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The fate of Mapei's Stefano Garzelli, who failed a dope test while leading the Giro d'Italia last week, will be known Tuesday when tests are carried out on the B-sample provided by the rider, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) announced Monday. In the case of a positive -- or "non-negatiive" -- result Garzelli, the 2000 Giro champion, will be thrown out of the Giro in conformity with UCI rules. The Mapei team leader has already vowed that he would retire from the sport if a second B-sample provided a positive result. Garzelli tested positive for the diuretic Probenecid, which has

Live updates1:13 p.m. -- Good morning race fans. The eighth stage of the 2002 Giro d'Italia -- 237km from Capannori to Orvieto -- has been underway for just about two hours. This is the Giro's longest stage this year. Today's speed is fairly brisk, averaging just over 41 kph for the first two hours. Just 40 minutes into today's stage, three riders were involved in a crash. Kelme's Santiago Perez Fernandez was injured seriously enough to pull out of the Giro. He was transported to a hospital and we will try to get an update as to his condition as soon as possible. Right now, three riders

The $500,000 Mike Walden Velodrome officially opened earlier this monthin Rochester Hills, Michigan.Designed by velodrome master Dale Hughes, paid for by private donations,built by volunteers and subsequently donated to the city, the 200-meteroutdoor track in Bloomer Park is Michigan’s first since a predecessor inDetroit, built in 1969 by Walden, shut down in the early 1980s.The new track “is exciting to ride,” said spokesman Leonardo Gianola.“Our old velodrome in Detroit, the Dorais Velodrome, was a 333-meter trackwith angles of 8 to 24 degrees. The MWV is 13 to 44 degrees, which makesit

Following a major overhaul to its mountain-bike ranking software during the offseason, the UCI has finally released an updated set of cross-country standings. And just as they did at the end of 2001, Bart Brentjens and Barbara Blatter continue hold down the No. 1 spots. In the rankings released May 16, Brentjens had an 18-point lead over second-place occupant Jose Antonio Hermida, with Canadian Roland Green moving past Miguel Martinez into third place, 32 points back of Brentjens. Martinez is now fourth, with Roel Paulissen in fifth. Paulissen made the most significant jump, climbing into

Italian cyclist Domenico Romano, who was being sought in connection with an investigation into doping, surrendered to authorities in Brescia, on Monday and later admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs. Romano, who has been out of contact since he unexpectedly quit the Giro d’Italia last Wednesday complaining of a wrist problem, has been placed in temporary detention and will be questioned by prosecutors later in the day. Romano admitted to a prosecutor during questioning that he had taken doping substances. The 26-year-old, who rode for Panaria for the past two seasons before moving

Heartbreaker: Guidi was caught with just 2.5km to go.

Mountain-bike hall of famer Tinker Juarez, twice an Olympian andthree-time NORBA National XC Champion, has yet another stars and stripesjersey to add to the collection.Between noon Saturday, May 18 and noon Sunday, May 19, the Cannondalerider successfully defended his 2001 title as the 24 Hours of AdrenalinNORBA National Champion at the Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California."It's nice to win these days," Juarez, the overwhelming crowd favorite,told VeloNews. "It means so much more to me to win, because thewins are so much harder to come by. Today was the first time I've beenable to race

1:35 p.m.-- Good Morning. Today's stage is the 159-kilometer Circuito Della Versilia, where today's 187 starters cover three laps around a circuit between Viareggio and Lido di Camaiore. We are about 9km into today's stage and the field is still together. 1:55 p.m.-- It's Sunday. Things are bit more relaxed. The peloton has allowed Alessandro Petacchi to roll off the front to see his family. Looking ahead today, the Intergiro is at the 58km mark and climber's points will be awarded on the Colli di Pedona at 88km. Weather conditions are ideal and a nice contrast to yesterday's rain. The

Marga Fullana did it again, winning mountain biking’s 2002 World Cup openerin front of a raucous home crowd in Madrid´s Casa de Campo park onSunday.Some of Fullana´s biggest victories have come in her native Spain,including her World Cup win at El Escorial a few years ago and her secondworld title at Sierra Nevada in 2000."The Spanish fans really helped me today late in the race. They reallyencouraged me to keep pushing," Fullana said, winning in 2 hours, 31 seconds.Under bright sunny skies, Fullana attacked early, opened a 40-secondgap after the first of five laps and held the lead to the

Lotto’s Rik Verbrugghe won the seventh stage of the Giro d’Italia, a 159kmrun round a circuit in Lido Di Camaiore on Sunday.The 27-year-old Belgian won the stage by 59 seconds, after escapingfrom a breakway group of 10 on the last of three ascents up the short and steep Colli di Pedona. After an 18km solo effort, Verbrugghe finished nearly a minute ahead of Gerolsteiner’s Raphael Schweda finished second and Alessio's Cristian Moreni.Britain's Maximilian Sciandri was fourth, a minute and two seconds behindbut the main peloton trailed Verbrugghe by a full minute and 46 seconds.American Tyler

Bart Brentjens tore a page out of the history books to win his firstWorld Cup race since his glory days in 1996. Mountain bike’s first Olympicgold medalist roared away from a lead group of nine riders in Sunday’sopening round of the 2002 World Cup to score an impressive victory.“It feels good,” said Brentjens, who attacked early in the second lapto open a gap that kept growing during each of the six laps on Madrid’srolling Casa de Campo course. “It’s unbelievable to win today.”It’s not as if Brentjens has been collecting dust on the shelf. Despitehis five-year World Cup drought that dates

Sorry for the late journal. I spent about three hours on the massage table tonight. We made it through another day. Today's stage was contested over three laps around the same circuit. There was a fair amount of climbing and descending within the course, so I was a little nervous about how my body was going to handle it all. Luckily, I made it through without incident. I'm in good hands this evening. In addition to my regular soigneur, Sandra Hodnett, our physical therapist Ole Kaire Foli is back for another visit from Denmark. He's the same fellow who turned around at the airport to help

For the second year in a row, the top U.S. road teams descended on the lush Housatonic Valley in southwest Connecticut for the Housatonic Valley Classic, which has quickly emerged as one of the top one-day road races in the U.S. On a cool but sunny afternoon, Navigators’ Vassili Davidenko won a field sprint among the tough men of the peloton, while Saturn’s Anna Millward won the inaugural Saturn-Timex Classic women’s race. When the 198-strong men’s field left the start in Danbury just after noon, many of the 34 teams were probably expecting the race to unfold like last year’s, a survival of

Mavic's Aaron Walker helps set up Tinker's lights for the night ride

The Le Mans style sprint, Saturday at high noon.

Juarez, during one of his fresher laps Saturday

Words of encouragement ring through the hills of Laguna Seca.

24-hour racing is serious business. Just ask Fred Flintstone, here.

Solo effort. Verbrugghe had plenty of time to celebrate.

A Family Affair: Tinker Juarez with his pit crew: sister Yvonne Roblero (left) and mother Rose Juarez.

What goes up must come down

24 Hours of wavering Adrenalin

Millward

Davidenko and Obee

Vogels

Neben and Hughes on the attack

Fullana climbs towards the win.

Dunlap took second in Madrid.

Brentjens takes round one.

Green settled for second.

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 this address, you are consenting to the publication of your letter. Follow the samplesDear VeloNewsGarzelli's initial response to an apparent positive test for steroidmasking agent Probenecid pretends to add an air of doubt as to whethersuch test results can be trusted."It would be ridiculous to take this product. I don't know how it gotinto

Giro d’Italia leader Stefano Garzelli announced Saturday that he would not quit the race and will compete in the sixth stage despite testing positive for an outdated masking agent used to hide steroids. "I wanted to quit the Giro but my team asked me to stay," said Garzelli, who tested positive for the diuretic Probenecid – often used as a masking agent -- after winning the second stage last Monday at Ans, Belgium. "It's a stupid thing that can ruin a career, a reputation, a life,” said Garzelli, who expressed shock at the news of a positive test. Garzelli vowed Saturday that he would

5:13 p.m. -- Paolo Savoldelli attacked with 5km to go and finished 45 seconds ahead of the peloton. The big news is that the main group -- including Garzelli -- finished 5:05 behind the lead group. So, Jens Heppner (Telekom) is the new overall leader of the Giro d'Italia, with a margin of more than three-and-a-half minutes.Provisional results from Stage 61. Giovanni Lombardi (I), Acqua e Sapone 4:56:452. Ruggero Marzoli (I), Formaggi Tret3. Bert Grabsch (Ger), Phonak4. Eddy Mazzoleni (I), Tacconi Sport5. Angel Vicioso (Sp), Kelme6. Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr), Landbouwkrediet-Colnago7. Jens

The man who knows a thing or two about drug scandals, Marco Pantani, has rushed to the defense of his former teammate Stefano Garzelli who has failed a dope test. "Until it's proved to the contrary he has the right to be innocent," said Pantani, who was himself thrown out of the 1999 Giro for failing a blood test. Garzelli, who now rides for Mapei, competed in Saturday's sixth stage despite testing positive for the diuretic probenicid, which has drug-masking qualities. He has vowed to retire from the sport if a second B-sample provided a positive drugs test. The 32-year-old Pantani was

Sunday’s opening round of the 2002 World Cup is lining up to be the firstshowdown of the season with all the top guns at the starting line. So far,most of the Euros have been sticking to Continental races, while the NorthAmericans have stayed closer to home at Sea Otter and the NORBA openerlast week at Big Bear.Sixty-eight women and 158 men are competing on a fast, rolling 8km coursein Madrid´s Casa de Campo. World champion Roland Green says he´sready to take on Miguel Martinez, Filip Meirhaeghe and the rest of Europe´sheavy hitters.“The course is fast,” Green said after training on it

Stefano Garzelli lost the overall lead in the Giro d’Italia to Telekom’s Jens Heppner on Saturday after competing despite failing a doping test, while Giovanni Lombardi of the Acqua e Sapone team won the sixth stage. Word leaked out early Saturday that Garzelli tested positive for the diuretic Probenecid, which has drug-masking qualities, after winning Monday's second stage. Garzelli and his Mapei team were informed of the result Saturday. He was encouraged to continue in the race by his Mapei team until a 'B' test has been examined. (see "Garzellistarts stage 6 despite positive drug

My apologies for the delayed recap of stage 5.  I got a little bangedup yesterday and was busy for most of the evening getting some much neededattention to my many wounded body parts.Yesterday was shaping up to be an ideal stage for me.  Coming over the first climb, which was as steep as a wall, I was right along side the riders I thought I ought to be; Casagrande, Simoni and Garzelli.Then the unimaginable happened on the descent.I had a mechanical failure in my rear wheel and I found myself sailingtoward the ground like a missile.  I was literally thinking to myself"this can't be happening"

Heppner takes over the jersey

Lombardi takes the stage

Just part of the damage.

5:09 p.m. Well,if you had any doubts about Garzelli's form, he probably put them to rest today. He powered a strong charge over the last kilometer, catching the hapless Pellizotti in the final 200 meters. Then the man in the maglia rosa went head-to-head with Casagrande and other contenders in the final sprint. Tyler Hamilton did finish among the leaders despite his hard crash on the descent of the Colletto del Moro. If you are interested, Marco Pantani is still on course... now more than four minutes of the winner's pace. 5:08 p.m. Pellizotti is closing in, but the group is coming in on

Saying "it's a scary, but necessary decision," Lyne Bessette announced Friday that she is leaving the Saturn cycling team for at least the remainder of the season. The 27-year-old Bessette, winner of last year’s Tour de l'Aude and Hewlett-Packard Women’s Challenge, has been a member of the team for five years, but said that she felt it necessary to take a break from the world's number one women's team in order to "focus on some of my own goals." Bessette said primary on that list of personal goals is a strong performance at this year's world road championships. Bessette

The 2002 mountain bike World Cup season opens Sunday with cross-country No. 1 in Madrid. With a scaled-back schedule of just five stops this year and some teams cutting back their commitment to racing, Madrid will be a litmus test on how the international racing season shapes up. Defending world champion Alison Dunlap, Todd Wells, Gina Hall and Susan Haywood will lead the American contingent in Spain. Canadians making the trip include world champ Roland Green, Ryder Hesjedal, Alison Sydor and Chrissy Redden. It will be interesting to see how many Spanish fans show up at Casa de Campo, a

Mapei’s rider Stefano Garzelli strengthened his grip on the overall lead of the Tour of Italy here on Friday when he won the fifth stage of the race as it reached Italy for the first time. Garzelli crossed the line after the ascent of the 14 km final climb, just ahead of Spain's Santiago Perez and now leads Francesco Casagrande (Fassa Bortolo) by 43 seconds in the overall standings. "Garzelli is setting a steady pace. I was going to attack him today but I decided to climb without taking any risks," said Casagrande. "This year I have trained more on my time trial performance and feel I'm

“I notice that you use work and job interchangeably. Oughten to do that. A job’s what you force yourself to pay attention to for money. With work, you don’t have to force yourself.” - Cal, an engineer, in William Least Heat Moon’s “Blue Highways.” According to a story by Jason Sumner in the May 20 VeloNews, most pro mountain bikers aren’t making any money. Welcome to the club, dudes. I believe the late Ed Abbey defined this sort of edge-dwelling as “voluntary simplicity.” But then he didn’t mind sleeping in the back of his truck. Pro cyclists are not unlike the pro journalists who write

After last year's successful debut, the Housatonic Valley Classic is backthis weekend for year two, and with the First Union cycling series loomingjust two weeks away, all of the top U.S. pro teams will be using Sunday's120-mile Connecticut race as one of the final tune-ups. Although shorterthan last year's edition, this year's race, which begins and ends in Danbury,should be just as difficult, with a little bit more climbing added to thelong hilly circuit in the southwest part of the state.In 2001, Saturn's Trent Klasna claimed the Housatonic victory as partof his red-hot spring campaign.

Italian rider Nicola Chesini (Panaria), who occupied last place in the Giro, was arrested Thursday at the finish of the fifth stage in Limone Piemonte according to police sources. Although his team had no official explanation, the arrest was believed to be related to that of another Panaria rider, Antonio Varriale, 28. Varriale was not participating in the Giro, and had been arrested late Monday night and suspended by his team and provisionally by the Italian federation. Varriale was charged with possession of stolen goods, associating with criminals, and violation of antidoping

Bessette leaves Saturn

Friday's Foaming Rant: The naked truth about jobs vs. work

Hamilton checks over his injuries after the finish.

After a wild and woolly opening four stages, the Giro d’Italia returnedhome Thursday. Riders took a night flight to Cuneo in northwest Italy whilethe caravan drove overnight from France back to home soil. Friday’s 150-kmfifth stage Fassano to Limone Piemonte features the Giro’s first summitfinish, a day that’s sure to reveal who has the legs to fight for the magliarosa.After four flat stages across Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germanyand France, the Giro gets steep with three rated climbs. The first ratedclimb is the Category III Colletto di Rossana at 84 kilometers. It is a2-km climb rising

VeloNews technical writer Lennard Zinn is a frame builder, a formerU.S. national team rider and author of several books on bikes and bikemantenance. This is the third of Zinn's weekly VeloNews.com column devotedto addressing readers' technical questions about bikes, their care andfeeding and how we as riders can use them as comfortably and efficientlyas possible. Readers can send brief technical questions directlyto Zinn. We'll try to print a representative sample of questions eachThursday.First, some follow-up from our last columnA few more reader comments on the creaking bottom bracket

Features: The Italian-made Sci-Con 52 Aerotech bike travelcase is a nylon bag with padded sides and a solid base with four rubbercasters to roll on. It has a two-way zipper around the unpadded ends andtop and two large carry straps around the girth. The rear dropouts clamponto a fixed-position mount with a skewer and a steel guard to protectthe rear derailleur. The front fork mount (two versions are shipped withthe case) slides back and forth to adjust for the wheelbase of the bike.The wheels are strapped to the frame, and three hollow slotted cylindricalfoam pads (pieces of hot-water-pipe

Cyclo-cross ordinarily isn’t in the headlines during May – but USA Cycling has just submitted 18 ’cross races, twice as many as last season, to the UCI for its 2002 International Cyclo-cross Calendar. Top-shelf racing will be on tap from coast to coast this year, with the inaugural Redline Cup series in Washington state, Salt Lake City and Napa, California; the Monkey Hill Cyclo-cross in Wilmington, Delaware; and other races in New Hampshire, Oregon, Maine, Colorado, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Ohio. “The growth of the schedule is testament to the cooperation

Lotto's Robbie McEwen, Australia's national road champion, pipped ace sprinter Mario Cipollini (Acqua e Sapone) to win the fourth stage of the Giro d'Italia that finished in Stasbourg, France, on Wednesday. Stefano Garzelli of Mapei, held on to the maglia rosa, the overall leader's pink jersey. McEwan, 29, ranked twentieth in the world, powered past Cipollini in the last few metres after getting the better of the Italian's teammates in the jostling for position. "McEwen got in my slip stream and I carried him to the finish line," moaned Cipollini. The Australian took the stage in a

This weekend, mountain bikers will converge in Madrid for the opening roundof the 2002 World Cup, but one very familiar and competitive face won’tbe there. Cadel Evans walked away from mountain biking last winter to take a chance on the road and so far he has no regrets. Mapei made the 25-year-old Australian an offer he couldn’t refuse: a two-year deal to ride for one of the world’s best road teams. Evans is currently taking part in the Giro d’Italia, where he is first lieutenant to Stefano Garzelli. VeloNews’ Andrew Hood recently sat down with Evans to talk about his adventures so far on

LIVE UPDATES 1:06 p.m. Good morning to our American audience. It's now about two hours into the fourth stage of the 2002 Giro d'Italia. The weather today is pleasant, with clear skies and very little wind. The pace for the opening hour was right around 33kph. There have been a few minor moves off the front, but for now the peloton has been staying together for the most part. It's a long day in the saddle, covering 232km to Strasbourg, the last non-Italian day of this Giro. Tomorrow is a rest and transfer day and the race resumes in Italy on Friday. 1:26 p.m. We are now just about 80km

Joe Friel is author of the successful "Training Bible" series ofbooks, a regular columnist for VeloNews and Inside Triathlonand the founder of www.ultrafit.com.Friel also offers answers to a selection of questions in this weekly column here on VeloNews.com. Readers can send questions to Friel in care of VeloNews.comat WebLetters@7Dogs.com. (Besure to include "Friel" in the subject line.)Q: I have heard a lot of talk over the years of riders consumingor injecting large doses of vitamin B-12.  Is there any added benefitto this vitamin? Also, what kinds of vitamins or supplements can give

Today was another fast a furious ride riddled with crashes toward thefinish. My main objective in the past few days has been to stay far enoughin the front of the mayhem and far enough out of the way of the sprinters.It's a bit of challenge to find that exact spot and to stay there. Butwith the help of my CSC-Tiscali comrades, especially Jimmy Madsen, I wasable to stay out of trouble in stages 3 and 4.Yesterday's weather was manic. It was as if Mother Nature was playinga game with us. We'd go from pouring rain to bright sun. It was like ridingthrough two separate afternoons simultaneously. We

A new dad as of last Friday, McEwen wanted to make his boy proud.

If it's Wednesday, this must be France, no?

Acqua e Sapone's ace sprinter Mario Cipollini earned his 36th stagewin at the Giro d'Italia Wednesday when he took a field sprint at the endof a 206km cross-border run from Verviers in Belgium to Esch sur Alzette, Luxemburg. Mapei's Stefano Garzelli continues to hold the maglia rosa, the race leader's pink jersey. In the race to the line, Cipollini beat Massimo Strazzer (Phonak) and Danilo Hondo (Telekom) to add to a collection of Giro stage wins that began back in 1989. He is now just five victories shy of the all-time record of 41 Giro stage wins held by Alfredo Binda, the great

Here is a map of Stage 3 - courtesy of Giro d'Italia

Live updates:1:23 p.m. Good Morning to our American readers. We are just aboutan hour into today's race, 206km from Verviers in Belgium to Esch sur Alzettein Luxembourg. There were 193 starters this morning after the ColumbianCarlos Contreras (Colombia-Selle Italia) withdrew because of the flu. Theweather should not be much of a factor today since the wind is light andthere is no rain.1:28 p.m.Thus far today, the peloton has stayed relatively intact.There was one Category III climb at kilometer 20. Mariano Piccoli (Lampre-Daikin)took the points on that climb. Just a few minutes ago, at km 30,

Rumors have been flying for months that the Spanish Kelme squad is aboutto implode, a la Mercury-Viatel. The longest standing Spanish teamis months behind paying riders, including top star Oscar Sevillawho is reportedly being wooed by Germany’s Telekom team. The Spanish dailies were buzzing with reports that Telekom -- anxiousfor a replacement for fallen star Jan Ullrich -- is trying to convince Sevilla to swap his lime-green Kelme jersey for a pink Telekom kit comeJuly. Ullrich announced last week he will not start the 2002 Tour de France and Sevilla, Spain’s hottest prospect, is in

The United States Anti-Doping Agency is reviewing the positive drug test of cyclist Duane Dickey of Minnetonka, Minn. Dickey tested positive for a combination of drugs, including nandrolone, at last year's Tour of Guatemala. The USADA Anti-Doping Review Board determined that sufficient evidence of doping exists to continue studying Dickey's case. Dickey tested positive for the prohibited substances phentermine, boldenone and nandrolone at the Tour of Guatemala on Oct. 28, 2001. The UCI conducted the test and referred the case to USADA.

Map of Stage 3 - Giro D'Italia

36 and counting

The lonely road: Streel was on his own for 162km

1:45 p.m. -- Good Morning USA. We are now a bit more than an hour into today's stage, a 209-kilometer race from Cologne in Germany to the home of one of the year's great classics, Liege in Belgium. It is pleasant under sunny skies. There has been no rain forecast and only a very moderate breeze, so the weather shouldn't be much of a factor today. There hasn't been a ton of action yet today, though there have been a couple of breakaway attempts. The first was reeled in fairly quickly and right now Belgian Thierry Marichal, (Lotto-Adecco) is 1:25 ahead of the main field. He's been out there

The final day of the 2002 National Collegiate Cycling Association Championships in Burlington, Vermont on Sunday concluded with the 19-mile team time trial event. In the Division I men’s race, the University of California at Berkeley took the national title with a time of 41:05.260, finishing just 5 seconds ahead the University of California at Davis. In Division I women’s action, the Midwestern State University team had a dominating ride. They came across the line in 47:11.490, more than half a minute ahead of Cal-Poly San Luis Obispo. The bronze went to the University of California at

Telekom’s Erik Zabel continues to lead the world cycling rankings released by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) on Monday: 1. Erik Zabel (G) -- 2538 pts2. Paolo Bettini (I)--2113 3. Erik Dekker (Nl)-- 1770 4. Lance Armstrong (USA)--1731 5. Jan Ullrich (G)--1705 6. Gilberto Simoni (I) -- 1630 7. Oscar Sevilla (Spa) -- 1431 8. Oscar Freire (Spa)-- 1310 9. Francesco Casagrande (I)-- 1255 10. Laurent Jalabert (F) -- 1244 11. Juan Miguel Mercado (Sp)-- 1232 12. Jens Voigt (Ger) 1167 13. Joseba Beloki (Sp)-- 1160 14. Davide Rebellin (I) --1143 15. Danilo Di Luca (I) -- 1063 16. Giuliano

Former Giro winner Stefano Garzelli (Mapei) won the second stage of this year’s Giro D'Italia, finishing in Liege on Monday. Garzelli's win in the 209km ride from Cologne, Germany to Ans, Belgium saw the Mapei rider take the leader's pink jersey. The Italian, winner of the 2000 Giro, won a group sprint to pip Fassa Bortolo’s Francesco Casagrande, who had launched the decisive attack on the final, six-kilometer climb, to the line. The leading group, who all timed 5:25:12 also included Jens Heppner (Telekom), who finished third, Italian Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner ), American Tyler

Tyler Hamilton’s exploits in the Giro d’Italia headline Americans racingin Europe this week. Hamilton is the only American starting in the Giro(yeah, we know, Acqua & Sapone’s Guido Trenti races with American licensebut is Italian) as Telekom’s Kevin Livingston and Bobby Julichwill be racing elsewhere in the coming weeks to get ready for the Tourde France.No American teams are in the Giro. Hamilton’s Giro didn’t start theway he would have hoped. The CSC-Tiscali team captain skidded into barriersin Saturday’s opening prologue, but luckily he wasn’t injured and finished34 seconds off the

After two days of feeling like luck wasn't on my side, things startedto come together a little bit today.I was a bit concerned about being in the right position going into thefinal climb before the finish. Having just competed on the same roads forLiege-Bastogne-Liege three weeks ago, I knew what to expect in the final20 kilometers of the course. But the critical difference today, would bethat the entire field would probably still be together going into the finalstretch.Heading downhill on a four-lane highway with a full peloton of 196 guys,going 100 kilometers per hour definitely tests your