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Quick Step's Paolo Bettini saw his chances for overall victory at Tirreno-Adriatico slip away after he got caught up behind the final sprint coming into the finish line of Tuesday's 181km sixth stage from Teramo to Torricella Sicura. Bettini was about eight riders back when two-time world champion Oscar Freire (Rabobank) clipped tires with Quick Step's Luca Paolini with about 600 meters to go. Freire went down and both Bettini and Paolini got caught up in the pile-up and fell out of contention. But Bettini's loss was Danilo Di Luca's gain. The Saeco rider was just ahead of Paolini and

Editor:While reading the responses endorsing free choice I found myself agreeingwith the rider's right to choose a helmet. But then I thought back to mydays working in a rehabilitation hospital. Seeing the drooling, babblingeffects of a head injury was a powerful image, but the bills and financialimpact on the family and society made just as big an impact. When making a choice, one should consider one’s commitment to his orher family, and if one really wants to be supported as a gorp by Medicaid. Wes Hunter,Alma, CO Bad timing, bad choiceEditor:I was very shocked to hear about the

Citing a shift in its marketing priorities, the Saturn division of General Motors has announced that it will no longer sponsor the Cycling Classic, the difficult and mountainous one-day race from Boulder to Breckenridge, Colorado. The three-year-old race, considered by many to be the hardest single day of racing in the U.S., covers a challenging 140-mile route that involves more than 14,000 feet of climbing. In a company press release issued Tuesday, Saturn sponsorship and sales promotions coordinator Christine Rivers said the company had benefited from its sponsorship but wanted to shift

2001 winner Jonathan Vaughters gave his prize to his dad

Chris Wherry on Guanella Pass in '03

Italian cyclist Massimiliano Mori of the Formaggi Pinzolo team was thrown out of the Tirreno-Adriatico cycling race on Monday for violating anti-doping regulations. Miro was caught trying to pass off a urine sample of the team doctor as his own when called for testing by the race's medical inspectors. Monday's fifth stage goes from Monte San Giusto to Rapagnano over a distance of 181 kilometers. Icy conditions forced the cancellation of Sunday's fourth stage. Illness will force Hincapie to skip the classicsAn ongoing viral infection has forced the U.S. Postal team’s George

Italian Ruggero Marzoli (Alessio) won a sloppy uphill sprint into the scenic hilltop town of Rapagnano Monday as the Tirreno-Adriatico pedaled into sunny skies a day after Sunday’s stage was snowed out. Monday’s 181km fifth stage from Monte San Giusto to Rapagnano brought the “Race of Two Seas” closer to the sea after Sunday’s snowy, cold weather forced race officials to cancel the fourth stage over 800-metre Valico Colfiorito climb. Racers woke up to sunny but cool temperatures for the rolling stage ending with a 3-kilometer climb. Ukraine Sergiy Matveyev (Panaria) made the day’s big move,

Tyler Hamilton is no longer in Lance Armstrong’s shadow. The 32-year-old CSC team captain has the Tour de France as his top goal for the season. And while he might not beat his former teammate, Hamilton has a legitimate shot at the podium. Hamilton made his season debut at Paris-Nice, his first race since the GP Eddy Merckx last August. Hamilton had a strong season debut, finishing second in the opening prologue, third in Thursday’s time trial and then won the King of the Mountains jersey. Here are excerpts from an interview with Hamilton conducted just after he finished his third-place

Editor:While pedaling 16-18 mph on a bike trail alongside a waterway I yelled,"Nice boat!" to those aboard a beautiful all-teak schooner. I just hadto keep looking to see if they heard me, and came to an abrupt stop ata post. I did a perfect full gainer directly onto my head.I sent it to Bell – all internal ribs well cracked - in exchange fora new helmet for $30 and a "Saved By The Bell" certificate.Marshall BrownMountlake Terrace, WAAvast thar, Cap’n, post off the starboard … owwww. - Editor Preachers should keep sermons to themselvesEditor:I find it somewhat shameful that so many of your

Category 2 road racer Garrett Lemire (KB Home) died Saturday in a head-on collision with a car while trying to avoid a crash in the second stage of the Tucson Bicycle Classic. The 22-year-old University of California-Los Angeles student reportedly swerved across a double-yellow line and into oncoming traffic during a descent along Gates Pass Road, striking a Toyota Camry driven by 71-year-old Mary Conners. Lemire was pronounced dead at the scene. Conners and three of the cyclists involved in the earlier crash were taken to area hospitals with injuries described as

An emotionally spent Alexandre Vinokourov was more relieved than happy after wrapping up the 61st Paris-Nice on Sunday. It was a tumultuous week for the quiet Kazakh, who fulfilled his promise to win the race in honor of his fallen compatriot and friend, Andrei Kivilev, who died from injuries in a spill in Tuesday’s third stage. “It’s been a very hard week and I’ve given all my concentration to winning the race for ‘Kivi,’” said Vinokourov, who finished 43 seconds ahead of ONCE’s Mikel Zarrabeitia. Spanish rider David Bernabeu scored a big win for his Portuguese-based Milaneza team to

The Col d'Eze

Bernabeu has reason to smile

Kelme's Ivan Parra is outnumbered by the boys from Milaneza

Telekom at work

World champion Mario Cipollini won the third stage of Tirreno-Adriatico on Saturday, a 175 kilometer run between Tarquinia and Foligno. The Domina Vacanze team's sprint ace, who added to his first stage win in Sabaudia on Thursday, prevailed in a charge to the line over Telekom’s Erik Zabel and Dario Pieri. Quick Step's Paolo Bettini, boosted by a good set of bonus points, snagged the the overall lead away from Filippo Pozzato (Fassa Bortolo). Cipollini set the pace throughout the stage which was marked by several accidents with the going made tougher by the cold and biting wind. The

Alexandre Vinokourov pushed one day closer to delivering victory in the 61st Paris-Nice after surviving a cold, blustery day along France’s Cote d’Azur. CSC’s Tyler Hamilton lit up the 194km sixth stage from Toulon to Cannes in what he called a “suicidal attack,” riding solo for more than 100 kilometers. His escape, which he described as “a training ride,” gave Hamilton the best climber’s jersey for his efforts. ONCE’s Joaquim Rodriguez won coming into classy Cannes in a five-up sprint on the famed Boulevard de la Croisette after attacking on the Category 2 Col du Tanneron with 23km to

Vinokourov

Spring Training: Hamilton thought he'd give it a shot

The effort left him spent, but he earned the climber's jersey

The Col du Tanneron

After his crash, Julich got help to make the time cut

Brochard on the attack

Two recent columns, one from Neal Rogers and another from Dr. DawnRichardson elicited a veritable flood of letters applauding their defenseof the humble, utilitarian brain-buckets so disliked by pros and theirwanna-bes. We’ve collected a few of the best here.- Editor Fignon’s head hardly needs protectingEditor:I can completely understand why someone as bold and audacious as LaurentFignon would be so opposed to wearing a helmet(See "Mr.Rogers' neighborhood: Wear your damn helmet!"). If I had my headlodged up my ass as far has he does, I would feel impervious to head injuriesas well. Brad

An emotional Alexandre Vinokourov rode to victory atop Mont Faron Friday to take the overall lead of the 61st Paris-Nice, a race he now vows to win in the name of his fallen friend Andrei Kivilev. It was another tumultuous and exciting stage in the “Race to the Sun,” with race leader Dario Frigo (Fassa Bortolo) not starting after team officials said he came down with a sudden attack of stomach flu overnight. With Frigo gone, the second-placed Vinokourov became the leader, but he declined to wear the maillot jaune in the Italian’s absence. He started the difficult 152.5km from Aix en

Walked into the office today and what did I see? Two dozen Krispy Kremedonuts staring up at me. Nothing like those little glazed wonders to geta column started, although I’m still partial to my neighborhood DaylightDonuts. This brings up my question for the day: If Tim Horton’s can stepup and sponsor the Canadian national team, and the Canadian national championships every year, why hasn’t someone gotten Dunkin’ Donuts to do the same for the U.S.? It’s a natural. Cyclists love donuts. At least this one does. Anyhow, USA Cycling finally announced the date and location of the 2003elite road

Fassa Bortolo rider Filippo Pozzato won Friday's second stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico stage race, a 215km stage from Sabaudi to Tarquinia. Pozzato took over the lead from fellow Italian Mario Cipollini after the longest stage of the Italian stage race. The 21-year-old Pozzato, a rising star in his homeland, won a sprint finish to beat Italian Paolo Bettini and former world champion Romans Vainsteins of Latvia after negotiating the 484-meter Tolfa climb at the 160km mark. Pozzato waited patiently for his moment before attacking in the final 100 meters to edge out Bettini and

Vino' makes his move

A match made in Heaven

Telekom out front

VDB and Perez were finally caught with 20 to go

The chase up Mont Faron

Editor's note: A few weeks ago we began making arrangementswith emergency room physician and cyclist Dr. Dawn Richardson to provideVeloNews.com with a regular column on medical issues facing those who participate in this sport. Scheduled to begin this week, Dr. Richardson had drafted her opening column on preparing a proper "crash kit," the sort of basicsthat every team should carry to races in order to treat the standard fareof cuts, bruises and the ever-present road rash. The events of this weekat Paris-Nice, however, prompted her to delay that column and deal witha more critical

Last week I wrote a column about the passingof Fred Rogers, a.k.a Mr. Rogers, who succumbed to cancer at the ageof 74. Of course I prefer to write about bike racing, or music, or women,or women who bike race, but I felt it appropriate to pay tribute to theman from whose lifetime contribution I’d borrowed the title of my column. I didn’t expect to be writing about anyone else’s passing so soon, buttoday, it’s all I can imagine writing about. I’d set the alarm so I could watch Paris-Nice from bed Wednesday morning,and upon waking, a quick hit on the remote brought me an image of

Former Tour de France winner Marco Pantani was banned for six months Thursday for being caught in possession of insulin during last year's Giro d’ Italia. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) reversed last year's acquittal by the Italian federation. The penalty, however, carries little significance since he is being credited for time served in the off-season and the suspension finishes on March 17. An Italian federation appeal commission ruled last August there was no proof that the cyclist had taken the banned substance despite police finding a syringe with traces of it in his

Dear Bob;I have a legal question concerning the building I rent for my bikeshop. I never signed a lease and have been paying each month for threeyears. I am thinking about moving my business to a different part of townand want to end my rental arrangement with the landlord. Can I just tellhim or do I need to send him formal notification?Thanks,J.RFlorida Dear J.R.,You may think you don't have a lease, but you do. It's justnot on paper! Of all the different areas of law, landlord-tenant relations vary themost from state-to-state. Therefore, let me start with the general andwork my

The fourth stage of Paris-Nice has finished in Vergeze, France. Dario Frigo has turned in a stellar time and has taken over as race leader. Yesterday's 192.5km stage was neutralized out of respect to Andrei Kivilev who died of head injuries sustained in a crash on Tuesday. To see how today's 16.5km individual time trial unfolded clickhere to bring up our Live Update window. 61st Paris-Nice, March 9-16, stages:Prologue, March 9 - Issy les Moulineaux , 4.8kmStage 1, March 10 -Auxerre to Paray le Monial, 191kmStage 2, March 11 - La Clayette to Saint Etienne, 182.5kmStage 3, March 12 -

Fassa Bortolo's Dario Frigo stamped his authority on the 61st edition of Paris-Nice, winning Thursday's 16.5km individual time trial and jumping into the overall lead, while defending champion Alexandre Vinokourov (Telekom) promises to take the overall title for his fallen friend and comrade. The focus was back on racing after Wednesday's emotional stage when the peloton woke up to news that Cofidis rider Andrei Kivilev had died from head injuries suffered in a crash Tuesday. A subdued mood still hung over the race on Thursday, but riders decided the best way to pay homage to Kivilev was to

The plan had been to pen this latest column on the happenings from the world of mountain biking while making the 90-minute trip from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen on the Spirit of British Columbia ferry. But when the mustached man in the orange jumpsuit gave me the unmistakable “that’s it” wave of his arms, I was left to write from the front seat of my rental car, while rain pattered down on the roof. Couldn’t believe it. Two — maybe even three hundred cars fit on that ferry, but I was No. 301, meaning I had two hours to kill before the next sailing. Anyway…Swartz Bay sits on the eastern coast of

World champion Mario Cipollini, of the Domina Vacanze team, dominated a sprint finish to win the first stage of Tirreno-Adriatico as it finished in Sabaudia, Italy, Thursday. The 35-year-old Italian held off compatriot Dario Pieri to take the leader's jersey after the 178km ride around Sabaudia. After some mediocre riding in the early season Spanish races, Cipollini took full advantage of his team's close protection throughout the day before they led him on to a flat final straight. "I was feeling quite calm, I knew I had worked well recently and knew my fitness was up to scratch,"

Forget the fact that we just got the run-down on the 2004 Dura-Ace (10-speed as reported). Hold off on the report about the latest road hardware unveiled at this weekend's Pomona Valley Stage Race. Don't worry a bit about Jonathan Vaughters's speed secrets, because I've got much bigger news. I got to hang out with Kelly Osbourne on Monday night. You know, Ozzy's daughter? Bad hair, short, a bit on the chunky side…? Well, "hang-out" might be pushing it, but I did run into her at baggage claim at Denver International (and boy, does she have plenty of baggage to claim). She was on her way

A good day for Tyler

VDB had a good day, too

No room for VeloNews

Strike a pose

Flight of the Navigator

The future has arrived

And to think I missed the show...

Team Giant 2003

Vaughters gets analyzed

Dear Ms. Ryan;I have been experiencing severe headaches after riding (usually abouttwo to 2.5 hours; 45 miles). I believe that it has some connection to fluidloss. I was interested in your recent response to a triathlete who mentionedsalt depletion- could my problem be similar? I drink a reasonable amountduring my ride. Can you suggest a solution? Thanks very much for your help.I enjoy your column. -- GBDear GB;You should focus on a number of strategies, including focusing onhydration, maintaining blood glucose levels, and normal sodium levels.Sodium depletion is most likely to occur in

The tragic death of Andrei Kivilev at this year’s Paris-Nice is not thefirst time that helmets – specifically, whether pros should be requiredto wear them as a safety measure – have been an issue at the race. As Rupert Guinness noted in his coverage of the 1991 Paris-Nice, publishedin the April 8, 1991, edition of VeloNews, Tony Rominger’s victorythat year was overshadowed by a riders’ strike sparked by the Union CyclisteInternationale’s new requirement that pros wear hard-shell helmet and thesubsequent disqualification of Francis Moreau for removing his on MontFaron, during stage six — a

The mood at Paris-Nice turned sullen Wednesday morning as riders, support staff and fans learned that Cofidis’s Andrei Kivilev had died from injuries caused in his freakish fall during a stage a day earlier. Kivilev fell face first with about 40km left in 182km stage into Saint Etienne and later lapsed into a coma, which doctors sustained with drugs to control his blood pressure. Cofidis team doctors said Kivilev died at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday morning at a hospital in Le Puy-En-Velay, France, after attending physicians doctors lost an all-night battle to control swelling of the 29-year-old’s

Cofidis at the finish

Team Coast says its racing suspension is unfair and that the UCI is not treating them fairly. Coast was suspended last week by the UCI until further notice and could not take part in the start Sunday of Paris-Nice. Coast team manager Marcel Wüst said the team has shown documents to the UCI to prove they have paid riders and that their finances are in order. “We have done everything correctly and given proof that the payments have been made on time,” Wüst told Reuters. “We feel we are not being treated fairly. We have done everything right and therefore the suspension should be lifted.” Last

Dear Lennard;I have a 2000 60cm Trek 5200 OCLV carbon fully stock bike. Notlong after I bought the bike, I noticed a periodic creaking coming fromthe bottom bracket area of the bike that usually appears when torquingon the pedals out of the saddle. I had my shop pull the bottom bracket,grease it up, and reinstall it, but it still makes the noise. I'vegotten new pedals and make sure the crank bolts are nice and tight, butthe noise is still there. My mechanic told me that OCLV frames arenotorious for this mysterious creak, and indeed I have noticed the noisedon 2 other OCLV frames (one in a guy

Gerolsteiner's Davide Rebellin won the second stage of Paris-Nice, sprinting out of a lead group of six riders that escaped on the slopes of the Category 1 Croix de Chaubouret and held off pursuers on a long descent into Saint Etienne. With time bonuses, Rebellin also took the yellow jesey of overall leader, three seconds ahead of defending champion Alexandre Vinokourov (Telekom), who finished second in the stage. The group also included Fassa Bortolo's Dario Frigo who drove the pace on the day's hardest climb and now stands in third place overall at 13 seconds. Stuart

Paris-Nice got its third race leader in three days after Gerolsteiner’s David Rebellin out-sprinted his five rivals in a breakaway that shook up the 61st Paris-Nice. Tuesday’s 182km second stage from La Clayette to Saint Etienne hit four rated climbs, then Category 1 Croix du Chaubouret before an 18km descent to the finish-line and the long, grinding stage separated the contenders from the rest of the field. 2001 champion Dario Frigo (Fassa Bortolo) punched the accelerator with 2km to the summit to Chaubouret to split the lead group of about 40 riders. Only Rebellin and defending champion

The recent suspension of the Coast team has prompted the UCI to accelerate the implementation of a set of reforms designed “to change the way cycling is run in the future.” Union Cycliste Internationale president Hein Verbruggen pointed to the example of the financially troubled German team as he outlined the changes, originally slated for 2005, that would see the best riders and best teams race in events as part of a separate “elite league.” Speaking here at the second stage of Paris-Nice, Verbruggen said reform was needed if cycling was to be enhanced, and teams were to guarantee their

Cofidis’s Andrei Kivilev remained in a drug-induced coma late Tuesday following his fall in the second stage of Paris-Nice, according to his team doctor in Saint-Etienne. Kivilev, who finished fourth in the 2001 Tour de France, lost consciousness after his fall and was rushed to a hospital where he has been undergoing tests. "He has cerebral edema (general swelling of the brain)," said the Cofidis team's doctor Jean-Jacques Menuet. "We still have to wait a few hours before we can make a full diagnosis." The 29-year-old from Kazakstan is still on a life support system. Physicians often

The winning break

Rebellin gets the jersey

The Jalabert group

Damon Kluck

Daniele Bennati is the next big thing in Italian cycling. Many are hyping him as the natural heir to Mario Cipollini. In just his second year as a pro, Bennati is already an integral part of Cipo's train, filling the penultimate position, right behind Giovanni Lombardi. He's already scored a win this year, grabbing a stage at the Tour Mediterranean in February. VeloNews European correspondent Andrew Hood sat down with Bennati at the team presentation in Egypt to talk about the Lion King, media and the spring classics. VeloNews: What have you learned most from riding with

Racing resumed Sunday at the Pomona Valley Stage Race in patented 75-degree Southern California weather, with just enough of a breeze to blow back the smog curtain that normally covers nearby Mount Baldy (snow-capped this time of year). While not pivotal in determining the overall winners of the race (that was essentially decided in the race's first uphill time-trial stage), Sunday's criterium still provided a remote possibility of dethroning overall leaders Genevieve Jeanson and Tom Danielson from their top spots -- if either suffered a race-ending crash, or California's much-anticipated