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VeloNews Awards: Cipollini named International Cyclist of the Year

Crosier

Berg

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

Breaking Away ToursExperience Counts

Breaking Away ToursExperience Counts

Spaarselect’s Bart Wellens won the opening round of the UCI World Cup for cyclo-cross in Frankfurt on Sunday. Wellens, who won last week’s third round of the Superprestige series, finished 13 seconds ahead of world champion Mario de Clerq and defending World Cup champion Sven Nijs. Dutchman Richard Groenendaal finished fourth, again missing the podium on the heels of a Belgian sweep. The four men remained close throughout the opening portion of the race, with Wellens and Nijs trading the lead. With two laps remaining, Wellens made a decisive attack, building a 10-second gap within 500

Wellens wins

American Jonathan Page

Wellens wins GP Frankfurt

The UCI's five-race World Cup of cyclo-cross kicks off this Sundaywith the Grand Prix of Frankfurt. Earlier this year, we had a chance tospeak with the series’s technical director Adri Van der Poel about whathe has in mind for this season, for the future and for the sport in general.When he took over his current job two years ago, Van der Poel said he wasready to make changes: changes in course design, changes in the scheduleand, “hopefully, some changes in attitude.” With more than 20 years of mud-slogging and barrier-hopping behind him,the Dutch superstar brought a rider’s perspective to

Defending World Cup champion Sven Nijs

Editor;I have a response about the whole "exploiting women in advertising"thing: Get over it.Yes, sometimes women are portrayed as beautiful and desirable in advertisingand sometimes even as soccer moms and successful career women, but it'snot just the bike industry. A lot of companies use women and sometimesmen (gasp!) in their marketing campaigns. Get over it.If you don't like a marketing campaign a company is using, what canyou do about it? Don't buy their product. Maybe even contact that companyand tell them the reason you are not buying their product is because oftheir

Following a disappointing 2002 campaign, management completed its off-season overhaul of the Saturn men's team on Wednesday when it announced its finalized roster, numbering 13 riders after the additions of Charles Dionne and Nathan O'Neill. Since the end of the season, the team has added six riders -- Dionne, O'Neill, Chris Horner, Tom Danielson, Phil Zajicek and Victor Repinski -- who will join returning riders Trent Klasna, Mark McCormack, Eric Wohlberg, Tim Johnson, Will Frischkorn, Rahsaan Bahati and Ivan Dominguez. The squad now bears little resemblance to the team roster

Fred Rodriguez is one of seven riders on the now defunct Domo-Farm Fritesteam who have yet to sign a contract for 2003. That doesn’t mean that thetwo-time U.S. pro champion, who had an outstanding classics campaign thisyear, is on the dole.Speaking from his Emeryville, California, home this week, Rodrigueztold VeloNews, “I’m still in negotiations with a lot of teamsthat are interested, but they’re all trying to figure out their budgets… or a lot of teams don’t have their financing all together. So at thispoint, I’m still in a holding pattern, waiting, like a lot of other riders[but] I’m still

After 21 years of racing - 12 of them as a professional - Scott Moninger had been thinking of how he might eventually leave the sport of cycling. It's not that he had to - Moninger is the winningest cyclist in the country with a total of 209 career victories, and is still winning races - it's just that it's time. By the age of 36, any pro athlete starts seriously considering retirement. In fact, Moninger and his wife had recently agreed that he would probably race for another two years before moving on to the next phase of his life. But Moninger may no longer have that option. On

Scott Moninger's e-mailed statementNov 19, 2002Dear friends, family and fellow cyclists,On or around the 22nd of November, certain information regarding myselfwill become public. It will not be good news but I thought that hearingmy side of the story first, might lessen the shock a little when you doread this, or hear about it in a few days. Some of what you will read inthe media and hear on the streets will be accurate, and some of it willnot. I can assure you however, that everything written here in this e-mailis 100 percent fact.In early July I began preparing for one of the biggest

VeloNews technical writer Lennard Zinn is a frame builder, a formerU.S. national team rider and author of several books on bikes and bikemaintenance. Zinn's VeloNews.com column is devoted to addressing readers'technical questions about bikes, their care and feeding and how we as riderscan use them as comfortably and efficiently as possible. Readers can sendbrief technical questions directly toZinn. Zinn’s column appears regularly on VeloNews.com.Question:It would seem like the ultimate night riding light would be an L.E.D.light for light weight and efficiency. Has there been anyone working

It was exactly 100 years ago today that the three words “Tour de France”were first mentioned in connection with bicycle racing. On November 20,1902, in the Paris newspaper offices of the sports daily, L’Auto,three journalists were sitting around chatting about their circulationwar with their bigger cross-town rival, Le Vélo.L’Auto’s editor-in-chief Henri Desgrange asked his two colleaguesif they had any ideas to increase their number of readers. The answer camefrom the paper’s cycling editor, Géo Lefèvre.“Why not a cycling tour of France?” he said.Intrigued, Desgrange invited his young editor

American professional cycling pioneer Jonathan Boyer was sentenced Tuesday to one year in jail and probation in a Salinas, California, courtroom after pleading guilty in September to 10 felony counts of child molestation. Boyer, a resident of Seaside, California, was allowed to meet with family members before being taken into custody in handcuffs by a court bailiff. Boyer will serve his sentence in Monterey County Jail. "I don’t think there is a chance in the world that Mr. Boyer will violate probation," Boyer’s attorney, Tom Worthington, said in court. "What he did is a serious crime and

Moninger faces two-year suspension

Le Tour was invented 100 years ago today

Ever wonder how manufacturers choose the colors and graphics for their upcoming products? While some take a decidedly low-key approach ("My girlfriend's eyes are azure blue, so let's go with that"), others are meticulous in their selection process. When GT was still GT, the company was rumored to have spent almost a quarter million dollars researching the "perfect" looks for its 2001 product line. Part of that process including using involved focus groups and scientific analysis in which participants were hooked-up to diagnostic equipment to monitor specific emotions as subjects were

Monique Ryan is the nutrition columnist for VeloNews andInsideTriathlon magazines and is founder of Personal Nutrition Designs, aconsulting company based in the Chicago area. Ryan will try to answer selectedquestions each week in her regular on-line question-and-answer column.Readers are welcome to send questions to Ryan.Why not real food?Dear Monique;Please help shed some light on a topic that is hotly debated amongmy triathlete friends. It's about post workout nutrition. There seem tobe two schools of thought that, I'm sure, both have validity.First, there are those who swear that a

A source of inspiration.

A year ago this color was going 240mph.

Belgian Bart Wellens (Spaar-Select) easily won the third round of the Superprestige cyclo-cross series in northern Belgian city of Gavere on Sunday. Wellens managed to escape early in the race and maintained a healthy one-minute lead throughout the hour-long ‘cross race. Wellens finished 1:22 ahead of world champion Mario de Clerq and well ahead of fellow Belgians Peter van Santvliet and Sven Nijs. Indeed, Belgians swept the top five spots on Sunday, leaving Dutchman Richard Groenendaal, who finished in sixth place along side Belgian Erwin Vervecken, as the day’s top “non-Belgian”

Two of cycling's most celebrated one-day classics could be pulled from next year’s 10-race World Cup series because of an ongoing dispute over television rights, UCI president Hein Verbruggen said Monday. During a presentation of the Union Cyclist Internationale’s World Cup schedule, Verbruggen said that Milan-San Remo, the World Cup opener in March, and the season-ending Tour of Lombardy could be pulled off the calendar because Italian broadcasters RAI are still at odds with the European broadcasting authority over financing. The consequence is that the races have little coverage

Vuelta a España winner Aitor Gonzalez will ride next season for the Italian Fassa Bartolo team after signing a two-year deal here Monday despite an ongoing dispute with the Acqua e Sapone team. The 27-year-old Spaniard now looks assured of a safe passage to the Italian set-up after an acrimonious few weeks. Top International Cycling Union (UCI) official Alain Rumpf told the French wire service AFP that Gonzalez is clear to ride as a member of the Fassa Bortolo squad. "Given the documents we now have it looks as if Aitor Gonzalez will be able to ride for Fassa Bortolo next season," Rumpf

Bas and Gerome were coolEditor;Two of the coolest guys I have met in my 15 years of bike racing, Jerome Chiotti, and Bas Van Dooren-both admitted cheaters, drug users. There is something good about their character. Is this saying I am lover of drug users? Of course not. I am just pointing out that only two guys have ever admitted it, and I like that Bas and Jerome are really great guys. Heck everyone and their mother smokes pot in this world, and I think that should be illegal, how come everyone praises a pot smoker and not situations like this?These guys made a huge mistake and realized it,

Jan Ullrich declared Sunday he will be ready and determined to win the world's greatest cycling race for a second time. The 28-year-old, who won the Tour de France in 1997 and has been runner-up in four Tours, is currently without a team having resigned from Telekom after admitting taking ecstasy on a night out with friends while recovering in hospital after a second operation on a troublesome knee. However Ullrich said that he would be ready to compete when his suspension ends on March 23, 2003 and expects he will be riding for the CSC team, managed by former teammate Bjarne Riis, who

Swiss cyclist Jean Nuttli failed in his second bid Saturday to beat the world hour record held by Britain's Chris Boardman. Nuttli rode 47 kilometers and 93 meters on the indoor track in Bordeaux, France, well short of the 49.441km set by Boardman in October 2000 in Manchester, England. The 28-year-old Nuttli also tried to break the record on Friday on the same track but gave up a third of the way into his bid after 21min 2sec and 17km of riding. Nuttli, who was seriously obese as a teenager, famously lost 57 kilos when he was 22 years old thanks to a draconian diet and hours of

Swiss cyclist Jean Nuttli, who once beat obesity to become a time trialing sensation, failed in his bid Friday to beat the world hour record held by Britain's Chris Boardman. The 28-year-old Nuttli, using a 57x15 gear on the indoor track in Bordeaux, France, gave up only a third of the way into his bid, after covering 17km in 21:02. Nuttli, who was described by his coach as "confident", will get back on the saddle at the world famous velodrome here Saturday in between the track races of the Open des Nations. "Jean couldn't get the right rhythm going today but he's so conscious

VeloNews technical writer Lennard Zinn is a frame builder, a former U.S. national team rider and author of several books on bikes and bike maintenance. Zinn's VeloNews.com column is devoted to addressing readers' technical questions about bikes, their care and feeding and how we as riders can use them as comfortably and efficiently as possible. Readers can send brief technical questions directly to Zinn. Zinn’s column appears regularly on VeloNews.com.Question -- Recently you wrote about a chain lube thatvirtually stopped chain wear. I can't remember the name of the lube.--Dave Answer --

Nuttli -- Not this time

Check the allignment

Bas van Dooren announced his retirement Thursday, soon after learning that he had been suspended for a year after testing positive for erythropoietin. According to an Associated Press report, Van Dooren, who won World Cup races in 1999 and 2000, admitted he used EPO to prepare himself for the world championships in September. “I needed a great result to extend my career,” he told the Dutch newspaper AD. Van Dooren finished 11th in a race won by Canadian Roland Green. Van Dooren told the Dutch paper that he had information about EPO on the internet and paid $400 for the drug. Once his

Former Colombian cyclist Marco Wilches was murdered Wednesday night by unknown assailants in the small town of Facatativa, 35km west of Bogata. The 38-year-old Wilches was apparently murdered by thieves who then stole the taxicab he was driving. Wilches was among the group of successful Colombian riders - led by 1987 Vuelta winner Luis Herrera - who competed in Europe in the 1980s. Wiches rode with the Postobon team and won a stage of the Clasico RCN in 1984. Marco Wilches was one of three brothers in his family who competed as professional cyclists. The most famous of the three, Pablo

Monique Ryan is the nutrition columnist for VeloNews andInsideTriathlon magazines and is founder of Personal Nutrition Designs, aconsulting company based in the Chicago area. Ryan will try to answer selectedquestions each week in her regular on-line question-and-answer column.Readers are welcome to send questions to Ryan.To dilute or not to diluteDear Monique;When I train I use electrolyte drinks, like Gatorade. Because theyare too sweet for my taste and too tough for my stomach, I dilute them.But I read that these drinks should be used only in a special concentrationand not be diluted,

The Navigators cycling team has announced the signing of former Mercury star Henk Vogels and Justin Spinelli of Saeco to its roster for the coming season.Vogels, winner of the 2000 First Union USPRO Championships, brings eight years of professional experience to the team. The 29-year-old Australian moved to the United States in 2000 to ride for the Mercury team after a successful career in Europe.Navigators team director Ed Beamon said the addition of Vogels and Spinelli will help the team as it tries to expand its program in the coming year. “Henk brings an enormous amount of experience, and

It was standing room only at The Lodge on the University of Colorado campus at Colorado Springs on Wednesday evening when Dr. Ed Burke -- who died on November 7 –- was honored at a memorial service. An estimated 400 people attended the hour-long service, including a who’s who of American cycling. The highlight was a eulogy by Burke’s long-time friend and coaching colleague Chris Carmichael, who related a conversation he had the day before in Chicago with Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong. “Lance gave me a yellow jersey,” Carmichael said, “and wrote a message on it.” The coach then

Burke honored at packed memorial service

Nearly four years after breaking away from USA Cycling, representatives of Northern California-Nevada Cycling Association member clubs on Monday voted to rejoin the national governing body and serve as its "administrative agency for the area."NCNCA vice president Casey Kerrigan told VeloNews on Tuesday that the association will “essentially act as the old district rep for Northern California/Nevada, pretty much like it was before.”In a tight 25 to 24 vote, with one abstention, the association again affiliates with the sport’s national governing body. The NCNCA was one of several organizations

Colombia's world time trial champion Santiago Botero looks set to sign for the German Telekom team after his manager at current team Kelme said Tuesday he had resigned himself to his star rider's departure. Vincent Belda, whose team has endured a difficult year which led to some riders not being paid salaries, admitted the battle for Botero's signature for next season was practically over. "It seems that the negotiations have come to a halt. I don't know too much about what's happening, but I should tomorrow. What's certain is that Botero's advisers are doing

NCNCA approves deal with USA Cycling

Spain's former two-time world champion Oscar Freire ended doubts over his future by agreeing to sign a two-year deal with the Dutch Rabobank team in The Hague on Monday. Despite his record of injuries, Freire is considered one of the most talented one-day riders in the pro ranks. After weeks of indecision, the Spaniard finally informed Rabobank officials of his decision, after they had issued an ultimatum. The 26-year-old former Mapei rider, the world road race champion in 1999 and 2001, is expected to help Rabobank in their quest for one-day classic titles. The team's general

Physiologist Ed Burke died Thursday, November 7, of an apparent heart attack while on a bike ride near his home in Colorado Springs, Colorado.The 53-year-old Burke was on a group ride and collapsed at the side of the road. He could not revived by friends or emergency medical personnel who appeared at the scene.Burke earned a doctorate in exercise physiology from Ohio State in 1979 and quickly joined the staff of the United States Cycling Federation, serving as an Olympic team staff member in 1980 and 1984. Burke built a strong reputation for making cutting-edge research in his field

Remembering Ed

The final piece of the 2003 World Cup schedule has fallen into place, as the UCI announced Thursday that France’s famed Alpe d’Huez will host the second stop of the downhill/four-cross World Cup series. The event will be the final event in the opening European leg of the series and will take place June 7-8. Here’s the complete schedule:May 24-25: St. Wendel, Germany – XC No. 1May 31-June 1: Fort William, Scotland – XC No. 2/DH-4X No. 1June 7-8: Alpe d’Huez, France – DH-4X No. 2June 28-29: Mont-Ste-Anne, Quebec - XC No. 3/DH-4X No. 3July 5-6: Telluride, Colorado - XC No. 4/DH-4X No. 4July

Javier Otxoa, the Kelme pro who survived a horrendous accident in which his twin brother was killed will end 21 months of anguish by racing again this Sunday. However it will be a farewell gesture to the professional peloton for the 28-year-old Spaniard, who beat four-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong to a stage win in 2000 when he finished 13th overall. "It will be his final race. He'll be saying farewell to professional cycling," his other brother Andoni told AFP on Thursday. Otxoa's physical and neurological injuries have effectively ended all hopes of continuing his

USA Cycling has announced that former CEO Lisa Voight, now the organization’s senior advisor for Olympic and international relations, has submitted her resignation. Voight’s decision comes less than a day after the board of USA Cycling granted Gerard Bisceglia, the organization’s current CEO, the authority to “renegotiate the terms” of a reported two-year $200,000 contract. Late last year, Voight announced plans to leave her post as CEO effective in May, the expected due date of her twin daughters born this spring. Speaking from her home on Wednesday, Voight told VeloNews that, with her new

The Saturn Cycling team has rounded out its roster for 2003 and named former U.S. track coach Andrzej Bek to run its men’s squad. The team has finalized its agreement with Chris Horner, who topped the National Racing Calendar standings in 2002 as a member of the Prime Alliance squad. The team has also recruited Tom Danielson and Phil Zajicek from the as-of-yet-unsponsored Mercury team and added former Saturn Cycling Development Team member Viktor Repinski to its men’s roster. Meanwhile Canadian Lyne Bessette has rejoined the women’s team after leaving the squad earlier this year. The

Monique Ryan is the nutrition columnist for VeloNews andInside Triathlon magazines and is founder of Personal NutritionDesigns, a consulting company based in the Chicago area. Ryan will tryto answer selected questions each week in her regular on-line question-and-answercolumn.Readers are welcome to send questions to Ryan.Dear Web Readers;Thank you for your response to the nutrition Web Q and A. The responsehas been very high, and I am sorry if I am not able to get to everyone’squestions. Two topics that have come up very frequently are the issue ofmuscle cramping and weight loss. Instead of

VeloNews technical writer Lennard Zinn is a frame builder, a formerU.S. national team rider and author of several books on bikes and bikemaintenance. This is Zinn's VeloNews.com column devoted to addressing readers'technical questions about bikes, their care and feeding and how we as riderscan use them as comfortably and efficiently as possible. Readers can sendbrief technical questions directly toZinn. Zinn’s column with a representative selection of reader questionappears each Tuesday.Question -- Recently you wrote about a chain lube thatvirtually stopped chain wear.  I can't remember the

Former world champion Catherine “Cathy” Marsal has signed with Geneviève Jeanson’s Rona squad for the 2003 season. The 31-year-old Marsal, who raced with Saturn in 2002, has made the world’s podium 10 times in her career beginning with the world junior road title she earned at 16 and the world junior pursuit champion at 17. Marsal became the world elite road race champion at 19 and was part of the world championship team time trial squad in 1991. Four times a member of the French Olympic team, she also won several of the most prestigious stage races in the world -- two Tours de l’Aude, one

Todd Wells’ Saturday at the Sportsbook.com Cross in Lancaster, Pennsylvania started and ended with a bang. For starters, the Mongoose-Hyundai rider was rear-ended just 20 feet from the race site. The steep downhill section, just after an intersection, led into a 90-degree left turn into Manor Township Park. As Wells joined the line of traffic waiting to make turn into the parking lot, an unnamed local driver crested the hilltop intersection at speed, first smashing into Wells’ mother, who was driving behind him, and who then slammed into Wells’ rented mini-van. Fortunately, Wells handily

Former Oakley CEO Mike Parnell is being honored by Loyola Marymount University’s Center for Ethics and Business, as the first recipient of the school's Business Ethics Award. Parnell is being recognized for “Exemplary Compassion,” because of his support for Lance Armstrong, four-time winner of the Tour de France, when Armstrong was diagnosed with cancer. Parnell will accept the award and speak about the place of ethics in business ethics and his relationship with Armstrong on Thursday, November 7, at 7 p.m. in Hilton 100 on LMU’s campus in Westchester, CA. While Armstrong is now one

There were a lot of new faces on the podium for the 2002 Canadian National Cyclo-cross Championships, in St-Augustin, Quebec. Lyne Bessette(CyclocrossWorld) and Roddi Lega (Alberta) won the Canadian titles, in the face of constant winds that pushed the windchill to a numbing -15C. The 2002 Nationals were held on the grounds of Campus Notre-Dame-de-Foy. St-Augustin is on the outskirts of Quebec City, home to Louis Garneau Inc., the cycle clothing manufacturer who was the title sponsor of this year's national championships. While the terrain is mostly flat, the organizers were able to put

Jan Ullrich said Saturday he is close to signing a deal with the Danish CSC team. Ullrich wrote on his website that he was certain he would be well taken care of in the team managed by his former Telekom team-mate Bjarne Riis. "We're both on the same wave length," said Ullrich, the only German to win the Tour de France when he triumphed in 1997. The two rode together when Riis won the Tour de France in 1996 with Ullrich serving as his most dependable lieutenant. "The idea of bringing my experience to a young team also appeals to me. An important new challenge for me. I'm

Bjarne Riis is close to signing a deal with Deutsche Post Bank to be a co-sponsor for his CSC team and open the door for the signing of 1997 Tour de France champion Jan Ullrich. The sports cable channel Eurosport reported on Thursday that the announcement could come in “couple of days,” Tiscali, the team’s co-sponsor for the past two years, announced this week it would not be extending its deal with the team for 2003. If the deal comes through, Ullrich will be re-united with his former Telekom teammate Riis. The pair reached glory together, first with Riis winning the 1996 Tour and then

Monique Ryan is the nutrition columnist for VeloNews and InsideTriathlon magazines and is founder of Personal Nutrition Designs, a consulting company based in the Chicago area. Ryan will try to answer selected questions each week in her regular on-line question-and-answer column.Readers are welcome to send questions to Ryan at WebLetters@7dogs.com.How often can I raise a glass?Dear Monique:In terms of athletic performance, how does alcohol affect the body? I like one or two glasses of beer or wine a night. I am concerned it may inhibit the liver from clearing toxins. -- AFDear AF:Alcohol can

Italian Internet provider Tiscali has decided not to extend its sponsorship with the CSC team led by 1996 Tour de France winner Bjarne Riis, the Danish wires reported Wednesday. Tiscali had been part of Riis' team since 2001 and its contribution was reportedly worth $2 million a year. The news comes just as Riis is trying to secure enough money to sign 1997 Tour de France winner and former Telekom teammate Jan Ullrich. Riis has known that Tiscali likely wouldn't remain with the team, but he was hoping to convince them to stay one more year with hopes of signing Ullrich. Now Riis

Spanish veteran Fernando Escartin announced his retirement in a press conference Tuesday in Zaragoza. Escartin, 34, had an offer on the table from his current team Coast but decided to walk away after 13 years as a professional. "It wasn't easy to make the decision, but I miss my family more and more and it's harder to put in the sacrifice necessary to stay on top," he said. Escartin turned pro in 1990 and while he wasn't a grand champion, he was consistently at the top of the standings and always in the hunt for stage-wins in the mountains. He twice finished second in the

If you own one of the following Cannondale bicycles, you must stop riding it immediately and contact your dealer: * 2002 Gemini 2000 * 2002 Gemini 1000* 2003 Gemini 2000* 2003 Gemini 1000 * 2003 Gemini 900 In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (U.S. CPSC), Cannondale will recall some of these medium and large size frames. The U.S. CPSC will be monitoring the effectiveness of this recall. WARNING: Failure to observe this recall could result in frame failure. Such a failure would lead to loss of control and an accident with attendant risk of serious injury or

Marc Gullickson (Mongoose-Hyundai) won his third straight Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series race of the year at the Cycle-Smart Amherst International Cyclo-Cross, Amherst, Massachusetts. As in his last Verge Series win two weeks ago in Gloucester his teammate Todd Wells had a lot to do with the final result. The elite men's race started out looking much like the Clif Bar domination of the women's elite race, fast starters Andy Jaques-Maynes and Jackson Stewart in the red Clif Bar skinsuits took turns leading and forcing the pace for much of the first two laps. Meanwhile,

Four-time Tour de France champ Lance Armstrong told the French sports daily L’Equipe he’s still not convinced he’ll race in the 2003 road world championships in Hamilton, Canada. Armstrong said the race is too late on the calendar to suit his training program for his run at a record-tying fifth Tour in July. “Even though it will be special to have the world’s in North America, it’s very late. It’s hard to stay in focus after the Tour unless you race in the Vuelta. That’s hard to do,” he said. Armstrong also rounded out what will be his spring racing schedule, which could include Paris-Nice

D'Aluisio

Wells, Gullickson and Johnson

Wouldn't you be smiling?

Vuelta a España winner Aitor Gonzalez is now set to end his relationship with the Kelme team and about to sign on with Fassa Bartolo, the rider told Spanish reporters on Saturday. "Signing for Fassa is 99 percent certain. I have a definite agreement and there are just a few minor things to finalize before I sign," said Gonzalez in Valencia, where he was participating in a promotional event. Gonzalez denied that he was moving teams after repeated disputes with his teammates and manager during the Vuelta. "I've reached the end of my time with Kelme. I'm looking for some more

Raimondas Rumsas, third place at the 2002 Tour de France, was a “nowhere man” in Thursday’s Tour presentation in Paris. Not only was he not there for the unveiling of the 2003 Tour route, his photo was reportedly not shown as well. Typically, the Tour shows photos of the top-three podium finishers, but this year organizers only showed pictures of winners of each individual classification with nary a pic of the Lithuanian. Rumsas has also been fired from his Lampre team after his wife, Edita, was caught by French police at the French-Italian border in late July carrying alleged doping

Rumsas's podium appearance wasn't shown Thursday.

American Lance Armstrong's quest for a fifth straight Tour de France willbegin next year at the foot of the Eiffel Tower - the famous Paris landmarkhaving been chosen to mark the race's 100th anniversary.Organizers unveiled details of the 2003 Tour in Paris on Thursday and presenteda race that will include seven mountain stages with the peloton tacklinga total of 21 major climbs.Next year's 3350km edition will call in on seven towns which figured in thefirst edition of the Tour: Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Bordeaux andNantes.In contrast nine stage venues will be used for