Ruta del Sol

Alessandro Petacchi used all his wile to win a three-up sprint against younger Italian compatriots to win Tuesday’s 174.5km third stage from Otura to Jaén at the Vuelta a Andalucía-Ruta del Sol. The Milram sprinter had just enough in the tank to hold off Italian national champion Giovanni Visconti (Quick Step) and Riccardo Ricco (Saunier Duval), who came through second and third, respectively.

It didn’t take long for Cadel Evans to crank up his 2008 season in winning fashion. In just his second day of competition in a year when all eyes will be on the Silence-Lotto leader, last year’s Tour runner-up uncorked a winning sprint to out-kick the remnants of a breakaway in a hard-fought second stage at the Vuelta a Andalucía-Ruta del Sol in Spain.

It’s called the Ruta del Sol – the Race of the Sun – but rain was one of the main protagonists in the opening stage of the Vuelta Ciclista a Andalucía, which saw Tour de France favorite Cadel Evans (Silence-Lotto) kick start his season. Despite the presence of big-time sprinters such as Alessandro Petacchi (Milram), two relatively unknown riders chugged away from the peloton in the early going of the rainy 123.4km stage from Benahavis to Alora across the hills near Malaga.

Petacchi takes win in AlgarveAlessandro Petacchi scored another confidence-boosting win ahead of Milan-San Remo after charging to victory in the third stage of the Tour of the Algarve while Bernard Eisel (T-Mobile) snagged second and moved into the overall lead. Petacchi held off Eisel, the winner of Thursday’s stage, to claim victory for the second time this year and makes up for a relegation earlier this week for dangerous sprinting. Eisel came through second to take the time bonuses to move into the leader’s jersey while Roman Vaitkus (Discovery Channel) was third. "Today was finally

Freire takes Ruta by a second over CioniSpaniard Oscar Freire (Rabobank) won the final stage and the overall at the Ruta del Sol on Thursday, taking the victory from Dario Cioni (Predictor-Lotto) by a single second. The 170.9km stage from Ecija to Antequera was marked by an early break by Netherlander Piet Rooijakkers (Skil-Shimano) and Spaniard Benat Albizuri (Euskaltel-Euskadi), who built a lead of six minutes before being retrieved as the peloton entered Antequera. There, Freire finished two seconds up on a small group containing Cioni, who had led the race since Sunday. Ruta del

Boonen turns it up in RutaTom Boonen (Quick Step-Innergetic) is back in the winner’s column after coming out of a self-imposed hibernation since the Tour of Qatar in January. The Belgian out-kicked Danilo Napolitano (Lampre-Fondital) to win Wednesday’s 179.2km fourth stage from Cabra to Córdoba at the Ruta del Sol in Spain to claim his sixth victory barely a month into the 2007 season. Boonen raced discreetly last week at the Mallorca Challenge without contesting the sprints and kept his head low during the opening three stages of the five-day Ruta while he battled through a stomach

Ignatiev wins againMikhail Ignatiev is quickly proving he can bump shoulders with the big boys. The 21-year-old Russian won for the second time in a week with a victory Tuesday in the 44th Trofeo Laigueglia in Italy. The Tinkoff Credit Systems rider – who won the third stage last week at the Tour Méditerranéen – put down a surprise attack with about 7km to go after the peloton split going over the 690m Passo Balestrino in the 188km hilly march. The 2004 Olympic points champion had enough in the tank to hold off some chasing Italians to snag the win. Coming through second at four seconds

Freire wins in RutaOscar Freire drove home the bunch Monday to win the second stage of the Ruta del Sol, a 156.6km stage from Vegas del Genil to Cazorla in southern Spain. The three-time world champion held off Francisco José Ventoso (Saunier Duval-Prodir) in the mass sprint to snag his second win of the 2007 season. The Rabobank sprinter, who just missed victory in Sunday’s opener after Dario Cioni (Predictor-Lotto) held off a long breakaway, clawed within one second of Cioni’s lead thanks to time bonuses. The race continues Tuesday with the third stage. Hamilton satisfied, eyes Georgia

Luis León Sánchez (Illes Balears-Caisse d’Epargne) hopes his victory in the Mallorca Challenge will help put behind him some painful chapters that were threatening to overwhelm his promising career. The 23-year-old claimed the unofficial overall title Thursday at the five-day Mallorca series (riders are allowed to pick and choose which stages they start) and he said the win takes some weight off his shoulders. “I was motivated to achieve a victory as soon as possible to send it to my brother,” Sánchez told EFE, referring to his older brother who died in a quad accident last year. “I’ve done

Perhaps more than anyone, Spanish rider Oscar Pereiro laments the slow wheels of justice when it comes to resolving the Floyd Landis doping case at the 2006 Tour de France. Pereiro, as runner-up in last year’s Tour, has the most to gain if Landis loses in his bid to prove his innocence against doping charges. And Pereiro maintains he has lost the most of any of the other protagonists in the unfortunate scenario if Landis becomes the first rider of the modern era to have his Tour crown stripped away. “I couldn’t and my team couldn’t maximize the benefits of a Tour victory because of this

The ongoing feud between the grand tours and the UCI turned nastier this week when Giro d’Italia organizers said they will guarantee invitations to only 18 of the 20 teams in the ProTour league for the upcoming edition of the corsa rosa. The decision shows just how deep the divisions are between cycling’s most important race organizers and the sport’s governing body. While there’s been no official word from the UCI, a strong reaction is expected. Giro organizer RCS Sport said new ProTour team Unibet.com won’t be allowed to race the season’s first grand tour (May 12-June 3) and said the

Damiano Cunego has marked two very clear goals for his 2007 racing. Cunego, who said he enjoyed “excellent” winter training, is motivated to have a strong run at the Giro d’Italia podium and shine in the spring classics. “Compared to 2006, it’s true there are less difficult stages but I don’t agree with those who said it’s less difficult,” Cunego told the Italian web page cicloweb.it. “It’s a balanced course with a few decisive days.” Cunego won the 2004 Giro in spectacular fashion, but suffered through media pressure and health issues in 2005 only to bounce back with a solid campaign last

The 2007 road racing season kicks off this week in Europe after a long winter full of doping innuendo and infighting between cycling’s major powers. First up is the French traditional opener Tuesday at the Grand Prix d’Ouverture La Marseillaise followed by the five-day Etoile de Bessège. Seven ProTour teams are among the 18-team field for the 140km La Marseillaise opener, including Ag2r, Bouygues Telecom, Crédit Agricole, Cofidis, FDJeux, T-Mobile and Unibet.com. Etoile start Wednesday in Pézenas and wraps up Sunday in Bessèges with a mix of stages across southern France. The expansive

American classics hope Tyler Farrar will be staying with Cofidis through the end of his contract this season and won’t be joining Discovery Channel - at least for now. Farrar’s name was linked to the American team last week when he appeared on a list of Discovery Channel riders for the 2007 season. The 22-year-old admitted he’s spoken with Discovery Channel representatives, but denied he was poised to leave the French team just as the 2007 season kicks into gear. “I was just as surprised as everyone else. I was at the Cofidis team presentation and someone pulled out a copy of Het Laatste

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.Applause for Bergman’s confessionEditor:This might sound crazy, bit I actually sat at my computer this morning and applauded. I didn't applaud for Tom Boonen or Carlos Garcia Quesada and their victories at the Ruta del Sol or for any of the other victorious cyclists featured by

Spain’s Carlos Garcia Quesada (Unibet.com), won the Ruta del Sol on Thursday. The fifth and final stage, a 172.6km leg between Olvera and Seville, went to Tom Boonen (Quick Step), who finally took his revenge on Alessandro Petacchi (Milram), who had beaten the world champion in their last two matchups. Roger Hammond (Discovery Channel) was third. In the final overall, Garcia Quesada took the win over countryman Rodrigo Garcia (Kaiku) with his brother, Adolfo Garcia Quesada (Andalucia-Paul Versan) placing third and collecting the King of the Mountains prize. Petacchi took the points jersey

Italian Alessandro Petacchi (Milram) once again showed world champion Tom Boonen his heels en route to winning the fourth stage of the Ruta del Sol on Wednesday. Boonen (Quick Step) held on for second ahead of Aussie Graeme Brown (Rabobank) in the 162.1km stage between Ecija and Ronda. Spain’s Carlos Garcia Quesada (Unibet), remains the overall leader ahead of Rodrigo Garcia (Kaiku), who was briefly slowed by a crash involving several riders, and García Quesada's brother, Adolfo (Andalucia-Paul Versan). Thursday's finale, a 172.6km run between Olvera and Seville, seems likely to

Belgian cyclist Frank Vandebroucke on Wednesday won an appeal to the Belgian supreme court in Brussels, overturning a judgment that he pay a 250.000-euro fine for possession of doping products, according to his lawyers. Last June, an appeals court in Ghent had ordered the fine, saying that Vandenbroucke "was to be judged as a drug addict, not as a doped sportsman." It was a first for a high-level athlete facing doping charges in Belgium. On Wednesday, the higher court overturned the judgment, finding the lower court’s reasoning "insufficient," said Me Luc Deleu, one of Vandebroucke’s

The much-anticipated battle of the sprinters finally materialized in stage 3 of the Ruta del Sol on Tuesday as Alessandro Petacchi (Milram) pipped world champion Tom Boonen (Quick Step) in the final dash to the line. Petacchi took the 174.1km stage from Cabra to Cordoue in just under four hours, with Boonen second and Graeme Brown third in the same time. Spaniard Carlos Garcia Quesada (Unibet) retained the overall lead. Stage1. Alessandro Petacchi (I), Milram), 174.1km in 3:52:582. Tom Boonen (B), Quick Step, s.t.3. Graeme Brown (Aus), Rabobank, s.t.4. Baden Cooke (Aus), Unibet, s.t.5.

Spanish rider Manuel Lloret (Comunitat Valenciana) grabbed the first win of his career in the second stage of Spain's Ruta del Sol on Monday. Lloret won in a long breakaway, slipping away from Santos González Capilla (3 Molinos Resort) to win the 157km stage from La Guardia to Jaénin 3:48:19, while the main bunch came through more than six minutes slower. Despite the margin, the breakaway was no threat to the contenders for the overall. Carlos García Quesada (Unibet.com) collected the leader's jersey from brother Adolfo García Quesada (Andalucía-Paul Versan), who slipped to third

Olympic champion Paolo Bettini says the upcoming Tour de France will be more interesting without the dominating presence of seven-time champion Lance Armstrong. With Armstrong retired, Bettini said the race will have suspense it didn’t during Armstrong’s unprecedented seven-year run. "That Lance won't be there is good for the spectacle," Bettini told the Spanish daily Marca. "Before you could only aspire for second place, but now there will be at least 10 riders that go for it, riders who can win. The race will have less control, there will be unthinkable battles that weren’t imaginable a

Isaac Galvez (Illes Balears) won for the second day in a row in the Mallorca Challenge a day after Oscar Freire (Rabobank) returned to action following an eight-month break from racing. Freire lined up in Sunday’s start for what was his first day in the saddle since undergoing surgery last June to remove a painful cyst that forced him out of last year’s Tour de France and the world championships in Madrid A cautious Freire skipped Monday’s second leg of the Spanish race while Galvez’ teammates did excellent work to hold off Olympic champion Paolo Bettini (Quick Step) in the 159km race. For

Grand tours moving forwardOrganizers of cycling’s three big stage races moved forward Friday with their plans to create a rival racing league, officially asking the UCI for authorization to create its “Trophy of the Grand Tours” format. According to reports on the European wires, officials from Unipublic, RCS and ASO – organizers of the Vuelta a España, Giro d’Italia and Tour de France, respectively – have formally made steps to move forward with its own series. Talks between the grand tours and the ProTour broke down acrimoniously last year, prompting the organizers to seek an independent

Tom Boonen just wants to have some peace and quiet. These days, for the reigning world champion, that will come once the racing season begins. The dynamic 25-year-old is the biggest story in cycling crazy Belgium, which hasn’t seen a rider with as much charisma and winning attitude in a generation. To feed the journalistic combine, Boonen gave more than 300 interviews since winning the world title last September. With so much media attention, Boonen can’t wait for the relative tranquility of bumping shoulders at 40mph down the finishing straight. “People say the busiest time of the year is

Alessandro Petacchi was the star attraction of Tuesday’s team presentation for new Italian-German squad, Milram. In a flash program, the Italian sprinter was the top name among a 30-strong lineup that also includes German ace Erik Zabel and Italian attacker Mirko Celestino. Petacchi left the door open to make a run at starting all three grand tours for the 2006 season, something he skipped last year in his ill-fated run at the world title which stalled on the streets of Madrid last September. “It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve started all three grand tours,” said Petacchi, who won stages

Three-time world champion Oscar Freire isn’t boasting of winning another rainbow jersey or sweeping the spring classics. Instead, the oft-injured Spanish sprinter is simply hoping to enjoy an injury-free season in 2006. Dogged by pain and complications since a June surgery that forced him to miss the road world’s on his home roads of Madrid last September, Freire is optimistic he can leave behind what was a black season and trade it for one rich with victories. “2005 was a very difficult year for me,” Freire told reporters at last week’s team presentation. “I won’t be able to say how I am

Ivan Basso might be pegged as the man to replace Lance Armstrong in the peloton’s power structure, but it appears the Italian won't be taking a page out of the Texan’s playbook this year. Armstrong was known for his methodical, precise preparation for the Tour de France, with training camps that kept him away from the racing scene during a good part of the season. Armstrong typically would arrive to the Tour with only about 20-25 days of racing in his legs. It appears Basso likes bumping shoulders in the peloton just as much as intense training. According to Tutto Bici, Basso will be

Eisel back on top in AlgarveA day after slipping back into the overall lead, Austria’s Bernhard Eisel (FDJeux.com) emphatically won his second stage of the Tour of the Algarve to confirm his lead with one day to go. Eisel held off Stuart O’Grady (Cofidis) and Fabian Wegmann (Gerolsteiner) to take the victory and consolidate his hold on the overall lead. The win marked Eisel’s third win during his early season stop in Portugal, with one stage win in the GP Costa Azul and two in Algarve. Sunday’s finale ends with a climb, giving the climbers a chance to make up some lost time on the

Alexei Markov (Milaneza-Maia) won the third stage of the Volta ao Algarve in Portugal on Friday, outkicking Bernard Eisel (Française des Jeux) and Hans Dekkers (Rabobank) in the bunch sprint to claim the victory. By finishing second on the 200km stage from Vila do Bispo to Lagos in southern Portugal, meanwhile, Austria’s Eisel collected a six-second bonus and took the overall lead from Belgian Tom Steels (Davitamon-Lotto). Steels, who crossed in 25th place, slipped to second overall, at two seconds behind. Australian Stuart O’Grady (Cofidis) sits third at three seconds back. –Agence France

Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo) used his stalwart train to catapult him to his second straight stage win in the Ruta del Sol while Francesco Cabello (Comunidad Valenciana) realized a career-long dream of winning on home roads after securing the overall title. The rolling course from Sevilla to Chiclana de la Frontera in Spain’s Andalucía region looked to favor the sprinters, but two riders slipped away early and nearly stole the spotlight. José Antonio López (Kaiku) and Carlos Castaño (Paul Versan) attacked early and built up a 3-minute advantage halfway through the stage, but the pair

Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo) blazed to victory in Wednesday’sfourth stage of the Ruta del Sol. It’s the second win of the year for theItalian sprinter, who kept Max Van Heeswjk (Discovery Channel) from snaggingthe win. Tom Boonen (Quick Step) came through third while Oscar Freire(Rabobank) and Erik Zabel (T-Mobile) rounded out the top 5. The pace was furious in the 161km stage from La Guardia de Jaénto Córdoba, with the peloton finishing some 30 minutes faster thanexpected. Petacchi’s winning time came with an average time of 44.3 kphthanks to a gusting

Serge Baguet (Davitamon-Lotto) used his wile to win his second stagein a row in a wind-blasted Ruta del Sol while perennial runner-up FranciscoCabello (Comunidad Valenciana) slipped into the overall lead.Russian workhorse Viatcheslav Ekimov put Discovery Channel into thewinning break in Tuesday’s blustery third stage that saw overnight leaderCarlos García Quesada lose grip of the leader’s jersey.Strong crosswinds blasted the bunch right from the start in the 164kmmarch from just outside Granada to Jaen across the heart of Spain’s spectacularAndalucia region. García Quesada and Johan

It’s been a year since Marco Pantani was found dead in room 5-D of the Hotel Le Rose in Rimini, Italy. The autopsy later confirmed the iconic Italian cycling hero had died of a cocaine overdose. A year later, Italy continues to mourn his tragic death and is still trying to come to grips with the loss of Italy's most successful grand tour racer of his generation. Pantani’s life slowly unraveled after being kicked out of the 1999 Giro d’Italia just a few days short of winning a second consecutive title. The UCI’s “vampires” discovered his red blood cell count too high and Pantani left the

The appeal of the Ruta del Sol

Belgian rider Serge Baguet (Davitamon-Lotto) held off climbing specialistLeonardo Piepoli (Saunier Duval) to win Monday’s second stage of the Rutadel Sol in southern Spain. Carlos García Quesada (Comunidad Valenciana) held onto the overalllead after crossing the line fourth just nine seconds slower than Baguet.Piepoli and Belgian John Vansummeren (Davitamon-Lotto) attacked early onthe climbing finish to La Zubia while Quesada and Baguet followed the aggression. A six-man break went away early, carving out a three-minute lead onthe bunch, but Comunidad Valenciana did the work to close down

Carlos García Quesada and his Comunidad Valenciana team delivered what might be the knock out punch in the opening stage Sunday in the Ruta del Sol in southern Spain. Quesada won the hilly 150.5km route from Benalmádena and Comares thanks to heavy pressure that split the peloton early, leaving only a group of 19 riders to contest for the spoils. With a start list heavy with sprinters, many of the big teams had riders present in the break and no one seemed interested in putting up a chase. Quesada, a runner-up last year to Juan Carlos Domínguez, attacked hard on the final climb coming into

Jens Voigt consolidated his lead in the Tour Méditerranéen on Saturday as Team CSC won the stage-4 team time trial, a 36km run between Bouc-Bel-Air and Berre l'Etang (Bouches-du-Rhône). Liquigas-Bianchi, whose leader, Italian Franco Pellizotti, was second overall going into Saturday’s stage, had a 17-second lead over CSC and 20 seconds on Rabobank at 16km. But CSC turned on the power in the final kilometers, and Liquigas – despite the best efforts of Pellizotti, Mario Cipollini and Swede Magnus Backstedt – saw its lead evaporate. At the end, CSC crossed 16 seconds up on Liquigas and

Voigt scores again in Tour MedJens Voigt (CSC) padded his lead in the Tour Méditerranéen on Friday, soloing to victory in stage 3 from La Garde to the summit of Mont Faron in Toulon. The 137km stage was animated at the foot of the day’s first climb, Fourches, at 32km. Five riders – Frenchmen Mickael Delage (Francaise des Jeux) and Lénaïc Olivier (Agritubel), Italian Alessandro Donati (Acqua & Sapone), Estonian Janek Tombak (Cofidis) and the Belgian Kristof Trouvé (MrBookmaker.com)– broke away and built a four-minute lead by 80km. Behind, Voigt’s team began a chase, assisted by the

It’s two for two for Oscar Freire, who scored his second straight victory in just two days of racing in the 2005 season. A day after making his season debut a winning one at the Trofeo Mallorca, the reigning world champion won Monday’s Trofeo Alcudia in similar fashion. It’s not bad for a guy who only has about 2500km in his legs when many of his competitors might have double or triple that amount. “I didn’t start training seriously until after Christmas and then I got sick with a cold, so I haven’t been able to put in the kilometers I normally would,” Freire said after Sunday’s win. “To

One of the top stories coming out of last year’s Tour de France was the fighting panache of Thomas Voeckler, the quiet, hard-working national champion who held the yellow jersey for more than a week. The fresh-faced national champion defied the odds and carried the maillot jaune out of the Pyrénées, giving French fans something to cheer for as Lance Armstrong barnstormed to a record sixth consecutive win. Voeckler is making his season debut at the Tour of Qatar with his fellow Bouygues Telecom teammates. Here are excerpts from an interview posted on the official race page: Q: How do you

Moreau hoping for more at Credit AgricoleAfter an up-and-down career, French veteran Christophe Moreau is hoping to be on the upswing again in 2005. Fourth overall in the 2000 Tour de France, he’ll lead Credit Agricole once again in the Tour, where he hopes to nudge closer to the final podium. “I know that I can do a lot better than these last years. 2000 remains my reference year. I was not on the podium, but fourth of the Tour, I wouldn’t have believed it,” Moreau said in an interview on the team’s web page. “Since then I have not always been very lucky, but I know that sooner or later I

When true road races were first held in Britain during World War II, Alf Buttler was one of the thousands of amateur cyclists who “did a bit of everything.” Like most riders, he came into the sport through a touring club, enjoying the weekend club runs and weeklong tours with his buddies to the hillier parts of the British Isles. Racing was a natural progression, first the “anonymous” road time trials, then track racing (usually on unbanked grass tracks), followed by the occasional hill climb, circuit race and, eventually, a full-blown stage race. Alf talked about the early days of modern

Spanish rider Toni Colom took another win for the new Illes Balears team Tuesday after out-sprinting David Blanco (Valencia-Kelme) in Tuesday’s opening stage of the Tour of Valencia. Colom, who won the Ruta del Sol race in 2002 while riding for Fuenlabrada, delivered the overall but unofficial title at the Mallorca Challenge earlier this month to open the Spanish racing calendar. “It’s nice to actually win the stage instead of just take the leader’s jersey like I did at Mallorca,” Colom said. “It was very rainy at the start of the stage but we’re going to keep fighting. I’m maybe not quite

The team has started the season better than it ever has with five wins to date. Last year we didn’t have five before the Tour and only 12 in the entire year. The teams in both Ruta del Sol and Algarve were strong and successful. The nice thing is that we hadn’t really planned on being in flying form for these races; they were simply build-up for the main objectives, so it is definitely a confidence boost and a nice bonus to have the victories under the belt. Going into Algarve we knew the last two days were to be key. The time trial was a long one, 24 km, with many false flat sections and

Floyd Landis won Sunday’s final stage and the overall at the Tour ofthe Algarve in Portugal to mark the best start to the season ever for U.S.Postal Service. The team also won two stages at the Ruta del Sol last week.Five-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong started the stagewearing the yellow jersey, but told Landis to ride for the victory. Armstrongwon Saturday’s time trial and finished fifth overall.“Lance is generous, so he said I could go for the win if I was feelingwell. Everybody worked together,” Landis told the AP. “It's good for theteam to start the year with a win, so

A day after losing Saturday’s time trial by one second to teammate LanceArmstrong, U.S. Postal’s Floyd Landis continued strong to win Sunday’sclimbing stage and claimed the overall title at the Tour of the Algarve. The difficult 178km stage was held over narrow roads and steep climbsin the hills north of Portugal’s glimmering Algarve coast. A breakawaypeeled away early, but the favorites moved to the front for the secondand final charge up the Category summit finish at Malhao. Landis held off Peter Farazijn (Cofidis) to win by five seconds andclaim his first individual title in Europe since

LA Pecol's Candido Barbosa won the second stage and moved into the overall lead at Portugal's Tour of the Algarve Thursday, edging out Spaniard Alberto Benito (Antarte) and Cofidis's recent Aussie recruit, Stuart O'Grady, at the end of a 201km haul from Castro Marim on the Spanish border to Portimao. U.S. Postal leader Lance Armstrong, whose presence at the normally low-keyearly season race has brought international attention to the event, finishedthe day in the middle of the field. "Everything's going fine, as good as possible for the first race ofthe season," said Postal director Johan

George Hincapie will line up alongside Lance Armstrong today for the opening stage of the Tour of the Algarve in southern Portugal. Hincapie was scheduled to race Ruta del Sol, but he came down with what he called “a stomach bug” and delayed his start to the 2004 season. U.S. Postal Service sport director Johan Bruyneel told The Associated Press that Armstrong chose the Algarve race to kick off his season because he wants to spend more time in the United States later this spring. “The main attraction is the date, because we're starting racing earlier this year,” Bruyneel told the AP. “The

U.S. Postal’s Dutch sprint ace, Max van Heeswijk, claimed his second stagewin in three days at the end of the fourth stage of the Ruta del Sol inJaen, Spain, on Wednesday. The 30-year-old Van Heeswijk held off Belgians Nico Mattan (Relax)andPeter van Petegem (Lotto) at the finish line of the 159.3km stage betweenLa Zubia and Jaen. It is Van Heeswijk's second stage win of the race following his victoryon stage 2 on Monday, which was the first victory of the season for U.S.Postal. Juan Carlos Dominguez, of Saunier Duval, held on to the race leader'sjersey. Thursday's fifth and final stage

Italian young gun Fillipo Pozzato (Fassa Bortolo) roared to victory in Tuesday’s 183km Trofeo Laigueglia along the Italian Riviera. Pozzato held off Lorenzo Bernucci (Landbouwkrediet-Colnago) to win the race for the second consecutive year. Former world champion Romans Vainsteins (Lampre) came through third in the bunch sprint. Laigueglia is the traditional kick off to the Italian racing calendar and the 22-year-old Pozzato becomes the first racer since Eddy Merckx (1973-74) to win the race back-to-back. “This victory comes thanks to my teammates, who believed in me,” Pozzato said. “I didn’t

U.S. Postal Service wasted no time to score its first victory of the 2004 season as Max Van Heeswijk edged Oscar Freire (Rabobank) to win Monday’s second stage of the Ruta del Sol. Erik Zabel (T-Mobile) came through third in the 184km stage from Arcos de la Frontera to Benalmádena to grab the overall lead in the five-day race in southern Spain. U.S. Postal’s George Hincapie didn’t take his planned departure in Sunday’s opening stage after suffering stomach problems and might race later this week alongside Lance Armstrong at the Tour of Algarve in Portugal. Michael Rasmussen (Rabobank) also

Jorg Jaksche and his CSC teammates barnstormed to victory in Sunday’s26km team time trial up the steep roads to Mont Faron high above the FrenchRiviera. While a team time trial by name, riders were awarded individual timesas eight-man teams rode the twisting course. It wouldn’t have matteredas CSC dominated the proceedings, sweeping the top three positions in thestage as well as the overall. “We rode this stage to perfection,” said CSC team manager Bjarne Riis.“The riders followed the tactics down to the last detail and on the climbthey were simply outstanding. All the riders deserve praise

American Kirk O’Bee (Navigators Insurance) finished second to Bo Hamburger (Acqua e Sapone) in a 100km kermesse that replaced stage two of the Giro della Liguria on Saturday. After traffic problems forced race organizers to cancel the Friday and Saturday stages of the three-day race, they decided to call off the entire event. But late Friday evening, they got the green light to hold Sunday’s road race and quickly put together today’s criterium, a 40-lap race on a 2.5km, four-corner circuit. Within two laps, a group of nine separated from the rest of the field. It contained O'Bee, Hamburger,

First, officials canceled Friday’s opening stage of the fourth Giro della Liguria due to traffic problems. Then they canceled Saturday’s stage for the same reason and finally pulled the plug on the entire race, the Italian ANSA wire service reported. Local officials weren’t happy that key roads along Italy’s Italian Riviera would be closed for the opening stages and said race organizers hadn’t received official approval for the event. Unable to find a compromise, the race has been canceled and teams will reconvene for Tuesday’s Trofeo Laigueglia (UCI 1.2). Armstrong to test-drive new TT

World Cup champion Nicole Cooke says she might skip the series opener later this month in Australia to focus entirely on the Olympics and world championships. The 20-year-old British star became the youngest rider to win the overall World Cup last year, but she told BBC Sport that she’s still feeling pain from a knee injury suffered in a crash last June “I've had 10 weeks without training and that's left a massive hole in my preparation,” she told BBC Sport. “Given that, the Olympics and the World Championships are the target this year.” Cooke said the allure of the Olympics could prove

Toni Colom (Illes Balears-Banesto) sewed up the overall title of thefive-day Mallorca Challenge on Friday – too bad it won’t be in the officialrecord books. The Mallorca Challenge is technically a series of one-day races, whenriders can pick and choose which races they want to start. Officially,there are no UCI points for the final GC, but that didn’t stop the Spanishriders from racing break-neck through the final five-climb stage. Kelme – oops, Comunidad Valenciana-Kelme – tried to rattle Banesto –oops again, that's Illes Balears-Banesto – but couldn’t over the challenging up-and-down

Training camp has finished. I am back in Colorado and will soon be heading overseas for the beginning of the season. In the last week the training load increased and that old competitive spirit reappeared in the team. We rode between 4.5 and 6 hours each day with one easy day and one travel day when we left Solvang, California for Scottsdale, Arizona and our "sponsor camp" - which consisted of a weekend of fine meals at a nice hotel, where we could both ride and meet up with our sponsors and friends of the team before heading overseas for the races. The new team jerseys were also unveiled

Belgian Tom Steels (Landbouwkrediet) got his season off to a good start Wednesday, beating compatriot Jo Planckaert (Mr Bookmakers) in a bunch sprint to open the five-day l'Etoile de Bessèges race in France. Stuart O’Grady (Cofidis) and Gorka Gonzalez (Euskaltel) livened things up early with a long breakaway, but the Aussie was reeled in with 15km to go and it came down to a mass gallop coming into Marseille. The race continues Thursday with the 149km second stage into Palavas-les-Flots. l'Etoile de Bessèges, Stage 1, Marseille1. Tom Steels (B), Landbouwkrediet, 139km in 3:34:03 (39.131

When you feel the cold blast of the Mistral on your face in this final week of January or skid on the ice that formed overnight on the roads above the French Riviera, it doesn’t seem like a new European road season is about to get underway. But this coming Sunday, the day that cyclo-crossers will be battling for their world title in Brittany, 15 pro teams will line up for the first of five days of racing on the Spanish island of Mallorca. “Mallorca is always hard,” said American Christian Vande Velde earlier this week at his Spanish base of Girona, prior to attending Tuesday’s media

While his teammates are in Italy, Jose Antonio Pecharromán is hopingfor a “strong start” to his 2004 season at the Tour Down Under. The 25-year-oldwas picked up by Quick Step following his impressive 2003 season, withvictories in the Bicicleta Vasca and the Volta a Catalunya.“I am going to start the season strong, racing in the first competitionsof the season, to be competitive at the Tour of Valencia (Feb. 24-28),”Pecharromán told the Spanish daily MARCA. “Depending on howthings go, I could be on the Tour team, even though my principal goal ofthe season is the Vuelta a

Kelme and Domina Vacanze will roll on as Division II teams for the 2004 season, according to the UCI, which on Friday released its official list of second-division teams for the upcoming season. Earlier this month, both teams failed to meet UCI requirements for continuing in cycling’s first division, which gave them automatic berths in many of the sport's top races. Also confirmed among the 18 teams in Division II is the Navigators Insurance team. Four other teams are on a pending list and have until January 28 to provide more documentation. Division II teams for the 2004 season:Acqua &

Two-time Vuelta a España champion Alex Zülle, former world champion Oscar Carmenzind and two other pros were intentionally driven into a guard-rail by an angry motorist Thursday in Spain. Zülle, Carmenzind (both Phonak), compatriot Fabian Jeker (Saunier Duval) and Santos González (Phonak) were training near Alicante in southern Spain when an 84-year-old driver exchanged heated words with the pros and then forced them into a guard-rail with his vehicle, the EFE wire services reported. Jeker suffered a three-inch cut in his left thigh while Zülle was taken away in an ambulance, received five

This year, German classics man Steffen Wesemann turned from Australia to Arizona for his winter training home base and he's glad he did.“I never had such good training conditions before,” Wesemann said on the T-Mobile web page. “The climb to Mount Lemon is hard and the view from the top is amazing.”Wesemann has hit the roads of Australia for the past three years, but chose Arizona to “try something new,” for his lead-in to team camp on the Spanish island of Mallorca. The 2002 Paris-Roubaix runner-up put in 4000 kilometers and usually joined up with American pros “so we were never less than

Dario Frigo is back with Fassa Bortolo and he’s back to his winning ways, taking Tuesday’s opening time trial of the Vuelta Ciclista a Communidad Valencia. Two years ago, Frigo was fired by Fassa Bortolo after he admitted he had in his possession banned doping products during the “San Remo blitz” of the 2001 Giro d’Italia. Last year he returned to racing with Tacconi Sport and won stages in Paris-Nice and the Tour de France as well as taking overall victory in the Tour of Romandie. This year, Frigo is back in the white and blue jerseys of Fassa Bortolo and easily won the flat, 9.7km

February is winding down after what’s been exciting start to the European racing season with only a few surprises. Some familiar names have already made a mark in the 2003 season, with Jaan Kirsipuu (AG2R) winning three races already, Rabobank’s Oscar Freire two and Saeco’s Danilo Di Luca taking Giro dello Liguria and Quick Step’s Paolo Bettini the Tour Mediterranean. Two-time U.S. champion Fred Rodriguez started off his season for Sidermec on a good note after taking the second stage of the Tour of Rhodes in Greece last Tuesday. His win is the first by a North American in Europe this year.

Italian Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo) had an easy time winning the would-be Spanish classic Trofeo Luis Puig on Sunday in Valencia. Petacchi easily handled Kelme’s Isaac Galvez to win the 178km race, which fell flat in its hyped showdown among the stars of sprinting, many of whom were MIA. Rabobank’s Oscar Freire, fresh off two wins at Ruta del Sol last week, fell ill to stomach flu and didn’t start. World champion Mario Cipollini was dropped on the opening climb to make a rather disappointing start to his 2003 season. And Telekom’s Erik Zabel finished more than two minutes off and

Rising French star Sylvain Chavanel (Brioches La Boulangère) delivered the goods in Saturday's 180km Tour du Haut Var, nipping Spanish rider Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel) to grab the victory. A 10-rider rider break went away at the Cote de Tuilieres with about 20km to go. With 2km to go, Chavanel, Sanchez, Cofidis' Andrei Kivilev and Stephane Goubert attacked off the group and came in for the sprint. Chavanel nipped Sanchez and Kivilev took third. "There were a lot of breaks in the last 10km, but nobody wanted to arrive at a final sprint with me," said Quick Step's Paolo Bettini,

Alessio’s Ruslan Ivanov was simply stronger than four others in the breakaway that closed out the fifth and final stage Thursday in the 49th Ruta del Sol in southern Spain while Kelme’s Juan Pascual Llorente held on for final victory. Ivanov dropped Inigo Chaurreau (AG2R) and Gustavo Toledo (Paternina) on a Category 2 climb just 5km from the finish and unleashed a stage-winning attack on the flats with 1km to go. Jose Luis Martinez (Paternina) and Santi Blanco (Relax-Fuenlabrada) tried to hang on, but the veteran Alessio rider simply out-muscled the Spanish riders in the Ruta’s final

In weather that’s more reminiscent of his home back in Holland than sunny Andalucia, Dutch rider Remmert Wielinga endured a long day in the saddle through cold, wind and rain to deliver Rabobank its third stage victory in the 49th Ruta del Sol. Wielinga – winner of a stage at the Mallorca Challenge earlier this month – outmuscled Kelme’s Ivan Parra and ONCE’s Joaquin Rodriguez to win Wednesday’s difficult stage, which featured no less than four category-two climbs. The trio peeled away from Quick Step’s Patrik Sinkewitz and Euskaltel’s Unai Extebarria on the final climb of the day. Parra

There was a change in the weather in Spain’s Andalucia on Tuesday and a leadership change in the Ruta del Sol. The sun was nowhere to be seen as fog, cold and rain welcomed the peloton for the first stage in what’s called the “race of the sun.” Kelme’s Javier Pascual Llorente got out of the cold first, winning the Ruta’s 166-km third stage and catapulted into the overall lead. The stage from Sevilla was dead flat until it reached the short, but steep category-one climb to the Sanctuario de Nuestra Senora de Araceli high in the rugged mountains in southern Spain. The lead peloton split

Juan Fernandez, the sport director of Team Coast, is optimistic that Jan Ullrich will be able to come back to challenge Lance Armstrong in the 2003 Tour de France. Speaking to journalists during the Ruta del Sol, Fernandez says Ullrich is eyeing to come back to competition in late March, when his current suspension is set to expire. "I believe that he will comeback to be one of the strongest in the peloton," Fernandez said. "He's overcome his problems from last year and he has the motivation to be back on top." Fernandez, of course, is putting the best face forward for the team's

If Oscar Freire was happy after winning Sunday’s opening stage of the 49th Vuelta Ciclista a Andalucia – the Ruta del Sol – he was downright ecstatic Monday when he roared to his second straight stage-win. Freire put down a blistering sprint with 350 meters to go, easily holding off nemesis Erik Zabel who couldn’t come around him in the finale of the rolling 165-km stage between Sevilla and Huelva in Spain’s sunny Andalucia region. AG2R’s Jaan Kirsipuu – winner of two races already this month -- nearly picked Freire’s pocket with a late charge on the left side of the finishing

The Ruta del Sol lives up to its name.

Fassa Bortolo powered the stage-win in the team time trial Sunday in the finalstage of the 30th Tour Mediterranean while Italian Paolo Bettini gave the new Quick Step super-team its first stage-race win of the season with the overall victory. French rider Laurent Brochard (AG2R) had narrowed Bettini's hold on the race lead in Saturday's stage, but Quick Step-Davimaton kept things under control Sunday, finishing third behind winner Fassa Bortolo and a strong ride by second-place Rabobank. The win is the first of the season for the 2002 overall World Cup champion after finishing seven

Giro d’Italia winner Paolo Savoldelli (Telekom) is recovering in hospital after being knocked over by a motorcycle during a pre-season training ride in Tenerife, Spain, Saturday. The Italian, one of the new stars recruited by the German Telekom squad, was admitted to a local hospital with fractures to his nose and mouth. He was due to be transferred to the university clinic at Fribourg-en-Brisgau in Germany to undergo surgery. Savoldelli had been expected to line up in the Telekom jersey for the first time in the Tour of Valencia in Spain on February 25. Another new face in his German

Marco Pantani is reportedly interested in signing another troubled star, Spanish climber Jose Maria Jimenez. The pair met while training in the Canary Islands and now Pantani wants Jimenez to join him at Mercatone Uno-Scanavino, according to a report in the Spanish sports daily AS. Pantani met Jimenez, nicknamed “El Chava,” in the same hotel in Maspalomas on Gran Canaria while training with teammates Daniel Clavero, Fabiano Fontanelli and Roberto Conti last week. According to AS, the team’s agents are interested in signing Jimenez, who missed most of last season suffering from depression. He

Spanish rider Joseba Beloki is one of those types of riders who never turns down a request for an autograph and always has a smile on his face. Despite three consecutive Tour de France podiums, however, he’s not regarded as a feared rider. With the absence of Jan Ullrich last year, Beloki bounced to second on the Tour podium. Still, it’s one very far step to knock off defending champion Lance Armstrong. In an interview with MARCA, a Spanish sports daily, Beloki admits he has to ride more aggressively if he hopes to seriously challenge Armstrong. “I think I need to change my attitude about

Saeco’s Danilo Di Luca finally broke the three-stage winning streak of Alessandro Petacchi at Spain’s Tour of Valencia, Friday, winning the fourth stage, a tough 148km ride from Tavernes to the mountain-top finish at Sommet De Campello. Spain’s Antonio Colom (Colchon-Relax) moved into the overall lead. Di Luca again showed the good form that recently gave him a victory at the Trofeo Laigueglia, winning what is surely the toughest stage at this year’s Tour of Valencia. the hardest stage of the Vuelta Valenciana from Tavernes to Alto del Campello on Friday. The Saeco attacked with 40km to go

Euskatel-Euskadi rider David Etxebarria gave Spanish fans a home win in the third stage of the Tour of Valencia Thurday. The Spaniard won a sprint for the line at the end of the 149.5km stage between Denia and Benidorm. Extebarria outsprinted fellow Spaniard Aitor Gonzalez and an on-form Erik Dekker (Rabobank) to win from the lead group of seven with a time of 3:43:59. Dekker’s teammate and fellow Dutchman Michael Boogerd, who won Tuesday's first stage, holds the overall leader's yellow jersey, ahead of Switzerland’s Fabian Jeker and Italian Leonardo Piepoli. Thursday's stage, featuring

Dutch cycling ace Erik Dekker won the Ruta del Sol race here on Thursday, easily retaining his lead during the 171km fifth and final stage, which was taken by Spaniard Mickel Artetxe. Dekker, 29, who won three stages in last year's Tour de France, was never troubled by his main challengers on Thursday letting a group of riders, who were not going to challenge for the overall lead, slip away to share out the finish. Dekker first took over the race lead on Monday, when he finished second in stage 2, the 178.5km ride from Sevilla to the mountain finish of Santuario de Nuestra Senora de