News

José Ivan Gutierrez comes in at 8:03...

Danielson finishes 12th on the day

... as did Gerolsteiner's Schumacher.

Oddsmakers give Bobby J a 33-1 chance of winning the Giro.

Di Luca takes 10th, at 8:09.

'There’s a pretty good amount of climbing each lap,' says Tom Spiegel of Team Big Bear.

Savoldelli aims for his third Giro trophy.

A little too long to be called a prologue, Stage 1 may start sorting things out early on in this Giro.

Saul Raisin’s gradual recovery from a life-threatening head injury continues as he returned to the United States this week and began posting messages on his web page. Raisin, 23, flew home Monday after fighting for his life in a French hospital and even dictated a message to fans under the heading, “Believe it or not, it is me Saul.” “Well, here I am no racing for me. Only racing to get well,” he said a message dictated to his mother. “Too bad I am not doing the Giro. I want to thank everyone for their support and get-well thoughts. I hope to be leaving the hospital in a couple of weeks. I

Dear Bob,I live in Minnesota and am kind of new to cycling, so I read with great interest your article on impeding traffic. In your article, you mentioned a “minimum speed limit.” Are there roads in Minnesota where a minimum speed limit means “no bicycles allowed?” Can you point out some resources for me to learn about my rights and responsibilities?Thanks,D.Q.,Minnesota Dear D.Q.,That’s a great first question from a kind of new cyclist. As you recall, in Trotwood v. Selz (see "To impede or not to impede, that is the question"),an Ohio cyclist received a citation for impeding traffic while

Liberty Seguros for the Giro: (left to right) Dariusz Baranowski, Koen De Kort, Javier R. Abeja, Dani Navarro, Michele Scarponi, Marcos Serrano, Gianpaolo Caruso, Sergey Yakovlev and Unai Osa

Word is that stage 17 is actually worse than it looks on paper.

Next year the roads may be perfect.

Petito wins big

Wednesday's EuroFile: Fast Freddy 2nd as Chicchi wins Dunkirk opener; McCarty heads to Giro; Hondo Hopeful

Di Luca with Savoldelli in the 2005 Giro

Can Savoldelli repeat?

Many of the victims of the 1956 disaster were from Di Luca's home region

Freddy reaching deep.

Horner relishes the moment

Henk and friends in Boulder

Larry H. Miller

What a week for Davitamon-Lotto. Or, as team rider Chris Horner mightsay, what a week for Davitamon-Lotto, huh? First, Fast Freddie Rodriguez summons all of the gremlin power availablein the universe to take a stagewin at the Tour de Georgia on April 21. Unfortunately, Casey Gibson’sshutter speed was faster than Freddie’s supernatural changeling powers,and his ability to transform into a gremlin was revealed to the cyclingworld. Still, it’s a small price to pay to snap his streak of bad luckand second- and third-place sprint finishes that dated back to the 2005season. Next up was

The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.Promoters, please put us in our placeAn open letter to race promoters:I’m writing on behalf of the middle-of-the-pack (and back-of-the-pack) riders in your local races. You may or may not remember them. They are the guys who pay an entry fee of $15 to $30 and receive a number and four or

McCarty

Cunego on his way to a strong third-place finish at Liège-Bastogne-Liège

The BL-M970 gives V-brake users a clean new look.

The BR-M970 answers the calls from weight freaks and traditionalists alike.

As Shimano's first XTR branded disc brake lever, the new BL-M975 is Shimano's lightest disc brake lever set at 194grams.

With its compact design, the BL-M975 gives you the freedom to choose from the wide variety of handlebars on the market. Whether you are using riser bars or narrow flat bars, handlebar interference with the brake hose is not an issue.

The brake lever is sand blasted then anodized to create a subtle texture which increases grip.

The one-piece design is more compact and very stiff which results in a precise and efficient disc brake design.

Multiple rotor sizes are available for a variety of riding styles.

The new XTR rotors use Shimano's patented Centerlock technology and receive a new star pattern. The new rotor also aids in improved pad life.

Walsh and McCartney were still out after the descent . . .

. . . but a group containing Drew Miller (Successful Living) and racer leader Phil Zajicek (Navigators) was chasing hard

And while everyone was watching Zajicek . . .

. . . Miller took off, and had time for one quick look over his shoulder before taking the stage

Miller wins the stage . . .

. . . but Zajicek takes the title

The men roll out of Bisbee along Main Street . . .

. . . and exit the Mule Pass tunnel

Patrick Walsh (CCB-VW-Time) and Craig McCartney (Wild Oats-Al‚s) control the break

The Mule Mountains loom in the distance as the peloton starts to reel in the break

Walsh and McCartney hit the start of the first climb 1:30 up on the chase

The peloton hits the first of two final climbs

Holden slots into the lead

The elite men's break goes up the road

Evans blazes the final time trial to take the overall

Evans celebrates his last-minute victory

Contador conceded nearly a minute and the overall win in the final stage

Julich had a good TT, taking third on the day

Phil Zajicek (Navigators) pushes the last 100 meters to the finish

Felicia Gomez (Webcor) starts her successful prologue

Jeremy Powers (JellyBelly) shows the pain of riding uphill into a headwind

Mari Holden (T-Mobile) looks ahead to a successful start to LVDB

Valverde makes it look easy

Contador's grip on yellow has been loosened a bit

A perfect day - and place - for a bike race.

Ullrich: riding into shape.

Garate leads the attack

Still Smiling: Horner leads the chase. The American now sits in 10th place at 1:14.

Kashechkin

The bad, black Scott USA Sportsmobile

Kintner, up close and personal

Lopes, in living color

PARIS, France -- It sounds unlikely, but even after the retirement of Lance Armstong, interest in the Official Guide to the Tour de France produced by VeloNews is considerably ahead of what it was at the same time last year. With two weeks left until space close, the 2006 Official Tour Guide has already sold more advertising pages, the newsstand draw has approximately doubled, bike shop interest is at a record high, and the issue looks likely to set an all-time record for paid circulation for the ABC-audited magazine. While VeloNews's long-time status as the official publication of

Photo or sculpture?

The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.What a shot!Velo,I love the picture of Chris Horner crossing the finish line totowin Stage 2 at Tour de Romandie. That photo captures what I’ve alwaysthought of Chris Horner…loose in the saddle and guns-a-blazing! Congratulations,Chris.Scott WellsHampton, Virginia The year of the

There’s a lot of sniffling, sneezing, coughing and wheezing going on at VeloNews world headquarters lately. I suspect the first two ailments (sniffling and sneezing, that is) are due to the onset of Colorado’s allergy season two weeks ago. Our first bout with prolonged sunshine and balmy temperatures sent every flower, blade of grass and tree (not to mention college kid) into hormone hyper-drive, and the air is now a sea of pollen. One local news station suggests minimizing outdoor exposure on warm days and avoiding inhaling truck and car exhaust. Good thing you never encounter either of

VeloNews sees expanded interest for 2006 Official Tour de France Guide

VeloNews sees expanded interest for 2006 Official Tour de France Guide

Winning Horner style

Contador takes the stage and the lead

Horner's stay in the yellow jersey was a short one

Where'd you ride today?

The Evans group