Vande Velde ready for VueltaChristian Vande Velde (CSC) is pumped for the Vuelta a España, which kicks off later this month in Granada, Spain. “I’m psyched to have a good Vuelta,” Vande Velde said. “We’re going to be helping Carlos. He’s looking strong for the race.” Vande Velde will be part of a motivated Team CSC for the Vuelta, the season’s final grand tour. Spanish rider Sastre will be looking to post a strong result in the GC while the always-ambitious CSC will be on the hunt for stages. Joining Sastre and Vande Velde will be former Tour de France stage-winner Jakob Piil, Nicki

"Cycling in the News" is a regular service of VeloNews.com. Readers,reporters and friends are encouraged to send links to current stories aboutcompetitive cyclists and cycling that appear in the mainstream media. Ifyou come across a news item that you believe may be of interest to otherVeloNews readers, we would be grateful if you choose to send it to Rosters@InsideInc.com. Cycling: Robinson at heart of big night of nostalgia - August 17,2005The Huddersfield Daily Examiner -Great BritainEIGHTEEN former Tour de France riders were among a 90-plus gatheringpaying homage to the pioneering British

I will be the first to admit that I have long suffered from a cycling affliction — make that addiction — brought on by fast, furious local group rides. I just can’t get enough of them. Occasionally I will sit at my desk daydreaming about the week’s ride. Will I make the front group? Will I flat? Will my legs fall off? Will my lungs exit my body by way of my mouth? I, my friends, am a group-ride junkie. Now, the group-rides that have always whetted my appetite aren’t just the ol’ cruiser-bike stroll in the park with mom ‘n pop. Nope, I love the speedy ones with plenty of muscle flexing and

It’s good to be back in Europe. This past weekend I was back racing with my team here in Switzerland. We raced the GP Oberbaselbiet. It’s the first year for this race to take place. Going over the race info, our director told us that though the course profile looked hilly the race was actually pretty flat. He also informed us that there would be no caravan, but he wasn’t exactly sure why not. Once we arrived and warmed-up, we understood the promoter’s reasoning completely. We also realized that the hills on the profile were real. The course was actually very technical, up, down and on

Lampre’s Daniele Bennati won the 227.3-kilometer third stage of the Tour of Germany from Bodenmais to the Austrian city of Kufstein on Wednesday. A frantic sprint at the end of the Tour’s longest stage saw the 24-year-old Bennati triumph ahead of compatriot and QuickStep rider Filippo Pozatto who had won Tuesday's second stage. Pozatto’s QuickStep teammate Bram Tankink of the Netherlands retains the yellow jersey he has held since winning the opening stage. T-Mobile captain Jan Ullrich lies 23 seconds behind Tankink after finishing amongst the main group of riders. American Bobby

Leipheimer realistic about German tourGoing into Thursday’s grueling climbing stage at the Tour of Germany, Levi Leipheimer continues to have realistic expectations in what’s his final major stage race of the 2005 season. The 31-year-old Gerolsteiner captain went into Wednesday's action poised with the main leaders at just 23 seconds behind race leader Bram Tankink (Quick Step). Danielle Bennati (Lampre) won the bunch sprint while Tankink stayed in the leader’s jersey. “The Tour of Germany is hard. I didn’t even look at the profiles until last week. It surprised me – it’s like a

QuickStep’s Bram Tankink won the 164.2km first stage of the Tour of Germany from Altenburg to Plauen here on Monday. The 26-year-old Tankink crossed the finishing line in just over four hours to claim his first major victory since turning professional five years ago. With 15 kilometres to go the Dutchman accelerated away from Spaniard Jose Cobo Acebo and Austria's Bernhard Eisel finishing around a minute ahead of the duo. Germany's Jan Ullrich, the favorite for the overall Tour victory here, finished in the main field, three minutes behind the stage winner. T-Mobile captain

Carson, Calif. (August 13, 2005)-Jennie Reed rode to her third individual national championship of the week with a victory in the women's keirin, adding another stars and stripes jersey to her earlier wins in the 500 meter time trial and the sprint as the 2005 USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships concluded in Los Angeles on Saturday. Reed's sweep of the three sprint-oriented events clearly distinguished her as the strongest sprinter in the field and earned her the title of most decorated rider of the week - man or woman - in terms in individual elite performances. In

Blakeslee, Pennsylvania – August 14, 2005 – Mountain bike racing’snew guard, Michael Prokop of the Czech Republic and Jill Kintner of Seattle,Wash., placed an exclamation point on their amazing racing seasons by earningthe title of World Professional Champion at today’s grand finale of theJeep King of the Mountain 2005 Professional Mountain Biking World Championshipsin the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. The pair, who have sat at or near the top of the world rankings allyear, maintained top form throughout the entire series, each winning twoof the three competitions and never finishing

All three individual event winners on Friday captured their second elite national championships of the week as Jennie Reed (Kirkland, Washington) took a win in the women’s 500 meter time trial to go with her sprint title; Sarah Hammer (Temecula, California) won the women’s 20km points race to match her individual-pursuit victory; and Stephen Alfred (Capitola, California) took the men’s sprint crown in an encore performance to his keirin win as the USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships continued in Carson, California. After riding to the national title in the sprint on Thursday, Reed

The only question coming into the final 20km of the 25th Clásica San Sebastián on Saturday wasn’t whether a Saunier Duval rider was going to win, but rather which one. At least that’s how Chris Horner read the finale of the hilly 227km race in Spain’s Basque Country on a beautiful summer afternoon. “We just triple-teamed everyone,” Horner said after celebratory hugs at the finish line along San Sebastián’s posh Boulevard. “I hit first, then they hit after that, we started hitting and we got two in the group. I sat on everything in the back and just shut it down. It was

A star-studded line-up is expected for Saturday's Clásica San Sebastián, where the likes of Alexandre Vinokourov (T-Mobile) and Ivan Basso (Team CSC) will saddle up for the one-day classic, once part of the 10-race World Cup. Now part of the UCI ProTour series, the Clásica has lost none of its allure for the big names of the sport - and with good reason. Some of cycling's biggest champions, from Laurent Jalabert to Lance Armstrong, have won the hilly race and then donned the Basque beret traditionally given to the winner. Italy’s Basso won the Tour of Denmark barely two weeks ago,

With virtually no event-specific training over the course of the last year, Christian Stahl (Bethany, Connecticut) clocked a personal best time of 1 minute, 4.242 seconds in the men’s kilometer time trial on Thursday to take both the elite and U23 national titles at day two of the USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships at Carson, California. The 22-year-old Athens Olympic Team member beat second-place finisher Aaron Kacala (Racine, Wisconsin) in the day’s penultimate heat by nearly two seconds as Kacala posted a 1:06.180. “I haven’t trained specifically for the kilo since before

Quinn claims the women's scratch race in the final sprint

After taking a year off from competitive cycling, Sarah Hammer made a triumphant return to the sport with an impressive victory in the women's 3km individual pursuit as the USA Cycling Elite National Track Championships got underway in suburban Los Angeles. Hammer clocked the second-fastest time ever recorded at the ADT Event Center velodrome, a remarkable feat considering the venue was the site of both the elite world championships and a world cup event since opening its doors a year ago. The 21-year-old Hammer clocked a time of 3 minutes, 41.177 seconds to sweep both the elite and U23

American Bobby Julich grabbed his CSC team's second stage race victory inside a week after winning the inaugural Tour of Benelux asit finished in Holland on Wednesday. Julich stormed to victory in the final stage time trial, held over 26.2km, to leave Dutch favorite Erik Dekker, down in second place in the general classification. The 33-year-old Julich started the time trial with a 37-second deficit on overnight leader Rik Verbrugghe of QuickStep. However Julich has become something of a specialist in the race against the clock over the past two years - and by the halfway mark he had

Dutchman Stefan Van Dijk (Mr. Bookmaker) dominated the sprint finish of a 196-kilometer race from St. Truiden to win the sixth and penultimate stage of the Tour of Benelux in Hoogstraten near Brussels on Tuesday. Belgian Rik Verbrugghe, (QuickStep), retained the race lead going into Wednesday's final stage - a 26.3km individual time trial in Etten-Leur in the Netherlands. Van Dijk sprinted to victory ahead of Discovery Channel's Max Van Heeswijk - who has already won two stages in the event.-Agence France Presse Results in the 195.9km sixth stage of the Tour of Benelux between

Van Dijk takes the sprint

Dutchman Max Van Heeswijk (Discovery Channel) dominated a bunch sprint to win the fifth stage of the Benelux Tour held over 194km between Verviers and Hasselt in Belgium on Monday. Belgium's Rik Verbrugghe (Quick Step) retained the lead in the general classification ahead of Tuesday's penultimate stage held over 196km from St Truiden to Hoogstraten. Van Heeswijk thus claims his second stage of the race following his victory in the first stage last Thursday. The Dutch rider finished ahead of Italian Alberto Ongarato (Fassa Bortolo), fellow Dutchman Stefan Van Dijck (MrBookmaker) and

With one lap to go in the $125,000 Bank of America Invitational in Charlotte, North Carolina, Health Net-Maxxis looked well in control of the race. The crowd, packed six deep along the course, roared with enthusiasm as the green train barreled down the back straight. But lurking behind them, the Colavita-Sutter Home sprinters waited to pounce.

Confusion in Sunday’s fourth stage of the Tour of Benelux cost Christian Vande Velde (CSC) and Jason McCartney (Discovery Channel) a possible shot at victory. The two Americans, along with Belgian Bart Dockx (Davitamon-Lotto), were on the attack in Sunday’s hilly, seven-climb 232km march across Belgium’s Ardennes, nursing a comfortable six-minute lead, when the main bunch accidentally went the wrong way. Vande Velde and Co. were already over the day’s fourth climb at the Côte de la Haute Levée with about 60km to go when the peloton accidentally went off course coming down the descent on

Italy's Simone Cadamuro won the 178.5km second stage of the Tour of Benelux between Geldrop and Sittard on Friday. The Domina Vacanze rider prevailed in a sprint with Liquigas-Bianchi teammates Marco Zanetti and Enrico Gasparotto. Max van Heeswijk (Discovery Channel), winner of Thursday's first stage, held on to the leader's red jersey, extending his lead over Belgian Rik Verbrugghe (Quick Step) to three seconds. In rainy conditions French duo Rony Martias (Bouygues Telecom) and Fabien Sanchez (Française des Jeux) tried to slip the main pack, at one point building up a

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.Injured racer could use some cheering upEditor:Joe Trujillo, a 15-year-old junior rider and one of the Reno Wheelmen's rising stars, was badly injured when he struck a tree during a Cat. 3/4/5 support race at the NorCal/Nevada Masters Championships. Joe’s injuries include a torn

Quick Step won Sunday’s HEW Cyclassics race in rainy Germany, but it wasn’t sprinter ace Tom Boonen taking the honors. Instead, it was Italian superstar-in-waiting Filippo Pozzato winning the rainy, hard-fought 250.5km race in and around Hamburg. Luca Paolini grabbed second to give Quick Step the double while Aussie Allan Davis (Liberty Seguros) rounded out the podium. “I’ve done a lot of work over the past few weeks to get myself in top condition, even doing some intense altitude training in the mountains surrounding Livigno,” said Pozzato, who took his first win of the season. “At last it

With a handful of time bonuses and some tight GC races to be settled at the International Tour de Toona, Sunday's final criterium stage proved exciting for both the men and women, and resulted in changes to the overall classification. Greg Henderson (Health Net-Maxxis) took the final stage criterium. As expected, teammate Scott Moninger maintained his yellow jersey - his second overall win at the Tour de 'Toona - having won it back in 1994. In the women’s race, the bonuses had a far more significant impact as Geneviève Jeanson (The Bicycle Store/RONA) moved into the overall lead as

Saturday's 93 mile road race featured two dirt road climbs in the Pennsylvanian hilltops and proved decisive in shaking up the men's general classification at the International Tour de Toona, as Health Net’s Scott Moninger soloed the final 20 miles to take the stage win and yellow jersey from teammate Chris Wherry. The women also saw a surprise winner in France’s Marina Jauantre (MS2R-Honey Stinger), who crossed the line 2:47 ahead of the chase group containing all the GC favorites, a gap small enough to leave Webcor’s Christine Thorburn in the overall lead. It wasn’t until peloton

French decry malaiseRecriminations are flying as French cycling officials grapple for a reason to explain France’s less-than-stellar presentation in the 92nd Tour de France. David Moncoutie was the only French rider to win a stage and Christophe Moreau, 11th at 16:26 back, was the only French rider in the top 20, enough to make any Frenchman cry in his pastis. In an interview published in L’Equipe, French cycling federation officials are decrying a variety of reasons for France’s dismal showing. Excuses range from too many foreign riders, a different attitude about training and winning,

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.Slackers Unite!I have really enjoyed your coverage. It has made it possible for me to follow the Tour while at work. Any plans for similar coverage for the world’s?Jack HalesTampa, FloridaYes, Jack, we plan to offer Live Coverage and race reports from the world’s and, of course, daily

I am glad to see Armstrong go. With him there are no heroes, only victims.A German fan on the Col du Galibier I got a good laugh out of this, even if I didn’t actually hear it in person. My buddy Kirk, who was over at the Tour de France with some pals riding the cols of the Alps and Pyrénées alongside the race, relayed the quote to me. But I think the sentiment was shared by many fans along the roads of the Tour, as well as by a majority of journalists I spoke with during the week I spent in France. As amazing as Lance Armstrong’s feats at the world’s biggest bike race have been, the same

The Martinsburg circuit race has traditionally been the day for sprinters to steal the spotlight at the International Tour de Toona, giving GC riders to rest up for Saturday's mammoth road stage. Friday's 76-mile race featured four 19-mile circuits of ice-smooth roads through bucolic Mennonite farms and dairy pastures. In the men's race Colavita-Sutter Homes played their hand right and swept the entire podium. Mark McCormack took the win, and more importantly, gained a 15-second time bonus. The effort paid off as McCormack moved from eighth to sixth on general classification,

Thursday's fourth stage of the International Tour de Toona, a circuit race in Hollidaysburg - the only city in America where the Slinky is manufactured - was held on the same course that an up-and-coming Chann McRae beat a young Lance Armstrong for the national amateur championship title back in 1992. Both men and women's fields seemed content to keep Thursday's fourth stage a status quo affair for the GC contenders and let the rest take their best shot. As a result, Webcor’s Christine Thorburn and Health Net’s Chris Wherry held on to their overall leads as Kori Seehafer

Course: After looping around the Chevreuse valley south of Paris, the course heads into the city on the right bank of the Seine to reach the traditional Champs-Élysées finishing circuit after 92.5km. Eight laps of the 6.5km circuit complete the 2005 Tour just 400 meters after the final turn from the Place de la Concorde. History: This is the 30th anniversary of the Tour first finishing on the Champs-Élysées. It previously finished in the velodromes at Vincennes (1968-74) and the Parc des Princes (1904-67). The first Tour, in 1903, finished at Ville d’Avray in the Paris suburbs. Favorites:

For a Tour de France finale that was supposed to be a fait accompli — with Lance Armstrong virtually guaranteed a seventh win and the stage supposedly promised to the sprinters — Sunday's stage 21 into the city of Paris hardly fit the bill. That the 144.5km stage began under gray skies and with cold rain should have been a sign that the race that brought the curtain down on 3593km of racing would have something special to offer. And it did. Foremost of the day's surprises was the winner on the Champs-Élysées, the most attacking rider of the peloton, the ever-popular Kazakhstan

Stick a fork in it – the 2005 Tour de France is over. It’s been a long, yet wonderful three weeks in France (with a day in Germany and time enough for a quick coffee in Spain). Sometimes the pace of the Tour leaves little time for reflection. So as Lance Armstrong celebrates a magnificent seventh win, we offer VeloNews’s annual web awards for the best moments of the 92nd Tour de France. IT’S A HORSE RACE Best Reason Why You Better Win a Sprint: Robbie McEwen, after Davitamon-Lotto gave chase for more than 100km in stage 13, catching Chris Horner and Sylvain Chavanel about 150m from the line.

A weekend sweep, two first time winners, and another tough day for mountain cross, highlighted a full slate of racing at the Snowmass NORBA on Sunday in central Colorado. Canadian Geoff Kabush made it 2-for-2 in Snowmass, taking a convincing short track victory a day after winning the cross-country by more than a minute. Kabush (Maxxis) is now the series leader in both disciplines, and is well on his way to duplicating his two-title effort of a year ago. In the women’s STXC race, Dara Mark-Marino finally broke through with her first NORBA win. The former third-grade teacher has been

Zabriskie resurfaces for the end of the TourDave Zabriskie reappeared at the Tour de France, showing up in preppyclothes to join his teammates on the leisurely, ceremonial, post-race ridedown the Champs-Élysées.He has mostly been hanging out in Spain in the few weeks since a mysterious spill in the team time trial forced him to relinquish the yellow jersey. He said he had four or five stitches, and only watched a little of the Tour on television.“I was really tired,” said Zabriskie, asked about his feelings after the crash. “It took awhile to decompress and come back up.”The Utah native still

Australian Robbie McEwen will become one of the Tour de France's all-timegreats if he wins a fourth stage in Paris on Sunday. If McEwen wins the 144.5km 21st and final stage of the 3607km Tour onthe Champs Élysées, he will be only the 14th rider – andseventh sprinter – in the post-war era to win four or more stages on theone Tour. “He would be a hero,” said McEwen's Davitamon-Lotto team manager, HendrikRedant. “To win four stages in one Tour is amazing. There are not a lotof guys except those like Eddy Merckx. It will be really, really special.” Merckx, who won the Tour de France

With his seventh consecutive Tour de France victory locked up, Lance Armstrong is ready to ride the final stage of his final Tour and the very last competitive event of his professional cycling career. He did say Saturday night that after retirement he might show up to race a local cyclo-cross or mountain-bike race, or even a 10K run or triathlon. But this is it for Lance the pro cyclist. Stage 21 of the 92nd Tour de France finishes on the Champs-Élysées for the 30th year. It previously finished in the velodromes at Vincennes (1968-74) and the Parc des Princes (1904-67). The first Tour, in

Scott Moninger (Health Net-Maxxis) won the annual Bob Cook Memorial Mount Evans Hillclimb on Saturday. Run under warm temperatures and sunny skies, the 28-mile race – which starts at 7540 feet in Idaho Springs and climbs to the 14,264-foot summit of Mount Evans - was a far cry from last year’s cold and stormy conditions. But that doesn mean Moninger's win came easily. Team TIAA-CREF went on the attack early, sending national champ Ian MacGregor up the road. A chase group containing Moninger, former world mountain bike champion Ned Overend (Specialized), Boulder racer Burke Swindlehurst

This time Giuseppe Guerini saw the people who wanted to take his photo. En route to winning Friday's stage 19, a hilly 153km from Issoire to Le Puy-en-Velay, Guerini enjoyed a clean run to the finish line. That’s something he didn’t get on his way to winning at L'Alpe d'Huez in 1999. Back then, a fan - the now infamous "Erik the Photographer" - capturing Guerini’s victorious pedal strokes about a kilometer from the line forced the Italian to fall before finishing. “Yes, L’Alpe d'Huez is more dangerous,” said a smiling Guerini, 35, when reminded at his post-stage press

Second act for Cipo'?The recently retired Italian champion Mario Cipollini may make a second career as a television personality. According to Eurosport, the deep-voiced playboy was close to accepting an offer to work as one of the broadcaster’s “consultants” for the Tour de France – the expert commentators narrating the broadcast. “We wanted to have Cipollini too,” says executive producer Patrick Chassé, who oversees the Eurosport coverage. “He wanted to spend the holidays with his family, so it was not possible.” “Maybe next year,” says Chassé. McEwen ready to rage on

I just competed in my hometown race, the Alpenrose Velodrome Challenge (AVC). The AVC has always been one of my favorite races, but it wasn’t in my plans for the season until I broke my back and was given a leave of absence my team in Switzerland. I returned to Portland, thinking there’s no place like home to recover. I got back on the bike after a couple weeks, and figured that since I was here and on the bike again, maybe I’d be able to race. My coach argued that normally, one should get a full month of just riding before even thinking about the sort of intensity that a race like this

Casar took the sprint for second, not the prize he was after.

The third week of the Tour de France often becomes many races within one. Thursday's 189km stage 18 from Albi to Mende was one of those days. Riders desperate for a stage victory to "save" their Tours were off the front attacking over the hilly, five-climb course through France's Massif Central. And the overall contenders were cooling their jets until the day's final climb, anxious to either drop rivals ahead of them on the GC, make up time they've lost on previous days or, at least in the case of Ivan Basso, take one last swing for the fences. Marcos Serrano, a Spanish

Course: At 239.5km, this is the longest stage of the 2005 Tour. There’s rolling terrain throughout, but the key to victory could be the closing 12km loop at Revel, which includes the Cat. 3 St-Ferréol climb 7km from the finish line. History: The last two times that a stage has finished in Revel, two-man breakaways have arrived to contest the finishing sprint. In 1995, it was Sergej Uchakov who outthought a youthful Lance Armstrong, while in 2000, on an almost identical course as this year’s, Erik Dekker got the better of Santiago Botero. Favorites: Long-distance specialists like Rabobank’s

With five stages to go and with 10 teams still without a stage win, competition is again going to be fierce on Wednesday’s 239.5km jaunt from Pau to Revel, which is the longest stage of the 2005 Tour de France. As on virtually every other road stage to date, expect attacks right from the start until the right combination of riders and teams is together. On Tuesday, the first substantial move by 13 men didn’t work because Discovery Channel’s Yaroslav Popovych was in the mix. The next, from 11 riders, also seemed a little suspect because then 12th-placed Cadel Evans slipped into the break. In

Two-time Giro d’Italia champion Paolo Savoldelli finally left his mark on the Tour de France in his fourth start in the race by winning Wednesday's stage 16 from Pau to Revel. Under a cloudless sky, the 32-year-old Italian and Discovery Channel teammate of race leader Lance Armstrong, won the 239.5km stage by coming from behind to outlast CSC’s Norwegian Kurt-Asle Arvesen. In third place, eight seconds back, was Australian Tour rookie Simon Gerrans (AG2R), followed at 11 seconds by Frenchman Sébastien Hinault (Crédit Agricole).He was the last member of a four-man splinter group that was

Two successive stages of the Tour de France this week put the same rider – Phonak’s Oscar Pereiro – on to both sides of the same question, namely when is a rider obligated to pull through in a breakaway? In stage 16 George Hincapie found himself in a breakaway group on what had to be the toughest stage of this Tour de France. As you know, Hincapie is a teammate and real workhorse for Lance Armstrong, the overall leader of the Tour. As a result, it’s well understood that Hincapie had absolutely no obligation to pull through as the break moved away from the peloton. Even though it was

Whither Vinokourov?The official announcement that Alexandre Vinokourov is leaving T-Mobile at the end of this season has set the tongues wagging at the Tour de France. Rumor had it that Vinokourov was headed to Discovery Channel even before Wednesday’s news, but team officials say the blond Kazakh isn’t necessarily on their wish list. “Vino’ is one o the top riders in the peloton, but I never thought of Vino’ as a candidate of winning the Tour,” said Discovery Channel boss Johan Bruyneel. “He’s an interesting rider, but he’s interesting for everybody.” Instead, Discovery Channel was hoping

Less than 48 hours after taking second to George Hincapie atop the hardest mountaintop finish of the 92nd Tour de France, Spanish rider Oscar Pereiro replaced the bitterness of that loss with the biggest victory of his career by winning a four-up sprint into Pau at the end of Tuesday's 180.5km stage 16. "It's a spine that I've taken out of my back," Pereiro said after edging Xabier Zandio (Illes Balears) to claim Phonak's first stage win of the Tour after two second places. "I'm happy with the big win today. It makes me forget the disappointment of Sunday." Tuesday's

With the second rest day behind them, the 158 riders still racing the 92nd Tour de France face Tuesday’s third Pyrenean stage with diverse ambitions: Michael Rasmussen is hoping he can keep his third place on GC all the way to Paris. Cadel Evans is still seeking a place in the top 10. And Americans Levi Leipheimer, Floyd Landis and Chris Horner would all dearly love to win a stage. Then there are this Tour’s “failed” climbers, Can men like Santiago Botero, Roberto Heras and Iban Mayo find redemption on this last day in the high mountains? Stage 16 is not an easy one. It features four

Leipheimer says this Tour the hardest…Levi Leipheimer says this is the hardest Tour de France of the four in which he has competed. The American leader of the Gerolsteiner team says the aggressive racing has been great for spectators, but hard on the riders. “The speed has obviously been higher, the competition is thicker, and I think the transfers have made it really hard,” said Leipheimer at the start of Stage 15 in Mourenx. “We haven’t had all that many mountaintop finishes, but it seems like there’s been a lot of climbing, and the races have opened up farther from the finish than

Rest day and I need it. Actually I could use another, if it were possible. I mentioned the other day that I’d been sick on the stage to Ax-3-Domaines. Finishing with the grupetto had been hard, just because I’d been throwing up for the first 100k. Yesterday, on the stage to Pla d'Adet, it was worse. My stomach had settled, but I’m still sick with something and it took everything I had just to beat the time cut. I was dropped early in the day, spending probably the last 100 or so kilometers riding on my own… well, I had another guy (Rafael Nuritdinov of, Domina Vacanze), but he was

Three Consecutive records close out a spectacular Alpenrose Velodrome Blazing sunny skies and blustery winds greeted the riders on Sunday for the final day of the Alpenrose Velodrome Challenge in Portland, Oregon. The women’s competition kicked off with 200-meter time trials to begin the sprint tournament. U.S. Olympian Jennie Reed (Gregg’s-Trek-VW) was the top qualifier in 12.84, followed by Becky Quinn (Southbay Wheelmen) in 13.24 and Alpenrose local Heather VanValkenberg in 13.38. The men, meanwhile, began what would prove to be arguably the most spectacular event of the weekend, the

Lance Armstrong didn’t take the stage win in the final summit finish of his celebrated Tour de France career, as many had predicted, but on Sunday in the Pyrénées of southern France he did get the next-best thing — a stage win for his close friend and Discovery Channel teammate George Hincapie. Hincapie, the only man to ride with Armstrong in all seven of his post-cancer Tours, took the win atop the Pla d’Adet ski resort out of a 14-man breakaway group that shattered on the Col de Peyresourde, the fourth of six categorized climbs, while Armstrong crossed the line five minutes later with

With dark clouds, cool temperatures, and the threat of rain looming, the men’s sprint qualifiers kicked off Saturday’s racing at the Alpenrose Velodrome Challenge in Portland, Oregon. Josiah Ng (Bike Central), the Malaysian Olympian and recent graduate of a Japanese keirin school, posted the fastest 200-meter time (11.44), just 0.1 second off Jeff LaBauve’s 2001 track record. Close behind was the ageless Stephen Alfred (Family Cycling Center), the AVC defending champion in the match sprint, with 11.46. Gideon Massie, the 2004 U.S. Olympian, was just behind in 11.57, and with nine more

Keeping ten-speed chains intactAll of the teams contesting the Tour de France this year are, of course,are using 10-speed chains on their 10-speed Shimano or Campagnolo groups. While you rarely see a broken chain in the professional peloton, youcertainly do see it among everyday enthusiasts nowadays with 10-speed chainsfar more frequently than you used to with 9-speed chains, and especiallymore so than in the old days when riders used 5-, 6-, 7-, and 8-speed chains.Back then breakage on a road bike was practically unheard of. You knowthat if there is any time you would not want to break a

What a difference a day makes. Yesterday, I was right up there, ready to fight out the sprint – admittedly, I wasn’t in the top three, but you get the point. I didn’t seem to have the legs to finish the job the boys did for me with the leadout, but I was still feeling pretty good. Today, on the stage from Agde to Ax-3-Domaines, I can only say it was… well, a bit rough. It was a really, really rough day on the bike today. I threw up four times in the first 100 kilometers. I couldn’t eat a thing all day and it was two or two-and-a-half hours before I could even drink a little bit. I don’t

In Pla d’Adet, France … Hincapie, team leader?Could George Hincapie lead Discovery Channel next year after Lance Armstrong retires at the end of the 2005 Tour de France? That might have seemed a crazy notion three weeks ago, but it’s gaining credibility as Hincapie continues to progress into a solid, all-round rider. Even Armstrong said it’s not such a far-fetched idea. “We always have these dreamers who say they’re going to win the Tour, so why couldn’t George Hincapie be in that position?” Armstrong said. “He’s a complete rider.” Armstrong said he’s already discussed the possibility

George Hincapie has been a loyal, selfless and dedicated teammate during Lance Armstrong's six Tour de France titles. On Sunday, he picked the Tour's toughest stretch to make a statement of his own. Hincapie broke away early and held on to win the 15th stage through the Pyrenees, beating Phonak's Oscar Pereiro in a sprint to the line for his first stage win at cycling's premier event. “This ride is so hard. In training I almost didn't arrive at the top because I was so tired,” the 32-year-old Hincapie said. “It took us seven hours in training. I just can't

Under a glaring sun and searing summer heat the 92nd Tour de France entered the Pyrénées of southern France Saturday, and though the general classification didn’t quite blow apart, a handful of the race’s central characters certainly melted from the pressure. After the hors-catégorie ascent of the Port de Pailhères, the 220.5km stage ended atop the Cat. 1 climb to the ski resort at Ax-3 Domaines with six-time Tour champion Lance Armstrong (Discovery Channel) holding an even firmer grip on the race leader’s jersey. He’s now 1:41 ahead of Dane Michael Rasmussen (Rabobank),while CSC’s Italian

Here’s what the main players had to say at Ax-3 Domaines, France, following Saturday’s fireworks in the Pyrenees. Lance Armstrong (Discovery Channel), yellow jersey (second at 52 seconds back, first overall) On comparing to his troubles two years ago: “Yeah, for sure, I kept trying to remember my training day here six weeks ago versus the 2003 Tour, because I felt better then. It’s a similar situation, again with Ivan and Jan, same as 2003. Similar also with the heat, it was incredibly hot.” On the difficulty of Sunday’s stage: “We’re going to have a hard time to recover from today’s

After out-climbing his main rivals on Saturday to finish second on the first of two mighty stages in the Pyrénées, Lance Armstrong said it was “incredibly, incredibly hot.” Then he predicted that Sunday’s stage 15 will be “the hardest stage of the Tour.” He then talked to journalists at the Ax-3 Domaines ski resort Saturday night about his preparations for the upcoming stage. “It’s just a question of getting out of here as fast as possible, starting to hydrate, starting to eat, starting to rest and recover,” he said. “We had a very early start to the day once again, an hour-and-a-half in the

Under sunny skies, 80-degree temperatures, and a rising breeze, the seventh annual Alpenrose Velodrome Challenge kicked off Friday in Portland, Oregon. One of the richest track races in North America, the three-day meet is held on one of the continent’s quirkiest velodromes, a 268-meter concrete oval with 42-degree banks situated on the grounds of the Alpenrose Dairy. Friday was for the time trialists with riders competing in the 500 meter time trial, the kilometer time trial, and the pursuit, as well as a points-race qualifier. One of the track’s oldest records, the women’s 3000-meter

If American Chris Horner had hoped to leave an impression on his first Tour de France, he can consider his mission accomplished. The 33-year-old California native, who joined the Spanish squad Saunier Duval-Prodir at the end of the 2004 season after three seasons spent dominating the domestic calendar, came painfully close to winning stage 13 in Montpellier on Friday. But he was caught before the line by a hard-charging peloton. Instead of an amazing victory, Horner could only watch as Aussie Robbie McEwen (Davitamon-Lotto) took his third sprint win of this Tour by edging out Stuart O’Grady

Levi ready for uphill challengeOn the fight for the podium I feel good. I feel better than I have in the Tour before. I think the GC will continue to sort out a little bit. I’ve been trying to save as much energy as possible because I know what’s coming up. It’s definitely going to be decisive. It’s hot now, tomorrow and the next day are going to be very decisive. The day after tomorrow (Sunday) when we get to the bottom of Pla-d’Adet, it’s going to explode, it’s going to be every man on his own. It’s going to be very painful. On Saturday’s stage to Ax-3 Domaines Follow the best, but there’s

My hats off to the Americans in this year’s Tour de France. In today’s 173.5 kilometer stage from Miramas to Montpellier, one American in particular rode remarkably for the whole stage but lost the race in the last kilometer. Another American lead out the winner of the stage in the last kilometer and still finished third for the stage. All this while three other American’s hold places in the top 10 on General Classification. We sure have come a long way! 150 kilometers in the lead but 150 meters short at the lineJust 17 kilometers into the race American Chris Horner found himself with

David Moncoutié gave the French something to cheer about on Bastille Day while Lance Armstrong kept a low profile on the Tour de France’s hilly 187km stage on Thursday. Moncoutié tore away from a 13-strong break late on the day’s second to last climb to score the first French win of the 2005 Tour while Armstrong coasted and roasted through a hot day as the Tour rolled south from the Alps into sunny Provence. “It was a stage for a bold man, not for the best man in the Tour,” said Moncoutié, who also won a stage last year. “I was not the best rider in the Tour, but the strongest in the break.

Joseba Beloki - Facing his demons two years onIt was two years ago today that Joseba Beloki suffered that horrible high-speed crash on the descent of the Col de la Rochette, just as the 2003 Tour de France exited the Alps. Images of that fall, on the day’s last switchback, as he and Lance Armstrong were chasing Alexandre Vinokourov into Gap, sit in the minds of everyone who witnessed it. Beloki, who is back racing the Tour for the first time since then, says the scars of what was his most frightening moment on the bike are still very fresh in his mind. In an interview with the French sports

At 8677 feet in elevation, the Col du Galibier is the ceiling of the 2005 Tour de France. This formidable mountain pass, which has been climbed more often than any other in Tour history, gives the race some grandiose Alpine scenery, and at times it takes a merciless toll. The Galibier is often the Tour’s summit — only the rare climb up the Col de l’Iseran (9087 feet) and the three trips up the Col de la Bonette-Restefond (9193 feet) have taken Tour competitors higher. The fabled Galibier’s indisputable reign was heightened in 1979 — quite literally — when the climb grew an impressive 292

You just knew Alexandre Vinokourov (T-Mobile) would attack on a Tour de France stage like Wednesday's Alpine monster from Courchevel to Briançon. And if he went on the attack, Wednesday’s was just the type of stage Vino’ was destined to win. “We can't say that we were surprised,” said race leader Lance Armstrong after he kept his 38-second margin over Dane Michael Rasmussen (Rabobank). “Whenever somebody is in a breakaway all day long, it's always impressive. Like the other day, with Rasmussen, an all-day effort is never easy.” Still, to see how the ever-popular Kazakh national

Here’s what the main players said after Wednesday’s 173km 11th stage. Lance Armstrong, Discovery Channel(sixth at 1:15, first overall) On Vinokourov’s breakaway Whenever somebody is in a breakaway all day long, it’s always impressive. Like the other day, with Rasmussen, an all day effort is never easy. Vino wasn’t the main concern today. We can’t chase down everybody with five, six minutes. We have to prioritize, and he’s not on our list of priorities, so we let him out there, kept the team together, and controlled the tempo. We knew [Vinokourov] would attack today. We can’t say that we

Lance Armstrong might be getting older, but he’s still strong enough to put some serious hurt on the world’s best climbers when the Tour de France is on the line. The 33-year-old Texan surged back into the yellow jersey on Tuesday’s decisive climbing stage across the French Alps to Courchevel. And while he couldn’t drop everyone — Michael Rasmussen, Alejandro Valverde and Francisco Mancebo rode his vapors — he opened up important time gaps on just about everyone else. “I tried to get rid of those guys, but maybe it’s not like the old days when you make one attack and you ride them off to

Spare a thought for... Andre Kivilev, the deceased best friend of Tour de France hope Alexandre Vinokourov (T-Mobile) who was killed in a race crash during Paris-Nice in 2003. “Kivi,” says the Kazakhstan national champion, will be with him throughout the Tour as the race enters the Alps and then the Pyrénées over the next two weeks. “It remains a turning point in my life,” said Vinokourov of Kivilev's death in an interview with the French sports daily L`Equipe. “I have understood since that day what are my real priorities. My outlook on my job has also changed a lot. I have especially

Michael Rasmussen's stunning victory in the Tour de France's ninth stage following a 169km breakaway was impressive enough in itself, but even more so for the fact he only took up professional road racing three years ago. Rasmussen's relative lack of victories in the discipline is apparent - before Sunday's win he only had three wins to his name spread over his three years as a professional road rider. However, his decision to switch from mountain biking in 2001 was justified tenfold Sunday when he claimed the biggest prize a rider of his caliber could hope for. The

Dry, dusty winds and a rocky, technical cross-country course, coupled with the formidable altitude of New Mexico's Angel Fire Resort couldn’t derail the efforts of Swiss Christoph Sauser (Siemens-Cannondale) and Norway’s Gunn-Rita Dahle (Multivan-Merida) to repeat their titles as overall World Cup cross-country champions as they won the first World Cup cross-country race on American soil in three years on Sunday. “It was a very hard race, I had a hard time breathing at some points. Lots of suffering,” said Dahle. “I was still very tired from the Brazil race.” Despite her fatigue, Dahle

Lance Armstrong looked around near the summit of the rather anonymous Cat. 2 Col de la Schlucht in the chilly Vosges Mountains and couldn’t find many friendly faces. In the big front group he was with, there were no other Discovery Channel riders. No Chechu, no Triki, no Popo. Not even his 2005 favorite mountain goat, José Azevedo. What the six-time Tour champion did see were lots of riders licking their chops. For the first time in years at the Tour de France, Armstrong was isolated. “It was not a great day. I didn’t feel very good and the other teams did feel good,” said Armstrong, who

Dutchman Pieter Weening (Rabobank) gave a glimpse of his potential and ended a frustrating streak of runner-up places with a well-taken win on the eighth stage of the Tour de France Saturday in Gerardmer. Weening had to wait an agonizing few minutes before finding out for sure if he had really won a two-man sprint with Germany's Andreas Klöden (T-Mobile) - and when the result came he could still not quite believe it. "In a two-man sprint nothing's decided until it's over so I just tried to hold on for as long as possible," said Weening, who is the first Dutchman to win a stage

The Tour never lies. So when Lance Armstrong’s teammates all reported absent during the critical stages of the Col de la Schlucht climb on Saturday, the six-time defending champion had to be concerned. “It was a shitty day,” Armstrong told French television Saturday evening. “Perhaps the team and the boys on the team were too confident … after we did well at the prologue, and won the team time trial. Everyone shows up at the Tour and wants to win, but there are no guarantees.” The one certainty on Saturday was that Jan Ullrich’s T-Mobile team did show up to win. Armstrong himself had to

The strongest team in United States women's cycling is poised to make a clean sweep of the podium in Central Oregon's Cascade Cycling Classic. Kimberly Baldwin of T-Mobile won the 58-mile Awbrey Butte Circuit Race on Saturday in 2 hours, 23 minutes, 10 seconds, and her teammate Kristin Armstrong finished second to retain the overall lead. T-Mobile now has the top three spots in the general classification, and six riders in the top 10. T-Mobile riders have won all four stages thus far. Armstrong's overall time is 7:04:58, and Baldwin is in second, 42 seconds back. Kori Seehafer of