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Since we’re hunkering down to produce the 2005 VeloNews Buyer’s Guide, I’m going to have to keep this week’s column a bit tighter (read: shorter) than usual. Excuses aside, I have to say that the most exciting part of producing this year’s BG has got to be the “Bikes of the ProTour” section. When the idea of rounding up every production ProTour replica bike was first pitched in November, I have to admit it seemed more than far-fetched to me. I mean, I was going to be the guy responsible for ordering 15 of the hardest-to-get road bikes of 2005 – a long shot in full production months of May

McEwen had no interest in chasing

The Nav's did, though

Sanchez is still in command

Sanchez is enjoying his time in the spotlight

'Pretty bloody happy,' White scores stage win in Oz

Alf Buttler and John Wilcockson in Wales

The RockShox Pike Air

Rumors are flying that Ag2r and Phonak will be the two wild-card teams selected for the 2005 Tour de France. The Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport tipped inside sources that these two teams will be selected for the Tour when the wild-card teams are announced Jan. 31. Under new ProTour rules, 19 top teams are already guaranteed places in the Tour, leaving race organizers just two cards to play in rounding out the team list. In the past, French teams have been favored by Tour officials when issuing wild-card invitations. Ag2r is the top French team overlooked in the ProTour selection

Spain's Luis Sanchez, touted as the next Miguel Indurain, is the new leader in the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under after an enthralling third stage between Glenelg and Victor Harbor on Thursday. Sanchez, 21, from the Murcia region and riding for Liberty Seguros, outsprinted Belgian Johan Van Summeren to win the stage after both riders attacked a 26-man breakaway 20km from the finish. The win catapulted Sanchez into the leader's yellow jersey after he trailed Queensland's Robbie McEwen by 12 seconds overnight. McEwen, 32, winner of the opening two stages was the day’s biggest loser, missing

Dear Readers,Last week we got a note from C.A. in Connecticut, who asked: In general, what is the legality of a group ride? If I email my friends and say, “Let’s all meet at my place at 6 AM for a century ride, I’ll lead,” and someone joins me and gets hit by a car while on my ride, to what degree can I be held legally accountable? Second, what if my group includes a university cycling team with members under 18? In response to that question, we talked about the most simple case, that of co-participant liability in a sport—what happens if you misjudge that gap in the big sprint and

French prosecutors have opened an investigation into the doping allegations against six-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong that were originally outlined in the book "L.A. Confidential - Les Secrets de Lance Armstrong." Officials were quoted in Thursday’s edition of Le Parisien that the investigation stems from a magistrate's interview with Armstrong's former Irish soigneur Emma O'Reilly, who was reported to have confirmed the allegations of the Texan using the banned blood booster EPO (erythropoietin) she made in the book, written by Sunday Times of London sports journalist David

Ask TIAA-CREF team director Jonathan Vaughters how important the upcoming season is along the career path of his team’s new leader Will Frischkorn, and he’ll tell you that in a word, it’s crucial. After five years racing at the professional level the 23-year-old Frischkorn is, for the first time in his career, being given the opportunity to lead a team. “Will is 23, going to be 24 this year, and at that sort of the age, you really have three options,” Vaughters said. “Maybe not for somebody that starts racing at 22, but Will’s been at this for more than five years. At the point he’s at in

McEwen's hopes of an overall win evaporated Thursday

Sanchez joined Van Summeren in the winning move 20km from the finish

QuickStep drove the chase...

... but, as it turns out, the team would still have another 100km to ride Thursday

Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood: A Will to win

Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood: A Will to win

Robbie McEwen overcame a rogue civilian and a near crash into the barriers to win an unprecedented 10th stage of the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under in Tanunda on Wednesday. In another bunch sprint finish, McEwen just had too much power for Italian Paride Grillo and Queenslander Allan Davis. The Tour de France sprint champion won clearly, but the margin would have been greater had he not had to change direction about 250m from the line. “We nearly hit some bloke on his bike with about 800m to go,” McEwen said. “He was just riding along the road. It's bad enough with the parked cars and then

Bettini already has Madrid on his mind Olympic champion Paolo Bettini is already putting the 2005 world championships at the top of his list of goals for the upcoming season. The “Cricket” was a disappointing DNF in last fall’s worlds on the Verona course, but hopes to earn the rainbow jersey that’s so far eluded him. “The worlds are always one of my objectives, but after my win at the Olympics, I’m more tranquil than the other favorites,” Bettini said during a break at the Quick Step training camp in Italy. “Petacchi has already gone to see the course and he says it’s a course that’s

What police called an “important network” of drug trafficking between Belgium and France was dismantled Tuesday and Wednesday, with 25 people being arrested for questioning in the two countries and several of them being caught red-handed. “This trafficking seems unhappily to involve cyclists at different levels, both amateurs and semi-professionals,” confirmed Denis Chausserie-Laprée, a vice procurator with the Bordeaux branch of the specialist interregional judiciary (JIRS), at a press conference held with the police investigators. The magistrate refused to give the identities of the people

McEwen strikes a familiar pose

O'Loughlin and crew built a 5:40 lead at one point... but then the chase started

Tour de France chief Jean-Marie Leblanc admits it is only a matter of time before Australia’s ever-improving cycling contingent can finally produce a Tour winner. “I never say this or that guy is going to win the Tour, but a rider like Michael Rogers, who is young, who knows how to climb, who is good in the time trial and who is in a Quick Step team which is very professional and focused has a great chance,” Leblanc told AFP. “He's got everything needed to do it, and he knows what's required of him. In two or three years he can get on the podium in Paris. I'm almost certain of

Robbie McEwen continued his brilliant early season form with a thrilling victory in the opening stage of the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under in Adelaide's East End Tuesday evening. In an All Australian trifecta, McEwen beat Queenslander Allan Davis with South Australian hero Stuart O'Grady third after 25 frenetic laps of a 2.5km circuit before a crowd estimated at close to 65,000. It was McEwen's ninth stage victory in seven years and followed closely on his win in the Australian Open road championship in Echunga on Saturday.

300 FREE ENTRIES ‘UP FOR GRABS’ FOR JUNIOR XC CYCLISTS AT 2005 SEA OTTERCLASSICNapa Sheriff’s Activities League offers nationwide youth a ‘freeride’ at cycling’s largest, most competitive race for Juniors.Monterey, Calif., January 18, 2005 — The Napa Sheriff’s ActivitiesLeague (NSAL) and Sea Otter Classic, the most celebrated cycling festivalin North America, announced today they will offer 300 complimentary entriesto junior riders. There are 14 Junior Cross Country events for youths 18and under. The 15th annual Sea Otter Classic, known throughout the cyclingworld as the “grand season

Six weeks after the news broke that that there would be no more gravity racing or riding at Snow Summit Resort in Big Bear Lake, California, word came Tuesday that the NORBA national mountain bike series event that was scheduled there for May 13-15 has been moved to Brian Head, Utah, where it will take place on July 29-31. The reason behind the move, according to event organizer Tom Spiegel, was directly related to Snow Summit’s decision to ban downhill bikes from its slopes in the wake of a lawsuit filed by a rider that was badly injured while racing at the resort in June of 2003. “My

Dear Lennard,I recently converted to wheels with bladed spokes, and now my speedometermagnet no longer fits onto the spoke (I have a Performance brand Axiom8.0C). Is there any solution where I don't have to buy an entire new computer?If I do have to upgrade, can you recommend one that will mount to a bladedspoke?AndrewDear Andrew,You can buy separate magnets for this type of spoke. For example, lookingin the Quality Bicycle catalog, and estimating the retail price, it lookslike you could get a hand-tightening Campagnolo magnet for $27 that I ampretty sure I have used on bladed spokes, a

INSIGHT RACE ACROSS AMERICA HITS NBC NATIONAL AIRWAVESWorld’s Ultra-Endurance Cycling Elite Captured in Riveting 2-hourDocu-DramaTEMPE, Arizona—The Insight Race Across America (RAAM), whichpassed through your area last June, is pleased to announce a two-hour NBCSports airing of the 2004 race on Saturday, January 22, 2005, 2.30 p.m.– 4.30 p.m. EST (check local listings for variations). Insight RAAM isthe American answer to the Tour de France, attracting many of the leadingultra-marathon cyclists in the world.Now in its 24th year, RAAM has worldwide recognition beyond the wildestdreams of the

McEwen's season is starting off right

Another summer evening in Adelaide

Two-time Giro d’Italia winner Gilberto Simoni was among the top names to underline his aims for the coming season a day ahead of the start of cycling's Tour Down Under in Adelaide, Australia, Monday. The Italian joined local hope Stuart O'Grady, a two-time winner of the season's first stage event, Spaniard Isidro Nozal and Australian all rounder Cadel Evans in singling out the race as an increasingly significant date on the growing global calendar. "I've noticed in the past that when McEwen and O'Grady compete here they tend to have successful seasons, do well at the Tour de France and even

Discovery Channel officials are still unsure how long 2002 Giro d’Italia champion Paolo Savoldelli will be sidelined after breaking his collar bone in three places during a training ride in California over the weekend. Savoldelli was scheduled for surgery on Sunday in a Santa Barbara hospital and officials are still waiting to find out how long the Italian will be set back. Savoldelli crashed in a training ride Saturday during the team’s annual training camp near Solvang when his front tire exploded after hitting a pothole. He was initially seen by team doctors on the scene and then

SIMONI HEADS TO Oz WITH NEW FI'ZI:K SADDLE: THE LIMITED EDITION AUSSIE ARIONE-Technology Plus Flexology Yields Power & Comfort-14 January 2005 - Pozzoleone, Italy ¡V Gearing up for what is often considered the official start of the race season, even if just for warm climate training, Lampre-Caffita's Gilberto Simoni is off to Australia for his first Tour Down Under with an honorary saddle in tow: the Aussie Arione. Paying respect to the hosting country and in honor of Simoni¡¦s first Tour Down Under, fi'zi:k called upon its limited edition material suppliers to produce the special cover

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.What would Eddy do?Editor:On the subject of Lance Armstrong making a decision about riding the Tour this year, I think it is useful to ask the question: "What would Eddy do?" The Tour today is the most important cycling race of the year, bar none. This was not necessarily the case when

“Nothing compares with the simple pleasure of a bike ride.”– President John F. Kennedy Why ride a bicycle? When I asked 10 observers of the bicycle industry, they replied with inspired observations, unprintable expletives, lively endorsements of guilt-free dessert consumption and one common complaint — “Jeez, to pare it down to just one reason is difficult.” A Zen teacher once asked his students why they rode bicycles. One said he rode to carry potatoes. Another cycled to observe the world. A third said it cleared the mind, and a fourth said cycling put him in harmony with all sentient

Simoni's saddle sponsor, fi’zi’k, showed its support by producing a special saddle for event.

PRESS RELEASE - Simoni gets new saddle for TDU

Cycling makes you smart

Recently-crowned Olympic track champion Stuart O'Grady is among the contenders who will find the going tough when the first stage race of the season begins at the Tour Down Under in Adelaide, Australia, on Tuesday. O'Grady, the 31-year-old local rider who had blistering form with his French Cofidis team last season, has been tipped for overall success in the race which takes the peloton through the wine-growing regions of southern Australia. The Adelaider, the winner in 1999 and 2001, came a close third when he last took part in 2003. But during six days of racing, O'Grady's ambitions will

The Discovery Channel pro cycling team has reported that Paolo Savoldelli crashed during a training ride at the team's training camp in Solvang, California, on Saturday, breaking his collarbone. Savoldelli, winner of the 2002 Giro d'Italia, crashed after his front tire blew out. He had apparently damaged his tire when he hit a pothole on a climb. "It happened suddenly while we were climbing up a short hill at about 20kph," Michael Barry, one of Savoldelli's new teammates recalled. "He went down immediately and never had a chance to react. His collar bone took the entire blow of the fall

After California was battered by wet, wind and colder-than-normal weather, some had doubts that the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling team would be holding its scheduled training camp in Solvang, California, this week. Doubts? Why most of these guys used to ride for a sponsor whose motto was "Neither rain, nor snow nor..." Well, the weather has cleared and even though it's still chillier than usual, most of the Discovery team is in Solvang working out the post-holiday kinks and getting ready for a full season of racing as a part of the UCI's new ProTour. Photographer Casey Gibson is in

Rabobank’s Sven Nijs led a five-up Belgian sweep at the ninth round of the UCI cyclo-cross World Cup in Nommay, France, on Sunday. Nijs, the current Belgian national champion, World Cup leader and a favorite to take the title of world champion in Germany at the end of the month, earned his 19th major win of the season, escaping from an elite group of leaders that included second-place finisher Tom Vannoppen, third-placed Sven Vanthourenhout, Erwin Vervecken and Davy Commeyne, who rounded out the top-five. Reigning world champion, Bart Wellens, who has never quite found his form this season,

O'Grady had a fine day at Germany's HEW classic last year

Sean Yates and Johann Bruyneel are deciding on the route for the morning ride. Its a question of how many loops to include for a four- or six-hour ride, while still keeping things interesting.

Hincapie checks the helmet to see everything is screwed on right before a ride.

George Hincapie and Michael Barry lead the Classics group on a climb towards the coast north of Santa Barbara.

Rubiera on the front of the second group, near the coast. With 28 riders, two groups is a must.

With the beautiful California coast in the background, Barry and Hincapie set the pace.

Hincapie and Barry working hard at the top of the big climb to the coast.

Hincapie is one of the group leaders, and sets the pace on the harder stretches.

Lance Armstrong is all bundled up for an early January training ride.

Armstrong, at thefront of the group, is looking fit for this early in the season.

Jason McCartney is riding at the front with Armstrong and enjoying every minute of it.

Michael Creed and Tom Danielson are working hard, preparing for the trip to Malaysia and the Tour de Langkawi at the end of January.

Max Van Heeswijk is getting ready for the early season classics.

When Benoit Joachim isn't riding, he spends his time taking pictures of his mates.

Jose Azevedo relaxes.

At the end of the ride, Vince Gee works on one of the 28 bikes he needs to wash and get ready for the next day.

Clean and ready to roll, the new team bikes show off the new team colors for '05.

Savoldelli earlier in the week.

Danielson: ‘Repeat will be difficult’Tom Danielson will be starting his season early with a return trip to the Tour de Langkawi (January 28-February 6), the race he won in 2003 that proved to be his springboard to the big-time for the Colorado climber. Now embarking on the 2005 season with Discovery Channel, Danielson said he’s traveling to Malaysia with the idea of building fitness for what will be an important season in Europe. “In 2003, the plan all along was to try and have a good ride in Genting. Nathan (O'Neill) was in incredible form throughout and through his and the team's support,

Levi Leipheimer is training this week in Mallorca, Spain, where he's lining up for his first of two seasons with Gerolsteiner. The German team was looking for another GC rider to complement Georg Totschnig, and Leipheimer was looking for new challenges after three seasons with Rabobank.Working on the upcoming VeloNews "Road Season Preview," European correspondent Andrew Hood came to Mallorca and spoke with Leipheimer this week as the American pro reflected on his years with Rabobank and what he's hoping for in 2005 and beyond. This is part two of the interview; to read part one, click here.

Danielson en route to winning Langkawi in 2003

McEwen takes the title

Leipheimer's aiming higher with Gerolsteiner

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.No Arenberg? Aw, heckEditor:What, no Arenberg? Okay, then, "The Heck of the North.” Nice. Todd MindermannSeattle, Washington Teams, riders could help fix the ForestEditor:It is an absolute shame to have to miss this section of classic terrain. However, if all that is required is a bit

Team Group Health/Sound Velo, based out of Seattle, Washington, has been named USA Cycling’s 2004 Women’s Club of the Year. The Team won the award with a combination of top results, community involvement and contribution to the sport. Team Group Health accumulated over 212 top ten finishes with over 30 victories in 2004 alone including the NORBA 24 Hour Elite Women’s National Championship. In addition to the team’s impressive results, they have made significant contributions to the Northwest cycling scene over the years by attracting more women to the sport of bicycle racing and developing

As I reluctantly remove my expired 2004 Anna Kournikova calendar from the wall of my cubicle, I suppose it’s time to acknowledge that it is, in fact, a new year, and time to generate a new column for my legion of faithful readers (this means you, mom … thanks again for reading!). I couldn’t find another Kournikova calendar marked down during my usual “first week of January” calendar shopping, so for now I’ve got the VeloNews road racing calendar on the wall. It’s nice and all, but it’s just not the same. As for the past few weeks, I spent a rainy winter holiday in San Diego with my family,

Cipo' in South Africa, Liquigas gets goingItaly’s latest super-team is putting the finishing touches on its preparations for the 2005 season. Liquigas will have its official unveiling later this month and the team is revving up for its final training camps ahead of its first races of the season. Most of the team will be honing their strength at a training camp starting this weekend in Donoratico in Italy while 2002 world champion Mario Cipollini continues with his personal training program in South Africa. The team’s official presentation will be in Milan on January 25 before Cipollini,

Can cycling fans look forward to seeing Team Colavita-eBay on the American roads in 2005? Well, no – but the Colavita New England Cycling Team hopes the online auction house can help the squad add a title co-sponsor to its jersey. Bidding for the sponsorship starts at $5000, according to the team’s posting on eBay. “With proven results from Maine to California, our team will be ideal for your company's marketing in 2005,” it adds. Team member Thad LaVallee told the Boston Herald that any new corporate partner would get a lot of mileage for its money, with 15 cyclists racing across New

Levi Leipheimer is training this week in Mallorca, Spain, where he's lining up for his first of two seasons with Gerolsteiner. The German team was looking for another GC rider to complement Georg Totschnig, and Leipheimer was looking for new challenges after three seasons with Rabobank.Working on the upcoming VeloNews "Road Season Preview," European correspondent Andrew Hood came to Mallorca and spoke with Leipheimer this week as the American pro reflected on his years with Rabobank and what he's hoping for in 2005 and beyond. Part one of the interview is below; check back tomorrow for part

The announcement this week that the proposed 2005 Tour of Texas was being canceled through lack of sponsorship dollars emphasized how difficult it is to put on a major road race in this country. Cycling is not like most American sports, which are stadium-based and charge spectators to come and watch. A road race, particularly a multi-day event, has neither a fixed venue nor guaranteed revenue. Even sports such as triathlon, which also use public roads, have a formula: Charge the competitors an entry fee that can be as high as $400; get a field of a thousand or more triathletes; and use the

Teutenberg's ready to race for T-Mobile

Cipo' is training in South Africa in hopes of a good ride in 2005 with new team Liquigas