All Content

Tom Danielson

With a long time trial awaiting him, Denis Menchov knew his time in the yellow jersey at the 54th edition of the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré would be finite after his win on Mount Ventoux yesterday. And the young Russian was right as he lost more than two minutes to U.S. Postal’s Lance Armstrong, the new overall leader of the eight-day Tour de France warm up. Perhaps a bigger surprise, however, was that Armstrong finished only second in Wednesday’s 41-kilometer time trial losing by 42 seconds to Kelme’s Santiago Botero, winner of last weekend’s Classique des Alpes. Haimar Zubeldia

Armstrong takes second to Botero, but takes the jersey.

The TT was Botero's big goal for the Dauphiné.

Armstrong's favorite color

Four-time world champion Shane Kelly, Olympic gold medallist Scott McGrory and mountain bike rider Sid Taberlay have all filed appeals against being their omission from Australia's Commonwealth Games cycling team. Cycling Australia chief executive officer Graham Fredericks said the appeals would be heard Thursday with a decision to be released on Friday. The three riders were notable omissions when the 33-strong team for the Manchester Games in July and August was announced last week. Kelly, a former 1,000 metre time-trial world record holder, is expected to argue special circumstances

Citing an ongoing medical problem and an opportunity to pursue a new career, Mercury's Derek Bouchard-Hall has confirmed his decision to retire after finishing the First Union USPRO championships in Philadelphia on Sunday. The 31-year-old Bouchard-Hall underwent surgery in January 2000 to correct a problem caused by the narrowing of an artery in his left leg, a condition that had resulted in decreased blood flow and chronic pain. A 1999 Pan-Am Games gold medallist in the team pursuit, he recovered beautifully and went on to win the 2000 USPRO criterium championship and a spot on the

A court in Freiburg, Germany, on Tuesday fined Telekom’s Jan Ullrich two-and-a-half month’s salary over a drunk driving incident that occurred earlier this spring. Ullrich was found guilty of driving his Porsche 911 under the influence of alcohol when he backed into a bike rack and hit a roadside curb after leaving a restaurant in Freiburg on the evening of April 30. Police also cited the 1997 Tour de France winner for leaving the scene of an accident. German courts often base driving penalties on a defendant’s income. In Ullrich’s case he will have to pay an amount equal to 70 days of his

IBanesto.com’s Russian climber Denis Menchov made his mark on the 54th edition of the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré on Tuesday, winning the toughest stage of this traditional Tour de France warm up, a 174 km race from Tournon to the top of Mount Ventoux. On top of his stage win Menchov took the overall lead from La Francaise Des Jeux’s Jacky Durand. Menchov, the winner of the Tour de l'Avenir in 2001, took second place in the stage on Mont Ventoux in that race. On Tuesday, he and Spaniards Felix Garcia-Casas, Aitor Kintina Zarate and Una Osa were out in front of the race on the slopes of

Bouchard-Hall at Philly

Menchov

Armstrong tried hard to shake his unwelcome company

Vaughters

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again… or if you’re Jacky Durand try, try, try and try even more. Durand is easily the French peloton’s most renowned “head banger,” those brave souls who try a break early in a race and just pray it sticks. Today, the first stage of Dauphiné Libéré, turned into one of those rare occasions when the 35-year-old Frenchman hit pay dirt, beating Kelme’s Alexis Rodriguez in a two-man sprint at the end of a 151-kilometer escape. The Française des Jeux rider and Rodriguez slipped off the front of the 110-rider field at the 22km mark of Monday’s 173 km stage

Lance Armstrong's toughest Tour de France competition could be comingfrom south of the Pyrenees if results the past few weeks are any indication.With Jan Ullrich out with knee surgery and top Italians StefanoGarzelli and Gilberto Simoni afoul with doping problems, thedoor is wide open for a Spanish revival.Following the 1-2 finish at the Classique des Alpes by Kelme's Santiago Botero, a Colombian on the Spanish squad and his Spanish teammate Oscar Sevilla on Saturday and ONCE's sweeps at the Tour of Germany and the Bicicleta Vasca over the weekend, Armstrong couldhave his hands

The king of the head bangers hits pay dirt

Rodriguez and Durand managed to hold the field at bay.

LIVE UPDATES FROM PHILLY 8:49 a.m. Good morning. We are about 10 minutes away from the start of the 2002 First Union USPRO Championships in Philadelphia. As is always the case with this race, the crowds are already huge and we'll be seeing them grow as the day goes on. The weather is beautiful in downtown Philadelphia. The predicted high today is 85 and humidity is at a comfortable level right now. We'll be filling in details throughout the race today. We'll be getting reports from VeloNews's Bryan Jew and John Wilcockson. We are also trying something of an experiment. Mercury's Gord

The Tissot-UCI Mountain Bike World Cup wrapped up a four-week European spring tour Sunday, as Maribor, Slovenia hosted round two of the Downhill and 4X series. After the rain and mud of Scotland's downhill last week, riders were looking forward to the typically sunny weather of this scenic country north of Italy. But with sporadic rains keeping mechanics scrambling to choose correct tires and bolt-on fenders for the downhill finals, many got a bit more than they bargained for. Chris Kovarik (Intense) got the most, winning his second race in a row — right after Anne-Caroline Chausson

Under darkness of night and illuminated by the bright lights of this World Cup slope, American Mike King (Haro-Lee Dungarees) won round 2 of the new 4x World Cup series in Maribor, Slovenia. King’s win, his major victory since 1996, showed that he still has the goods when it comes to head-to-head racing. On the women’s side, Anne-Caroline Chausson (Volvo-Cannondale) captured her second win in as many weeks. Beating perennial favorite Brian Lopes (Fox-GT), King used his years of BMX, downhill and dual racing experience to take the lead away from the world champion in turn one, then hold it

Francaise Des Jeux's Bradley McGee fought off the close challenge of his fellow Aussie and teammate Baden Cooke to win the Dauphine Libere prologue in Lyon, France, on Sunday. McGee, who has had a troubled year since his debut Tour de France last year, completed the 3.6km course a second ahead of Cooke in 4min 14sec. "I'm astonished. After such a long time without winning, it has been hard to stay confident," said McGee. U.S. Postal’s Lance Armstrong, who is strongly favored to retain the Tour de France title he has won for the last three years, finished in fifth some four seconds off

After two years of seeing Fred Rodriguez walk away from Philadelphia with the USPRO champion’s jersey, the U.S. Postal Service reclaimed the stars-and-stripes. And after years and years of trying, the Navigators squad finally got everything right and won the big one. In the end, it wasn’t Rodriguez or George Hincapie, but rather Chann McRae and Mark Walters who stole the show at the First Union USPRO Championship in Philadelphia on Sunday. Hincapie and Rodriguez have been the big favorites at Philadelphia the last few years, but for two-time defending champion Rodriguez, the week hadn’t

Everyone knew who to watch at the First Union Liberty Classic, and they’ll have plenty of opportunities to watch her again in the highlight reels, as Petra Rossner (Saturn) rode to victory in the 57.6-mile women’s race. Run concurrently with the USPRO men’s road championship, the Liberty Classic has known only four winners in its nine-year history, and the Leipzig, Germany native has held a monopoly on the top step of the podium since 1998. Her first victory, came in 1996. Unlike Rossner’s 2001 victory, which came in a massive field sprint to the line, this year’s race came down to one key

Chausson atoned for her troubles in Scotland.

Kovarik has won the last three World Cup downhills.

Peat just missed the win.

It was King's first big win in years.

Chausson made it 2-for-2.

King heads to the win.

McGee

Un-retired: Ekimov is back on the Postal roster

The early breakaway climbs the Wall

Unbelievable: Walters still couldn't believe he'd won.

That expected George versus Freddy battle never did materialize.

Boonen made the cut.

Walters on Lemon Hill

'Now what do I do?’' thought McRae who was up front without Hincapie.

Boonen made the cut.

Walters on Lemon Hill

Dad's a champ: McRae celebrates with his family.

Rossner and men's winner Mark Walters.

Rossner kept tabs on the field throughout.

The Saturn patrol stayed at the front

As a former Saturn, Demet-Barry knew her old temmates' game.

French judicial officials have said that the ongoing inquiry into allegations of doping on the U.S. Postal team may not be completed until after this year’s Tour de France, more than two years after the original incident that triggered the investigation, the French news paper Le Monde reported this week.Paris prosecutor François Franchy said in a June 1 interview with Le Monde that the investigation, initiated in November of 2000 after French television aired footage of Postal team staff disposing of medical waste at a highway rest stop, "will be finished soon." But Franchy added that"soon"

The besieged Kelme team managed to put its troubles aside as Colombia's Santiago Botero and his Spanish teammate finished one-two at the Classique des Alpes Saturday. Botero joined a break with at the 22km mark in the 164 km Tour de France warm-up with David Moncoutie (Cofidis), Jorgen-Bo Petersen and Kelme teammate Jose Gutierrez. The other two riders fade with 40km to go and Botero was joined by Sevilla on the final climb of the day. Botero, a climber’s jersey winner at the at the 2000 Tour de France, earned his 11th professional win Saturday as he was encouraged to take the top spot by

After you: Botero celebrates a Kelme 1 - 2

Greg LeMond, the first American to win the Tour de France, has called on cycling's governing bodies to stop stalling on introducing rules which could help quash the culture of drug-taking in the peloton. LeMond, who won the Tour in 1986, ’89 and ’90, slammed the failure of the sport's governing bodies to stem the flow of illicit drugs in the peloton. A week after the Giro d’Italia again displayed the propensity of cyclists to indulge in illicit doping practices, the American called for blood samples to be taken from all riders before and after races and kept for future

If you want to snack on giant pretzels and swill Rolling Rock for six hours during the First Union USPRO Championships on Sunday, you’ll need to head to the far end of the course and elbow your way through the crowds and into one of the all-day porch parties on the Manayunk Wall. There, you’ll drink in the heart-and-soul of the 18-year-old classic American race. But, if you want to see the final showdown in the battle for the U.S. champion’s jersey, it might be a better bet to plant yourself on the grassy slopes on Lemon Hill, on the finishing circuit of the 156-mile Philadelphia race. That’s

Just when the World Cup circuit seemed to be on a roll, word out of Switzerland Friday was that the downhill/four-cross portion of stop No. 4 in Grouse Mountain, British Columbia, has been cancelled because of too much snow. The cross-country races will still be run. According to Gestev’s Patrice Drouin, the event organizer, there is still more than 14 feet of snow in some places on the mountain, making it impossible to get all three courses cleared in time for the July 6-7 event. "We had to put a priority somewhere," Drouin said. "The downhill course is so steep and so much is in the

With all eyes are on Philadelphia this weekend, the Euros are buildingfor the season’s next big goal -- the 2002 Tour de France. Lance Armstrongreturns to racing action next weekend for the Dauphine Libere in France,his final race before trying to win a fourth consecutive Tour.The dust has settled (somewhat) following a wild and woolly Giro d’Italia.The Italians are licking their wounds and resting their legs after theGiro and, despite the expulsion of Saeco out of the Tour, the French raceis still very important to the Italian teams. Five Italian teams will beat the start in Luxembourg:

I thought, I am on top of the earth and I don’t work for the government. — Thomas McGuane, “Another Horse” If there’s one thing I can’t abide, it’s that nagging feeling of relativegood fortune. Nothing is worse for a guy who puts bread on the table bypitching a bitch about all and sundry. This deplorable state of affairs began with the abrupt and sequentialdetonation, with both Bicycle Retailer & Industry News and VeloNews in production, of my surge protector, external hard drive and 17-inch monitor. Oh, boy. With a ton of chores on deck, quarterly tax payments due onthe 15th and my

The 2001 Grouse downhill.

Always look on the bright side of life.. doo dah doo dah

The focus of First Union Week shifts today from the strong to the fast, as the series moves from Lancaster to Trenton on its way to the final showdown at the USPRO Championships in Philadelphia. While Tuesday’s opener in Lancaster came down to a two-man battle between Chris Wherry (Mercury) and David Clinger (U.S. Postal Service) on the final lap, if things go according to form at the First Union Classic in Trenton, the race should see a large group fighting it out for a sprint finish at the end. The race is 13 laps on a 7-mile circuit for a total of 91 miles, but that’s about all it has in

Features: The Koski Stronghold Deluxe is a forged hollow stemof 6061-T6 aluminum with a four-bolt polished silver front plate. The shaftis matte black.The Stronghold Deluxe stem is available in two finishes, called “shotpeened black” and “polished silver,” two angles, namely 7 and 15 degrees,and five lengths: 60, 75, 95, 110 and 130mm.All of the bolts take a 5mm hex key.Likes: This is a handsome and lightweight stem available in lotsof finishes, angles and lengths. It is plenty stiff, and it has a largeclamping area with the bar (these two features are probably interrelated).Dislikes:

Features: The Mag00 is a superlight magnesium stem for an oversized31.7mm handlebar diameter. It is machined from AZ 80 A, T5 temper magnesium,under a controlled inert-gas atmosphere and immediately coated afterwardsto prevent the oxidation and consequent weakening of the magnesium.The four-bolt front cap is made of carbon fiber with, according to Deda,the fibers oriented along the lines of force. All bolts are 6/4 titaniumfor a 4mm hex key.The Mag 00 comes in an 80-degree angle with lengths of 90, 100, 110,120, 130 and 140mm.Likes: The stem is extremely light while being adequately stiff.I

Features: The matte-black Deda Newton is machined from 2024 T6aluminum. The silver front cap is held on with four titanium bolts, which,like the fork-steerer clamp, accept a 4mm hex key.The Newton comes in 90- and 95-degree angles in lengths of 105, 115and 125mm. The Deda N’Bar matches it in graphics and quality.Likes: Like the Newton road stem, this is a strong, superlightstem, and I find it to be adequately stiff.Dislikes: Not a one.Other: You have to very careful not to over-torque the smallbolts.The Deda single-bend bars, namely the N’Bar and BarOne, come only inthe relatively short 560mm

When a carbon fiber handlebar breaks, it makes a sound like a snapped twig.There’s a sharp “crack!” followed by a hollow splintering sound, just asif you’d broken a dry stick over your knee. Then, silence.The similarity in sound is due to the similarity in structure. Carbonfiber, like wood, is made of long strands of high-strength material surroundedby a resin matrix. Trees do it with cellulose and sap. Engineers do itwith synthetic polymers and glue.The difference, of course, is that carbon fiber is considerably strongerthan wood; in fact, carbon’s raw tensile strength figures typically

VeloNews.com welcomes your letters. If you run across something in thepages of VeloNews magazine or see something on VeloNews.com thatcauses 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.Spin control and a commercial appeal?Dear VeloNews,I am writing in response to the letter sent to you from Cannondale withregards to the Gilberto Simoni fiasco (see "Itreally isn't about the bike").I am glad that Cannondale claims to be committed to clean/drug-freecycling, but the

Gord Fraser has had bad luck at the First Union Classic in Trenton, New Jersey before, but on a day when it seemed that anything possible could go wrong, everything went right for the Canadian Mercury rider. Fraser held off a charging pack at the end of a wet, treacherous race on Thursday evening to give his Mercury team its first Trenton win. The race got off to a rocky start, when, just minutes after the 164 riders rolled off the line in front of the New Jersey State Art Museum, they were called back to the start. A fatal automobile-pedestrian accident had occurred on the downtown end of

Clinger: Can Postal make it 2-for-2?

Freddy's Forte'? Trenton could suit the tastes of the man from Domo

Ignore Fraser at your own risk.

It's Fraser at the line

Saturn's Eric Wohlberg hits the pavement in bad conditions

Fighting for position on the last lap

VeloNews.com welcomes your letters. If you run across something in the pages of VeloNews magazine or see something on VeloNews.com thatcauses you to want to write us, dropus a line.Please include your full name and home town. By submitting mail tothis address, you are consenting to the publication of your letter.It really isn't about the bikeTo the bicycle racing community;Gilberto Simoni of the Saeco/Cannondale team, to which we are the officialbicycle and clothing sponsor, tested positive on two recent occasions fortraces of cocaine.  The first test was administered on April 24, andthe

Anger mounted in Latvia on Wednesday over neighboring Lithuania's jailing of Latvian Olympic cyclist Juris Silovs, with a national newspaper calling for a boycott of Lithuanian goods. The Latvian government has also moved quickly to assist the former member of the French team Cofidis, with the spokesman of Prime Minister Andris Berzins telling the Baltic News Service that "in the future every possible chance will be use to assist Silovs." Silovs has been sentenced to five and a half years in a maximum security Lithuanian prison for failing to declare 86,300 euros (81,430 dollars)

Once again, this so-called investigation by the French Judicial System baffles me.It was with great disappointment that I read Saturday's Le Monde article (June 1) regarding the "US Postal Affair." I am still confused as to why it has taken nearly two years to validate what I said after first learning of this investigation: the investigators will find nothing because there is nothing to find.I do not condone the use of banned substances and certainly understandhow problematic this issue has become in sport. In my case, it's unfortunatethat some people, including a few in the French

Spend any time around the European pro road scene, and chances are, it’ll get into your system. The parade of team cars crowding into a town center for the race, the blaring voice of the announcer at sign-in, the wild crowds along the sides of the roads, the media crush at the finish of a big race: This is big-time sport, with the huge buzz that goes along with it. Euro’ bike racing gets in the blood, and right now, it is coursing through the veins of Kirk O’Bee. Sitting in a Danbury, Connecticut, hotel room on the morning of theHousatonic Valley Classic in late May, the 25-year-old O’Bee is

The U.S. Postal Service squad drew first blood at the First Union Cycling week on Tuesday night, as David Clinger rode away from breakaway partner Chris Wherry (Mercury) on the final lap of the First Union Invitational in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Clinger and Wherry were the two survivors of a typical Lancaster race -– fast, difficult and hard-fought. Coming off his spring European campaign, including a strong support ride for Lance Armstrong at the Midi Libre, Clinger took his first win of the season in the streets of Lancaster. "Everybody wants to win, and everybody’s here to win," he

From the start, the Tour of Greater Montreal was a battle of seconds– or tenths of seconds -- decided by intermediate sprints, timebonuses and tie breakers. That’s why the overall standings of Canada’snewest stage race for women has the top three riders listed has havingthe same time. But having won two of the event’s three stages gave LauraVan Gilder (Trek Plus VW) the edge in the final break down.Van Gilder, U.S. criterium champion for 2000, won Tuesday’s closingstage, a relatively flat 113 km road race, edging out Clara Hughes (ÉquipeQuébec) and Anna Millward (Saturn) in a sprint.The stage

Wherry, Clinger, Leaper

'Everybody wants to win,' said Clinger, who actually did.

'What could I do?' shrugged Wherry, 16 seconds behind Clinger

Clinger and Wherry

Not your average stroll in the park.

The Italian Saeco-Longoni Sport team has been officially dis-invited fromthe Tour de France after the team’s top GC contender, Gilberto Simoni wastwice found positive for cocaine. Organizers of the Tour issued a statement on Monday saying that thecontroversy precluded Saeco's invitation to the Tour. Instead, the French Jean Delatour team would be invited to fill the slot left open. Simoni, last year's winner of the Giro d'Italia, was ejected from thisyear's edition of the Italian tour after officials released results ofan out-of-competition drug test conducted in April.