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Bettini, 32, is at his peak

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.Does that make us ... uhhhh... Fair and Balanced?Dear VeloNews,After your articles about former USA Cycling CEO Gerard Bisceglia (seepartone and parttwo) my thoughts were of never joining such an organization.The passion in his words left me feeling that we lost a vital part of USACycling

Germany's Robert Bartko will defend his world pursuit crown against Jens Mouris of the Netherlands at the world track cycling championships in Bordeaux, France, on Friday evening. Bartko, who celebrated the birth of his second child on Thursday, clocked 4:23.115 in his heat to seal the fastest time in qualifying and thus secure his final spot against Mouris who had timed 4:24.045. Britain's Paul Manning, the Commonwealth champion in the 16-lap, 4000-meter event, will race for the bronze medal against Frenchman Fabien Sanchez. Bartko is a two-time winner of the individual pursuit,

When does a classic become a classic? That question has often been asked about the Amstel Gold Race because it wasn’t founded until 1966. That’s 72 years after the oldest of the classics, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and even 30 years after the youngest spring classic, the Flèche Wallonne. But now that the Dutch race has reached its 40th anniversary, most people in the sport agree that Amstel Gold (which is actually "a sturdy, full-flavored bock beer" brewed by Heineken’s Amstel brewery in Maastricht) is finally a true classic. That certainly wasn’t the case with the first edition. Original race

Is it just me, or has it been April Fool’s Day all month long? It seems like every time I go online to check the news, the headlines are straight out of The Onion. In some cases, they’re not at all funny, but are equally as hard to fathom. Just in the past 10 days, a report was published in the science journal Nature on fossil findings that supposedly prove the evolutionary link between fish and land animals. Another report claims that an early Christian manuscript has surfaced after 1700 years including the only known text of what is known as the Gospel of Judas, which postulates that the

Chris Hoy started last but finished first in the men’s kilometer time trial to end an exciting day of racing in the second day of competition at the 2006 world track cycling championships. The British rider was fastest at all the splits to relegate Australian Ben Kersten to silver and crowd favorite Francois Pervis to bronze. Hoy won in 1:01.361, more than a half-second faster than Kersten in 1:02.085. Pervis was third at 1:02.696. Despite a healthy pedigree in the dramatic kilo, Hoy wasn’t so sure he still had it him coming into Bordeaux after disappointment at the recent Commonwealth Games.

The 2006 Tour de Georgia kicks off on Tuesday in Augusta, and VeloNews.com will be there as North America's only hors classe (2.HC) professional cycling stage race begins its grueling 600-mile-plus journey toward the finish April 23 in Alpharetta. The six-day, six-stage race will return to the Georgia host cities of Macon, Fayetteville, Rome, Dalton, Dahlonega, Blairsville/Union County, Brasstown Bald Mountain/Towns County, and Alpharetta. New host cities for 2006 include Chickamauga/Walker County, Cumming/Forsyth County and Chattanooga, Tennessee. Tune into VeloNews.com for continuous

Officials remain cautiously optimistic Saul Raisin can experience a full recovery after the 23-year-old Georgia resident pulled out of a coma earlier this week. Roger Legeay, sport director at Crédit Agricole, said Raisin has been able to move both his arms and legs and that doctors are expected to remove the breathing apparatus possibly as soon as Saturday. "The critical part is past," Legeay told VeloNews on Friday. "Now we are waiting to see how his recovery comes. We don’t know how fast the recovery will be, but we know it will be a long time." Raisin crashed April 4 in the first stage

It’s a rainy morning at San Jose International airport, and more thana few skinny, tan-lined travelers are sporting the Sea Otter hangover look.It’s an easy look to spot — the sunspots under the eyes, chapped lips andthat familiar blank bicycle-overload stare are dead giveaways. But thisyear an additional telltale sign is there — huge rings of dried, chunkymud still clinging to pants, shirts and shoes. Yep, the month of rain thatbattered NorCal in March turned every inch of the Otter into a muddy, shoe-eating quagmire. The slop was darn thick too. It found its way intomy pockets, pant legs,

Bartko clocks 4:23.115

Boogerd has been top 10 at Amstel for seven consecutive years

Say what?

Barry smiles through the pain

Brad Lewis, 1968-2006

Rock on, man

Moninger makes the funny papers

Tune in to VeloNews.com for Ford Tour de Georgia

A-Hoy: The Brit opens his nation's gold-medals account

The footwear of choice

Jenny Copnall prays to the mud god

Craig never fell ... instead, the mud came to him

American cyclist Saul Raisin appears to be making progress toward recovery after medical staff removed him from a ventilator allowing him to breathe on his own Raisin emerged from a coma on Wednesday after suffering the effects of a life-threatening crash in a race in western France. Raisin, one of the Crédit Agricole team's up and coming riders, was placed on the ventilator a week ago to take pressure off his body, and improve his chances of recovering from the hemorrhage he suffered Team manager Roger Legeay said that the signs are good and that friends and family are beginning to

Sarah Hammer gladly traded bagels for a gold medal Thursday to win the first American track title in 10 years in the women’s individual pursuit. Two years ago, Hammer was burned out and left racing for a taste of the real world. That meant waking up at 5 a.m. – not to go on a training ride, but to work a bagel shop in Colorado Springs while she considered her immediate future. In January last year, she decided that cycling left a better aftertaste than reality and returned to competition more mature and focused. "I’m blown away," Hammer said after winning in 3:37.227. "It’s not so hard

After Tom Boonen rounded out the first half of the spring classics season by winning the GP Schelde near Antwerp on Wednesday, he said he was looking forward to some vacation time before building up toward a green-jersey bid at the Tour de France. While the current UCI ProTour leader (see standings below) puts up his feet by the pool at his home in Monte Carlo or in Spain’s Canary Islands, his co-leader at Quick Step-Innergetic, Paolo Bettini, will be coping with harsher weather (and the reality of racing) in the hills of the Netherlands and Belgium. This Sunday’s Amstel Gold Race, next

The French team gave something for the packed house to cheer about in a riveting victory over Great Britain in the men’s team sprint in Thursday night at the world track championships. Led by Gregory Bauge, Mickael Bourgain and veteran Arnaud Tournant, the French relegated defending world champions Great Britain into runner-up status as the fans’ enthusiasm seemed to inject the French with energy. "It’s very satisfying to win at home because this team is very young and no one expected much of us," Tournant said. "This will boost the morale for the team for the rest of the weekend." The

Lance Armstrong's defamation trial ended Thursday after charges were withdrawn by Italian cyclist Filippo Simeoni. Armstrong also withdrew his defamation action against Simeoni, the lawyer for the Tour de France great said. Neither Armstrong nor Simeoni was at the court in Latina, near Rome. "The case is over after both actions have been withdrawn," lawyer Enrico Nan said. Simeoni brought defamation charges against Armstrong following an April 2003 report in the French newspaper Le Monde. In the article, Armstrong contended that Simeoni had agreed to testify against doctor Michele

Di Luca, last year's Flèche and Amstel winner, will only ride at Liège this coming week before aiming at the Giro

Hammer tops the podium in Bordeaux

Hammer gave it all in the gold-medal round

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.Foundation rep outlines support for cyclingEditor:Your recent interview with Gerard Bisceglia (see part one and part two) made some accusations about the USA Cycling Development Foundation. I am one of the initiators of the foundation and I would like to shed some light on the foundation

George Hincapie won’t face surgery after all. The 32-year-old Discovery Channel rider crashed twice in Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix, injuring one wrist and his right shoulder, but an exam Tuesday found that an operation would not be necessary. Doctors determined that the crash resulted in a third-degree separation of Hincapie's shoulder as well as a severely bruised wrist. His shoulder will be taped and placed in a sling until he can resume riding. "I was happy to hear that I will not need surgery," Hincapie said from his home in Greenville, South Carolina. "I will be off the bike for about

Britain's rich array of track-cycling talent is preparing to battle their Australian, French and Dutch rivals at the world championships beginning Thursday in Bordeaux, France. At last year’s world’s in Los Angeles, Britain's track team dominated the competition with four gold medals, and six medals in total. And at this year’s Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia, they showed that once again they are on form. Riders from Scotland, England, Wales and even the Isle of Man got to fly their national flag on the games’ podium. But both Australia and France have a thing or two to

Last week, USA Cycling chief executive officer Gerard Bisceglia discussedhis termination from the post with former VeloNews news editor CharlesPelkey. (see "Exit Interview: Bisceglia speaks" Part1 and Part2). At the time, we extended a similar invitation to a representativeof USA Cycling or its board of directors.Bisceglia's replacement, Steve Johnson, who was moved into the CEO postfrom the chief operating officer's spot, accepted our invitation and discussedhis new position, his assessment of the current state of the organizationand his hopes and expectations for cycling's

Hincapie after his craash

Dear Readers, Well, I just got back from Sea Otter, and I’m sure you’ve read my review of the SRAM road group. There were lots of other cool things there, including pieces of the new XTR and lots of new mountain bike stuff from SRAM, Avid,Hayes, RockShox, Fox, Magura, Cat Eye, and many others. But one thing remained the same – my mailbox filling up with letters on the subject of wheel rotational weight and what difference it makes when climbing. The first time around, I published a letter saying it made almost no difference. The next time we revisited, I published letters saying it was a big deal.

Just a few minutes before six am Saturday morning we departed Zurich andstarted on a four and a half hour drive to Cadolzburg, Germany for the“Frühjahrspreis des RSC Fürth”. Cadolzburg is in Bayern Germanynear Nürnberg. For once we left not only on time but ahead of schedule.It was the first race I’ve don’t this year where we didn’t drive to therace the day before. So it was a change in thinking to just out ofthe car after the long drive and get on my bike and race.The race had only one climb which we went through four times, it wassteep and on cobbles. The start finish is on the middle of

Peter Van Petegem’s Davitamon-Lotto team has lodged a complaint with the UCI over their rider’s disqualification in last Sunday's Paris-Roubaix. The Belgian, who finished third behind winner Fabien Cancellara (CSC) and Leif Hoste (Discovery Channel), was disqualified along with Hoste and Discovery teammate Vladimir Gusev after the trio ignored a barrier at a railway crossing and continued racing without waiting for the train to pass. In its complaint, Davitamon argues that the group riding behind Van Petegem, containing ProTour leader Tom Boonen (Quick Step), also of Belgium — who was

Boonen and Van Petegem in Sunday's Paris-Roubaix

Introduced at last year’s Interbike trade show, SRAM formally rolled out its new road group at Sea Otter this week, giving media and others the chance to actually ride what the once-little company is using to take on the giants of the component industry. The company is actually introducing two new road groups: the top-of-the-line Force group and the price-point Rival. Both share the same design on all components, with the Force group getting extra touches like carbon fiber lever blades, a magnesium lever body, and titanium gears and bolts. A pair of Force levers, for example, weighs in at

After four years in the post, USA Cycling chief executive officer, GerardBisceglia, was fired last week by board president Jim Ochowicz. Biscegliawas replaced by the organization's chief operating officer, Steve Johnson,who is also the executive director of the USA Cycling Development Foundation.Bisceglia agreed to sit down with former VeloNews news editor,Charles Pelkey, and discuss his time at the head of the national governingbody, the reasons behind his sudden departure and what he sees as the challengesand opportunities facing the sport of cycling in the United States. In Part1 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.What goes around...Dear Gerard,You raised my eyebrows when you seemed surprised by not receiving ananswer to why you were fired. The occasion should have reminded you ofmy dismissal a year ago when the exact same thinghappened to me. When you, and your immediate office, refused to

Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell announced Sunday that Philadelphia?s 22nd annual International Cycling Championship on Sunday, June 11, will continue with the help of a $400,000 state investment. "For more than a generation, the world?s best cyclists and their fans have flocked to Philadelphia to enjoy this great athletic competition. And, it pumps $15 million into the local economy," Governor Rendell said. "Losing it was not an option because it means so much to the Delaware Valley. It would be like Boston losing the Boston Marathon." "Pennsylvania is proud that it could help this

For the second consecutive year four racers took convincing wins in their respective events. In the downhill, under clear skies, 2005 Sea Otter omnium winner Jared Graves (Yeti-Fox) won by nearly three seconds over current DH world champ Fabien Barel (Kona-Les Gets), while Tracy Moseley (Kona-Les Gets) defended her 2005 Sea Otter DH title. Later in the afternoon, the temperature dropped and a steady rain greased the mountain-cross course. Undaunted, reigning world champions and Team GT riders Brian Lopes and Jill Kintner took comfortable wins in the men’s and women’s races,

The Rival road group.

Tech Talk: Mr. Zinn rides SRAM's new road groups

The prototype... now all you have to do is shrink it.

Tech Talk: Mr. Zinn rides SRAM's new road groups

Tech Talk: Mr. Zinn rides SRAM's new road groups

Tech Talk: Mr. Zinn rides SRAM's new road groups

Tech Talk: Mr. Zinn rides SRAM's new road groups

Tech Talk: Mr. Zinn rides SRAM's new road groups

Tech Talk: Mr. Zinn rides SRAM's new road groups

Tech Talk: Mr. Zinn rides SRAM's new road groups

Tech Talk: Mr. Zinn rides SRAM's new road groups

Bisceglia at the Tour of California route announcement

Lopes

Kintner

Saul Raisin remained in a coma Sunday in a French hospital and Crédit Agricole team officials were cautiously optimistic the 23-year-old could see improvement this week. “His condition hasn’t changed, but it’s stable, and that’s good in a situation like this,” Crédit Agricole team manager Roger Legeay told VeloNews before the start of Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix. “Every day he is stable, it’s better,” Legeay continued. “Thursday was the critical day. It was very bad and every day from that point is better if he does not become worse. We can only hope.” Raisin crashed in Tuesday’s first stage at

Tom Boonen has been riding like an unstoppable freight train all year, and it may have been another freight train that denied him a shot at a successive win in the toughest of all the Spring Classics. The world champion has been knocking off wins (12 so far this year) almost as fast as some of his fans pound down Belgian beers, but the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix on Sunday became a proving ground for another rising star.

Just the second Swiss victory in 10 editions of Paris-Roubaix. An American’s dreams of victory turned nightmare by a broken fork. And three of the top five finishers disqualified for riding through a train crossing while the gates were down. All in all, an epic Hell of the North, and Graham Watson was there to capture the action.

Great Britain’s Liam Killeen (Specialized) has spent the first months of 2006 proving that, when he’s on form, few athletes can stand in his way. In March, he scored a big win at the March Commonwealth Games in New Zealand. Last week, he finished third at the World Cup opener in Curaçao, And on Sunday, Killeen scored a decisive victory in the Sea Otter Classic cross-country. "I never really felt that in trouble during the race," said the muddy Brit after finishing. "I’m really happy with my early season form at the moment. It’s all coming together." It was another Commonwealth rider —Chris

Raisin celebrated his first professional victory at the 2006 Tour de Langkawi

Cancellara crosses the line alone in Roubaix

Hincapie crashed after a mechanical

Boonen and company saw their chances derailed by a passing train

Hincapie's bike

Through the throngs of fans

And out in the open

Cancellara hoists the winner's trophy

No rain today – but that doesn't mean it will be easy

Troisvilles

Nicolas Portal (Caisse d'Epargne) and Stephan Schreck (T-Mobile) were part of an early escape

Juan Antonio Flecha (Rabobank) takes the lead

Hincapie took his turns, despite an earlier crash that hurt his hand

A second crash took him out of the race for good

Tom Boonen (Quick Step), Fabian Cancellara (CSC) and Vladimir Gusev (Discovery Channel)

And then Cancellara, solo