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Italian sprinter Fabio Baldato spoiled the Frenchies' party Wednesday in the opening stage of the five-day Etoile de Besseges in southern France. Alessio rider Baldato covered the 153.5km stage from St. Cannat to Sainte Tulle in 3 hours, 47 minutes and 6 seconds, edging French rider Franck Bouyer (Brioche La Boulangere) and Mickael Skelde (EDS-Fakta) to score the win. The race continues Thursday with a 150km circuit course in Marseille. Galvez scores second victory in Mallorca Challenge Kelme's Isaac Galvez snagged his second victory in Wednesday's mass sprint in the fourth

I was injured in an accident with a driver who pulled out in front of me while I had the “right of way”. I was unable to avoid the car and ran into the driver’s side door breaking my arm. I missed 6 weeks of work and my bike was totaled out. The driver was ticketed for “failing to yield” and his insurance company accepted liability. I received an offer from the insurance company that seems too low to fully compensate me. I discussed this with the adjuster and she agreed that the broken arm was severe, but that I contributed to the accident by not wearing a helmet and that I was therefore

O'Grady, Brown and O'Neill gave the Aussies a big presence on the podium.

The break that almost stuck.

A dejected Green waits for the KoM jersey presentation.

The stage 7 route

The stage 7 profile

O'Grady before his first Tour de Langkawi win.

Baldato

Leaning against the Ceremiche-Panaria team van 20 minutes before the start of stage 5, Graeme Brown was very matter of fact about the first four days of 2003 Tour de Langkawi. Sure the Aussie, who went neck and neck with Mario Cipollini at last year’s Giro, had been beaten in three straight sprints by a younger, brasher foe. But Brown wasn’t ready to concede anything to Mendonca Pagliarini, the 24-year-old Brazilian Lampre rider who’d won three straight sprint finishes here in Malaysia.

A sampling of sights from the last few days at the 2003 Tour de Langkawi in Malaysia.

QuestionI recently purchased an NOS Time/Look carbon fork to put on my '87 Paramount. I am running a 2002 Record triple group and am wondering about the mounting of the front brake caliper on the fork. With the steel fork I was not worried about the washer with the "teeth" on both sides biting into the fork, as that is what it is designed to do. However, with my carbon fork there is no aluminum plate to mount the brake against and I am wondering if it is smart to use this washer? Will it possibly case problems biting into the composite material? If not this washer, then what should I use to

Don’t tell anyone, but I managed to sneak away from the tidal wave that is the VeloNews 2003 Buyer's Guide. We've been building this monster since early December, and with any luck, we'll have it out the door in two weeks (in your hands at the beginning of March). So far, so good I'd have to say. Even if you're not in the market for a new bike, components or accessories (do I see any hands out there?) I'm sure you'll find the numerous interviews with pro riders and their personal racing setups interesting. We even threw-in a few interviews with a handful of bicycle racing's biggest names

The French racing season opened Tuesday with Ludo Dierckxsens (Landbouwkrediet) winning the GP d'Ouverture La Marseillaise, 150km from Gardanne to Aubagne near Marseille. The race was marked by a long breakaway by nine riders that took advantage of favorable winds to build an insurmountable lead that was more than half-an-hour by the finish. In the closing kilometers, Magnus Backstedt (Credit Agricole) attacked, only to be joined by Dierckxsens, who beat the Swede to the line. Most teams who competed on Tuesday will stay on for the 33rd Etoile de Besseges, which enters the Bouches region

Brown upped his Langkawi stage total to three.

Stage 6 route

Stage 6 profile

Australian Nathan O’Neill shows off his tan after another hot day in Malaysia.

The scenery softened the blow of a two-hour transfer between stage 3 and 4.

Two members of the Palmans-Collstrop team catch up on the news of the day.

The thousands of kids that line the race route everyday are one of the Tour de Langkawi’s highlights.

Canada’s Alex Lavellee does the grunt work.

The police motorcycle line-up before the start of stage 4.

Cycling is getting big-time in Malaysia.

Rear wheel puncture on stage 4.

Although it's no monkey from Malaysia, it is a flying squirrel from Colorado

One star continued to shine, while another emerged at the Tour de Langkawi in Malaysia on Sunday. For the third straight day Brazilian Mendonca Pagliarini took top honors in a bunch sprint, this time winning the 172.9km stage 4 trip from Gerik to Tanah Merah. But getting equal billing on this day was Canadian mountain biker Roland Green, who showed it didn’t matter whether it was dirt or tarmac when it comes to climbing.

American Fred Rodriguez started his 2003 season off with a strong second-place finish in Sunday’s GP Costa del Etruschi in Italy, finishing just behind winner Jaan Kirsipuu. Several riders broke away in the opening Italian race of the 2003 season, but were brought back for a bunch sprint. Kirsipuu, who typically starts the season strong, edged Rodriguez. The news is good for Rodriguez, who joined Sidermec (formerly Tacconi Sport) in December. Rodriguez is hoping to move up one step this spring following his impressive performance last year when he finished second to Mario Cipollini in

Green grabs his helmet after winning two KoMs.

It's 3-for-3 for Pagliarini.

The peloton heads up the first stage 4 climb.

Stage 5 route

Stage 5 profile

The third day of the 2003 Tour de Langkawi lacked the bloody drama of its predecessor, but when the bunch cleared the line in the mining city of Ipoh the result was the same. For the second day in a row Brazilian Mendonca Pagliarini took a sprint-finish win in Malaysia. The pair of victories are the first of the 24-year-old’s 2-year pro cycling career. In the chase for the overall, there was no change at the top, as Saturn’s Nathan O’Neill maintained his 23-second lead over Canadian national team rider Roland Green.

12:38 p.m. - Monopoli Italy -- Welcome to VeloNews.com’s live coverageof the 2003 world elite men’s cyclo-cross championship race in Monopoli,Italy. Earlier today, Holland’s Daphny Van den Brand outsprinted two-timeworld champion Hanka Kupfernagel to take her first rainbow jersey.We are about 2 minutes away from the start of the men’s race and we’llbe offering live coverage throughout the hour-long event. To follow today'saction in the men's race click the link to bring up our new LIVECOVERAGE window and keep track of the race from start to finish.

The question at the post-race press conference might have raised a few eyebrows, but the point was well made. “So, is this becoming a version of the Belgian national championship,” asked the German reporter, "with maybe a few other nations invited to fill out the field?” Newly crowned world cyclo-cross champion Bart Wellens smiled, cast a glance at Mario De Clerq on his left and Erwin Vervecken on his right and shrugged.

It has to be cause for concern when you look around and see you’re off the front of a bike race with only a two-time world champion on your wheel … and Daphny van den Brandt is no different than anyone else. “I was worried,” Van den Brandt said after earning her first world title in the women’s cyclo-cross world championship in Monopoli, Italy on Sunday. “If you have Hanka Kupfernagel with you in a cyclo-cross race, there really is no time you can relax.” Like virtually every other race on the world’s course in Monopoli this weekend, the outcome of the women’s event was decided largely on

Ever wonder how one of the world’s greatest professional athletes handles some of the world’s most ridiculous questioning during a press conference? After the U.S. Postal Team’s official unveiling last week in Solvang, California, Armstrong fielded questions from a roomful of media, including cycling publications, local newspapers, network TV affiliates — and an unidentified older gentleman that floored the room with quite possibly the most preposterous line of questioning Armstrong has ever faced, prompting many in the room to ask, “Who was that guy? Was he for real?” Following are a few

Spanish rider Issac Galvez (Kelme) pulled off a repeat in Sunday’s European season opener, edging double world champion Oscar Freire (Rabobank) in the Trofeo Mallorca. Galvez, winner of last year’s race, profited from brilliant work by teammate Alejandro Valverde to snag victory in the first race of the 2003 European racing season. Freire, making his debut with Rabobank, crossed the line fourth in the 82km stage in Palma de Mallorca. The International Challenge of Mallorca continues with Monday’s 64km Trofeo Cala Millor, featuring a category-two and a category-four climbs. Results, Trofeo

Pagliarini shines after another win.

O'Neill slipped on the yellow jersey again.

Two of the breakaways tackle the lone climb.

The break was away for most of the race.

One of the race's furry spectators.

Team Canada grabs a spare bike.

Even on the first lap, the first five riders had one thing in common

DeClerq, Wellens, Vervecken... no room for Berden and Nijs

Gullickson - 25th

Page - 37th

Van den Brandt

Armstorng and Bruyneel: Any other questions?

A sampling of sights from the first days of the 2003 Tour de Langkawi.

The finish stretch for the second day of the 2003 Tour de Langkawi looked to be perfect for a clean, hard-fought sprint. The road was wide and the final straightaway long. But after what overall race leader Nathan O’Neill called “a bunch of guys racing like it was the last crusade,” two major crashes wreaked havoc on stage 2 Saturday in Malaysia. In the aftermath, Saturn’s Charles Dionne was one of at least a half dozen riders who ended up in the hospital, suffering from a severe laceration on his left thigh and several broken fingers according to a hospital official. Up front Mendonca

Enrico Franzoi said he had a lot of reasons to ride his heart out in the under-23 men’s world cyclo-cross championship on Saturday, but one was more important than all the others. To be sure, Franzoi said riding in front of the home crowd in Monopoli, Italy, offered ample motivation. But Franzoi said he was driven by a promise he made to his late mother this past August, and as it turned out, he had little difficulty keeping it. Franzoi was among the first to reach the critical first turn after a fast start up a slightly rising 600-meter stretch of pavement. “I started strong, like I

Trofeo Mallorca kicks off Euro-seasonSunday’s Trofeo Mallorca (1.3) kicks off the 2003 European racing season on the Spanish island of Mallorca in the Mediterranean Sea as part of the five-day International Challenge of Mallorca. Unseasonably cold weather blew through the Balearic Islands, dumping snow last week on the highest reaches of the typically mild Mallorca vacation hotspot. Twenty teams with 250 riders will tackle the season opener, covering 727 kilometers in five stages. Sunday’s Trofeo de Mallorca is held on an 82.5km circuit course in Palma de Mallorca. Monday’s course tackles

A traditional Malaysian sampan boat rests of shore in Langkawi.

Canadian Roland Green cools down, while teammate Peter Wedge waits his turns during the stage 1 TT.

The back end of the Saturn team van.

The marina on the south side of Langkawi Island.

A crowed day at the Ferry terminal in Langkawi.

Name placards that will be inserted onto the hoods of team cars for the time trial.

A small boat makes its way for shore near the ferry terminal at Kuala Perlis.

Public restrooms.

Pagliarini got his first big win.

Dionne gets medical attention after crashing.

Credit Agricole was one of several teams to send riders to the front.

Carnage seemed to be everywhere at the finish.

Franzoi takes U-23 cyclo-cross title

Boom

Franzoi kept his word

History was made this past Monday when the Monster Garage team suffered its first-ever defeat, failing to turn a Meteor Cadillac hearse into a car-crushing "Grim Ripper." Even more shocking though was our tech editor Andrew’s admission that he was screaming at the TV screen during the show’s closing minutes. Screaming. Now that’s a TV moment. Readers may be disappointed to learn that while I watched the State of the Union address on Tuesday, I didn’t stay up to see the season premiere of American Idol that followed. So, since I may be in danger of losing the TV beat, on to the road

This weekend, a sandy, wind-blown stretch of beach right at the top of the heel of Italy’s “boot” will play host to cycling’s oddest annual pilgrimage: The world cyclo-cross championships. As always, the two-day bash will be heralded by bass bands, beer, frites and mayonnaise and the usual assortment of funny hats. Hotels and campgrounds around Monopoli, Italy have been filling up all week and caravans of those and giant European tour buses are filling parking lots throughout the area. The attraction is a grand total of three-and-a-half hours of racing, spread out over two days. And, as has

Italian Alberto Loddo (Lampre) won Friday's mass field sprint to take the opening stage of the Tour of Qatar, a 90km circuit in Doha. Under sunny skies, Loddo beat out Frenchman Damien Nazon (Brioches La Boulangere) and Italian Massimo Strazzer (Phonak) and claimed the race leader's gold jersey. Loddo counted heavily on his Lampre teammates to bring back the main breakaway duo of the day, consisting of Christophe Kern (Brioches La Boulangere) and Michael Blaudzun (CSC), whose lead reached a maximum of 1:25. In the overall standings, Loddo leads Strazzer by three seconds, and Nazon by

Captain America: Page is ready for Sunday

Twists and turns - a lot depends on conditions

They're all here. The first full U.S. squad to hit 'cross world's

Barriers by the sea - Grande checks the course on Friday

Following a year on the mainland, the Tour de Langkawi has returned to its traditional starting place, the island of Langkawi. The 10-day stage race commences Friday with a 9.5km time trial. Langkawi is one of 104 islands that sit 30km off Malaysia’s northwestern coast near the country’s border with Thailand. The area, strategically situated where the Indian Ocean narrows into the Straits of Melaka, was once a haven for pirates. Today Langkawi, which measures 478-square kilometers, is the only island in the chain with any real settlement. The interior is laden with high jungle-clad hills,

Dear Bob,I was hit last summer while on my bike training (I compete in both triathlons and bicycle races). I was taken to the ER and ended up having a problem with my ankle that will require continuous treatment. The driver's insurance company has been paying for my medical treatment. Now the insurance company has offered to settle my claim for an acceptable sum (the driver was ticketed for failing to yield). If I accept this offer, will the insurance company continue to cover my medical treatment costs? D.S.Colorado Springs, CO Dear D.S., Your medical costs are being covered under

After weeks of working the numbers, the Navigators team has signed Chris Wherry for the 2003 season, team director Ed Beamon told VeloNews late Wednesday. Wherry, who had one of his best years ever in 2002, including wins at the Saturn Classic, Cascade and Tour of the Gila, was left without a team after Mercury ended its cycling team sponsorship after last season. "It’s definitely not been the most stress-free off-season," Wherry said earlier this month. Beamon said that the team and Wherry worked out a deal "toward the end of last week." The announcement comes just a week before the team