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Australian Baden Cooke has played down his chance of fulfilling one of his childhood dreams when he saddles up for Milan-San Remo on Saturday. The first race of the World Cup season - a 294km ride from Italy's fashion capital to the Mediterranean coast resort - would in normal circumstances be well within the Victoria rider's grasp; he has emerged as one of the most feared sprinters in the peloton since making his European debut two years ago. However, a virus that has laid low more than one member of the peloton last week has compromised 25-year-old Cooke's chances of victory in what will

“You may as well call us Team Money.” Who ever said cyclists were humble? And why should we be? We deserve recognition, respect, sex, rock stardom, little poodles with American bandanas and Gucci booties. Yeah, and trading cards and tanning beds and … and … and leather pants and capes – it all comes rushing to the head like the initial stroke of a sprint, full of commitment and devoid of thought. Looking inside the head of a cyclist is like fracturing a carnival sky with the hands of an innocent child and scattering the pieces in waving strokes of glory. For the cyclist is a legend in his

Scottish cyclist Graeme Obree has overcome a suicide attempt to get back in shape for an attempt on Chris Boardman's world hour record next month. Obree made his breakthrough in 1993 when he won at the world track championships in Norway on a homemade bike with a bearing salvaged from a washing machine. In the same year, he broke the one-hour world record by covering 51.596km, but the record stood for just six days before Olympic gold medalist Boardman shattered it, only for Obree to reclaim the record in 1994. Obree retired in 1997 after being diagnosed with manic depression. Two years ago

1907 Lucien Petit-Breton (F) Bianchi1908 Cyrille Van Hauwaert (I)1909 Luigi Ganna (I)1910 Eugene Christophe (F)1911 Gustave Garrigou (F)1912 Henri Pellissier (F)1913 Odiel Defraeye (I)1914 Ugo Agostoni (I)1915 Ezio Corlaita (I)1917 Gaetano Belloni (I)1918 Costante Girardengo (I)1919 Angelo Cremo (I)1920 Gaetano Belloni (I)1921 Costante Girardengo (I)1922 Giovanni Brunero (I)1923 Costante Girardengo (I)1924 Pietro Linari (I)1925 Costante Girardengo (I)1926 Costante Girardengo (I)1927 Pietro Chesi (I)1928 Costante Girardengo (I)1929 Alfredo Binda (I)1930 Michele Mara (I)1931 Alfredo Binda

Cocaine killed Pantani, a doctor's report says

Baden Cooke and Lance Armstrong, shown in last year's Tour, are a bit under the weather as Milan-San Remo approaches

Paolo Bettini could become only the 12th rider to win the World Cup opening Milan-San Remo for the second year in a row when the one-day classic kicks off this Saturday. The 29-year-old Italian, who rides for Quick Step, got his season off to the perfect start last year when he won the La Primavera for the first time before lifting the ten-race World Cup title for the second year in a row. This year the energetic rider known as the “little cricket” has already laid some solid foundations, winning Tirreno-Adriatico on Tuesday after claiming two stage wins to show his sprinting form. Bettini

Hi Bob,I own a vacant lot of land and I occasionally see tracks from mountainbikes in the dirt. I am an avid cyclist, but wonder if I am at risk ofa lawsuit by allowing them to ride on my property. I do have a NO TRESPASSINGsign posted.TimSpokane, Washington Dear Tim,When I was a kid we had a great stretch of woods, with a beautifulstream running their length, near my home. The woods happened to be ownedby a mean old farmer who asserted his property rights by way of shotgunwith rock salt filled shells. We would hear the old man shooting off hisgun, but figured he was shooting skyward as a

Dear Monique,Great stuff recently on earlymorning training sessions. What about the opposite end of the spectrumfor those who jump on the trainer and crank out a few intervals just beforebed? If doing one to two hours with some tempo or threshold work andthen heading to bed for the night, what is good post ride nutrition? Typically,if training during the day, I would have a good recovery shake after training,but drinking down a several hundred calorie shake just before bed doesnot seem like the best idea.Thanks!SR Dear SR,While training in the evening may not be ideal, it is of course

Treviso, Italy (18 March, 2004) - On the eve of Milano-San Remo, Cicli Pinarello Spa has created some special new bicycles for their top teams, Fassa Bortolo and Illes Balears-Banesto to have the best possible material to use in the “la Classicissima di Primavera” this coming Saturday, March 20th. New Pinarello Dogma bicycles in magnesium for super sprinter Alessando Petacchi and his leadout train, who’ve just returned from Tirreno-Adriatico with three stage wins, and for Filippo Pozzato, recent protagonist in the Giro di Liguria and Trofeo Laigueglia. Both Petacchi and Pozzato will be team

IRON HORSE BICYCLE CLASSIC CELEBRATES 33rd RUNNING in 2004Registration Now Open for Memorial Day Weekend EventDURANGO, Colo. (March 18, 2004)--The registration forms,schedule and pertinent information for the 33rd annual Iron Horse BicycleClassic are posted on the website www.ironhorsebicycleclassic.com.The event is focusing on on-line registration in an effort to save paperand trees. Registration forms can be downloaded and mailed to the office,in addition to registering at http://www.active.com.This is the 33rd anniversary of one of the largest and longest continuouslyrun bicycling events

Treviso, Italy (18 March, 2004) - Opera Bicycles, created by Cicli Pinarello will be the racing partner in 2004 with Team Manager Maurizio Fabretto’s new squad SAFI-PASTA ZARA-MANHATTAN The new squad will consist of 14 riders, led by two of the top names in womens cycling, Nicole Cooke (UK), winner of the 2003 Womens World Cup, and the Lithuanian athlete Diana Ziliute, bronze medalist in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Other riders include Italians Giorgia Bronzini, track specialist with the Italian National Team and Anna Zugno, Jr. World TT champion in 2002 at Zolder, German rider Regina

As the 2004 season kicks-off, most of you competitive mountain bikers have either just finished or are nearing completion of your race rigs. While a handful of you are fortunate to have a complete bicycle shipped to you from a generous sponsor, the lion’s share of you will have to carefully piece together a race-worthy bike under the ever-present restrictions of a working stiff’s budget. Building a bike from the wheels-up can provide the clearest insight into the technical savvy of the particular owner. It’s easy to dress up a high quality frame (full suspension or hard tail) with full

Five-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong has elected to skip Saturday's World Cup opener, Milan-San Remo. U.S. Postal's Dirk Demol told AFP that Milan-San Remo does not fit in to the Texan's build-up for his attempt at a record sixth straight win in cycling's premier prize. Armstrong's next scheduled race is the Criterium International in the Ardennes region of Belgium at the end of the month.AFP2004 Bettini wants to avoid sprintDefending Milan-San Remo champion Paolo Bettini (Quick Step) says he wants to do everything to avoid a sprint coming down the Via Roma on Saturday. That,

ARMSTRONG VOTED 2004 USOC SPORTSMAN OF THE YEARFive-Time Tour de France Winner Becomes First Athlete Selected FourTimes COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. (March 18, 2004) - - CyclistLance Armstrong, figure skater Michelle Kwan and the U.S. Women’s GymnasticsTeam have been voted the 2003 United States Olympic Committee SportsMan,SportsWoman and Team of the Year, respectively.For the second consecutive year the top awards go to athletes from thesports of cycling and figure skating. In 2002, Armstrong and Sarah Hughes(Great Neck, N.Y.) received the trophies. Last year’s team title went tothe women’s

GO MISS MONDIALI, THE BEAUTY CONTEST CONNECTED WITH THE CYCLING WORLDCHAMPIONSHIPS OF VERONA-BARDOLINO 2004!Selections of the Misses that will reward the World’s championstake place in the discos of Verona, Brescia and Vicenza.18 March - Verona, Italia - A spring under the banner of beauty, that’s what we have to expect from the new event presented yesterdayin Verona, in the seat of Asco Unione, by the organizing committee of the Road Cycling World Championships of Verona-Bardolino 2004. The contest starting on Sunday, March 21st, will select six girls charged with awardingprizes to the

Laura Van Gilder (Genesis-Scuba) sprinted to victory in the opening stage of the fifth annual Pomona Valley Stage Race on Thursday in San Dimas, California. Van Gilder outkicked Magen Long (OBRU-The Bicycle Store) and Lyne Bessette (Quark), coming around on the final straight after Bessette attacked on the climb, to win the San Dimas Hospital Circuit Race in 1:15:46. The race was run on a 3.5-mile loop in Frank G. Bonelli Regional County Park, a course that the pro men decided was too dangerous for their 150-rider field, in a dispute reminiscent of the Redwood City circuit race in last

Bettini wins in 2003

If Bettini falters, Vino' and others will be right there.

Legally Speaking - with Bob Mionske: Forgive us our trespasses

Tech Report: Ridin' what you wanna ride vs. what you have to ride

Thursday's EuroFile: Armstrong to skip MSR; Bettini wants to avoid sprint

Bessette and Holden

Bessette and eventual winner Van Gilder

Eventual runner-up Megan Long guts it up that long climb

Another view of the climb, as the men parade upward

Editor's note: This article appeared earlier on VeloNews.com,but an off-the-cuff comment regarding new standards for caffeine and pseudoephedrinecreated some level of confusion. We have since checked with USADA and USACycling and feel comfortable with the original information included inthis column.At this year's training camp for the Health Net/ Maxxis team, riders andstaff hit me with an assortment of questions covering a wide range of medicaland scientific topics. The subject of recent changes in anti-doping regulationscame up repeatedly.“Why is the US government making ephedrine illegal

Be sure to tune in for VeloNews.com's LIVE COVERAGE of the 95th edition of Milan-San Remo - brought to you by Steve Bauer Bike Tours - on Saturday, March 20, 2004.Start List - 95th Milan San-Remo1. Paolo Bettini (I), Quick Step-Davitamon2. Tom Boonen (B), Quick Step-Davitamon3. Davide Bramati (I), Quick Step-Davitamon4. Nick Nuyens (B), Quick Step-Davitamon5. Luca Paolini (I), Quick Step-Davitamon6. Michael Rogers (Aus), Quick Step-Davitamon7. Pedro Horrillo Munoz (Sp), Quick Step-Davitamon8. Stefano Zanini (I), Quick Step-Davitamon11. Laurent Brochard (F), Ag2R Prevoyance12. Nazon Jean

Spanish cycling legend Miguel Indurain said Lance Armstrong has what it takes to win the record sixth Tour de France. Armstrong matched Indurain’s mark of five consecutive Tours in last year’s hard fought battle, but Indurain told the Spanish daily MARCA that Armstrong looks more motivated than ever. “As we see him going now, and looking at his rivals, I see him with the capacity to win a sixth Tour,” Indurain said. “I see him with the same motivation as other years and his results so far this year indicate he took care of himself over the winter.” Indurain, who has participated in two

Lance Armstrong and Cancer Community Seek Cyclists to Participate in2004 Bristol-Myers Squibb Tour of Hope™ Princeton, NJ (March 17, 2004) – Cancer survivor and five-timeTour de France champion Lance Armstrong and Bristol-Myers Squibb Companyannounced today that they will partner again this year to inspire and invigoratethe public about the importance of cancer research through the 2004 Bristol-MyersSquibb Tour of Hope™.  The cross-country cycling event will beginin Los Angeles on Friday, October 1 and will conclude in Washington, DCon Saturday, October 9 with a grand finale

Paolo Bettini (Quick Step) has won the overall title in the 39th edition of Tirreno-Adriatico, finishing in the main field and preserving his five-second lead over Oscar Freire (Rabobank). Fassa Bortolo sprinter Alessandro Petacchi won the 162km stage that finished in San Benedetto Del Tronto, his third win of the race. Freire clawed back two seconds on Bettini to lose by five but his chances had evaporated after making contact with another rider during the mass sprint. “Mentally it has been a stressful day," said Bettini. "Well, to be honest the entire Tirreno-Adriatico has been. I had to

Colorado Springs, CO--CTS athletes performed impressively yesterdayat NORBA’s National Mountain Bike Series in Waco, Texas. Alison Dunlap,trained by premier CTS coach Dean Golich, showed competitors in the women’sevent that she is as strong as ever after winning her first cross-countryrace since suffering a season-ending shoulder injury last June. She tookfirst in the cross-country event, placed second overall and is well onher way to gain her necessary UCI points for a shot at the Olympics. KaterinaHanusova, also trained by Golich, placed third in the race and overall;Willow Koerber, premier

CAMPAGNOLO INAUGURATES ITS JAPANESE SUBSIDIARYCampagnolo srl enters the Japanese market determinedly throughthe inauguration of its new subsidiary Campagnolo Japan.Vicenza, 16 March 2004 -- Campagnolo srl, world leader in themanufacture of top-quality components for racing bikes, announces the openingof its new Japanese subsidiary, Campagnolo Japan. The subsidiary is locatedin the city of Yokohama and will be the Campagnolo reference point forthe entire Japanese market. Campagnolo Japan will be in charge of the following activities:Promotion of Campagnolo productsManagement of

Ahhhhh....sweet home Alaba...... well, okay, I mean, Salt Lake City. It's been a while and things don't look much different here than when I started my epic travels seven weeks ago. It still looks like January outside, with daily snow accumulations and temps in the 30's. But I'm not going to complain, no siree. I'm just happy as a clam to be sleeping in my own bed, breathing fresh mountain air and seeing my wife's happy face every morning instead of a haggard teammate's disheveled mug. Oh, the things I've seen in the past month-and-a-half.....Australia, Italy, France, Switzerland, Spain,

Petacchi strikes a familiar pose

Photo Gallery - Day 3 at Mexico City World Cup

The road backDear Joe and Dirk,After taking about two years off the bike (young kids), I spent thiswinter preparing for a return to competitive cycling. Then, in lateJanuary, I had the bad fortune to endure a case of mononucleosis.Admittedly it was only after I had mono for four weeks that I bought theTraining Bible, but now I want to be sure I don't overdo it as I returnto the preparation phase.While I fear my racing season might be effectively done, especiallyafter two years off, can you offer any recommendations or cautions as Iproceed? I'm 39 and, now that I've had mono, am only a couple

Race leader Paolo Bettini (Quick Step) won the sixth stage of Tirreno-Adriatico, a 185km race from Monte San Pietrangeli to Torre San Patrizio.Bettini was awarded the stage win after a photo-finish, claiming precious bonus seconds at the finish ahead of Tuesday's final stage over 162km around Benedetto Del Tronto. He now has an seven-second lead over Freire, the Rabobank rider whom the diminutive Italian will have to keep a close eye on Tuesday. Monday's stage came to life after 60km of racing shortly after Italian veteran Mario Cipollini had called it a day, climbing into the team car with

Uncertainty over his work permit forced Christian Vande Velde to skip last week’s Paris-Nice, an issue that may prove problematic for other Americans racing in Europe for European teams. Vande Velde, it seems, didn't actually have the proper paperwork to allow him to work for a European employer. Since joining the Liberty Seguros team, the question of the 27-year-old American's legal status in Spain has come up and the team has asked Vande Velde to get his papers squared away before allowing him to race again. Vande Velde told VeloNews he is scheduled to meet Wednesday with immigration

CADENCE PERFORMANCE CYCLING CENTERSTEAM WITH RENOWNED CARMICHAEL TRAINING SYSTEMS (CTS) TO OPENFIRST WORLD-CLASS RETAIL & TRAINING FACILITY IN MANAYUNKOne-Stop Cycling Center to Provide Bikes, Training, Apparel, TravelPHILADELPHIA, PA, MARCH 15, 2004 – Cadence Performance Cycling Centers,the Philadelphia area’s first and most complete world-class retail bicyclefacility and home to the nation’s first expansion of the renowned CarmichaelTraining Systems (CTS), will open its first Center next month at 4323 MainSt. in Manayunk, not far from cycle racing’s legendary Manayunk Wall.Located in the

NORRISTOWN, PA (March 15, 2004) – The Pro Cycling Tour (PCT) announcedtoday an agreement with VeloNews as a sponsor of the 2004 Pro Cycling Tourand its events in Philadelphia, New York City, Vail, and San Francisco. As a PCT media partner, VeloNews, the journal of competitive cycling, willreceive prominent visibility and co-branded media opportunities at ProCycling Tour events.“The Pro Cycling Tour is a great series, and a key component of theU.S. bike racing calendar,” says Dave Whittingham, Inside Communications’Marketing Manager. “We’re enthusiastic about our partnership with the PCTin

Spend your money at homeEditors,The Parisian bike shop scene is dismal (see "You'll always haveParis" in Wednesday's mail bag). Selection is poor and prices are horrible. La Maison du Velo noted by one of your readers has closed down. Thebest bet for high end gear is La Gazelle (two locations, one near L'Archedu Triomphe) www.la-gazelle.com. There are a couple of other shops near by on the Ave de la Grande Armée. I stock up on bikes and bike supplies when I'm back in the States wherethe selection is far superior and the prices are much better.Tom GrosmanParis, France Even the accident

Pearce and Carney in the Madison

The Ukraine took the Madison

NZ

Photo Gallery - Day 3 at Mexico City World Cup

Photo Gallery - Day 3 at Mexico City World Cup

Photo Gallery - Day 3 at Mexico City World Cup

Photo Gallery - Day 3 at Mexico City World Cup

Vande Velde: Undocumented worker?

Monday's mail bag: Paris, Saturn, the big game and a banana

Roberto Petito (Fassa Bortolo) won the fifth stage of Tirreno-Adriatico on Sunday, a 215 kilometer ride from Paglieta to Torricella Sicura near the Adriatic coast. The 33-year-old Italian won a sprint finish to cross the finish line in 5:20:51, ahead of Ukranian Sergey Matveyev (Ceramiche Panaria-Margres) and Swede Magnus Backstedt (Alessio-Bianchi). Reigning World Cup champion Paolo Bettini kept the leader's jersey. Monday's sixth stage is a 185km ride from Monte San Pietrangeli to Torre San Patrizio. Tirreno-Adriatico, Italy's first major race of the season and a traditional warm-up

CSC team manager Bjarne Riis was credited as the master tactician of this year’s edition of Paris-Nice as his team took three of the top four spots in the final overall standings after Sunday’s eighth and final stage was won by T-Mobile's Alexander Vinokourov. The 27-year-old Jaksche, from Germany, took control of the race on the opening day's time trial and retained the leader's yellow jersey throughout mainly thanks to his team's support and wily tactics. CSC also had American Bobby Julich finish third and German Jens Voigt take fourth place. It is the second major win of the season for

Americans Alison Dunlap and Jeremiah Bishop grabbed a pair of dramatic cross-country wins on the final day of racing at the opening stop of the NORBA National Mountain Bike Series in Waco, Texas on Sunday. In the final GC it was the day’s second-place finishers, Alison Sydor and Geoff Kabush, taking the overall titles. In the women’s race it didn’t take long for it to become a two-rider affair. After a quick start loop to shake things out for the run into the tight twisting singletrack of Cameron Park, Sydor and Dunlap quickly gapped the rest of the field, and carried a two-minute advantage

Rebellin, Jaksche and Bobby J reach the podium in Nice

No. 3 for Vino'

This was team win for CSC as well as an overall title for Jaksche.

It quickly turned into another Alison v. Alison battle

Bishop

The United States got off to a winning start at round two of the UCI Track World Cup on Friday in Aguascalientes, Mexico, thanks to winning performances from Colby Pearce and Erin Mirabella. Pearce, of Boulder, Colorado, won the men’s 15km scratch race ahead of Greg Henderson (NZL). In the following event, Mirabella, of Racine, Wisconsin, claimed the women’s 20km points race ahead of Lada Kozlikova (CZE). Tanya Lindenmuth of Trexlertown, Pennsylvania, also put in a strong performance. After posting the best qualifying time in the morning session, Lindenmuth placed second in the women’s

Alexander Vinokourov (T-Mobile), winner at Paris-Nice for the last two years, clinched his second win of the 2004 race with a fine solo effort in the seventh stage on Saturday. The 30-year-old from Kazakhstan broke away on the seafront of Cannes, 6km from the finish of the 185.5km stage from Dignes-les-Bains to Cannes, chased down Spaniard Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) – who had attacked at the summit of the Col du Tanneron, the last of the day's climbs, 20km from the finish – and brought the victory home in style, 18 seconds ahead of Luxembourg's Kim Kirchen (Fassa Bortolo).

Reigning World Cup champion Paolo Bettini (Quick Step) won the fourth stage of Tirreno-Adriatico from Isernia to Paglietta Saturday. With the win, Bettini took the overall lead from Spain's former two-time world champion Oscar Freire (Rabobank). Rolf Aldag (T-Mobile) took a flyer after summiting the Valico di Rionero Sannitico about 60km into the 173km stage, but was retrieved after just 10km off the front. A few attacks followed shortly thereafter, but nothing stuck until Andrea Tafi (Alessio-Bianchi) launched a solo break, putting 2:55 on the bunch before Rabobank organized a chase to

The 17th annual Taipei International Cycle Show is in full swing in Taiwan this week, and VeloNews technical writer Lennard Zinn is there plying the aisles to catch a glimpse of some of the product we can expect to hit the shelves at our local bike shops in the coming year. ITM wraps it upITM has discovered that wrapping the center section of an aluminum bar with carbon saves weight, increases strength, stiffness and fatigue life, and is way cheaper than an entire carbon bar. Same goes for a carbon-wrapped seat post. This does not apply to the carbon-wrapped stem, however, since this is a

One look at the short track course at Cameron Park, and you knew the day’s racing was going to be more fat boy crit than traditional STXC. With more than half the circuit on paved road, a blistering pace and bar-to-bar racing was almost guaranteed. The only question was whether anyone would be able to make a break stick, or would things come down to a sprint. The answer was both on Saturday at the opening race of the NORBA National Mountain Bike Series in Waco, Texas. In the women’s race, it was Canadian Alison Sydor earning her second win in two days, after charging away from American

Women's 500m time trial1 Natalia Tsylinskaya (Blr),34:587 (52.043 kph),2 Anna Meares (Aus),34:5973 Yvonne Hijgenaar (Nl),34:8644 Cuihua Jiang (Chn),34:9405 Simona Krupeckaite (Lit),35:1276 Svetlana Grankovskaia (Rus),35:1757 Lori-Ann Muenzer (Can),35:2358 Nancy Contreras Reyes (Mex),35:2709 Clara Sanchez (F),35:41310 Elisa Frisioni (I),35:50511 Iryna Yanovych (Ukr),35:60112 Sayuri Osuga (Jpn),35:89413 Yumary Gonzalez Valdinieso (Cub), 36:31514 Diana Garcia (Col),36:37815 Karelia Juthid Machado Jaimes (Vz), 36:68516 Tanya Lindenmuth (USA),37:10717 Szilvia Szabolcsi (Hun),37:204Women's 3000m

Pearce is a picture of concentration

His focus pays off in gold

Mirabella adds to the U.S. medal case

... and here's the proof

Lindenmuth was fastest in the morning but had to settle for silver in the final

Nothstein easily made the keirin final, but wound up fifth

Vino' wins his second stage

ITM's bars

The champ's seat

Tektro kicks it up a notch with a carbon brakeset

VDB, now sixth overall, was among the riders having a go today

Sanchez nearly made a last-minute bid stick

The men from up North were out Front