The second Crank Brothers U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclo-cross kicks off Saturday with a pair of Northwestern races – Saturday’s Cannondale Stumptown Cyclocross Classic in Portland, Oregon, and Sunday’s Rad Racing Gran Prix of Cyclocross in Tacoma, Washington. The six-race national series rewards overall winners in the elite-men, elite-women, under-23 and junior-men categories with automatic selection to the U.S. team that will contest the world cyclo-cross championships on January 28-29, 2006, in Zeddam, The Netherlands. All six races will be held under UCI regulations, and leaders’ jerseys will

Redmond, WA - What do mail carriers and ‘cross racers have in common? Rain, hail, and unwavering dedication to their chosen courses. Nearly a thousand spectators proved just as passionate to the sport as true northwest-style (read: “muddy”) cyclocross reigned at the Group Health Velodrome Saturday night.Despite the drenching downpour on the early races at King County’s MarymoorPark in Redmond, WA, our hardy bell-clanging fans still packed the windingcourse and Toña Cerveza Beer Garden, letting riders know they wereall in it together.In stark contrast to last year’s balmy event, this year’s

“I’ve always felt, tactically, that I was a fairly smart rider. Everything’s timing, and you’ve got to be feeling good for that one moment when it’s gonna make the difference.” Those words could well have been spoken by Tom Boonen, who timed his effort so perfectly at last week’s world road championships in Madrid that the first time he was seen at the front of the race was when he crossed the line as the winner. But it wasn’t Boonen talking about his rainbow-jersey victory in 2005, but Greg LeMond after winning the world’s in 1983. LeMond seemed destined to become the first American to

It looks like Christian Vande Velde will be staying with Team CSC for at least another year. The 29-year-old confirmed to VeloNews that he reached a verbal agreement with Bjarne Riis’s red and white team Wednesday night and will likely sign the contract during this weekend’s GP Zürich to make it official. Vande Velde joined Team CSC this year along with compatriot Dave Zabriskie and rode strongly in both the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España. Despite crashing three times, Vande Velde toughed it out to help Carlos Sastre finish third overall. In other team news, Sastre has decided to

Following an excellent neo-pro season, which includes the best climber’s jersey at the Tour de l’Avenir and ninth overall at the Tour of Germany, Saul Raisin has decided to stay where he feels most comfortable. The 22-year-old Georgian signed a two-year extension with Crédit Agricole that will keep him on the French team through the 2008 season. “I had a lot of offers from other teams after the Tour of Germany, I decided I just wanted to stay focused and not have to worry about changing teams,” Raisin told VeloNews after his impressive world’s debut when he was part of the day’s early

Tom Boonen was among the top-line favorites for the 2005 world road cycling championships, but with less than three kilometers to go in Sunday’s 272km race, it didn’t look like he, Alessandro Petacchi or Robbie McEwen had a chance. A six-man break had slipped away from the sprinters in a chaotic, attack-filled final lap, but Boonen’s Belgian bodyguards saved the day, hurling him onto the finishing straight to catch the attacking Alexandre Vinokourov with 600 meters to go. Boonen finished off the job with a long, 300-meter sprint and roared across the line to claim the coveted rainbow

At the CD&P Bermuda Grand Prix racers come with two priorities: racing hard and having a bit of fun in the process. This is, after all, Bermuda. The four-day stage race is the final stop of the Women’s Prestige Cycling Series. The top ten teams after the International Tour de Toona are provided free airfare and accommodations to come race on the remote tropical island. The relatively short stages allow plenty of time for the competitors to experience the island, but the demanding courses provide exciting racing action. In Thursday’s first stage, a criterium through the streets of downtown

Boonen wins the field sprint easily.

Amber Neben dared to try to hold off the sprinters in Saturday's elite women's road racing world championships on the 21km Madrid circuit course that almost everyone agrees favors a mass gallop. Neben, winner of the Tour de L'Aude earlier this season, sprung away after the second climb with about 7km to go to nearly catch the sprinters by surprise. Neben clung to a five-second gap, but was reeled in with 4km to go before the powerful German team sling-shot Regina Schleicher into the rainbow jersey. "I was able to get a gap there, but I didn't have the legs to stick it," said

It was a double dose of disappointment Saturday for the American U-23 men's team in the 168km world championships as Ukraine's Dmytro Grabovskyy soloed to an impressive victory. The motivated five-man team missed an early breakaway in the second of eight laps and then American captain Tyler Farrar crashed out in a high-speed pileup in the final kilometers. U.S. team doctor Eric Heiden reported Farrar had some "pretty bad road rash," but no broken bones, but the disappointment was obvious when teammate John Murphy led the Americans across the line 119th some 11 minutes down. "We were

Most observers agree there are three favorites for the elite men's road race: Alessandro Petacchi, Robbie McEwen and Tom Boonen. But every world's delivers at least one surprise. Here's a look at some of the characters who could rock the sprinter's boat: Alejandro Valverde, SpainThe enigma of this year's world's, the 2003 silver medalist has only raced once since pulling out of the 2005 Tour with a sore knee. With three-time defending champion Oscar Freire sidelined, the Spanish team will be doing everything to avoid a sprint. Valverde and other Spanish riders such as

Italian Alessandro Petacchi, one of the favorites to take the men’s road race title in Madrid on Sunday, has inked a three-year deal with the newly formed Milram professional team. The 31-year-old Italian, who has been the Fassa Bortolo team's shining star for the past few years winning stages in all three big Tours, will be joined by German rival Erik Zabel. Zabel, 35, the former six-time winner of the Tour de France green jersey for the sprinters' points competition, also signed a three-year deal. Petacchi, however, failed to show at the team presentation because he was due to

They’re already calling it the "McEwen Corner," the tricky, 180-degree U-turn that comes 450 meters from the finish line in the road world championships course in Madrid. There’s a growing consensus that the technical finish favors the puckish Australian, known for his tenacity both on and off the bike. McEwen is scheduled to arrive to Madrid on Thursday and head up a motivated and well-disciplined Australian team built around setting him up for a sprint finish. VeloNews European correspondent Andrew Hood spoke with McEwen on Tuesday evening via telephone at his home in Belgium to get the

Tyler Farrar will end his 2005 season with Saturday’s espoirsroad race, when he lines up as one of the favorites for the gold medal. The 22-year-old sprinter from Washington state has enjoyed a fabulousseason, winning the U.S. criterium title, a stage at the Tour de l’Avenir,Belgian races Trofee van Haspengouw and Challenge de Hesbaye as well asa stage in the Ronde de l'Isard d'Ariege in France. Farrar is set to make the leap into the European pro leagues in 2006as he joins Cofidis on a two-year deal and he’s hoping he can cap his seasonwith a rainbow jersey. VeloNews European

If anyone knows the Madrid world’s road race course, it’s Giovanni Lombardi. The 36-year-old veteran Italian lives in Madrid’s trendy Cheuca neighborhood, just around the corner from the finish line in front of Real Madrid’s Bernabeu soccer stadium. The Team CSC rider was waiting for the Madrid’s world’s for what was expected to be his final race as a professional. He was intending to race in support of the Italian national team, ride straight through the finish line to his apartment, hang up his bike and officially call it quits. Those best-laid plans were dashed after he recently signed

It’s not often the world championships are held in a bustling city of 5 million inhabitants, but that’s just the setting for the 2005 world road cycling championships which open Tuesday evening with an official celebration. Whether the Madrileños will be cursing the numerous traffic closures in the heart of this very Spanish capital remains to be seen, but a very urban flavor will be one of the hallmarks of the 2005 road world’s. Racing kicks off Wednesday with the women’s and U-23 time trials and concludes Sunday with the elite men’s road race. In between there should be plenty of

There’s an air of open rebellion as a behind-the-scenes power struggle threatens to overshadow action on the road at the eve of the 2005 world road cycling championships. A nasty catfight at the highest levels of the UCI is spilling out of the boardroom and onto the front pages just as athletes file into this thriving Spanish capital for what’s sure to be a unique and exciting venue for the battle for the rainbow jersey. The open hostilities hit rock bottom Monday when the UCI executive committee angrily notified its members to change travel plans, directing them to Geneva instead of its

The Vuelta finale in Madrid was an exciting climax to the three-week race, as there were thousands of fans on the final circuit, located in the north part of the city. The riders raced over this week’s 2005 World Championships road racecourse and Petacchi won in his usual style by dominating the sprint finish. Is that a foreshadowing of Sunday’s professional road race? The finish of a grand tour sometimes seems a bit anti-climatic for the riders, as after three weeks of being together pushing themselves to the limits day after day, the riders cross the line and quickly rush to shower, pack

Roberto Heras could finally smile after safely crossing the finish line in Sunday’s 21st stage of the 2005 Vuelta a España. While the race had all but been decided in last weekend’s epic climbing stage, it wasn’t official until he made it through Sunday’s 136.5km finale, finishing 32nd behind stage winner Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo). With that, he rode into the history books by winning a record fourth Vuelta crown. "I don’t know what I will do next year. Right now I want to enjoy this win at the Vuelta, the race that’s given me so much," said the triumphant Heras. Heras’s easiest

While the Tour de France boasts a seven-time winner and the Giro d’Italia has a handful of five-time winners (Binda, Coppi and Merckx), no one had won more than three Vueltas until this year. On Sunday, Roberto Heras made history when he became the first to win a fourth Vuelta crown after finishing safely in the bunch in the final sprint. Despite crashing in the second week and finding himself up against a stubborn Denis Menchov, the 31-year-old Spanish rider took his fourth victory with one dramatic attack in last Sunday’s stage up the brutal Pajares climb in northern Spain. To add a nice

Michael Friedman (Northwestern Mortgage-Fuji) won the Univest Grand Prix criterium on Sunday from a group of three riders. While the criterium doesn’t hold a UCI ranking like Saturday’s 160km road race, it is still a hard-fought event. The race in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, was added last year, transforming the Univest Grand Prix from a one-day classic to a two-day omnium. The 80km criterium is run on a narrow rectangular course with a small hill before the final turn. Friedman, the 2001 under-23 national champion, escaped with Chad Hartley (TIAA-CREF), who finished second, and David Clinger

USA Cycling names road team for world championshipsJulich, Armstrong, Farrar Headline RosterColorado Springs, Colo. (September 17, 2005)-USA Cycling announced todaythe riders that will represent the United States at the 2005 UCI Road WorldChampionships in Madrid, Spain September 21-25.A total of 21 riders in three categories - elite and U23 men and elitewomen - will compete for the title of world champion in road race and timetrial events.Headlining the list of elite men is 2004 Olympic time trial bronze medalistBobby Julich (Glenwood Springs, Colo.) who will be gunning for a rainbowjersey in

Unsung German rookie Heinrich Haussler (Gerolsteiner) delivered a surprise Friday to snatch the 142.9km 19th stage while Roberto Heras (Liberty Seguros) enjoyed a relatively easy day in the saddle with only two days left in the 60th Vuelta a España. Haussler was all smiles as he streaked through ahead of Swiss national champion Martin Elmiger (Phonak) and David Latasa (Comunidad Valenciana) to win his first professional race. The rolling race through the hills north of Madrid proved a frenetic day of racing for riders desperate to win a stage as the Vuelta rolls into its final weekend of

Michael Barry is zeroing in on finishing his third Vuelta a España, but the Discovery Channel rider says the Giro d’Italia is a harder race. Barry rode the Giro earlier this year in support of winner Paolo Savoldelli and the Canadian says he notes a big difference between the three-week tours. “The Giro stages are longer, but this year’s Vuelta is longer than the ones I’ve done before,” Barry said. “In the past the Vuelta has been flat-out racing from the start every day.” Barry enjoyed racing at the Giro, where huge crowds turned out to cheer the peloton every day. A more spirited

Mammoth Mountain, California - For the second-consecutive year, Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru-Gary Fisher) stormed to the men’s professional cross-country national championship. After riding two laps at the front of the field alongside Adam Craig (Giant) and Walker Ferguson (Scott USA), on Friday, the 27-year old Horgan-Kobelski launched his decisive attack near the summit of the day’s long climb. “My plan coming into this race was to put in a huge effort on the second or third lap,” Horgan-Kobelski said. “I wanted to get a gap and hoped to demoralize some people. I think I stuck to the

Sometimes it’s cruel that only one rider can win a stage as spectacular and attack-laden as Thursday’s 18th stage in the 60th Vuelta a España. Nicki Sörensen (CSC), Javier Pascual Rodríguez (Comunidad Valenciana) and Chente García Acosta (Illes Balears) went mano a mano in the 197.5km, five-climb march over the final hard mountains of this year’s Vuelta and the Dane came out the winner. The three were the survivors of a 16-man breakaway on a day that saw no major shifts in the overall standings. Roberto Heras (Liberty Seguros) retained his 4:30 lead with just three stages to go in the 2005

Christian Vande Velde stuck his nose in the wind in Thursday’s stage, leading the peloton over the final hard climb of the 2005 Vuelta a España up the Cat. 2 Puerto de Navalmoral. The 29-year-old CSC rider was looking to get a head start on the peloton in case there were any dangerous attacks from Francisco Mancebo (Illes Balears), the Spanish rider who’s trying to take third place away from Carlos Sastre. "I knew that Mancebo was going to attack again and it was better to get ahead of the storm so I would be there for Carlos," Vande Velde said while he was getting a massage post-stage. "It

Sorensen takes the two-up sprint

Quick Step’s Paolo Bettini was forced to dig deep to win the 16th stage of the Vuelta a España on Tuesday. The 2004 Olympic champion almost ran out of space as Fassa Bortolo’s feared sprint ace Alessandro Petacchi, who has already won four stages in this year’s Vuelta, came surging up on the outside at the end of the 162.5km stage from Leon to Valladolid in northern Spain. Already the winners of four stages in this year's Vuelta, Petacchi's Fassa Bortolo team lost control of the stage on a slight ascent close to the finish and Bettini made his move 300 meters from the line, narrowly

CYCLING COMMUNITY UNITES TO HELP IN THE WAKE OF HURRICANE KATRINASeptember 9, 2005Boulder, CO - Pro cyclists around the world join VeloNews and 3 CatsPhoto to raise funds for the American Red Cross and Hurricane Katrina.In light of the tremendous tragedy in New Orleans, Mississippi and otherGulf States, cyclists from Ivan Basso to Tim Johnson signed and donatedteam jerseys for an on-line auction on Veloswap.com. Additionally, USACycling has donated an official USA National Champion jersey that is currentlytraversing the USA garnering signatures from Davis Phinney, George Hincapie,Freddie

The flat days are misleading in Spain, as I have now learned after racing the Vuelta four times. They are usually in the wide-open countryside and the racing is nervous and not as easy as a bike rider might imagine a flat stage to be. We woke up this morning, ready for a stage without a hill but with about a dozen corners in 160 km and a lot of wind on open stretches of prairie. As we rolled out of Leon, the start town, towards the official start banner on the outskirts, the peloton was already nervous and expecting the race to open up from the gun. It did, and never really relented until

Baden Cooke (Française des Jeux) won the opening stage of a glitch-marred Tour of Poland on Monday. The Aussie won a bunch sprint at the end of the 149km stage from Gdansk to Elblag, outkicking Luca Paolini (Quick Step) and Francesco Chicchi (Fassa Bortolo) after more than three hours of racing. The Polish tour, making its debut as part of the UCI ProTour, got off to a dubious start when Alexandre Vinokourov (T-Mobile) - who was only 48 points behind Pro Tour series leader Danilo Di Luca of Italy (Liquigas-Bianchi) in the individual rankings - was one of four riders from Kazakhstan who did

Australian Robbie McEwen (Davitamon-Lotto) won a sprint victory in the 73rd Grand Prix de Fourmies-La Voix du Nort in Fourmies on Sunday. McEwen outkicked Stefan Van Dijck (MrBookmaker) and Jean-Patrick Nazon (AG2R Prévoyance) to win the 200km race. Results1. Robbie McEwen (Aus), Davitamon-Lotto, 200km in 4:28:02 (45.376 km/h)2. Stefan Van Dijck (Ned), Mr Bookmaker), same time3. Jean-Patrick Nazon (F), AG2R Prévoyance), s.t.4. Anthony Ravard (F), s.t.5. Jean-Luc Delpech (F), s.t. Bronzini, Scholz win NurembergAustralian Oenone Wood (Team Nürnberger) clinched the women’s World Cup on Sunday

Australian Robbie McEwen warmed up for the world road race championships in two weeks time by winning a sprint finish for the Paris-Brussels cycling classic Saturday in Brussels. The Davitamon rider sprinted home ahead of Dutch rider Stefan Van Dijck (MrBookmaker) and Frenchman Jean-Patrick Nazon (AG2R). "It's a team victory," said McEwen, winner here already in 2002. "My teammates, headed by Axel Merckx, put in great work to chase down the leaders. Then Peter (Van Petegem), Nico (Mattan) and Bjorn (Leukemans) put everything in place to fend off attacks." McEwen notched up his 24th

The 2005 mountain-bike World Cup is drawing to a conclusion. Saturday brought the final races in the cross-country and four-cross events at Fort William, Scotland, and while all four events proved anti-climactic, in that the series winners were already known, that did not mean poor racing, with two first-time World Cup winners crowned. Women's cross-country This was the easiest race to pick. World champion and World Cup leader Gunn-Rita Dahle (Multivan Merida) came into the final race with an insurmountable lead - plus she had won the Fort William race the previous two years. The real

Disaster can strike at any time in a bicycle race, just ask Roberto Heras. The three-time Vuelta a España champion was rolling along safely tucked in the main bunch when suddenly someone clipped tires with less than 40km to go in Friday’s 12th stage, causing riders to drop like dominos all around. Jakob Piil (CSC) dropped out with a concussion and Niels Scheuneman (Rabobank) broke his hand, but all eyes were on the frail Heras. The Liberty Seguros rider fell hard on his left knee, leaving him with blood streaming down his leg as he gingerly remounted the bike. Nothing was broken, but Heras

VdV down again; Danielson okayChristian Vande Velde (CSC) was caught up in Thursday’s big crash that took out CSC teammate Jakob Piil. The Dane was knocked unconscious and taken to a local hospital for overnight observations, but early indications are that he wasn’t otherwise seriously injured. Vande Velde, however, was banged up when riders fell in front of him like bowling pins. “Everyone went down in front of me and I went down on top of them,” Vande Velde said. “I fell on the same place I did the other day. I have a big hematoma there and I kind of aggravated it. I crashed Monday and

While most eyes have been turned to the Vuelta a España thismonth, the smaller six-stage Tour of Britain (August 30–September 4) featuredsome of the most competitive racing the European continent has witnessedin 2005. When all was said and done, only 40 seconds separated the race’stop six finishers. Although the Tour of Britain does not carry ProTour status, a handfulof peloton's top squads, including T-Mobile, CSC, Quick-Step and MrBookmaker,did send riders. Present were some heavy hitters, including reigningworld time trial champ Michael Rogers and Belgian strongman Nick Nuyensof

Francisco Mancebo was dropped at least twice on the grinding climb to the Arcalís ski station high in the Andorran mountains, but each time he fought his way back to rejoin a lead group composed of all of the Vuelta a España’s top players. The Illes Balears captain put everything into a last-gasp dig to bridge back to three-time Vuelta champion Roberto Heras (Liberty Seguros) and race leader Denis Menchov (Rabobank) with 3.5km to go, then found the legs to sprint to victory in Monday’s four-climb, 206.3km 10th stage. “I won more today with the heart than the legs,” said Mancebo, who nudged

Mancebo gets his winIt’s been a long time coming, but Francisco “Paco” Mancebo finally got his first big-time, grand tour stage victory in Monday’s hump to Arcalis. They eight-year pro has been close before, including second in last year’s final time trial and third in the seventh stage of the 2004 Tour de France, but the 29-year-old Spanish rider had never won a stage in a grand tour. “I’ve been close over the years so it feels good to finally win one,” said Mancebo, who out-sprinted Roberto Heras and Denis Menchov to win. “I’m not one of those explosive riders who can blow up the race. I

The riders are now in the midst of the toughest mountain stages of the Vuelta and the race organization and drug testers are not making it any easier on them, as they put the riders in lousy hotels over the weekend, with loud music playing all night long, making for a lousy night sleep and then woke them up at the crack of dawn for blood testing. While visiting Michael this weekend in Lloret de Mar, I felt like I was having a bad nightmare, in which I was brought back to the ‘70s and stuck in a cheesy all-inclusive family resort. Normally, the guys stay in nice hotels, so this was totally

My roommate, Tom Danielson had a fantastic ride and moved himself up into the top five overall. He is a great time trialist but an even better climber so he is motivated for the coming days. Both of us have been sweating up a storm the last 24 hours as our hotel has no air conditioning and gets direct sunlight for most of the day. We have the door and the windows open to try and get a breeze through the room but it doesn’t seem to be doing much other than attracting the tourists to our room who have no qualms about coming in and saying “hello.” The highlight of the time in Lloret has

Fabian Wegmann’s first trip to the United States was capped on Sunday afternoon with a tidy profit earned near San Francisco’s Financial District. The 25-year-old German, who rides for Levi Leipheimer’s Gerolsteiner squad, won the 108-mile Barclays Global Investors Grand Prix after catching John Lieswyn (Health Net-Maxxis) and Jason McCartney (Discovery Channel) in the final two miles, then outsprinting the two Americans for the $15,000 winner’s purse. While the sun finally broke through the famous San Francisco fog in time to shine on Wegmann as he sped across the finish line on the

Tom Danielson might have had trouble falling asleep Sunday night a few hours after riding the best time trial of his career, but it wasn’t because of any post-stage euphoria. A karaoke show was in full flight in his hotel courtyard, and he was hoping the singers would shut up soon enough for him to catch some shuteye before hitting two difficult climbing stages in the Pyrenees beginning Monday. Danielson shot to fifth place overall in the Vuelta a España after his strong sixth-place finish in Sunday’s 10th stage around the party town of Lloret de Mar. While revelers were bringing the Spanish

In 2002, Mario Cipollini won Milan-San Remo, dominated the sprints at the Giro d’Italia, skipped the Tour de France (his team wasn’t invited), returned to the Vuelta a España to win three stages in the first week to abandon by stage eight, then stormed into Zolder and walked away with the rainbow jersey. In 2005, Alessandro Petacchi is close to repeating that script. After winning Milan-San Remo, Petacchi ruled at the mountainous Giro and then skipped the Tour (his team was invited) to arrive fresh for the world title. In Saturday’s 189km eighth stage the Fassa Bortolo speedster put the

Though its relationship with the city of San Francisco has occasionally shown signs of strain since its 2001 debut, the annual late-summer race here has gotten nothing but love from the tens of thousands of spectators who come out to watch each year. With a charming Golden Gate city backdrop and ladder-steep climbs, the race that took on the name of its new sponsor a few weeks ago to become the Barclays Global Investors Grand Prix has quickly earned a distinguished place on the American cycling calendar. Or, in the words of the Jittery Joe’s-Kalahari rider Tim Johnson, a veteran of all four

We have finally arrived in Catalonia and are close to Girona tonight. Dede and Liam were at the finish today and I will get to spend the evening with them as well as tomorrow as we’ll be in Lloret de Mar for two days. Lloret is a strange town that reminds me of Niagara Falls. It is overpopulated with tourists and tourist attractions and it not one of the more attractive towns on the Costa Brava. Next to our hotel there are haunted houses, wax museums, and water parks. Tonight we’ll enjoy a buffet dinner with hundreds of sunburned tourists. Today’s stage looked flat on the profile but any

Eurobike, the bicycle industry’s annual trade show in Friedrichshafen, Germany, opened its doors Thursday for the 14th consecutive year. Although many companies these days are electing to display their new wares earlier in the summer in a race to be the first to capture dealer interest and begin filling their order books, Eurobike is still the first collective look we get at what’s in store for the new year. Unfortunately, 2005 did not treat the European bicycle industry so well. While few companies are willing to disclose hard numbers, the general indication is that bicycle sales have been

Max Van Heeswijk surged to victory in Friday’s seventh stage at the Vuelta a España in his biggest victory of what’s been a bittersweet year for the veteran Dutch sprinter. Van Heeswijk returned to the winner’s circle last month at the Benelux Tour after what was a season beset with personal problems and frustrations. Those are clearly a thing of the past as “Mad Max” charged to his first Vuelta stage win since 1997 in Friday’s chaotic sprint finish. “I knew I was strong today because I flatted but I was able to chase back on quite easily,” said Van Heeswijk, who outlasted Erik Zabel

With Roberto Heras showing such dominance one week into the Vuelta a España, one wonders why he falls so flat in the Tour de France. For the past two Tours, Heras has failed to deliver after making his high-profile departure from U.S. Postal Service at the end of the 2003 season. In the 2004 Tour, Heras abandoned in the Alps. This year he made it to Paris, but he was never a factor in the race. “I am feeling that my body feels 100 percent for this Vuelta,” Heras said. “And during the Tour, it just wasn’t like that, even though this year was better than last year.” The headlines Friday

There’s a name on the international cross-country circuit that race fans will to want to familiarize themselves with. Only 19 years old, Swiss rider Nino Schurter spent 2005 as the reigning world junior world XC champion and was unquestionably the strongest man in the world under-23 cross-country championship Friday in Livingo, Italy. Unfortunately, the best man didn’t win in Livingo. Schurter took off from the start of the 3.5-lap, 43km contest, opening a gap of two minutes and riding comfortably in control of the race. But after losing tire pressure - first in his front tire, and then

Tyler Farrar (U.S. National) won the second stage of the Tour de l’Avenir in France on Friday, vaulting into fourth place overall. The 21-year-old Farrar outkicked Borut Bozic (Perutnina) and Hans Dekkers (Rabobank) in a mass-sprint finale to the 107.5-mile stage from Argentré-du-Plessis to Sainte-Scolasse-sur-Sarthe. Denmark’s Lars Bak (Team CSC) retained the yellow jersey ahead of Ukraine’s Denys Kostuyk (Jartazi Granville) and Spain’s Jesus Del Nero (Orbea). The day’s action kicked off early with a five-man break that went clear just 6km into the race. At 115km, with the gap up to more

Vuelta Stage 7The countryside today’s stage passed through had long somewhat-shallow grade hills with wide-open and windy terrain, much like the foothills of Colorado. Michael said that the stage started at a quick pace and the field immediately splintered. The riders had to climb out of Teruel, which is situated in a valley. They raced over a four Category 3 climbs in the first 100km of the 200km stage, which some of the guys in the bunch said felt like more like Cat. 2’s, with some of the guys telling Michael that they felt like the Vuelta race organization was gypping them with the

Winning the points jersey in the Tour de France would make the season for most sprinters. But for Thor Hushovd, the stocky Norwegian who snagged the green jersey this year without winning a stage, taking a victory in Wednesday’s 176km fifth stage at the Vuelta a España is the highlight he’ll cherish most. “This is the biggest win of the year for me,” said Hushovd, who made it over a punchy climb 12km from the finish to drive home the sprint. “I won the green jersey at the Tour this year, but to win a stage in the Vuelta is very big for me.” Hushovd came off the fifth wheel and roared to a

Italian national team coach Franco Ballerini can leave the Vuelta a España confident that Alessandro Petacchi is on track for the Madrid world championships. Somewhat surprisingly, Ballerini was still holding out judgment on the Italian sprinter. Back-to-back victories Monday and Tuesday went a long way toward shoring up his confidence in the Fassa Bortolo sprinter. “These victories give us confidence in Petacchi that we can build a team entirely around him. Because if he’s not where he needs to be, we might bring a team with two leaders,” he said. “Petacchi still needs to prove he’s

Today, our little Discovery team supporter, Liam, got a chance to coo for daddy, as Michael went away in the early break and was virtual leader on the road for quite a while. Although, his luck ran out when the sprinters' teams decided to chase and the break of 8 riders was caught at the base of the final climb with 15 km to the finish. For Discovery, the plan was to have Benoit Joachim, Stijn Devolder and Michael cover the early breakaways and to help Max Van Heeswijk in the final sprint. The pace was high from the start and all guys commented that it felt like the Vuelta of years

Two sprints and two victories for Alessandro Petacchi. This might be the Vuelta a España, but for the top sprinters taking part in the 232km fourth stage, the 2005 Vuelta’s longest stage played out as a preview for the September 25 road world championships in Madrid. “I was better than yesterday, so that’s encouraging,” said Petacchi, who won a wide-open charge to the line ahead of Thor Hushovd (Crédit Agricole) and Erik Zabel (T-Mobile). “This win gives me confidence that I am in good shape.” Brad McGee (FDJeux) enjoyed a relatively easy, but hot day in the leader’s jersey as a four-man

In Argamasilla de Alba, Spain… Danielson’s cool with itTom Danielson said he’s holding up fine under the heat of the opening stages of the 60th Vuelta a España. The Discovery Channel rider came across the line safely in the main bunch to remain 11th overall at 1:17 back. “I’m feeling good,” Danielson said at the finish line as he grabbed a drink from one of the team soigneurs. “We’re riding as a team. We’ve had no problems at all.” Danielson said he hasn’t been adversely affected by the scorching temperatures that have cooked the peloton in the opening four days of the race. The

The last few days have been tough, not because it has been fast, but rather because of the intense heat. The peloton is sluggish and the racing not very animated as a result. Only when the finish line is near does the pace pick up, the peloton becomes nervous and the racing gets exciting. Otherwise, the major objective of nearly every team has been to keep riders hydrated and not to expend too much energy. It’s easy to dig a hole too deep to climb out of when the temperatures rise over 35 degrees Celsius (95F) in the shade, of which there is little. Today’s stage was a little frustrating

The sprinters got their first shot in the 153km third stage of the Vuelta a España and Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo) took full advantage. In another blistering hot day, the Milan-San Remo champion sent a message loud and clear to his would-be rivals for the upcoming world championships, taking a sprint victory ahead of three faces he’s expecting to see next month on the roads of Madrid. “To win ahead of three of best sprinters in the world is very satisfying,” Petacchi said moments after scoring his 13th career Vuelta victory. “No one could come around my sprint and no one could beat

Johan Bruyneel is signing some of the young top prospects to fortify Discovery Channel as the team enters the post-Lance Armstrong era. Five new faces will be part of the Discovery Channel team for 2006, including Australian Trent Lowe, Russian classics specialist Vladimir Gusev, Egoi Martinez (Euskaltel), Belgian hope Jurgen Van Goolen (Quick Step) and Janez Brajkovic (Krka), a young Slovenian rider who made his Discovery Channel debut at the Tour of Benelux. “These are the young riders that we can help build the future of the team,” Bruyneel said Monday morning. “There’s not going to be

I thought yesterday was hot. Then came today. Between the two, I spent the hottest two days I have ever spent on the bike. Today at the top of one climb it was 45.5 degrees Celsius. That seems hot to me but when I found out that equates to about 113 Fahrenheit, I realized there was a reason why we all felt so horrible. Today we trudged through another day in southern Spain. We haven't broken any records, but we have suffered. On average we all drank about a gallon and a half and then upon arriving at the bus keep drinking like we've been in the Sahara for weeks. I thought that I

As I sit at home in Girona watching the Vuelta on television with our new baby Liam on my lap, I am content knowing that I am not out there dealing with the heat the boys are racing in the south. Today the temperatures were once again extreme as they raced through the arid center of Spain. Michael consumed 15 water bottles in the 153 kilometer stage and still felt dehydrated. He was in a breakaway at one point today with 10 or so other riders and said that every one of the guys in the break was too hot to put forth any effort. Essentially, their bodies are using so much energy just to

Brad McGee (FDJeux) collapsed at the finish line Sunday, just like he did Saturday after coming up just three seconds short of victory, but this time the Aussie had something to smile about. McGee jetted into the Vuelta a España’s golden jersey, becoming the first Australian to wear the race leader’s jersey in all three grand tours. For the 29-year-old Aussie, the mark of distinction helps erase a season of disappointment and frustration. “I went so deep in the prologue I was vomiting for 30 minutes after the race,” said McGee, who finished second to Leonardo Bertagnolli (Cofidis) in the

George Hincapie (Discovery Channel) added another prize to his trophy cabinet on Sunday by sprinting to victory in the GP de Plouay, the 23rd race of the inaugural ProTour. The American outkicked Alexandre Usov (AG2R -Prevoyance) and Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner) to win the 212km race around Plouay. Hincapie almost celebrated prematurely, raising his arms as Usov bore down upon him. But he managed to hang on to edge the AG2R rider. The win came in what has been a stellar year for Hincapie. He finished second in Paris-Roubaix, then won Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne; collected two stages and

Saunier Duval wants more AmericansAttention domestic pros: Saunier Duval wants you. With the imminent departure of Chris Horner at the end of the 2005 season, Saunier Duval boss Mauro Gianetti told VeloNews the team wants to keep its presence in the American market. "We want two riders," Gianetti said. "It's good for the team to have strong Americans." Gianetti said he was disappointed Horner will leave the team at the end of the season to join Davitamon-Lotto for a two-year deal, but quickly added he understand Horner's decision. Gianetti said team has been pleased with Horner's

Today’s stage to Cordoba was the one I feared the most when I looked at the course profiles a week ago, after I found out I was going to be starting the race. I feared it not because of its difficulty, but because the last time we did this stage, in 2003, I suffered unbelievably from start to finish. Back then we were racing for Roberto Heras, and we had to keep him in the front of the peloton and out of the wind while also ensuring we had representation in the breakaways. The attacks began from the start and never relented until the line was crossed in Cordoba. Today, thankfully, the race

In a fitting bit of things coming full circle, Adam Craig (Giant), winner of the rain-soaked opening race of the 2005 NORBA cross-country series way back in March, closed out the series with a similarly damp victory in the Mt. Snow pro men’s short track, the final event of the season-long competition. And just as he did back in Texas almost seven months ago, Craig raced most of the day in Vermont with Geoff Kabush (Maxxis), the year’s most prolific winner on the cross-country circuit. Craig and Kabush made the decisive break in the short track, getting away on the fourth lap with Carl Decker

Two weeks ago my fall schedule was changed. Originally scheduled to race the fall season classics, I am now sitting, sweating, in a hotel room in Granada waiting for the start of the Vuelta a España. I am motivated to be here, we're all in good shape and we have a team that can challenge for the overall classification and for stage wins. One thing that is different for us this year at the Vuelta is that we do not have a clear leader. In past years we have gone to the race with Roberto Heras and Floyd Landis. This year there is no clear leader on our team but we have three riders who

Johan Bruyneel staunchly defended Lance Armstrong against allegations that the seven-time Tour de France champion used EPO during his 1999 winning ride. In an interview published Friday in the Spanish daily La Vanguardia, Bruyneel characterized reports that samples of Armstrong’s urine taken in 1999 were tainted with the banned blood-booster EPO as a “witch hunt.” “No, it hasn’t been a surprise at all. All of this has been a witch hunt,” Bruyneel told the paper. “For some people, everything is okay to try to hurt Armstrong. They have tried a lot in the past few years and now they come out

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.Let the facts do the talkingDear Velo,I am writing this amidst what is likely to become one of the most provocativeand contested issues in the Lance saga, let alone in the cycling worldin the last few decades. But the core issue to me is not about Lance'semphatic denials,

Heras wants revengeRoberto Heras doesn’t want to talk about the Tour de France anymore. With the Vuelta a España starting Saturday in Granada, the Spanish captain of Liberty Seguros wants to erase the disappointment of July with a record fourth Vuelta title. “I am optimistic and the ‘chip’ has been changed, because the Vuelta is a different race,” Heras said in an interview. “It has nothing to do with the (Tour) from a month ago.” For the second year in a row, Heras wilted under the pressure at the Tour and was never a factor in the overall classification. Last year’s bitter

Michael Barry and his wife, Dede, are now the proud parents of recent arrival, Liam, the couple’s first child. The cycling pair decided to have the baby in Spain, in part to allow Michael to remain in Europe to train and race, but also because they pleasantly discovered the Spanish national health system was quite a bit more affordable than back in the United States. With mother and son doing fine, Barry returned to racing at the recent Clásica San Sebastián. The Canadian was part of the day’s main breakaway, earning the event’s points jersey along the way. Barry will part of the Discovery

Our man in Australia, Rupert Guinness, reported in Wednesday’s edition of The Daily Telegraph that Stuart O’Grady will refuse to ride in support of Aussie team captain Robbie McEwen in the upcoming world championships. In an exclusive interview with Guinness, O’Grady said the rift between McEwen and longtime rival O’Grady is too wide to erase in time for the Madrid world title race, one ideally suited for McEwen’s brash style. The pair’s head-butting incident at the end of the third stage of the 2005 Tour de France - when McEwen was relegated for dangerous sprinting which scuttled his chances

The short track cross-country closed out the XC program Sunday afternoon at the NORBA National Series event Snowshoe Mountain, West Virginia, with Seamus McGrath (Haro) and Katerina Hanusova (Luna) netting the wins. With Hanusova leading the series over Sue Haywood (Trek-VW) coming into the Snowshoe round of the NORBA series, the Czech rider never strayed far from the front on a course well-suited to her powerful style. Her solo move just six laps into the race drew out Dara Marks-Marino (Ford-Specialized) and Haywood to form a three strong group at the front, while Hanusova’s Luna teammate

Less than a week after signing with the French-based Pro-Tour team Cofidis, Health Net’s Tyler Farrar scored the biggest win of his domestic career, winning the USPRO criterium championships in Downers Grove, Illinois. “I’m on cloud nine right now,” Farrar said after the podium presentation. “I’ve been up there since I signed a couple of days ago and this just adds to it.” At the helm of fastest leadout train in the domestic peloton, Farrar rode the wheel of Kiwi world track champion Greg Henderson through the final 90-degree turn before launching his sprint with 150 meters to go. But hot

Domina Vacanze’s Maxim Iglinsky won the 171.3km sixth stage of the Tour of Germany from Friedrichshafen to Singen on Saturday. The 24-year-old Kazakh won a frantic sprint involving nine riders, finishing ahead of Belgian Jurgen van der Broeck (Discovery Channel) and Italian Alessandro Ballan (Lampre-Caffita). Levi Leipheimer (Gerolsteiner), sixth in this year's Tour de France, retains the yellow jersey with an 18-second lead over teammate Georg Totschnig of Austria. Germany's Jan Ullrich (T-Mobile) is third in the standings, 56 seconds behind Leipheimer. Sunday's seventh stage

Hiding somewhere in Lara Kroepsch’s compact 5 foot 2 inch frame is one of the most ferocious finishing sprints in the North American professional women’s peloton. But the 26-year old from Boulder, Colorado usually keeps the goods under wraps — as a support rider for T-Mobile, Kroepsch usually plays second fiddle to teammates Kim Baldwin, Kristin Armstrong and Ina Yoko Teutenberg. But at the Pro-Am Challenge criterium, held on the eve of the USPRO criterium championships in Downers Grove, Illinois, Kroepsch let her guns do the talking, and walked away with the biggest victory of her

Italian Daniele Bennati (Lampre-Caffita) won a sprint finish in the fifth stage of the Tour of Germany on Friday, collecting his second victory in this year's race. Roger Hammond (Discovery Channel) took the runner-up slot in the 219.2km stage from Sölden in Austria to Freidrichshafen in Germany. Baden Cooke (Française des Jeux) was third. Levi Leipheimer (Gerolsteiner), sixth in this year's Tour de France, retained the overall lead after his triumph in Thursday’s mountainous fourth stage. He leads teammate Georg Totschnig of Austria by 18 seconds with German Jan Ullrich (T-Mobile)

I’m back before you had a chance to miss me. I haven’t done an update in I can’t remember how long. I think the last time I checked in was after the Joe Martin Stage race in Arkansas. I have done quite a few races between then and now. I’ll try to get back up to speed with the highlights/lowlights. I think I’ll start out with one of my best performances of the year, the Tour of Connecticut. It’s the perfect day here in Durango to reflect on Connecticut, cold and rainy. I managed to stay pretty high up in the overall going into the last day but was still about a minute out of the lead. That’s