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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.Is Wilcockson planning a book?Editor:Has John Wilcockson considered writing a book containing all of his "behind the scenes" accounts of the various Tours? I would love it — every time I read one of his Greg LeMond stories it kills me to come to the end. I want to keep going but I have to

My fall is filled with cyclo-cross. Along with writing about exciting ’cross technology, I race on a single-speed and give up five weekends every fall to help a local promoter put on his ’cross series here in Boulder, Colorado. The finals, which doubled as the American Cycling Association state championships, were raced this past Saturday at Xilinx Software’s Longmont campus — complete with drum line. The men’s race was one of the most exciting local events I have been to in recent memory. I was a spectator because a lapse in concentration a week and a half ago, while testing the hardness

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) considers gene doping a developing threat and has pledged to pursue detection methods and enforcement policies to ensure that the practice "never becomes a major issue in sport," an agency spokesperson said following a symposium in Stockholm, Sweden. The December 4-5 meeting, held in collaboration with the Karolinska Institute and the Swedish Sports Confederation, was the second such sponsored by WADA, the first being a March 2002 workshop in New York. The Stockholm meeting brought together more than 50 participants from 15 countries and included

VeloNews Photo Contest: A new winner and a new gallery

Drumming up some support

Coelho leads JHK

JHK deals with a dropped chain

We're racing a former Giro champ? Yikes!

So what if the UCI doesn't like discs? This is an ACA race

The TUFO

The Challenge Grifo

World champion Sven Nys (Rabobank) won the fourth round of the UCI cyclo-cross World Cup on Sunday in Wetzikon, Switzerland — but the victory didn't come easily. The Belgian had to come from behind to take the win over Netherlander Richard Groenendaal and Belgian Bart Wellens, who crossed second and third, respectively. Nys flatted while answering an attack by Italian Enrico Franzoi and had to make up a deficit of more than two minutes on Groenendaal, who had taken the lead. Wellens and Groenendaal tried in vain to shed themselves of Nys, but the world No. 1 proved far superior to his

In the perfect send off to what has been a cyclo-cross series with its fair share of bad weather and challenging conditions, the Caster’s Grand Prix, run Sunday in Warwick, Rhode Island as the final round of the 2005 Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series, presented racers with the most challenging conditions yet, a lethal combination of fresh snow, freezing temperatures, and even sleet. But if the race day conditions seemed utterly miserable and treacherous to most riders, they were the perfect storm for noted bad weather specialist Tim Johnson (Cyclocrossworld.com-Louis Garneau)

Logstor, Denmark (Reuters) -- CSC's Ivan Basso is determined to fill the cycling spotlight left by Lance Armstrong's retirement by attempting to win both the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France in 2006. Basso originally announced he would focus on the Tour de France after finishing second behind Armstrong this year. But he announced a surprise change of plan at his team's first training camp of the new season in northern Denmark."It's a risk going for two major races in the same season but I really want to try and win both the Giro and the Tour," Basso told Reuters. "It

Groenendaal always does well in these conditions...

... but he and Wellens have one big hurdle to get past to win.

Peter Dlask

Gerben DeKnegt

Enrico Franzoi

Jonathan Page

Wellens is looking strong at this point in the season

Sven Vanthourenhout

But in the end, it's Nijs again

McCormack goes into nationals on a high note

Johnson takes the series

Bruno Roy more than made up for Saturday

For a man whose chief cyclo-cross training in 2005 has involved more hours spent remodeling his house than racing, Todd Wells (GT-Hyundai) has been using his race days to their fullest. With a strong elite men’s field gathered in anticipation of next weekend’s U.S. Cyclo-cross National Championships, Saturday’s W.E. Stedman Grand Prix in Wakefield, Rhode Island, round five of the 2005 Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series, was a regional race with national implications. But Wells put paid to the rest of the field’s dreams, dominating the cold, wind-whipped course from start to

Wells gets all Sven Nijs on the barriers

Dickey dogs Bruno Roy

"This is an in-house policy on how we do business in the State Patrol, and it's not something that we invite the citizenry to participate in. "— Jeff Goodwin, spokesman for the Colorado State Patrol, discussing a new 2500-rider cap during an interview with a Denver newspaper "It’s for your own good." Man, did I ever hate hearing that as a kid, especially when it was followed by, "Because I said so." And I don’t like it any more as an alleged adult. Problems with authority, don't you know. So you can imagine how I felt when the word came down that the Colorado State Patrol has

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.Forget the heroes, just ride your bikeDear Editor,Since everyone else is jumping in, I figured I’d throw my two-cents in regarding the Heras case, too.I've been riding for 10 years now and until about three years ago the only professional cyclist’s name that I knew with any degree of

The chief of the Colorado State Patrol will meet with state legislators and event organizers after an outcry from the cycling community over the chief’s decision to cap the size of organized rides at 2500 cyclists. Rep. Michael Merrifield, D-Manitou Springs, told VeloNews on Friday that he, two other legislators and event organizers will sit down with Col. Mark Trostel on December 12 to discuss the edict. Critics say the cap threatens established rides like the Elephant Rock Bicycle Festival, which attracts nearly 7000 cyclists each year, and will drive away new events, like the Denver ride

At the ripe age of 34, Gilberto Simoni will be riding in the distinctive yellow and red jersey of Saunier Duval for the 2006 season. The two-time Giro d’Italia winner has already mapped out his season’s top goals, which includes a start at the inaugural Tour of California as well as a run at a third maglia rosa. "The team has an interest to go (to California) and make a good preparation," Simoni told the Spanish daily Diario Vasco. "Later we’ll see which races I will start, but it’s sure I will go to the United States." Simoni said he’s excited about the new team and ready to take over the

Tom Danielson and Bob Roll will host a fund-raiser for the Fort Lewis College Cycling Scholarship Fund on December 16 in the community Concert Hall in Durango, Colorado. Among the other cycling luminaries scheduled to attend are USPRO champion Chris Wherry, Michael and Dede Barry, Ned Overend, Todd Wells and Shonny Vanlandingham. Doors open at 5 p.m., with a social and silent auction scheduled from 5:30 to 6:15. The main event runs from 6:30 to 7:30. Tickets are available online at www.tomdanielson.com/pages/scholarship.htm. Cost is $10 (students); $20 (balcony and orchestra); and $25

Whether it’s the FSR suspension or Body Geometry saddle technology, Specialized has invested millions of dollars designing products that enhance the riding experience of a wide range of people. Securing such innovations with patent protection makes it possible for Specialized to continue this kind of investment, thereby better serving riders while ensuring that Specialized dealers have a bright future filled with constantly improved, differentiated and revolutionary bikes and equipment. Under the terms of a recently reached agreement, Scott USA admits that its existing Genius bicycle

With nine stages remaining in the 1985 Tour de France, Frenchman Bernard Hinault seemed to be on a clear course to his fifth overall victory. He was 5:23 ahead of his American teammate Greg LeMond in second place, and 6:06 ahead of third-placed Irishman Stephen Roche. Not much was expected to change on stage 14 from Villard-de-Lans to St. Étienne, a transitory stage that featured the fairly gentle Cat. 1 Col de l’Oeillon and Cat. 4 Croix de Chabouret climbs just before the fast descent into the finish. Colombian mountain goat Lucho Herrera attacked on the major climb to add points to his

The Colorado State Patrol has reconsidered its decision to set a 2500-rider cap on organized cycling events in the state, according to Rep. Michael Merrifield, D-Manitou Springs. "The latest is that the CSP is backing off to ‘study the issue’ for the next year," Merrifield told VeloNews Friday evening. "I intend to keep up the pressure." Col. Mark Trostel, chief of the CSP, told a press conference at the patrol’s Lakewood headquarters that while he had "had a lot of input in support of this, too," he had decided "in the spirit of cooperation and problem solving" to delay implementation of

The Elephant Rock may be riding off into the sunset

Simoni plans a trip to California, then another crack at the Giro

Did the fifth yellow jersey in Hinault's collection arrive in part to a misunderstanding?

Hinault still sports signs of his crash in stage 19

Rudy Pevenage, the veteran Belgian director who helped steer Bjarne Riis and Jan Ullrich to back-to-back Tour de France victories in the 1990s, is back in the good graces of T-Mobile and will officially rejoin the team as one of four sport directors for the 2006 season. Pevenage had a falling out with former T-Mobile manager Walter Godefroot three years ago and left to lead Team Coast, which dissolved in the midst of the 2003 season. He continued to work with Ullrich upon his return to T-Mobile in 2004, but only as an advisor and wasn’t allowed to officially travel with team staff during

A newcomer to cyclo-cross, Chris Horner, will line up to race at the Liberty Mutual U.S. National Cyclo-cross Championships. Horner recently made his cyclo-cross debut at the final two races in the Crank Brothers U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross in California. Starting from the middle of the pack, Horner made up for a lack of prowess with pure power. He placed 13th and 11th, respectively, and earned crucial UCI points to secure a good start position in Providence. Rhode Island.

Pevenage continued to work with Ullrich, despite the row with Godefroot.

Organizers unveiled the route of the 2006 Tour de Georgia on Tuesday, highlighting the addition of three new host cities – including Chattanooga, Tennessee – and the legendary steep climb up Brasstown Bald Mountain. Scheduled for April 18-23, 2006, the fourth edition of the Tour de Georgia, North America’s only UCI Hors Classe (2.HC) stage race, will include 12 Southeastern cities in two states. The Tour de Georgiawill begin in Augusta on Tuesday, April 18, and conclude its 650-plusmiles of racing with in Alpharetta on Sunday, April 23. The race will returnto the Georgia communities of

Recently crowned NORBA U-23 national champ Lea Davison has joined the Trek-VW racing team. The 22-year-old rider recently graduated from Middlebury College in Vermont and is looking forward to her first season as a full-time professional racer. "I am absolutely ecstatic about joining the Trek-VW squad for the 2006 season," said Lea. "The Trek-VW team offers the best support on the circuit and does everything possible to help a rider perform at the best of their ability. The team is extremely talented and experienced. Under the tutelage of Sue Haywood, one of the best female mountain bikers

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.Confidence in WHAT?Dear Editors,I would hope that the UCI has internal review of its press statements (not to mention its doping tests).The UCI'srecent statement regarding Heras' B sample could be telling. TheUCI is quoted that it has "full satisfaction with the way the

The VeloNews Interactive race calendar is back up and running. If you are a race promoter and would like to have your event listed on the web and in the print edition of VeloNews, free of charge, please submit your race details under the Calendar subheading at VeloNews.com.

Celebrating a decade of racing partnership that produced not only the most enduring team association, but also the most successful, in off-road racing history, the Trek Volkswagen team is proud to announce its 2006 team lineup. Building on our celebrated tradition of fostering new talent and American champions, we are happy to welcome recently crowned NORBA U-23 national champ Lea Davison to the squad. The 22-year-old rider recently graduated from Middlebury College in Vermont and she is looking forward to her first season as a full-time professional racer. "I am absolutely ecstatic about

Spanish rider Francisco Mancebo wants nothing less than the podium at next year’s Tour de France with the recent news that his new Ag2r-Prévoyance team is assured of a spot in the UCI’s ProTour. The French team earned a four-year ProTour license earlier this week to take over the spot vacated by Fassa Bortolo. With starts assured in all the major races, Mancebo sounds confident as he prepares for the coming season. "Every year I’ve been able to inch a little higher and my goal this year will be to climb on the Tour podium," Mancebo told the Spanish daily AS. "On paper the race looks very

North American News: Georgia details unveiled; Osipow Discovers Bears; Colorado troubles?

North American News: Georgia details unveiled; Osipow Discovers Bears; Colorado troubles?

Talking to le Boss

Davison's happy to be wearing Trek-VW red

Davison is happy to be wearing Trek colors

Mancebo left Illes Balears to join AG2R

Boonen after winning the world's

Liberty Seguros is trying to put its best foot forward following the devastating news last week that Roberto Heras tested positive for the banned blood booster EPO. While Heras can expect an all-but-certain racing ban and the humiliation of having his 2005 Vuelta a España victory stripped away, the Spanish team is scrambling to limit the damage as it looks ahead to next season. Team manager Manolo Saiz has taken his fair share of flack, with some calling for his scalp in an avalanche of recriminations. Heras tested positive for EPO on the penultimate stage en route to winning the 2005

Dear readers,I am always amazed how a single reader letter can sometimes generate a flood of follow-up mail. Over the last couple of weeks I have received a good deal of e-mail about the potential problems people encounter when they soak chains in Simple Green for an extended period. Many of those notes focused on SRAM chains, and some writers suggested that it was the steel used in those chains that was the root of the problem.Now that I have learned a lot more about it, I doubt it. I believe that SRAM chains were mentioned most often simply because people who soak their chains for long

Rhode Island Hosts Verge NECCS FinalsA state better known for its yacht racing, Rhode Island will becomethe center of American cyclo-cross with this coming weekend’s Verge NewEngland Championships Cyclo-Cross Series Finals, the W.E. Stedman GrandPrix of Cyclo-Cross, on Saturday, and the Castor’s Grand Prix of Cyclo-Cross,on Sunday. Building up to the following weekend’s Liberty Mutual U.S. NationalChampionships, the Ocean State twin bill will provide perfect preparationfor Nationals as well as a race-heavy end to the six-race Verge NECCS.With top riders from all across the U.S. flying in to

Saiz says he continues to believe in Heras

Technical Q&A with Lennard Zinn - Not-so-Simple Green

Technical Q&A with Lennard Zinn - Not-so-Simple Green

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.Demanding rigorDear Editor.It is a shame that in this day and age we cannot support a true hero. Having followed Roberto Heras' career over the past few years from thedays of supporting Lance Armstrong in the U.S. Postal squad to the lastwin in the Vuelta. I was so happy that he had

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. One image that jumped out at us last week was “Welcome Race Fans,” by Jake Benardot. Perhaps in this days of shifting race venues, unpaid bills by promoters and the accompanying political controversy it’s sometimes easy to forget that this sport can just be a real blast to watch… especially events like the Athens Twighlight. Congratulations Jake! Drop us a note at Rosters@InsideInc.com to work out the details and we’ll send

Racers from 15 states and the District of Columbia converged on the Washington, D.C., suburb of Reston, Virginia, on Sunday for round seven of the $30,000 Verge Mid Atlantic Cyclocross Series. The Capital Cross Classic presented by The Bike Lane was the largest cyclo-cross race ever held in Virginia or the district area, with 250 entries comprised of seven classes competing in five events. The featured DARCARS Chrysler International figured to be a wide-open affair with many of the national riders deciding to skip this UCI C2 event for races in Europe or Thanksgiving at home. Stepping into

University Bicycles will host a party for Boulder's own master bicycle framebuilder Lennard Zinn on the evening of Wednesday, December 7. The launch party will celebrate the publication of three books and an instructional DVD that Lennard has authored over a year of almost non-stop writing and video production. The cycling community is invited to attend. Refreshments will be provided, and Lennard will sign books and DVDs. Lennard Zinn, senior technical writer for Boulder-based magazines VeloNews and Inside Triathlon, published new editions of two books with VeloPress this season, "Zinn &

Ford Cycling is pleased to announce its roster of riders and sponsors for the 2006 season. Seasoned professionals Kelli Emmett and Sara Bresnick-Zocchi will both return to ride for the Ford Team in 2006. Joining the team this season will be fourth-year pro Kathy Sherwin. Additionally, the Ford team continues its mission to develop talented female riders by welcoming U-23 rider Melanie Meyers to the squad for 2006. Title sponsor Ford Motor Company has supported the program from its start in 2000 as a grass-roots initiative to its current level as one of the top teams in the U.S. "This team

The French team AG2R has been granted a four-year ProTour license for 2006. The team was denied a ProTour ticket last season, but has bolstered its roster since, signing Spaniard Francesco Mancebo and Christophe Moreau. "One of my qualities is never not to doubt," said director Vincent Lavenu. "Last year, we could not obtain a license, but we continued by building something solid. This is a formidable reward." The announcement means that French squads account for five of the 20 ProTour teams. Spain is next best represented, with four teams, followed by Italy with three. Teams of the 2006

Welcome Race Fans

Lavenu never doubted he'd win a ProTour slot

Tim Johnson knows he’s living right because his decision to come back to cyclo-cross after a three-year absence has Mother Nature’s seal of approval. Johnson (Cyclocrossworld.com-Louis Garneau) is famous for an uncanny knack to ride at a whole other level when the conditions include snow and ice, and that’s just what the 2000 U.S. elite national champion found Saturday at the Gearworks Bay State Cyclo-cross in Sterling, Massachusetts, round four of the 2005 Verge New England Championships Cyclo-Cross Series. With four inches of cold, dry snow covering the tricky course, Johnson was in hog

Giro d’Italia organizers are still holding firm to their bid to conclude the 2006 edition with a split-stage. Days after the 2006 route was announced earlier this month, the UCI shot down organizers’ plans to hold a morning time trial and an afternoon road stage on the Giro’s final day, citing rules that ProTour events can’t have split stages. Organizers, however, insist their plan still has merit because the Giro isn’t likely to be part of the ProTour in 2006. "The rules only apply to the ProTour," Giro race director Angelo Zomegnan told Tutto Bici. "The ProTour rules don’t allow

Johnson loves the tough conditions

McCormack nearly caught up, but fell just short

Bessette raced twice: once with the guys, and again with the women

The UCI has upheld positive dope tests against Vuelta a España winner Roberto Heras and vehemently rejected complaints about its testing procedure. In a statement released late Friday, the UCI expressed its "full satisfaction with the way the procedures relating to this case were carried out and reaffirms its unconditional confidence in the method used to trace EPO." Heras tested positive for erythropoeitin after the 2005 Vuelta's 20th-stage time trial. On Friday a Spanish laboratory detected EPO in his second B sample. The 31-year-old Spaniard, who faces a two-year ban, insisted he

Starting his second Tour de France on June 28, 1985, Greg LeMond was ready to show his new team sponsor, Bernard Tapie, that he was worthy of the near-$1 million, three-year contract given him by the French businessman. Racing in the Mondrian-design red-yellow-and-black La Vie Claire team jersey, LeMond had already come in third at his debut Giro d’Italia while helping his teammate Bernard Hinault win the race for the third time. Now, after Italy’s maglia rosa, it was the Tour’s maillot jaune that was on the team’s horizon. Eighteen 10-man teams started the ’85 Tour with a hilly prologue