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Casper leads an escape

Petacchi and his podium-mates

Freire had good legs - until the final 500 meters

Rodriguez was still feeling the effects of his Paris-Nice crash

Vicioso took his best shot

Fassa on the hunt

Rebellin on the attack

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.Belgians right to oppose witch huntEditor:Finally, a voice of reason from inside cycling. I applaud the letter Belgian sports officials wrote to De Standaard pointing out that the fight against doping is become a moral crusade, or witch hunt (see “Belgians attack anti-doping rules”). I

Start List - Milan-San Remo (as of March 18, 2005)1. Oscar Freire Gomez (Sp), Rabobank2. Erik Dekker (Nl), Rabobank3. Jan Boven (Nl), Rabobank4. Maarten Den Bakker (Nl), Rabobank5. Pedro Horrillo Munoz (Sp), Rabobank6. Karsten Kroon (Nl), Rabobank7. Gerben LÖwik (Nl), Rabobank8. Marc Wauters (B), Rabobank9. Ruggero Marzoli (I), Acqua & Sapone - Adria Mobil10. Gabriele Balducci (I), Acqua & Sapone - Adria Mobil11. Jure Golcer (SLO), Acqua & Sapone - Adria Mobil12. Simone Masciarelli (I), Acqua & Sapone - Adria Mobil13. Bo Hamburger (Dk), Acqua & Sapone - Adria Mobil14. Giuseppe Palumbo (I),

World champion Oscar Freire (Rabobank) will saddle up for Milan-San Remo on Saturday as perhaps the smartest bet for victory after the 29-year-old won three stages at Tirreno-Adriatico last week on his way to taking the overall honors. In a race where those who took part were guaranteed long, uninterrupted days of racing, unlike at Paris-Nice, Italian sprinter Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo) also showed his form, beating the likes of Freire, Stuart O'Grady (Cofidis), Robbie McEwen (Davitamon-Lotto) and Norway's Thor Hushovd on his way to matching Freire's stage tally of

CARSON, CA (March 18, 2005) - Inside Communications' VeloNews, the world's largest competitive cycling publication, has been named as an official sponsor of the 2005 UCI Track Cycling World Championships and the ADT Event Center. As North America's journal of record, VeloNews covers all disciplines in the sport of cycling, including track, road racing, mountain biking and endurance events, both nationally and internationally. The ADT Event Center velodrome at The Home Depot Center in Carson is making final preparations to host this year's premier track-cycling event - the

Tom Boonen says Quick Step teammate Paolo Bettini enters Saturday’s Milan-San Remo as the leader, but didn’t discount his chances if it comes down to a sprint on the Via Roma. “The past two times I’ve raced here I lost a lot on the Poggio, losing my position. The key will be at the front,” Boonen said in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport on the eve of the classic kickoff. “I’m sure I will be able to hang on going over the Cipressa and the Poggio.” Boonen downplayed the hint of rivalry between himself and Olympic champion Bettini, who enters La Primavera after struggling with an

Health Net-Maxxis swept the opener at California’s San Dimas Stage Race on Friday, putting Scott Moninger atop the podium followed by three of his teammates. Moninger won the Glendora Chevrolet Time Trial, shortened by rainy weather to just 3.8 miles up Glendora Canyon Road, in 13:33, followed by Chris Wherry at 24 seconds back, John Lieswyn at 0:24 and Mike Jones at 0:35. In women’s racing, it was a pair of T-Mobiles bracketing a Rona as Kristin Armstrong took the honors in 15:46 ahead of Canadian Genèvieve Jeanson at 0:19 and Kimberly Baldwin at 0:31. Stage 2, Saturday’s

Unlike Zabel, Freire saved his celebration for after the finish

Gord Fraser working the 3.8-mile climb

Genèvieve Jeanson, trying to outride the storm

No, that's not Ireland above John Lieswyn, but soggy SoCal

Christine Thorburn counting down in the start tent

Umbrellas were plentiful at the start

With his usual intensity, Eric Wohlberg takes a corner tight

Lance Armstrong received yet another award this week after receivingthe Grand Prix de l’Academie des Sports in Paris on Tuesday, where he toldreporters he’s behind in his preparation for the Tour de France. Armstrong said wintry weather at the recent Paris-Nice wasn’t the idealsetting for his return to Europe. Cold weather and a fever prompted theTexan to not start the fourth stage. “Maybe I shouldn’t have started Paris-Nice. It was a hard race, veryfast, intense and with bad weather,” he said. “I must admit I’m a littlebit behind, more than I normally would be.” Armstrong insisted he’ll

A group of Belgian sports officials, including the Olympic team leader, launched an attack Wednesday on World Anti-Doping Agency rules, arguing they were hypocritical, excessive and unfairly targeted athletes. ‘= Besides Olympic team leader Robert Van de Walle, the 11 officials also included Wilfried Meert, organizer of the Van Damme athletics meet, former judo coach Jean-Marie Dedecker and doctor Yvan Demol of the QuickStep cycling team. In an open letter published by De Standaard newspaper yesterday, they wrote "the fight against doping has turned into a moral crusade, a sort of witch

Walters gets a taste of Belgium Nokere-Koerse (1.1)The 60th edition of the Belgian semi-classic Nokere-Koerse was heldWednesday on 193Km of Belgian roads that included 11 ascents of the famedNokereberg.Navigators' Kirk O'Bee escaped in an early breakaway with 17 otherson the initial large opening lap.  The gap never climbed above 45-seconds,and the group was reeled back in on the 3rd of 10 finishing circuits. A 5-man group was able to escape and gained an advantage of over 4:00 duringthe 4-6th laps, but their advantage wasn't enough to keep the main pelotonat bay.  With a strong

Armstrong at Tuesday's awards ceremony

Paolo Bettini would rather win the Tour of Flanders instead of another Milan-San Remo. That’s not to say the Cricket isn’t interested in Saturday’s classicissima, a race he won in 2003. “Milan-San Remo is an objective, but this year I really like the Tour of Flanders, a race I’ve never won,” he said in an interview with the Spanish daily AS. “It’s not easy to say, ‘I wan to win a race,’ and later go do it. One of my characteristics is tenacity. When I set an objective, I prepare for it 100 percent to achieve it.” The Quick Step star didn’t have his trademark bounce in Tirreno-Adriatico,

Following his overall victory at Tirreno-Adriatico, Spain's Oscar Freirehas assumed the leader's jersey of the UCI's new ProTour race series.Freire moved past the series's first overall leader, American BobbyJulich (CSC). Like Freire, Julich won 50 ProTour points for his overallvictory at Paris-Nice, but the Rabobank sprinter also earned three additionalpoints for his three stage victories in the week-long Italian stage race.The next event in the ProTour is Saturday's edition of Milan-San Remo, a former World Cup event with a points distribution identical to those earned

Bjarne Riis is not one of the easiest interviews for a cycling hack. Often times the 1996 Tour de France winner will reply with a “baagh,” a shrug of his shoulders and a concise, six-syllable answer. That’s followed by an awkward silence while the interviewer scrambles to think of another question to ask the interviewee. But when you catch Riis in a good mood, which has happened a lot lately with Team CSC’s early season success, he gives thoughtful answers to thoughtful questions. Riis, after all, actually has some interesting things to say. The 41-year-old Dane is a man on a mission,

VeloNews renews Insight Race Across America program dealBoulder, CO -- America's only bicycle race with its own networkTV show -- the 3,047-mile Insight Race Across America (RAAM) -- has renewedits agreement with VeloNews to produce its 2005 and 2006 event program.The program will be featured as a special tabloid-sized section insidethe magazine, while over-prints will be distributed in Tailwinds and UltraCyclingmagazines. Total distribution is 100,000 copies, making the program amongthe most efficient ad buys of the year for VeloNews.Now in its 24th year, RAAM is among the oldest

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.Now there's an ideaDear VeloNews,Regarding theNew York Post's article about Armstrong being a traitor: Isthis the same idiot who came up with the concept of naming french fries"freedom" fries?Give me a break. Maybe now they will petition OLN to cut the TourDe France from

Dear Monique,Many thanks for all of the nutrition advice recently posted in yourweb column. I had a couple of follow-up questions that I hoped you couldhelp me with. What should my basic caloric intake be on the days that Ido not train or ride, and what should comprise the majority of these calories?I am currently at 145 lb. and want to maintain this weight.Jed H.Dear Jed,Your questions bring up the important consideration of nutritionalrecovery on rest or very light training days. On rest days most enduranceathletes are concerned about not overeating, and adjusting to a drop incalorie

Bettini celebrates his last - and the last - UCI World Cup

It's not every day that the President shows up for your bike show. Butas a measure of how important the bicycle industry has become to the economicengine of Taiwan, PresidentChen Shui-bian took a break from his saber-rattling with mainland Chinaover the issue of Taiwan's independence to deliver the keynote speech atthe opening of the 18th annual Taipei International Cycle Show, March 4- 7. With an impressive contingent of gat-packing bodyguards discreetly protecting his flanks for the ribbon-cutting, President Chen proclaimed himself a card-carrying member of the bicycle fan club.

Team CSC boss Bjarne Riis took personal satisfaction in Bobby Julich’s dramatic victory in Paris-Nice. After all, it was the 1996 Tour de France winner who helped resurrect Julich’s fortunes by bringing him into the iconoclastic Danish team for the 2004 season. Julich was quick to praise Riis for his revival. When asked before the start of Sunday’s stage how he could explain his winning ways, Julich gave a precise answer. “One thing and that’s Bjarne Riis,” said Julich, who became the first American to the Race to the Sun. “Bjarne has a gift. He takes chances on people. We all believe in

Rabobanks's Oscar Freire won the overall title at Tirreno-Adriatico as the week-long event ended in Civitanova, Italy, on Tuesday. Freire was well-placed in the middle of the field at the end of a race won by Fassa Bortolo’s Alessandro Petacchi who, like Freire, has won three stages in this, the second event in the new UCI Pro Tour. "I did not take part in the sprint, but I am particularly pleased because, apart from winning the race, I won three stages," Freire said. "I didn't expect I would do as well as that." Earning 50 points for the overall title and one point for each of

For triathletes, Profile offers the TriStryke saddle, which in additionto a huge center vent and titanium rails boasts notches underneath at thefront and rear to make racking your bike easier in the transition area.At 275 grams, the TriStryke is available now.PZ ComponentsPZ Components is the new name for Pazzazz, a moniker that never caughton for reasons we'll let others decide. But the attractions of PZ's partsare undebatable: nice design, great features, and attractive pricing. PZ's focus in recent years has been on composite technology, and this year thecompany is offering

President Chen opens the show. Hey, what's a little sovereignty dispute with China when you can ride bikes instead?

Argon 18's bike fit system uses a full-size bike with articulated joints

The Aero RPT bonds an aluminum front end to a carbon rear

Bear Bone cassettes from Ken Bikes are lightweight wonders.

ControlTech's new aerobar has the working name Air Razor.

ControlTech's new aluminum bar is hydroformed with flats on top to fit the palms.

Deda's Aeroblack is a flat aero bar that accepts a new extension (not shown) dubbed Fast Black.

Underside of the Aeroblack shows thoughtful cable routing.

The Deda Campione is a classic road bar in full carbon.

Easton's AeroForce and DeltaForce are a lightweight combination.

Easton's EC70 bar and stem are inexpensive ways to go carbon.

CSC at Paris-Nice: Not too bad.

FSA's new RD 460 wheels take disc brakes and are designed for cyclo-cross

TriGel Aero saddle is faired underneath to aid aerodynamics

The aluminum spokes broaden from hub to rim, for better aerodynamics

The one-piece seat tube/seat mast for the T-Mobile bikes cuts weight, but won't make it into Giant's general production bikes this year.

Millennium 4Ever is a comfortable aluminum bar with a stylish white carbon stem clamp

ITM's Nivola is a bare-bones, full-racing carbon aerobar

Millennium 4Ever is a comfortable aluminum bar with a stylish white carbon stem clamp

ITM's Nivola is a bare-bones, full-racing carbon aerobar

The rear vents in the Limar 950 are designed to keep you cool.

Profile has designed new carbon extensions for the T2 Wing aerobar, but we screwed up the photos; the aluminum extensions shown are the T2+ models.

Tristryke has notches underneath, front and rear, to aid racking the bike in the transition area.

PZ has created a full line of components in white carbon; stems, bars and seatposts are also available.

The Dura-Ace tubeless rim is externally reinforced at every spoke

The Dura-Ace tubeless wheel hub appears to be the same as that on the current wheel.

Selcof's new Premium Flat bar and stem come in black or white carbon.

The secret to the Selle Italia Signo's ride revealed.

PZ has created a full line of components in white carbon; stems, bars and seatposts are also available.

Tristryke triathlon saddle has notches underneath, front and rear, to aid racking the bike in the transition area.

Did mullets come back while we weren't looking?

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

The new X.0 features a carbon-reinforced cage.

X.0 trigger shifters have carbon covers and adjustable bar clamps

Markus Storck with his new creation for Tange. (Please hold the Millennium Falcon toilet seat jokes.)

Fassa Bortolo’s Alessandro Petacchi took his second stage victory of this year’s Tirreno-Adriatico on Monday, winning the sixth stage of the race, a 164km circuit near Civitanova. Rabobank’s Oscar Freire held on to the leader’s jersey finishing second to Petacchi, just ahead of Australian Robbie McEwen. Freire started from a long way out with veteran sprinter Mario Cipollini in his slipstream, but he was not able to match the speed of Petacchi. Petacchi, who has amassed stage victories in each of the three-week “grand tours” – the Giro d’ Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a España –

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.Post column was a cheap shotVeloIt really is unfortunate that an ultra-conservative tabloid like theNew York Post has attacked Lance Armstrong's personal life whilecriticizing his tepid endorsement of Paris for the 2012 Olympics.As a New Yorker I also endorse any other country besides

A couple of hours before hearing that Bobby Julich had won this year’s Paris Nice, I happened to be sifting through my unorganized collection of VeloNews back issues. I stumbled on a rare find: the 1999 official Tour de France guide –a handy reader for the American cycling fan. The 82-page glossy mag’ came complete the usual guide guts –stage maps, tons of photos of now-dated bikes and gear, a ton of photos of Marco Pantani, and mini-profiles of the Americans who would ride the Tour, including now-retired big guns Frankie Andreu, Kevin Livingston, and Jonathan Vaughters (note, Vaughters was

Bobby Julich held off a flurry of vicious attacks from Alejandro Valverde (Illes Balears) and Constantino Zaballa’s entire Saunier Duval team in Sunday’s final stage of Paris-Nice, taking the overall title to the very first event in the UCI’s new ProTour calendar. But it almost didn’t happen that way. Indeed, Julich believed that the worst was behind him as he rolled to the crest of the day’s final climb, the Col d’Eze, just 16km from the day’s finish in Nice. Just a descent and a flat ride to the finish stood between him and certain victory in Paris-Nice when he suffered an unexpected

QuickStep’s Servais Knaven claimed the fifth stage of the week-long Tirreno-Adriatico stage race in style in Saltara, Italy, on Sunday. Spain's reigning world road race champion Oscar Freire of the Rabobank team retained the overall lead ahead of Tuesday's final stage, having won the three previous stages. The 34-year-old Knaven, the 2001 winner of Paris-Roubaix, claimed his first victory of the season after seeing his brave attack 25km into the 170km race, which started and ended in Saltara, come to fruition. The Dutchman was soon joined by four riders and together they went on

The introduction of major reforms in cycling by the International CyclingUnion (UCI) has led to the creation of a new Pro Tour series, the firstrace of which, the Paris-Nice, ended on Sunday.Now coupled with major stage races, the series will also replace boththe 10-race World Cup - which included many one-day classics such as theMilan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix - and the UCI world rankings. Instead,the Pro Tour's 27 races, which will include the Tours of Italy, Franceand Spain, will reward the riders with the most points with a Pro Tourleader's jersey.The Tour de France, being the

An arbitration decision in the blood-doping case of U.S. Olympic gold medal-winning cyclist Tyler Hamilton is still on hold, according to the cyclist himself. Hamilton wrote on his website that while the hearing itself has ended, arbitrators are still considering the evidence given at the proceedings in Colorado, where the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency argued its case and Hamilton offered his defense. "Normally a case closes when the hearing ends," Hamilton wrote. "However, my case was fairly complicated, given the amount of testimony provided. So, for a number of reasons, it is still