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When Noel gave me the “time to go” nod from across our expansive 28-person table (all the riders, staff and their spouses/families) at the camp’s final steak-and-frite dinner, it seemed abrupt. The hour was early and we hadn’t yet seen the Belgian dessert tray. Ah, but this is cycling and late nights a la mode aren’t part of the plan. In fact, the end of Euro Cross Camp II took on very much the feel of unfinished business. In this case, some guys were staying on to prepare for a race in Spain two days later, and many of us were flying trans-Atlantic imminently, with the business end on our

JP throwing down in the Baal GVA Series race

Australian sprint cyclist Jobie Dajka will return to international competition later this week at the Manchester World Cup after serving a ban for lying to a doping inquiry. On Tuesday the former world keirin champion was named to a team of six riders slated to compete in the January 7-9 UCI Track Cycling World Cup. Dajka was thrown off Australia's Athens Olympics team last year and suspended until January 1 when it was found he had lied to a doping inquiry headed by Justice Robert Anderson.

The California Road Club (CRC), a San Francisco-based cycling team, has donated $1300 to Barb Howe, 28, of Larkspur, California, to help fund her trip to Belgium and Germany to compete in the UCI cyclo-cross world championships. Barb, in only her second year of racing cyclo-cross, has risen to the top level, and was chosen by USA Cycling to represent the United States at the annual world championship. "Barb works at A Bicycle Odyssey in Sausalito, which has sponsored the California Road Club since our inception," said Bud Napolio, CRC spokesman. "We are pleased to help Barb with her

Jobie Dajka

Tony Guffanti and Bud Napolio of CRC present Barb Howe with a check for $1300

Belgian Sven Nijs continues to lead the world cyclo-cross standings, according to world rankings released by the Union Cycliste Internationale on January 3. European-based American pro Jonathan Page is ranked 16th in the world. The rankings include points acquired at any UCI-sanctioned event, including a growing number in the U.S. UCI Cyclo-cross rankings – January 3, 20051. Sven Nijs (B), 2011 Points2. Sven Vanthourenhout (B), 14473. Ben Berden (B), 14044. Erwin Vervecken (B), 12105. Zdenek Mlynar (Cz), 11226. Richard Groenendaal (Nl), 9907. Tom Vannoppen (B), 9228. Petr Dlask (Cz), 9069.

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.We suspect biasDear Editor,Now there's a man who knows when he's taken a special picture!!! (see"ACasey Gibson Photo Gallery: A look back at 2004") Please tell Casey that his favorite picture of 2004 is also my favoriteand will always be for the remainder of my life. Best regards to all

Phonak cycling team officials announced Monday that manager Urs Freuler and director Alvaro Pino have been replaced by Belgian John Lelangue, an employee of the Amaury Sport Organization, which promotes the Tour de France. After a tumultuous season, in which three of Phonak’s top stars were charged with doping violations and the team excluded from the upcoming UCI ProTour, team owner Andy Rihs announced that the employment contracts of Freuler and Pino “were terminated by mutual agreement.” "The team's owner Andy Rihs has decided ... to install a new management at the heart of the Phonak

Happy New Year, everybody! It's 2005, training camp is less than two weeks away, the ProTour is going to make its debut and I get to speak English with my teammates again. Last year at this time I was studying my Spanish as much as possible while fretting about being at the dinner table and understanding nothing. I'll be riding for CSC this year, where we all speak English at some level. It makes life much easier on me, and the fact that the native English speakers only take up one-sixth of the team is downright strange, if not a dream. I'm very excited about sitting at the dinner table or

DAVID O'LOUGHLIN RINGS OUT THE OLD AND BRINGS IN THE NEWHackettstown, NJ - Navigators Insurance Cycling Team's new 2005recruit, David O'Loughlin of Ireland, finished up his 2004-racing seasonwith a victory in the An Ras Turcai, held in County Galloway, Ireland lastweek.  The 150 participants cruised leisurely for the first 3 of 6laps on the 10-kilometer circuit, before the racing began in earnest. With 1-lap remaining, David and Kurt Bogarts (Carrick Wheelers RC) leftMark Scanlon (ag2r-Prevoyance), the legendary Sean Kelly, and 146 othersin arrears as the duo picked up the

Monday's Mailbag: Happy grandma; Happy riders; Skeptical reader

John Lelangue - seen here before the prologue of the 2004 Tour de France - has been named as the new general manager of the Phonak team

Generalissimo Riis

Ivan Basso may have made the podium at the Tour, but here he's just another grunt

Belgian Sven Vanthourenhout (Rabobank) won the eighth round of the UCI’s cyclo-cross World Cup on Sunday, beating his compatriots Sven Nijs and Erwin Vervecken in Aigle, Switzerland. Vanthourenhout scored the win on a 2.6km course that encircled the World Cycling Center, the headquarters of the Union Cycliste Internationale, cycling’s world governing body. Ben Berden and Italian Enrico Franzoi finished respectively in fourth and fifth places. It was those five riders who dominated throughout most of the race, staying together in a lead group until the penultimate lap when Nijs and

Sunday's EuroFile: Vanthourenhout wins in Aigle; Astarloa joins Barloworld

Nijs continues to lead the World Cup standings

Sunday's EuroFile: Vanthourenhout wins in Aigle; Astarloa joins Barloworld

LONDON (AP)- The Associated Press list of the top 10 international sportsstories of 2004, based on a worldwide poll of AP subscribers outside the UnitedStates (first-place votes in parentheses):1. Greece wins the 2004 European Championship, 444 points (10).2. Athens Olympics go off successfully despite security and organizationworries, 310 (21).3. Lance Armstrong wins sixth straight Tour de France, 259 (4).4. Michael Schumacher wins record 13 Formula One races for fifth straighttitle, 257 (0).5. Doping cases rock Athens Olympics, 189 (6).6. Swimmer Michael Phelps wins six Olympic golds and

It used to be that the most accurate measure of how busy Casey Gibson’s year had been was the odometer on his battered old pick-up truck. Times change, the Toyota has long since heaved its last sigh and instead of rolling the numbers on his dashboard, Casey is now racking up frequent flier miles. One thing that remains, though, is the man’s keen eye and appreciation for the sport. As the year winds to a close, we asked Gibson to sort through his files and pick a few of his favorite shots from 2004. Having covered everything from Redlands to the Tour to the Olympics, he had quite a bit to

International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge has defended the use of what he called "big brother" methods in the fight to catch doped athletes. "We have 'big brother' everywhere in the fight against doping," Rogge told the German daily Suddeutsche Zeitung. "I don't have a problem with it, it's about punishing cheaters. If someone wants to sue for their right to privacy - then please, go ahead." Rogge said the tactics were necessary because athletes can cover signs of using banned substances during competitions. "We can test better now than six months ago, we can find EPO. Still

My favorite picture of the year. Bobby Julich shares his Olympic medal with his daughter Olivia. A wonderful reward for a guy that persevered through many hardships over the years.

The toughest guy in cycling, Viatchislav Ekimov, leads the Postal Service in the team time trial in abysmal conditions at the Tour de France.

Kevin Bouchard Hall takes a corner in the Redlands Criterium. Bouchard Hall was the best young rider at Georgia and impressed all this year.

Greg Henderson of New Zealand, Rob Hayles of Great Britain, and Stuart O'Grady of Australia battle for points in the Olympic madison. The rider's skill and maximum effort made it the most exciting track race I have ever seen.

Love him or hate him, Chris Horner was the best rider in the US this year, and he had the most remarkable one day ride at the Tour of Connecticut, where he pulled at the front or rode alone for over 100 miles.

Horner flies through a corner in the Tour of Connecticut criterium.

Tina Pic takes a corner in the Redlands Criterium. Great form in the corners and unbeatable speed in the sprints.

Sarah Ulmer displays her perfect form in the banking of the OlympicVelodrome in Athens. She set an Olympic and World Record every time she took to the track, and brought back memories of Rebecca Twigg.

The 'Big Blue Train' of the U.S. Postal Service came to the Tour of Georgia in April, and left everyone else fighting for second place.

Mike Creed leads the peloton through the hairpin turn at the top of the Sunset Loop during the Redlands Classic. A developer's plans will forever change this classic stage of Redlands, eliminating this part of the course.

Race leader Mark McCormack and Aaron Olson turn the park into a blur during the Tour of Connecticut.

On an especially hot day in the Alps during the Tour de France, riders sought relief from the heat... or tried to ignore it by turning their attention elsewhere.

In one of the most thrilling and frightening stages of this year's Tour, Armstrong and Basso negotiate their way through thousands of hysterical Basque fans.

Lance Armstrong in the prologue of the Tour de France, where he established himself as the greatest Tour rider of all time.

Trent Klasna descends through a turn at the Sea Otter Classic. Trent retired at the end of the year, taking his cheerful attitude and thrilling riding style with him.

Dear Bob,The three highest roads in New England all run on public land. However,the roads are operated by private entities that do not allow bicycles:1. Mount Washington Auto Road, Glen, New Hampshire2. Mount Mansfield Auto Toll Road, Stowe, Vermont3. Mount Equinox Skyline Drive, Manchester, VermontTwo of them (Mount Mansfield and Mount Equinox) do allow motorcycles.Might there be any basis to challenge this?SW,MassachusettsDear SW,First of all, thank you for your help in digging up some importantfacts that made an answer possible. After starting my research, I discoveredthat there was no

Joe and Dirk answer questions on four-hour trainer sessions and how to count weight training

Greetings, all, again,Not a whole lot of time to write when you're doing the Cyclo-cross Warped Tour. "Hellooooo, Surheisterveen ... thanks for coming to the show!" No, really, guys like Groenendaal are in the midst of a 1-3-3 block, as in seven races in nine days! Cyclo-cross stage racing, they call it over here. Tuesday, December 28 (race #3)The Hofstade World Cup was huge. Huge weather (as in Belgian "hard"); huge crowds (for weather that snotty); and huge for the impression it made on its participants. By that, I mean it was a day where you realize how far you've come and how far you've

Mt. Washington: Why not all the time?

Wicks at the World Cup

DeClercq in what may be his final Belgian 'cross

Your ballDear Velo,I enjoyed (I guess that's the correct word) the interview with Mr.Pound and appreciate the passion with which he approaches his charge(see "VeloNewsInterview: WADA's Dick Pound"). I'd like to also note that I disagree with Dr. Salmon (Letters,Dec. 27th) on the suitability of DNA testing for Tyler Hamilton'sblood doping case. Red blood cells are devoid of both nuclei andmitochondria and, consequently, DNA. The introduced foreign material islargely in the form of red blood cells and as a consequence there is likelyto be very little foreign DNA to be found, even when searched

2005 Sea Otter Classic – “A Celebration of Cycling!”On-Line Registration Available at SEAOTTERCLASSIC.COMMONTEREY, Calif. — The Sea Otter Classic is the most celebratedcycling festival in North America. Known throughout the cycling world as the grand season opener, the 15th annual Sea Otter Classic will be held April 14-17, 2005 at the Laguna Seca Recreation Area, Monterey, California, USA.Nearly 10,000 professional and amateur athletes and over 50,000 spectatorswill attend the four-day festival. The outdoor cycling tradeshow will host over 250 vendors showcasing the latest trends and

Series leader Sven Nijs won the seventh round of the UCI’s expanded cyclo-cross World Cup in Hofstade, Belgium, on Tuesday. Nijs, who has dominated the discipline for much of the season, finished ahead of compatriot Erwin Vervecken and Italian Enrico Franzoi. Reigning world champion Bart Wellens and the Netherlands’ Richard Groenendaal finished in fourth and fifth respectively. Nijs dominated the race from beginning to end in classic Belgian conditions: mud, rain and a touch of ice. "It was a true cyclo-cross race,” Nijs remarked. “For me, it means a lot to do well in these conditions and

Where is that table?Dear Lennard,Where can I find the torque charts that the latest issue of VeloNewssaid were on the Web site?CharlesDear Charles,Hereyou go!LennardAsking SantaDear Lennard,I'm suggesting an inch pounds torque wrench from Santa for Christmasand I'm a little confused on which to put on my list. The one I want isa 1/4" twist knob type US, but they have a few options on the increments.Should I go with a 40-200 or 10-50? I'm most doing all the stuff onmy road and mountain bike, stems, cranks bolts etc.PaulDear Paul,Sorry if my answer is too late for Santa, but click on the torque

Nijs consolidates his World Cup lead

Classic conditions made this special for Nijs

Vervecken has shown good form all season

Saeco's Enrico Franzoi takes third

World champion Bart Wellens

The ever-present Richard Groenendaal

Captain America: Jonathan Page

Barry Wicks

Ryan Trebon

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.Two thumbs upDear Velo,You ask, at the end of the Dick Pound interview (see "VeloNewsInterview: WADA's Dick Pound") for "thoughts? Comments? Opinions?"Well, here's mine. Two thumbs up for focusing on doping, and also for publishingsuch a long interview in it's entirety.I agree completely

Hello all,Thanks for the all the emails back! I really am just writing these reports quickly for your general interest, maybe offering a few details that you won't find elsewhere in all the race articles. But these are written hastily, so sorry if I neglect equal coverage of all riders and if I forget a few things... Everything is going well! Yesterday, Diegem SuperPrestige, one of the oldest venues, which obviously holds sway over the UCI rules like the double-pit mandate (there two separate pits a long long ways from each other). I was reckoning that winner and good friend Erwin Vervecken

Even by his lofty standards, Lance Armstrong's return to the mountaintop in 2004 was pretty special. The question now facing Armstrong and his legion of fans is whether he'll return to challenge the Pyrenees and the French Alps again in 2005. Already recognized as one of the truly inspiring athletes of his generation, Armstrong took his cycling legacy a step further when he won a record-breaking sixth consecutive Tour de France in July. And for his accomplishment, he was honored Monday as The Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year for the third straight year. Armstrong joined

Two years ago Jonathan Page was in limbo, his up-and-down career as a bike racer was on another upswing, but he was still struggling to keep doing what he loved, and seemed destined, to do. In the winter of 2002, and without a pro contract, Page moved to Belgium to race cyclo-cross, the biggest gamble he’d taken in a cycling career that started in his teens. But the gamble paid off when the New Hampshire native won that year’s rain-soaked U.S. ‘cross nationals in California. The win, along with steadily improving results on the European circuit, earned Page a professional ‘cross contract

Wicks finished in the money

JP was tired, but happy

Erwin Vervecken Sunday's edition of the SuperPrestige series in Diegem, Belgium, finishing ahead of the formidable Sven Nijs, who maintains a lead in the series. Belgian Sven Vanthourenhout finished third and Dutchman Richard Groenendael took forth. Americans Ryan Trebon, Erik Tonkin, Barry Wicks and Ben Turnerfinished 18th, 27th, 28th and 35th respectively. U.S. 'cross champ, Jonathan Page did not finish. Photographer Marcel Van Hoecke was on scene.Photo Gallery Below1. Erwin Vervecken (B), Fidea 1:02:312. Sven Nys (B), Rabobank, at 0:023. Sven Vanthourenhout (B), Quickstep-Davitamon, at

Vervecken takes it

Sven Nijs still leads the series

Sven Vanthourenhout

Groenendaal

Maarten Nijland

Ben Berden

Davy Commeyne

Jonathan Page didn't finish Sunday

Interview by Charles Pelkey Photos by Chris Milliman As the year’s first issue of VeloNews reaches your mailboxes and newsstands around the country, you may notice something of a break with tradition. Indeed, the first cover of 2005 should have gone to Jonathan Page for winning his third straight U.S. cyclo-cross championship in Portland this month. Instead, we start the year with an issue dedicated to a topic that has dragged the sport of cycling through mud much deeper than anything Page encountered at ’cross nationals. Anyone who follows cycling has become accustomed to scandal, but with

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.A breath of fresh airDear Velo,I read Megan's letter with great interest (see "Jonesin' for a ride"in Wednesday'sMailbag), because I had to deal with the same thing years ago, untilour employer finally eliminated all smoking from the premises. I would suggesthooking up the American Lung

VeloNews Interview: WADA's Dick Pound

VeloNews Interview: WADA's Dick Pound