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VeloNews.com welcomes your letters. If you run across something inthe pages of VeloNews, or see something on VeloNews.com that causesyou to want to write us, drop us a line at WebLetters@7Dogs.com.Please include your full name and home town. By submitting mailto this address, you are consenting to the publication of your letter.A big Thanks! to those who make North American racing specialDear Editor;I would like to thank - and invite others to thank- in this public forum,a long neglected key player in the world of bike racing: Host Housing Families.It would be nice to hear from other racing

Danilo Di Luca(Saeco-Longoni Sport)won Tuesday's Trofeo Laigueglia in a sprint finish over 172km, in what is considered the opening round of the Italian cycling season. Di Luca outsprinted compatriot Eddy Mazzoleni (Sacconi-Caldirola)and Lotto’s Serge Baguet to win the 39th running of the race in his first season with the Saeco team. The race, characterized by a duel between Di Luca and Mediterranean Tour winner Michele Bartoli (Fassa Bortolo), blew apart on the slopes of the Paravenna -the last climb of the race. Di Luca powered clear and went over the top with a ten-second advantage over

Italian prosecutors say they will now investigate cyclist Gianluca Bortolamifor alleged misrepresentation and false testimony after he gave evidenceTuesday in the trial of accussed doping mastermind Dr Michele Ferrari.After Bortolami had given his account of events Tuesday to the courtthe prosecutor, Giovanni Spinosa, requested that the minutes of his testimonybe sent to local investigators who will decide whether to take action.Bortolami's evidence contrasted strongly with testimony presented lastweek by FilippoSimeoni who became the first cyclist to admit he was knowingly dopedby the

Valley of the Sun has grown into the American racing season’s “opening day.” The warm Arizona weather, relatively flat terrain and consistently enjoyable racing has made it a natural for early season race miles in preparation for the California races in March. This year’s edition, however, won’t be remembered for Chris Wherry’s (Mercury) overall victory, or another dominating ride by Rona’s Genevieve Jeanson. Instead, controversy plagued the event from the start of the professional men’s road race, Saturday afternoon in Casa Grande, south of Phoenix. Two words: Mercury, Jeanson The

Michele Bartoli (Fassa Bortolo) won the 29th edition of the Tour of the Mediterranean, after finishing in the field in the fifth and final stage, won by his teammate Alessandro Petacchi. The Italian team had dominated the Med Tour from start, winning the opening team time trial and maintaining procession of the yellow leader’s jersey throughout. Petacchi won a field sprint into the French city of Marseilles at the end of a 120km stage that began in Rousset. Bartoli locked up the win on Saturday as won the race’s toughest stage, a 167km race that ended atop the steep slopes of Mount

Desert Solitare

Kent Bostick still crankin'

Jeanson set a standard in the TT

John Leiswyn

Valley of the Sun does attract a crowd

Jeanson

Tuft and Wherry

Navigators at work

We don't know why they parked there either

Time to pack up and head home

Fassa Bortolo and Michele Bartoli scored a double win Saturday as the Italian won the fourth stage of the Mediterranean Tour, 1:07 ahead of his own teammate and regained the yellow leader’s jersey he earned on the opening day of the five-day French stage race. Under cold, wet and windy conditions Bartoli soloed in for the win at the end of the 147km stage between Londe and Toulon, finishing well ahead of teammate Paolo Tiralongo. With his win, Bartoli moves solidly into the lead, 1:11 ahead of Tiralongo and 2:05 up on Rabobank’s Michael Boogerd. A field of 166 riders contested the difficult

Bodrogi and Virenque got things started

Acqua e Sapone’s Giovanni Lombardi won the third stage of the MediterraneanTour, Friday, sprinting in ahead of a group led by Australian Robbie McEwen(Lotto) and La Française Des Jeux’s Baden Cooke. Alessandro Petacchi(Fassa Bortolo) maintains his hold on the overall lead.Starting in Villeneuve-Loubet, 170 took on the 142km stage to Hyeresriding toward the day’s first climb, the col de l'Esterel at 38km. On thedescent, none other than cycling’s most regular early escapee, Jacky Durand(La Française Des Jeux), joined forces with Philippe Gaumont, buildinga lead of 1:45, by the 65km mark. The

Bartoli and Jalabert drive an escape.

Mario Cipollini added another check in his win column Thursday as the Acqua e Sapone sprint star edged-out Crédit Agricole’s Thor Hushovdat the end of the 176km second stage of the Mediterranean Tour.The rain-soaked stage from Bouc-Bel-Air to Cannet got off to a quickstart when Thierry Loder (AG2R) launched an early attack just 9km fromthe start. The French rider built his advantage to more than three-and-a-halfminutes by the 80km mark. But racing alone in the rain against a pelotondriven by the Fassa Bortolo squad of race leader Michele Bartoli took itstoll and Loder was reeled back in by

A new uniform; a familiar pose

With the finish line in mind, Acqua e Sapone worked to set up their top sprinter

The Italian Fassa Bortolo team won the opening stage of the 29th Mediterranean Tour, besting Creddit Agricole by seven seconds in a 36km team time trial from Salon-de-Provence to Berre-l'Etang. The team’s Michele Bartoli assumed the race leader’s jersey on the strength of the team’s performance as they covered the stage in 38:10. Italy’s Mapei-Quick Step squad rounded out the top three, finishing 10 seconds behind the winning team. The 176 riders, representing 22 teams left the start in Salon-de-Provence at three-minute intervals. A small Category III climb two kilometers after the start

American George Hincapie got his season off to a strong start this weekas the U.S. Postal Service rider took third overall in Portugal’s Tourof Algarve, which ended Wednesday in Loule.Hincapie finished fourth in the 166.8km fifth and final stage of theearly season race. The American nearly pulled off the overall win, whenhe escaped from a lead group that had included the race’s overall leader,L.A. Pecol's Candido Barbosa. Hincapie started the day nearly seven minutesbehind the overall leader.At one point in the final stage Hincapie's escape group of four enjoyedenough of an advantage to make

Bartoli

Filippo Simeoni broke professional cycling’s so-called code of silence Tuesday when he testified in an Italian courtroom that he had taken banned products, including EPO, under the direction of Dr Michele Ferrari. Ferrari, currently on trial in Bologna, stands accused of allegedly administering banned substances to athletes under his supervision. The 30-year-old Simeoni, now riding for Acqua e Sapone, told the court in Bologna on Tuesday that Ferrari had offered detailed instructions on the use of substances and how to avoid triggering positive test results. Simeoni was a client of

VeloNews.com welcomes your letters. If you run across something in the pages of VeloNews, or see something on VeloNews.com that causes you to want to write us, drop us a line at WebLetters@7Dogs.com.Please include your full name and home town. By submitting mailto this address, you are consenting to the publication of your letter.TUESDAY LETTERSSimeoni should be applaudedHi VeloNews-ers,Filippo Simeoni is a hero in my book, because he's broken the very unethicalcode of silence among cyclists (see "Cyclistbreaks code of silence in Ferrari trial"), which pre-dates Coppi andBartali.

With the 2002 Tour de Langkawi now in the books, it was time to empty the contents of the digital camera. Here’s a sampling of the sights and scenes from the final six days of racing at this 10-day race in Malaysia.

Surely Robbie Hunter would have preferred the overall title, but a look at the prize payout list for the 2002 Tour de Langkawi shows that second place isn’t so bad. Even though Hunter finished behind overall winner Hernan Dario Munoz in the standing, he made out far better in the bank account. After winning three stages and the green point’s jersey, the 24-year-old South African pocketed 119,750 ringgit ($31,513 based on exchange rate of RM3.8 to $1). Munoz was a distant second on the list, earning RM78,925 ($20,769). Third was South African national team member David George, who banked

Italian cyclist Gianluca Bortolami is set to appear as a witness on Tuesday when the trial of alleged doping mastermind Doctor Michele Ferrari resumes in Bologna. In evidence already submitted to investigating magistrates Bortolami, the 1994 World Cup winner and last year’s Tour of Flanders champion, blames former Festina soigneur Willy Voet for the discovery of vials of EPO found in his possession. Voet’s 1998 arrest was the trigger for the now-infamous Festina affair that nearly resulted in the cancellation of the Tour de France that year. Prosecutors, however, point to Ferrari’s medical

The official TDL bikes.

A warning to careless drivers.

A big crowd at the downtown criterium.

Part of the post-race show at Stage 7.

Remnants of a palm-oil plantation.

Tafi turns the tables.

A Hindu temple.

A young fan.

The ringgit.

With Kuala Lumpur’s mighty Petronas Towers shadowing the course, the 2002 Tour de Langkawi concluded with Sunday’s 75.6-kilometer criterium. When racing was done Australian Graeme Brown had his second stage win, while Colombian Hernan Dario Munoz made it home safely in the bunch, winning the overall title of this 10-day, 1310-kilometer race in Malaysia.

Lotto’s Robbie McEwen (Lotto) locked up the overall title at the Etoile de Besseges on Sunday, after finishing second in the fifth and final stage. The Australian finished behind AG2R’s Jaan Kirsipuu, the Estonian’s second win in two days. copyright AFP2002

Carl Swenson traded in his knobby tires for cross-country skis Saturday in a run for a gold medal at the XIX Winter Olympic Games. The professional mountain-bike racer came up short of the medal podium – he finished 37th in the men’s 30km freestyle mass start – after he said his legs “tightened up.” ”It was a disappointing day. I just seized up and I couldn’t recover,” Swenson said after racing on the challenging, high-altitude course in the shadow of Utah’s Wasatch Mountains south of Park City. “My muscles were tight and I ran out of energy.” More than 15,000 fans packed the course as

Munoz gets a lift from the Mapei team.

Brown gets his second stage win.

Riders pass by the Petronas towers.

Munoz does a lap with his country's flag.

McEwen

You won’t find a more bizarre place for a finish-line, and if you happened to be in the outdoor lobby of the First World Hotel in Malaysia’s Genting Highlands, you won’t soon see a better finish. Following the brutal hors categorie climb up to the Las Vegas-style resort, Colombia’s Hernan Dario Munoz slipped away from South Africa’s David George in the last 100 meters of the 133.3-kilomoter trip from Kuala Lumpur to Genting, taking a 4-second win in Stage 9 of the 2002 Tour de Langkawi on Saturday.

Australian Robbie McEwen took control of the Etoile de Besseges stage race in France Saturday with his second consecutive second-place finish in the five-day race. The Lotto-Adecco rider finished second to stage winner Jaan Kirsipuu. The AG2R sprinter took the 146.5km stage with a finishing time of 3:20:19. With the second-place finish, McEwen earned a time bonus that put him two seconds ahead of Italian Andrea Ferrigato, who led at the start of the day. For McEwen, who is in his first year with Lotto, it’s been a stellar start to the season. He had four stage wins at the Tour Down Under

Munoz and George.

Hunter spends his last moments in yellow.

Tafi after the killer climb.

Hesjedal in suffer mode.

McEwen continues the early-season roll

It was just a coincidence that the torrential rains came precisely at the moment Andrea Tafi stepped onto the award’s podium. But when word came down an hour later that the Mapei-Quick Step rider had been relegated to the back of the bunch for an irregular sprint, it seemed awfully appropriate. The penalty — handed down for throwing an elbow on the final straightaway — cost the 35-year-old Italian the green jersey, and continued what has been a frustrating trip to Malaysia for the aging star.

It’s that time of year again. We need to update our files andlet people know just who is riding with and for whom and what businesses are good enough to sponsor a bike team. To do that, we needyour help.If you would like your team roster included in our soon-to-be-updatedlist, please send it, using the following guidelines, to Rosters@7Dogs.com.Please follow the example offered below as closely as possible,listing riders according to category. Place any professional riders ontop of the team roster and then follow with other categories in descendingorder.The Joint Chiefs (Pentagon City,

Belgian Glenn D’Hollander of Lotto-Adecco held off a charging pack to win the third stage of the Etoile de Besseges stage race in France Friday. Italian Andrea Ferrigato, winner of the second stage on Thursday, maintained the overall lead with two days left in the five-day race. D’Hollander attacked from a lead group of nine with 20km to go in the 148km race between Nimes and Fumades. The Belgian was nearly caught, but held on for the win. The on-form Australian, Robbie McEwen (Lotto-Adecco) finished second.

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The peloton rolls towards Petaling Jaya.

Mapei keeps the pace high.

Tafi helps Hunter chase back on after a puncture.

Salomone explains his win.

D'Hollander hung on -- just barely -- for the win.

The lesson for the day was this: spend too much time hanging around the back of the peloton and you’re bound to end up in trouble. Among those in attendance were three former occupants of the top-10 overall here at the 2002 Tour de Langkawi in Malaysia.

Belgians might be passionate about cyclo-cross, but Zolder proved that their love of the sport doesn’t keep them mired in tradition. While ’cross usually conjures up visions of slop-covered racers sliding through mud and hurdling obstacles with almost ballet-like grace, this year’s world-championship course left the barriers, the log-strewn run-ups and the mud for the history books. Instead, with dry weather, no hurdles and temperatures in the 60s, the emphasis was on speed and a touch of teamwork. If Dutchman Richard Groenendaal benefited from a muddy, home-field advantage the weekend

Italian Andrea Ferrigato took over the lead of the Etoile de Besseges stage race in France Thursday with a win in the 143km second stage. Riding for Alessio, Ferrigato outsprinted fellow Italian Lorenzo Bernucci (Landbouwkrediet-Colnago) to the finish. The two finished 15 seconds ahead of the field, which was led by stage 1 winner Robbie McEwen of Australia. Aided by a tailwind for most of the day, riders averaged close to 45 kph during Thursday’s stage between Marseille and Sainte-Tulle. Belgian Jurgen Vermeersch (Landbouwkrediet) tried an escape with 25km to go but never gained more

Di Biase (r) blasts by Galli.

The lead peloton heads for home.

Hesjedal cools off after Stage 7.

The Malaysian tifosi.

On this course, the start counted for everything.(All photos from Friday practice)

... because once on dirt, things narrowed quickly

Through the woods

No barriers, but this hill forced most to run

The grounds of the Sacramentskirche were closed to all but riders and cameras.

Ferrigato took the lead from the red-hot McEwen

The warning came courtesy of Andrea Tafi at the team dinner Tuesday night. "Don’t eat too much for breakfast tomorrow," he announced. "Wednesday will be a hard day."