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A delegation of six Iranian riders due to compete at the world road cycling championships have yet to arrive in Austria because of reported visa problems. Officials in the host city of Salzburg received a letter from the Iranian delegation after they failed to show up on Monday saying their travel plans had been upset by visas which could not be processed in time. According to reports in the Austrian media the Iranian federation claimed it did not receive the documents for visa applications until September 10. However the world championships organising committee said it sent the necessary

The UCI announced Friday that it intends to seek ways to oblige riders to submit DNA samples and undergo physiological profiling in a bid to stamp out doping. After a summer of serious doping allegations and affairs which are still ongoing, the International Cycling Union is desperate to stamp cheating out of the sport. After a series of meetings on Friday between the body which distributes team licenses for the Pro Tour and the racing series' legal advisers, the UCI's Pro Tour council announced that DNA profiling and physiological profiling of riders would be one of the measures

Michael Barry is set to join T-Mobile next season in a new contract that could earn him a start in the Tour de France. Barry, 30, joined Discovery Channel in 2002, but never got the chance to ride the Tour despite strong performances in both the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España. The Canadian suffered a horrible crash at the Tour of Flanders in April, but returned to racing in June and bounced back to finish third overall in Germany’s Sachsen Tour in July and rode well at the Vuelta. Barry’s departure comes as Discovery Channel shakes up its post-Armstrong roster, with 11 riders

When the UCI world road championships were last held in Austria in September 1987, Irishman Stephen Roche shocked a lead group of 13 riders with a lightning acceleration a kilometer from the finish of the 276km pro road race. Roche, who had already won that year’s Giro d’Italia and Tour de France, held on to a narrow lead to take Ireland’s first (and still only) rainbow jersey. As Roche crossed the line, another rider in green also raised his arms in triumph. It was the top race favorite, Sean Kelly, whose presence in the break forced the other fast finishers, none of them left with

Floyd Landis will seek a public arbitration hearing after learning his bid to have doping charges against him dismissed had failed, a spokesman for the Tour de France winner said Friday. A statement issued by Landis spokesman Michael Henson said Landis "received notice that the Anti-Doping Review Board (ADRB) has recommended that the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) move forward in the disciplinary process related to Landis' alleged positive drug test of July 20, 2006. "Howard Jacobs, lawyer for Landis, will request an open hearing by the American Arbitration Association to

Casey Gibson has been checking out the scenery while waiting for the marquee events to take the stage at the UCI road world's in Salzburg, Austria. He sent us a few shots of the countryside in and around Salzburg, along with some snaps of a trip to Halstatt. It kinda makes the riding around here look . . . well . . . oh, never mind.

Start-finish is in the same spot in front of the Mirabellgarten along the Salzach River.

Ample grandstands should keep journalists and fans alike out of the sun with the best possible views.

The opening kilometers wind through the newer part of Salzburg on the north side of the river.

Flat and wide open, the roads skirt the Kapuzinerberg hill just across the river from the old town. There’s a McDonald’s along the route where Chris Horner can load up on carbohydrates before the race.

The first of two climbs comes at Oberesch at 7.1km on a wide-open road with grades as steep as 8 percent . . .

. . . , but it’s really just a moderate push up a large hump.

Imaginative locals have dressed up their farm fields with life-sized cyclists made of wood.

Look, there’s the Eddy Merckx campground!

The road narrows as it pushes off the main highway toward the most decisive sections of the course.

There’s a rolling flat at Zilling at 8.4km while crews were putting on the finishing touches at a huge viewing area replete with good, old-fashioned Austrian beer tents. It is Oktoberfest, after all.

You might skip the brew and stop for lunch, or if you have deeper needs...

...there’s a classic Austrian church at Hallwang at 9.3km for riders who need a spiritual boost before the real suffering begins.

Fans have already staked out the best spots along the flats past Hallwang and painted the names of their favorite riders along the course.

Front row seats

That’s the view looking across to the 15-percent graded climb ...

... and here’s a look up the twisting, narrow descent to foot of the climb.

It’s hard to tell from this picture, but this is the steepest section of the course with ramps as steep as 15 percent.

The climb isn’t very long, perhaps 500 meters maximum, but it’s hard enough to break open the race, by the time they reach the summit, there’s sure to be a splinter in the main pack, especially late in the race and the attacks begin in earnest.

Some intrepid Italians have already staked out a good spot at the top of the climb.

This upper section could be open to winds as well.

After fast, a long, fast downhill from Elixhausen, the course rolls back into Salzburg proper with flat, wide open roads, but it might be too late to pull back a break at 13km to go.

The last kilometer banner brings the route into some tricky corners coming into the final sprint.

The final straightaway is a clear, 300-meter shot to the line.

Bettini wants to add a rainbow jersey to his Olympic gold

Nice place to go for a bike ride, eh?

Couple enjoying a little lakeside breakfast in Hallstatt

Hallstatt Village and Hallstatter Lake

Lake Halstatter

Another perspective

The gardens at Mirabell, directly adjoining the start/finish area

The fortress and the Old town section of Salzburg

St. Wolfgang resort, on Lake Wolfgang

Alejandro Valverde is not among the riders implicated in the Operación Puerto doping scandal that rocked the sport in May, Spanish federation officials insisted Thursday. Valverde, who on Sunday will bid for the men's road race crown here at the world cycling championships, had been the subject of recent reports that he was among the riders implicated in the investigation. Ahead of the Spanish team's arrival on Thursday, Spanish federation president Fulgencio Sanchez, who was accompanied by the country's Minister for Sport Angel Luis de la Fuente, was adamant the Caisse

A rider with the Austrian under-23 men's team has tested positive for erythropoietin (EPO) ahead of the world road cycling championships, the Austrian federation confirmed Thursday. Marco Leonardo Oreggia tested positive for the banned blood booster last week when the Austrian federation carried out random tests on the entire under-23 team. Oreggia has yet to demand a test on his B sample. If that turns out positive, or if Oreggia declines to challenge the results of the A sample, it would force a sanction from the Austrian federation. Even if he does demand a re-test, it's unlikely

There was never any doubt that Fabian Cancellara was going to win the world elite men’s time trial championship on Thursday. From his first pedal strokes along a cobblestone alleyway backing onto the Salzach River in the historic center of Salzburg, past the house where Mozart lived most of his life, and out into the green pastoral Austrian countryside, the 25-year-old Swiss simply flew around the 50.83km course. As he raced down the finishing straight, alongside the 17th-century Mirabell Palace, known as “the Taj Mahal of Salzburg,” Cancellara was still pedaling at more than 100 revs per

The globe-trotting Casey Gibson is in Salzburg, Austria, capturing all the action from the UCI road world's. On tap today: The elite men's individual time trial. Here's what he sent home.

The two-year racing ban of Tyler Hamilton ends officially Friday and the Olympic time trial champion can immediately return to domestic competition – for now anyway. The New Englander’s troubles seem far from over, however. He is facing a possible lifetime ban if documents found in the “Operación Puerto” dossier show proof of alleged doping practices and the UCI wants to keep him out of the elite ProTour league for another two years. “He can race in USA Cycling-sanctioned events as of tomorrow,” said USA Cycling spokesman Andy Lee told VeloNews. “Until USADA makes some sort of finding in

The Discovery Channel team will undergo major changes at the end of the current season, with 11 riders leaving the outfit for which Lance Armstrong won his last Tour de France crown. Discovery Channel team manager Johan Bruyneel experienced a painful three weeks without Armstrong on this year's Tour de France, where the team struggled in the absence of the now retired Texan. Imminent recruit, Levi Leipheimer of Gerolsteiner, will lead the American team's 2007 Tour de France campaign, but Discovery have recruited with widening their scope for success elsewhere in mind. Slovenian

Cancellara blazes to the gold

Zabriskie heads for silver

Cancellara drills it

Zabriskie was second fastest

The Kazakh Attack roars to third

Millar had to settle for 15th, 3:22 back

The gold goes to Cancellara

Think he's at all happy about it?

The podium

Rogers was having an off day

The podium

Baldwin hoped for top 10, but finished 26th

Well, it didn’t take long before the 2006 world cycling championships got its first whiff of doping scandal. Three riders – two Argentines and one Brazilian – were ruled “inapt” to compete after pre-race blood screenings ahead of Tuesday’s opening day of competition. Brazilian Magno Nazaret and Argentines Martin Garrido and Matias Medici tested “unfit” after the UCI “vampires” screened 18 athletes early Tuesday morning from Brazil, Argentina, Switzerland, Australia and the United States. Garrido and Medici were due to take part in the men's road race this Sunday, with Medici also due

American women had their best-ever result in a world road championship on Wednesday when Kristin Armstrong was first and teammate Christine Thorburn third in the time trial at the 2006 world’s in Salzburg, Austria. On a welcome day of sunshine, Armstrong set a time of 35:04, averaging 44.638 kph for the difficult 26.12km course, to beat two-time defending champion Karin Thürig of Switzerland by 25 seconds, with Thorburn another four seconds back in third. “The course had a little bit of everything in it,” said Armstrong, 33, who finished third at the 2005 world’s in Madrid. “You had to stay

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. Rick Paulos’s “Nice bike path in Amsterdam” caught our attention largely because of its great lighting and composition and because it reminded us of just how nice it is to ride a bike in Amsterdam. Great shot, Rick, and what a great town to explore on two human-powered wheels. Nice work! Drop us a note at

Belgian Dominique Cornu upset the favorites Tuesday to win the U-23 men’s time trial, giving Belgium its first medal of the 2006 world road cycling championships. Racing under mostly sunny skies with a slight breeze, the 22-year-old Belgian turned a time of 49:28.42 to beat defending champion Mikhail Ignatiev (Russia) by 37 seconds on the challenging 39.5km course. Jerome Coppel hung on to win bronze at 44 seconds slower, claiming France’s first medal in the U23 category since Frederic Finot took silver in 1998. “It was a difficult race, working from start to finish. In the beginning it

Italian police carried out searches of houses and gymnasiums across the country on Wednesday as part of a investigation into doping in cycling, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport's website. The investigation was prompted by the Spanish investigation into blood-doping, Operación Puerto. The blood-tampering scandal involves nine riders and led to the suspensions of Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso by their teams just before the Tour De France. The searches of 36 addressess across Italy were authorized by Bergamo prosecutor Cristina Rota and carried across in the early hours Wednesday. Among

Nice bike path in Amsterdam

Armstrong nails it.

Without missing a beat: Armstrong loses only a little time after dropping her chain.

Thorburn rides to the bronze

Cornu chows down on gold

The podium

Defending champ Ignatiev rode to second

Coppel claimed bronze for France

U.S. champ Bookwalter felt a little off form

Thurig took the silver

Kozlikova started fast, but faded

Neben made it three Americans in the top 10

Something to celebrate – two Americans on the podium

Road Race1927 Nürburg, Germany - Alfredo Binda , Italy1928 Budapest, Hungary Georges Ronsse, Belgium1929 Zürich, Switzerland - Georges Ronsse, Belgium1930 Liège, Belgium - Alfredo Binda, Italy1931 Copenhagen, Denmark - Learco Guerra, Italy1932 Rome, Italy - Alfredo Binda, Italy1933 Montlhery, France - Georges Speicher, France1934 Leipzig, Germany - Karel Kaers, Belgium1935 Floreffe, Belgium - Jean Aerts, Belgium1936 Bern, Switzerland - Antonin Magne, France1937 Copenhagen, Denmark - Eloi Meulenberg, Belgium1938 Valkenburg, Netherlands - Marcel Kint, BelgiumSuspended due to World War II1946

Ever since he came back to Europe in the fall of 2004 with Saunier Duval, Chris Horner has been making the most of his second opportunity at the big leagues. It took him a few years longer than he expected to return to Europe after an unhappy three-year run at Française des Jeux in 1997-99, but now that he’s back, the 34-year-old from Hood, Oregon, is taking maximum advantage of the opportunity. That includes racing in this week’s world championships, where he’ll be one of the team leaders for the American team in Sunday’s elite men’s road race. Fresh off finishing 20th in the Vuelta a

In a year that Salzburg is commemorating the 250th anniversary of its favorite son, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the small alpine town is about to celebrate Austria’s second world road cycling championships in 20 years. And, extending the musical theme, competitors in the three time trials this week and three road races at the weekend will be racing through the hills made famous by “The Sound of Music.” Maria Van Trapp and her family are no longer Salzburgers, but their hills will be alive to the sound of Europe’s cycling fans with their Swiss cowbells, Dutch brass bands and Italian fan clubs. A

The world time-trial championships are on tap Thursday in Salzburg, Austria, and with that in mind our man Rupert Guinness, the editor and publisher of publisher of PelotonPress.net, had a chat with defending champion Michael Rogers. Here’s what T-Mobile’s Aussie speedster had to say. — Editor VeloNews: You are obviously in good form. How do you feel compared to last year? Michael Rogers: I certainly feel I am on par with last year, just from burning around in time-trial training. I haven't really raced a time trial for quite a while. It's probably not a bad thing – in the past I

Former Liberty Seguros team manager Manolo Saiz has been replaced by Roger Legeay, the manager of Crédit Agricole, on an UCI ProTour council. Saiz has become a pariah in the sport ever since he was implicated in an ongoing doping affair in Spain to which 58 riders are allegedly linked. The Spaniard was taken in for questioning by police in Madrid at the end of May after he was arrested with 60,000 euros and banned substances in his possession. His arrest was one of the first moves in the investigation dubbed Operation Puerto, and which led to the discovery of an alleged blood doping

Two time world pursuit champion Roy Schuiten has died at the age of 55 it was announced on Tuesday. Schuiten, who won individual pursuit titles in 1974 and 1975, died of a stomach haemmorhage in Portugal where he retired to and owned a restaurant.