Gilberto Simoni (Saeco) erased any doubts of his form with a dramatic victory in Tuesday’s summit finish at Corno Alle Scale and slipped on his favorite color in May. The two-time Giro d’Italia champion was uncharacteristically quiet in the spring, letting teammate Damiano Cunego take the spotlight while he calmly prepared with the idea of arriving to July’s Tour de France with fresher legs than last year’s disappointing meltdown. But first comes the Giro, and Simoni made a clear demonstration Tuesday that he’s the man to beat, gapping pre-race favorites Yaroslav Popovych

Let’s set the stage. Gilberto Simoni, a former winner and climbing specialist of the Saeco Team had already said that he intended to make his first mark on the Giro on this stage. He began the day wanting to put some time between himself and the man in the leader’s jersey, Bradley McGee (FDJeux) and more importantly, his closest rivals. Now McGee is a flatlander and pursuiter, who is a respectable climber, but no specialist and was not expected to challenge on a day with a long difficult climb to the finish. Of course, Simoni had a host of other climbers to contend with, including the

Tim Johnson (Saunier Duval) gets back into action this week with two races in Spain. The American was hoping to earn a start in the Giro d’Italia, but flu then a rotten stomach in March delayed his preparation by nearly a month. “Having a bad month in the lead-up like that set me back. To start a grand tour when you’re not exactly as strong as you need to be is almost worse,” Johnson told VeloNews. “I wish I were doing it, but I almost know enough to be smart. Going when you’re not ready it could screw up your whole season.” Instead, he’ll be racing at the Subida al Naranco on Tuesday and

Alessandro Petacchi picked up right where he left off last season, winning the first grand tour sprint finish of the year and setting himself up for a repeat of his spectacular record-setting 2003 season when he earned at least three stage victories in each of the three grand tours. The first road stage of the Giro d’Italia covered 143 stunningly beautiful kilometers between Genoa and the truffle capital of Alba. While the peloton took a moderate approach to the opening kilometers of the stage, a great deal of intensity was reserved for a hard-fought touch-and-go sprint battle between

Brad McGee (FDJeux.com), winner of the prologue in last year’s Tour de France, added the Giro d’Italia prologue to his palmares in Genoa on Saturday. The 28-year-old Australian won the difficult 6.9km prologue through the streets of this city and donned the overall leader's maglia rosa, finishing10 seconds faster than Germany's Olaf Pollack (Gerolsteiner) and 20 seconds up on Yaroslav Popovych (Landbouwkrediet-Colnago). It wasn’t exactly a ride in the park for the young Aussie. McGee said he banged his left knee against the frame of his bike when he braked hard to avoid hitting spectators

The fast men had their day in the sun on Saturday during the prologue of the 87th Giro d’Italia as, one at a time, 169 riders from 19 teams fought for the right to wear the leader’s pink jersey going into Sunday’s first stage. Bradley McGee (FDJeux.com), who won the prologue in the 2003 Tour de France, had been widely favored in the short, technical 6.9km race. Other hopefuls included Tomas Vaitkus (Landbouwkrediet-Colnago), Magnus Backstedt (Alessio–Bianchi), Rubens Bertogliati (Lampre), Florent Brard (Chocolade Jacques), and the elder statesman of speed, Mario Cipollini (Domina

McGee scores the first maglia rosa of the 2004 Giro

Two riders have been excluded from the Giro d'Italia two days before Saturday's start in Genoa after failing pre-race blood tests. Colombian Uberlino Mesa Estepa (Colombia-Selle Italia) and Slovenian Jure Golcer (Formaggi Pinzolo) were found with blood values above the limits allowed in tests carried out by the Union Cycliste Internationale. The UCI said on Thursday the two riders had been suspended for 15 days and would have to undergo further blood tests before being allowed to race again. –Reuters French judge orders Rumsas arrestedA French judge has issued international arrest

This story appears in the current issue of VeloNews MARIO CIPOLLINI AND ALESSANDRO PETACCHI are a study in contrasts. Cipollini is the flamboyant showman who brings kitschy glam to cycling,while Petacchi is the hardworking pupil, anxious to fulfill his potential.Super Mario is cycling’s extroverted showman, the man who showed up atthe start of a stage in the 1999 Tour de France dressed in a toga and waspulled around by his similarly clad teammates in a rigged-up chariot. “Veni,vidi, vici [I came, I saw, I conquered],” Cipollini boasted after scoringfour stage wins, then promptly abandoning

Scott Moninger (Health Net /Maxxis) and Amber Neben (T-Mobile) sealed their Tour of the Gila victories on Sunday after the race’s toughest stage, the Gila Monster Road Race. Moninger proved he was back to his old form after 106 miles, nearly 10,000 feet of climbing and relentless attacks from challengers, by winning the men’s event, while Neben kept close tabs on her nearest challengers - Christine Thorburn (Webcor Builders) and Brooke Ourada (Victory Brewing) – as teammate Kim Anderson went off to chase an early break, taking the final stage win for herself. Moninger seals the dealIt was

The 18th annual 2004 National Geographic Adventure Tour of the Gila got underway Wednesday in Silver City, New Mexico, opening with the Tyrone Time Trial, a hilly 16-mile out-and-back course. Ryan Blickem (Aida’s Bail Bonds) of Albuquerque, New Mexico took the men’s event in 36:01, a full minute ahead of second place and former Gila winner Scott Moninger (Healthnet/Maxxis). In the women’s time trial, Amber Neben (T-Mobile), posted a time 18 seconds faster than her teammate Mari Holden, a former world champion time trialist and fresh of a three-day, four-stage training stint in the pro men’s

Brad McGee – winner of the 2003 Tour de France opening prologue – sliced his way through a short, technical course in Geneva to win Tuesday’s opening prologue of the 58th Tour of Romandie. Fueled by his recent success on the track, McGee put his excellent time trial skills to good use on the narrow 3.4km course to claim the victory three seconds faster than Olaf Pollack (Gerolsteiner). Defending champion Tyler Hamilton (Phonak) didn’t take any unnecessary risks and finished fifth at eight seconds back. Hamilton’s Phonak team, motivated to win the race on home soil, put three riders into

Spanish climber Juan Miguel Mercardo (Quick Step) went on the attack in the third stage of the Giro di Trentino and was rewarded with a stage victory for his efforts. Mercado attacked the lead group at the Passo Uldarico climb and held on to win, 25 seconds ahead of Giuseppe Muraglia (Formaggi Pinzolo Fiave). The new father quickly dedicated the victory to his daughter. “It is a great satisfaction to have won today. During the last climb I made another attack and I arrived at the finish line alone,” Mercado said. “I want to dedicate this victory to my daughter, Aiñoa, who was born three

Gilberto Simoni admitted he’s not on the same form as he was this time last year after stumbling through a lackluster string of performances in Spain. The defending Giro d’Italia champion said cold, rainy weather during the Tour of the Basque Country and the Tour of Aragon were not to his liking. He abandoned both races while arch-rival Stefano Garzelli (Vini Caldirola) took victory in Aragon on final-day time bonuses. "I know I’m not in the same form as I was last year and I know that Garzelli is definitely riding better than me at the moment,” Simoni said on the team’s web page. “However,

Levi Leipheimer is upbeat after winning his first bike race since he took the French stage race, the Route du Sud, in June 2002. He’s psyched because the race he won on Thursday was the toughest, and the only true mountain stage, of this week’s Setmana Catalana. The five-hour stage took in two climbs (including the one to the finish) to the remote ski station of the Port del Comte, a Cat. 1 ascent that peaks out at 5709 feet elevation, deep in the Spanish Pyrenees. The significance of his win was obvious, particularly in the context of this year’s upcoming Tour de France. To win the stage,

Italian cycling fans are mourning the death of the man whom many will consider the greatest Italian bike rider since the legendary Fausto Coppi, who alongside rival Gino Bartali ruled the peloton in the 1950s. However while Coppi died in mitigating circumstances after contracting a mystery illness in Africa, Marco Pantani's untimely death on Saturday, at the age of 34, may come as little surprise to many who followed the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia winner closely. Pantani began his professional career in 1995 after showing his climbing prowess by winning the 1992 “baby Giro,” a

Portuguese rider Candido Barbosa won his second stage and wrapped up the overall victory in the three-day GP Correos in Portugal. Barbosa edged two Spanish riders to take his second stage in three days and lay claim to the spoils of the first Portuguese race of the season. Garzelli confident in GiroStefano Garzelli (Vini Caldirola-Nobili Rubinetterie) wants another maglia rosa to go along with 2000 victory and is putting everything into winning the 2004 Giro d’Italia. The 30-year-old from Varese told La Gazzetta dello Sport that he’s confident he can take down defending champion Gilberto

The Navigators have confirmed the team’s lineup for the 2004 Jacob’s Tour Down Under, set for January 20-25 in Adelaide, Australia. The eight-man team will include Siro Camponogara, Vassili Davidenko, Jeff Louder, David McKenzie, Kirk Obee, Ciaran Power, Burke Swindlehurst and Phil Zajicek. Henk Vogels, the team’s Aussie star on the comeback from his terrible crash last July, will not ride JCTDU but will join his teammates for a short training camp before the race. The riders will then participate in an official team camp and presentation in Italy in early February and stay in Europe to

Italian rider Mirko Celestino (Saeco) was fastest in the bunch to claim the 88th Milan-Turin race in Italy on Wednesday. Celestino, the Milan-Turin winner of 2001, edged compatriot Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner) and Spanish rider Miguel Angel Martin Perdiguero (Domina Vacanze), who came across third. The 199-kilometer race was the first of three races that make up the “Trittico Rosa,” which continues Thursday with the Tour of Piedmont and concludes Saturday with the Giro di Lombardia.88th Milan-Turin (UCI 1.1), Oct. 15, Italy, 199km1. Mirko Celestino, Saeco 4 hours, 56 minutes, 52 seconds

Oscar Sevilla will leave his longtime team Kelme and ride next season alongside Tyler Hamilton on the Swiss team Phonak, according to reports Wednesday in the Spanish press. Sevilla will reportedly sign a one-year, 800,000 Euro contract, with his major goals as top helper for Hamilton and podium contender for the Tour de France and team captain for the Vuelta a España. It’s bad news for Kelme, which insisted the team had a verbal agreement before the start of the 2003 Vuelta with the popular Spanish rider who missed this year’s Tour due to lingering problems with a cyst. “He has to give us an

Alessandro Petacchi didn't really want to come to this year's Tour de France. After winning six stages and holding the maglia rosa at the Giro d'Italia, the big Italian sprinter thought his season was pretty much a wrap. But Fassa Bortolo team brass convinced him to change his mind. Now he's glad they did, because on Thursday Petacchi won his third stage in five days after sprinting into Nevers ahead of Jaan Kirsipuu (Ag2r) to win a steamy fifth stage as the Tour plunged south across the rolling hills of Burgundy and Nièvre. "I came here with the aim of winning a stage," Petacchi said. "I

Regina Scheleicher (Chirio Forno D’asolo) outkicked breakaway companions Tina Mayolo-Pic (Team Sats) and Andrea Bosman (Ondernemers Van Nature-Powerplate/Bik) in the fourth stage of the women’s Giro d’Italia on Tuesday. The three escaped in the final kilometers of the 141.1km stage on the climb from the Via Adriatica gate to the old town of San Vito Chietino. Schleicher launched her sprint in the last 200 meters, neatly passing her rivals. The 141.1km stage, from Frosolone to San Vito Chietino was animated from the start – indeed, the first hour was spent racing at over 40kph. Overall

Nicole Braendli (Prato Marathon Bike) and Edita Pucinskaite (Michele Fanini) broke away from the bunch and fought their way through terrible weather to finish one-two in the third stage of the women’s Giro d’Italia on Monday. Braendli took the stage win, while Pucinskaite took the pink jersey of overall leader away from Rasa Polikieviciute (Team 2002 Aurora Rsm). "It is a dream come true," said the new race leader. The 84.2km third stage from Monteroduni to Castelpizzuto had three mountain-points primes, but the race was characterized primarily by terrible weather. When the riders

For nearly two weeks now, there has been little doubt who has been in charge of this Giro d’Italia. On Sunday, the man poised to ride into Milan to claim the final maglia rosa of this race would leave no one on the side of the road wondering just who the race leader might be. Wearing his pink jersey, astride a pink Cannondale, with pink Mavic wheels, Gilberto Simoni had plenty of room to spare as he left the starting gate of Sunday’s 33km time trial through the streets of Milan. By the time he arrived at the finish, the Saeco man had lost a bit of his eight-minute buffer, but easily took the

This is one of those days that they will be talking about for years to come. Sure, the 18th stage of the Giro d'Italia had many of the elements in place before the start: the mountains, among them the Cima Coppi, marking the Giro's highest spot; the weather, with touches of wet snow marking the highest climbs and a contest that, despite the apparent dominance of a single rider, could still be altered on the 174 mountainous kilometers between Santuario DiVicoforte and Valle Varaita. But when you take the human element and throw it into the mix, well... suddenly you see why Thursday at the

Saeco’s Gilberto Simoni started Saturday’s decisive 14th stage decked out head to toe in pink, his helmet, socks and cycling shorts matching the maglia rosa he obviously has no intention of giving up. Simoni attacked with 5km to go on the steep, 8.8km climb to Alpe de Pampeago high in the Italian mountains to win his second stage in three days and extend his overall lead to 1:19 over second-placed Stefano Garzelli (Vini Caldirola-Sidermec). Simoni once again dropped his rivals on the steepest roads of the Giro d’Italia, and only Garzelli remains close enough to be a threat. Going into

Gilberto Simoni delivered on his promise to be the main protagonist up Monte Zoncolan, winning Thursday’s 12th stage in the epic shootout between the stars to tighten his grip on the overall lead. The Saeco rider attacked with 3km to go from the menacing summit. The Giro’s strongest men were trading shots on the steepest road in Italy and the tifosi were eating it up. Simoni hoped for more, but he finished 34 seconds ahead of pesky Stefano Garzelli (Caldirola-Sidermec) and Francesco Casagrande, who came across third at 39 seconds in arrears. The win consolidates Simoni’s hold on the

I just got back in from Team Big Bear's 15th consecutive National Points Series race. And if you've been following Jason Sumner's online race reports, you know the weekend was full of extremely high-highs (a bevy of fresh faces on the podium) and devastating lows (namely the tragic death of Japanese downhiller Haruko Fujinaka). One event that took place over the weekend that Jason didn't get a chance to write about was the much-vaunted "Super D" downhill held late Saturday afternoon. The event was conceived three years ago by promoters Pat Follet and Tom Spiegel after they saw the need to

Saeco’s Gilberto Simoni wrestled the maglia rosa from Stefano Garzelli after a daring attack in a dramatic shoot-out Tuesday between the Giro d’Italia’s two strongest riders. Simoni jumped hard on a steep but unrated climb 40km from the finish in the difficult, four-climb 202km 10th stage from Montecatini Terme to Faenza. Simoni took an 8-second time bonus after finishing third behind winner Kurt Asle Arvensen (Team fakta) to erase a 31-second deficit to move two seconds ahead of Garzelli. With Thursday’s difficult climbing stage to Monte Zoncolan on the horizon, Simoni took the race into

World champion Mario Cipollini did Sunday what everyone expected him to do last weekend: win a stage at the Giro d'Italia and equal the 41-win record held by the late Alfredo Binda. In Sunday's eighth stage, Cipollini shook a monkey off his back that, to some, seemed to be quickly growing into a gorilla after he failed to win a stage in six consecutive sprints that opened the 86th Giro. Domina Vacanze's zebras shot the 36-year-old toward the line and this time no one beat him to the tape. Lotto-Domo's Robbie McEwen took second while three-stage winner Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo)

The first of two rest days comes early in the 86th Giro d’Italia, just six days into the three-week march to Milan. There’s been plenty of action and story lines both on and off the bike in what’s been a scandal-free Giro, including Cipollini’s stalled motor, McEwen’s relegation and subsequent redemption, Pantani’s helmet hatred and Petacchi’s run in pink. Here’s a look at where some of the major players stand nearly a week into the Giro: Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo) 1st overall Two stage-wins and the maglia rosa, not bad for a guy who’d never won a Giro stage before this year.

What a great week it’s been for Alessandro Petacchi and what a bad one for Mario Cipollini. Petacchi, deep in the best run of his career, beat the world champion in Wednesday’s fifth stage even before the peloton roared into Catania for the mass sprint. Super Mario’s Domina Vacanze zebras took firm control of the race with 6km to go, and typically the battle among the would-be contenders is the fight to grab Cipollini’s wheel. But Petacchi weaseled his way in front of Cipollini, and when lead set-up man Giovanni Lombardi pulled up, it was Cipollini who was forced to come around

Stefano Garzelli erased memories of his controversial ejection from last year’s Giro d’Italia in a dramatic gesture Monday over the oven-hot roads of southern Italy. The 2000 Giro champion peeled away from peloton in the steep final 400 meters of the 145km third stage to grab the victory and vault into second place overall. Fassa Bortolo’s Alessandro Petacchi fought hard to retain the maglia rosa, but Garzelli’s win is a clear message that he’s a legitimate contender for the overall prize. “It’s an important victory for me because after 11 months without competing it gives me confidence.

Robbie McEwen’s feisty style cost him a victory in Sunday’s second stage of the Giro d’Italia. Alessio’s Fabio Baldato was awarded the win after race judges stripped McEwen of the victory for dangerous riding in the closing 200 meters of the stage. McEwen, known for his aggressive riding style, was relegated to 70th place. McEwen edged Baldato by a bike-length at the end of the 177km stage from Copertino to Matero in Italy’s “heel,” but replays showed the Lotto-Domo man pressing Baldato into the race fences in the frenetic charge to the line. “McEwen told me after the race he didn’t see

It was Alessandro Petacchi - not Mario Cipollini - winning Saturday’s 201km opening stage of the 2003 Giro d’Italia in a mass gallop. On a day when everyone expected the world champion to tie the 41-win mark set by Alfredo Binda, Petacchi played the spoiler to win his first career Giro stage. “It’s as good as it can get,” Petacchi said. “It was kind of like three for one. I won my first Giro stage of my career, earned the maglia rosa, and I beat Cipollini who’s in the rainbow jersey. Not bad.” The opening stage of the 86th Giro was flat as a pancake, winding along the spectacular coast

This year’s Giro d’Italia is shaping to be a fight between Spain’s Aitor Gonzalez and the Italians. The season’s first major three-week stage race kicks off Saturday with a road stage in Lecce, where world champion Mario Cipollini hopes to tie the record of 41 stage victories record held by Alfredo Binda. But it’s in the mountains in the Giro’s final decisive week that will keep the cycling world on edge. The major plot line is whether or not Gonzalez, with the help of Fassa Bortolo teammate Dario Frigo, can topple a group of motivated Italians on their home turf. “I believe I can finish on

With Team Coast slapped with its second racing ban in two months, 1997 Tour de France champion Jan Ullrich could soon be heading to a new team. The UCI banned Coast from racing Thursday until the team can provide money up front for team expenses through the end of the season. The team was en route to the Peace Race when the news broke Thursday evening and didn’t start Friday’s first stage. For Ullrich, who has returned from knee surgery and a doping ban, the news could mean he’ll be looking for a few team in time to start the Tour in July. “If the situation remains what it is, we will have

Dane Lars Michaelsen won his first race since the 2000 season after he edged Ag2r’s Jaan Kirsipuu to take the 200km second stage of the Four Days of Dunkirk on Thursday. The Team CSC rider overcame a back injury in February but missed the spring classics and only returned to competitive racing last weekend. Michaelsen, 34, cracked a vertebra when he crashed when a time trial handlebar snapped during a team training camp in Tuscany. “He tried to come back for the classics and tried to race at Harelbeke (March 29) and De Panne (April 1-3), but he just wasn’t up for it,” said Team CSC sport

I’ve got all of my fingers and all of my toesI’m pretty well off, I guess, I supposeSo how come I feel bad so much of the time?A man ain’t an island... John Donne wasn’t lyin’---“Hard Day On the Planet,” Loudon Wainwright III“You gonna rant this Friday?” the editor asked. “You gotta be mean; we don’t want people thinking we’re reining you in.” Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Like, with a couple hundred e-mails running 95 percent in favor of my continuing to act the fool - including a number of readers who think pretty much everything under my byline is as wrong as Dura-Ace on a DeRosa - I’m suddenly

Frenchman Laurent Brochard (Ag2R) dominated Sunday’s double-stage finale to win this weekend’s Criterium International. Brochard won the morning sector Sunday to take the race lead and finished third-fastest in the afternoon time trial to win for the first time this season and give his team’s a big boost at earning an at-large bid for July’s Tour de France. Brochard’s win is the first by a Frenchman at Criterium International since Laurent Jalabert won eight years ago. “It is important to win after Laurent, I hope I can go on this way,” Brochard said. “Today, the final victory was very

German sprint ace Erik Zabel added one more to his palmares in the rain in Spain on Friday while Dario Frigo wrapped up the overall title at the Setmana Catalana. Zabel’s faced criticism all spring that he’s lost his touch. His first win didn’t come until Tour of Murcia, then he finished sixth at Milan-San Remo before losing his top-spot in the world rankings. Zabel, however, stayed quiet and simply let his legs – and his professionalism - do the talking. On Friday, he took his second win of the week by charging to an easy victory in the 176km fifth and final stage of Catalana week. Rain

Dario Frigo chugged away from Lance Armstrong and other top favorites to win the fourth stage of Setmana Catalana and take control of the race with just one stage remaining. The four-time Tour de France champion stayed with the lead group of riders up the long, difficult 19.5km Category 1 climb to the finish at the ski village of Pal, high in the Spanish Pyrénées, until the attacks by Juan Miguel Mercado fractured the lead group with 2km to go. Armstrong, racing in his second race of the season as he prepares for the Tour de France in July, came across 24th at 1:11 back. Frigo, however, is

It’s a busy week in Europe with stage races in Spain, Italy and France, the third stop of the women’s World Cup slated for this weekend in Spain and the kickoff of the northern classics season in Belgium. Here’s a look at the highlights. Armstrong headlines strong Catalana fieldLance Armstrong starts his second race of the season Monday with the 40th Setmana Catalana as the four-time Tour de France champion continues his preparation for his assault on the 2003 Tour. The five-day race is Armstrong’s “hometown” race as the course plies the roads of Spain’s Cataluyna region near Armstrong’s

Dear VeloNews;The best thing about Mrs. Dunlap is her great personality - she is talented, beautiful and has a great personality.I had a chance of speaking with her during the Redlands bicycle classic and she spoke to me in a manner that you speak to somebody you know for years. Alison definitely deserves and she is a great champion. We love you in southern CaliforniaFred JacobsRowland Heights, CA Nice women finish FIRSTEditors;I am very glad that Alison got this reward. She very much deserved this and she is a very kind person too.Bike BoyMario the ambassadorEditors;Thankfully, in our

Saturday’s final round of the 2002 World Cup was supposed to be a final showdown between Paolo Bettini and Johan Museeuw, but an early start list reveals the Lion of Flanders isn’t taking the start. Bettini heads into the 96th Giro di Lombardia with a nine-point lead over Museeuw, but the Belgian isn’t starting so all the Italian has to do is finish the race and avoid a victory by Spain’s Igor Astarloa – who could bounce into first place if he wins and Bettini finishes out of the points.1. Paolo Bettini, 279 points2. Johan Museeuw, 2703. Igor Astarloa, 180.It isn’t clear yet why Museeuw

Deutsche Telekom confirmed Tuesday that Australian Cadel Evans has signedwith the team for next season. The 25-year-old two-time winner of mountainbiking’s World Cup made a great first impression in his debut season asa road pro with Mapei-Quick Step.Evans and his teammates learned in July that long-time sponsor Mapeiis pulling out of the sport. However, on the heels of his impressive performanceat the Giro d’Italia, including a heroic day in the maglia rosa, Evanshas been a hot property.Evans’s signing, along with that of Flèche Wallone winner MarioAerts and 23-year-old Christian Werner,

With as many as 10 riders slated to start the Tour — including threeteam leaders — this could be a banner July for the U.S. Lance ArmstrongHometown: Austin, TX Age: 30Height: 5 ft. 10 in. Weight: 165 lbs.Team: U.S. Postal Service Number of Tours: 7 With his well-documented cancer comeback and three consecutive Tourvictories — and the marketing power of Nike — Lance Armstrong has becomean American sports figure on par with Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan, anunheard of accomplishment for an American cyclist. And like those othertwo, Armstrong’s season preparation comes under intense scrutiny

What a long, strange race it’s been.Starting in Holland on May 11 and ending 20 stages and 3363 km later,the 2002 Giro d’Italia ended pretty in pink Sunday in Milan. From doping scandals to inspirational racing, there was never a dullmoment in the 85th Giro. American Tyler Hamilton made history, scoring an historic podium finishand winning a Giro stage. Bolstered by the support of CSC-Tiscali teammanager Bjarne Riis, the 31-year-old Bostonian emerged from Lance Armstrong’sshadow. "Bjarne and I worked so hard to get here, so it was a special momentafter yesterday’s time trial. I had to

Tyler Hamilton needed a super time trial Saturday to win the 2002 Girod’Italia. Instead, the CSC-Tiscali captain was “OK” in the race againstthe clock – 4th place at 1:31 slower than stage-winner Aitor Gonzalez -- but he still bounced to second-place overall going into the Giro’s finaleSunday in Milan. That was more than OK for Hamilton, however, who endured three crashesto win a stage and will become only the third American to finish on thefinal podium when the 85th Giro concludes Sunday. “I knew ahead of time it was going to be difficult. I knew I would haveto have a super, super day,”

Live Updates1:15 p.m. -- Good morning to our U.S. readers. Welcome to VeloNews.com's live coverage of Stage 18 of the 2002 Giro d'Italia. Start time is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. in Rovereto. Today's 18th stage from Rovereto to Brescia offers something of a breather between yesterday's seven-and-a-half-hour stage in the mountains and tomorrow's time trial. Only 143 km, it features just one ranked climb, the Category II 638-meter Molina di Ledro at 32 km and finishes with three laps on a 6-km circuit in Brescia. 1:35 p.m. -- The peloton is leaving Rovereto. There are 141 riders remaining in

“This has been a very strange Giro.” — Phil Liggett It’s been such fun, watching dopers, has-beens and thugs pile out of the Giro like clowns out of a Volkswagen, or maybe a Fiat, in some David Lynch remake of a Marx Brothers flick with Chico playing all the parts. A conspiracy buff might have seen Marco Pantani’s fine Italian hand behind all of this, sprinkling a little Peruvian marching powder over Gilberto Simoni’s müesli, squirting a touch of Probenecid into Stefano Garzelli’s water bottle, and telling Francesco Casagrande some whopper about John Freddy Garcia calling his momma a ho’.

After 3178 kilometers, the 85th Giro d’Italia will really come downto 43.9 km of pavement. After 18 stages and at least 84 hours, 49 minutesand 55 seconds of racing, this Giro will likely be decided by just a handfulof seconds. It’s Tyler Hamilton vs. Paolo Savoldelli. The Bostonian vs. the Bergamasco. It’s sure to be an exciting finish to an already emotional and drama-filled Giro. Savoldelli has two advantages going into Saturday’s 43.9-km decisiveindividual time trial; one with the clock and another with emotion. Savoldelli has a 1 minute, 28 second lead on third-place Hamilton andwears

Everyone here keeps calling Tyler Hamilton a Xerox copy of Lance Armstrong, but more than anyone else, the CSC-Tiscali team captain seems to have borrowed from the Miguel Indurain school of tactics: stay close in the mountains and then kill ‘em in the time trial. Hamilton stayed close in Thursday’s final big day in the mountains,but maybe not close enough. If he wants to become only the secondAmerican to win the Giro d’Italia, he’s going to have put down a super time trial this coming Saturday. Dario Frigo (Tacconi Sport), the man who began the day in second placein the overall standings,

12:42 p.m.-- Good Morning to our U.S. readers. Welcome to our coverage of Stage 17 of the 2002 Giro d'Italia.Racing started just about 2.5 hours ago. The peloton is intact and the average speed for the opening two hours is right at 27.4kph, but remember this is a difficult race from the start.Today's 222-km stage features five rated climbs, with four coming as pairs bunched together before the difficult 19.3-km summit finish to Passo Coe.The stage opens with a 590-meter climb right off the bat to the 2121-meterPasso Gardena with an average grade of 6.6 percent at 9 km. After a quick descent,

Cadel Evans came to the Giro d’Italia to help Mapei teammate StefanoGarzelli, but the 2000 Giro champion got the boot for failing a dopingtest. Now Evans is the first Australian to wear the maglia rosa and isAmerican Tyler Hamilton’s most dangerous rival for overall victory. The former mountain biker jumped into the race lead in an exciting stagethrough the jagged, snow-covered Dolomites, finishing seventh, 58 secondsbehind stage-winner Julio Perez Cuapio. Hamilton hung with the Giro’s bestclimbers over four punishing climbs to remain in third-place overall, nowjust 18 seconds behind

It sounds silly to start out a journal entry with "today was hard" becauseevery day of grand tour is difficult. But today was hard, and Isuffered.A few weeks ago, I previewed the stages here in the Dolomites and Iknew right away that this was where the race would be won or lost. Therewere moments during today's stage when I was in so much pain I wanted tosit up. But when I looked around and saw my teammate gutting it out withme on the Passo de Fedaia I knew what I had to do - and that was to presson.The final kilometers of the Fedaia were tough. Guys were attacking andthe pace was pretty

Just when things seemed to be getting back to normal after the expulsionsof Stefano Garzelli and Gilberto Simoni, Francesco Casagrande pulls a Mike Tyson and gets kicked out of the race. No, he didn’t bite anybody’s ear off, but he’s out of the Giro afterallegedly running Colombian John Freddy Garcia (Colombia-Selle Italia)into the fences and sending him to the hospital with 20 stitches to thechin. Casagrande started the day wearing the green best-climber’s jersey infourth-place at 1:07 back. His “aggressive riding,” as the UCI called it, ended his Giro early. The incident happened early

LIVE UPDATES 1:15 p.m. Good morning to our U.S. readers. Today's stage, Terme Euganee - Conegliano, is a flat 156 appetizer for bigger things to come in the Dolomites Wednesday and Thursday. This is probably Jens Heppner's last chance to extend his hold on the maglia rosa as the big climbs rise up tomorrow and the Giro breaks wide open. Today, we might even see another strong pperformance by ol' Mario himself. Stay tuned. Race time is 1:20.Giro gets downright weird: Casagrande sent packing 1:45 p.m. The race is underway. It is cloudy, and around 70 degrees today. There is little wind

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. Say it ain’t so, Brooke I am a former team member on the team Brooke manages. All I can sayis, I am horribly disappointed. (see Blackweldersuspended) Last year while competing with Brooke in the Women's Challenge, I commentedto friends and family about what an amazing

How many punches can the Giro d’Italia take? The race lost its second superstar in four days, suffered through agrowing chorus of detractors who want the race canceled and faces the prospectof overall victory by Francesco Casagrande or Dario Frigo – both riderswho’ve served doping suspensions in the past. Gilberto Simoni was the latest victim of doping’s tightening noose. The defending Giro champion was kicked out of the race by his Saeco team Friday morning following pressure from Giro organizers and other teams. Mercatone Uno’s Roberto Sgambelluri, who failed a doping test for Nespon the

1:15 p.m. Good morning to our U.S. audience. Obviously it has been a busy morning at the Giro d'Italia today, with bicycle racing again taking a back seat to events of a more pharmacological nature. As you can see from the headlines, Saeco's Gilberto Simoni -- winner of yesterday's stage -- has pulled out of the Giro as a result of the cocaine positive registered in an out-of-competition test on April 24. We'll try to keep tabs on that story as well as keep you up-to-date on today's stage -- a 200km race between Campobasso to Chieti -- though, to be honest, this seems less and less like a

1:00 p.m. Good morning to the U.S. It is 1:00 in Italy and we are about 10 minutes from the start of today's stage. It's another short one -- just 140km -- but the finish is going to be tough. At 125km, the day's Intergiro will toy with the sprinters, but then the road almost immediately begins to rise. The steep 13.57-km, 885-meter (2920-foot) climb to Campitello Matese, a small ski resort at 1430 meters (4917 feet) deep in the mountains of south central Italy, will test the mettle of the better climbers in the group and may take a big bite out of Jens Heppner's hold on the leader's

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

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

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

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

Giro favorites lining up: Every year pundits invariably say, "This is the most-widen open (fill in race name) ever." Well, the 85th Giro d'Italia might not meet that clichè, but it certainly will be very competitive. A trio of dominant Italians will be fighting for the spoils while a half-dozen outsiders will be trying to spoil the party. The top favorites are Gilberto Simoni (Saeco-Longoni), Stefano Garzelli (Mapei-Quick Step) and Francesco Casagrande (Fassa Bortolo) and all three enter the Giro with something to prove. The defending champion Simoni wants to win back-to-back Giros

Armstrong recon mission: Lance Armstrong will survey key stages in the 2002 Tour de France in the coming weeks, just as he's done every year since 1999. Armstrong is scheduled to travel in June with U.S. Postal Service directeur sportif Johan Bruyneel and possibly other teammates to examine new climbs and time trial courses in the 2002 route. Bruyneel says this year they've slightly tweaked a strategy that's paid off for the three-time defending Tour de France champion. "We've changed it a little bit from past years," Bruyneel told VeloNews. "We're going to do it later

Fassa Bortolo’s Francesco Casagrande did his Giro d’Italia ambitions the world of good here Friday by winning the hilly second stage of the Tour of Trentino to take a convincing overall lead. In a race that is regarded as a warm-up for next month's Giro d'Italia, Casagrande held off former Giro champions Gilberto Simoni, of Lampre, and Mapei rider Stefano Garzelli to finish the 166km stage between Arco and Velloi in 4:04:47. Mexican Julio Alberto Perez Cuapio, who was left behind in the final three kilometers as Casagrande launched attack after attack, finished second 23sec behind while

Ángel Casero could have a very busy summer, especially if thingsgo well for his Team Coast. The 2001 Vuelta a España champion isalready planning to race in the Giro d’Italia in May and the Vuelta a España in September and might even go to the Tour de France in July if his team earns a wild-card bid in May. “I will race in the Giro, because I have focused my preparation on thisrace. If we are invited to the Tour, I will also have to go. Of course,I want to defend my title at the Vuelta,” Casero told the Spanish sportsdaily AS. “It’s obvious that you cannot race all three at the highest

The Domo-Farm Frites team has pulled out of the Giro d'Italia and will be replaced by the Colpack-Astro outfit, race director Carmine Castellano announced Tuesday.The line-up of 22 teams will be: Acqua Sapone (I), Alessio (I),Panaria (I), Selle Italia (Col), Colpack (I), Fassa Bortolo (I), Gerolsteiner(G), Alexia (I), Kelme (Sp), Lampre (I), Colnago (B), Lotto (B), Mapei (I), Mercatone Uno (I), Mobilvetta(I), Phonak (Swi), Rabobank (Nl), Saeco (I), Tacconi (I), Team Coast(G), CSC-Tiscali (Dk), Deutsche Telekom (G).Kelme, the only Spanish lineup committed to the Giro, will have Aitor

When the final selection of riders hit the base of the Mur de Huyfor the third time and final time in the 66th edition of the Fleche Wallonneon Wednesday, the Belgian fans, tipping back beers and basking in the hazyspring sunshine, saw decent odds. After 197km of racing, including twoprevious trips over the steep, snaking Mur climb, the trademark obstacleof this Belgian spring race, it had come down to an impressive group ofsurvivors. Two were Belgian. First, there was Axel Merckx. Approaching the base of the climb, whichhas pitches surpassing 20 percent in places, Merckx attacked. A roar

Herr San-Remo, aka Erik Zabel, says he's ready for the race he's won four times since 1997. Zabel, 31, told La Gazzetta dello Sport he thinks he can win again despite winning just the opening stage at Tirreno-Adriatico. "I've already ridden 5000 kilometers this season and I feel strong. I felt strong in the climbs at Tirreno, and although I didn't win a stage [after the first day], I just lost to Bettini and Cipollini in sprints, but I was close." Zabel is one of 200 riders from 25 teams lining up for the 93rd Milan-San Remo. Zabel called Milan-San Remo the "the world’s of the

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.

Here’s a look at the rest of the VeloNews International Awards. Check back tomorrow when we will reveal the remainder of the North American Awards. MALE ROAD RACER OF THE YEARIn winning 24 races and taking his nine-year career total to 139, Erik Zabel was by far the most successful pro road racer in 2001. Among his major achievements this year: winning Milan-San Remo for the fourth time in five years; extending his tenure in the Tour de France green jersey to six years (and adding three stage wins); winning the Hamburg World Cup race for the first time; and taking three stage wins on his

Even a brief visit to one of the women’s grand tours in Europe will leave even the most casual observer asking questions about equal treatment. The hotels are cheaper, the press coverage infrequent and the transfers often border on the ridiculous, sometimes up to 200km. But at least one front, this year’s edition of the Giro d’Italia femminile – the “Girodonne” – has achieved a degree of equity: the Italian drug police raided the hotels on Wednesday night. In a move reminiscent of this year’s men’s Giro d’Italia, the Italian anti-drug police, swooped in and searched the rooms and processions

After coming as close yesterday as one could without actually getting the maglia rosa, Gilberto Simoni took it from Dario Frigo by 48 seconds on a tough day in the Dolomites under sunny skies. And Mexican Julio Perez, already the sentimental hero of this Giro, finally broke through with the stage win he has shown himself so deserving of. Simoni finished with him, while Frigo placed third, 45 seconds back. The 225km stage climbed four first-category passes and totally shook up the overall standings. While at the start in Montebelluna there were a couple dozen names clustered within two

Once again, Julio Perez was the animator of a pivotal stage and came agonizingly close to winning it. The pack had not even left the vacation spa town of Montecatini Terme when the Mexican Panaria rider attacked with five others just two kilometers into this difficult 185km stage. Among those with him was Pietro Chaucchioli, who rolled into Reggio Emilia alone 183km later. Behind, in a small chase group finishing a minute behind the 26-year-old Alessio winner was ONCE’s José Azevedo, who came within a whisker of taking over the maglia rosa. After 9km, a group of 11 took off after Perez’s

Jan Ullrich may not be looking so good, but Deutsche Telekom still has plenty of firepower to call upon. In the uphill switchback sprint at the end of this 167km flat stage, Danilo Hondo, a German with an Italian name, got past Rafael Mateos in time to raise his forefinger in triumph. Mateos looked to be pulling off a surprise win for his small team sponsored by a company that makes plastic bags for collection and recycling of various materials. The Spanish Colpack-Astro rider had a gap of several bike lengths with 200 meters to go, but Hondo shot out of the group and passed him.

The 20 teams and riders at the 2001 Giro d’Italia, and the route they’ll face in the next 23 days. ALESSIO Italy Top GC rider: Gotti Top sprinter: Leoni Best stage-win hopes: Leoni, Zanetti Giro will be a success if: Gotti finishes top 5. Equipment: DeRosa bikes Sponsor: Alloy automobile wheels Director: Bruno Cenghialta Giro team: Stefano Casagrande (I); Davide Casarotto (I); Pietro Caucchiolo (I); Ivan Gotti (I); Martin Hvastija (Slo); Ruslan Ivanov (Mol); Endrio Leoni (I); Alexandr Shefer (Kaz); Mauro Zanetti (I). ALEXIA Italy Top GC rider: Hervé Top sprinter: