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FDJeux.com’s Carlos Da Cruz won a sprint finish to take the first stage of a star-studded Circuit de la Sarthe in Fontenay le Comte, France, on Tuesday. In a race featuring American four-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong and Germany's Jan Ullrich, Da Cruz stole the limelight after 188km ride from Nantes, taking the leader's jersey in the process. The 28-year-old Frenchman crossed the line in 5:10:13, beating Russian Alexei Sivakov in a sprint to the line. The rest of the main peloton arrived almost six minutes later, with Ullrich placing 22nd at 5:52, and Armstrong finishing

Editor:To Scott Moninger: You are a champion, you have always been a champion,and this decision just proves even "clean" champions can get screwed. Howmuch proof do you have to present and demonstrate your absolute innocence?How ironic that someone who has always strongly supported drug testingand USADA should be the one who is shafted by the very organization hehas championed (see "Moningergets one-year suspension.") Keep your head high; you have been wronged, and those of us who followcycling know it. We want to see you back on the course. S. Lee Yay, UCI; boo, USADAEditor:Mandatory

Vicioso takes Stage 2 at Basque

He's back in the saddle again...

Armstrong is coming on form... Ullrich will trail for a while.

Iban Mayo ended Euskaltel's drought after he won the opening stage of the 43rd Vuelta al Pais Vasco in northern Spain on Monday while CSC's Tyler Hamilton finished third. It's the first win of the season for Mayo and the first for his Euskaltel-Euskadi team, still hoping to earn a wild-card bid to race in the 2003 Tour de France. The usually high-flying Euskaltel team has been quiet this spring, out-classed by other teams hoping for a Tour bid such as Domina Vacanze, Ag2r, Milaneza-MSS and Brioches La Boulangere. One win won't get the orange-clad Basques into the Tour, but a solid week at

I don't know what to say. I guess I should just stick my head in a hole and not say anything. But, I'll blabber, just for you. How in the world I could just let 1-2-3 Saturn combo ride away must seem a mystery to the velo world? No, I'm not so stupid as to just let them go away thinking they'd come back in time for dinner. It went like this: Our first objective was to get David Clinger in secure in the KOM jersey. All he needed was to win the first KOM to wrap it up 100 percent. Our second objective was to win the stage. This was most likely to be Clinger or Danny Pate. So, off I went

Vaughters' view: Nice guys finish... uh... fourth?

Camenzind: Out for three weeks

Ullrich

It was a scene you’re unlikely to see anywhere else. The sun was barely up, having made a feeble attempt to rise on a damp, chilly Sunday morning, but already the restaurant patios were filled with customers. And in the hands of those customers were mugs filled with beer.

Russian Oleg Grishkine delivered a huge win for the Navigators in Sunday's 25th GP Rennes in France. Griskhine held off Andris Naudzus (CCC Polsat) and Jeremy Hunt (Oktos) to win the first race in Europe this year for the Navs. Griskhine's win also serves as a repeat for the Navigators, who won GP Rennes last year with Kirk O'Bee. The 157.5km circuit course ended in a bunch sprint and the Russian scored the victory for Navigators, now on their second tour of Europe this spring. Teammate Henk Vogels came across seventh after just missing victory in Friday's Route Adelie. The GP Rennes was

There wasn’t a good deal of bike racing to speak of, in either the men or women’s events, during Sunday’s fifth stage at the Redlands Classic. In fact, the parallels between the two races, held over a twisty, hilly and technical 7.5-mile loop, were the most remarkable story on an otherwise unremarkable closing day of racing. In the women’s 8-lap, 62-mile event, overall leader Genevieve Jeanson (RONA-Esker) attacked up the first hill on the first lap and simply never looked back. A brief chase ensued by Saturn’s Manon Jutras and Lyne Bessette, second and third on the GC, respectively, and

The red-hot run of Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski continued on a sunny Sunday in Moab, Utah, as the RLX Ralph Lauren rider picked up his second straight win of the 2003 mountain bike season, taking the cross country at the Tour of Canyonlands. In the women’s pro race it was SoBe-Cannondale’s Kerry Barnholt grabbing a runaway victory, besting her nearest competitor by almost six minutes. Two weeks removed from his stage race win at the Nova Desert Classic in Arizona, Horgan-Kobelski shot down a field that included reigning U.S. national short track champion Todd Wells, and the Specialized duo of Jay

Primed and ready: Fans turn out in mass for the Tour of Flanders

Some day this is gonna work. Durand goes on the attack

Bettini gives chase

Eki' in pursuit

Pieri

Building an insurmountable lead

O'Grady

Jeanson on a long training ride... er... solo break

Noxt exciting, but really impressive

Solo win... with lots of back-up

German Matthias Kessler (Telekom) won Saturday's GP Miguel Indurain in a hotly contested race that took race judges a long time to figure out who won. Kessler finished barely ahead of defending champion Angel Vicioso (ONCE) and David Etxebarria (Euskaltel) in a bunch sprint out of a lead group of 34 riders and judges scoured the photo-finish to decide who actually won. Three riders -- Pedro Díaz Lobato (Paternina), Alberto Martínez (Euskaltel) and Benjamín Noval (Fuenlabrada) - attacked with about 35km to go, but were reeled in one-by-one with less than 5km to go. GP Miguel Indurain,

On Saturday, the eve of the 87th Tour of Flanders, some of Johan Museeuw’s fans had already taken to the rough streets that define the gritty spring classic race in northern Belgium. On hallowed climbs including the Old Kwaremont and the infamous 22-percent Koppenberg, the buzz had already begun. The crisp, sunny day brought out scores of supporters wearing their favorite team jerseys and riding their own bikes on the same cobblestone roads that will decide round 2 of the UCI World Cup on Sunday. Many had the same question on their minds: Can Museeuw win Flanders for a fourth time?

It was another banner day for the Saturn Cycling program in Redlands Saturday, as ace sprinters came through with stage wins at the Redlands Downtown Criterium in both the men's and women's events. In the women’s 60-minute race, Ina Teutenberg easily won a two-up sprint against RONA-Esker’s Cathy Marsal, while on the men’s side it was Charles Dionne, winner of the same stage last year, surprising the field with a surge around the last bend, beating Health Net's Gord Fraser by several bike lengths. Teutenberg’s win, her second stage win in four days, came as little surprise as she had made

It’s not the biggest series in the country, or the most prestigious. But with stops in legendary fat-tire towns like Crested Butte and Moab, plus high-alpine beauties like Steamboat Springs and Snowmass, the nine-race Mountain States Cup certainly holds its own. This year’s series, which is actually a merger of the old Spirit of the Rockies and Mountain States Cup, got rolling Saturday just outside Moab, Utah, with day one of the Tour of Canyonlands. That brought the downhill, contested on the rocky slopes of the Moab Rim Trail, a 1.5-mile track that’s more slickrock than dirt. The day’s pro

Tour of Flanders Preview: Can Museeuw do it?

Ullrich's priorities may soon change

Take off on the Moab Rim trail.

Gracia uses all his suspension.

These guys shouldn't have any problems securing sponsors.

Ina strikes a familiar pose

Jeanson still leads by a comfortable margin

A team victory

Henk Vogels nearly delivered a big result for the Navigators during its second European sorjourn of the 2003 season. Vogels finished second, just two seconds behind winner Sebastien Joly (Jean Delatour), in Friday's GP Adelie in Vitre, France. Joly came across the line in 4 hours, 34 minutes, 38 seconds, while the Australian won the bunch sprint ahead of such names as Laurent Brochard (Ag2r), winner of the Criterium International last weekend. Cedric Vasseur (Cofidis) and Jens Voigt (Credit Agricole) came across the line fourth and fifth, respectively. The GP Adelie was the fourth stop in

The Union Cycliste Internationale on Friday confirmed that it will now make helmet use compulsory for professional cyclists following the death last month of Kazakh rider Andrei Kivilev. The wearing of a helmet had been advised but not compulsory, but there had been increasing calls for a change in the rules following the death of Cofidis rider Kivilev from head injuries sustained in a crash during Paris-Nice. Cofidis team doctor Jean-Jacques Menuet said that the rider's injuries would have been reduced if he had been wearing a helmet. "My medical colleagues in other teams will agree

Correct me if I’m wrong, but there’s nothing like playing hooky from work to turn something you generally enjoy into something really special. And I’m not talking planned-vacation, got-everything-squared-away time out of the office; no, I’m talking about I’ve-got-the-flu-and-was-throwing-up-all-night stealth maneuvers. I write all this, of course, as I work from home and take care of my one-year-old on a Friday, with the prospect of the Rockies opening day at Coors Field in Denver staring me in the face as I peruse the morning paper. I know, my three readers who have inexplicably stuck with

The top spots in the Redlands Classic general classification remain unchanged Friday, after another tough day of racing saw Genevieve Jeanson (RONA-Esker) win her second consecutive stage, while John Lieswyn of 7UP-Maxxis won a five-up sprint against breakaway companions from Prime Alliance and Navigators. A new course to the Redlands Classic, the stage 3 Panorama Point Road Race, dished out a series of steep climbs over the 10-mile loop — the worst section reaching grades of near 20% grade. The men went up and over the circuit six times, while the women raced for four. If Jeanson’s

It all worked perfectly. Our devious plan of attack was devised with utmost intelligence, and detail. We carried out the plan exactly as it was devised, and everything went right to a number. And we still lost. I hope this isn't the case as to what's happening in Iraq. Actually it can't be, as team Saturn seems to be the superior of the Fedayeen. Anyhow, we decided the best policy today was to attack early and often. We had nothing to lose, as the saying goes. We figured by getting Matt Decanio, and Mike Creed up the road as soon as the pistol fired in Friday's Panorama

Kivilev died March 12 from injuries sustained in a crash the day before

Play ball

Living up to its name: Panorama Point

The final break takes on the final hill: Klasna, Pate, Mitchell, Lieswyn, Swindlehurst and Clinger.

John Lieswyn

Jeanson on the attack

Vaughters' view: No replacement for displacement

Raivis Belohvosciks put down an excellent final time trial in the Three Days of La Panne to score the biggest win of his career and for his upstart Marlux team after beating Italian veteran Gianluca Bortolami by just 1 second. Thursday's final stage was split, with a morning sprint sector and an afternoon time trial to decide the overall winner. Poor weather continued to plague the race and four riders decided not to start, including Michele Bartoli (Fassa Bortolo). More than 50 riders abandoned the three-day stage-race, leaving just 88 riders finishing the race. Rabobank's Steven

Hi Bob;I took my bike to be repaired at a local shop. The owner told me it would be done in a week. When I returned the shop was closed, although I couldstill see the entire shop inventory (including my bike!!!) were still in the store. A sign on the door simply said "out of business." I have tried to contact the shop owner, but his line is disconnected.Any advice would be helpful.Thanks,KevinNew York Dear Kevin;In legal jargon, what you need to do is initiate an action in replevin. In replevin, the owner of an item of personal property seeks to recover it from someone who did not

With one more week before mountain-bike racing really gets rolling at the Sea Otter Classic, there seems to be two alternatives for North America’s top cross-country pros this weekend. Either grab the road bike and head out to Southern California for Redlands, or make the trek to eastern Utah, for Moab’s Tour of Canyonlands. Redlands appears to be the most popular choice, a fact born out by the startlist for the six-stage race. By my count 25 riders who will earn the bulk of their money on the dirt this year, showed up for the first day of Redlands. Most prominent among that group were

Dear Doc;I recently had something strange happen and wanted to get your thoughts. Two days after my last ride I noticed that a golf ball sized "bump" started to grow right where the saddle and the underside of my left cheek come into contact. By late afternoon it had grown significantly in size and I went to the local emergency room. The diagnosis was that a vein (or several) had burst and that I had a fair amount of internal bleeding. The doctor operated on the wound (which was by now quite black and blue) to release some of the pressure and later told me that the damaged veins had sealed

Raivis Belohvosciks (Marlux) claimed a slim overall victory in Belgium's Three Days of La Panne Thursday after winning a dramatic final stage time trial of 14km. Belohvosciks, his team's time trial specialist, forced Sidermec's Gianluca Bortolami into second place in the overall standings by only a second with local hope Peter Van Petegem of the Lotto team taking third at 13 seconds. The 27-year-old Latvian's ninth career victory came largely thanks to his superiority on the third and final stage. He came in 13 seconds ahead of German Olaf Pollack, of Gerolsteiner, and 15 ahead of Fassa

The United States Anti-Doping Agency announced Thursday that a three-member panel of the American Arbitration Association-North American Court of Arbitration for Sport has recommended a one-year suspension for Scott Moninger, who tested positive for norandrolone after last year’s Saturn Classic. Moninger will receive credit for the period of time that he was provisionally suspended, starting on October 6, 2002. The former Mercury rider was able to demonstrate that the 19-norandrosterone positive had resulted from a contaminated food supplement, something which the panel was allowed to

The Redlands Classic continued Thursday with it's most feared stage, the Oak Glen road race, 106 miles (82 for the women) that finishes off with a nasty 10-kilometer climb that gains 2400 feet in elevation. Needless to say, it was a day for the climbers, as Canadian Genevieve Jeanson (RONA-Esker) confirmed her position as the premiere climber in North American women’s racing, riding away from her closest GC contenders in the final kilometers and winning the stage by nearly three minutes. In the men’s race, Saturn’s Nathan O’Neill showed that not only can he time trial, as evidenced by his

JHK is going to Utah

Filip's pointers: Always wear your helmet.

Haywood

Jeanson is all alone

O’Neill on his own

Saturn in control

No one, not even Bruckner, was close on Thursday

Italian Fabio Baldato (Alessio) won the second stage of the Three Days of La Panne on Wednesday, a blustery, sunny day in Belgium. Gianluca Bortolami (Sidermec) continued his hold on the overall lead after finishing safely in the lead bunch. Two riders were reeled in with 22km to go in the 228km stage from Zottegem to Koksijde to set up the mass sprint. A strong tailwind pushed the bunch along nicely over the final circuits, with speeds reaching nearly 70 kph on the flats. Fassa Bortolo drove things home, but the veteran Baldato had the legs to beat Gerben Lowik (Bankgiroloterij) and Jimmy

With spring rumored to be on its way, this past weekend provided a perfectwindow of opportunity to sneak in a little racing. A couple of my pals and I packed up our cars and headed over to the campusof University of Colorado's arch rival, Colorado State for a little early seasoncrit’ action. Located 56 miles due north in Fort Collins, the race providedthe perfect opportunity to test out a few products you'll see in upcomingissues of VeloNews, including our road-pedal comparison in issue No. 7 and our bib-short comparison in issue No. 9. There's nothing like a healthy dose of high-speed

Now in its 19th year, the Redlands Classic has just shifted its schedule and is no longer the season-opening NRC stage race. More changes are on the way, too, as next year it is set to merge with Sea Otter next year to form the two-week UCI “American Cycling Classic.” But in a lot of people’s books, this race is already a true “classic.” There’s no shortage of good stories at Redlands, and this year, the big story is the combined firepower of Saturn’s Tom Danielson and Chris Horner. With Danielson winning in Langkawi and Pomona, Horner taking McLane and Solano, and plenty of climbing at

A photograph published by the Italian journal La Gazzetta dello Sport this past week started me thinking about how there are double standards rampant in cycling, just as there are in everyday life. The photograph was nothing dramatic, just a shot of a rider waiting at the start of the Coppi & Bartali Cycling Week in Tuscany. The rider was Marco Pantani — clean shaven, doo rag on his pate, and a smile on his face — and he was clearly pleased to be back in the peloton after 10 months on the sidelines. They call him il Pirata, the Pirate. For many, the nickname is appropriate because of his

Dear Monique;I had a question about Recommended Dietary Allowances. For instanceis there an RDA for the number of saturated fat grams? However, nutritionistsalways seem to preach a low fat diet, low in saturated fat. So is therea maximum amount of fat which I should always strive to stay under?RB Dear RB;The recommendations for prevention of heart disease is to keep totalfat under 35% (15 to 30% is recommended) of total calories, but most importantlyto keep saturated fat and trans fat (hydrogenated oils) low. Persons atrisk for heart disease should keep these fats at less than 7-percent

If anyone was ever curious as to what takes more time to complete, a 100-mile road race or a 2-mile prologue, the answer is simple: the 2-mile prologue. It all starts the day before. First, you drive to the course. Next ,change into your gear, and begin the endless BS that doing a prologue involves. Ride the course, then ride the course again, and again, and again, and again, and.... A tricky, short, uphill course like the one here at Redlands is always tough to figure out, even for the most analytical among us (especially so). So, when you're finally numb from seeing the same corner 84

The second day of racing at the Redlands Classic brought stage victories to two familiar names in the domestic race scene, as Health Net’s Gord Fraser and Saturn’s Ina Teutenberg won the hilly stage 1 Highland circuit race. With short, steep climbs and a long, gradual downhill into a headwind, the circuit wasn’t exactly made for aggressive racing; any attempt to get away was vulnerable on the windy, wide-open descent. Although the day was claimed by a pair of sprinters, the course — a five-mile loop consisting of a 300-foot stair-step climb through a local housing community, raced eight

Bortolami

Tech report: Crit' crazy

Tech report: Crit' crazy

Tech report: Crit' crazy

McRae gets ready for TT.Hey, whose disembodied head is that over his front wheel?