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Andreas Rihs, Chairman of Phonak Holding SA, may pull the plug on the cycling program.

Belgian Sven Nys won the third round of the cyclo-cross World Cup on Sunday in Pijnakker, Netherlands. Hometown favorite Richard Groenendaal, who crashed once, crossed second at 23 seconds back, followed by Belgian Sven Vanthourenhout at 0:49. Nys finally broke the Czech stranglehold on this season’s World Cup, following victories by Zdenek Mlynar in Wortegem-Petegem (Belgium) and Kamil Ausbuher in Tabor, Czech. Groenendaal had a perfect start, riding ahead of a chase group that included Nys, Mlynar and Italian Enrico Franzoi. But Nys eventually leapt away from the bunch, and when

To keep herself motivated in races she’s comfortably winning, Mary McConneloug (Seven Cycles) often imagines racing against her top competition from the West Coast. “Ann Knapp is just around the next corner,” she thinks to herself, “and Gina Hall is right behind me. I have to keep it pegged.” Sunday’s fifth stop on the Verge New England Cyclo-cross Series looked like another day for McConneloug to race against imagined opponents, but a racer on loan from Colorado ended up giving McConneloug a real run for her money. While she spends most of her time racing multi-hour mountain bike events,

Nys continues a great season

Mind Games: McConneloug often fights her biggest battles in her head

McCormack fights his way into the lead

The Swiss team Phonak is not among a list of 19 teams receiving a “favorable sanction” to participate in the UCI's 2005 Pro Tour, sources have told Agence France Presse. Phonak was the only one of 20 teams presented to the UCI to be overlooked by the organization's licenses commission. The UCI is expected to announce which teams will be granted Pro Tour licenses early in December. The news follows three doping positives involving Phonak riders: American Tyler Hamilton, 2004 Olympic gold medalist in the individual time trial; Spain’s Santiago Perez, runner-up in the 2004 Vuelta a España; and

After two years with Mario Cipollini’s Domina Vacanze team, Specialized Bicycles announced that it was switching its sponsorship to Germany’s Gerolsteiner squad for 2005, in part because the team has added American Levi Leipheimer to its roster. Specialized also announced an expansion of its domestic sponsorship role next year, adding its support to the men’s side of USA Cycling’s under-23 development program. Specialized will supply bikes and equipment for road, mountain, cyclo-cross and track to the U-23 team. We chatted with Mike Sinyard, Specialized’s president and founder, about his

The Mail Bag 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.Letter writer praises letter writersEditor:It’s encouraging to know that people out there feel the way that I do (see Wednesday’s mailbag). First, Ian Sharp makes a great point about doping and lifetime bans. Only drastic punishments will leave athletes thinking about their mistakes and

Sunday’s return to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park for round three of the Bay Area Super Prestige Series will be a homecoming for two Northern California cyclo-cross stars from the days when California ruled the ’cross roost. Former junior national champs Jim Gentes and Clark Natwick, who were archrivals in the mid-1970s, will find that the area near the park’s Polo Fields which will host Sunday’s round has changed little since their racing heyday, with its cypress tree forests, sandy paths, and trails covered by pine needles. San Jose’s Gentes won the national junior title during the

When Germany’s Nina Kraft, 35, swept to her overwhelming 17-minute victory over Switzerland’s Natascha Badmann at the 2004 Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Hawaii October 16, photographers noticed a curious thing when Kraft crossed the line. She had her head down and never looked up. She looked almost embarrassed, which many took for shyness. When Badmann crossed the line in second place, her joy was palpable and open. “Nina needs to take lessons from Natascha about giving good finish line,” said one veteran triathlon journalist at the time. With Tuesday’s revelation that Kraft

VeloNews Q&A: Specialized's new team, Gerolsteiner's new ride

Mike Sinyard

Gary Fisher and Clark Natwick challenging Golden Gate Park’s log barricades in this December 1975 event, just a week before the first U.S. cyclo-cross championships in Berkeley

The start line, ‘70’s style, in Golden Gate Park. Five-time national champ Laurence Malone is on the far left .

Jim Gentes (left) and Dan Nall bunny-hop barriers in Golden Gate Park

Laurence Malone, U.S. cyclo-cross champ from 1975 to 1979. He electrified the world's crowd at Hanover in 1977 using this same tactic

Kraft powers along on the bike en route to her 2004 Ironman World Championship WIN

Looking out my office window at a cold rainy, day, with the promiseof snow falling on Colorado’s Front Range once the temperature drops thisevening, it’s all too clear that winter has arrived. Forget the near-perfect70-degree weather we had over the weekend, or the fact that winter doesn’t“officially” start until December 21st. From where I come from, snow andtemperatures in the low-20s means wintertime.It’s funny, as I was driving into work today, looking out at gray daythat appeared exactly as myfavorite Internet weather service had predicted, I couldn’t help butlaugh thinking of all the

I often receive emails from readers with a comments or follow-up questions regarding this column. Although I can’t always respond, the input is helpful and valuable. In fact, some of the important questions can come from the most unexpected places, let me offer a message from B.R. in Michigan as an example: Bob,I read your most recent “Legally Speaking” column on VeloNews.com, and I had a quick follow-up question. From the article and my own understanding, there is no right to travel. Is there a right to have adequately maintained roadways, however? I ask because here in Michigan, there

Remembering KyleTo my friends at Velo,Although I greatly appreciate the opportunity to write something aboutmy friend Kyle Bielenberg, I must tell you it was one of the hardest thingsI have ever done.I spent nearly a full hour last night trying to write something thatmade sense. I would type a few lines, phrases, then delete all ofit and start over, never satisfied with the outcome. I feel wholly incapableof putting a man’s life into a few short paragraphs. My usual rantingsat drunkcyclist literally roll off my fingertips in a rapid-fire crescendoof keystrokes and laughter. This exercise

San Francisco, CA Saturday Nov. 13th at the Cow Palace. Seattle—RacerMate, Inc., of Seattle, Washington, manufacturer of the CompuTrainer electronic bicycle training system, will stage 8-rider indoor bike races at VeloSwap in San Francisco, November 13th. This years event will feature a “Founding Fathers” race consisting of the Bay Area pioneers of mountain biking including: Gary Fisher, Mike Sinyard, Joe Breeze, Scot Nicol, Jacquie Phelan, and James McLean. They will race from 2-3 p.m. on a virtual simulation of the original Repack Downhill Race founded in 1976 in Marin

The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced last Friday that Chris Del Bosco of Vail, Colorado, tested positive at the USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships on September 26 at Mammoth Mountain, California. Del Bosco (Oakley-LenzSport-FoxRacing Shox), a semi-professional downhill ski racer who finished 18th in the NORBA downhill overall in 2003, tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a prohibited substance under World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list. Del Bosco, 22, received a public warning for a first offense. In addition, he is disqualified from his first

Dutchman Richard Groenendaal (Rabobank) won Thursday’s Jaarmarktcross Niel, the second round of the Gazet van Antwerpen Trofee Veldrijden, and took the series lead as well. Groenendaal crossed the line with a large margin on runner-up Erwin Vervecken (Fidea), who outsprinted Sven Vanthourenhout (Quick Step), Wim Jacobs (Fidea) and Ben Berden (Saey-Deschacht). Sven Nys (Rabobank), who won the series opener at the Koppenberg, finished seventh. A first-lap crash split the field, Nys, Groenendaal and Tim Van Nuffel (Saey-Deschacht). They gave all they had, though, and succeeded in regaining the

Dionne wins in San Francisco again

Legally Speaking - with Bob Mionske: Rough roads ahead

Groenendaal soloed to victory

Page rode to 15th place

New York mayor Michael Bloomberg has voiced support for a private plan to commit more than $21 million to create cross-country mountain-bike trails and BMX courses as part of the city’s bid for the 2012 Olympics. The plan is part of a much large proposal to convert the former Staten Island landfill – known as Fresh Kills – into a large public park with an extensive trail network. On Wednesday, Bloomberg and other city officials held a news conference on the Fresh Kills site, asking reporters and others assembled to imagine the one-time-garbage dump as hub around which a large portion of the

The Mail Bag 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.Cycling needs more character and fewer excusesEditor:I could not agree more with Patrick Buono’s thoughts on the state of cycling (see Monday’s mailbag, “This ain’t freakin’ rocket science!”). Richard Virenque tearfully protests his innocence, then admits to doping, and ever since we

Mountain bike groups coast-to-coast will soon receive an unprecedentedboost for their volunteer trailwork projects, as a result of a financialand gear grant from Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI), announced todayby the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA).For the second consecutive year, IMBA and REI will award outdoor stewardshiptoolkits to select mountain bike clubs nationally for the purpose of buildingand maintaining trails. This year's $45,000 REI grant nearly doubles theamount of last year's award, and increases the number of toolkits from50 to 100. Each toolkit contains

Nina Kraft, winner of the 2004 Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Hawaii, has tested positive for EPO. On Wednesday, the 35-year-old Kraft acknowledged the result of a test on an A-sample taken immediately following her October 16 victory in Kona. Kraft’s confirmation came even before the completion of tests on her B-sample. Kraft faces a two-year suspension from the sport of triathlon. “I screwed up,” noted Kraft, according to reports in the German media, after being informed Tuesday by the DTU, the German national triathlon federation, that her A-sample, a urine test collected by

The American Cyclo-cross Foundation, which debuted in 1999 with the mission of helping unfunded U.S. racers travel to the world cyclo-cross championships, has mailed its last check. ACF board member Patrick O’Grady, a contributing editor to VeloNews, said the final check was sent November 10 to U.S. ’cross guru Geoff Proctor, who will once again be running a pre-world’s cyclo-cross camp in Europe from December 23 through January 4. “Geoff said he knew of a couple potential U.S. team members who wouldn’t be able to attend both his camp and world’s if they didn’t get a little financial aid,

Threshold Sports, LLC, producers of the Pro Cycling Tour, has releasedthe official dates for the first of its 2005 race calendar.  Theseevents and dates are:Wachovia Cycling Series-Lancaster - May 31Wachovia Cycling Series-Trenton - June 2Wachovia Cycling Series-Philadelphia - June 5New York City Cycling Championship - July 31San Francisco Grand Prix - Sept 4Robin Morton, PCT Technical Director, reports that the Wachovia Cycling Series and the San Francisco Grand Prix have been upgraded on the UCI Continental Calendar. The men’s events in San Francisco and Philadelphia have been given

The Crank Brothers Cobalt crank was one of the big hits of this year’s Interbike trade show in Las Vegas, largely due to its unexpected and unconventional design. Eschewing carbon, the Cobalt is a composite of a different kind: an aluminum base bonded to a stainless steel cover. Like all Crank Brothers products, the Cobalt combines a striking industrial aesthetic with hardcore cycling functionality. Andrew Herrick, who serves as Crank’s marketing guy (though not officially; the company does not use job titles) gave us the lowdown on how this unusual product was created. VeloNews: When did

USA Cycling board president Jim Ochowicz’s failure to properly disclose details of a financial relationship with a sponsor of the national governing body does not constitute a conflict of interest, USAC’s board of directors has decided. While concluding that Ochowicz’s paid consulting services with Zürich World Cup promoter Upsolut do not constitute a conflict, the panel has also noted that he had violated the letter of USA Cycling rules by not formally requesting the board’s approval. In an August letter (posted below), John Tarbert, then board vice president, acknowledged that Ochowicz

Questions of rakeDear Lennard,I have a 1994 Trek 5200 54 cm. I want to raise up my handlebarheight for comfort reasons. I figure I need to raise it 2 cm.I thought about the Serotta head tube extender. It's titanium, pressedin and adds 2 cm. I would have to buy a new fork. The literaturefor that model year states a 47mm fork rake.I think I could accomplish two things - more comfort and better ride- with the right fork. From a safety standpoint, is this a good idea?If so which fork? Since less rake equals more trai that would make it morestable with same head angle, right? Would a 44 mm rake

Retired racing legend Johan Museeuw said he won’t challenge a two-year racing ban handed down by the Belgian cycling federation, according to reports on the Belgian wires. Museeuw, who left competitive cycling in April, was banned along with Belgian racers Jo Planckaert and Chris Peers after being implicated in a police investigation last fall involving the distribution of banned substances involving a Belgian veterinarian. Despite clearing doping tests, authorities felt they had enough on the classics legend to issue the controversial racing ban. Museeuw had already retired by the time

Andrew Herrick

VeloNews Q&A: Crank Brothers’ unexpected crank

Frank Hermansen, Carl Winefordner and Herrick with the Crank Bros' newest creation

Technical Q&A with Lennard Zinn - Rake, chainrings and tubular tape

The "Weekend 'Cross Wrap" is a service of VeloNews.com.Stories and results are provided by race promoters and are not producedby VeloNews or VeloNews.com. Promoters are welcome to submit race reportsthroughout the cyclo-cross season to Rosters@7Dogs.com.Reports may be edited for length and clarity.MISSOURI The fourth round of the Mid-America Cross Cup had a familarfeel with Shadd Smith (HRRC/Maclaren Racing) edging LBC/Highgear rider,Tony Wilhelm Sunday afternoon at Riverside Park in Kansas City, MO. The2-mile circuit featured a varied mix of terrain including a sand pit, plentyof muddy

The Mail Bag 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.There are other fish to fryEditors,I think it would be great for Lance and cycling in general if he skippedthe Tour de France and rode some other races (see “Armstronghints he'll skip '05 Tour”). Look at what he has done in the AmstelGold race in the past few years. It would be great to

Former Tour de France winner and five-time runner-up Jan Ullrich has hit out at the race's organizers for reducing the number of time trials in the three-week epic race. The 30-year-old T-Mobile rider, who won the Tour in 1997 and finished second five times, is a time trial specialist who in previous years would have looked to the discipline to put time on his rivals. Next year, however, the Tour will feature one less time trial than usual when it begins with a 19km time trial instead of the usual short prologue. After a team time trial on the fourth stage, the next opportunity for Ullrich

France’s Jon Gadret surprised a field of strong Flemish ‘cross men to take a last-lap victory in Vosserm, Belgium, on Sunday. Gadret took advantage of a well-timed attack from Belgian Ben Berden and a tumultuous final lap to scamper off with a victory. The action started early as Dutch champion Richard Groenendaal took a hard fall on a dangerous descent on the opening lap. The 2000 world champion fought back hard, though, and successfully rejoined an elite group of eight leaders, led by his Belgian Rabobank teammate, Sven Nys. Sven Vanthourenhout, winner in Saturday’s race in Eernegem, also

Groenendaal was forced to chase from the start

Nijs almost closed the gap

Lance Armstrong is unsure if he will ride in next summer's Tour de France because he'd like to compete in other races. Armstrong, who won a record sixth straight Tour de France this year, said in Saturday's edition ofL'Equipe it is “time to move onto other things.” He has previously been somewhat evasive about whether he will return in 2005, but these were his strongest comments yet about his plans. “Honestly, I don't know if I will be at the start of the next Tour,” he told the sports newspaper. “There are a lot of other things I would like to do in cycling before retiring. So I tell

Racers never know what to expect when they make the trip to Northern Michigan in November for the Subaru Iceman Cometh Challenge. Last year, a blanket of more than four inches of fresh snow covered the trail at start time. The course was sloppy and slow, with frigid temperatures to boot. This year, the conditions were at the opposite end of the spectrum, with temps reaching into the mid-50s and partly sunny skies. The mild and dry conditions practically begged the 2000 -racers to reach for personal course records, and they did. In the end, it was Michigan native Brian Matter (PCW Cycling),

Sven Vanthourenhout won the Flemish Houtlandcross in Eernegem (West-Flanders) on Saturday over Sven Nys with Czech Kamil Ausbuher third. The three racers escaped early, with a group of 11 in pursuit. At midrace, Ausbuher fell off the pace. Then, on the final descent, Nys slowed down and had to put a foot out – Vanthourenhout took his chance and put a gap of 50 meters between himself and Nys that held until the finish. "I had to strike hard, I did not get this victory for free," said Vanthourenhout. "I forced the race from the beginning on, joined by Nys and the Czech. When Nys made a

Amstrong tells L'Equipe he may skip the '05 Tour

Nys bobbled and had to settle for second

Andy Ording, President of Zipp Speed Weaponry, is determined to maintain his company’s lead in lightweight composite technology, and he’s also committed to making his products in the United States. With the miniscule margins most bike companies have to work with, that’s not an easy task, especially considering that most of Ording’s competitors source their products in China, where labor and materials costs are but a fraction of Zipp’s. Moreover, in Ording’s quest to create the lightest, most advanced wheels and components possible, he does not shy away from expensive solutions. The new

The flawed process that forced Olympic officials to throw out a case againstcyclist Tyler Hamilton shows the system needs to be improved, the WorldAnti-Doping Agency said Thursday.Hamilton had a preliminary positive test for blood doping at the AthensGames, but the IOC dropped its probe because the cyclist's backup specimenmistakenly was frozen and there weren't enough red blood cells left toanalyze. That meant Hamilton was able to keep his gold medal.The American, who insists he is innocent and has vowed to clear hisname, still faces a two-year ban because of a failed blood doping testat the

Division 2 Spanish team Cafés Baqué faces an uncertain future after losing title sponsor Orbitel. The Colombian telecom company told team officials it would no longer underwrite the team for the 2005 season. Erkaitz Elcoroiribe, team manager of Cafés Baqué, said the team will search for a new co-sponsor to step up. “What’s really sad about this situation is the marvelous team of riders, mechanics, massage therapists and other who could lose their job,” Elcoroiribe told the Spanish daily MARCA. The team has brought several riders into the pro ranks and was headlined by Colombian climber

The Mail Bag 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.Florit says adios to team, racingEditor:I am writing this letter to thank all the sponsors of the RLX-Ralph Lauren team, who during the six years I have been with the team supported us with the same level of passion we had for racing. Racing for the RLX-Ralph Lauren mountain-bike team

Andy Ording

Generation 5

Dimpled Zipp rims began appearing on pro bikes first

Felix Cardenas's Vuelta stage win.

While a record number of you turned out to vote on Tuesday, it’s only the VeloNews editorial staff that for better or for worse has a say in our upcoming 2004 Awards issue. While the crew is hard at work arguing over who might be named the Masters Road Racer of the Year, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to the award that matters most to me: the Technical Development of the Year. A number of candidates have crossed my mind, but unfortunately the one idea that sticks out most prominently is not a component, frame or wheelset. Instead, the most notable impact has been made by a technology

Tour wouldn’t mind if Armstrong stayed awayTour de France officials evidently aren’t losing any sleep over the prospect that six-time winner Lance Armstrong might not race in the 2005 edition. Just a week after the 92nd edition of the Tour was unveiled in Paris, race officials said in an interview in L’Equipe that they’re not concerned if Armstrong doesn’t race next year. “It wouldn’t surprise me if Armstrong races another grand tour next year and return in 2006 to try the Tour again,” said Christian Prudhomme, director general of the Amaury Sport Organisation which produces the Tour. “To

The Genius may need a genius lawyer to ride on U.S. trails

The Mail Bag 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 need more than old guys on bikesDear Velo,In response to Kristen Kehl’s letter (see "It'sworth it" in Monday’s Mailbag). As one who has picked many a bone with the USCF/USAC over the past 25years, I have to agree with Kristen’s assessment of the fee situation.However, this is a

If proof were needed that the dollars you spend on racing sponsorship come right back to your bottom line, Trek Bicycle Corporation’s investment in the U.S. Postal Team and Lance Armstrong would be the only spreadsheet you’d need to see. Although the company’s longstanding domestic team programs made Trek a top brand among cycling fans many years ago, it was Postal power that put Trek on the map for a much wider base of casual riders. Today, Trek is a familiar name in millions of households worldwide, and the Trek brand has become the most valuable franchise in cycling. Of course, Lance

The Netherlands’ 1978 world cycling road race champion Gerrie Knetemann died of a heart attack on Tuesday aged 53, the Dutch Cycling Federation (KNWU) announced. According to the federation he died while out riding a bike with three friends at his birthplace of Bergen in the north west of the Netherlands. Knetemann's career spanned 15 years (1974-89) which saw him win 10 stages in the Tour de France and he was regarded as one of the finest classics riders in the world, winning the Amstel Gold Race twice and the Paris Nice once. Knetemann, who leaves a wife and two children, recorded 130

So if you’re reading this column, and you haven’t yet voted, please get out and do it now. It’s really not all that difficult, and, as we all know, this is poised to be one of the most tightly contested presidential elections in history. My bit of nonsensical ramblings will still be online tonight, (at least I hope it will), while your chance to exercise your democratic right won’t. Speaking of voting, our editorial staff is busily compiling votes of our own for the 17th annual VeloNews Awards Issue, due out at the end of the month. In it you’ll find all the usual awards, such as

Everything in the life of Gerrie Knetemann appeared to be going wonderfully. Just a month ago, he was coaching the Dutch national team at the world championships in Verona. The highlight for the 53-year-old cycling legend was the excellent performance of his teenage daughter, Roxanne Knetemann, who finished sixth in the junior women’s time trial and fifth in the road race (in which her teammates placed first and third) Then on Tuesday afternoon this week, just as Americans were going to the polls, Knetemann, a big man who always wore glasses, was out riding his mountain bike with three

If you’re awaiting word on the final outcome of the Tyler Hamilton doping case, better not hold your breath. It could be well into January of 2005 — or even later — before any kind of conclusion is reached, according to Hamilton’s attorney Howard Jacobs. Speaking by phone from his office in Southern California, Jacobs told VeloNews that he is still in the “document gathering process.” “We’re hoping to get started by January on the Vuelta tests,” he added, “but to get going before the end of the month isn’t likely.” Jacobs said that he has faced substantial resistance from the UCI and IOC

The 2005 Madone SSL

Another round of product testing