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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.Wilcockson revives fond memoriesEditor:Kudos to John Wilcockson for his delightful column about his 62nd birthday road ride around Boulder. As a 28-year-old Colorado native, an avid mountain biker, and the son of a former recreational road racer, I grew up watching the Coors Classic.

It’s hard to believe that Stephanie Graeter has only been racing bikes for three years. After all, the 22-year-old Graeter – one of Christine Thorburn’s talented domestiques on the Webcor Builders team - has an impressive list of results that women 10 years her senior would be proud to claim. Still, the Fairfax, California, racer is only a college senior, and for the past two seasons has juggled the conflicting lives of a Cal Berkeley student and a professional cyclist. As Graeter will attest, completing two difficult degrees (one in environmental biology, another in German) is not an easy

Bettini's celebratation was short-lived...

Not in the mood to talk. Cooke declined to discuss the matter.

Vasseur and Pinotti

Time to bring them back...

... with this bunch finally swooping him up with 25km to go

The one ranked climb of the day had an impact.

Back in the lead.

Wheelbuilding part one ...

... and part two

Record and Chorus cranks

We think we've created a monster, albeit a talented monster.As we said yesterday, we thought the response to ourfirst VeloNews.com photo contest was overwhelming, both quantitativelyand qualitatively, but our readers have outdone themselves again.Indeed, so many of you have submitted entries (hundreds of them!) that we've now been forced to put up a gallery each day this week in order to accommodate them all. Yesterday we posted what we thought would be thefirst of maybe three galleries, but as you might guess, that triggeredanother flood of submissions. So it's likely that

Van Hout goes at 8km

A lonely time for Van Hout...

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.Lance talks the talk and walks the walkEditor:Come on, people, whether you like him or not, you have to realize talking trash and backing it up is what has made Lance Armstrong who he is today, way before cancer came along. Think back over the last few years: When Italy's Gilberto

Well you folks never cease to amaze us.We thought the response to lastweek's photo contest was overwhelming, both quantitatively andqualitatively, but our readers have outdone themselves againthis week. Indeed, so many of you have submitted entries, that we'vebeen forced to spread the wealth a bit and add a gallery a day for at leastthe next three days. As we post a host of images over the next few days,we'll be soliciting your opinions - and the opinions of our panel of volunteerjudges - as what your favorites and their favorites might be. On Thursday,we'll announce another

Tonkov delivers a win - and a message - at the 2004 Giro.

Hey, who wouldn't be happy?

McEwen emerges victorious

Bettini and his team car were in the pink today

The escape

Lopez de Munain suffered a horrific crash

McEwen in the maglia rosa

Some travel brochure, eh?

Barry and Vande Velde enjoy the stage

Since starting “Inside Cycling” a few months ago, I’ve written about dozens of people instrumental in expanding modern road cycling in North America. For many readers, those pioneers are just names on the paper (or screen, in this case). So I feel privileged that I’ve known nearly all of the people I’ve written about in this column, including those who live (or have lived) in my current hometown. Boulder, Colorado, as I hinted last week, has been one of the most influential places in expanding the sport this side of the Atlantic. Among the reasons for its influence — besides it being the

Bettini won by a very comfortable margin

Bettini e buonissimo!

Veneberg tries to go it alone

Dahle roars back to the fore

Premont couldn't hang

Spitz had a slow start, but finished third

Absalon profits from Hermida's bobble

Hermida settles for second in 'a really good race'

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San Baronto Detail

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San Sammone Detail

Giro Images

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Giro Images

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Map 3

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Giro Images

Climb 5 - Monte Urano

Lancaster snags the short prologue

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Efimkin wins

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Runner-up Tosatto

Test

A long sprint to third place for Petacchi

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Big Bird meets Super Mario

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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.Armstrong has given hope to millionsEditor:I am writing in response to Mr. Ostermann's letter degrading Lance (See Wednesday’s Mailbag, “. . . but what’s with the trash talk?”). I must say, you are absolutely correct. Lance is a bully, and he is arrogant. He may even be cocky, as most

Raisin at this year's Tour de Langkawi

Voeckler takes the stage

Team TIAA-CREF is ecstatic to announce that it will be participating in the 2005 Route du Sud. After solid results in both the Tour of Normandie and the Tour de Georgia, the organization of the Route du Sud decided to invite The American based Continental team to the race who's former winners include Laurent Jalabert and Levi Leipheimer. This will be the major summer objective for Team TIAA-CREF, and will hopefully give a few of it's riders the opportunity to perform in front of ProTour teams looking for young talent. Former Route du Sud winner, and Team TIAA-CREF director Jonathan

Coming of success in Georgia, Danielson is ready for a support role at the Giro

Ribeiro at this season's team presentation

Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood: Playing catch-up, watching rock stars and answering questions

Tafi's a class act

Watch it jiggle