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Mayo at the Dauphine

MTB World’s: Aussie Mathison repeats in junior XC; Poland takes relay

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It has been a busy couple of days for me personally, so I thought I would send out a quick update regarding some of the changes on the horizon for me and my family. Many of you already know I have decided to join the Phonak Cycling Team in January of 2004. The decision became official September 1st, when I traveled to Zurich to sign my new contract. While some of you may be surprised to hear this, I must tell you this is a very big opportunity for me professionally. I can look back on my two years with CSC with a lot of pride and satisfaction. We accomplished some terrific things together.

The big news of Tyler Hamilton's transfer to the Swiss Phonak team has made headlines throughout Europe. Hamilton enjoyed a banner year, winning Liége-Bastogne-Liége, the Tour of Romandie and a stage in the Tour de France while riding with a fractured collar bone. The New Englander officially announced Monday a two-year deal to join the Phonak team, which has yet to race in the Tour. Team officials were upbeat about their chances to earn a place in the 2004 Tour. "Over the past two years our strategy has been in keeping with the marketing strategy of the sponsor: young, international, but

I swore when I came to Europe the first time that I would not come back “that guy.” I was convinced that Europe would make me stronger, faster, better. I would not be returning burned out, hollow-eyed, beaten. I didn't want to be the guy that was good, but no longer races, and just shows up on the local group rides and spins near the back. Every group ride has one. The new riders are always alerted to their presence in a solemn whisper. “That guy used to race in Europe.” I held great reverence for these riders, even when I had no idea what an echelon was and thought the Paris-Roubaix

Saying Spain’s national tour deserves more respect than has been shown by Mario Cipollini, organizers of the Vuelta a España have ejected the Domina Vacanze team from the race after the world champion made it clear he would not attend. Race director Victor Cordero told the French wire service AFP on Tuesday that he disapproved of the attitude of Italian team, after it had initially promised to field Cipollini. "The Vuelta and cycling deserve more respect,” Cordero said. “There will only be 21 instead of 22 teams at the start line. To tell us Sunday that Cipollini is not coming is to show a

Mario may be spending more time in street clothes

Injured Tour de France contender Joseba Beloki said he'll wait one more week for ONCE sport director Manolo Saiz to find a new sponsor before signing with a foreign team. Beloki, 30, told the Spanish daily AS that he wants to stay with Saiz if he can find a new sponsor to take over for the Spanish lottery ONCE, which is ending its long-running sponsorship at the end of this season. "I'll wait one more week for Saiz. If nothing happens, I'll sign with a foreign team," Beloki said. The three-time Tour podium finisher has been linked to such teams as Rabobank, CSC, Gerolsteiner and Phonak,

It’s official: Tyler Hamilton will leave Team CSC for Phonak Hearing Systems at the end of the 2003 season. Hamilton and the Swiss team signed a two-year deal that management termed “a real coup … underscoring the team's determination to be the first division's number one outfit.” The 32-year-old American, who finished fourth in this year’s Tour de France despite a broken collarbone, was quoted as saying that he was "sorry to say goodbye to Team CSC, but that's part of the game.” “I have had a fantastic time on the team, and I will thank the whole team for their great support they have

If you think that getting older means going downhill, you just might be right. Of the 15 gold medals won by Americans at the 2003 World Masters Mountain Bike Championships, 10 were earned in the downhill, while just five came from the cross country. In all, Americans captured 39 medals at the masters world’s this past weekend in Bromont, Québec, Canada – 15 gold, 13 silver, and 11 bronze. World titles in cross country went to Isabelle Noe (women 35-39), Lydia Barter (women 50+), Steve Tilford (men 40-44), James Wagner (men 60-64), and Frederic Schmid (men 65+) World titles in downhill

After a week of training with Michael and a couple of his teammates in the Pyrénées, I was feeling super motivated to race. The boys whipped me into flying form, as I followed them up col after col, panting away. They were doing long, steady rides in the mountains in preparation for the upcoming Vuelta a España, but for me, it was like two to five hours of motor pacing each day. I boarded a plane Saturday night for Nuremberg, after a slight glitch in my travel arrangements. I was happy to arrive at the hotel at a reasonable enough hour to have a good dinner and sleep. None of my T-Mobile

It took a long, long time. Fourteen years, to be precise. But finally I'm there! I started my international mountain-biking career in 1990 by winning the silver medal at the first-ever world championship in Durango, Colorado. Ever since, I have been hunting the rainbow jersey, which is a mystic emblem to any professional cyclist. So many times I was close to winning it – 1990, ‘91, ‘92 and 2001, with the silver medal. In 1994, as the favorite for the title, I broke my collarbone the day before the race. In 1996, I finished second only to become world champion four years later, due to Jerome

American riders dominated the downhill competition at the Masters Mountain Bike World Championships, taking six of eight titles awarded. Four other categories did not have titles awarded because each had only one rider. The UCI announced shortly before the world’s that a minimum of three riders were required for a title to be awarded (originally, the organization had said six, but reduced it to three after protests). All four were upper age groups, three of them women's categories, and U.S. riders won these events also. Lars Tribus (Chumba Racing), won the hotly contested men's 30-34 group

Mark McCormack (Saturn) and Genevieve Jeanson (Rona/Esker) left little doubt Monday as each won their fourth consecutive stage of the Mad River Valley Green Mountain Stage Race in Vermont. The Voler Burlington Criterium offered little if any rest to the riders, as the unique general classification points format required racers to stay aggressive throughout this final stage. Certainly that was true in McCormack’s case as he countered a brief early attack with Mark Walters (Navigators) and went clear to stay. McCormack and Walters rode a very smart race, working well together and maintaining

Tyler's shedding his CSC kit for Phonak garb

Mark McCormack (Saturn) and Geneviève Jeanson (Rona-Esker) followed their victories in Friday’s prologue by winning stage 1 of the Mad River Valley Green Mountain Stage Race, the Moretown Circuit Race. McCormack, who has won this race in each of the previous two years, got into a break with Mark Walters (Navigators), Cameron Hughes (LeMond Fitness-Cra-Z Soap), Tim Johnson (Saturn), and Alex Lavallee (Trek-Volkswagen) at the top of the second KOM sprint. With the top-three overall riders on board, the group maintained its lead, despite several attempts from riders in the field to bridge.

After 78km of racing through the foothills of the Swiss Alps in harsh, windy conditions, the battle for the World Mountain Bike Marathon Championship in Lugano came down to the final 100 meters on Sunday as hometown hero Thomas Frischknecht outsprinted Bart Brentjens of the Netherlands to claim the first-ever world marathon title. Carsten Bresser of Germany rounded out the podium in third, four minutes behind the leaders. With more than 9300 feet of climbing and strong alpine winds, the elements and topography alone provided enough opportunity for the favorites to sort themselves out at

Jan Ullrich won't be racing in October's world championships, his manager Wolfgang Strohband told the German news agency SID on Sunday. Strohband said the 29-year-old would end his season in next week's Hessen Rundfahrt in Germany to close up his 2003 season. Officials from the T-Mobile race are trying to persuade the Bianchi rider to start the Sept. 14 race in San Francisco, but SID reported Ullrich will attend the Formula 1 race in Italy the same day to kick off his vacation. "I didn't race that much this year and I don't want to overdo it," Ullrich told SID. "To prepare for the world's

Erin Mirabella (Frisco Cycling Club) lapped the field and held off a late charge by Ashley Kimmet (Colavita-Bolla) to win the women’s points race Saturday during the final night of the USCF National Track Cycling Championships in Trexlertown, Pennsylvania. The race started off slowly, but soon began to break apart. An attack by Lauren Shirock (Coyote Cycling) got the action rolling. Then Mari Holden (Team T-Mobile) and Kimmet, the 2001 junior world silver medalist in the points race, got away to take the lead with 35 laps remaining. Mirabella and Sarah Hammer (Team T-Mobile) charged to

Steve Tilford (Shimano-Moots) was among four Americans to claim world titles on Saturday during the first day of the Masters Mountain Bike World Championships in Bromont, Québec. Tilford took his fifth masters world’s title in the men's 40-44 age group, finishing nearly four minutes ahead of Thierry Salomon of Switzerland, with Patrick Meersschaert (Belgium) third. Other U.S. titlists were 70-year-old Frederic Schmidt (Waco Bicycle Club) in the 65-plus category, Seattle's James Wagner (Ti Cycles) in the 60-64 category and Lydia Barter (Team Bicycle Alley) in the women's 50+ age

Although Mark McCormack (Saturn) really had to really work for it, he and Geneviève Jeanson (Rona-Esker) made it three wins in three days during stage 2 of the Mad River Valley Green Mountain Stage Race, the Sugarbush Chamber Mad River Road Race. The men saw lots of breakaway attempts, but none succeeded as the GC leaders kept everything tight in the pack. As the riders approached the first of the two final climbs up to Appalachian Gap, Tim Johnson (Saturn) started to drive the field and formed two break groups in hopes of stretching out the field for McCormack. But when the field caught

Frischy outkicks Brentjens for the rainbow jersey

Wloszcowska soloes across the line

The women's points race

Cody goes for the gold in the team sprint

Pearce celebrates his scratch-race victory

Tilford collects a fifth masters title

Lydia Barter celebrates her 50-plus win

It’s the second night of the 2003 Eurobike trade and the VeloNews crewand I just had dinner with Jan Ullrich –well, kind of…To be honest, we were seated next to him as he went about his businessentertaining a table full of Bianchi corporate brass. In Friedrichshafenfor an autograph signing session at the Bianchi booth on Saturday, it wasrefreshing to see Ullrich slurping down his pasta only a few feet awayfrom our table. Refreshing not because he ordered the same dish as I did,but because he so very nonchalantly signed autographs from the occasionalpasserby who recognized him.The highlight of

Mark McCormack (Saturn) and Genevieve Jeanson (Rona-Esker) were victorious in the pouring rain in the hill climb prologue of the Mad River Valley Green Mountain Stage Race. Jeanson led a barrage of Rona riders up the final climb in the 13km hill climb stage. Sporting her brand new Canadian national championship jersey, she escaped from the field just after the beginning neutral zone and won the stage easily over teammates Johanna Buick and Shani Block. The Rona squad not only swept the podium, but placed riders in the top four places, and five out of the top 10. The American contingent was

Photo Gallery: U.S. National Track Championships -Day 3

Domina Vacanze officials want Mario Cipollini to be at the start line in Gijón next weekend for the kick-off of the Vuelta a España whether the petulant star wants to race or not. Team manager Vicenzo Santoni said the world champion has been "officially called" to start the race, according to reports in the Spanish press. Cipollini hasn't raced since crashing out of the Giro d'Italia back in May and has said he might not start the season's final grand tour, a move that angered Vuelta organizers who said earlier this week if "Cipollini doesn't come, Domina Vacanze shouldn't bother to show up

Barbadian cyclist Barry Forde, a medal winner at the world cycling championships and the Pan American Games, tested positive for the banned stimulant ephedrine. Forde, 26, won a bronze medal last month at the world championships in Germany and two gold medals at the Pan American Games in the Dominican Republic. It was unclear if he would be stripped of any medals. "Barry is very aware of the stimulants banned in sports and has never knowingly used these substances," Adrian Lorde, director of the Barbados Olympic Association, said Friday. The Barbados Olympic Association has launched a

EuroBike: My dinner with Jan

EuroBike: My dinner with Jan

EuroBike: My dinner with Jan

McCormack, Jeanson take Green Mountain opener

McCormack, Jeanson take Green Mountain opener

Jonas Carney in the Madison

Nothstein and O'Bee represent Navigators in the Madison

Ofoto stole the the show by getting away for an early lap and the big

Photo Gallery: U.S. National Track Championships -Day 3

Sara Uhl won the kierin by going early holding on for two laps

Alfred and Massie had a good duel that went three rounds

Alfred in the sprint semi's

Hammer won her first senior title by launching an early attack in the scratch race.

I tore the LAX airport tags off of my duffel early Tuesday morning and once again subjected myself to that little-too-close-for-comfort, very hands-on “magic wand” security screening at Denver International Airport. With the memories of my recent visit to Southern California for Giant’s2004 product introduction still fresh in my mind, I adjusted my seatbelt physically preparing myself for a bumpy ride, while psychologically amping myself for the cultural about-face that’s makes Europe so very Europe.You know, breakfast lunch and dinner featuring every meat product under the sun, showers

Tyler Hamilton’s rough and tumble season is now officially over. Pain in his right leg caused by a bloody fall in the second stage of the Tour of Holland on August 20 has turned out to be more than a deep bruise. An MRI taken Friday morning in Spain revealed a hairline fracture at the top of his right femur. “I’ve been suffering since the Tour of Holland. I hit my hip really hard. I started training as soon as I could, but I haven’t been able to push the pedals. When I put pressure on my leg, it’s been painful,” Hamilton told VeloNews on Friday afternoon from his home in Girona. Hamilton

Think you’ve got it tough at work? Well, how would you like to head into September just about every year not knowing for sure whether you’re going to have a job next year? Yes, the job of professional cyclist seems like a dream occupation to most racers, and to a large extent it is. But when you can pretty much be at the pinnacle of your sport in the U.S. and still be uncertain about your job status, well, that’s rough. It’s also the reality for a couple of recently crowned U.S. champions. Kevin Monahan may have repeated as USPRO criterium champion in Downers Grove, Illinois, but at least

It was a rough-and-tumble evening of racing at the 2003 USCF National Track Cycling Championships at the Lehigh Valley Velodrome in Trexlertown, Pennsylvania, as T-Mobile’s Chris Witty took the win in the women’s 500 and Jonas Carney took the win in what at times was a heated points race. That points race proved to be dramatic… almost as dramatic as the fight it triggered afterward. Early on, Prime Alliance, Ofoto-Lombardi, T.E.A.M. Fuji, and Navigators spread the points across the board with each trying to make a move that would stick – none of which was successful. Prime Alliance’s

EuroBike: Trade show season kicks off in Friedrichshafen

EuroBike: Trade show season kicks off in Friedrichshafen

EuroBike: Trade show season kicks off in Friedrichshafen

EuroBike: Trade show season kicks off in Friedrichshafen

EuroBike: Trade show season kicks off in Friedrichshafen

EuroBike: Trade show season kicks off in Friedrichshafen

EuroBike: Trade show season kicks off in Friedrichshafen

EuroBike: Trade show season kicks off in Friedrichshafen

EuroBike: Trade show season kicks off in Friedrichshafen

Jonas Carney takes the points win

Nothstein was held to just 10 points

Massie

Levi Leipheimer will return to the Vuelta a España next month for the first time since his breakthrough performance in 2001, when he came out of nowhere to finish third overall. Going into the Vuelta that year, Leipheimer had never ridden a three-week grand tour, but became the first American to finish on the Vuelta podium with consistent strength in the mountains and the time trials. Now he returns to Spain’s grand tour, but in very different circumstances. Following his unfortunate crash in the first stage of the 2003 Tour deFrance (see "Interview: Leipheimer talks about his oh-so-short

Dear Bob;Is it true that in Illinois, an injured cyclist cannot sue anyone fordamages? Isn’t that just a back door way of banning bicycling?FLIllinoisDear FL;No, it is not true—mostly. The case you are referring to is Boubv. Township of Wayne, from 1998. Jon Boub was riding his bike on aquiet rural road in Illinois. He started across a one-lane covered bridge.The bridge was originally built with two parallel sets of planks for thewheels of carriages to run on. Under these planks were the floor joistsof the bridge, running perpendicular to the roadway. Over the years, thegap between these

There’s nothing that says what happened at the European championships will have any bearing on next week’s world championships. But there were certainly a few things that jumped out from the week’s worth of racing in Graz, Austria. For starters there was Gunn-Rita Dahle, who won yet another big race, and is on her way to putting together the greatest single season in women’s cross-country racing history. Right now that honor goes to Juli Furtado who in 1993 ran the table in the NORBA series and won nine of 10 World Cups. But one thing Furtado didn’t win was the world championship (Paola

After much deliberation, American Alison Dunlap has decided to take a pass on next week’s world mountain-bike championships in Switzerland, not wanting to risk further injury to the shoulder she separated in a crash at NORBA No. 2 in mid-June. “Technically it’s healed, but it’s only been nine weeks,” Dunlap explained. “It’s still slow and tentative. The big fear is crashing and re-injuring it. If that happened and I was out for the winter, then there go the Olympics.” Dunlap admitted that she struggled with the decision, and as late as Wednesday morning was still thinking about making the

Estonian Jaan Kirsipuu (Ag2r) won the 178km third stage of the 17th Tour de Poitou-Charentes in a sprint finish Thursday. Ukraine Yuri Mitlushenko (Landbouwkrediet) remains the overall leader. Cipo' still undecided on VueltaWorld champion Mario Cipollini’s disappearing act will be decided by this weekend when he’s expected to meet with Domina Vacanze patron Ernesto Preatoni, according to reports in the Italian press. Cipollini – who hasn’t raced since crashing out of the Giro d’Italia after setting a new stage-win record -- said he will decide whether he’ll start September’s Vuelta a

The second night of the 2003 USCF National Track Cycling Championships at the Lehigh Valley Velodrome in Trexlertown, Pennsylvania played out under beautiful skies with low humidity and moderate temperatures. The fair weather proved to be a big help as times in both the men’s kilometer and team pursuit were quicker than in 2002. Team pursuit qualifiersIn the team pursuit final, the Jelly Belly/Carlsbad Clothing team featuring Tyler Farrar, Mariano Friedick, Curtis Gunn, and individual pursuit champion Adham Sbeih proved to be unbeatable after qualifying first this morning. The squad

Adding to the evidence that new technology isn’t always a great leap forward, one of the new Segway human transporters struggled its way to the top of New Hampshire’s Mount Washington, but well off the pace of the machine it may eventually seek to replace. It took six sets of batteries and three drivers, but the Segway eventually made it to the top of New England's tallest peak. The scooter climbed Mount Washington's auto road – site of the annual bicycle race -- in about two and a half hours Wednesday, well off of Tom Danielson’s 49:24. The standup scooter, invented by Manchester New

Bobby Lea, upset winner in the kilo.

Nothstein in the kilo'

Jonas Carney in the kilo.

Jelly Belly team pursuit in qualifying.