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Two-time Redlands winner Moninger, who took third

Defending women's champ Thorburn, third on the day

Dear Readers,Last week (see Doored v. Nailed), we had a letter from D.D., who askedWhat legal issues arise when a cyclist swerves to avoid a car door opening and is hit from behind by a car? It has not happened(to me) yet, but oh so many close calls!This week, we're going to take a second look at this issue- be sure to scroll down for reader comments and advise on avoiding this common bane of cyclists. The Door ZoneAs you may recall, in Doored v. Nailed I cited the website for the Door Zone Project, which contains a summary of news accounts of dooring accidents. Shortly afterwards, I

Canada's Marie-Helene Premont dodged a kangaroo then bounded away with her country's first cycling gold medal in the cross-country mountain-bike event at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday. Meanwhile, English riders grabbed the gold and silver medals as Liam Killeen emerged the winner in a three-way tussle for victory in the men's race. Premont, the pre-race favorite and a silver medalist at the 2004 Athens Olympics, led for all but the first few hundred meters to finish 1:27 clear of New Zealander Rosara Joseph and 2:55 in front of fellow Canadian Kiara

USPRO national road champion Chris Wherry and Christine Thorburn, winners of the 2005 Redlands Bicycle Classic, will take the start Friday as the 22nd edition of the California NRC race gets under way. Last year, both riders won the opening 1200-vertical-foot, 5km Mt. Rubidoux time trial and barely held onto their leads through the four-stage event. This year, the race consists of the 680-vertical-feet, 5km Centennial Bank time trial, a circuit road race and a criterium in downtown Redlands. Having won last year’s event for Health Net-Maxxis by just seven seconds over Trent Lowe (Jittery

It’s been a while since I’ve typed my way into the Neighborhood, and in that time I’ve seen a few things. Since I last penned a column I’ve been to Tennessee on family business, California for the Amgen tour and Wyoming to visit my mom. During these travels I’ve made a few observations and picked up a few snippets of wisdom. For example, did you know that in Tennessee, barbecued baloney is found on steakhouse menus? That a convenience-store chain in Middle America is called "Kum & Go"? It even uses cycling imagery in its advertisements. And how many out there know that a classic Mercedes can

No one really expected Alexandre Vinokourov (Liberty Seguros) to forfeit his leader’s jersey in Thursday’s challenging climbing stage in the Vuelta a Castilla y León. While Marco Fertonani was chasing the second straight stage win for Illes Balears, 29 seconds ahead of Manuel Beltrán (Discovery Channel), Vinokourov shot away from the lead group of favorites to actually extend his lead with just one stage to go. "I felt good and I made my work relaxed. I was on the wheel all day and I attacked in the final kilometer," Vinokourov said. "I feel that I am good looking ahead to the Tour. Today

USA Cycling has hired Doug Martin as director of BMX programs, the governing body announced Thursday. With BMX set to debut as a medal sport at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, USA Cycling created the new position " to help clarify and communicate processes and guidelines by which BMX athletes and teams qualify for competitions," USAC announced on its web site. ”The addition of BMX to the Olympic Games is an incredible opportunity for both the sport of BMX racing and American cycling in general," said Steve Johnson, director of athletics. “In addition to an intimate knowledge of the BMX

Wherry

Thorburn

Kum & Go: Barbecued baloney to go, please

Stewart: The envelope, please

Wherry's bug-free and Redlands-bound

Treefarm is on the mend

A look ahead at a look back

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. The joy of teamworkDear Editor:When people ask in dismay why we follow a sport where many riders ridefor the glory of one leader, we now have two answers: the photos of Zabeland Petacchi finishing the last stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico, and Pozzatoand Boonen finishing the Milan-San

What a difference a year makes for the Vuelta a Castilla y Leon. In 2005, not one ProTour team lined up in May because of commitments to the Vuelta a Cataluyna and Giro d’Italia. With Setmana Catalana postponed this year, Castilla y Leon was bumped up into its slot in April and now the race is enjoying its best action ever. Witness Wednesday’s exciting 181km march south across Spain’s rolling meseta from Zamora to Salamanca. Wind, attacks, breakaways and tricky finish made for a top-flight day at the races. Spanish veteran Chente García Acosta (Illes Balears) attacked with 800m to go in

Boonen celebrated, too.

Veuchelen, Hunt and Mondory

John Lelangue is a very happy camper these days. A yearago, the former Tour de France official took over the reins at the troubled Phonak team reeling after a string of doping scandals and an overhaul of the team management. Lelangue stepped in along with sport director Juan Fernández to help steer the team through the uncertain 2005 season. A year later, instead of talking about past problems, Lelangue is optimistically looking ahead to the Tour and the promise of team captain Floyd Landis. Following back-to-back victories in the Tour of California and Paris-Nice, Landis and Phonak

Discovery Channel’s Yaroslav Popovych and Jason McCartney went one-two in Tuesday’s 11km individual time trial in the Vuelta al Castilla y Leon, but Alexandre Vinokourov (Liberty Seguros) grabbed the overall lead. Heavy cross- and tailwinds prompted many of the big guns to ride with 55 rings for the mostly flat course across northern Spain’s windswept meseta. McCartney set an early fast time, only to be bested by Popovych by 1.45 seconds. The win marks the first for Discovery Channel in Europe this season to go along with George Hincapie’s two victories in the Tour of California. The

Charles Bradley Huff (TIAA-CREF) won Stage 1 of the 26th Tour de Normandie on Tuesday, outsprinting Spain’s Vidal Celis (Orbea) and France’s Saïd Haddou (Auber 93). "I started my sprint with 300 meters to go, which is way, way too long. But I got it anyway," said Huff. "We were all over the place, as the sprint was nuts, but somehow everyone contributed and it worked well." The 211km stage from Mondeville to Forges les Eaux was long, cold and buffeted with cross winds. Rabobank was ever present at the front of the race, protecting the lead of defending Tour of Normandie champion Kai Reus,

The organizer of the Vuelta a España has decided to defer presenting the golden jersey from the 2005 Vuelta to runner-up Denis Menchov after the rider who won the race and was subsequently suspended for doping, Spaniard Roberto Heras, launched a legal challenge to the sanction. Roberto Heras, who had won a record fourth Vuelta in 2005 while riding for Liberty Seguros, tested positive for EPO after the 20th stage. He drew a two-year suspension from the Spanish cycling federation, which also stripped him of the 2005 title and awarded the victory to Menchov. But a presentation ceremony to a

Nathan O'Neill and Oenone Wood led Australia to a gold and silver medals sweep of the cycling individual time trials on the oceanside road course Tuesday at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia. The seven-time Australian time trial champion, O'Neill finished the 40km course in 48 minutes, 37.29 seconds. Teammate Ben Day was second, 24.38 seconds behind, and New Zealander Gordon McCauley took the bronze. Wood covered the 29km out-and-back course in 37 minutes, 40.87 seconds, 15.2 seconds clear of Kathryn Watt, who won the 1992 Olympic road race for Australia. Their teammate

Team owner Andy Rihs and Lelangue at the Tour of California

Landis has had a great early season and is now taking a relaxed route to the Tour.

Leading the ProTour now, Landis wants to be wearing yellow in July.

O'Neill celebrates as he finishes the ITT

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. This past week offered up an especially difficult set of choices. We even got a commercial inquiry from a firm hoping to use one of the images we posted (Rich Grandzol, drop us a line, will ya?). After wrestling with our decision, though we kept finding ourselves coming back to Darrell Parks’ shot of the Bixby Bridge from

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.That long arm of the lawDear Velo,At the risk of stirring up a hornet’s nest of opinions on the matterI interject my own. How far reaching is the grasp UCI that it can strong-arm other professional cyclist for merely riding with a suspended rider? (See "Hamiltonquits Boulder race series

Spaniard Angel Edo (Paul Versan) won the first stage of the 21st Vuelta Ciclista Castilla y Leon Monday. Edo outsprinted Luis Leon Sanchez and Egoi Martinez to win the 155km stage around Valladolid. Top five1. Angel Edo (Sp), Paul Versan, 155km in 3:45:312. Luis Leon Sanchez (Sp), Liberty Seguros, same time3. Egoi Martinez (Sp), Discovery Channel, s.t.4. Carlos Torrent (Sp), Viña Magna-Cropu, s.t.5. Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz), Liberty Seguros, s.t. Reus takes Normandie kickoffNetherlander Kai Reus (Rabobank) won the 5.8km prologue of the Tour de Normandie on Monday in

Monterey, California - Here's the scenario: a racer arrives at the Sea Otter Classic, the world's largest cycling festival, and finishes on the podium. He says he's dissected and memorized the course dozens of times yet he's never set foot on Laguna Seca Recreational Area. Sound like fiction? Maybe, but here's the secret: his win is a result of a custom blend of technology, terrain and training. Garmin International's line of GPS-enabled fitness devices, in conjunction with its GPS-enabled online mapping service, MotionBased.com, is featured at this year's Sea

Tour of California at Bixby Bridge

Melbourne, Australia, (AFP) - The Isle of Man claimed just their third gold medal in Commonwealth history in Melbourne Sunday and the man responsible immediately dedicated his stunning win to the father of a promising youngster killed in a freak cycling accident. In an emotion-packed night at Melbourne's Multi-Purpose Venue velodrome, the team from the tiny island in the Irish sea celebrated alongside their near neighbors Scotland as the two comparative minnows smashed Australia and England's golden grip in track cycling. First it was the Scots who raised the roof at the venue,

In a case that could have major implications in the fight against doping in sport, a Swiss civil court late last week under-cut a two-year ban against German rider Danilo Hondo and ruled to allow him to resume racing while the court considers the case. The case is believed to be the first time a civil court has over-ruled a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, a non-governing body charged with settling doping disputes in sport. “There’s never been a ruling like this, when an ordinary court suspends a decision by (CAS),” attorney Michael Lehner told AFP. “It’s a true victory for

It’s a clear spring day in the green hills of Marin County, California, and a gaggle of Spandexed, helmeted Luna Bar Ambassadors — women’s sports advocates from throughout the nation — listen to Alison Dunlap lecture on climbing techniques. One by one, the women mount their knobby-tired rigs, aim themselves at the "climb," which is a sharp, stair-step incline, and attempt to clear the obstacle. At the other end of the parking lot, a second group of women gathers around the other members of the Luna pro women’s mountain-bike team: Shonny Vanlandingham, Katerina Hanusova and newcomers Georgia

Mark Cavendish

Mactier makes Australia proud

The court says Hondo can race. Will teams agree?

The Luna Chix 2006

Awright, listen up!

Turn, turn, turn

Coach Dunlap watches an Ambassador clear an obstacle

Marla Streb's belly gets a pat

Gould

Streb

Vanlandingham

Hanusova

Florit

Dunlap

Alessandro Petacchi and Tom Boonen lined up as the five-star favorites for Saturday’s 97th running of Milan-San Remo, but it was Boonen’s Quick Step-Innergetic teammate Filippo Pozzato sneaking away as the surprise winner. Pozzato marked an attack by Alessandro Ballan (Lampre-Fondital) near the top of the decisive Poggio climb with about 7km to go and then rode the coattails of a six-man lead group to hold off the fast-charging peloton.

After photos of Tyler Hamilton in a local criterium showed up on the Internet, USA Cycling got a call from the UCI, wondering why a suspended rider was racing. Two weekends ago, Hamilton joined a handful of other pros and a few hundred amateur racers in a non-sanctioned series race in his hometown of Boulder, Colorado. Hamilton is currently serving a two-year suspension from a 2004 blood doping charge. "They contacted us and asked, ‘What is Tyler Hamilton doing riding in a bike race with other UCI pros?’" said USA Cycling CEO Gerard Bisceglia. "We said it wasn’t sanctioned. They said,

The escape

He said it was the best day of his life

Auger and Contrini in the early break

Extebarria and Scheirlinkcx

Pozzato surprises the peloton

Boonen on the Cipressa

Garzelli on the Cipressa

Milram chases

The peloton

Moorenhout and Schleck attack

Pozzato escapes

The podium

Rabobank on the Poggio

If the cobbles belong to the Belgians, then the Via Roma finishing straight at Milan-San Remo belongs to the Italians. The current king of “La Classicissima” is Alessandro Petacchi, who returns as the heavy favorite and all the pressure that comes with it. His win in the final stage at Tirreno-Adriatico revealed “Ale-Jet” is right on target. “If everything goes right, I know I can win Milan-San Remo for a second time,” Petacchi told reporters. “The final Poggio climb will be the key to the race. If I can get over it with the leaders and with a couple of teammates, I’ll have a great chance

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.More video, pleaseEditor:Hey, great job on the Paris-Nice video summary. The editing and quality pics were great. How about doing it live for the Giro? I'd even pay real money to see it. Phil StruveAvon, Colorado More video for Macs, pleaseEditor:Kudos for posting the Paris-Nice

Belgium's former world champion cyclist Johan Museeuw and 10 others implicated in a doping scandal are to face trial, prosecutors said Friday. Museeuw, the 1996 world road race champion, stands accused of possessing the banned blood booster EPO (erythropoeitin) and two other illegal performance-enhancers. He was suspected of being part of a ring of drug traffickers including a veterinary surgeon, three-time world cyclo-cross champion Mario De Clerqc and eight other riders and go-betweens. They are suspected of supplying human growth hormones, stimulants, steroids and testosterone to

Petacchi hopes to be in the mix after the Poggio

Boonen comes into M-SR in fine, fine, form

Milan-San Remo - Start List1. Alessandro Petacchi (I), Team Milram2. Erik Zabel (G), Team Milram3. Mirko Celestino (I), Team Milram4. Alessandro Cortinovis (I), Team Milram5. Maarten Den Bakker (Nl), Team Milram6. Fabio Sacchi (I), Team Milram7. Christian Knees (G), Team Milram8. Marco Velo (I), Team Milram11. Alexandr Arekeev (Rus), Acqua & Sapone12. Alessandro Donati (I), Acqua & Sapone13. Rinaldo Nocentini (I), Acqua & Sapone14. Giuseppe Palumbo (I), Acqua & Sapone15. Andrea Rossi (I), Acqua & Sapone16. Ondrej Sosenka (Cz), Acqua & Sapone17. Mauricio Soler (Col), Acqua & Sapone18. Andrea

After a solid effort at Tirreno-Adriatico with eighth-place overall, GeorgeHincapie has decided to bypass this weekend’s Milan-San Remo. “I just had a little cold during Tirreno, so I was not feeling 100 percent,”Hincapie told VeloNews. “I prefer to just rest and recover.”Hincapie is scheduled to race next at Three Days of De Panne, whichhe won in 2004, before ramping up for his run at the spring classics. Secondoverall last year at Paris-Rouabix, he’s hoping to step up on higher onthe podium.Discovery Channel will line up with a solid team looking to throw somecurveballs at the marquee

The season’s first UCI ProTour classic, Milan-San Remo, which takes place this Saturday for the 97th time, is nowadays regarded as a sprinters’ race. That’s because in the past nine years a mass sprint finish has been avoided only twice. In 1999, an inspired Andreï Tchmil made a solo, final-kilometer attack to hold off a 68-strong pack by less than a second. And in 2003, Paolo Bettini held tough with breakaway partners Mirko Celestino and Luca Paolini to win, 11 seconds ahead of a chasing 68-man peloton. The past two years, Oscar Freire and Alessandro Petacchi scored their sprint victories

Dear Bob,I love your column, even if it does point out I am often wrong in my mistaken beliefs. What is the legality of when a cyclist swerves to avoid a car door opening and is hit from behind by a car? It has not happened yet, but oh so many close calls!D. D. Dear D.D.Wow, talk about being between a rock and a hard place! Okay, so theoretically speaking, you swerve to avoid getting doored, and you get nailed instead from behind. Who’s at fault here? Well, there are about 50 answers to that question, depending on the state you live in, but we can narrow that down to four different auto

Monterey, CA - Crowds at this year's Sea Otter Classic, the world's largest cycling festival, will have twice as many reasons to cheer (or gasp in amazement) since SRAM's Invitational Dirt Jump Contest has been extended to all four days of the event. And, after weeks of online ogling, consumers will get their first chance to get their hands on SRAM's much-buzzed about Force road group. This year the multi-sport, four-day "Celebration of Cycling' begins on April 6 at Laguna Seca Recreation Area in Monterey, California. The invite list for the Dirt Jump Contest reads like a

Floyd Landis won more than Paris-Nice on Sunday. He secured the trust and confidence of his Phonak teammates as they look confidently toward this summer's Tour de France. His teammates rallied around Landis to preserve his slender nine-second margin in Sunday's nervous, four-climb finale to win his second major stage race inside a month. And in the process, the team and Landis promoted themselves as one of the favorites for July. CLICK HERE to play the 2006 Paris-Nice Video highlight.

Hincapie needs some down time

Well-timed: Andreï Tchmil made his big move in the final kilometer in 1999

The very presence of defending champion Alessandro Petacchi may have defined this year's route.