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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

Monique Ryan is the nutrition columnist forVeloNews andInsideTriathlon 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 atWebLetters@7dogs.com.Is uni-sex nutrition advice really a help?Dear Monique;It seems that most nutrition plans I’ve seen are geared to the male athlete or are supposedly “generic” to both sexes. The problem is that they are geared to a heavier carbohydrate intake than is

Following the demise of the Giant Global mountain bike team, the squad’s biggest name has found a new home, signing a deal with German-based T-Mobile. Brentjens, who won a gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and was subsequently given knighthood in his native Holland, inked a two-year deal with T-Mobile on Wednesday. He’ll replace Peter Riis Anderson, who is leaving the team after a less-than-spectacular 2002 season.After a lackluster 2001 campaign, Brentjens rebounded in 2002, winning the opening race of the World Cup series in Madrid, adding two more podium performances, and finishing

The structure of the 2003 Tour de France may be based on the inauguralTour route in 1903, but the organizers have included so many new stagesand climbs that there will be nothing old-fashioned about it. Most of theearly comments from personalities in the packed audience of 3000 at thePalais de Congrès in Paris, where the centennial Tour was announcedThursday, were somewhat familiar though.“It’s not the course, it’s the riders that make the Tour de France great,”said five-time winner Bernard Hinault. “It’s a very interesting course,built for a complete racer,” said another quintuple winner,

After three legendary seasons with Team Volvo/Cannondale, Anne-Caroline Chausson, 10-time and current Downhill and Four-Cross World Champion has signed with French bike manufacturer Commencal for the 2003 race season. For the French native, her return completes a sponsorship loop that began in 1999 when Chausson left Sunn Bicycles (owned by Max Commencal) to join Team Volvo/Cannondale. According to Cannondale's Scott Montgomery, her decision to leave the American manufacturer for Commencal is fueled by her contentment of accomplishment in the sport and a desire to settle down with her

Twenty-one Tour de France winners will be present in Paris on Thursday for the unveiling of the 2003 Tour route to mark the race’s centenary. The Tour’s 100th birthday will be marked with pomp and circumstance leading up to July, beginning with Thursday’s race announcement. The route is expected to start and end in Paris, with ascents up such legendary cols as Izoard, Galibier, Alpe d’Huez, Tourmalet and Aubisque. Among the former winners expected to attend include Italians Marco Pantani (1998) and Felice Gimondi (1965), German Jan Ullrich (1997), Dane Bjarne Riis (1996), Spaniards Miguel

Saeco-Longoni Sport team manager Claudio Corti and Gilberto Simoni willbe in Paris tomorrow representing the Saeco team at the presentation ofthe 2003 Tour de France."Everybody in the team and Gilberto in particular are ver keen to seethe route of the Tour de France," Corti said. "We want revenge for whathappened this year. We were hoping to do well at the Tour but our exclusion­ which turned out to be unjustified, affected a large part of ourseason. As a result the Tour is already one of our major objectives forthe 2003 season."Sacchi, Astarloa and the young Saeco riders end the 2002

Ever since the organizers of the Tour de France decided four years agothat the centennial Tour in 2003 would include the same cities that therace visited in 1903, people have been speculating where the rest of therace would go. You see, the original Tour had only six stages (albeit verylong ones) and had no mountain climbs.Today, there are 20 stages, in addition to the prologue, which meansthat there are at least 14 other stage towns at next year’s Tour.The official route is being announced Thursday, but an early clueto the 90th Tour de France’s course came four weeks ago, when the

The official invitation to Thursday's announcement

One-time Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich is close to signing a new deal with Danish CSC team, his manager Wolfgang Strohband said on Tuesday."Everything has been discussed and clarified and I am expecting a signature soon," Strohband told the German news agency SID.The 28-year-old Ullrich, the only German to win the Tour de France when he triumphed in 1997, will again link up with Denmark's Bjarne Riis.The two rode together when Riis clinched the Tour de France in 1996 with the Telekom team and Strohband added that the deal had been smoothed by Riis finding a new sponsor for CSC to

Ullrich

Sunday - Redline Cup-Round 1 It didn’t take long for Todd Wells to dismantle the field at the first round of the Redline Cup in Tacoma, Washington, on Sunday. The Mongoose rider and 2002 national cyclo-cross champion broke clear of the field on the first lap with Andy Jacques-Maynes (Clif Bar), then dropped Jacques-Maynes a half lap latter and rolled to a 26-second win in the UCI-sanctioned event. "Todd is way too strong," said Jacques-Maynes, who finished second. "He’s obviously the strongest guy out here. It’s really a race for second. I was feeling great and had a great day yesterday (at

Shimano’s next-generation XTR website lets you see the functional capabilities of this revolutionary component group in cyber-space.  Simply click on drive train, shifting or braking for systems demonstrations and the company’s philosophy on developing these cutting edge mountain biking tools. “What impresses me most about how the new website came together is it’s about as close as you can come to actually riding the product.  It’s like a virtual test ride.” Says Devin Walton, Product Manager for Shimano American Corporation. This futuristic cyber bike ride lets you see action diagrams of

Beglian Sven Nys (Rabobank) won the first round of the Super Prestige cyclo-cross series in Ruddervoorde, Belgian on Sunday. Nys controlled the race from the start and held off biggest rivals, including Richard Groenendaal and Erwin Vevecken, to score the win. Results 1. Sven Nys (B), Rabobank, 57 minutes, 30 seconds 2. Richard Groenendaal (Ned) at 0:20 3. Erwin Vervecken (B) at 1:03 4. Sven Venthourenhout (B) at 1:03 5. Tom Vannoppen (B) at 1:03 6. Danny Wellens (B) at 1:05 7. Gerben de Knegt (B) at 1:23 8. Peter van Santviliet (B) at 1:27 9. Ben Barden (B) at 1:27 10: Mario de Clercq (B)

As he readies to take the next big step in his professional road career, Tom Danielson, the Mercury road pro who demolished Tyler Hamilton’s course record on Mount Washington this year, is also closing in on graduation from Fort Lewis College in Colorado. Indeed, like Hamilton, Danielson got his start in the collegiate ranks. Last weekend’s collegiate mountain-bike championships in Angel Fire, New Mexico, marked the end of Danielson’s 2002 season and the end of his collegiate career. We asked him to send us a diary from Angel Fire. My 2002 season ended this weekend with a celebration in the

Nijs

Captain America: Nationa; 'cross champ Wells had a good weekend.

Lloyd

Grande said Sunday was a 'reality check.'

Hall

Danielson closes out season in style: a collegiate nationals diary

Tom Danielson and Kristin Johnson

Beloki scores win in season finaleJoseba Beloki had one more good race in his legs for the 2002 season. The ONCE rider who finished on two grand-tour podiums this year (2nd at Tour, 3rd at Vuelta) won Sunday’s Escalada Montjuic in Barcelona, the final big race on the Spanish road calendar. The race opened with climb up the Montjuic mountain in the morning sector and ended with afternoon time trial. Beloki won the morning sector and only Kelme’s Oscar Sevilla could beat him in the climbing time trial at Montjuic. The race featured an all-star starting lineup, including 2002 Vuelta champion

John Parker, legendary founder of Yeti Bicycles, dropped us a line to inform us that his world-class cadre of old Yeti race bikes and prototypes have begun showing up on e-bay. Highlights includeJulie Furtado's 1990 Durango World Championship-winning Yeti C-26 (with an opening bid of $7500), complete with all original equipment including a prototype Manitou fork, Yeti quill stem and Onza Ti bar ends. Other bikes to be auctioned at a later time- include those built for John "The Eagle" Tomac, Myles Rockwell, Paul Tracy and Carolyn Curl. For more visit www.yetifan.com or click straight on

Italian cycling team Fassa Bortolo will have a massive post-season shake up with up to nine riders set to leave and a host of new ones set to join on. Among the younger recruits, the team have signed world under-23 champion Francesco Chicchi, who won his world title at the road race championships in Belgium last week. Fassa Bartolo are also awaiting an answer to a proposal to Tour of Spain winner Aitor Gonzalez of Spain, who rides for Kelme. Chicchi will be joined at the team by compatriots Dario Cioni, 27, and under-21 rider Filippo Pozzato as well as 21-year-old Swiss Fabian Cancellara --

What a week Italian Michele Bartoli has had. A week after being left off the victorious "Squadra Azzurri" at the world championships, rather than slip into "polemica" Bartoli let his legs do the talking. He won Milan-Turin on Wednesday and culminated his revenge tour with a dramatic victory in Saturday's Giro di Lombardia. Bartoli held off compatriot Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner) and Swiss rider Oscar Carmenzind (Phonak) in an exciting sprint to win the finale of the 10-round World Cup series. The victory was Bartoli's second World Cup victory this season (he won Amstel Gold in April) and

Bettini

Bartoli

Saturday’s final round of the 2002 World Cup was supposed to be a final showdown between Paolo Bettini and Johan Museeuw, but an early start list reveals the Lion of Flanders isn’t taking the start. Bettini heads into the 96th Giro di Lombardia with a nine-point lead over Museeuw, but the Belgian isn’t starting so all the Italian has to do is finish the race and avoid a victory by Spain’s Igor Astarloa – who could bounce into first place if he wins and Bettini finishes out of the points.1. Paolo Bettini, 279 points2. Johan Museeuw, 2703. Igor Astarloa, 180.It isn’t clear yet why Museeuw

When the returning top 10 triathletes at the Ironman Hawaii press conference were asked if there might be any surprise contenders emerging from the field on Saturday, returning second place finisher Cameron Brown of New Zealand took the microphone and mentioned 31-year-old Austin, Texas resident Chann McRae. "Yeah, there's a guy called Chann McRae, he's a U.S. Postal rider, and he's here," said Brown. "He could be a new Steve Larsen. He was a fabulous triathlete as a junior, when I was racing as a junior as well. I heard when his contract's up for U.S. Postal, he's coming

What is Johan doing on Saturday?

Just a week after the world championships in Zolder, Saturday’s Giro di Lombardia may turn out to be to be another celebration of the new cooperation among Italian pros.Recently crowned champion Mario Cipollini promises to be at thestart line showing off his rainbow jersey and to help compatriot Paolo Bettini(Mapei) secure the World Cup title. Lombardia wraps up the 10-round WorldCup series and Bettini holds a slim 9-point lead over Belgian Johan Museeuw(Domo). The Lion of Flanders won two World Cup rounds (Paris-Roubaix and HEW Cyclassics)while Bettini won Liege-Bastogne-Liege. Bettini,

Museeuw and Bettini bring the World Cup fight down to the wire.

Even though 1997 Tour de France champion Jan Ullrich walked away from Telekom, his future direction remains undecided. Ullrich is continuing in negotiations to rejoin former Telekom teammate and 1996 Tour champion Bjarne Riis, who now runs the CSC-Tiscali team. Riis, however, is still trying to sign a co-sponsor for the 2003 season. Riis attended the road world championships in Zolder and had hoped to announce the completion of a deal with the man who helped him win the Tour in 1996, but it wasn't to be. Riis is now working hard to bring Tiscali back for 2003 after negotiations with

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 selectedquestions each week in her regular on-line question-and-answer column.Readers are welcome to send questions to Ryan at WebLetters@7dogs.com.Feeding during a 24-hour raceDear Monique;I have a 24-hour mountain bike race coming up soon. Do you have a simpleplan of hydration and nutrition I could follow? Recommendations of typesof foods would be greatly appreciated. -- TMDear TM;I will

Bologna, Italy -- Two-time Giro d’Italia winner Ivan Gotti spoke out in defense of controversial doctor Michele Ferrari in a court hearing related to organized doping in the professional peloton on Wednesday. Gotti, the Alessio team leader who won the Giro in 1997 and 1999, told presiding judge Maurizio Passerini that his hematocrit (volume of red blood cells in blood) reading of 50.7 percent during the Giro in 1998 was probably due to an infection. The elevated reading eventually forced him out of the Giro, and the ensuing Tour of Switzerland. Ferrari, a former employee of the Italian

Jim Rabdau, race director of the largest women’s stage race in North America, has confirmed dates for the 2003 Women’s Challenge, the 20th anniversary edition of the Idaho-based race. Rabdau also noted that the race is close to finalizing a deal with a new title sponsor for the event, support that was in question at the end of the 2002 race, when computer maker Hewlett-Packard ended its sponsorship. Next year’s 10-day, 11-race stage is slated to begin with a prologue on Friday, June 13 and will end in Boise on Sunday, June 23. Rabdau told VeloNews that he will be ready to announce the name

Will ride for Euros -- Ullrich still looking

VeloNews.com welcomes your letters. If you run across somethingin the pages of VeloNews magazine or see something on VeloNews.comthat causes you to want to write us, dropus a line.Please include your full name and home town. By submitting mail to thisaddress, you are consenting to the publication of your letter.So that's why they're blueDear VeloNews,The light blue colour of nearly all Italian national sporting teams (see"Why so Blue?" in Monday's mail - below) comes from the coat-of-arms ofthe Savoia former royal family; the colour stayed after Italy became a republicin 1946 and

The post-world’s party for Mario Cipollini will continue through at least next season. Cipollini says he wants to race next year so he can return to his favorite spring classic as world champion. “I want to go back to win Milan-San Remo next year wearing the rainbow jersey,” Cipollini told the Italian press. The 35-year-old roared into the world title Sunday and will race Saturday in the World Cup closing race at Giro di Lombardia in what could be his last race with Acqua & Sapone. “I will race Lombardia out of respect to the World Cup and the rainbow jersey and to help (Paolo) Bettini