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Jonnier took down Miller to claim the win

Hannah outcornered Bootes

Dunlap in her usual spot: right out front

Meirhaeghe celebrates his win

The action was hot despite the cold and rain in Friday’s third stage of the Tour of Aragon in Spain. Constantino Zaballa (Saunier Duval) won a photo-finish, seven-up sprint against Oscar Laguna (Relax-Bodysol) as Denis Menchov (Illes Balears) retained the overall lead. Zaballa and Laguna were part of a seven-man break that peeled away from the main bunch over the final Category 3 climb about 25km from the finish line, and the chase was on. Illes Balears checked an early move that chugged away over the day’s main obstacles – two Cat. 1 climbs in the opening 90km. Menchov was part of the

The Mail Bag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com, appearing each Monday, Wednesday and Friday. 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.April's greatest hitsDear VeloNews,The broken record spins again, and once more the tune is "George Hincapiedoesn't get enough support from Postal" (see "Monday'smail bag" and "Wednesday'smail bag"). It hits the Top-Ten every April. C'mon

After four weeks off, there’s still a lot to catch up on, such as, why is Krispy Kreme developing a low-sugar donut? For the health-conscious? Um, excuse me, it’s a donut. Reminds me of the vegan “donuts” you get with a vegetarian breakfast on the airplane (not that they ever serve breakfast on a plane anymore, or that I would ever admit to eating a vegetarian airline meal). If anything, in this age of downsized super-sizing, shouldn’t the donut industry strive to be the last bastion of truly fattening, bad-for-you eating? Here in Boulder, a new place has opened up with a sign out front

Having not been to the Sea Otter since 2000, I was quickly reminded why this event is such a success: It’s fun! Cyclists in general are crazy. Whether we ride mountain bikes, road bikes or go flying down the dual slalom course, we all have one thing in common – we love to ride our bikes and just can’t get enough of it! This is why Sea Otter, which claims to be “the most celebrated bicycle festival in North America,” is the perfect gathering for us wacky two-wheel addicts. It has something for everyone. When I was here last, I was racing on the road with Team Saturn. That year we worked hard

A Spanish judge will launch an investigation into the accusations of professional cyclist Jesus Manzano that a system of organized doping existed while he was riding for the Kelme team. Although Spain has no specific anti-doping laws, an unnamed Madrid judge said through a statement that he had opened the investigation because of a possible breach of public-health legislation. According to the penal code, such offenses can carry a sentence of up to six years in prison. Manzano, who rode with the Kelme team for three years but was dropped from the squad last September, published his

Canadians Seamus McGrath and Kiara Bisaro walked away with stage wins on day two of the Sea Otter Classic mountain bike stage race. But Friday’s time trial didn’t change the names at the top of the overall standings, as American Alison Dunlap and Swiss rider Thomas Frischknecht maintained their GC leads. The women kicked off racing, taking on the 5-mile TT course under mostly clear skies at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California. The course started next to the finish of the dual slalom track, heading up a slight rise before dumping riders onto the raceway tarmac. There another short

pe-des|trian (pi des´tre an) adj. lacking interest or imagination; prosaic; ordinary and dull … n. one who goes on foot.Webster’s New World College Dictionary Happy Day After Income Tax Day. I hope that, unlike me, you aren’t cowering in a corner of a suddenly empty living room with your shredded undies puddled around your ankles, wondering if you’ll ever be able to sit on a saddle again without sliding all the way down to the top tube. Hold on a second – don’t start composing that nasty letter to the editor yet. I’m not going to rail against The Leader’s much-ballyhooed tax cuts and their

For 16 of the 17 laps in Friday’s women’s circuit race at the Laguna Seca Raceway it seemed that the winner would emerge from the lumbering pack. But after a disappointing ride in yesterday’s prologue, Lyne Bessette (Quark) decided that leaving her fortunes to a field sprint was a bad idea. So with less than a lap to go, Bessette launched a go-for-broke attack on the course’s main climb. And it worked. “I wanted to take one shot,” said Bessette. “I didn’t want to do two attacks at 80 percent, I wanted to do one at 100 percent. I knew it wasn’t going to come down to a field sprint, because

Representatives of French cycling, which has been rocked recently by the Cofidis doping affair, have agreed that doping testers should be allowed to carry out random controls at riders' homes. Random dope testing at athletes' homes is against the law in France – however, since the Cofidis affair exploded in January, a number of top riders have spoken out about the need for harsh measures. A roundtable meeting held in Paris Friday brought together the management of top teams, the French cycling federation, riders and race organizers in a bid to thrash out the possible solutions to the

Jammin' with Julie: Back in the dirt at Sea Otter

Bisaro en route to the first major win of her pro mountain-biking career

McGrath was having some fun out there, including jumping waterbars

Dunlap's front derailleur tripped her up short of the finish, but she held onto the overall lead

Frischknecht is enjoying his first-ever stint in the Otter's leader's jersey

The Mud Stud appears regularly in the trade magazine Bicycle Retailer and Industry News

Bessette gambles ...

... and the gamble pays off

Jones finds himself leading Klasna out in a two-up sprint

... and Klasna finishes him off

But the guy Klasna's worried about is Horner

After a one-month respite following the NORBA season opener in Waco, America’s professional mountain bike circuit reconvenes this week at the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California. Racing commences Thursday with the opening stage of the four-event cross-country stage race. The gravity gang gets into the act Saturday with dual slalom. The opening XC event is the new-for-2004 super cross-country, a hybrid criterium-style race where competitors will split time between dirt trails and the Laguna Seca Raceway tarmac. The women will race for 75 minutes, while the men will be out there for 90

“Whoever said life was fair? Life is not fair.”Lt. Colonel S.G. Rogers, USMC ret.Oft-used saying, 1975 to 1990 Growing up, one of my father’s favorite mottos — right up there with “We hate waste,” and “Because I said so” — was to remind my sister and me that life is, indeed, not fair. Somewhere early on I must have seemed exceptionally unclear on the concept, because the Lt. Colonel, known as “Major Dad” to my apprehensive high school buddies, made it a point to remind me of this any time I felt I had been the victim of a grave injustice. “Whoever said life was fair?” the Marine of the

Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo) was the easy winner in Thursday’s 167kmsecond stage in the Tour of Aragon in Spain. Russian Denis Menchov (IllesBalears), winner of Wednesday’s climbing stage, easily retained the leader’sjersey in the sunny day in the saddle.Petacchi won by two bike lengths ahead of Massimo Strazzer (SaunierDuval) in the Italian’s first victory since his dramatic breakdown in lastmonth’s Milan-San Remo.“I’m very happy to win today,” Petacchi said. “Illes Balears helpedus control the stage and my team worked perfectly for me in the sprint.The team said this was a stage for

Last Friday we finished up racing in the Tour of the Basque country. Nice terrain, green hills, and cold wet weather. The race is a five-day Hors Categorie UCI race which many teams have as an objective for the early season or use as a trampoline to gain fitness before the Ardennes classics. The race offers up undulating and mountainous terrain, with several climbs each day - 25 over the five days - with much of the distance of the race being covered on narrow farm roads. Our team went to Pays Basque with loose objectives. Floyd knew he would be able to race for the overall but the rest of

World road champion Igor Astarloa appears set to leave the embattled Cofidis team if he cannot compete in two one-day classics next week. Cofidis president Francois Migraine announced last Friday that France's top team would be suspended from all racing while an investigation into alleged doping among several former and current riders is held. The decision meant that another of the team's reigning champions, Britain's David Millar - who won the time trial title in Canada - was prevented from competing in his World Cup track debut at Manchester on Saturday. Millar has expressed support for

With 75 percent of the 2.9-mile track on pavement, it was no surprise that road tactics played a big part in the opening mountain bike event at the 2004 Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California on Thursday. It was also no surprise that a pair of supreme riders — Alison Dunlap and Thomas Frischknecht — walked away with the inaugural wins in the first-ever super cross-country. In the women’s race, Dunlap (Luna) took a sprint win ahead of Canadian Chrissy Redden (Subaru-Gary Fisher). The pair was part of a 28-rider group that separated itself from the field early in the 75-minute race, which

On paper a three-kilometer, downhill time trial would seem perfectly suitedto a rider with power to burn and trained in the art of the short hardeffort. As it turned out, that’s exactly the type of ride that did wintoday’s prologue at the Sea Otter Classic road stage race. New ZealanderHayden Godfrey (Health Net) spends a big portion of the season racing theteam and individual pursuits, making his physiology ideally suited forthe sub-3:00 effort. Godfrey’s win, and Health Net placing all six riders in the top 10,marked the first crack in Chris Horner’s dominance of the domestic racingscene

Mr. Rogers' neighborhood: Fair? Not even close.

Zabriskie and Reich

Swiss Power: Frischknecht takes the win

Dunlap kept Redden in check

Roland Green managed to build a 30-second lead after attacking at the halfway mark

Godfrey's pursuit work helped

Armstrong went all out

The women's super XC peloton.

While scaled back in size for 2004, the Sea Otter Classic road stage race still aspires to be one of the better multi-day races in the U.S. With only three stages, down from the four in 2003, Sea Otter organizers have chosen to center all of the racing around the grounds of the Laguna Seca raceway, with every stage starting and finishing on the track’s familiar tarmac. Racing commences Thursday, and runs through Saturday. As the final event of the active California spring stage race season, Sea Otter seems the perfect opportunity for Webcor’s Chris Horner to complete the Golden State sweep.

Tom Boonen (Quick Step) proved he’s the natural successor for the departingJohan Museeuw after the young Belgian won Wednesday’s Scheldeprijs Vlaanderenon the same day his mentor, teammate and friend raced his last as a pro. In what was the final race for Belgian classics legend Johan Museeuw, fittingly, it was his 23-year-old Quick Step team-mate who took the plaudits. Boonen, whom many believe is worthy of emulating his revered compatriot, held off Lotto’s Robbie McEwen and De Nardi's Simone Cadamuro at the finish line of the 200km race between Antwerp and Schoten. It was his second

The doping investigation which prompted France’s top team to withdraw from competition has already cast a deep shadow over July's Tour de France. The Cofidis affair has stirred up memories of the 1998 "Tour of Shame" which was rocked by police raids and led to the Festina trial in 2000 in which Richard Virenque and his teammates revealed the widespread use of doping in cycling. Tour de France director Jean-Marie Leblanc has so far declined to take any measures against Cofidis, even though he has already barred Spanish team Kelme from the race on doping grounds. "Let's be patient. Let's

Dear Monique,Since the beginning of the year, I've been exercising regularly to lose weight. As a former competitive cyclist, my preferred method, up to this point, has been to take part in "spinning" sessions, or riding my indoor trainer, four to five days per week. I've also recently started to mix in some moderate weight/resistance training two to three times per week. Here's my problem. Since the beginning of January, when I started my routine on a more regular basis, I have not been able to lose a single pound. According to my heart rate monitor, I've burned enough calories in four

Vicenza, April 14 2004 – Campagnolo’s complete wheels are renownedfor their lightness, smoothness, sturdiness and reliability. A reputationachieved thanks to the quality and performance of the Nucleon low-profilewheels introduced in 1999. Research conducted on a fully integrated projectencompassing rims, spokes and hubs, resulted in the creation of ideal bicyclewheels that are reactive during short sprints yet nevertheless comfortableeven on long rides. Basing itself on these already solid foundations, Campagnolo soon expanded its wheel collection, presenting two new low-profile models

Spain's world road race champion Igor Astarloa could be set to leave Cofidis after he was told Wednesday he can leave the embattled French outfit, who have suspended all racing amid a doping investigation, if he wants. "If he wants to join another team we'll let him go," said the manager of France's top cycling team, Alain Bondue. Bondue added that 28-year-old Astarloa, who was recruited from the Italian Saeco team at the end of last season before winning the world title in Canada in October, had not requested a move. It has been reported however that other teams have made the Spaniard

The Mail Bag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com, appearing each Monday, Wednesday and Friday. 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@7Dogs.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.Monday, Monday....To Editor and the Monday Bunch:I refer to the "Monday Bunch" as the group so quick to complain aboutGeorge Hincapie’s lack of support in exchange for Tour success.I'm pretty sure that had George won or placed and one of those

Scheldeprijs organizers presented Museeuw with a diamond encrusted award on Wednesday.

French rider Franck Bouyer (La Boulangère) won the Paris-Camembert race in France on Tuesday, edging Thomas Lovkist (FDJeux.com) to take the French semi-classic. Bouyer, a winner of a stage last week in the Circuit de la Sarthe, escaped with Lovkist and held off the Swede to take the victory. Johan Coenem (Mr Bookmaker) led the main bunch in at 20 seconds back. Paris-Camembert was the sixth leg of the French Cup series and Bouyer moves into third overall behind series leader Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole). 65th Paris-Camembert Lepetit (FRA 1.2)1. Franck Bouyer (F), La Boulangère, 4:29

Credit firm Cofidis, sponsor France's top cycling team, lost its claim for damages on Tuesday when a court dismissed the firm’s lawsuit against the sports daily L'Equipe, which last week published extracts of judicial statements into alleged doping. The newspaper's lawyer said the court ruled the daily had not drawn any definitive conclusion about doping and was not bound by the laws of confidentiality. The team, which includes world champions David Millar of Britain and Igor Astarloa of Spain, has pulled out of all competition while its sponsor reviews the situation. Sacked former Cofidis

Dear Lennard,I would like to know how to assess whether a bicycle crank arm or the pedal shaft is bent following a road crash or just hitting an object with the pedal as often happens off-road. Apart from obvious signs like the crank arm hitting the frame or other visible damage, there should be a way to determine that the pedal shaft is perfectly horizontal and 90 degrees to the frame. Hitting an object with the pedal may slightly bend parts upward when the pedal is at the bottom. Then when the pedal is at the 12 o'clock position the damage is effectively doubled as the effective bend is

Belda: Generalized doping does not exist in cycling.

Technical Q&A with Lennard Zinn - Laser alignment? Who are all those Cardsharps?

Technical Q&A with Lennard Zinn - Laser alignment? Who are all those Cardsharps?

Bouyer

Bobby Julich (Team CSC) is scheduled to fly to the United States on Tuesday, where he will race in the Tour of Georgia later this month. It’s the first time the American has raced in front of the home crowd since 1996 and Julich is expecting a strong race following his impressive spring campaign in Europe. Julich finished third at Paris-Nice in March and won the final time trial at the Tour of the Basque Country on Friday, his first win in Europe since 1997. “Anything that happens in Georgia now will be icing on the cake,” Julich said after nipping compatriot Tyler Hamilton (Phonak) by

Australian veteran Scott Sunderland couldn't have asked for a better debut on the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix, the third round in the ten-race World Cup on Sunday. Sunderland, at 37 made his debut on the world's toughest one-day cycling race over 261 km - 51 of which were over 26 bike-rattling cobblestones. Afterwards, the Aussie positively gushed with delight as teammate Magnus Backstedt secured an historic victory for Sweden, and for their Italian team Alessio. Backstedt, a 29-year-old sprinter, signaled his intentions with a second place finish behind Tom Boonen in Wednesday's

Dear Joe,I am 41-years-old and I do just about any activity that involves cycling, including triathlons and duathlons. One of the things that I noticed is that I can maintain a higher heart rate running than I can while on my bike. Is there a different lactate threshold heart rate (LTHR) for running than there is for cycling?Thank you,Steven Crane Dear Steven,Yes. Actually, this is quite normal for an athlete to have differences in heart rate at lactate threshold for different sports. Part of the answer involves the amount of muscle fibers used within different sports. Running simply

The Mail Bag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com, appearing each Monday, Wednesday and Friday. 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@7Dogs.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.Almost there… yet againDear VN.com,Poor George Hincapie. If only U.S. Postal would give the classics teamequal priority as its Tour de France team. It seems that every year Georgerides great at Paris-Roubaix, only to find himself all alone at

FDJeux.com’s Baden Cooke said Monday that he is about to file suit against a French newspaper over an article suggesting that he had injected himself with a banned stimulant. Tuesday's edition of Le Monde includes extracts from a telephone conversation recorded by the police in September 2001. In it French cyclist Philippe Boyer, who was handed a one year prison sentence last year for drug trafficking, is claimed to be talking to a supposed friend of Cooke's, a woman called Sandrine. She tells Boyer that Cooke, who won the Tour de France green points jersey last year, had felt ill after

Hammond had a good Sunday

The Rookie

Cooke took the points jersey at 2003

Magnus Backstedt (Alessio) was as surprised as anyone after realizing a childhood dream by winning the 102nd edition of Paris-Roubaix in a sprint finish on Sunday. The big Swede, 6-foot-3 and just under 200 pounds, outsprinted Tristan Hoffman (CSC) and Roger Hammond (MrBookmaker.com) to win the grueling 261km “Hell of the North.”

Alessio's Magnus Backstedt triumphs on the Roubaix velodrome

Without Museeuw, Backstedt and the others knew they had a shot.

Aldag

Mayhem in the Arenberg Forest

Kirsipuu tries his luck

Hincapie saw his chance and went for it.

Museeuw launched the winning move, but....

Who knows what would have happened if those tires had held?

The cobbles start at Troisvilles

One of the greatest episodes in the history of cycling's World Cup will come to an end Sunday when Belgian classics king Johan Museeuw races his final Paris-Roubaix. Considered the toughest one-day race in the world, the French classic needs no introduction. Tour de France legend Bernard Hinault once described it in less-than-glowing terms. "It's not a race, it's more like a cyclo-cross," raged Hinault, who, nonetheless, had to have a go and eventually tamed the "Hell of the North" himself in 1981. The 38-year-old Museeuw, who will finally hang up his wheels three days afterwards at the GP

As a former two-time winner of Paris-Roubaix, Marc Madiot knows all about the effects the weather can have on anyone's chances of victory on the race known as the "Hell of the North.” Madiot, now the team manager with Fdjeux.com, won the race in 1985, sandwiched in between the two victories of Irish sprinter Sean Kelly, then did it again six years later, in 1991. In good conditions, Paris-Roubaix is enough to give any pro rider cause for concern. But add a sprinkling of rain on one of the race's 26 cobblestone sections, and buoyant hopes of victory can soon drown in despair. "When it

Cofidis, the sponsor of France's top cycling team, has made no decision on its future in the sport following its decision to pull the team out of all competitions. The credit company's president, Francois Migraine, said very little after an emergency meeting Saturday in Marcq-en-Baroeil, France, with his team managers and a select few riders. "It was a discussion between me and them," said Migraine. Team sprinter Jimmy Casper, meanwhile, said Cofidis simply wanted to put things right and expressed confidence that its future could be assured. "The boss told us we have to get back on the