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Austria's Bernhard Eisel finally ended the winning streak of world champion Tom Boonen when he sprinted to victory in the fourth stage of the Tour of Qatar on Thursday. The Francaise des Jeux rider nicked Germany's Erik Zabel (Milram) and Belgian Boonen (Quick Step) at the line after the 145km run from Al Zubarah to Doha, scoring his first win of the season. Boonen, winner of the first three stages, has been unbeaten since he won his world title in September. He holds the overall race lead going into Friday's 151km final stage between Al Thakira and here with a seven-second

Simoni may start all three grand tours, but he still has his eye on a single prize.

A furious finish

Once again the bunch breaks up

This is no place for a flat

Cruising on a Thursday afternoon

Galdos and Eeckhout on the march

Veneberg and Fischer were active, too

But Zabel and Milram were not interested in any successful breaks

Neither was Phonak, which bunched at the front of the pursuit

The golden jersey even lent a hand in the pursuit

But Cancellara, riding next to Boonen, told Eisel the leader was not bulletproof

As as it turned out, he wasn't

Horner in the bunch, inching up on GC

Jan Ullrich flew to South Africa this week to escape a cold snap that's gripping most of Europe. The 1997 Tour de France champion was scheduled to train in Tuscany, but flew to Cape Town to avoid the frigid temperatures in Italy. "Currently, winter has Italy in its grip. The snowfall and the freezing cold make it impossible to train efficiently. The risk of catching a cold is much too high," Ullrich said on the T-Mobile's web page, adding he can "do a more focused and intense training under the South African sun." Ullrich, who's recently been gaining Tour-favorite endorsements

In keeping with my plan of varying things a little from the straight Q&A, I thought I’d use this week’s column to tell you about my recent visit to the USA Cycling (USAC) Bill Woodul Race Mechanics Clinic last month. Held at the Olympic Training Center (OTC) in Colorado Springs from January 12-15, the clinic offers a unique opportunity for shop mechanics wishing to be trained as race mechanics by some of the best in the country. It may also serve to open doors for participants to travel to international races and development camps in support of U.S. National Team riders. The setting under

World champion Tom Boonen (Quick Step) maintained his perfect start to the Tour of Qatar with victory in Wednesday's 160km third stage. The 25-year-old Belgian once again beat Germany's Erik Zabel (Milram) and Matti Breschel (CSC) of Denmark to add to his wins in the first two stages. Once again the stage was marked by blustery winds and an early break, as Bart Van Heule (Chocolade Jacques-T Interim), René Weissinger (Skil-Shimano) and Geert Omloop (Unibet) took off at 12km. Twenty-four kilometers later, they were joined by a counterattacking bunch of six: Chris Horner

Press ReleaseFrom: Boulder Offroad Alliance (BOA) Contact: John.daily@Colorado.eduSubject: The Boulder Night of Mountain Biking Champions, A Gala Fundraising Dinner for BOATime and Place: 7:00 PM, Friday, February 3, 2005, Historic Boulderado HotelTickets: $65 Supporter, $100 Sponsor, $150 Big Wheel; Available at Performance and Sports Garage in Boulder, Blue Sky in LongmontMaster of Ceremonies: Dave Towle, America’s Favorite Race Annoucer (Tour of Georgia, Tour of California, Boulder area races) Special Guests: Julie Furtado, former world cross country mountain bike champion; Paul

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.Kids, schools and cyclingEditor:I recently read Tom Sunday's letter (see Monday’s Mailbag: "Masters can help grow sport through schools") regarding his view that cycling could expand more in the U.S. if it was introduced into more schools. I quite agree and thought you might be

Ullrich heads to Africa

Ken Whelpdale Daimo Shanks and Chip Howat (l tor) and are ready to turn you into pro' mechanics

Whelpdale keeps a tidy shop - with a bit of memorabilia to keep the place interesting

Those rings are everywhere

Specialized is supplying the team

Park Tool's Calvin Jones shows the proper technique for mounting a tubular

Boonen shows Zabel his heels for the third straight day

Giving it the gas

Omloop on the attack

Horner sprang to life on today's stage, too

CSC was having none of that

Neither was Quick Step

Tenth-placed Eisel and Boonen roll along

Zabel was in the hunt once again

But Boonen nipped him once again

Another Belgian and his French pal seem to be enjoying the racing

Dear Readers;In my most recent column, S.S., a Tennessee attorney, asked about hisinsurance company's refusal to compensate him for the loss of his bicyclewhen he drove into his garage while his Wilier was attached to his roofrack (see "Isit my garage or my car that's at fault?"). I've received a numberof interesting responses from readers, and I thought it would be helpfulto share them with everybody, so in this column, we'll be taking anotherlook at the situation.As you may recall, the insurance company refused to compensate S.S.for the loss of his bicycle, because,

World champion Tom Boonen (Quick Step) won the windy second stage of the Tour of Qatar Tuesday, a 138km leg between Doha's camel race track and the Al Khor Corniche. The 25-year-old Belgian, who also won the first stage on Monday and heads the overall standings, proved too strong for Italian Paride Grillo (Ceramica Panaria-Navigare) and German veteran Eric Zabel (Milram) in a sprint finish. "It wasn't so simple today," said Boonen. "The wind and the sometime-dangerous roads made the course difficult. There were a lot of falls and punctures. You had to be careful." Frenchman Gilles

Aussie sprinter Baden Cooke started the 2006 season off on a winning note after taking the final sprint in Tuesday's Grand Prix de la Marseillaise in France to open the European racing season. Cooke - a former Tour de France green jersey winner now riding for continental team Unibet.com - out-kicked former FDJeux teammate Philippe Gilbert in the 140km race in southern France to open up the European calendar. Coming through third was Madrid world championship bronze medalist Anthony Geslin (Bouygues Telecom). GP de la Marseillaise, 140km1. Baden Cooke (Aus), Unibet.com 3h17:552. Philippe

Australia will be missing a host of established names for the Commonwealth Games road cycling events in March, but that is unlikely to deflate their bid to dominate as they did in Manchester four years ago. Australia will be without reigning Commonwealth road champion Stuart O'Grady and three-time world time trial champion Michael Rogers for the games, which fall right at the start of the European one-day classics season in mid-March. Cadel Evans, who also took gold in Manchester when he beat Rogers and fellow compatriot Nathan O'Neill in the road time trial, will also be missing as

The world champ is off to a strong start

The wind helped split the pack into thirds

Yes, that's exactly what it looks like

Just ask Finot of Arabia

O'Grady was enjoying his photo op, too

Later, the smile would get turned upside down

Zabel had his troubles, too

As did Boonen, who found himself chasing

Ghyllebert gets his day in the sun

And Horner gets a bottle

Belgian cycling legend Eddy Merckx has joined a growing chorus of experts tipping Jan Ullrich as the favorite for this year’s Tour de France. Merckx said Sunday that Ullrich would be the man to beat come July. “This year belongs to Ullrich,” Merckx told Agence France Presse. “He’s decided to compete in the Giro d’Italia before the Tour, which will allow him to arrive in excellent condition. Doing both the Tour and the Giro is an excellent idea. He’ll arrive in July in form with the necessary stamina for three weeks of racing.” The five-time Tour champion joins Lance Armstrong in predicting

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. Icky as it is, we especially liked Steve Zdawczynski’s “’cross til you drool,” a shot that seems to convey all of the … er… uhh… beauty of our favorite cycling discipline. Congratulations Steve! 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

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.Masters can help grow sport through schoolsEditor:I would like to offer my input on the subject of improving participation in the sport of cycling. I am a teacher at A. C. Flora High School. I am also a U.S. Cycling Federation racer and have been one for 25 years. During my 16 years of

World champion Tom Boonen (Quick Step) won the opening 131km stage of the Tour of Qatar between Doha and Al Khor Corniche on Monday. The 25-year-old Belgian proved too strong for German veteran Eric Zabel and Robert Hunter of South Africa in a sprint finish. Top 10 resultsStage1. Tom Boonen (B) Quick Step, 131km in 2:56:342. Erik Zabel (G), same time3. Robert Hunter (RSA), s.t.4. Fabian Cancellara (Swi), s.t.5. Fabrizio Guidi (I), s.t.,6. Aurelien Clerc (Swi), s.t.7. Nick Ingels (B,) s.t.8. Sebastien Lang (G,) s.t.9. Aart Vierhouten (Ned), s.t.10. Steven de Jongh (Ned), s.t.Overall (after

The 14th annual John Earley Memorial Valley of the Sun Stage Race kicks off next month in and around Phoenix, Arizona. The February 17-19 race, hosted by the White Mountain Road Club, boasts more than $15,000 in cash and prizes, a kids competition and a Special Olympics bike race. Last year’s event drew some 850 competitors; Kristin Armstrong (T-Mobile) took the elite women’s race while Ryan Blickem (Health Maxx) claimed the men’s victory. Stage 1 is the Buckeye Time Trial presented by Trillium, a 12-mile race at Sun Valley Parkway, west of Phoenix. "Buckeye is proud to be hosting the

Our man Casey Gibson has been tagging around with the Discovery Channel boys as they conduct a training camp in and around Solvang - including almost-daily climbs of Figueroa Mountain - in advance of the upcoming Tour of California. Like any veteran road-tripper, Casey takes a lot of snaps; here's a peek at his latest portfolio.

Ullrich - seen here training in Spain this month - is still the favoirte for the 06 Tour

VeloNews Photo Contest: A new winner and a new gallery

Boonen pips Zabel at the line

Michael Barry and George Hincapie are working hard, leading the riders preparing for the Tour of California

Tom Danielson checks with Johann during a ride

Viatcheslav Ekimov is working out alone, recovering from his terrible accident in the fall

Beltran and Azevedo put in the miles getting ready for the stage races later in the year

Danielson is working hard, getting ready for a breakout year

With 28 bikes to wash each day, even head mechanic Julien Devries pitches in

Newcomer Trent Lowe takes a turn at the front with Tom Danielson

Jose Rubiera climbs on toward the top of Figueroa Mountain

Training rides are always the same; pairs of riders rolling along lonely agricultural roads near Solvang

Assistant DS Sean Yates leads the boys in a training ride; not bad for a guy in his mid-40s

Giro winner Paolo Savoldelli and Pavel Padrnos chat as they put away the miles

Jason McCartney also preps for the Tour of California, looking to build on his first season with Discovery

Discovery heads for home after a cool ride in the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley

For the second time in 24 hours the Dutch national anthem of Wilhelmus was played for the assembled crowds at Zeddam, in the Netherlands, as the host country celebrated another victory at the World Cyclo-cross Championships, after Marianne Vos outsprinted defending champion, German Hanka Kupfernagel, to take the women’s title on Sunday. Indeed, Dutch riders dominated the women’s event as Daphny van den Brand and Mirjam Melchers-van Poppel rounded out the top-four. The top North American result was recorded by U.S. champion Anne Knapp in ninth, while pre-race podium hopeful Lyne Bessette

Belgian pride was salvaged at the cyclo-cross world championships on Sunday when Erwin Vervecken led home countryman Bart Wellens to claim the elite men's title. Defending champion and pre-race favorite Sven Nys (Bel) did not finish, crashing on the final lap while in the lead group. American Jonathan Page put in a strong performance, moving up through the field to finish 10th. The Belgians were expected to dominate the men's 60-minute, nine-lap race, but the first half of the race was wide open, with riders from France, Holland and the Czech Republic all coming to the front. The

The trio of Van den Brand, Kupfernagel and Vos quickly gapped the rest of the field.

Knapp takes ninth...

... and Bessette rounds out the top-10.

Van den Brand looked strong... until she flatted

Vos merely had to sit on the defending champion's wheel