Luciano Pagliarini took a convincing sprint win at the conclusion of stage 4 of the Tour of Missouri on Friday, moving into a tie atop the points jersey standings in the process. [nid:40511]The Brazilian Prodir-Saunier Duval rider blasted straight up the gut of the finishing straight of Columbia’s East Walnut Street, lunging his bike across the line ahead of Canadian Andrew Pinfold (Symmetrics) and Cuban Ivan Dominguez (Toyota-United), who were a distant second and third respectively.

If there was any doubt that Alessandro Petacchi was back at his best, he erased them with an emphatic finishing surge Thursday to claim his second straight sprint victory at the Vuelta a España. On a day when another breakaway attempt fell short, Milram did the heavy lifting to reel in the attackers to put Ale-Jet in position to win the 173km 12th stage from Algemesí to Hellín.

Alessandro Petacchi (Milram) made yet another comeback after sprinting to victory in Wednesday’s otherwise routine 11th stage at the Vuelta a España. It was his first major victory since the Italian ace tested non-negative for Salbutamol at the Giro d’Italia and his career teetered on the edge of disaster. The Italian cycling federation eventually cleared Petacchi of what could have been a two-year racing ban, but the proud Petacchi was forced to sit on the sidelines during the Tour de France.

Barring a repeat of the bad luck that has periodically plagued George Hincapie the last couple years, the American is in solid position to win the overall title at the inaugural Tour of Missouri. On Wednesday, the Discovery Channel rider was part of a 12-rider break that rolled off the front of the field early in the rolling 125.6-mile stage 2 run from Clinton to Springfield and never looked back. At the finish, when Hincapie darted out of the small pack to take the stage win, the trailing field was more than 14 minutes behind.

Hincapie nips Rollin at the first sprint

Cuban speedster Ivan Dominguez earned the first yellow jersey of the inaugural Tour of Missouri, blasting across the line at the end of stage 1 on a sun-splashed Tuesday in Kansas City. The Toyota United rider’s triumph came at the expense of Canadian Zach Bell (Symmetrics) and American Kyle Wamsley (Navigators) who were second and third respectively on the opening day of this six-stage, 600-mile race that will head west to east across the Show Me State before finishing on Sunday in St. Louis.

How much is Denis Menchov dominating the 2007 Vuelta a España? If the amount of lipstick on his cheeks from receiving kisses from the podium girls is any indication, a lot. The 29-year-old Rabobank captain won the longest and hardest stage of this year’s Vuelta on a sunny and windy Monday high in Andorra to carry a solid lead of more than two minutes to compatriot Vladimir Efimkin (Caisse d’Epargne) into Tuesday’s rest day. Just add up the quality podium time Menchov enjoyed: stage winner, race leader, mountain jersey and the combined jersey. That’s a lot of kisses.

The inaugural six-stage Tour of Missouri, the third and final of America’s three “grand tours,” kicks off Tuesday in Kansas City. The 600-mile course will travel a counter-clockwise route, ending on Sunday, September 16, in St. Louis. In between the state’s largest cities are stops in Clinton, Springfield, Branson, Lebanon, Columbia, Jefferson City, and St. Charles.

Mark Cavendish (T-Mobile) began his bid to win the Tour of Britain in style with a powerful finish to take the first stage on Monday in Southampton. Cavendish, who held the yellow jersey after the prologue, stormed away in the sprint finish after good work by teammates Roger Hammond and Frantisek Rabon had given him an ideal platform. The 22-year-old from the Isle of Man blew away Steven Caethoven and Juan Jose Haedo in the final 200 meters to clinch his 10th stage win of the season. and take a 14-second lead over Russia's Nikolai Trusov. Holland's Piet Rooijakkers, who took the

Monday’s exciting stage at the Vuelta a España saw the return of polemica, a tried and true European journalistic tradition of a battle of words fought out in headlines. The “he said-she said” tug-of-wars used to fill the pages of European sports dailies until the dirty business of doping scandals took all the fun out of being a cycling journalist. Those glory days returned briefly Monday as exhausted and frustrated riders started to point fingers at one another at the finish of the frenetic 214km “queen stage” across the Spanish Pyrenees. The first salvo came from Team CSC’s Carlos

Nearly three minutes ahead of a confusion-laden finale, and after some 160 kilometers in the breakaway, Will Frischkorn (Slipstream-Chipotle) soloed to victory in the Univest Grand Prix in Souderton, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Frischkorn launched a perfect counter following teammate Tim Duggan’s probing attack with eight laps of the race’s 5-kilometer finishing circuit remaining. Duggan and Frischkorn accounted for half of a four-man break that entered the finishing loops together following a challenging 109-kilometer loop through the Montgomery County countryside. Together with Columbian

His image projected three stories high on a massive television screen, American Brian Lopes stood atop the podium Friday evening, arms raised in triumph, having just won the men’s four-cross world championship in Fort William, Scotland. Techno music deafened the 10,000-strong crowd gathered at the base of Fort William’s fast, winding track to watch the nighttime event take place under bright lights. A display of fireworks exploded overhead, and a smoke machine churned out thick clouds of white. The scene was a stark contrast to anything Lopes has seen in North America, where mountain-cross

Perhaps Oscar Freire has a sixth sense. After winning three out of the first six stages at the Vuelta a España, the Rabobank sprinter had his crash radar up and decided to take himself out of Friday’s sprint into Zaragoza. Sure enough. There was a nasty spill with about 30km to go that took down American Christian Vande Velde (CSC) when the peloton was roaring at 65kph to erase the day’s main breakaway.

Oscar Freire (Rabobank) is slipperier than a fish in the fast-moving waters of the bunch sprints at the Vuelta a España. For the better part of Thursday’s 184.3km sixth stage across Spain’s Rioja wine country, Freire was jabbering with friends at the back of the peloton, flitting around as if killing time before getting down to the business end of the stage.

It’s going to take more than a nasty crash to keep Christian Vande Velde from finishing this year’s Vuelta a España. The 31-year-old American is racing what’s his last major European race in a Team CSC jersey before switching to the up-and-coming Slipstream squad for the 2008 season and he wants to go out on a winning note. “I didn’t want to stop the race. The truth is, I felt horrible and I’m still pretty beat up. I still don’t feel great,” Vande Velde told VeloNews. “I want to go out with CSC on a good note. I hope to feel better in the coming days.” Vande Velde crashed twice in the

With a few short weeks before the 2007 world championship road race, Oscar Freire (Rabobank) looks almost unbeatable in the sprint as he aims for his fourth rainbow jersey in Stuttgart on September 30. [nid:40358]The three-time world champ scored his second win in five days in Wednesday’s 157.4km fifth stage at the Vuelta a España with an explosive sprint that left the rest in the peloton shaking their heads in disbelief.

In 2006 the Chinese duo of Ren Chengyuan and Ying Liu shocked the women’s cross-country crowd by dominating the U23 women’s field in their first-ever world championship race, held in Rotorua, New Zealand. In 2007 the duo came into the U23 championship race in Fort William, Scotland as marked women, however the result was nearly the same. While Chengyuan crossed the line first in 2006, it was Liu who took top honors and the rainbow stripes this year. Chengyuan held the advantage over Liu at the midway point, but Liu took the lead for good on the third of four laps. Chengyuan suffered a

Rabobank worked hard to ensure Freire had a shot at a sprint... and to keep Menchov in the mix.

Reigning world champion Paolo Bettini says he’s not superstitious, but he was probably having his doubts after what’s been a long season for the usually prolific Tuscan tiger. Bettini (Quick Step-Innergetic) came into the Vuelta a España with just one victory on the 2007 season and was relieved with his sprint victory Monday ahead of Óscar Freire Gómez (Rabobank) and Allan Davis (Discovery Channel) to end a winless streak dating back to February’s Tour of California.

We are off and running. September 1st has come and gone. The Vuelta is a rare and special race with an interesting peloton, facing different circumstances. Some have raced a lot; some very little; some have a contract; some don't; some are Spanish; many are not. Racing in your own country in front of your people, eating your food and enjoying your customs can give you that little bit of an edge. As for the rest of us, this race serves as a good test of desire and mental strength. For myself, I like the Vuelta, have a friend and teammate who can win the race and I can have some success

Unlike Interbike in the United States, Eurobike’s final day is open to the public. Anyone with 20 extra euros can show up at the Messe Friedrichshafen and see the bicycle industry’s best. Because of this, most of the show's business is done by Saturday afternoon, freeing exhibitors from spec’ and sales meetings, plus the press, just in time to be thrown to an inquisitive public. We saw a lot on Saturday, some of which can be quickly explained and some that will require more attention. Over the next few weeks, in a lead-up to Interbike, we will try to explore in detail some of those

A day after finishing second, Spanish ace Oscar Freire (Rabobank) got it right in Sunday’s crash-marred second stage to win and move into the overall lead at the Vuelta a España. And a day after American climber Tom Danielson (Discovery Channel) was KO’d with a broken shoulder, it was Christian Vande Velde’s turn. The Team CSC rider crashed twice but was able to finish the hilly stage despite some nasty road rash.

[nid:40251]Daniele Bennati (Lampre-Fondital) picked up where he left off, putting a nice bookend victory in Saturday’s 154.4km opener at the Vuelta a España to go along with his triumph in the final stage on the Champs Elysées at the Tour de France. The brawny Italian hitched a ride on Milram’s setup train and out-kicked a superstar field to win for the eighth time this season ahead of three-time world champion Oscar Freire (Rabobank) and Alessandro Petacchi (Milram), who came through third.

This year hasn’t been stellar, results-wise, for Team CSC’s David Zabriskie. But his second consecutive time-trial win at the 2007 USA Cycling Professional Championships on Saturday may have brightened things up a bit.

Tom Danielson lines up Saturday for the Vuelta a España with a clean bill of health following a painful and sometimes bizarre battle with debilitating stomach problems. Danielson missed what was expected to be a Tour de France debut this year following a series of recurring stomach problems that derailed efforts at the Volta a Catalunya and the Dauphiné Libéré earlier this season. “I was in so much pain I wanted to cut open my stomach and give birth to an alien,” Danielson told VeloNews. “June and July were really dark months. My body was screwed up, I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t pedal. I was

Controversial cyclist Erik Zabel looks set to take part in next month's World Road Championships after the German Cycling Federation (BDR) named him to its provisional squad on Wednesday. The 37-year-old, who won silver at last year's world championship road race in Salzburg, has been named in a preliminary 21-man squad which will be trimmed down before the championships which are in Stuttgart from September 26-30. Despite his close finish last year, Zabel's inclusion was opposed by many because of confession in May to using banned blood-booster EPO (erythropoietin) for a short

Imagine one morning you woke up to find you had been transformed into one of the best cyclists in the world. Were that the case, you might just feel like Mara Abbott. Obviously, Abbott’s transformation from novice to national champ’ didn’t happen overnight (it took two years), but the 21-year-old admits sometimes feels that way. Abbott started the 2007 season off hoping to gain some knowledge and experience in her freshman year in the pro ranks. Four months later, she had racked up palmarès most racers dream of. She won the Oak Glen stage of the Redlands Bicycle Classic, finishing second

Aaron Olson always seems to save the best for last. Last year, some of his best results came late in the 2006 campaign, capped by second in a Tour of Poland stage. The T-Mobile rider scored his best-ever result in a European stage race with third overall at the inaugural Tour of Ireland. Olson snatched second place in the race-winning breakaway in stage one and hung on to the podium spot in the surprisingly tough five-day Irish tour. “It’s not bad considering I crashed 10 days ago,” said Olson, referring to a nasty training spill in Spain. “It’s a nice way to finish off the European

Brazilian Luciano Pagliarini (Saunier Duval-Prodir) won the fifth stage of the Eneco Tour of Benelux over 180km from Terneuzen to Nieuwegein on Monday. Pagliarini edged out Britain's Mark Cavendish (T-Mobile) and Australia's Graeme Brown (Rabobank) in a sprint finish. "This is the best win of my life. My first bunch of flowers in a ProTour race," said an elated Pagliarini, who dedicated the win to his newborn daughter. "This week has been fantastic for me. I've waited for such a long time for a win like this. These last months were really difficult." Belgium's Nick Nuyens

Stijn Vandenbergh (Unibet.com) won the Tour of Ireland on Sunday as Marco Marcato (Team LPR) won the final stage, outsprinting two breakaway companions on the finishing circuit in Dublin. Vandenbergh finished safely in ninth place to clinch the overall with Marcus Ljungqvist (Team CSC) second and Aaron Olsen (T-Mobile) third. David O’Loughlin (Navigators Insurance) put the hammer down just after the intermediate sprint in Kinnegad, some 60km into the 147km stage from Athlone to the Irish capital, where Matti Breschel (Team CSC) scored five points to take the lead in the points

Danny Pate rode all but four kilometers of Saturday’s epic 232.5km fourth stage over the foggy mountains of Galway on the attack, but it was Norwegian hope Edvald Boasson Hagen (Maxbo-Bianchi) who took the cake at the Tour of Ireland. The Slipstream captain attacked 2km into the spectacular route across Ireland’s rugged Connamara country and was reeled in with about 2km to go as the heralded Boasson Hagen surprised the veterans with an early sprint to snag the win. “It was a lot of work for not a lot of reward,” said Pate, who was part of a five-man breakaway that dominated the Irish tour’s

Australian Robbie McEwen (Predictor-Lotto) won Saturday's third stage of the Tour of Benelux in a sprint finish ahead of Italian Francesco Chicchi and Thor Hushovd of Norway. Britain's Mark Cavendish, winner of the second stage on Friday, took fourth with Belgian Nick Nuyens, of the Cofidis team, finishing in the main peloton to keep the leader's red jersey. Despite his stage victory, McEwen expressed anger at his team's decision not to enter him in the Vuelta a España. "I was not ready to race this Tour of Benelux," he protested. "I would have preferred to do the Vuelta

T-Mobile’s Mark Cavendish won the second stage of the Eneco Tour of Benelux, prevailing in a sprint here on Friday. The British rider beat American Fred Rodriguez (Predictor-Lotto) and Belgian Wouter Weylandt after the 200-kilometer race from Antwerp. Cofidis’ Nick Nuyens retained the leader's red jersey. It is the second win in Belgium this year for the 22-year-old Cavendish after the Escaut Grand Prix, and his eighth success this season following wins in the Four Days of Dunkirk, Tour of Denmark and Ster Elektrotoer. "The team worked very well at the end. My teammates put me in an

Sprints are always a question of timing. Go too soon, you might get caught. Wait too long, you’re sucking fumes. A day after going too soon at the Tour of Ireland, Slovenian speedster Borut Bozic (LPR) timed it just right to pip a pair of ProTour boys in Friday’s undulating and windy 194km third stage from Tralee to Ennis. The main pack roared in for a bunch sprint after a promising six-man break featuring Pat McCarty (Slipstream) and Ben Day (Navigators Insurance) was reeled in with less than 10km to go. Baden Cooke (Unibet.com) bolted away with 300 meters to go on a rising right-hander

Andrew Hood has been enjoying his time in Ireland. We're glad he's camera, but a little disappointed that we didn't get the assignment, too.

It almost seemed unfair when the world No. 1 team ganged up on an untested youngster in Thursday’s hilly second stage at the Tour of Ireland. But Stijn Vandenbergh, Unibet.com’s unheralded neo-pro, proved he’s savvier than his 23 years when he fended off a collective effort by Team CSC to keep his yellow jersey dreams alive in the 166km run from Clonakilty to Killarney along Ireland’s stunning southwest coast. That’s not to say there weren’t some dicey moments for Vandenbergh, who surprised the favorites in Wednesday’s opener into Cork and take a huge 13-minute head start on all but nine

Borut Bozic, who later sprinted to fourth, before the start

Maximiliano Richeze leads Panaria-Navigare in sprints

After a way-too-long 15-year hiatus, the Tour of Ireland is back on the international racing calendar with a race worthy of one of Europe’s most colorful and rich cycling traditions. Twenty years after Stephen Roche won cycling rare treble of the Giro, Tour and world title and more than a decade after Sean Kelly finally hung up his cleats, Irish cycling could see a big boost from the return of a popular national tour marking its return after the 1992 demise of the Nissan Classic. A new generation of racers will be writing a new page in Irish cycling history with Wednesday’s start in

Rainy conditions soiled Saturday’s pro/am “test-run” criteriums in Downers Grove, Illinois, prompting many riders to either pull out early or opt out of racing altogether in order to save themselves for Sunday’s national-championship events. At the end of the day a pair of winners — Ken Hanson (BMC) and Brooke Miller (TIBCO) — each emerged from breakaways to take waterlogged wins. Rain was heaviest during the women’s 40-minute race, where Colavita Olive Oil-Sutter Home rider Alison Powers slipped off the front early. Miller was first to jump across, followed by Katharine Carroll (Aaron’s

Alessandro Ballan (Lampre-Fondital) had to work hard to win the 12th Vatttenfall Cyclassics on Sunday in Hamburg. The 27-year-old Italian held off Spaniard Oscar Freire (Rabobank) and German Gerald Ciolek (T-Mobile) to win a bunch sprint at the conclusion of the 229.1km race around Hamburg. Ciolek, 20, the world under-23 road champion, said he chose the wrong moment to make his move. "It is always tough to judge when to attack and I guess I didn't quite time my attack properly this time," said Ciolek. "But I am very pleased with third. Against such strong competition this is a giant

A clash of generations is theatening to usurp an anticipated Italian win at the Hamburg one-day cyclassics Pro Tour race this Sunday. But for reasons perhaps better explained by the Italians, the likelihood of up-and-coming German sprinter Gerald Ciolek (T-Mobile) claiming victory ahead of aging compatriot Erik Zabel (Milram) appears an outside bet. In 11 previous editions Italian riders have won five times, and always made it on to the podium of a race which, thanks to its mainly flat profile, is favored by the sprinters and late breakaway specialists. If a bunch sprint is on the cards at

Fans lining Second Street in downtown Fernie, British Columbia, greeted Roddi Lega and Tim Heemskerk with makeshift signs and cheers as the two rolled across the line to take their sixth win of the seven-stage 2007 TransRockies Challenge. With the victory, the duo, racing under the sponsorship of United Cycles, solidified their GC win over Costa Ricans Federico Ramirez and Ivan Amador of the La Ruta de los Conquistadores team, and Rocky Mountain Bicycle’s third-place team of Matt Hadley and Matt Green. “I think the biggest advantage we had was our recovery — we got a massage and rest and

If Jens Voigt hangs on after Friday’s decisive 33.1-kilometer time trial and wins the Deutschland Tour, he can be grateful to reigning world time trial champion Fabian Cancellara and the rest of his CSC teammates. It’s thanks to victory in the 42.2km team time trial in stage 2 that Voigt was able to defend the yellow jersey in Wednesday’s climbing blitz up high in the Austrian Alps. Powered by Cancellara, Team CSC took 25 seconds out of runner-up Discovery Channel and 57 seconds out of Caisse d’Epargne. Those seconds gave the renowned rouleur Voigt an invaluable head start as he faced off

Brad Huff will be facing some serious competition if he intends to keep his stars-and-stripes jersey at Sunday’s USA Cycling Professional Criterium Championship in the Chicago suburb of Downers Grove, Illinois. National criterium titles will also be awarded in the elite men’s and women’s categories, while various amateur events will be held over the 1.2-mile course throughout the day on Saturday. Although it doesn’t offer prize money like this month’s earlier top-dollar races in Charlotte, North Carolina or neighboring Elk Grove, Illinois - overall prize money for all 13 races held over

T-Mobile’s Gerald Ciolek won his second consecutive stage on the Tour of Germany on Thursday after holding off a determined challenge from sprint specialist Erik Zabel (Milram). The 20-year-old German was again the first home after covering the predominantly flat route from Kufstein, Austria, to Regensburg, Germany, in 4 hours, 8 minutes and 20 seconds. In damp conditions with persistent drizzle, the under-23 road world champion had to hold his nerve and battle all the way to the line as Zabel, who had pushed Ciolek close on Wednesday, again threatened in the final meters. CSC's Jens

Juan Mauricio Soler (Barloworld) still had enough gas in the tank after winning the polka-dot jersey at the Tour de France to claw his way to victory in the grueling stage at the Lagunas de Neila on Wednesday and slip into the overall leader’s jersey at the Vuelta a Burgos. The Colombian climber dropped the favorites on the final ramps of the always-decisive climbing stage in the five-day race in northern Spain. He soloed across the line 17 seconds ahead of Carlos Castaño (Karpin-Galicia) and José Ángel Gómez Marchante (Saunier Duval-Prodir), with pre-race favorite Alejandro Valverde

T-Mobile speedster Gerald Ciolek won the sixth stage of the Tour of Germany after a sprint finish through the foothills of the Austrian Alps into Kufstein on Wednesday. The 20-year-old German was the first home after covering the largely flat route from 175km from Laegenfeld in three hours, 57mins and 40 seconds as CSC's Jens Voigt retained the yellow jersey. Ciolek had to work hard to hold off a challenge from the chasing pack including strong finishers such as Italians Danilo Napolitano, Paolo Bettini and German Erik Zabel which pushed him hard to the line. "I waited until the last

Alberto Contador is on vacation this week, but he’ll probably be spending more time than he would like working the phone after last week’s news that his Discovery Channel team is disbanding at the end of the season. The standing Tour de France champion is without a secure future – not to mention most of the other riders and staff on the Discovery Channel payroll. Where Contador could likely end up depends on what kind of reception his new manager, Tony Rominger, receives from prospective ProTour teams. Doubts over Contador’s alleged links to the Operación Puerto investigation could

World championship silver medalist Erik Zabel (Milram) won the third stage on the Tour of Germany Sunday in Offenburg while defending champion Jens Voigt (CSC) retained the yellow jersey. Zabel, 37, proved quickest over the 181.8km course between Pforzheim through the stunning Black Forest to Offenburg to claim the 13th tour win of his career. Zabel sealed the victory in a tight sprint, winning in a time of 4 hours, 49 minutes and 25 seconds to finish just ahead of Spaniard Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Caisse d'Epargne) and Australian Bradley McGee (Française des Jeux). Defending champion

Health Net-Maxxis rider Nathan O’Neill kept up his winning ways over the weekend at the Alexian Brothers Tour of Elk Grove, held outside of Chicago. The Australian time-trial specialist took the overall at the two-day, three-stage event as he has done many times this season, by winning the race against the clock and defending his lead over the two remaining stages. The event, now in its second-year with a prize purse totaling $152,000, changed its format from a one-day criterium to include a 4.5-mile prologue and an 80km circuit race held on Saturday, August 11, and a 110km criterium over a

The appeals committee of the Italian Cycling Federation has asked that the case of cyclist Alessandro Petacchi, who tested positive for Salbutamol during the Giro d’Italia, should be heard before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The FCI cleared the 33-year-old sprint ace of doping last month claiming that human error was to blame for his positive test for Salbutamol, a medication primarily used to treat asthma, in May, which resulted in his Milram team barring him from the Tour de France. He has since returned to competition.Petacchi has a Therapeutic Use Exemption for the drug,

With the September 1 start of the Vuelta a España just three weeks away, the Spanish race is spending 180,000 euros to try to make the 2007 edition the cleanest version ever. And following the devastating news of the blood doping positive of last year’s third-place podium man Andrey Kashechkin, race organizers are raising new questions on whether they want to see the team of defending champion Alexandre Vinokourov at the start in Vigo. “The facts will determine the participation of the team. We’ve spoken with the team directors and they’ve told us they will take measures,” Vuelta race

German cyclist Robert Förster was delighted to give his Gerolsteiner team a winning start to the Tour of Germany when he won the opening stage in Saarbrücken Friday. The 29-year-old Förster won the 183.7km stage in a time of 4:24:16, finishing a field sprint ahead of Danilo Napolitano (Lampre-Fondital) and Milram’s Erik Zabel. Förster will wear the yellow jersey for Saturday's 42.2kms team time trial in Bretten. "This is an important win for us as a team," said Foerster after picking up his first stage win of the German tour. "Everything ran smoothly, the team rode strongly to help me.

The Mailbag is a regular department on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have read in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to webletters@insideinc.com. Please include your full name, hometown and state or nation. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Writers are encouraged to limit their submissions to one letter per month. The letters published here contain the opinions of the submitting authors and should not be viewed as reflecting the opinions, policies or positions of VeloNews.com, VeloNews magazine or our parent company,

Bobby Julich will take aim for the U.S. national championships next month to earn the Stars ‘n’ Stripes jersey for what will likely be his final year as a pro. The 35-year-old said he’s close to penning a one-year contract extension that will keep him in a Team CSC jersey through the 2008 season. And he’d love nothing better than to win the national title, which has eluded him in his otherwise successful 15-year pro career. “I’d like to try to win a national jersey finally. Either the time trial or the road race, I don’t care. I’d take anything,” Julich said. “It would be fun to have the

Bobby Julich will take aim for the U.S. national championships next month to earn the Stars ‘n’ Stripes jersey for what will likely be his final year as a pro. The 35-year-old said he’s close to penning a one-year contract extension that will keep him in a Team CSC jersey through the 2008 season. And he’d love nothing better than to win the national title, which has eluded him in his otherwise successful 15-year pro career. “I’d like to try to win a national jersey finally. Either the time trial or the road race, I don’t care. I’d take anything,” Julich said. “It would be fun to have the

After losing valuable ground on the NRC front during Charlotte, North Carolina’s prize-rich Presbyterian Hospital Invitational Criterium, Toyota-United’s Ivan Dominguez evened the score just up the road in Winston-Salem at the 2007 Hanes Park Classic. Dominguez sat comfortably in the field during most of Sunday’s 90-minute effort, content on waiting for the right moment to make up for a disappointing 15th place showing the day before. “Yesterday I was a little tired but from the second lap, I told my guys ‘Hey, keep the race together because I feel good.’ And I love this heat.” The extreme

Arvesen wins Danish tourNorwegian Kurt-Asle Arvesen (CSC) won the Tour of Denmark on Sunday. Britain’s Mark Cavendish (T-Mobile) won the sixth and final stage, a 175.6km leg between Praestoe and Frederiksberg. Arvesen thus becomes the first two-time winner of the Danish tour, his first victory here having come in 2004. It is the fourth consecutive victory here for a CSC rider. "It's fantastic," Arvesen told The Associated Press. "I never thought I could do this." Tour of DenmarkStage 61. Mark Cavendish (GB), T-Mobile, 175.6km in 4:05:172. Juan José Haedo (Arg), CSC, same time3. Graeme

With plenty of heavy hitters coming out of the Tour de France looking to light up the 225km Clásica San Sebastián on a hot Saturday in northern Spain, it was Leonardo Bertagnolli – with only five days of racing in his legs all season – who stole the prize. Bertagnolli, who only returned to training in early May after being sidelined with a cardiac arrhythmia for five months, outgunned Spanish veteran Juan Manuel Garate (QuickStep-Innergetic) in a two-up sprint to claim his most important victory of his career. “I’ve only raced five days this year. Though I didn’t expect to win, I knew the

It’s time for cycling to forget the Tour de France and all of its scandals as the international racing calendar kicks back into gear Saturday with the 27th Clásica San Sebastián in the heart of Spain’s Basque Country… at least for one day. Perhaps there couldn’t be a better tonic for cycling’s woes than a good old-fashioned race and the always-exciting Clásica could just be the ticket. With its spectacular backdrop – San Sebastián is easily one of Europe’s most glamorous cities – coupled with the passion that comes from the fiery Basque fans, the Clásica could help cycling fans remember

The Mailbag is a regular department on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have read in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to webletters@insideinc.com. Please include your full name, hometown and state or nation. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Writers are encouraged to limit their submissions to one letter per month. The letters published here contain the opinions of the submitting authors and should not be viewed as reflecting the opinions, policies or positions of VeloNews.com, VeloNews magazine or our parent company,

South African Ryan Cox died Tuesday weeks after doctors performed surgery to repair a constriction in his iliac artery, a problem common in cyclists. The 28-year-old Cox, who had reported numbness, weakness and other problems with his left leg earlier in the year, had been diagnosed with a problem similar to that experienced by CSC’s Stuart O’Grady in 2002. Cox, with financial assistance from Barloworld teammate Robbie Hunter, underwent surgery in early July. Cox’s coach Clint Curtis told Bicycling South Africa that the rider showed classic symptoms of an arterial constriction. "He

Karl Menzies (Health Net-Maxxis) took his third stage win of the 2007 Tour de Toona at Sunday’s stage 7 criterium, out-kicking Canadian Charles Dionne (Colavita Sutter Home) and Martin Gilbert (Kelly Benefits) in downtown Altoona, Pennsylvania. The victory capped off a week of dominance by the big Australian and his Health Net team, as Menzies and his teammate Rory Sutherland took the top two spots in the final general classification. American Laura Van Gilder (Cheerwine) took the women’s victory, out sprinting Canadian Gina Grain (Expresscopy.com) and Lauren Franges (Lipton). It was

Bennati and Zabel share a post-sprint moment.

Team Discovery, currently America's lone ProTour team, capped its best-ever Tour de France on Sunday, locking down the yellow jersey, the white jersey, two places on the final podium and the overall team classification. Discovery Channel's impressive quartet of achievements - highlighted by Alberto Contador's GC victory - exceeded any of the Lance Armstrong years, and gave the team formerly known as U.S. Postal Service eight Tour wins in nine years.

COURSE: The eight laps of the traditional finishing circuit around the Champs-Élysées is preceded by a 90km loop through the southern suburbs of the French capital. Let’s hope it’s not significant that the intermediate sprint after 74km is in the town of Châtenay-Malabry, where the infamous French anti-doping lab is located HISTORY: Every Tour has finished in the Paris area: at Ville d’Avray in the suburbs in 1903; at the now defunct Parc des Princes velodrome (1904-67); the Municipal Velodrome at Vincennes (1968-74); and, since 1975, on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. Only three times in

Throw in the two rest days, and Alberto Contador's winning margin at the 2007 Tour de France is destined to equal one tick of the watch per day. Those 23 seconds will represent the second smallest final time difference in the race's 94 renditions, trailing only Greg LeMond's eight-second triumph over Laurent Fignon in 1989. This year's near-record breaker came to pass during a breathtaking stage-19 time trial that left the outcome in doubt until the final kilometer, when Contador narrowly held off stiff challenges from Cadel Evans and Levi Leipheimer to maintain his slim overall lead.

The final stage of the Tour de France is traditionally a ceremonial ride into Paris, a day for the yellow jersey to sip champagne and the sprinters to fight for victory on the Champs-Élysées, one of the most celebrated avenues in cycling. Then again, never in the Tour has there been a final-day road stage quite like tomorrow’s, which is poised to close out the second-closest Tour in history, with Alberto Contador of Discovery Channel leading Cadel Evans of Predictor-Lotto by just 23 seconds. Contador’s teammate Levi Leipheimer sits third overall, just eight seconds behind Evans.

Health Net-Maxxis rider Karl Menzies took his second official – and third unofficial – win at the International Tour de ’Toona Friday, retaining the leader’s jersey in the process. Menzies recently returned from visiting his father, who has terminal cancer, in his native Tasmania.“When I say I’m motivated, people don’t necessarily understand what I mean,” Menzies said. “He told me, ‘I don’t want you sitting here watching me die. I want you back racing and winning.’” Winning Friday’s 77-mile stage 5 Martinsburg Circuit Race in a bunch sprint earned Menzies a five-second bonus in a race where

In a battle among two Frenchmen and a pair of soon-to-be retirees, Française des Jeux's Sandy Casar was fastest of the four, taking victory in stage 18 of the 2007 Tour de France. Casar, who crashed into an unleashed dog early in the day, launched a cunning attack late in the 211km ride from Cahors to Angoulême, then held off the chasing trio of Axel Merckx (T-Mobile), Laurent Lefevre (Bouygues Telecom) and Michael Boogerd (Rabobank). It was the 29-year-old Frenchman's first career Tour stage victory, and the second for the host country at this year's race.

In the Hunt for points, Hunter congratulates Boonen on the field sprint.

Karl Menzies (Health Net-Maxxis) came first across the line at the two most recent stages of the International Tour de Toona, but the record books only show him as winning one. After Health Net won the race’s opening team time trial, Menzies moved into the leader’s yellow jersey with his second-stage sprint win ahead of Sergey Lagutin (Navigators Insurance) and Charles Dionne (Colavita-Sutter Home). On stage 3 Wednesday, Menzies came to the finish of the 96-mile race from Johnstown as part of a 47-man group. What happened next depends on who you ask. The stage finished in the Logan Valley

Weather: Warm, highs in low 90s, moderate tail, crosswinds Stage winner: Daniele Bennati (Lampre-Fondital) marked late attacks from Jens Voigt to win a four-up sprint ahead of Markus Fothen (Gerolsteiner). Bennati overcame pain from a stage 2 crash to sneak into the day’s eight-man break. It’s his first career Tour stage and the second by an Italian in this year’s Tour. Race leader: Alberto Contador (Discovery Channel) took the yellow jersey following the controversial ejection of overnight leader Michael Rasmussen by his Rabobank team. Contador didn’t wear the maillot jaune during the

American Mike Friedman of the Slipstream-Chipotle team out sprinted his breakaway companions to take the Hollidaysburg Circuit race, the fourth stage of the 2007 Tour de Toona. Mark Walters (Kodakgallery-Sierra Nevada), Scott Nydam (BMC), Trent Wilson (Jittery Joe’s) and Christopher Jones (Nerac) collected the second through fifth spots on the day. Australian Karl Menzies of the Health Net-Maxxis team finished with the group, 1:37 in arrears, to hold his overall lead. Walters opened the initial gap on the first of three 20-mile circuits, dangling a minute off the front. But Friedman, a

The sorting out continued at the Tour de France on Sunday as Alberto Contador and Michael Rasmussen emerged as the race’s most serious contenders, finishing one-two atop the Plateau de Beille at the end of a dramatic 197km stage from Mazamet. On the Tour’s first foray into the Pyrénées, it was Discovery’s Contador, the leader in the best young rider competition, who proved the only man capable of staying with race leader Rasmussen of Rabobank.

COURSE: Not a mountaintop finish, but this stage features five difficult Pyrenean climbs, including one new to the Tour, the frightening hors categorie Port de Balès. This is a very narrow, twisting 19km uphill, with the last 10km having an average grade of almost 10 percent and a maximum pitch of 14 percent. It precedes the 10.5km climb of the Col de Peyresourde just before the last, fast downhill to the finish. HISTORY: Two stages of the Tour have terminated at Loudenvielle. In 1997, Frenchman Laurent Brochard escaped from anelite group on the descent into Val Louron to finish 14 seconds

After nine days at 2000 meters or more above sea level and 1343 kilometers, Selle Italia's Gabriele Massaglia has emerged triumphant in this year's Tour of Qinghai Lake by a single second. The final stage in Xining proved a formality for Discovery's Allan Davis, who took an unprecedented fifth stage victory and was the best sprinter by a country mile, winning the classification by a massive 16-point margin. It was a calculated win by the 36-year-old Massaglia, whose 13-year professional career includes a stage win at the 1997 Giro d'Italia, overall victory at the 1998 Tour de

Michael Rasmussen may be leading the Tour de France, but he’s not winning any friends in either the peloton or the court of public opinion. Rasmussen has fallen out of favor with fans, team managers and race officials after claiming he made an "administrative error" — by missing two random UCI doping controls — on March 24, 2006, and June 28, 2007. It later emerged that Rasmussen had also been warned twice by Denmark's anti-doping agency. And on Friday VeloNews.com reported on allegations by a former amateur mountain-bike racer that in 2002 Rasmussen attempted to trick him into bringing

Ryan Trebon (Kona-Les Gets) and Mary McConneloug (Seven-Kenda) each emerged victorious in Sunday’s short-track cross-country race, the final event of the 2007 USA Cycling national mountain-bike championships held at Mount Snow resort in Vermont. For McConneloug, the win was the second victory of the 2007 championship event — the Fairfax, California, native won Friday’s cross-country race ahead of Georgia Gould (Luna) and Willow Koerber (Subaru-Gary Fisher). The short-track victory came as a surprise for the Californian, who spends most of her season living and racing in Europe and rarely