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Boonen on the podium with the gold.

Boonen wins the field sprint easily.

Italian fans were crazy, with disappointment.

Boonen really loves his medal.

Peloton flashes past the towers in Plaza Castilla.

Peloton climbs through the park.

Fans finally came out today, for the pros.

Peloton rounds a corner in the park.

Just a few of the guys waiting for the finish.

Saul Raisin leading the break, for about 200 Km.

Amber Neben dared to try to hold off the sprinters in Saturday's elite women's road racing world championships on the 21km Madrid circuit course that almost everyone agrees favors a mass gallop. Neben, winner of the Tour de L'Aude earlier this season, sprung away after the second climb with about 7km to go to nearly catch the sprinters by surprise. Neben clung to a five-second gap, but was reeled in with 4km to go before the powerful German team sling-shot Regina Schleicher into the rainbow jersey. "I was able to get a gap there, but I didn't have the legs to stick it," said

It was a double dose of disappointment Saturday for the American U-23 men's team in the 168km world championships as Ukraine's Dmytro Grabovskyy soloed to an impressive victory. The motivated five-man team missed an early breakaway in the second of eight laps and then American captain Tyler Farrar crashed out in a high-speed pileup in the final kilometers. U.S. team doctor Eric Heiden reported Farrar had some "pretty bad road rash," but no broken bones, but the disappointment was obvious when teammate John Murphy led the Americans across the line 119th some 11 minutes down. "We were

Most observers agree there are three favorites for the elite men's road race: Alessandro Petacchi, Robbie McEwen and Tom Boonen. But every world's delivers at least one surprise. Here's a look at some of the characters who could rock the sprinter's boat: Alejandro Valverde, SpainThe enigma of this year's world's, the 2003 silver medalist has only raced once since pulling out of the 2005 Tour with a sore knee. With three-time defending champion Oscar Freire sidelined, the Spanish team will be doing everything to avoid a sprint. Valverde and other Spanish riders such as

The world championships always provide provide photographers with ample subject matter, especially when they're in a city like Madrid.

Neben tried her hand at an attack with 7km to go

It may take some time to settle in

Saturday provided the first real test of the road course

Somarriba goes on the attack

Neben tries as well

Despite a few early crashes, Saturday's race was generally a smooth affair.

Farrar: It just wasn't a good day for the American squad.

The attacks started early

Grabovskyy and Dall'Antonio cooperated to catch the break

Walker's effort came a little too late

Ukrainian Grabovskyy takes U23 road title

One taste of Spanish ham and you'll soon understand why the stuff is worthy of its own museum.

The Madrid Metro comes complete with its own Diorama to give you a scenic view while waiting for the next train

The U23's first break

The peloton in hot pursuit.

American Steven Cozza leads the peloton through the park on Lap 2

The pasta banner was apparently overcooked, and collapsed about 10 minutes after the peloton passed through. Good timing.

Grabovskyy gives chase...

... and it pays off.

So now we see where that football helmet character who shows up the Tour got his inspiration

Morning sign-in

Neben gives it a shot

Irishman Pat McQuaid was elected the new president of cycling's world governing body at the 174th congress of the UCI at the world road race championships in Madrid on Friday. McQuaid, 56, replaces 64-year-old Dutchman Hein Verbruggen, who has been world cycling's chief for the past 14 years but was nominated an honorary life-long president. Four candidates were originally scheduled to stand for election, although Malaysian Darshan Singh withdrew his candidacy during his 10-minute presentation. Spaniard Gregorio Moreno, supported by the Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC), was

PRESS RELEASE - Phonak forges new talentsThe Swiss UCI ProTour team signs on additional future hopefulsThe team's commitment towards the future couldn't be any clearer: After already having signed on two young pros for the new season, Florian Stalder (23 years old/SWI) and Fernandez Oliveira (25 years old/ESP), ARcycling AG is now giving three more young riders the opportunity to distinguish themselves on one of the world's best cycling teams. The latest recruits for the 2006 squad are David Vitoria (21 years old/SWI), Jonathan Patrick McCarty (23 years old/USA) and Ryder Hesjedal

Italy’s national team manager Franco Ballerini made his name as a tacticalgenius in 2002 by building his world championship squad around sprinterMario Cipollini. Boldly, Ballerini did not include four riders whowere in the top 10 of that year’s UCI world rankings — Michele Bartoli,Davide Rebellin, Franco Casagrande and Dario Frigo — because he wantedriders who could unselfishly set a fast tempo for 250km and set up Cipollinifor the win. The gamble paid off beautifully, with the Lion King roaringhome on Belgium’s flat Zolder circuit well clear of two other world-classfield sprinters, Robbie

The Italians have a great word for athletes who have intrinsic ability that allows them to be instant winners: fuoriclasse, literally “of superlative quality.” The French describe these competitors as surdoué, or “exceptionally gifted.” The closest we can come to that in a single English word is probably Superman — but that implies something supernatural. Fuoriclasse means much more than being gifted. In cycling, it is someone who has a slow pulse, large lungs, perfectly proportioned limbs, lean muscles, and, above all, the brain and mindset to utilize all those attributes to win the world’s

Italian Alessandro Petacchi, one of the favorites to take the men’s road race title in Madrid on Sunday, has inked a three-year deal with the newly formed Milram professional team. The 31-year-old Italian, who has been the Fassa Bortolo team's shining star for the past few years winning stages in all three big Tours, will be joined by German rival Erik Zabel. Zabel, 35, the former six-time winner of the Tour de France green jersey for the sprinters' points competition, also signed a three-year deal. Petacchi, however, failed to show at the team presentation because he was due to

Hein Verbruggen (l) congratulates the UCI's new president Pat McQuaid.

A year before his world title, LeMond was already scoring big wins

When the Athens, Georgia-based Jittery Joe’s pro cycling team (www.thebeanteam.com) first announced its intention to fund itself through the sales of coffee four years ago, perhaps no one would have believed one of its riders would topple Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong on one of the steepest climbs of the hardest stage race in the U.S. Even fewer would have thought that one of the team’s youngest riders would be recruited to ride for Armstrong’s team. But, as Colombian Cesar Grajales proved in 2003 on the Dodge Tour de Georgia’s tough Brasstown Bald Mountain — and Aussie Trent

They’re already calling it the "McEwen Corner," the tricky, 180-degree U-turn that comes 450 meters from the finish line in the road world championships course in Madrid. There’s a growing consensus that the technical finish favors the puckish Australian, known for his tenacity both on and off the bike. McEwen is scheduled to arrive to Madrid on Thursday and head up a motivated and well-disciplined Australian team built around setting him up for a sprint finish. VeloNews European correspondent Andrew Hood spoke with McEwen on Tuesday evening via telephone at his home in Belgium to get the

Madrid - The UCI announced Thursday that the Italian city of Varesewas awarded the 2008 world road race championships.Varese was given the nod ahead of another Italian town, Lucques-Viareggio,and the Dutch city of Valkenburg.Varese hosted the world championships in 1951 when Swiss great FerdiKubler won the title.The UCI has also awarded the BMX championships in 2008 to Taiyuan, China.That discipline will make its Olympic debut that same year in Beijing. Upcoming UCI World cycling championship schedule2006Road - Salzburg, AustriaTrack - Bordeaux, FranceMountain bike - Rotorua, New

Bobby Julich sat alone in the U.S. team tent after finishing Thursday’s 44.1km men’s elite world time trial championships not quite believing his eyes as he watched the final riders come through the finish line. His time of 55:19.86 would only be good enough to stick for 11th, 1:45 behind winner Michael Rogers and nowhere near the top podium spots where he expected he’d finish. “Right now I have to admit it stings, because I wanted to end the season on a high note,” Julich said after toweling down for the final time of the 2005 season. “I shouldn’t have even bothered to come if I knew I was

Madrid- Tour de France chief Patrice Clerc, the president of the company which owns the world's biggest bike race, said he is alarmed by the current state of cycling only a day before the sport elects a new president. On Friday, International Cycling Union (UCI) president Hein Verbruggen is likely to be replaced by his handpicked successor, Irishman Pat McQuaid. The election is being held, however, under a cloud following suggestions from several UCI members that the UCI has not been transparent and, some have claimed, corrupt - charges that have been vehemently denied by the

Vancouver, British Columbia (AP) - World Anti-Doping Agency head Dick Pound called a letter from two sports leaders ''ill informed'' in which they asked WADA to suspend the French laboratory involved in Lance Armstrong's disputed drug tests. The letter also asked for an investigation into who leaked information regarding documents leading to a report that Armstrong used banned substances during the 1999 Tour de France. The seven-time Tour de France winner has denied using banned drugs and said he is the victim of a "witch hunt." Denis Oswald, president of the Association

Wandering around the streets of suburban Madrid, who did we stumble upon but our old buddy Casey Gibson. The man from Colorado Springs is keeping a heavy schedule, spending time at world's and then flying to Las Vegas next week for InterBike. With American hopes pinned on Bobby Julich, Gibson spent the afternoon following the CSC man around and then spotted a few other interesting sights along the way.

Cesar Grajales on the attack

The coffee is back for a decade. Are the Minis?

Have another cup

McEwen already knows the pose. Now he wants the jersey

Johnson is moving on to HealthNet in '06

Trent Lowe and Jittery Joes made an impression at Georgia

Johnson on Brasstown...

Buy some Java and you, too, can sponsor a team

Rogers knew he had it when he crossed the line

Three's a charm

Julich: Not happy with this ride

Wiggins set an early standard

Plaza couldn't repeat his Vuelta TT win

Gutierrez had dreams of a rainbow jersey... until the last rider crossed the line

Full time director sportif and amateur chiropractor, Bjarne Riis makes a couple of last-minute adjustments to Bobby Julich.

Bobby J contemplates the start

Julich was on track for what he thought would be a good ride....

... but maybe the long season has taken its toll.

Eki' is back on the bike

Some had pegged Vino' for the win...

.... but these guys knew better.

Rogers was on-form...

... and well ahead of schedule when he crossed the line.

Familiar territory for the TT man from Oz