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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.NASCAR-style racing? Try cyclo-crossEditor:In Wednesday's Mailbag (see "NASCAR-style cycling might just work"), Doug Barnes suggested that cycling take place on short, highly visible courses in a tour of major cities, with "each a separate race with its own podium but with a points

Cross-country skiing's not a sport, it's how a f---ing Swede goes to the 7–Eleven. — Dan Jenkins, "You Gotta Play Hurt" The old mailbag these days is chock-full of proposed models for U.S. cycling to follow if it is to achieve success: NASCAR, Formula 1, World Rally Championship; cyclo-cross, track, criterium. But nobody is defining exactly what "success" means. Does it mean that cycling becomes a spectator sport, like the various ball games? Stadiums packed with hammered fatties painting themselves in Health Net-Maxxis colors; nattily attired retired pros bellowing jovially over

Call it a hunch, but I have a feeling that I’m not the only person ticking down the hours until the start of the Amgen Tour of California. Set your watches, ladies and gentlemen, we only have 620 left to wait — at 11 a.m. on February 19, you all better have your attention turned to the streets of San Francisco. Now, starting the race with a prologue up to the base of Coit Tower on the tippy-top of Telegraph Hill sounds pretty epic. The route starts at Pier 1, skirts the Embarcadero just south of Fisherman’s Wharf, and takes riders up to, quite possibly, the best view in town. Sure, the route

The United States’ first-ever UCI pro track team made a powerful debut on the first evening of the Los Angeles World Cup, with Spike rider Becky Quinn claiming silver in the women’s points race. With two U.S. national team women also in the mix, Quinn secured the silver medal behind gold medalist Italian Giorgia Bronzini after taking the final sprint. See the Casey Gibson photo gallery below Quinn scored two second-place sprints to get into contention. Then, with two laps remaining, U.S. national rider Lauren Franges got to the front with Quinn on her wheel. With one lap to go, Canadian

Barredo's gamble paid off.

The day's break formed early again.

Evans (right) was the biggest GC threat at 12 minutes back.

Botcharov bridges

AG2R monitored the gap

Barredo tries his luck

Another hot day in the saddle

Gerrans, still seven seconds up

Better than Damon to play Armstrong?

Why, yes, I'm a Health Net fan ... how'd you guess? Go Gord, eh!

Now Steve McQueen knew a little something about racing around San Francisco

Ben Jacques-Maynes is looking forward to representin' on his backyard course

Quinn smiles stop the podium . . .

. . . after winning the final double-points sprint

Thr trade-team rider held her own with national-teamers like Pic

Colby Pearce adds his two cents' worth

Kelly leads the keirin out of the final corner

Huff rides to sixth in the pursuit for TIAA-CREF

The ADT Center: Sure beats riding in the snow

Hahndorf, Australia - Simon Gerrans enjoyed the protection of his French AG2R team to retain control of the Tour Down Under on Thursday as fellow Aussie professional Allan Davis finally bagged a stage. Davis, who along with Stuart O'Grady was one of two Australians to come close to winning the world championships road title in 2004, is one of two riders, the other being Estonian veteran Jaan Kirsipuu, to have competed in all eight editions here. It was something of an albatross. An established sprinter in the European peloton, the diminutive Liberty Seguros sprinter had never managed

Dear Bob, I am an attorney and have been practicing as an Assistant DA for the past 15 years. A few weeks ago I forgot about "toys on top" and drove into the garage with my beautiful Wilier on top. My home owner's policy covers damage caused by a vehicle. They have denied coverage because they are saying the garage caused the damage. I think it is a strained interpretation of the policy as they would cover the bike if I had backed over it. I looked at an old policy with another company and they had the same language. I know of other cyclists who have been covered. Have you dealt

Jeanson calls it quits while still proclaiming innocence.

Jan Ullrich will easily win the 2006 Tour de France, says seven-time champion Lance Armstrong. "I predict that he'll win it by four to five minutes," Armstrong was quoted as saying in Thursday'sBild newspaper. The American, who retired after winning last year's Tour, always considered the 32-year-old German his key challenger. Ullrich won the Tour in 1997, but never found a way to defeat Armstrong. "All our team planning and strategy in the past years concentrated entirely on how to neutralize Ullrich," Armstrong toldBild. "Fortunately, it always worked." Armstrong was in

Ryan Trebon (Kona) has resigned his position on the U.S. team bound for the UCI cyclo-cross world championships January 28-29 in Zeddam, the Netherlands, according to USA Cycling. "He informed us yesterday that his grandfather (Paul S. Trebon) passed away, and that he decided to resign his spot on the team," said USA Cycling’s Andy Lee on Thursday. Contacted via e-mail, Trebon said: "I wasn't going to be able to make it back to Belgium until Wednesday or Thursday next week. My head wasn't gonna be right to race anyway. So I thought it was best if I stayed home and let someone else

Davis grabs his first pro win in Oz.

With no major GC threats present, the group was allowed to stay away.

The AG2R boys just had to keep an eye on the time gap.

Crake takes a dig and Davis joins him

It proved to be the winning move.

Gerrans still has the lead...

...but Sanches is but seven seconds back

Angaston, Australia - Up-and-coming Australian Simon Gerrans took a big step toward winning the five-stage Tour Down Under on Wednesday with a gutsy victory that saw the list of overall contenders slashed by a decisive break. Gerrans, in his second season with the French AG2R team, made the race-winning move move with less than 5km to race in the 148km stage between Adelaide and Angaston in the hilly Barossa wine valley. The 25-year-old played his cards perfectly, first by joining an early break and then by linking up with defending TDU champion Luis Leon Sanchez (Liberty Seguros),

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.OBRA and Oregon do plenty for world’s-bound ’crossersEditor:As a member of the Cross Crusade's board of directors, I can explain what Oregon's largest cyclo-cross series has done to support racers going to the world championships this year and in previous years (See Monday’s

Landbouwkrediet presented its 2006 team in Brussels this week, with its general manager vowing to make it "the best Belgian team on the Continental circuit" with an eye toward racing the Giro d’Italia. Gerard Bulens’ team has proved to be a successful launching pad to ProTour teams for more than one racer, including Yaroslav Popovych, the best young rider of the 2005 Tour de France, Lorenzo Bernucci, Tomas Vaitkus and Maxime Monfort. "Their successes are the most beautiful recognition of our work," Bulens said. This year’s leaders include Nico Sijmens, Jurgen Van Loocke and Bert De Waele.

Gerrans takes the stage, but Sanchez may still be the favorite to defend his title.

Higgerson and McLachlan started the action

The Liberty boys made sure their guy got up there, too.

McEwen and Sanchez attack with 45km to go...

...and were soon joined by Walker and Gerrans.

With a sprinter of McEwen's caliber in the mix, Gerrans decides to try his luck with an attack at 5km to go.

Save it or dump it?Dear Lennard,I have a 2004 model Trek 5200 , carbon frame road bike. The issue isthat rain water from Hurricane Rita affected lots of things in the garage,including the bike, since the roof was opened up by a falling tree. Thebike was really messed up, with its front wheel broken and the whole thingsitting in a foot of water.All of the components are ruined and when I removed the seatpost, waterpoured out of the frame, along with some small bits of white colored flakes.Is the frame salvageable with some type of treatment or is it, too, a lostcause?HalDear Hal,It may have

Adelaide, Australia - Australian sprint ace Robbie McEwen began his season in his usual style by snagging a win at the Tour Down Under Classic Criterium here on Tuesday. McEwen, a two-time winner of the Tour de France green points jersey, comfortably held off Italian Daniele Colli (Liquigas-Bianchi)in a bunch sprint at the end of the 25-lap, 50 kilometer inner-city course. The criterium is considered a “prelude” to the Tour Down Under and has no bearing on the race standings. The Tour Down Under, a five-stage event, is held around Adelaide and the surrounding area and begins with a 148

Sixteen international and domestic teams, including No. 1-ranked Team CSC, will tackle the inaugural Amgen Tour of California next month, organizers announced Tuesday. The 600-mile UCI 2.1 race starts February 19 with a prologue in San Francisco and concludes seven days later in Redondo Beach after passing through eight other "host cities" — Sausalito, Santa Rosa, Martinez, San Jose, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Thousand Oaks. "We designed the inaugural course with both racers and spectators in mind," said Bob Colarossi, managing director of AEG Cycling, LLC. "It offers the

McEwen strikes his usual pose

Summertime and the livin' is easy

Hushovd

The Liberty Sguros team of defending TDU champion Luis Leon Sanchez Gil

Tour of California route, teams announced

Adelaide, Australia - Tour de France star Robbie McEwen is set to get his rivalry with Norwegian sprinter Thor Hushovd off to an early start this season when the eighth Tour Down Under gets underway in Adelaide Tuesday. Liberty Seguros all rounder Luis Leon Sanchez of Spain, 22, will be defending the general classification title in the five stage race around the southern Australian city and the neighboring wine-growing region. But before then most people are anticipating and hoping that Hushovd and McEwen will provide some of the sparks that have accompanied their now habitual rivalry at

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 liked Kenneth Alan’s “Austin Self Portrait,” a beautifully composed shot that appeals to our obvious preference for working bikes. Congratulations Kenneth! 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 of Cycling."Go ahead and

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.Details on Tour of California, pleaseEditor:What’s up with the poor marketing for the Amgen Tour of California? For such a large event I’m surprised there is so little information about this race especially since it’s only a month away. I am more than willing to drive to California,

Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong has told a South African newspaper that he is in talks on a movie about his life. Armstrong, 34, is due to travel to South Africa on Wednesday, accompanied by fiancée Sheryl Crow, for a first visit that will include a tour of Soweto, the township that was the center of anti-apartheid resistance. In an interview with The Sunday Times, Armstrong said that Matt Damon, an actor he has known for some years, was favored to play him. The American, who survived a bout of testicular cancer, returned to pro cycling and won seven consecutive Tours,

A criminal court in Paris has refused to hear a defamation actions brought by Italian cyclist Filippo Simeoni against Lance Armstrong. Judicial officials said Monday the statute of limitations had expired in the case against the seven-time Tour de France winner. The court said Simeoni's lawyers misinterpreted French law. Armstrong, quoted in an April 2003 report in the online edition of French daily Le Monde, contended that Simeoni had agreed to testify against doctor Michele Ferrari in exchange for a lesser penalty if the Italian rider were accused of doping by the sport's

Boulder, Colorado (January 16, 2006) – Team TIAA-CREF is thrilled toannounce that it will participate in the 2006 Etoile des Bessèges(February 1-5) and GP Marseilles. GP Marseilles (January 31) is the 2006French season opener and will be the first time Team TIAA-CREF hits theroad this year.Among those racing for Team TIAA-CREF are former Espoir Time Trial WorldChampion Danny Pate and current Canadian Professional Road Champion, FrancoisParisien.“Garnering invitations for both of these races is a huge step up forTeam TIAA-CREF and we are looking forward to honoring these events by

Hushovd and McEwen are favorites to take the points competition

VeloNews Photo Contest: A new Gallery

The Katzenjammer kids

World champion Sven Nys (Rabobank) won the ninth round of the UCI cyclo-cross World Cup on Sunday in Liévin, France. The Belgian crossed a few lengths ahead of two French riders, Francis Mourey and John Gadret, to claim his eighth victory in nine starts during the World Cup. It was his 22nd cyclo-cross win this season. Czech Petr Dlask shot away at the start of the race, and was quickly joined by Mourey. The Frenchman then launched an attack of his own with his compatriot Gadret, marked by a Belgian trio composed of Nys, Erwin Vervecken and Bart Wellens. At mid-race, Nys joined the

Grand tours moving forwardOrganizers of cycling’s three big stage races moved forward Friday with their plans to create a rival racing league, officially asking the UCI for authorization to create its “Trophy of the Grand Tours” format. According to reports on the European wires, officials from Unipublic, RCS and ASO – organizers of the Vuelta a España, Giro d’Italia and Tour de France, respectively – have formally made steps to move forward with its own series. Talks between the grand tours and the ProTour broke down acrimoniously last year, prompting the organizers to seek an independent

Jan Ullrich’s curly locks and lack of puppy fat, Michael Rogers’s first appearance in the magenta uniform, and Linus Gerdemann’s infectious smile. Those were some of the talking points at the 15th annual presentation of the T-Mobile (formerly Deutsche Telekom) squad at Cala Serena, Majorca on Saturday afternoon. Equally noteworthy was the absence for the first time in seven years of the high-flying German team’s stalwarts Erik Zabel, Alexander Vinokourov (to Milram and Liberty Seguros, respectively) and Rolf Aldag, who retired. And, for the very first time in the history of pro cycling, a

Belgian Erwin Vervecken (Fidea) won the Grand Prix Lille Métropole cyclo-cross on Saturday, outsprinting Frenchman John Gadret. Netherlander Gerben de Knegt took third spot on the podium, ahead of Czech Radomir Simunek and world champion Sven Nys of Belgium. American Jonathan Page finished sixth at 48 seconds back. Results1. Erwin Vervecken (B), Fidea, 1:02:252. John Gadret (F), at 0:013. Gerben de Knegt (Ned), at 0:254. Radomir Simunek (Cze) same time5. Sven Nys (B), s.t.6. Jonathan Page (USA), at 0:487. David Derepas (F), at 1:268. Marco Bianco (I), at 1:319. Camiel van den Bergh (Ned),

Organizers of Europe's three major Tours (background,L toR) Angelo Zomegnan (Giro), Christian Prudhomme (Tour) and Victore Cordero (Vuelta) pose with Giro deputy administrator Giacomo Catano, ASO's Patrick Clerc and Unipublic's Ignacio Ay

Ullrich's new lean and hungry look

World anti-doping chief Richard Pound has rejected a demand for an apology from an association of professional cyclists that says he has tarred all riders with his characterization of pro racing as a culture fraught with cheating and doping. "The CPA [Cyclistes Professionnels Associés] has misunderstood, misconstrued, misinterpreted and mischaracterized the situation," the Montreal lawyer said yesterday, blasting back at a letter from the pro riders that insisted he publicly retract comments published late last year in the Guardian, a British newspaper. The Switzerland-based group gave

Christian Vande Velde flew Friday to Italy to join his Team CSC teammates for its January camp, but it almost wasn’t meant to be. Vande Velde came close to retiring last year after struggling through injuries in the first half of the 2005 season, but strong support from Team CSC boss Bjarne Riis helped the 29-year-old bounce back during last year’s Vuelta a España. “Last year was really hard on me,” Vande Velde told VeloNews. “I was really close to saying that’s it and going on to other things in life. When you’re racing with one arm tied behind your back, it’s a horrible feeling. If you

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.Sinibaldi was a true champEditor:Twenty-five years ago, when living on the west coast of Florida, I rode with the fledgling Tampa Bay Bicycle Sports club. The Saturday morning rides from Phillipe Park in Safety Harbor were attended by a widely diverse group, including a number of riders I

Kona riders from Oregon fill three of the five slots on the elite men’s team bound for the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships January 28-29 in Zeddam, The Netherlands. USA Cycling announced its elite men’s picks on Friday, filling out its 20-rider roster for the world’s. The team includes Kona riders Ryan Trebon, Barry Wicks and Erik Tonkin, all of Oregon. Trebon was an automatic selection based on his top-50 slot in the UCI rankings; Wicks won automatic selection as top American in the 2005 Crank Brothers U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross series; and Tonkin was a discretionary

Amante Coffee's North Boulder location will host a fund-raising party January 19 for TIAA-CREF-Clif Bar’s world’s-bound cyclo-crossers, Alex Howes, Danny Summerhill, Troy Wells and Brady Kappius. The party begins at 7 p.m. at 4580 Broadway, Suite E, at the southeast corner of Yarmouth and Broadway. Cost is $10 per person. Drinks will be discounted, a silent auction will be held, and VeloNews.com diarist Brandon Dwight will display photos from his "Chocolate, Waffles and 'Cross" trip to Europe on the shop's flat-screen TV. All funds raised will go directly to the riders’ travel

Brochard's new look

Bouygues Telecom for 2006

Tom Boonen just wants to have some peace and quiet. These days, for the reigning world champion, that will come once the racing season begins. The dynamic 25-year-old is the biggest story in cycling crazy Belgium, which hasn’t seen a rider with as much charisma and winning attitude in a generation. To feed the journalistic combine, Boonen gave more than 300 interviews since winning the world title last September. With so much media attention, Boonen can’t wait for the relative tranquility of bumping shoulders at 40mph down the finishing straight. “People say the busiest time of the year is

Former world mountain bike champ Alison Dunlap will speak in Aurora, Colorado, on January 28 as part of a fund-raiser for the band at her old high school. Dunlap, who played flute in the Smoky Hill High School Band, will speak at 7 p.m. in the auditorium at the school, 16100 E. Smoky Hill Road. "She is really excited about coming back to her old school to help us out and is willing to stay and sign autographs, take pictures, etc., following her speech," said Lisa Mills, co-chair of the Ways and Means Committee of the Smoky Hill High School Band Parents Association. Dunlap’s talk will cover