Veteran Tara Llanes (Giant-Pearl Izumi) and newcomer Donny Robinson (Avent) capped off the weekend's gravity racing at the Sea Otter classic with victories in Sunday afternoon's mountain cross event. Racing on what many riders said was one of the most exciting courses ever constructed for the four-up gravity discipline, Llanes earned her win in a dramatic pass over the course's final obstacle: a six foot wide water-filled moat, while BMX pro Robinson scored his in a three-up sprint for the finish. Most impressive is the fact that, until this trip to the Sea Otter, Robinson had never ridden a

A day after losing a stage by inches in the Tour of Aragon, Spanish rider Oscar Laguna (Relax-Bodysol) got it right in Saturday’s 192km fourth stage from Huesca to La Muela. Laguna, who lost to compatriot Constantino Zaballa (Saunier Duval) in a photo-finish Friday into Sabiñanigo, nipped Colombian rider Ivan Parra (CV-Kelme) to take his team’s first win of the 2004 season. Laguna and Parra were the only survivors out of a seven-man break that split away early in Saturday’s relatively flat stage. The hard-working main bunch slowly picked off the break, but the two stayed away. Parra started

On a dual-slalom course considered a very technical lung-burner, the Sea Otter Classic saw its first gravity competition of the weekend on Saturday afternoon. As the sun set on the Laguna Seca Raceway, it was Australian Mick Hannah (Haro-adidas) and Frenchwoman Sabrina Jonnier (Intense) taking the opening event of the three-race gravity omnium. It came as no surprise to find the two fastest qualifiers of the day - Hannah and Wade Bootes (Trek-Volkswagen) - going head-to-head in the men's final. What did come as a surprise was to see crowd favorite Shaun Palmer (Palmer Snowboards) out of the

Chris Horner wasn’t shy when talking about his strategy for today’s 100-mile road race finale to the 2004 Sea Otter Stage Race: wait as long as possible to attack for the stage and overall win. Neither was he coy when discussing the reason for his simple plan: save his legs as much as possible for the Tour of Georgia, which starts on Tuesday. The beauty of Horner’s simple plan was that it actually worked, giving the 32-year-old Webcor rider the stage and overall victories in the three-stage event. With a few fruitless breaks punctuating the first three-quarters of the stage, and with the

The action was hot despite the cold and rain in Friday’s third stage of the Tour of Aragon in Spain. Constantino Zaballa (Saunier Duval) won a photo-finish, seven-up sprint against Oscar Laguna (Relax-Bodysol) as Denis Menchov (Illes Balears) retained the overall lead. Zaballa and Laguna were part of a seven-man break that peeled away from the main bunch over the final Category 3 climb about 25km from the finish line, and the chase was on. Illes Balears checked an early move that chugged away over the day’s main obstacles – two Cat. 1 climbs in the opening 90km. Menchov was part of the

For 16 of the 17 laps in Friday’s women’s circuit race at the Laguna Seca Raceway it seemed that the winner would emerge from the lumbering pack. But after a disappointing ride in yesterday’s prologue, Lyne Bessette (Quark) decided that leaving her fortunes to a field sprint was a bad idea. So with less than a lap to go, Bessette launched a go-for-broke attack on the course’s main climb. And it worked. “I wanted to take one shot,” said Bessette. “I didn’t want to do two attacks at 80 percent, I wanted to do one at 100 percent. I knew it wasn’t going to come down to a field sprint, because

Jones finds himself leading Klasna out in a two-up sprint

“Whoever said life was fair? Life is not fair.”Lt. Colonel S.G. Rogers, USMC ret.Oft-used saying, 1975 to 1990 Growing up, one of my father’s favorite mottos — right up there with “We hate waste,” and “Because I said so” — was to remind my sister and me that life is, indeed, not fair. Somewhere early on I must have seemed exceptionally unclear on the concept, because the Lt. Colonel, known as “Major Dad” to my apprehensive high school buddies, made it a point to remind me of this any time I felt I had been the victim of a grave injustice. “Whoever said life was fair?” the Marine of the

Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo) was the easy winner in Thursday’s 167kmsecond stage in the Tour of Aragon in Spain. Russian Denis Menchov (IllesBalears), winner of Wednesday’s climbing stage, easily retained the leader’sjersey in the sunny day in the saddle.Petacchi won by two bike lengths ahead of Massimo Strazzer (SaunierDuval) in the Italian’s first victory since his dramatic breakdown in lastmonth’s Milan-San Remo.“I’m very happy to win today,” Petacchi said. “Illes Balears helpedus control the stage and my team worked perfectly for me in the sprint.The team said this was a stage for

With 75 percent of the 2.9-mile track on pavement, it was no surprise that road tactics played a big part in the opening mountain bike event at the 2004 Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California on Thursday. It was also no surprise that a pair of supreme riders — Alison Dunlap and Thomas Frischknecht — walked away with the inaugural wins in the first-ever super cross-country. In the women’s race, Dunlap (Luna) took a sprint win ahead of Canadian Chrissy Redden (Subaru-Gary Fisher). The pair was part of a 28-rider group that separated itself from the field early in the 75-minute race, which

On paper a three-kilometer, downhill time trial would seem perfectly suitedto a rider with power to burn and trained in the art of the short hardeffort. As it turned out, that’s exactly the type of ride that did wintoday’s prologue at the Sea Otter Classic road stage race. New ZealanderHayden Godfrey (Health Net) spends a big portion of the season racing theteam and individual pursuits, making his physiology ideally suited forthe sub-3:00 effort. Godfrey’s win, and Health Net placing all six riders in the top 10,marked the first crack in Chris Horner’s dominance of the domestic racingscene

While scaled back in size for 2004, the Sea Otter Classic road stage race still aspires to be one of the better multi-day races in the U.S. With only three stages, down from the four in 2003, Sea Otter organizers have chosen to center all of the racing around the grounds of the Laguna Seca raceway, with every stage starting and finishing on the track’s familiar tarmac. Racing commences Thursday, and runs through Saturday. As the final event of the active California spring stage race season, Sea Otter seems the perfect opportunity for Webcor’s Chris Horner to complete the Golden State sweep.

Vicenza, April 14 2004 – Campagnolo’s complete wheels are renownedfor their lightness, smoothness, sturdiness and reliability. A reputationachieved thanks to the quality and performance of the Nucleon low-profilewheels introduced in 1999. Research conducted on a fully integrated projectencompassing rims, spokes and hubs, resulted in the creation of ideal bicyclewheels that are reactive during short sprints yet nevertheless comfortableeven on long rides. Basing itself on these already solid foundations, Campagnolo soon expanded its wheel collection, presenting two new low-profile models

French rider Franck Bouyer (La Boulangère) won the Paris-Camembert race in France on Tuesday, edging Thomas Lovkist (FDJeux.com) to take the French semi-classic. Bouyer, a winner of a stage last week in the Circuit de la Sarthe, escaped with Lovkist and held off the Swede to take the victory. Johan Coenem (Mr Bookmaker) led the main bunch in at 20 seconds back. Paris-Camembert was the sixth leg of the French Cup series and Bouyer moves into third overall behind series leader Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole). 65th Paris-Camembert Lepetit (FRA 1.2)1. Franck Bouyer (F), La Boulangère, 4:29

Bobby Julich (Team CSC) is scheduled to fly to the United States on Tuesday, where he will race in the Tour of Georgia later this month. It’s the first time the American has raced in front of the home crowd since 1996 and Julich is expecting a strong race following his impressive spring campaign in Europe. Julich finished third at Paris-Nice in March and won the final time trial at the Tour of the Basque Country on Friday, his first win in Europe since 1997. “Anything that happens in Georgia now will be icing on the cake,” Julich said after nipping compatriot Tyler Hamilton (Phonak) by

Australian veteran Scott Sunderland couldn't have asked for a better debut on the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix, the third round in the ten-race World Cup on Sunday. Sunderland, at 37 made his debut on the world's toughest one-day cycling race over 261 km - 51 of which were over 26 bike-rattling cobblestones. Afterwards, the Aussie positively gushed with delight as teammate Magnus Backstedt secured an historic victory for Sweden, and for their Italian team Alessio. Backstedt, a 29-year-old sprinter, signaled his intentions with a second place finish behind Tom Boonen in Wednesday's

Magnus Backstedt (Alessio) was as surprised as anyone after realizing a childhood dream by winning the 102nd edition of Paris-Roubaix in a sprint finish on Sunday. The big Swede, 6-foot-3 and just under 200 pounds, outsprinted Tristan Hoffman (CSC) and Roger Hammond (MrBookmaker.com) to win the grueling 261km “Hell of the North.”

During the days preceding Paris-Roubaix, the talk is often of the weather, which, over the years, has often put the hell in the Hell of the North at this one-of-a-kind spring classic. TUNE IN TO VELONEWS.COM beginning at 8 a.m. Eastern time Sunday for our live updates from the 102nd Paris-Roubaix, with on-the-spot assistance from VeloNews editor Kip Mikler, European correspondent Andrew Hood and photographer Graham Watson. If it rains for Sunday’s 102nd running of the race, as it did memorably two years ago, the 26 cobblestone sections of the 261km route will become the enemy of the 184

American Jennie Reed won gold in the keirin on Saturday during round three of the UCI Track World Cup in Manchester, England. Reed, of Kirkland, Washington, fourth in yesterday’s women's sprint, beat Susan Panzer (Germany) and Daniela Larreal (Venezuela) in the keirin to take the first gold medal of the event for the United States. ResultsWomen500 meter time trial1. Yvonne Hijgenaar (Ned) 35.1892. Yonghua Jiang (Chn) 35.3103. Victoria Pendleton (GB) 35.4993000 meter individual pursuit1. Katherine Bates (Aus), 3:35.352, beat 2. Emma Davies (GB), 3:42.768; 3. Hanka Kupfernagel (G), 3:43.275,

Bradley McGee signaled his intentions to better his Olympic bronze medal from four years ago when Athens comes around by scoring a comprehensive World Cup win in the 4000-meter individual pursuit Friday night in Manchester, England. The Australian, who rides with the French professional road team FDJeux.com, finished nearly seven seconds ahead of Sergi Escobar Roure in the final with a time of 4:19.696. Great Britain's Paul Manning won the ride-off for bronze against Russian Alexander Serov. The event was McGee's only chance of staking his claim to a spot on the Australian Olympic team

Ludovic Turpin gave France its second winner in two days at the Circuitde la Sarthe as the Ag2r rider held off a pair of Aussies to win the secondstage.Two riders -- Yuryi Kristvov (Ag2r) and Luis Sanchez (Liberty Seguros)– went on the attack early on to build up an eight-minute lead. Kristvovwas reeled in with just 5km to go to set up the sprint.Franck Bouyer (La Boulangere) retained the overall lead after finishingsafely in the main pack that came into Montreuil for a mass gallop. Turpinedged Robbie McEwen (Lotto-Domo) and Allan Davis (Liberty Seguros), whocame through third. American Fred

It would have been a shame, really, if it had ended any other way. After treating the local fans to a display of power in the 66th running of Ghent-Wevelgem in Belgium on Wednesday, the Quick Step-Davitamon team turned to its young gun Tom Boonen to close the deal. The 23-year-old did so magnificently, continuing his rise to stardom by outfoxing a group of seasoned sprinters including Magnus Backstedt (Alessio-Bianchi) and Jaan Kirsipuu (AG2R), who finished second and third respectively.

Dear Lennard,For the sake of example, let’s say you are in 39/17 and switch to 53/23 (or whatever the equivalent ratio is). Assuming the gear size is the same, is the 53/23 more efficient because the chain is on a larger tooth cog?When compared, does the rider have more leverage on generating rotation of the rear wheel when using the larger ring? Also, does the 53T chainring reduce leverage that the crank arm exerts on the chain and thus the back wheel?TreyFrom Wayne Stetina at ShimanoAn interesting question to be sure. Basically at the heart of the debateabout any potential advantages for

It’s spring in Basque Country and that means rainy, cool weather. Tuesday’s 180km second stage of the Vuelta al Pais Vasco followed that script as riders hit a string of short, but steep climbs in the rugged mountains of northern Spain. Beat Zberg (Gerolsteiner) was fastest out of a group of 40 riders that cleared the day’s many hurdles to claim the stage victory ahead of Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel). Danilo Di Luca (Saeco) started his sprint too early and faded to fourth, but it was a good move as he slipped into the overall leader’s jersey. The rollercoaster stage featured a tough

Kelme’s Alejandro Valverde won the first stage of the Tour du Pays Basque – the Tour of the Basque country – a 139km run around Bergara, on Monday. Valverde, recent winner of the Tour of Murcia, prevailed in a sprint finish at the end of the opening day's stage, which featured three climbs. His compatriot Angel Vicioso and Davide Rebellin of Italy filled the minor placings. While Valverde was celebrating, fellow Spaniard Joseba Beloki retired before the end after failing to keep up with the pace. I the final Category 2 climb nine kilometers from the end the Saeco riders Gilberto Simoni and

Zulfia Zabirova took a page from the men’s playbook to win the women’s Tour of Flanders. Like many past Flanders champions, she used the cobbled slopes of the day’s penultimate climb, the infamous Muur de Geraardsbergen, to catapult to a solo victory in the first World Cup edition of the race. After starting in Oudenaarde and scaling the Kruisberg, the 96km Ronde Van Vlaanderen Vrouwen merged with the men’s course just before the Boigneberg, the first of the final eight climbs the two races shared on the day. Despite Farm Frites-Hartol’s concerted efforts to control the race for Leontien Van

Boston, MA (April 3-4, 2003) - Hundreds of collegiate cyclists from the Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference (ECCC) convened on the Boston area for the third annual Boston Beanpot Classic. The races included the BU team time trial in historic Concord, a criterium on the Tufts campus in Somerville, and the Grafton Hills road race promoted by Harvard. Saturday night featured a catered banquet dinner by Wentworth with keynote speaker Jonathan Vaughters providing tales and tips to the hundreds of attendees. The University of Vermont took top honors in Division 1 for the weekend, and fought

Colorado Springs, Colo. (March 31, 2004)--USA Cyclingannounced today the team that will represent the United States at roundthree of the UCI Track World Cup in Manchester, Great Britain April 9-11.The men’s team will consist of Giddeon Massie (Colorado Springs, Colo.),Marty Nothstein (Orefield, Pa.), Adam Duvendeck (Colorado Springs, Colo.),Christian Stahl (Bethany, Conn.), Colby Pearce (Boulder, Colo.), JamieCarney (Boulder, Colo.), Walker Starr (San Diego, Calif.), Andy Lakatosh(Trexlertown, Pa.), and Mike Tillman (Santa Monica, Calif.).The women’s team will be represented by Tanya

Gerolsteiner’s Danilo Hondo won the first stage of the Three Days of De Panne on Tuesday, taking a sprint win at the end of 196km race from Middelkerke to Zottegem, Belgium. Hondo charged to the line, beating Baden Cooke (fdjeux.com), U.S. Postal’s George Hincapie and Luca Paolini (Quick Step) and 20 others who had formed a strong breakaway group about 9km from the finish. With time bonuses considered, Hondo now enjoys a four-second lead over Cooke on GC, with Hincapie rounding out the top three at six seconds. American David Clinger (Domina Vacanze) also made the break and finished the day

Usually when the time changes in the spring of each year, it is accompanied by an improvement in the weather, but here in Salamanca, we experienced a serious digression in the conditions over night as Europe moved into to daylight savings time. We awoke to dark skies and snow flurries. It was hard to believe we were in Spain or that it was the end of March. In keeping with the mood, Cathy Marsal wished me a “Merry Christmas” as we were warming up. It seems like the spring weather has been especially harsh this year in Europe. Michael sent me a text message from France, where he was racing

Over the past week, I have been in Northern Europe getting reacquainted with the cold weather. I have had a good schedule in the last months as I have only raced in the south of Spain and Portugal and have not had to suffer and endure the frigid temps in the rest of Europe. In Dwaars door Vlandaaren, a one-day race in Flanders; I was initiated to the cobbles, bergs, wind and cold. All in all, it was a pretty good experience and one I would go back and fight through again. This year we have a great team for the classics, as Max, Devolder, George and Eki’ are all riding well enough to win any

Chris Horner and Lyne Bessette successfully defended their respective leader's jersey on Sunday's final stage of the 20th-anniversary Redlands Bicycle Classic, with Horner taking his fourth win in five years and Bessette winning the women's race for the second time. On the closing Sunset Loop road race, Bessette was content to defend the race lead and seal the overall win, opening the door for an opportunistic and gutsy win by Victory Brewing's Nicole Demars. However, in the men's race, Horner took the opportunity to deliver one more blow to the reeling Health Net team, setting up his Webcor

The Vuelta Castilla y Léon is a three-day tour that started in Valladolid and traveled to Salamanca. The field was incredibly strong here, 160 riders, including several world and Olympic champions. The terrain is rather desolate in this region of Spain, as there are not too many trees, mountains or small towns in the countryside, so the high winds that nature provides have had a profound effect on the racing. T-Mobile started this race with five girls – Dotsie Cowden, Amber Neben, Kimberly Bruckner, Stacey Peters and me. After day one, we began calling ourselves the “Bad News Bears,” as

The Cours Aristide Briand in Charleville-Mezières is not as long or as wide as the Champs-Élysées in Paris, but French sprinter Jean-Patrick Nazon likes them both. He was won the most important sprints of his career on the two avenues, and he continued that run on Saturday in the opening stage of the two-day Critérium International. Last July, on a sultry summer’s day, Nazon took the final stage of the Tour de France thanks more to his bustling style than his erratic finishing speed. That gave this 6-foot, 163-pound rider a half-length verdict over his inherently faster Aussie rivals Baden

At Saturday’s criteriums at the Redlands Bicycle Classic, the Genesis Scuba squad showed why it will be a favorite at criteriums all year long, with Tina Pic and Laura Van Gilder going one-two in the women’s race, while in the men’s event, Jelly Belly-Aramark continued to build its case as an upper echelon team for the 2004 season, delivering Alex Candelario to one of the biggest wins of his career. The men’s race also saw some controversy at the finish, with Gord Fraser tangling with Charles Dionne, and Fraser getting relegated from his third-place finish. The men’s race saw non-stop

Spanish rider Joaquin Rodriguez (Saunier Duval) won the Setmana Catalana on Friday by just two seconds after finishing seventh on the 168km fifth and final stage, between Solsona and Parets del Valles. Angel Edo (Milaneza) won the stage ahead of Josep Jufre (Relax-Bodysol) and Martin Perdiguero (Saunier Duval), while Rodriguez finished with a bunch just behind, holding onto half of the four-second lead he gained after finishing second behind American Levi Leipheimer (Rabobank) on the race's hardest climbing stage on Thursday. Leipheimer wound up 14th overall. The start of Friday's final

Charlotte, N.C., March 25 - Gita Sporting Goods, Ltd. announced today that Giordana apparel has again been chosen as the official technical apparel sponsor of the 2004 Dodge Tour De Georgia. Giordana will manufacture the four awards jerseys, the Leader, King of the Mountains, Sprint Leader and Best Young Rider. All four will also be available through bike shops and onsite at the finish area of each stage of the race. Speaking for Gita, Sandy Nicholls, Marketing Director, said: “We are extremely excited to see the Dodge Tour De Georgia return and be able to continue our involvement with it. A

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

For Chris Horner, Friday’s Panorama Point circuit race was simply another day of defending his yellow leader’s jersey at the Redlands Bicycle Classic. For Lyne Bessette, however, Friday’s race finally saw her overtake Geneviève Jeanson (RONA) and move into the women’s overall race lead. Horner and Bessette now lead the race, while Ivan Dominguez (Colavita Olive Oil) and Kristin Armstrong (T-Mobile) took big stage wins for their teams. Despite winning the prologue and the stage 1 Crestline road race, Jeanson has shown weaknesses all week long, most notably on Thursday’s stage to Oak Glen,

Saeco’s Mirko Celestino won the second stage of the five-stage Coppi-Bartali international as it finished in Faenza Thursday. Celestino, took a 12-man sprint at the end of the day’s 206km stage from Riccione in northern Italy. By beating Ruggero Marzoli and Giuliano Figueras to the line, Celestino also assumed the overall lead going into Friday’s 176km stage from Emilia to Scandiano. Astarloa injuredWorld road race champion Igor Astarloa (Cofidis) suffered head and neck injuries in an accident while out riding, according to Gazzetta dello sport. The 27-year-old Spaniard was training near

Isaac Galvez handed his Illes Balears-Banesto team a welcome stage victory on the third day of Setmana Catalana in Montcada I Reixac on Wednesday, pipping T-Mobile's Erik Zabel on the finish line. After two days of Swiss domination, with wins going to Fabian Cancellara and Beat Zberg, Galvez finally handed Spain a victory following the 159.5km stage from Castello d'Empuries. Miguel Angel Martin Perdiguero (Saunier Duval) took the overall race lead after finishing third. Galvez, meanwhile, had to wait for a photo finish decision before being told he had beat T-Mobile veteran Zabel, who

Heading into this year’s U.S. road racing season, it was pretty clear that there were only one or two teams that could be called powerhouse squads. For the rest, the addition of some seasoned professionals gave them credibility, but they would have to step it up at the races to show that they belonged in the upper echelon of U.S. teams. The Webcor Builders team clearly fell in that second group, but at least on the first road stage of the Redlands Bicycle Classic in Southern California, they showed that they’re ready to make that step. Webcor successfully defended Chris Horner’s yellow race

Fabian Cancellara (Fassa Bortolo), a young Swiss bull known more for his time trial than his sprint, surprised the favorites to claim the opening stage of the Setmana Catalana in Spain. A group of about 40 riders cleared the Category 1 Alt de Sant Grau about 35km to go in the 165km stage and charged into rainy Lloret de Mar for a mass gallop. Rafael Casero (Saunier Duval) was caught with 200 meters to go and Cancellara relegated Milan-San Remo runner-up Erik Zabel (T-Mobile) to second place. Spanish rider Javier Ramirez (Liberty Seguros) went on a long solo move starting at 65 kilometers

The Primavera World Cup runs over the last 120 kilometers of the classic men’s Milan-San Remo World Cup course. It starts in the town of Varazze, just West of Genoa. I traveled to the start of the race two days early to meet up with my teammates and pre-ride the course. My teammates, Amber Neben, Kimberly Bruckner, Stacey Peters and Dotsie Cowden, had just arrived from the United States. We had only five riders to start in Primavera, as there are some very important races going on the U.S. that our sponsors want to make a solid presence in, like Redlands and Sea Otter. ReconnaissanceWe

Landbouwkrediet’s Bert De Waele won the 27th edition of the Cycliste Cholet-Pays de Loire on Sunday. The 202km race is the third round of the Coupe de France series, still led by Crédit Agricole’s Thor Hushovd. De Waele soloed in five seconds ahead of Brioches La Boulangere’s Didier Rous, Hushovd and Luxembourgian Frank Schleck (CSC). The day’s initial attack was launched by Belgian Frederik Willems (Vlaanderen - T-Interim - Eddy Merckx ). After a series of attacks, a group of four -- Patrice Halgand, Frederic Guesdon, Thomas Voeckler and the Jurgen Van de Walle -- bridged up to Willems at

Lyne Bessette (Quark) and Chris Horner (Webcor) won the overall titles at the season’s first major event, the Pomona Valley Stage Race in San Dimas, California, as Quark’s Sarah Uhl and Mariano Friedick (Jelly Belly) won the final stage on Sunday. Uhl was part of Quark’s successful effort to fend off any challenges to Bessette’s hold on the leaders jersey, chasing down a series of attacks from the Rona team. Uhl then nipped sprinter Tina Mayolo Pic (Genesis) at the line as the 55-minute event end in a field sprint. Horner began the 90-minute men’s race with a solid hold on the overall

Erik Zabel’s world went from bright to very black in a split second on the Via Roma at the end of the 95th Milan-San Remo on Saturday. The German sprinter thought he’d come around Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo) to win Milan-San Remo for the fifth time. But just as he was lifting his hands in celebration, Spanish sprinter Oscar Freire (Rabobank) shoved his bike across the line to snatch the win by inches.

It’s been a beautiful week in the neighborhood here in Boulder, Colorado, as spring is clearly upon us. Friday’s forecast calls for 78 degrees and sunny skies, with no snow on the horizon — bad news for the skiers in the area, but welcome news for those of us ready to get back into a riding routine. For me personally, the past week brought a 31st birthday, shared with VeloNews technical editor Andrew Juskaitis and celebrated with some good old-fashioned tricycle racing at The Dark Horse, a local saloon sometimes referred to as “The Dork House.” The week also heralded the arrival of a much

Australian Baden Cooke has played down his chance of fulfilling one of his childhood dreams when he saddles up for Milan-San Remo on Saturday. The first race of the World Cup season - a 294km ride from Italy's fashion capital to the Mediterranean coast resort - would in normal circumstances be well within the Victoria rider's grasp; he has emerged as one of the most feared sprinters in the peloton since making his European debut two years ago. However, a virus that has laid low more than one member of the peloton last week has compromised 25-year-old Cooke's chances of victory in what will

“You may as well call us Team Money.” Who ever said cyclists were humble? And why should we be? We deserve recognition, respect, sex, rock stardom, little poodles with American bandanas and Gucci booties. Yeah, and trading cards and tanning beds and … and … and leather pants and capes – it all comes rushing to the head like the initial stroke of a sprint, full of commitment and devoid of thought. Looking inside the head of a cyclist is like fracturing a carnival sky with the hands of an innocent child and scattering the pieces in waving strokes of glory. For the cyclist is a legend in his

Paolo Bettini could become only the 12th rider to win the World Cup opening Milan-San Remo for the second year in a row when the one-day classic kicks off this Saturday. The 29-year-old Italian, who rides for Quick Step, got his season off to the perfect start last year when he won the La Primavera for the first time before lifting the ten-race World Cup title for the second year in a row. This year the energetic rider known as the “little cricket” has already laid some solid foundations, winning Tirreno-Adriatico on Tuesday after claiming two stage wins to show his sprinting form. Bettini

Five-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong has elected to skip Saturday's World Cup opener, Milan-San Remo. U.S. Postal's Dirk Demol told AFP that Milan-San Remo does not fit in to the Texan's build-up for his attempt at a record sixth straight win in cycling's premier prize. Armstrong's next scheduled race is the Criterium International in the Ardennes region of Belgium at the end of the month.AFP2004 Bettini wants to avoid sprintDefending Milan-San Remo champion Paolo Bettini (Quick Step) says he wants to do everything to avoid a sprint coming down the Via Roma on Saturday. That,

Laura Van Gilder (Genesis-Scuba) sprinted to victory in the opening stage of the fifth annual Pomona Valley Stage Race on Thursday in San Dimas, California. Van Gilder outkicked Magen Long (OBRU-The Bicycle Store) and Lyne Bessette (Quark), coming around on the final straight after Bessette attacked on the climb, to win the San Dimas Hospital Circuit Race in 1:15:46. The race was run on a 3.5-mile loop in Frank G. Bonelli Regional County Park, a course that the pro men decided was too dangerous for their 150-rider field, in a dispute reminiscent of the Redwood City circuit race in last

Thursday's EuroFile: Armstrong to skip MSR; Bettini wants to avoid sprint

Paolo Bettini (Quick Step) has won the overall title in the 39th edition of Tirreno-Adriatico, finishing in the main field and preserving his five-second lead over Oscar Freire (Rabobank). Fassa Bortolo sprinter Alessandro Petacchi won the 162km stage that finished in San Benedetto Del Tronto, his third win of the race. Freire clawed back two seconds on Bettini to lose by five but his chances had evaporated after making contact with another rider during the mass sprint. “Mentally it has been a stressful day," said Bettini. "Well, to be honest the entire Tirreno-Adriatico has been. I had to

The road backDear Joe and Dirk,After taking about two years off the bike (young kids), I spent thiswinter preparing for a return to competitive cycling. Then, in lateJanuary, I had the bad fortune to endure a case of mononucleosis.Admittedly it was only after I had mono for four weeks that I bought theTraining Bible, but now I want to be sure I don't overdo it as I returnto the preparation phase.While I fear my racing season might be effectively done, especiallyafter two years off, can you offer any recommendations or cautions as Iproceed? I'm 39 and, now that I've had mono, am only a couple

Roberto Petito (Fassa Bortolo) won the fifth stage of Tirreno-Adriatico on Sunday, a 215 kilometer ride from Paglieta to Torricella Sicura near the Adriatic coast. The 33-year-old Italian won a sprint finish to cross the finish line in 5:20:51, ahead of Ukranian Sergey Matveyev (Ceramiche Panaria-Margres) and Swede Magnus Backstedt (Alessio-Bianchi). Reigning World Cup champion Paolo Bettini kept the leader's jersey. Monday's sixth stage is a 185km ride from Monte San Pietrangeli to Torre San Patrizio. Tirreno-Adriatico, Italy's first major race of the season and a traditional warm-up

Americans Alison Dunlap and Jeremiah Bishop grabbed a pair of dramatic cross-country wins on the final day of racing at the opening stop of the NORBA National Mountain Bike Series in Waco, Texas on Sunday. In the final GC it was the day’s second-place finishers, Alison Sydor and Geoff Kabush, taking the overall titles. In the women’s race it didn’t take long for it to become a two-rider affair. After a quick start loop to shake things out for the run into the tight twisting singletrack of Cameron Park, Sydor and Dunlap quickly gapped the rest of the field, and carried a two-minute advantage

The United States got off to a winning start at round two of the UCI Track World Cup on Friday in Aguascalientes, Mexico, thanks to winning performances from Colby Pearce and Erin Mirabella. Pearce, of Boulder, Colorado, won the men’s 15km scratch race ahead of Greg Henderson (NZL). In the following event, Mirabella, of Racine, Wisconsin, claimed the women’s 20km points race ahead of Lada Kozlikova (CZE). Tanya Lindenmuth of Trexlertown, Pennsylvania, also put in a strong performance. After posting the best qualifying time in the morning session, Lindenmuth placed second in the women’s

Alexander Vinokourov (T-Mobile), winner at Paris-Nice for the last two years, clinched his second win of the 2004 race with a fine solo effort in the seventh stage on Saturday. The 30-year-old from Kazakhstan broke away on the seafront of Cannes, 6km from the finish of the 185.5km stage from Dignes-les-Bains to Cannes, chased down Spaniard Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) – who had attacked at the summit of the Col du Tanneron, the last of the day's climbs, 20km from the finish – and brought the victory home in style, 18 seconds ahead of Luxembourg's Kim Kirchen (Fassa Bortolo).

One look at the short track course at Cameron Park, and you knew the day’s racing was going to be more fat boy crit than traditional STXC. With more than half the circuit on paved road, a blistering pace and bar-to-bar racing was almost guaranteed. The only question was whether anyone would be able to make a break stick, or would things come down to a sprint. The answer was both on Saturday at the opening race of the NORBA National Mountain Bike Series in Waco, Texas. In the women’s race, it was Canadian Alison Sydor earning her second win in two days, after charging away from American

Women's 500m time trial1 Natalia Tsylinskaya (Blr),34:587 (52.043 kph),2 Anna Meares (Aus),34:5973 Yvonne Hijgenaar (Nl),34:8644 Cuihua Jiang (Chn),34:9405 Simona Krupeckaite (Lit),35:1276 Svetlana Grankovskaia (Rus),35:1757 Lori-Ann Muenzer (Can),35:2358 Nancy Contreras Reyes (Mex),35:2709 Clara Sanchez (F),35:41310 Elisa Frisioni (I),35:50511 Iryna Yanovych (Ukr),35:60112 Sayuri Osuga (Jpn),35:89413 Yumary Gonzalez Valdinieso (Cub), 36:31514 Diana Garcia (Col),36:37815 Karelia Juthid Machado Jaimes (Vz), 36:68516 Tanya Lindenmuth (USA),37:10717 Szilvia Szabolcsi (Hun),37:204Women's 3000m

France's Gane is a favorite to medal in the sprint in Athens

A cagey Denis Menchov (Illes Baleares) held his fire until the final kilometers, then took his best shot, chasing down and outsprinting a three-man breakaway on the Col de Manse to claim the 173.5km sixth stage of Paris-Nice race from Rasteau to Gap on Friday. The threesome of Spaniard Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi), American Floyd Landis (U.S. Postal) and Belgian Dave Bruylandts (Chocolade Jacques) had surged ahead on the final climb, some 10km from the line. But Menchov leapt from the first chase group to join the trio, then pipped them at the finish in a four-up dash to the line.

Two-time defending champion Alexandre Vinokourov dedicated his win in the 215km fifth stage of Paris-Nice to his friend Andrei Kivilev who was killed in last year's event. "It's fantastic. I wanted to win for him," said the 30-year-old Kazakh rider of the stage he was determined to win in memory of compatriot Kivilev, who died after a fall on March 11, 2003. Winner of the last two editions of Paris-Nice, Vinokourov missed a key break on Monday and now sits more than five minutes down in the overall standings. But on Thursday, Vinokourov managed to join a key CSC-driven break that resembled

With a start list that included Tinker Juarez, Dave Wiens and a pair of Subaru-Gary Fisher pros, Charlie Storm had to figure a top five would have been a great day. Throw in the fact that Storm flatted on the first lap of the 60-mile marathon race that kicked off the first stop of the NORBA Mountain Bike Series in Texas, and a top 10 would have looked pretty good. But that puncture — and one to the lead moto — turned out to be Storm’s lucky break. While he was pulled off on the side of the 20-mile circuit that twisted its way through the Broken Oak and C-Bar ranches 30 miles south of Waco,

Super sprinter Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo) won the first stage of the 39th Tirreno-Adriatico as it finished in Sabaudia on the Mediterranean coast on Wednesday. The 30-year-old sprint specialist was the fastest in a bunch sprint, crossing the finish line of the 169km stage in 3:55:31. German pair Erik Zabel (T-Mobile) and Danilo Hondo (Gerolsteiner) were second and third respectively. Petacchi said his 60th career victory and his third of the season owed much to the performance of teammate Guido Trenti. "Trenti guided me very well and although I thought I went a little early in

Lotto's Leon van Bon won the third stage of Paris-Nice, a 229km ride between Chapelle-Saint-Ursin and Roanne on Tuesday, finishing just ahead of Gerolsteiner's Thomas Ziegler. Van Bon and Ziegler slipped off the front of the field just before the 30km mark and built up a lead that peaked at more 13 minutes at one point. The two finished just ahead of the main field, nearly 200km after their initial escape. Quick Step's Tom Boonen won the field sprint 25 seconds after the two leaders crossed the line. German CSC rider Jörg Jaksche retained the overall race lead with a six-second advantage

March 7th, Elk Grove, CA -- Sierra Nevada Cycling competed in another weekend of local racing inthe Sacramento area and it was new recruit and cagy veteran Eric Wohlbergwho came through with the win on Sunday at the Mather Field Criterium. Eric was part of the 6 man winning break which included team mate Ben Jacques-Maynes,2 riders from McGuire Reality including Dave Fuentes, Jason Lokicesmoe(Health Net) and Michael Hernandez (Reno Wheelman).  The remainderof the field was controlled by the Sierra Nevada team with team CapitanTrent Klasna cracking the whip.Wohlberg & Jacques-Maynes took their

It was a day of heavy damage in Monday’s second stage of Paris-Nice. No, no one crashed, but a half-dozen favorites were all-but-eliminated when Team CSC and U.S. Postal Service collaborated to drive a deep five-minute wedge into the eight-day race. Five Postals and the entire CSC team drove a lead group of 36 into Montargis in the windy 166.5km stage across rolling farmland south of Paris. Spanish rider Pedro Horrillo (Quick Step) rejoiced in his most important victory of his career while two-time defending champion Alexandre Vinokourov (T-Mobile), Erik Dekker (Rabobank), Laurent

Murcia ended up being quite successful for the team: we accomplished morethan we had set out to with two stage wins and a solid team effort. U.S.Postal currently has the most victories of any team in the professionalpeloton which isn’t bad considering we were the last to start racing. Friday’s stage at Murcia was a little harder than the profile had suggestedand some serpentine undulating roads took most of the peloton by surprise,split things up and zapped a good amount of energy out of everybody’s legsand spirits. It ended up being good for us as the challenge of the course made therace

U.S. Postal leader Lance Armstrong has decided to ride in this year's Dauphine Libere as part of his preparation for a record sixth Tour de France title in July. "I've changed my mind," said 32-year-old Armstrong, who was not expected to race in the event from June 6-13 in southeast France which he has won for the past two years. But Armstrong, who has hinted that he could quit at the end of the season, changed his mind because this year's race includes a time-trial up Mont Ventoux, which will aid his preparation for Alpe d'Huez time-trail which is seen as a key to this year's Tour de

Brian Lopes had been at his buddy’s house all of 20 minutes when the accident happened. The former world four-cross champion was on the last leg of a fun/work trip that had taken him from Michigan to Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia, when he jumped aboard a four-wheel ATV, just to have a little fun. “My friend’s house had this big grassy area and I was doing some donuts,” Lopes explained. “Then I don’t know, the thing must have gotten caught up in some dry stuff. I was probably only going five miles per hour at that point, but when it started to tip I went to step out [and] the roll cage just

When Jorg Jaksche raced with Telekom and ONCE early in his career, he didn’t get much of a chance to ride for himself. Most of his efforts were supporting proven leaders Jan Ullrich or Joseba Beloki. Now that he’s been giving the leadership mantle since joining Team CSC over the off-season, the 27-year-old German is taking full advantage of the opportunity. Jaksche won the Tour Mediterranean in February and added an even more important victory Sunday in the 13.2km opening time trial of the 62rd Paris-Nice. “When I rode at the other teams I was always a worker for others, which was fine

Rona’s Emilie Roy and Michael Jones (Health Net/Maxxis) took the overall titles as the 19th Annual Tucson Bicycle Classic wrapped up with a tough circuit race on Sunday The women’s race didn’t have a surprise finish as much as it did a surprise start – or rather lack of start -- on Sunday morning. Team Rona sensation Geneviève Jeanson had already won the opening two stages of the race, had more than a ten-minute lead on G.C. and was poised to win her third successive Tucson Classic when an awkward dismount from her pedal inflamed a knee injury and the young Canadian was unable to start on

Italy's Danilo Di Luca (Saeco) won the 169km fourth stage of the Tour of Murcia in Collado Bermejo on Saturday. The stage finished with a climb up the Marco Pantani Hill, named in honor of the Italian cyclist who died last month, and as Di Luca crossed the line he pointed his finger towards the sky in memory of his compatriot to claim the stage in 4:25:34. Di Luca overtook Alejandro Valverde (Kelme), Australia's Cadel Evans (T-Mobile) and compatriot Leonardo Piepoli (Saunier Duval) to win the stage; for his part, Valverde stripped the leader's jersey from compatriot Ivan Gutierrez (Illes

The men’s race at the Tucson Bicycle Classic may have boiled down to a sprint after more than three hours of racing on Saturday, but Geneviève Jeanson wasn’t about to wait around for such nonsense. As she did on this stage in 2002, the Rona rider soloed away from the women’s field to win the Gates Pass Garrett Lemire Memorial Road Race by more than nine minutes. Jeanson, who also took Friday’s individual time trial, finished her 63-mile workout on the 21-mile circuit in 2:42:26. The runner-up, her teammate Emilie Roy, wouldn’t turn up until nine minutes and two seconds later. Third went to

Max Van Heeswijk scored his second victory in three days after taking Friday’s sprint in the third stage of the Tour of Murcia. The U.S. Postal Service rider has hit a purple patch that includes four wins in three weeks of racing in Spain. This time, Van Heeswijk slipped ahead of Erik Zabel (T-Mobile) to take the honors. José Ivan Gutierrez (Illes Balears) finished safely in the main bunch to retain the overall lead he earned following Thursday’s time trial victory. Lance Armstrong (USPS) also avoided trouble to remain second overall and even played a hand to help spring Van Heeswijk to

Earlier this week, McDonald’s announced that it would be phasing out “Supersizing” by the end of this year. What’s the world coming to? Since when do the wheels of progress move backwards? In one of the great innovations in capitalism, Mickey D’s found a way to take a penny’s worth of soda syrup and a nickel’s worth of French fries and tack on 39 cents to millions of orders. And now, they’re doing away with it? What, in the name of public relations? Just because they helped spawn a nationwide epidemic of obesity and health problems is no reason to do away with an institution. It’s just

The race is off to a good start for the team with another victory for Max and USPS/Berry Floor. Our directors have a bit of a competition running, as there are currently two Postal race programs, one for the classics and one for the smaller tours and Ardennes classics. I think Johan is now up on victories, 4 to 2 against Dirk. The past few weeks in Europe have been frigid with snow in Majorca, Barcelona and throughout much of the rest of Europe. Races have been cancelled and training sessions have been indoors. It was a relief when we arrived in Almeria in the south of Spain on the