Zdenek Stybar took second at

Bénéteau in a break during Stage 9 of the 2006 Tour

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. Writers are encouraged to limit their submissions to one letter per month.The letters published here contain the opinions of the submitting authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, policies or positions of VeloNews.com, VeloNews magazine or our parent company, Inside

Applications for the Lance Armstrong Junior Olympic Race Series are now available to race promoters interested in supporting the junior-development efforts of USA Cycling. Entering its 15th year in 2007, the Lance Armstrong Junior Olympic Race Series is a program designed by USA Cycling and endorsed by seven-time Tour de France winner and Olympic medalist Lance Armstrong that provides racing opportunities for junior and U23-aged athletes. Over the course of the last 15 years, the series has evolved into a nationally-recognized junior development program with 88 events on the calendar in 2006.

A website launched by a trio of Floyd Landis supporters aims to raise $2 million to defend the 2006 Tour de France champion against charges that he doped to win the race. Landis, who tested positive for a skewed testosterone-epitestosterone ratio after the 2006 Tour de France and is preparing for arbitration before the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, needs the money to cover legal fees and expenses, according to spokesman Michael Henson. "Despite their lack of adherence to individual rights and due process ... the sports bureaucracies pursuing Floyd are funded in large part by multimillion-dollar

Landis faces another struggle - raising money for his defense

Well, Euro’ `Cross Camp IV is in the books and now the riders are headedin a host of different directions. Some of our riders will be going offto their respective road and MTB seasons, while others will be travelinghome to the U.S. for final world's prep. Still others plan to remain in Belgiumthrough to world's. Nonetheless, for a great 12-day period, we were all together striving,seeking and, in some cases, finding. Finding what? That answer dependson each rider and his goals, but, as director, my objective is to continueto put U.S. riders on the world cyclo-cross map.In many

Twenty-one teams – including five ProTour squads – have signed up for the 12th edition of Malaysia's Tour de Langkawi, promoters announced Thursday. Organizers said the field will be the largest to contest the 10-day event in six years. The Ag2r, Bouygues Telecom, Crédit Agricole and Française des Jeux teams will line up with one of the ProTour’s newest members, Unibet.com, and 16 regional and continental teams for the 10-stage season opener that begins February 2. Joining the five ProTour squads will be five European continental, seven Pacific regional and four national teams. Hong

AEG, HEALTH NET ANNOUNCE CYCLING TEAM'S ADDITION TO 2007 AMGEN TOUROF CALIFORNIAFounding Partner Health Net Will Also Present Free-to-the-PublicLifestyle Festival at the Finish Line in Each Host CityLOS ANGELES, January 4, 2007 – The Health Net Pro Cycling TeamPresented by Maxxis will again be one of the professional cycling teamsracing in the Amgen Tour of California, it was announced by Health Netof California and AEG, presenters of the 8-day, 650-mile road race.Health Net also will return as one of the event’s "founding partners,"which will include sponsorship of the Amgen Tour of

Coach Proctor with rising American 'cross star Danny Summerhill

Americans Tim Johnson and Tom Danielson lead the field in the final stage of the 2003 Tour de Langkawi. Danielson took the overall title that year

The '07 route

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. Writers are encouraged to limit their submissions to one letter per month.The letters published here contain the opinions of the submitting authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, policies or positions of VeloNews.com, VeloNews magazine or our parent company, Inside

2007 Webcor/Alto Velo Racing Club Elite Men’s RosterThe Webcor/Alto Velo Elite men’s team has announced its line-up forthe new season where it plans to compete in Northern California/NevadaCycling Association events and select west coast National Race Calendarevents.The team will be supported by several sponsors including Webcor Builders,The Bike Connection, Giant, Keefe Team Realty, Dave O’Mara Mortgages, Bell,Voler, Mark Rodamaker Fitting, Kaneon, Powerbar, and Karl Elhert, DC.The team will be led by former Webcor professionals Ted Huang, DarioFalquier and Greg Drake. The team’s line up

FELT BICYCLES PARTNERS WITH TEAM SLIPSTREAM POWERED BY CHIPOTLEIrvine, CA - Felt Bicycles is delighted to announce a partnershipwith Jonathan Vaughters' tremendously successful racing program, Team SlipstreamPowered by Chipotle (formerly TIAA-CREF), for the 2007 and 2008 seasons. Established originally as a development model and recognized predominantlyas the USA's youngest pro cycling team, Team Slipstream has produced 17national champions since its inception in 2004.  By selecting andretaining young, talented athletes and matching them with seasoned riders- like Mike Friedman, Brad

TWO WORLD CHAMPIONS HEADLINE U.S. ROSTER FOR LOS ANGELES WORLD CUPSeven Southern California Residents to Compete in Third Round of International Track SeriesColorado Springs, Colo. (January 2, 2007)—Two reigning worldchampions highlight the U.S. roster as USA Cycling confirmed today the18 Americans that will compete at the third round of the 2006-07 UCI TrackWorld Cup Classics series at the ADT Event Center in Carson, Calif. January19-21.Current individual pursuit world champion and American record holder,Sarah Hammer (Temecula, Calif.), will compete for her OUCH Pro Cyclingsquad and reigning

Iban Mayo announced plans to take on this year’s Giro d’Italia as preparationfor the Tour de France. The 29-year-old has shown promise in the past, but often left the Tourwith what he called disappointing results.Mayo made the announcement Tuesday at the presentation for hisnew Saunier Duval team, which he joined after a long career on the BasqueEuskaltel-Euskadi team.Mayo, who impressively won the grueling 8thstage of the 2003 Tour de France, has been frustrated in his effortsto make a mark on the race. Participating in three Tours, Mayo has abandonedtwice and finished the 2005 Tour in 60th

The Felt F1

The Felt DA

Mayo will skip the Dauphiné and try his hand at the Giro

Until recently, Graeme Brown was considered to be something of an underachiever as a top-level road sprinter. At least that was the thinking of the managers at his Dutch Rabobank team, as Brown revealed in an interview with former VeloNews European correspondent Rupert Guinness in December. Brown and Rabobank were set to part ways at the end of the ’06 season, when the man from New South Wales befuddled his bosses by stepping up to the plate and pulling off three impressive end-of-season wins in Europe. Suddenly there was renewed interest at Rabobank and the team inked a new road contract

What about standards?Dear Sirs,When did character stop counting? When Floyd Landis respondedto the question of did he use performance enhancing and banned substances,his response a couple of days into the scandal was, "I'llsay no." What kind of response was that? Was it an admission,a denial or both? Then, he offered new explanations depending onthe day.My measure of character is what I would expect of my kids and what shouldthey expect of me. Based on that simplistic yet durable barometer,Landis falls woefully short, as does VeloNews (see "2006VeloNews Awards: North American Male Cyclist

Winning the fourth stage of the Tour of Germany

Our latest reader-submitted Photo Gallery has been posted, along with a special year-end gallery, featuring contest winners from throughout 2006. 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 winners this week. We really enjoyed the shot sent to us by Discovery Channel Team mechanic Vincent Gee, showing the pre-race massing of the caravan before a stage of the 2005 Giro d’Italia. If you ever operated under the illusion that ours is a low-impact sport,

The end of the year always provides us with the opportunity to lookback over the past season and choose those people and events that standout in our own minds. What follows is more of what we, as editors of VeloNews,saw as the highlights of the mountain-bike scene in 2006. See if you agreeand take the time to read our complete 2006 awards in the latest issueof VeloNews.DOWNHILL POWER COUPLEHe won the NMBS downhill title, grabbed two rounds of the UCI WorldCup and finished second in the overall series. She barely finished secondin the NMBS and World Cup overall rankings, despite winning two

Earlier Galleries:December 26, 2006December 18, 2006December 11, 2006December 4, 2006November 27, 2006November 20, 2006November 13, 2006October 30, 2006October 16, 2006 October 3, 2006September 20, 2006August 22, 2006August 15, 2006August 7, 2006July 25, 2006July 10, 2006June 20, 2006June 12, 2006June 5, 2006May 30, 2006 Tour de Georgia Photo Contest Winner Tour de Georgia, 2006Sea Otter, 2006April 4, 2006March 27, 2006March 20, 2006March 13, 2006March 6, 2006February 20, 2006February 6, 2006January 30, 2006January 16, 2006January 2, 2006December 26, 2005 December 19, 2005December 12,

Start of stage - Giro 2005

Riding the light

2006 marked the arrival of Chinese riders on the MTB scene

The complete 2006 Awards appear in the latest issue of VeloNews

Perhaps it’s no surprise that Gunn-Rita Dahle-Flesjå and Julien Absalon earned top mountain-bike honors in the VeloNews Awards for the third year running. Both again ruled cross-country racing in 2006. Each won their respective world championships, European championships and World Cup overall titles, seemingly with ease. But is it time to label Dahle-Flesjå and Absalon the most dominating cross-country racers of all time? For now that’s still debatable, but if the riders continue their current trajectory, it will be unquestionable. Cross-country racing has a history laden with eras ruled by

Closing in on Furtado's record

The complete 2006 Awards are in the current issue of VeloNews

At first, as he rolls a half-full glass of beer between his hands, Alejandro Valverde simply smiles on hearing the question. Then he responds: “Of course I want to win the Tour de France. But first I have to finish one.” With that, Spain’s greatest rider in a generation falls into an infectious laugh. There’s not much that can throw Valverde into a bad mood these days. And rightly so. At 26, the compact climber/sprinter is coming off the best season of his already prolific career. When

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. Writers are encouraged to limit their submissions to one letter per month.The letters published here contain the opinions of the submitting authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, policies or positions of VeloNews.com, VeloNews magazine or our parent company, Inside

According to his doctor, Jonathan Page (Morgan Blue) should just be getting back into racing, his surgically repaired shoulder finally ready for real efforts. Instead, following his own recovery schedule, the three-time U.S. cyclo-cross champion scored an impressive second place at Friday’s Nordzeecross, a UCI Cat 2 race in Middelekerke, Belgium. Page finished 12 seconds behind race winner Bart Wellens (Fidea) a day after withdrawing from the brutal Azencross stop of the GVA Series because of two near-crashes. "I hope it’s just the start of more to come," said Page from his home in

Change in the weatherChange in the weatherSomethin’s happening here. — "Change in the Weather," by John Fogerty Like everyone else, we had plans for the holidays. But ours got put on ice. Seriously. Colorado got a stone-cold one-two punch this year — a solid, snowy smack upside the head just before Christmas, followed by an icy uppercut going into New Year’s. No need for a 10-count on this one, ref’, I ain’t getting up. Not until all these freakin’ penguins stop dancing through my head. Normally, I’d be bitching about this (surprise, surprise). Herself and I had intended to drive south to

Winning Liège-Bastogne-Liège

The complete 2006 Awards appear in the latest issue of VeloNews

Page came back strong in Middelkerke after a startling Azencross

The state-of-the-art Mad Dog Media gym

The end of the year always provides us with the opportunity to look backover the past season and choose those people and events that stand outin our own minds. What follows is more of what we, as editors of VeloNews,saw as the highlights of the domestic road scene in 2006. See if you agreeand take the time to read our complete 2006 awards in the latest issueof VeloNews. BEST WEEK OF RACING: From the prologue finishing atop San Francisco’sCoit Tower to the final circuits in Redondo Beach a week later, the inauguralAmgen Tour of California set the bar high for American racing. ProTourstars

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEVeloPress Launches Base Building for CyclistsNew Book Helps Cyclists Maximize Early Season Training Boulder, CO, December 28, 2006 - Just in time for the wintertraining months, VeloPress is pleased to announce the release of BaseBuilding for Cyclists: A New Foundation for Endurance and Performance.Cyclists often think that preparing for next season means piling onthe miles, but long rides at high or even medium intensities too earlyin the season can actually do more harm than good. In a comprehensive guideto early-season training, elite USA Cycling coach Thomas Chapple

Canadians Mike Garrigan, Kyle Douglas, Tara Ross and Greg Reain have all qualified for and plan to attend the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Hooglede-Gits, Belgium on January 27-28, 2007. As the Canadian Cycling Association doesn't provide any funding for the national cyclo-cross team, riders must cover their own airfare, accommodations, meals, equipment expenses and even their national-team jerseys. We, the Friends of Canadian Cyclo-cross Racers, have seen the commitment that it has taken for these riders to qualify and get there, and we hope to take some of the financial burden

Lance Armstrong announced Thursday that he will not be racing the Leadville Trail 100 mountain-bike race in Colorado. "Lance had a scheduling conflict come up and he regrettably cannot participate in the event," said Mark Higgins, the seven-time Tour de France champion’s manager. Armstrong's successor as Tour champion, Floyd Landis, also has expressed interest in racing the Leadville 100. But the event carries a NORBA sanction, which means Landis would not be able to compete should he be suspended for a positive testosterone test at the 2006 Tour, unless organizers decide to proceed

New in 2006, the Amgen Tour of California offered up some amazing racing

The complete 2006 Awards appear in the latest issue of VeloNews

Press Release - VeloPress Launches Base Building for Cyclists

The end of the year always provides us with the opportunity to look back over the past season and choose those people and events that stand out in our own minds. What follows is a list of what we, as editors of VeloNews, saw as the highlights of the domestic road scene in 2006. See if you agree and take the time to read our complete 2006 awards in the latest issue of VeloNews. COMEBACK OF THE YEAR: Health Net-Maxxis rider Greg Henderson broke his hip at the McClane Pacific Criterium on March 4, but initial x-rays missed the fracture. Henderson continued racing until an MRI revealed the

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. Writers are encouraged to limit their submissions to one letter per month.The letters published here contain the opinions of the submitting authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, policies or positions of VeloNews.com, VeloNews magazine or our parent company, Inside

Press ReleaseTour of Utah hires Executive Director, Changes Dates SALT LAKE CITY (December 27, 2006) – America’s toughest bicyclerace has restructured its management committee to include a newly formed501(c)(3), a board of directors and former Salt Lake City Mayor Ted Wilsonas Executive Director to steer the race to the next level.The race has also changed its date of operation. The 2007 race willfeature eight stages and will run June 30 through July 7. The race wasformerly set to run August 12-19.Since last year’s race, ownership has been transferred to Utah CyclingPartnership, Inc. dba

Greg Henderson strikes a familiar pose

The complete 2006 Awards appear in the latest issue of VeloNews

How do you choose a North American Female Cyclist of the Year in a season when Kristin Armstrong, Sarah Hammer and Jill Kintner all won world championships? The answer is, we didn’t. Instead, VeloNews chose to honor all three for their remarkable accomplishments and brought them together in November for a photo shoot. During a few hours together on a warm, sunny day in Dana Point, California, the women discussed, among other things, cycling’s most fashionable accessory: the rainbow jersey. Armstrong, the world time-trial champ, and Hammer, the world individual pursuit champion, rode together

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. We especially appreciated the composition of Brent Blythe’s “Eki in da House,” an up-close look at one of the peloton’s most unstoppable characters. Nice work, Brent! Brent, your photo will be automatically entered into a special year-end photo contest, featuring each of the winners from this year’s galleries. We’ll have

One of Southern California’s largest mountain-biking festivals, the eighth-annual Firestone Santa Ynez Valley Mountain-Bike Classic will be held April 27-29, 2007. The event, which features downhill, cross-country and an endurance cross-country race, is sponsored by Platinum Performance nutrition and is held at the Firestone Vinyard outside of Buelton, California. Last year the Classic attracted about 1000 racers. Race organizer Mike Hecker hopes to offer $8000 in pro prize money this year. The amount would give the event Category II status in USA Cycling’s new Mountain-Bike national racing

Sarah Hammer on her way to the rainbow jersey

2006 VeloNews Awards: North American Female Cyclists of the Year

Eki in da house

Yeah, we know. This was a strange year to select some of the winners of the VeloNews Awards, and no category produced a more debatable outcome than top North American man. We chose Floyd Landis, the embattled former Phonak rider who stands accused of cheating his way to victory at the Tour de France. Here’s why. It’s not about whether we believe Landis is guilty or innocent. Whatever the outcome of the yet-to-be-resolved charges that Landis used testosterone on stage 17 of the Tour, he outperformed his fellow Americans, including George Hincapie and Levi Leipheimer, throughout the rest of

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. Writers are encouraged to limit their submissions to one letter per month.The letters published here contain the opinions of the submitting authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, policies or positions of VeloNews.com, VeloNews magazine or our parent company, Inside

Landis rides into Paris

For more on our 2006 awards, see the latest issue of VeloNews.