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Thorburn rounds the final corner and heads for the line

Doctor's say a diagnosis of Epstein-Barr Virus has gone a long way toward explaining Damiano Cunego's less-than-stellar performance at this year's Giro d'Italia and also put his Tour de France plans in doubt. The 2004 Giro d'Italia champion, who has 18 career titles, will undergo further examinations at Milan's Raffaele hospital on June 20 to determine whether he can compete next month in France. The virus may explain the 23-year-old's disappointing performance for Lampre at this year's Giro in which he finished in 18th position, 24 minutes behind champion

Alexandre Vinokourov might not be the most exciting rider off the bike, but it’s what he does on the bike that’s so enthralling. Attacking is what the shy, soft-spoken man from Kazakhstan does best, not giving pithy quotes to the European cycling hacks that must crane their necks to hear what he has to say. The T-Mobile rider let his actions speak louder than his mumbled words in Thursday’s 182km fourth stage of the Dauphiné Libéré when he followed an attack from Belgian climbing phenom Wim Van Huffel (Davitamon-Lotto) to claim victory on the fearsome slopes of Mont Ventoux. “I made the

Dear Bob,I am a triathlete and do my bike riding with a training partner. We ride side-by-side a majority of the time. Last week when we pulled over at a convenience store a trucker told us we were breaking the law by riding “two abreast.” Is he right?AlbertDear Albert,Anyone who rides with a fellow cyclist is faced with a decision about how to arrange themselves on the roadway. I would guess most reader-no matter what state they live in- ride side by side a majority of the time. This is the best way to pass the sometime monotonous miles (of course there is nothing monotonous about riding

An officiating error and a late-race crash combined to shake up the men’s standings in the Nature Valley Grand Prix on Friday. Shawn Milne (Navigators Insurance) won the Minneapolis Downtown Classic and collected the leader’s jersey after a lap counter that read 2 for two laps gave him an unexpected edge over a small lead group confused about just when stage 3 of the NVGP was supposed to end. Milne sprinted for the line when the lap counter should have read 0, but his sprint turned into an attack when race officials began ringing the bell signaling the final lap. “I went for it, but I

Leipheimer keeps the jersey

Armstrong is focusing on July

Jakshe was among the strongest in the break

Landis, fifth on the day and fourth overall

Van Huffel on the go

Vinokourov and Gomez follow...

Milne wins a confusing crit

Teutenberg outkicks the bunch

A second is not very long, but less than one tick of the second-hand has cost Levi Leipheimer two important victories inside four days of racing at the Dauphiné Libéré. The 31-year-old lost Wednesday's windy, demanding 47km individual time trial to Santiago Botero (Phonak) by a narrow 0.70 seconds. That bitter disappointment comes after losing Sunday's prologue to compatriot George Hincapie (Discovery Channel) by an even more slender 0.17 seconds. So why was Leipheimer smiling after standing atop the podium in sunny Roanne? Because he was wearing the overall leader's jersey, and

Lance Armstrong unveiled a new time trial bike this week at the Dauphiné Libéré that he hopes will catapult him to a seventh Tour de France crown. Following its track record of developing new technology in time for Armstrong's annual summer Tour assault, Trek rolled out the new "TTX" time trial frame utilizing a cutting-edge software design program used to develop Ferrari racing cars and sail boats. "We turned six months of development into five weeks," said Trek's Scott Daubert, adding the project didn't get the green light until right after the Tour de Georgia in April. "We

Botero is enjoying the usual post-T-Mobile surge

Armstrong: On track for Tour No. 7?

Landis finishes in fourth, 13 seconds off of Armstrong's pace

Leipheimer looks primed for July. Is he ready for Ventoux?

Armstrong would like to win on Ventoux, but adds that Leipheimer is the favorite.

"Cycling in the News" is a regular service of VeloNews.com. Readers,reporters and friends are encouraged to send links to current stories aboutcompetitive cyclists and cycling that appear in the mainstream media. Ifyou come across a news item that you believe may be of interest to otherVeloNews readers, we would be grateful if you choose to send it to Rosters@InsideInc.com.Bernama.com - Malaysian National News Agency - June 6, 2005Mahathir Gets Award For Support Of Cycling EventsPUTRAJAYA, June 6 (Bernama) -- The International Cycling Union (UCI)Monday presented Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad with

U.S. Highway 36 cuts a straight line across the grassy eastern toes ofthe Rocky Mountains as it heads north from Boulder's overgrown outskirtsto the sleepy town of Lyons, Colorado.The rolling blacktop is the main vein between Boulder’s busy streetsand a twisting maze of lightly traveled farm roads to the north. It isalso is a starting point for host of narrow canyon rides that twist theirway high into the snowy Front Range. Needless to say, it’s arguably themost popular stretch of road for area cyclists and is regularly cloggedwith two-wheelers of varying shapes and sizes.Like most area

A man named Silver has likely ended any hope that Olympians will compete for gold in New York in 2012. Sheldon Silver and Joseph Bruno, two of three members of the New York state Public Authorities Control Board, abstained in a vote Monday to approve $300 million in funding for a proposed $2.2 billion Olympic Stadium. New York governor George Pataki cast his vote in favour of the project, but unanimous approval was needed for the stadium financing, so assembly speaker Silver and Senate Majority Leader Bruno's inaction crushed the Olympic dream. "This plan is at best premature,"

Ag2R's Samuel Dumoulin moved into the overall leader's jersey after winning the second stage of the Dauphiné Libéré, a 187-kilometer race from Givors to Chauffailles, on Tuesday. The AG2R rider prevailed in a sprint on what was the final, relatively flat stage ahead of Wednesday's 47km time trial – a stage in which Lance Armstrong is favored to win and thus claim his first victory of the season. Dumoulin takes over the race lead from Discovery's George Hincapie. Dumoulin - whose international fame has largely been confined to the distinction being the smallest rider at the

Alexandre Vinokourov said he's ready to ensure that Lance Armstrong's final stab at the Tour de France will not end with the Texan in the yellow jersey. Armstrong, 33, will bid for a seventh consecutive Tour crown before hanging up his bike for good on July 24 when the race arrives on the Champs Elysées. In recent years, Vinokourov's T-Mobile teammate Jan Ullrich has been the American's main rival, and this year again the German is hoping he can finally rob Armstrong of a successful swan song ahead of his retirement. However Vinokourov, who is having an excellent season

What about that tape?Dear Lennard,I think I do a pretty good job of gluing my tires securely, and I re-glueevery year. However, on some of my tires the actual tape is separatingin some places from the tire (the layer between tire and rim). Isthere any way to fix this, or is the tire done for?RyanDear Ryan,I have had good luck in the past using Bargecement. This is a contact cement I have been using since childhoodto patch rafts and I first got some from a shoemaker who used it to gluesoles on. I would guess that it’s widely available at hardware stores or whitewater equipment stores.

Often called the most grueling athletic event in the world, the 2005 Tourde France is professional cycling’s most well known race. With less thana month until the Tour’s opening, VeloNews is pleased to announcethe release of its 2005 edition of the "Official Guide to the Tour deFrance." A collaboration between VeloNews, the journal of competitive cycling, and the Société du Tour de France, the 2005 Official Guide is titled “Grand Finale: Armstrong Aims at Tour Win 7” and features:Detailed rider profiles of Tour hopefuls Jan Ullrich, Floyd Landis, Levi Leipheimer, Ivan Basso,

How long can he keep it?

Not thought to be a threat, the peloton let this group get 20 minutes before starting the chase

Discovery takes a pull...

...Phonak lends a hand...

... but the escape proved to be successful..

... and Hincapie spends his last day in yellow.

Hincapie’s win marks near-American sweep at Dauphiné prologueGeorge Hincapie’s victory in Sunday’s opening prologue at the Dauphiné Libéré is a sure sign American riders are on-form for July’s Tour de France. Four of the five top spots went to American riders, with Hincapie just edging Levi Leipheimer (Gerolsteiner) by 1 second while Floyd Landis (Phonak) and Lance Armstrong (Disccovery Channel) rounded out the top five. Only Andrey Kashechkin (Credit Agricole) stopped the USA sweep. “Today was a great win by George,” Discovery’s sport director Johan Bruyneel said on the team’s web page.

Riding fast is a matter of natural ability, training and desire. All three factors play an important role in keeping the big ring spinning. When discussing natural ability, many people throw around the term “VO2max,” which means maximum oxygen consumption. Many of our clients can recite the definition of VO2max, but few have a good grasp of what VO2max really means. To help clarify things, we will be writing a two part series of basic exercise physiology articles. Today is the first installment and will cover VO2max. Next week, we’ll jump into the world of lactate threshold (LT).

For six Julys in a row, George Hincapie has been one man Lance Armstrong could always count on. The New Yorker is the only teammate who’s been on the Texan’s record six consecutive Tour de France victories. But it’s June, Hincapie is in the leader’s jersey at the Dauphiné Libéré, and this time the tables are turned. In Monday’s long, flat opening road stage pushing west away from the Alps where the real race will be decided later this week, it was Armstrong’s turn to help his ever-loyal lieutenant. The six-time Tour champion helped chase down a breakaway to set up a mass sprint and keep

Despite the three Category 1 climbs on the final stage, this year’s Mt. Hood Cycling Classic in and around Hood River, Oregon, was largely won (and lost) on the time trial stages. Svein Tuft (Symmetrics) set the stage for his overall win by breezing to victory in both the stage 1 prologue and the stage 3 time trial. His lead going into the last stage was enough to hold off the climbing prowess of challengers Andy Bajidali (Vitamin Cottage) and Justin England (Health Net-Maxxis). Scott Moninger (Health Net-Maxxis) was well positioned going into the stage 3 time trial, but a broken chain 50

Role reversal: Armstrong is the peloton's priciest domestique

Discovery gets a little Tour practice in.

Another day in yellow for Hincapie.

The latest Photo Gallery in our continuing photo contest has now been posted for your viewing pleasure. Last Week's WinnersWe’ve awarded a copy of Graham Watson’s Landscapes of Cycling to Ben Webster, for his wonderful portrait of Salvatore Commesso during the individual time trial at the 2004 Tour de Georgia. Thank you Ben and congratulations. We'll be sending you a copy of Graham Watson's "Landscapesof Cycling.As we said, it was a difficult choice and there were several photoswe thought worthy of mention. This week's list of honorable mentions includes: Connecticutin

Aix-les-Bains, France - Spaniard Isidro Nozal and Michele Scotto D'Abusco of Italy will not be riding the Dauphine Libere stage race Sunday after both riders failed early morning blood tests. The 27-year-old Nozal rides for Liberty Seguros run by Manolo Saiz while 22-year-old Scotto D'Abusco rides for Lampre-Caffita. Both were among those from four teams tested early in the morning Sunday ahead of the opening prologue of the seven-stage race, an individua time trial held over 7.9km. The teams tested were Liberty, Domina Vacanze, Lampre and AG2R, the latter being the only non Pro

Aix-les-Bains, France, - Cofidis sprinter Stuart O'Grady admits he won't be firing on all cylinders in this week's Dauphine Libere - though for the no-nonsense Aussie there are bigger aims just around the corner. O'Grady had a huge season last year, winning two stages on the Dauphine, coming second in Milan-San Remo, claiming an Olympic title in Athens and finally winning his first World Cup race at the HEW Classics in Hamburg. The 31-year-old Adelaider admits it has been hard to better those achievements. However with the Tour de France just around the corner - and Italian

Discovery Channel's George Hincapie has won the prologue of the 57th editionof the Dauphiné Libéré, a 7.9-kilometer individual time trial in Aix-les-Bains. Hincapie surprised prologue specialists with a winning time of 9:55 for the 7.9km individual time trial held in hot temperatures in the historic spa town. Four Americans broke into the top five on Sunday, with Hincapie besting Gerolsteiner's Levi Leipheimer by one second. Phonak's Floyd Landis took fourth, bettering Hincapie's teammate Lance Armstrong by one second. Andrey Kashechkin, of Credit Agricole, upstaged his

Unfortunately, the Willingen World Cup weekend ended on a sour note when the men refused to race the 4-Cross, and only 8 women did – doing so under duress. Anneke Beerten (Specialized) was the winner, but all riders on the podium turned their backs to the cameras. The downhill, on the other hand, was a complete success. Anne-Caroline Chausson (COX) made her return to World Cup competition after recovering from a broken shoulder at the World Championships last fall, with a convincing win, while Greg Minnaar (Honda) took the leader's jersey in the men's category with his victory.

While the Keystone State already has a town with the name, Philadelphia might want to start thinking of borrowing the moniker “Germantown” for a few hours every year. Ina Yoko Teutenberg (T-Mobile) became the eighth German winner in the 11 editions of the Wachovia Liberty Classic, out-kicking a select break at the end of the 57.6-mile race. The gigantic women’s field was scheduled for four laps of the 14.4-mile lap, but less than half-way through the opening tour a careless cross of wheels sent riders scattering and created the first of several scenes of havoc on a nervous first lap. But as

With three men off the front of the field by more than one minute in the final kilometers of the USPRO Championships, held Sunday in Philadelphia, two truths had become self-evident: there would be an all-American podium, meaning one rider was going to win the race as well as the stars-and-stripes national champion’s jersey awarded to the first American across the line. Out of a dwindling 40-man breakaway that had gone clear early in the 156-mile race, Chris Horner (Saunier Duval-Prodir) and Chris Wherry (Health Net-Maxxis) escaped on the last of 10 trips over the infamous Manayunk Wall,

Fassa Bortolo dominated the five-stage Tour of Luxembourg, but it’s Laszlo Bodrogi (Credit Agricole) who’s sneaking away with the trophy Sunday. Fassa Bortolo won three stages in four days, but Bodrogi was just fast enough in the deciding time trial to secure the overall victory by just 0.13 seconds. The deciding stage was Saturday's 10.8km time trial when Fassa’s young gun Fabian Cancellara won, but couldn't quite make up enough time to Bodrogi. Despite winning the stage, the difference remained less than a half-second in the overall. An early breakaway Sunday ruined

Armstrong appears to be on track

Landis is showing good form

Leipheimer earns second

George in yellow.

Kashechkin

Chausson is back

Minnaar rode the fastest, despite the conditions.

Yeahhhhh.... that'll show 'em,

For Teutenberg, her first Philly win was déjà vu all over again

Pate takes a gamble....

A hot day in Philly

Rodriguez wasn't in the right break Sunday...

... and neither was Julich.

Three men off the front.

... as Horner and Wherry give chase.

Horner was strongest on the climb...

Horner was aggressive throughout

This race is a big draw in Philly

Wherry gives it a shot.

VeloNews Photo Contest: A new gallery

It’s the stuff of legend, the subject of a recent documentary and the race all North American racers dream of. On Sunday, June 5, the single most important day of racing on the American calendar takes place in Philadelphia — the 156-mile USPRO Championship — and by day’s end, one rider will be crowned U.S. national champion. An open national championship with nearly $150,000 in prize money, the event known as “Philly” is open to riders from Europe and beyond, meaning that there could be two winners on Sunday - the first man across the line, and the first American and subsequent national