Events

After an opening week at the Tour de France during which everyone was on edge, with riders struggling at their limit in the crosswinds every day, something had to give. And it finally did on Sunday. A typical group of headbangers went out on the early breakaway, just as you would expect on a long transitional stage, two days before the first high mountain passes of the Tour. But the end result added yet another twist to this year’s Tour, turning the standings upside down, putting the yellow leader’s jersey back onto the shoulders of Stuart O’Grady, and introducing a possible wild card into

Stage Winner: Erik Dekker (Nl) Rabobank, (F), CSC-Tiscali, 4:59:18----------------------------------Overall Lead: Stuart O'Grady (Aus), Credit Agricole Sprinter: Erik Zabel (G) Deutsche TelekomClimber: Patrice Halgand (F), Jean Delatour Under 25: Jorg Jaksche (G), O.N.C.E. Click below for full results

After winning the first four races of the season, Specialized’s lock on the women’s World Cup cross country series was finally broken at race No. 5 in Durango, Colorado. Australian Mary Grigson (Subaru-Gary Fisher) slowly pulled away from Barbara Blatter (Specialized) during the second lap of the three-lap, 34.5-kilometer race, and went on to capture her second career World Cup win. Grigson crossed the line in 1:47:45, 1:05 ahead of Blatter, who held on for second. Third place went to Specialized’s Caroline Alexander, while Ruthie Matthes (Trek-Volkswagen) was fourth, followed by Chrissy

For the second week in a row flat tires were the story in the men’s World Cup cross country race, and once again Roland Green was a victim. This time, however, Green had plenty of company, and that helped 20-year-old Julien Absalon get his first career World Cup win, taking race No. 5 in Durango, Colorado. First to go down with tire problems was cross country No. 4 winner, Christoph Sauser (Volvo-Cannondale). A week ago Sauser was handed the win at Grouse Mountain when Green flatted on the last lap. But this time around Sauser barely broke a sweat, flatting twice less than 10 minutes into

Stage Winner: Laurent Jalabert (F), CSC-Tiscali, 4:06:04----------------------------------Overall Lead: Jens Voight (G), Credit Agricole Sprinter: Erik Zabel (G) Deutsche TelekomClimber: Patrice Halgand (F), Jean Delatour Under 25: Jorg Jaksche (G), O.N.C.E. Click below for full results

For the Crédit Agricole team, the biggest player so far this year in the Tour de France, everything is going according to plan. For Laurent Jalabert, it’s almost as if he has no plan, taking everything day-to-day. Both approaches worked just fine on Saturday, as the Frenchman Jalabert won his second stage of this year’s Tour, while Crédit Agricole saw the leader’s yellow jersey change hands within the squad, going from Australian Stuart O’Grady to German Jens Voigt. Jalabert’s win was the second time in his career that he has won a Tour stage on the French national holiday Bastille Day, the

On a day when the weather changed more than a runway model in Milan, the rain came at the worst possible time for the world’s top male downhillers at World Cup stop No. 4 at Durango, Colorado. The result was some new faces on the podium and some terrible finishes for the guys who usually get to pop open the champagne bottles. Frenchman Mickael Pascal was the biggest beneficiary. The Be One rider got in his run between a pair of quick moving squalls that rolled in from the west, drenching the ski hill at Durango Mountain Resort. That helped Pascal post the day’s fastest time, 3:37.68. It was

Many of you have asked that we not reveal the winner in the headline or first paragraph of our daily updates, so if you don't want be surprised as you work your way through our now-not-so-live updates click HERE to work up from the bottom and follow the race from the start. For the rest of you today's winner was ... 5:15 p.m. (local time) Stuart O'Grady retains the yellow jersey and Telekom's Erik Zabel continues in his quest for his sixth green jersey. 5:05 p.m. (local time) Kirsipuu! Telekom's Erik Zabel, was looking strong, but ran into traffic. Kirsipuu had a clear shot, while Zabel

On Friday, many of the riders at the Tour de France may have been breathing a sigh of relief, comforted in the fact that they had survived a very difficult opening week. For Estonian Jaan Kirsipuu (Ag2R Prevoyance), it was not only physically taxing, but also a mental challenge as well. However, he bounced back on Stage 6 and scored the second Tour de France stage win of his career, on the 211.5km stage from Commercy to Strasbourg. It won’t get any easier for the riders from here on out, but at least now, the Tour may settle down into a more recognizable rhythm. Week one of the Tour was

Stage Winner: Jaan Kirsipuu (Est), Ag2r 4:50:39----------------------------------Overall Lead: Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Credit AgricoleSprinter: Erik Zabel (G) Deutsche TelekomClimber: Patrice Halgand (F), Jean Delatour Under 25: Jorg Jaksche (G), O.N.C.E. Click below for full results

It was an emotional day in Fruili at the start and finish of the 11th stage of the Giro d’Italia Femminile. Before the start of the stage Rosalisa La Pomarda -who was third overall and best placed Italian rider - was ejected from the race after UCI blood tests showed she was unfit to race. The other 35 riders tested were all within the limits. The stage finished with yet another head to head battle between the two leaders of the overall classification and a second win for Swiss rider Nicole Brandli. The Edilsavino rider took advantage of mechanical problems which stopped race leader Zinaida

The Columbia River Bank Cascade Cycling Classic kicked off in Bend, Oregon, Wednesday, with Mercury-Viatel’s Chris Wherry netting the win on the 110-mile stage. Wherry’s teammate Mike Sayers finished second, followed by Colorado Cyclist rider Clark Sheehan. Friday’s stage — an uphill time trial — was expected to shake up the G.C., and the race wraps up on Sunday, finishing where things began at the newly renovated Old Mill District in Bend.

Stage Winner: Credit Agricole (F), 1:21:32----------------------------------Overall Lead: Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Credit AgricoleSprinter: Erik Zabel (G) Deutsche TelekomClimber: Patrice Halgand (F)Jean DelatourUnder 25: Jor Jaksche (G) ONCE Click below for full results

Even a brief visit to one of the women’s grand tours in Europe will leave even the most casual observer asking questions about equal treatment. The hotels are cheaper, the press coverage infrequent and the transfers often border on the ridiculous, sometimes up to 200km. But at least one front, this year’s edition of the Giro d’Italia femminile – the “Girodonne” – has achieved a degree of equity: the Italian drug police raided the hotels on Wednesday night. In a move reminiscent of this year’s men’s Giro d’Italia, the Italian anti-drug police, swooped in and searched the rooms and processions

On Wednesday, the Tour de France made its way back into France, after racing through Belgium for three days in the opening week of the race. Along the route from Huy, Belgium, to Verdun, France, was the war memorial in Douaumont, commemorating the two-and-a-half-year battle in World War I, where more than 150,000 French and German soldiers lost their lives. But looking back on Stage 4 of the Tour, it’s the 150km of roads before that monument that will be remembered most after an epic chase and a surprising show of force by the teams of the top contenders for this year’s overall title. On

Stage Winner: Laurent Jalabert (F) CSC-Tiscali, 215km in 5:17:49----------------------------------Overall Lead: Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Credit AgricoleSprinter: Erik Zabel (G) Deutsche TelekomClimber: Patrice Halgand (F) Jean DelatourUnder 25: Florent Brard (F) Festina Click below for full results.

After two days of chasing time-bonus sprints to try to get his hands on the leader's yellow jersey at the Tour de France, Australia's Stuart O'Grady did it the old-fashioned way on Tuesday -- by finishing in the lead group of stage 3. Meanwhile the race leader at the start of the day, Rabobank's Marc Wauters, fell far behind on the difficult climbs in the Ardennes region of Belgium. At the finish line in Seraing, Telekom's Erik Zabel took his second stage win of the week, thanks to the smooth teamwork of his Telekom team, while O'Grady finished in the pack, but took the race lead by 17

Stage Winner: Erik Zabel (G) Deutsche Telekom in 4:34:32----------------------------------Overall Lead: Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Credit AgricoleSprinter: Erik Zabel (G) Deutsche TelekomClimber: Benoit Salmon (F)AG2RUnder 25: Florent Brard (F) Festina Click below for full results

Stage Winner: Marc Wauters (B) 4:35:47----------------------------------Overall Lead: Marc Wauters (B) Sprinter: Jan Kirispuu (Est)Climber: Jacky Durand (F)Under 25: Robert Hunter (RSA) Click below for full results

The Tour de France yellow jersey is one of those prizes that is known and coveted in the sports world for its history and prestige. Like the NHL captain who hoists the Stanley Cup, or the golfer who slides into the green jacket at the Masters, the rider who dons the maillot jaune at the end of the Tour de France has worldwide recognition. Everybody knows that the Postal Service’s Lance Armstrong has pulled that jersey on in Paris each of the past two years, and is one of the favorites to do so again. But in the early stages of the Tour, it’s a whole different breed of rider who chases after

Foreign riders won both the men's and women's races of the second leg of the four-race BMC Software Grand Prix in Arlington, Massachusetts, Sunday. In the end, it was Mercury-Viatel’s Australian Baden Cooke taking the 62-mile men’s race and Canadian Lyne Bessette of Saturn winning the 42-mile women’s race. The women's race kicked off the day, although many of the riders thoughts were anywhere but on the race as they struggled to face the memories of this event last year when Saturn rider Nicole Reinhart was killed in a crash. "Our goal is just to celebrate Nicole's life and get through the

The story of Stage 1 of this year’s Tour de France seems typical enough for an opening road stage: a slow early pace; a long, eventually unsuccessful breakaway; a mass field sprint; and a stage win by one of the star sprinters of the Tour, Telekom’s Erik Zabel. Routine enough, but the 194.5km stage from Saint-Omer to Boulogne-sur-Mer in the very north of France was anything but an ordinary, flat, sprinters stage. The stage began in the town of Saint-Omer, about 50km inland from the North Sea. Under gray skies and a light drizzle, 188 starters rolled out of town. Lotto-Adecco’s Fabian De

Complete Results from stage 1 of the Tour de France

Flat tires are the worst enemy of any cross-country racer, but the happenings on Sunday at World Cup No. 4 at Grouse Mountain in British Columbia took things to a new level of anguish. For seven of eight laps Roland Green couldn’t have looked any better. The native of nearby Victoria pulled away from his nearest challengers almost immediately after the start, and then built a gap that hung in the 1:20 neighborhood for most of the race. All along the course the buzz was unmistakable. The local boy, who already this year became the first Canadian male to win a World Cup race, was going to make

Complete prologue results

The first day of racing at the World Cup stop in Grouse Mountain proved two things: short downhills are exciting and dual is not. In the downhill it was a pair of French riders, Fabien Barel (GT) and Anne-Caroline Chausson (Volvo-Cannondale), walking away with the winner’s points. For Chausson that meant an even tighter grip on the World Cup overall lead. For Barel that meant overtaking teammate Steve Peat, who missed Saturday’s race after suffering a separated shoulder in a training crash on Thursday. Barel’s win was a slim as can be. The gregarious Frenchman nipped Aussie Chris Kovarik

As of 1:20p.m. (Eastern time - U.S.) The French are celebrating in Dunkirk. They have a new race leader. Festina's Christophe Moreau has turned in a 9:20:59 (52.71kph), giving him the win in this Tour de France prologue U.S. Postal's Lance Armstrong finished in third with a 9:24.64 and Telekom's Jan Ullrich took fourth with 9:27.76. As of 1:08p.m. (Eastern time - U.S.) Defending Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong is on the course. Looking relaxed and confident, the U.S. Postal Service star, smiled, checked his radio earpiece and charged off the line, one minute after Telekom's Jan

The prologue of any three-week tour is unlike any of the other stages. On Saturday, the Tour de France’s 21 teams were cloistered together in the parking lot of the municipal swimming pool in Dunkirk, with riders spending most of their day hanging around the team buses, warming up, shuttling back and forth from team hotels, and smiling for the media. Crowds gather around each team’s area, which is marked off by police tape. And judging by the masses gathered around the U.S. Postal and Telekom camps, there are two overwhelming favorites for this year’s Tour: American Lance Armstrong and German

There were no major surprises as the U.S. Postal Service team announced its line-up for the upcoming Tour de France. Joining two-time defending champion Lance Armstrong will be three Americans — Tyler Hamilton, George Hincapie and Christian Vande Velde; Spaniards Roberto Heras and Jose Luis Rubiera; Russian Viatcheslav Ekimov; Norwegian Steffen Kjaergaard; and Colombian Victor Hugo Pena. The full text of the team’s announcement follows: U.S. POSTAL SERVICE PRO CYCLING TEAM TOUR DE FRANCE TEAM ANNOUNCED Choosing from what he called were 10 valid candidates, the United States Postal Service

When Lance Armstrong enters the start house at the prologue of this year’s Tour de France, he’ll not only be the two-time defending champion, but for the first time in his career he will be the UCI’s world No. 1 ranked rider. The UCI issued its latest rankings on Monday, with Armstrong moving into the top spot, ahead of Liquigas’s Davide Rebellin, thanks to Armstrong’s win at the recent Tour of Switzerland. Telekom’s Erik Zabel is third, with Giro d’Italia winner Gilberto Simoni fourth. UCI road rankings(at July 2)1. Lance Armstrong (USA), U.S. Postal Service, 2098pts 2. Davide Rebellin

On the final day of the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Saturn’s Lyne Bessette wrapped up her third consecutive overall win a Fitchburg, while the weather once again led to a premature end of the men’s stage, neutralizing the results and leaving Saturn’s Eric Wohlberg as the men’s champion. The final stage of the women’s race came down to a field sprint, with national criterium champion Laura Van Gilder (Verizon) beating out Procter & Gamble’s Joanne Kiesanowski for the downtown criterium win. Just behind came Bessette’s closest challenger, Genevieve Jeanson (RONA),

Saturday’s stage 3 of the Fitchburg-Longsjo Classic in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, saw Saturn hold onto both the men’s and women’s overall leads, while 7UP-Colorado Cyclist’s John Lieswyn and RONA’s Genevieve Jeanson scored the stage wins. In the women’s race, Jeanson attacked early on in the six-lap, 69-mile race, followed by race leader Lyne Bessette (Saturn) and Jane Cosmetics’ Susan Palmer-Komar. On the hot, humid day, the three built up a lead of nearly four minutes, but when Jeanson and Bessette began playing cat-and-mouse, Palmer-Komar took advantage, launching a solo breakaway of her

Telekom’s Jan Ullrich was one of the many national champions crowned on Sunday, as he won the German national championship in Bad Duerrheim, Germany, breaking clear to beat teammate Erik Zabel by 10 seconds. Among the other new national champions were Ludovic Capelle (Belgium), Daniele Nardello (Italy), Didier Rous (Bonjour) and Mercury-Viatel’s Jans Koerts.

France's Laurent Gané took the match sprint title as the World Track Cup continued Saturday in Pordenone, Italy. Other winners included Belarus's Natalia Markovnitchenko in the women's match sprint and Russia's Olga Slioussareva in the women's pursuit. American Tanya Lindenmuth took fourth place in the match sprint, losing to Oxana Grichina in the bronze-medal match.

Slovenia, France, West Virginia, Utah. Steve Peat doesn’t care, he just keeps winning. The moptop Brit continued his win streak at round 3 of the NORBA series in the high alpine air of Deer Valley, Utah, Sunday. To keep the tear alive, Peat had to get past his main rival Nicolas Vouilloz, as well as two-time defending champion at Deer Valley, Chris Kovarik (Intense) of Australia. In the women’s race, Missy Giove (Global) had a wild ride on the loose, dusty 1.5-mile course to beat the Schwinn duo of Elke Brutsaert and Leigh Donovan. For Peat and Vouilloz, there was little pressure, as both

The only thing swirling faster than the dust at Deer Valley Saturday afternoon were the short-track racers careening around the base area of the Park City ski resort. The crash-filled men’s race resembled a roller derby, and the women’s race produced a first win for a consistent podium finisher. In the end, Subaru-Gary Fisher’s confident 21-year-old Ryder Hesjedal capped off a stellar weekend with the win, and Jimena Florit (RLX Polo Sport) finally scored what she’s been chasing since short track was invented. In an explosive men’s race, Hesjedal, who also won Friday’s cross-country, dodged

The Saturday night dual slalom is always a show at the Chevy Trucks National Championship Series, and this Saturday’s showdown at Deer Valley lived up to its billing. The red-hot Leigh Donovan (Schwinn) remained undefeated in 2001 with her third straight win, and the men’s race — which featured such compelling battles as Brian Lopes versus Nicolas Vouilloz — was won by another legend, Eric Carter (Mongoose-Hyundai). And if all that weren’t enough, Shaun Palmer was there. To watch. For an example of what the hillside crowd was treated to at the end of a hot day at Deer Valley, consider the

The Saturday night dual slalom is always a show at the Chevy Trucks National Championship Series, and this Saturday’s showdown at Deer Valley lived up to its billing. The red-hot Leigh Donovan (Schwinn) remained undefeated in 2001 with her third straight win, and the men’s race — which featured such compelling battles as Brian Lopes versus Nicolas Vouilloz — was won by another legend, Eric Carter (Mongoose-Hyundai). And if all that weren’t enough, Shaun Palmer was there. To watch. For an example of what the hillside crowd was treated to at the end of a hot day at Deer Valley, consider the

Friday’s stage 2 of the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, saw no change in the overall standings, as Mercury’s Baden Cooke won the men’s 77.5-mile circuit race and Genevieve Jeanson of RONA won the women’s 40.3-mile race. Jeanson beat out Bessette in a big group finish, with Verizon’s Laura Van Gilder third, but the RONA rider could only pick up a few seconds on the day thanks to time bonuses. Jeanson now trails Bessette by 47 seconds In the men’s race, team Saturn was able to hold the race together for race leader Eric Wohlberg, and the race ended with Mercury’s Cooke

Olympic gold medalist Marty Nothstein continues to show his versatility this season, with his latest showing coming at the World Track Cup in Pordenone, Italy, where he scored the silver medal in the kilometer. Nothstein clocked a time of 1:05.890, to finish second behind German Soren Lausberg. In other action on Friday, German Thomas Liese won the gold in the individual pursuit.

With 1998 winner Marco Pantani uninvited, this 88th Tour de France has the look of a two-horse race, at best. Other than '97 winner and three-time runner-up Jan Ullrich, the rest of defending champion Lance Armstrong's potential rivals look to be too inexperienced, too old - or they're on Armstrong's team! Upsets do happen. But not this year. So here is our assessment of each contender's strengths and weaknesses: 1. Lance Armstrong (USA), 29, U.S. Postal Service plus: The two-time defending champion says: Catch me if you can! His team is stronger than last year, particularly in the

The traditional four-day start-of-summer/Fourth of July stage race in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, got underway on Thursday, with team Saturn taking the top spots in both the men’s and women’s stage 1 time trial. Eric Wohlberg took the men’s race while Lyne Bessette won the women’s opener at the Fitchburg-Longsjo Classic. Bessette’s win marked the start of a four-day showdown with Canadian teenage sensation Genevieve Jeanson (RONA). Jeanson, who has been virtually unbeatable in her carefully selected season schedule, began the time trial one minute ahead of Bessette, the recent winner of the HP

It was as if a bomb had exploded on the race: Raymond Poulidor had dropped Eddy Merckx! At 38, the man who writer Antoine Blondin nicknamed "the quadragenarian" had attacked the Belgian legend as they started climbing a mountain that was new to the Tour, but would become infamous from the moment that Poulidor left the master behind. That’s because in this month of July 1974, the battle that unfolded between Seo de Urgel and St. Lary-Soulan -- with the climbs of the Col du Portillon and the Col de Peyresourde, followed by the first-ever finish at the Pla d’Adet summit, at an elevation of 1680

Like kids the first day back at school, they arrive in droves, some laughing, some frowning, but all talking about the mountains with some trepidation. Mountains that embrace the sprinters when the clock strikes 11 but spit them out at the start of the evening, with legs as leaden as a ship’s anchor! Mountains that invite in the climbers and play with them, make fun of them, leaving them to curse in a loud voice, humiliated — but only for a while, because their anger subsides as their muscles stiffen. What time is it now? Two o’clock? Three o’clock? It must be 3 because they’ve already

Is this a third Tour de France that begins today? At first, the idea may make you smile, but the day after the second rest day, what sprinter doesn’t want to take the idea literally? And what sprinter doesn’t dream, on reading the race bible, of marking the race with his imprint and winning a stage? Remaining for the fast finishers are today’s stage to Lavaur, tomorrow’s at Sarran, Thursday’s at Montluçon, Saturday’s at Evry and, of course, Sunday’s in Paris, the toughest to win. Five of the six final stages have been laid out to please sprinters, a race that’s been invisible since July 16,

For sure, he will be there, and perhaps from the start in Castelsarrasin, capital of France’s Tarn-et-Garonne region, which like the finish town of Sarran is welcoming the Tour for the first time. According to some sources, he will follow the entire route in the flagship vehicle seated next to Jean-Marie Leblanc, the race director. Others insist that he will arrive incognito and watch the race from the roadside, like so many of his predecessors. Still others tell us that he will head for kilometer 157, at Les Escures, where the Tour enters the Corrèze region. In any case, from the first to

Not so long ago, when the Agrigel-La Creuse-Fenioux team was in the peloton with Thierry Marie and Jacky Durand at its head, they would have regarded this stage as their private hunting ground. Following a proven technique, Durand would offer to attack early on, Marie to leave the field at a certain kilometer. Once together, and riding into the Creuse region, they would have had tremendous fun, and we want to believe that they would’ve found some support. To borrow a line from Molière, "The two of them are as thick as thieves." There couldn’t be a better setting for all this, as the Creuse

Since a certain Greg LeMond took out Laurent Fignon in the final moments of the 1989 Tour, thus imitating Jan Janssen in 1968 and Jacques Anquetil in 1964, everyone demands that the Tour’s final time trial have some degree of drama. Yet this requirement is rarely well received; the Tour plays tricks in its own way, and that way may not necessarily be the way one expects! Besides, how can we demand suspense for the finale, given that a successful Tour de France assumes that the time spent in the mountains has revealed the best riders? And unless we envision that the Alpe d’Huez stage was a

This is a very short stage (149.5km) that on paper appears misplaced in every way! So close to the Champs-Elysées, and so compressed, is it really a stage? The racers will let us know. But will they say the same as the race followers? That’s another question, but we are free to imagine these followers bent over their race bibles, looking at the day’s program. The day begins in the city of Orléans, an old companion of cycling, which has seen Tour stage wins by Frenchmen Jean Stablinski (in 1964) and Pierre Beuffeuil (1966); and Belgians Eddy Merckx and Michel Pollentier (both in 1974). With

The questions that we were asking three weeks ago have since found their answers, questions about race contenders Armstrong, Ullrich, Heras and Casagrande; about Zabel, the man seeking a sixth green jersey, and Laurent Jalabert, the flag-carrier of French cycling. The report card is ready, and we now know whether the American has become a three-time Tour winner, matching his compatriot Greg LeMond. We also know how the race shaped up, and whether the organizers dealt us some winning cards. "This will be a very complete Tour, with a prologue, 10 flat stages, three semi-mountain stages, four

A second phase of the Tour de France begins today, the morning after the Tour’s first rest day. And what a bizarre and time-warped Tour de France it is -- similar to a Pepe le Moko clock about which legendary cycling historian Pierre Chany once wrote: "When the clock strikes noon, it’s 10 o’clock or 3 o’clock, or even 5 o’clock!" In other words, this "second" Tour is not the same for everyone. If you had to place bets this morning, you could imagine that of the riders in front and the riders behind, the riders ahead are not necessarily those who are best-placed on G.C. For example, consider

There will be only one American team at the Tour de France this year, Lance Armstrong’s U.S. Postal Service formation. The expected debut by Mercury-Viatel was thwarted in May by the Tour organizers’ jingoistic wild-card choice of two extra Division II French teams, as opposed to a second Division I team from the U.S. Despite that, there could still be as many as nine Americans on the start line in Dunkirk. Here is a quick look at each of them, with a review of their 2001 preparation and prospects. Lance ArmstrongAge: 29Height: 5 ft. 11 in. Weight: 165 lbs.Hometown: Austin, TXTeam: U.S.

One prologue. Twenty stages. Two rest days. 3454 kilometers. The joy of finishing in Paris: Priceless.

The post-Tour de France criterium on the streets of Manhattan has been canceled, according to an announcement issued by the promoters. On Tuesday, Threshold Sports announced that the New York City Cycling Championship, scheduled for August 2, will not be held this year, stating that it had been "rescheduled from August, 2001, to August, 2002." The text of the announcement follows: In order to better meet planning and timing needs of key sponsors and thereby ensure a truly world class event, the First Annual New York City Professional Cycling Championship has been rescheduled from August,

Editor's note: Jen Dial, riding as a teammate of Jeannie Longo on Office Depot at the HP Women's Challenge, is providing an inside-the-race look at the biggest women's stage race in America. The latest from her diary: Why is it that every time I climb to the top of the 8,700 ft peak at Galena I end up with a needle in my arm? It probably has to do with the fact that I live as close to sea level as a person can get without being in the water. Still, after the climb up and the race down the other side I'm in much better shape than I was in my first HP Women's Challenge in

There was yet another repeat winner at the USCF elite national track championships on Saturday morning. Jame Carney won his second straight national crown in the men’s points race at the National Sports Center Velodrome in Blaine, Minnesota. Carney has now won the title five times (1991, 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2001). Saturday’s race came down to a battle between Carney, Prime Alliance teammate Colby Pearce, and NetZero’s Mike Tillman. The trio was part of a four-rider break that got away from the field in the early going and quickly put a lap on the field. The break’s other member was Tim

News flash: Marty Nothstein actually lost a race at the USCF elite track national championships. But before that happened the Olympic gold medalist added to his unprecedented cache of stars-and-strips jerseys by taking the top spot in the Keirin. That win gave Nothstein his 30th national title, one for every year of his life. In the Keirin final Nothstein was content to sit back during the moto-paced lead-out laps. But when the small motorcycle dropped off the track it was on, and as usual so was Nothstein. The 30-year-old seems to possess a gear not in his foe’s repertoires and he showed it

Hold on. The Tour hasn't started yet! But when it does, we'll offer minute-by-minute coverage of each stage, with info pouring in from our three editors in France. On the Continent for VeloNews.com at the 88th TDF will be:Bryan Jew, Senior WriterLennard Zinn, Senior Tech WriterJohn Wilcockson, VeloNews Editorial Director. If you've been on our site at all this season, you've seen their bylines on countless race reports and features. Ditto if you read the print edition of VeloNews. Relax. The race begins in less than a week. You're in the right spot to satisfy your Tour jones.

Tanya Lindenmuth’s stranglehold on women’s sprinting in America continued on Friday morning at the USCF elite track national championships. The diminutive 22-year-old from Trexlertown, Pennsylvania easily dispatched Jennie Reed in back-to-back heats to win her third straight national championship at the National Sports Center Velodrome in Blaine, Minnesota. "Jennie let me keep the front and that’s dangerous with me," Lindenmuth said. "I like to ride up there and today that worked for me." Earlier in the week Lindenmuth won her third straight 500-meter time trail title, giving her six

It sounds outrageous, but one more national title and Marty Nothstein will have a stars-and-stripes jersey for every year of his life. On Friday night the 30-year-old added title No. 29 when he took the men’s sprint at the USCF elite track national championships at the National Sports Center Velodrome in Blaine, Minnesota. It was his third title at these championships. Already he’s won the kilometer time trail and the Olympic sprint. He’ll get the chance to add No. 30 on Saturday when he competes in the Madison. Like so many of the others, Friday night’s win came easy. After advancing to

Day 3 of the five-day USCF elite track national championships came to an abrupt halt at 6:35 p.m. local time when ever-threatening skies finally opened up and drenched the track at the National Sports Center velodrome in Blaine, Minnesota. Racing was immediately postponed until Friday, because even if the rain had receded quickly, there was no hope of the wooden track drying during the nighttime session. The men’s sprint 1/8th final was the only portion of the evening’s program contested. Those moving on to the next round were Olympic gold medalist Marty Nothstein, Garth Blackburn, Giddeon

Marty Nothstein added another national title to his resume Tuesday at the Great River Energy USCF track nationals in Blaine, Minnesota. While you might expect to see Nothstein, America’s only Olympic gold medalist in cycling at the 2000 Sydney Games, walk through the sprint competitions, his newest title is in the kilometer time trial. "I haven’t been able to spend much time on the track since the Olympics, but things came together," said Nothstein. "I didn’t consider myself the favorite out here today and I haven’t ridden the kilo in a long time. I really didn’t feel any pressure but I

The Giro is continuing as scheduled today, although the atmosphere is almost surreal. At the start, it was if nothing had happened, yet everything had. There were crowds there as usual, the sign-in happened as usual, and riders hung out in the tent city next to the sign-in booth... all just as usual. What was different was the subject of every conversation going on, whether it was among the riders in the start village or among people in the cafés. Nobody was talking about whether Simoni would win the Giro or who would win this stage. Everyone was talking about the drug scandal. Even

After a gut-wrenching break from it, the riders got back to business today, and if anything is business as usual at the Giro, it is Mario Cipollini crossing the line with his arms upraised after a beautifully executed sprint. Marco Zanotti and Danilo Hondo followed the Lion King in after the 163km stage to Busto Arsizio. Marco Pantani had gone home the night before complaining of the flu, and Rik Verbrugghe also did not show up at sign-in. Otherwise, the setting was normal, but at the start in Alba the subject of every conversation among riders, fans, journalists and officials was the same,

Here in Vinadio, where the most difficult and perhaps most beautiful stage of the Giro was to finish, the mood is somber. The little girls proudly dressed in their bright course marshal’s vests are walking around perplexed, not understanding the explanation of why the riders won’t be coming through and everyone is leaving. People are descending from the mountain in droves – the sheer number of them that had made the trip up this remote, high and narrow road is mind-boggling – and without getting to see any of what they came for. It was heart-wrenching to see the effort that this small

Dinner started normally enough for me and my family in the San Remo Panrama Hotel. Across the dining room sat the iBanesto.com team, eating huge dinners of pasta, tortillas and steaks. The waiter asked the riders to sign a team photo for his daughter. After obliging, the riders slowly filtered off to bed before the toughest stage of the Giro. The team managers, soigneurs and drivers continued to relax around the dinner table, having dessert and talking, when a guy in normal street clothes came in. My wife poked me and said, "That guy is flashing his police badge at those Banesto guys." Other

First Union week continues on Thursday evening with the fastest of the three races, the 91-mile First Union Classic in Trenton, New Jersey. The flat, fast, 7-mile circuit seems to ensure a field sprint finish year after year, while the high speeds string out the peloton for most of the three-hour race, making positioning crucial throughout the race. Defending champion Fred Rodriguez (Domo-Farm Frites) will be on hand to try to defend his title, but a loaded Mercury-Viatel team, fresh off its Lancaster win, will be tough to beat. The race begins on State Street in Trenton, in front of the New

5:41 Caucchioli wins his second stage of this Giro d'Italia. Azevado takes second and Telekom's Jan Ullrich leads the chase group by taking third, 27 seconds later. There will be no change in the overall standings, as both race leader Gilberto Simoni (Lampre) and his nearest challenger, Dario Frigo (Fassa Bortolo) finished in the main group at 39 seconds. Stay tuned for a complete race report, coming up. 5:40p.m. Nearing the finish, the two are being chased by a trio including Jan Ullrich. 5:39 p.m. The two leaders are in San Remo and heading to the finish. While Azevado has been

The Commercial Color U.S. Women's Open will take place June 8 in Trexlertown, Pennsylvania. The event will attract professional women riders from all over the world, and will also kick off the Women's Health and Fitness Weekend at the Lehigh Valley Velodrome, which will pay tribute to Nicole Reinhart, who died last September after a crash during a race in Arlington, Massachusetts. Friday night the "Spirit of Nicole" award, $3000 in scholarship money and prizes, will be presented to the rider who exudes the qualities which Reinhart exemplified during her everyday life and through her

Gilberto Simoni once again showed attentiveness, sharp wits, courage and great descending skills to turn a sudden rainstorm to his advantage on final descent of the May 31 stage. The Lampre-Daikin team captain came up one second short of taking Frigo’s shirt from him, but he is poised ideally to take it tomorrow on the tough, long stage tomorrow in the high Dolomites. The 139km 12th stage was won by Frigo’s teammate Matteo Tosatto in a three-up sprint from Slovenian Zoran Klemencic and Simoni. The stage was animated by the other Verbrugghe, Ief, who made two long solo breakaways today, the

Pablo Lastras escaped a 10-man breakaway group with four kilometers to go and held a solo advantage of a handful of seconds to win this 187km stage that crossed the Slovenian-Italian border seven times. Giovanni Lombardi won the sprint from Uros Murn and the rest of the nine pursuers. The stage rolled east through hilly and beautiful forested country along the Austrian border north of Slovenia’s Triglavski national park and crossed into Italy before heading south up a large first-category climb of the Passo del Predil at 63km. At the top of the pass, it crossed back into Slovenia and

In the first mountaintop finish of the Giro, Rik Verbrugghe lost almost five minutes and Dario Frigo overcame a crash just before the base of the 17km climb to the Santuario di Montevergine to take the pink jersey. Danilo DiLuca won the sprint finish to the stage after Mexican Julio Perez (Panaria), who had broken away at the beginning of the climb, broke his chain with only four kilometers to go while holding an 18-second lead. Coming through Avellino with 20km to go, riders encountered a long stretch of rough and wet cobblestones. The pavé was rough and uneven to just drive over, and,

After winning stage two, Danilo Hondo said he hoped to soon repay Giovanni Lombardi for putting him in perfect position for the sprint. Well, after the leadout Lombardi gave him again today, Hondo is going to have to come up with a really nice gift for his Deutsche Telekom teammate. With 500 meters to go, it appeared that Hondo was leading Lombardi out and evening the score. The two were in third and fourth positions when the Italian suddenly came around to give the German his wheel. Hondo didn’t realize it was Lombardi and bumped him, thinking it was somebody else trying to take his

Jan Ullrich may not be looking so good, but Deutsche Telekom still has plenty of firepower to call upon. In the uphill switchback sprint at the end of this 167km flat stage, Danilo Hondo, a German with an Italian name, got past Rafael Mateos in time to raise his forefinger in triumph. Mateos looked to be pulling off a surprise win for his small team sponsored by a company that makes plastic bags for collection and recycling of various materials. The Spanish Colpack-Astro rider had a gap of several bike lengths with 200 meters to go, but Hondo shot out of the group and passed him.

The weather has been perfect for cycling the last few days in the Adriatic coast town of Pescara and should hold for Saturday’s start of the 84th Giro d’Italia. This race promises to be highly competitive, with no clear favorite and a course that does not favor any particular type of rider. Fassa Bortolo’s world no. 1, Francesco Casagrande, really wants to win the Giro to erase the memory of last year’s bitter loss on the second-to-last stage, as well as to place himself among the grand champions. The climber from Tuscany has an incredible team backing him, including Paris-Nice and Tour de

Hernan Buonahora (Col), Selle Italia-Pacific, 34This Colombian veteran likes long, hard, hilly races. He hasn't won many races in Europe, but his sixth place overall at the 2000 Giro is testimony to his endurance. Giuseppe Di Grande (I), Tacconi Sport-Vini Caldirola, 27When Di Grande had four victories in 1997, including a stage win at the Giro, his Mapei team expected much more. But it didn't happen, and in 2000 he had another mediocre season with Festina. It's time for things to pick up again. Danilo Di Luca (I), Cantina Tollo-Acqua & Sapone, 25Di Luca showed promise in his Giro debut as a

Besides overall contenders Casagrande, Garzelli. Gotti, Pantani and Simoni, these are the climbers who could win a stage or shoot for the best climber's jersey. Wladimir Belli (I), Fassa Bortolo, 30After a year with Festina, Belli returned to an Italian squad last year, and posted his best Giro finish, seventh overall. His main task will be to keep team leader Casagrande at the front in the high mountains, and to mark other race contenders -- work that could also enable Belli to win a stage. "Chepe" Gonzalez (Col), Mobilvetta-Trentini, 32Two King of the Mountain titles and two mountain

Jeroen Blijlevens (Nl), Lotto-Adecco, 29On his day, Blijlevens is one of the fastest sprinters in the peloton -- and also one of the most unpredictable. With Lotto having no true G.C. candidates, the Dutchman could get the support he needs for a stage win. Mario Cipollini (I), Saeco, 34The flamboyant Cipollini has been around the pro ranks since 1989, but he really caught fire in the late 1990s. In1999, he captured a staggering five Giro and four Tour de France stage wins. A drop-off in production last year

Francesco Casagrande (I), Fassa Bortolo, 30 By most standards, Francesco Casagrande's 2000 season was a hit. He won the prestigious Flèche Wallonne classic, finished the season ranked No. 1 in the world, and took second in the Giro But when your main objective of the season is to win the Giro and that goal slips through your figers on the second-to-last day, it can only be called a disappointment. Pain from a sciatic nerve in the stage-20 time trial cost Casagrande the race in 2000; but with climbers like Belli and Frigo to back him up this year, he'll be out for redemption. Stefano Garzelli

To say that Rik Verbrugghe’s prologue speed of almost 59 kph makes him the fastest time trialist of all time is both accurate and misleading. Never before in the history of major prologue time trials (introduced to the Tour de France in 1967, the Giro in 1977) has there been one that wasn’t on a circuit or out-and-back course. The previous prologue record of 55.152 kph set by world hour record holder Chris Boardman at the 1994 Tour was on a 7.2km course that had five 90-degree turns, a complete traffic circle turnaround and even some cobblestones to negotiate! The course at Pescara on