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Leontien Zijlaard-Van Moorsel wasn’t sure what to think when she lined up against Katie Mactier to successfully defend her title in the women’s individual pursuit final at the world track cycling championships on Friday. “Before the world championships, I really had no idea who she was,” remarked Van Moorsel just before her start, “but you have to admit she’s riding really well, no?” Van Moorsel was by no means alone in the Stuttgart velodrome this week. As far as the track world is concerned, Mactier is a complete neophyte, having taken up the discipline only after encountering visa

Broadmark Capital’s Cameron Evans and Saturn’s Laura Van Gilder took the stage wins on Friday at the International-Tour de ’Toona, while Chris Baldwin (Navigators) and Lyne Bessette (Saturn) lead the overall standings. Baldwin assumed the race leadership when Saturn’s Nathan O’Neill couldn’t start the day’s stage, as a result of injuries suffered at the end of Thursday’s stage. On Friday, the men’s race saw an eight-man breakaway group form at the end of the first of four 20-mile circuits. Included in the group were Evans, Kris Hedges and Ian Dille of Snow Valley, Oscar Piñeda (7UP-Maxxis)

Leontien Zijlaard-Van Moorsel en route to gold

Franz Stocher gives Austrians a reason to cheer

Not your average bargain-basement concrete track, eh?

Russian rider Sergei Koudentsov has been ruled out of the world track championships here Thursday after an abnormal blood test. The 24-year-old, 11th in the men's 15km scratch race on the first day of the championships on Wednesday, was randomly tested by officials from the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) on Thursday. An abnormal hematocrit level - an indication, although not proof, that banned substances could have been used - means he was declared unfit to ride. The Russian may now have to submit a urine sample for testing for the banned endurance enhancer EPO

It's transfer season and there's been plenty of action in the days following the conclusion of the 2003 Tour de France. Here's a recap of some of the week's major contract extensions and transfers in the pro peloton: >> Transfer news: Mayo flavor of the month No less than seven teams are said to be in the bidding for Alpe d'Huez winner Iban Mayo, the most exciting Spanish rider to come through the ranks in years. Mayo's contract with Euskaltel-Euskadi runs out at the end of the 2003 season and there's a long list of foreign teams hoping to sign the 25-year-old rising star from Spain's

Britain's Bradley Wiggins will meet Australian Luke Roberts in the final of the men's individual pursuit Thursday at the world track cycling championships. Wiggins, 23, who set a blistering time of 4:17.34 in qualifying on Wednesday, sailed through his 16-lap heat against Russian Alexey Markov in 4:20.243 on Thursday. Meanwhile, Roberts booked his second consecutive championship final. The 26-year-old won silver last year in Copenhagen behind compatriot Bradley McGee, who is not competing. The winner of the prologue in this year's Tour de France is undergoing tests to determine the cause of

Looking for a moniker to attach to this year’s mountain-bike season. How about the summer of suffering? Like no campaign in recent memory, 2003 has served up injured riders in spades, ending promising seasons and tipping the power balances in several title chases. The most notable downfalls have been those of Americans Brian Lopes (broken ankle) and Alison Dunlap (separated shoulder), but others who’ve spent at least some time on the disabled list include Roland Green, Tara Llanes, John Waddell, April Lawyer and Dustin Adams. Green’s been back for a while now, and Lawyer and Llanes made

Looking for a moniker to attach to this year’s mountain-bike season. How about the summer of suffering? Like no campaign in recent memory, 2003 has served up injured riders in spades, ending promising seasons and tipping the power balances in several title chases. The most notable downfalls have been those of Americans Brian Lopes (broken ankle) and Alison Dunlap (separated shoulder), but others who’ve spent at least some time on the disabled list include Roland Green, Tara Llanes, John Waddell, April Lawyer and Dustin Adams. Green’s been back for a while now, and Lawyer and Llanes made

Bradley Wiggins got a bit of scare Thursday night in Stuttgart, but he had a plan, a schedule and a touch of confidence and held on to win the world individual pursuit title in a tighter than expected gold-medal final against Australian Luke Roberts. Wiggins, who had set the high mark in qualifying rounds and turned in the best time in the semi-final, said he enjoyed the role of being the favorite going into the final. “At least the others knew what they had to aim for,” Wiggins said of his impressive 4:17 he set on Wednesday. And aim is precisely what Roberts did, leading the 4000-meter

On Tuesday, Saturn’s Nathan O’Neill and Lyne Bessette took the day’s stage wins and moved into the overall leads at the International stage race in Altoona, Pennsylvania, displacing previous race leaders Chris Baldwin (Navigators) and Genevieve Jeanson (RONA-Esker). After a day of heavy attacking by Saturn and RONA, Bessette broke clear late in the race, soloing over the final climb and then powering her way to the race win, 34 seconds ahead of defending champion Heather Albert (Team Basis), with the main field of about 20 another nine seconds behind. After entering the day trailing Jeanson

The International race leader Nathan O’Neill crashed in the final few hundred meters of the Hollidaysburg circuit race on Thursday, resulting in a broken vertebra according to his team and taking the Australian Saturn rider out of the six-day stage race. O’Neill was tangled up in a crash that took down about a half dozen other riders and hit the ground head first. Although he would be credited with the same finishing time as the main pack and retain the overall lead at day’s end, O’Neill didn’t get up to cross the finish line, and was taken away in an ambulance. Up front, Navigators Burke

Britain's Bradley Wiggins claims gold in the pursuit

France's Laurent Gane outkicks the defending champ in the keirin

Natallia Tsylinskaya of Belarus defends her 500-meter crown

There's no rest for the weary Lance Armstrong. Two days after wrapping up a record-tying fifth straight Tour de France victory, cycling's top star won a 37-mile race in Graz, Austria. Armstrong finished the Altstad-Kriterium -- 55 laps on a course through the city -- in 1 hour, 34 minutes, 40 seconds. The 31-year- old Texan pulled away from the field on the 50th lap and edged Berhard Eisel for the victory. Copyright (c) 2003 Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. All-star Vuelta shaping upAn all-star roster is shaping up for September's Vuelta a

Stefan Nimke spent a long and nerve-wracking spell in the “hot seat” Wednesday night as the 25-year-old German set an early standard in the men’s kilometer time trial at the 2003 world track championships in Stuttgart. Pounding out an impressive personal best of 1:01:225, Nimke thought that perhaps he stood a chance of making the podium “but not a gold medal with a field like this here, no.” But despite his early start and a field of serious contenders – including defending world champion Chris Hoy, three-time world champion Shane Kelly and the feared Frenchman Arnaud Tournant, the first

With a month's worth of Tour tech coverage tucked away, I feel obligated to adjust the spotlight back to the mountain bike. But before I get knee-deep in dirt donkey tech, I feel compelled to bring-up one remaining Tour question still rolling around in my head. If Chris King [headsets] is such a big supporter of U.S. Postal, why didn't Trek's TT bikes (there will be more photos run of Lance on his TT bike than on any other bike) have King headsets installed? Instead, the TT bikes sported the antiquated threaded 1-inch Shimano mountain-bike headsets. These headset have had their threads

Saturn’s Ina Teutenberg and Snow Valley’s Kris Hedges grabbed the stage wins at stage 2 of the International stage race in Pennsylvania, while RONA’s Geneviève Jeanson and Navigators Chris Baldwin retained the overall race leaders’ jerseys. With both RONA and Navigators riding to defend their race leaders, the men’s race saw several opportunists take advantage to break clear, while the women’s race came down to a field sprint at the end of the 74-mile day in Johnstown. The three-man breakaway in the men’s race contained Hedges, Webcor’s Marc Hagenlocher and 7UP-Maxxis’s Oscar Pineda. The

Italian Michele Bartoli (Fassa Bortolo) took the overall lead from France’s Stephane Berges (AG2R-Prevoyance) Wednesday by winning the third stage of Belgium’s Tour des Regions Wallonnes, a 200.3km run from Namur to Bouillon. Bartoli, 33, outkicked a group that had broken away on the last of eight climbs, including Ukrainian Yaroslav Popovych, Luxembourger Kim Kirschen (Fassa Bortolo) and Belgians Peter Farazijn (Cofidis), Jurgen Van Goolen (Quick Step-Davitamon) and Dave Bruylandts (Marlux-Wincor Nixdorf). Tom Boonen (Quick Step-Davitamon) took the bunch sprint at eight seconds back.

Franco Marvulli of Switzerland defended his men's 15km scratch title at the opening day of the world track cycling championships in Stuttgart, Germany. The 24-year-old Swiss won the inaugural scratch world title last year in Copenhagen. Meanwhile, Olga Slusareva of Russia won the women's 24km points title. Edita Kubelskiene of Lithuania came second with Yoanka Gonzalez of Cuba taking the bronze in the 22-lap race.

Just back from covering the fourth round of the NORBA NCS in Sandpoint, Idaho — an aptly named region — and I think I’ve finally cleaned the chalky silt out of my clothes, equipment and ears. Held at 4500 feet elevation in the quaint Schweitzer ski-resort village, pro and elite-level racers couldn’t have asked for much more in a venue: easily accessible race courses and lodging, live music, a welcoming community, beautiful vistas overlooking Lake Pend Oreille and perfect weather. Spokane-based Round and Round Productions has been hosting the NORBA regional championships at Schweitzer for

Meanwhile, back at the ranch

Meanwhile, back at the ranch

Stefan Nimke

Arnaud Tournant - 3rd overall

The podium

Franco Marvulli

Olga Slusareva

Derek Wilkerson (Hillenbrand Racing) chokes his way through the dust

Husanova

Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood: Short track mind

Perry, in green shirt, with sign

It's like mountain cross, without the jumps and berms, and a whole lot longer

Eddy Merckx, rated the greatest cyclist ever, believes Lance Armstrong can surpass his record five Tour de France triumphs. Merckx, winner in 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1974, told Le Parisien daily he would not even be surprised to see Armstrong win a seventh Tour. "He can win a sixth and, why not, a seventh Tour, if he concentrates solely on that one race," the Belgian said. "He knows how to prepare himself and with his drive and talent a sixth win is foreseeable. When you know how much he suffers in the heat you have to recognize how intelligently he raced this year." Armstrong lost

One of the great reasons to ride for the Cycling Center is the partnerships that Bernard has made with other Belgians in the cycling community here. One such person is Frans van Merke. Frans has fit many of the great Belgian professionals, including Nico Mattan, Frank Vandenbroucke, Axel Merckx and Tom Steels. Not too shabby a clientele, eh? And he is nice enough to work with us crazy Americans, with the weirdest equipment he has ever seen. Of course, if it isn’t Campy and isn't steel, well, it is just a little odd. I am poking fun at him a bit, but he definitely likes the most normal

After racing in the afternoon the first four days of Thuringen Rundfahrt, we had an early start in the rain on Saturday morning. I have to admit, I was feeling a little groggy when I woke up, and wasn't too excited when I saw the rain, but three cups of coffee and two cups of green tea got me motivated. I give my teammates a hard time about all the Diet Coke they consume, as I don’t really think it is particularly healthy, so they were paying me back with a little grief over my coffee consumption. I guess we all have our vices. The morning stage was short, only 73km, and passed by quickly,

Hi, Monique, I hope you are doing well - I really enjoy your VeloNews columns. I am writing because I am curious about the balance of my sports drinks. Everyone seems to have their personal preference, but is there one that is better than another? Would you chalk it up to personal preference? I have also found that I get cramping when using sports drinks at full strength, but when I water them down to half or three-quarters strength I do not cramp up. Is my body disagreeing with the formula and should I switch to something else? Thanks a ton! –IV Hi, Monique, I heard somewhere that when

No sooner has the bunting been cleared from the streets of Paris after a dramatic Tour de France, than the world's top sprint and pursuit cyclists are heading for Stuttgart, Germany, for the world track championships. The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) moved the event to Germany from China because of the SARS virus - but the Hanns-Martin Schleyer Hall should provide a fitting venue for five days of fierce competition. Australia will again be expected to dominate the medals table, although without Bradley McGee they face a strong challenge from a British squad, buoyed by three gold

Navigators Chris Baldwin and RONA-Esker’s Geneviève Jeanson jumped to the early lead at the International stage race in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday evening. In the 3.5-mile opening time trial, Baldwin beat out Saturn’s Nathan O’Neill by 10 seconds to take the stage win, while O’Neill’s Saturn teammate Tom Danielson was a further eight seconds behind. In the women’s race, Jeanson took 30 seconds out of her Saturn rival Lyne Bessette, while Bessette’s Saturn teammate Jessica Phillips rounded out the top three. The International continues today with 74-mile Johnstown circuit race and runs

America's quintuple Tour de France champion, Lance Armstrong, and Germany's five-time runner up, Jan Ullrich, will continue their renewed rivalry in the World Cup in Zurich on August 17, race organizers announced. Aside from Armstrong and Ullrich, who won the 1997 Tour de France, the field will include six-time Tour de France King of the Mountains Richard Virenque; his teammate Paolo Bettini of Italy, the World Cup leader; two-time world road race champion Oscar Freire of Spain; and Switzerland's 1998 world champion, Oscar Camenzind. – Copyright 2003/AFP

Frans fusses with Jed's LeMond

Jan Ullrich was hailed as the real winner of the 2003 Tour de France in the German press after a sensational comeback saw the Bianchi captain push defending champion Lance Armstrong all the way to the finishing line. Although the Olympic champion finished second in the Tour, for a record fifth time, the German media expressed their amazement at how he had turned the clock back and once again become a major force in the sport of cycling. "Jan you are the best as far as we are concerned," declared Germany's best-selling Bild zeitung. Bild claimed Ullrich had captured the imagination of the

Germany's two-time Olympic cycling track champion Jens Lehmann has been dropped from the individual pursuit team for this week's world championships it was announced by the national cycling federation (BDR) on Monday. The 35-year-old, 75-time national and international medalist, finished second in the recent German trials but was replaced by another double Olympic champion in Robert Bartko. Bartko did not compete in the trials but team coach Bernd Dittert opted for Bartko after he timed faster in a private test on June 30. Bartko will line-up alongside Daniel Becke, who won the national

On Sunday in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, Belgian Danny In’t Ven (ICSA) took the final stage of the 17-day International Cycling Classic-Superweek, beating Saturn’s Ivan Dominguez in the Bodyworks by Concours Whitefish Bay Classic. Earlier in the weekend, Prime Alliance’s Jonas Carney took his second stage win of Superweek when he beat Ofoto-Lombardi’s Jackson Stewart in the Bank One Food Folks & Spokes on Friday. On Saturday, Stewart took a stage win of his own, winning the Great Downer Avenue Bike Race in Milwaukee ahead of Jacob Erker (Schroeder Iron). In the overall, Saturn’s Viktor

Sometimes when you do everything wrong, things just go your way regardless. Other times, no matter how hard you try to do all the right things, everything goes wrong. I had my mind set on trying to win Downer Avenue on Saturday. Contesting the Kenosha criterium on Friday night was not part of the plan, until I found myself in the winning break five laps into the race. I've been trying like crazy to get in the break since day two, but it never happened until I stopped trying. There's probably a moral or lesson in all of this. If you figure it out, let me know. The Schroeder Iron guys

Lehmann at last year's world's in Copenhagen

The Ruler of Retro: If you think this looks bad – click for the larger version

The 2003 Tour de France returned to where it started three weeks ago and finished with the same winner as the past four years. Lance Armstrong endured what he called a "crisis-filled" Tour to join Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Induráin in cycling's "five club" as five-time Tour winners. "It was the hardest victory and it's like a dream," Armstrong said at the finish line on the Champs-Élysées. "I will put everything I have into trying to win a sixth victory." Armstrong fought through a litany of problems and overcame a rejuvenated Jan Ullrich to claim final

Hopes of a completely clean centenary Tour de France have been dashed by the news that an unidentified rider has tested positive for banned endurance enhancer EPO (erythropoietin), officials confirmed here Sunday. It is the first positive test of the 90th edition and centenary race that was won for the fifth consecutive time by American Lance Armstrong of the US Postal team. The first sample has tested positive for EPO although it will be a few days before the results of a B sample are known. "The rider concerned is not someone who has won a stage," a race official told AFP here Sunday,

Results Stage 20Overall, points, Kom, Team and other standings listed below1. Jean-patrick Nazon (F), Jean Delatour, 3:38:492. Baden Cooke (Aus), FDJeux.com, 00:003. Robbie Mc Ewen (Aus), Lotto-Domo, 00:004. Luca Paolini (I), Quick Step-Davitamon, 00:005. Thor Hushovd (Nor), Credit Agricole, 00:006. Stuart O'Grady (Aus), Credit Agricole, 00:007. Erik Zabel (G), Telekom, 00:008. Romans Vainsteins (Lat), Caldirola, 00:009. Gerrit Glomser (A), Saeco, 00:0010. Damien Nazon (F), Brioches La Boulangere, 00:0011. Fabrizio Guidi (I), Bianchi, 00:0012. Oscar Freire (Sp), Rabobank, 00:0013. Laurent

French cycling legend Bernard Hinault, one of five riders to have won the Tour de France five times, has hailed this year's eventful centenary edition as exceptional. And Hinault, the last Frenchman to win the race in 1985, said the increased challenge to Lance Armstrong's yellow jersey this year doesn't mean the 31-year-old American five-time winner is on the wane. "This year's race has been exceptional on all levels - as a competition and as a spectacle but also the way it has been organized,” Hinault said. "It's been one big party and there was suspense right up to the end because, even

Lance Armstrong's fifth Tour victory was the hardest by far, but also the sweetest in terms of his popularity on the roads of France. The Texan, a personal friend of U.S. President George W. Bush, had not exactly been France's most-loved athlete in recent years and was booed on the climb to the Mount Ventoux last year. But despite Franco-American tensions over the Iraq war, there was no animosity whatsoever from the crowds this year, and fans seemed won over by Armstrong's struggling and suffering in this year's race. The American, who made himself available to sign autographs and

The curtain has just fallen on Lance Armstrong's fifth and hardest Tour de France victory, and the American is already setting his sights on an unprecedented sixth. The 31-year-old cancer survivor joined the sport's select club of five-time champions when he won the centenary Tour on Sunday; now, he hopes to inaugurate a new century of the world's showcase cycling event. Neither Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault, nor Spaniard Miguel Induráin, the only rider before him to have won five straight Tours – not even Eddy "The Cannibal" Merckx, the greatest rider ever – were able to

Remember our "Out-of-the-Way" contest from the other day, when we offered a free copy of our 2003 Tour de France book to the "viewer" following the Tour via VeloNews.com from the most unusual spot on the planet? After verifying his mailing address and checking a few other things – including the pictures posted here – the winner is Army Captain Rick Trimble, who is doing a Tour of Baghdad at one of Saddam Hussein's former presidential palaces in the Iraqi capital. “There are a large number of palaces all over the country and in Baghdad,” says Rick. “This particular one is called the Main

Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong and his U.S. Postal team mates were each fined for sporting an illegal jersey during the last stage to Paris. The nine U.S. Postal riders wore a jersey showing the emblem of their sponsors, an eagle, instead of their regular gear on Sunday. They were fined 200 Swiss francs ($148.5) while the U.S. Postal team was handed a 4,500-franc fine. Armstrong won 400,000 euros ($459,500) for his Tour victory.

To see how Stage 20 of the Tour unfolded live, just go to our Live Update window and follow the action all the way to the finish.

And so another Tour de France has finished. And with it we finally get time to reflect on the many highs and lows of the past three weeks – in reality, there are far too many of them to mention. But some moments deserve special mention. So we came up with a few awards to celebrate a centennial Tour that was one of the most exciting in years – perhaps ever! Ladies and gentlemen please be standing in your ovation for the followingrecipients of the VeloNews.com 2003 Tour de France Awards. Best story lead in the most exciting Tour ever:“Ho-hum,” on the Tour de France Times Web site after stage

With the Tour safely arriving in Paris today, the barriers packed andthe press room door shut for another year, I think it's only fitting fora bit of the recap of the race.No, I'm not talking about highlighting phenomenal racing action whichmade up one of the more exciting Tours de France in history, I'm talkingabout a look back at the technology that made the biggest hit. As always,you can't have the good without the bad, so included are a few "All Show,No Go" items we saw this year as well.  So without any further ado,here's my top 10 list for "Most Impressive Technology at the 2003

The victories Lance Armstrong values the most are the ones he worked the hardest for, and the 2003 Tour de France yellow jersey is going to have to rank near the top of that list. Out of his five wins, this one was the most difficult. The field was stronger than it was in any of the previous four years, the heat was unbearable, and there were several incidents and near misses. Races almost never go exactly as you plan them. It is extremely rare for an athlete to be completely ready for competition and have the race unfold precisely the way he wants it to. The mark of a true champion is the

On a day many called the most exciting day of short-track racingyet, overall series points leader Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (RLX-Ralph Lauren)crossed the finish line alone after breakaway companion Seamus McGrath’sfront tire washed out with two laps remaining at Idaho's Schweitzer Mountain NORBA event on Sunday. In the women’s race, three-time world cross-country champion Alison Sydor (Trek-VW) beat Subaru-Gary Fisher’s Chrissy Redden in a two-up sprint after spending much of the event off the front. The course — a flat, dusty, one-mile loop with a tricky bottleneckedS-turn section thrown in by

For one rider, the Schweitzer NORBA downhill win was a breakthrough victory;for another, simply par for the course.French 25-year-old gravity sensation Cedric Gracia (Siemens-Cannondale)won a close race at the Schweitzer Mountain NORBA downhill Sunday, justedging out Sam Hill, 18, of Australia by 1.4 seconds over the long 2.5-milecourse. In the women’s event it was American Kathy Pruitt with a breakthroughwin, beating out Sabrina Jonnier (Intense-Fox).For Pruitt, the win comes as confirmation after placing qualifying firstbut placing third at the Grouse Mountain World Cup in Vancouver two

Army Captain (and Tour fan) Rick Trimble

Saddam or Nebuchadnezzar? Captain Trimble at the presidential palace

Armstrong clearly enjoying the ride to his fifth consecutive Tour triumph

Ho-hum

Ohhhhhhkayyyyyyyy

You don't see this too often...

... or this

Are the any good French wines that one can serve with Crow?

Raise a glass to Vino'