News

New color scheme for the bikes, too.

Wilson (l) and Bessette (r) are key returnees.

Day 2: Atop Figueroa Mountain

DeCanio (l) and Johnson (r) join veterans like Michael Barry (c)

We received word on Thursday from John Deering, the spokesman for Britain’s Linda McCartney Foods pro cycling team, that the squad has folded after encountering serious financial problems. Deering denied reports that the team’s collapse was related to the alleged embezzlement of funds by a member of the team’s management. Instead, Deering attributed the failure to a combination of factors including "a low level of support” from Linda McCartney Foods, a vegetarian food producer based in Great Britain and owned by former Beatle, Sir Paul McCartney. Despite its relatively small budget, the

The Saturn cycling team unveiled its new look, and it hopes a new attitude, earlier this week as its pre-season training camp began in California. The camp opened with a one-day photo shoot at Universal Studios on Monday, and the following day the team moved to its camp base of Buellton, California, north of Santa Barbara. The men's team underwent a lot of turnover over the off-season, losing Bart Bowen, Brian Walton, Antonio Cruz, Seth Pelusi, Chris Wherry and Robbie Ventura, while adding Matt DeCanio, Eric Wohlberg, Tim Johnson, Chris Fisher, Søren Petersen and last year's

No more checkers: Saturn's new look.

Marco Pantani learned Wednesday that he is again the target of a fresh criminal investigation - just weeks after receiving a suspended jail term for using performance-enhancing drugs. Italian prosecutors said the 31-year-old 1998 Tour de France and Giro d’Italia winner, is being investigated over the abnormal red blood cell levels — hematocrit — revealed in a test prior to the penultimate stage of the 1999 Tour of Italy. Those test results forced him out of the race and derailed what appeared to be a certain win and a promising season. Prosecutor Bruno Giardina said on Wednesday that

The Linda McCartney-Jacobs Creek team was in crisis talks Wednesdayafter parting company with its management, OC Racing & Promotions. News of the split with OC Racing came hours after the team postponed itslaunch, which was due to be held in London's Trafalgar Square on Friday,January 26. Press officer John Deering said, "Talks continue between Linda McCartneyand the team's representatives, Max Sciandri and Sean Yates, about forming anew management structure to continue operating the team. "All riders and staff have given their approval and support to Max andSean. There is an

Not a happy camper - Pantani (seen here at the 2000 Tour) is facing still more troubles.

His training clothes sodden, his face flushed from riding in two hours of glacial rain, Lance Armstrong burst into the lobby of Tucson's swank Westin La Paloma hotel, dropped off his Trek with a bellhop and, shivering from the cold, asked for his room key. Welcome to "sunny" southern Arizona, the place chosen for this month’s U.S. Postal Service team get-together and sponsor weekend. "That was as cold as my hands have ever been," the Texan said in response to the first question of an interview he extended to VeloNews. Already, the cold ride was a memory. Now, installed on a comfortable

At the sixth round of the cyclo-cross World Cup series in Pontchateau, France, some eerie bunkers from WWII served as powerful memories that I won’t soon forget. Another powerful memory I'll take home from the January 21 event is one of the toughest cyclo-cross courses I’ve ever raced on. The course was set in a river basin, and someone saw to it that we were to traverse up and down the side of the river valley a number of times just to make things interesting. It worked. With a number of power climbs, fast descents, and off-camber, muddy turns, my last Euro’ race of the season was a

Mountain-man look: Keep it or lose it?

Kim Smith models AutoTrader.com's new look

Australian Baden Cooke gets tested

When the Mercury camp kicked off in Woodland Hills, California, last Monday, there were some big changes from years past. One big change was the move from team director John Wordin’s old house in West Hills to his spacious new digs. No longer does Wordin’s dining room serve as the team’s office, and gone are the days of the huge semi-trailer parked outside of his house, with mechanics laboring away in his garage. Team mechanics did most of the work in building the new garage-warehouse, and the concrete around the facility was poured just days before the start of training camp last week, but

For the first time since being knocked off his bike in Florida 10 days earlier, Fred Mengoni sat up in his hospital bed to eat a real meal on Sunday evening. A friend at his bedside in St. Mary's Hospital in West Palm Beach, Florida, said that the 77-year-old president of USPRO was "doing good." In the road accident, Mengoni was knocked unconscious, broke his pelvis and several ribs; and after surgery was placed on a respirator at the hospital's intensive care unit. During his stay, the Italian-born Mengoni has been swamped with get-well messages from friends around the world,

After receiving more than 14,000 comments in 30 days, the Bureau of Land Management chose not to group mountain bikes with motorized vehicles in a controversial management plan known as the National Off-Highway Vehicle Strategy. On December 4, the Bureau of Land Management released a draft of the plan that would ultimately rouse the cycling community to take action against a legislative act that threatened the future of the mountain-biking experience itself. At the heart of the issue was the BLM’s coupling of mountain bikes with other off-highway vehicles, all of which were

The new headquarters

Plenty of work and storage space

Van Bon is one of many European additions

Mercury-Viatel's new LeMond bike (click photo for large image)

Australian David McKenzie crosses the line, winning the final stage of the Tour Down Under.

One of the many fans who lined the Tour Down Under course on Sunday displays her allegiance.

Members of the Telekom team make a move.

David McKenzie gets the obligatory winner’s kiss.

Australian Stuart O'Grady donned the yellow jersey after claiming overall victory just two seconds ahead of German Kai Hundertmark in the close fought final stage of the Tour Down Under cycling race Sunday. "I'm over the moon," said 27-year-old O'Grady who races for the French team Credit Agricole. O'Grady, who also won the event in 1999, and Team Telekom's Hundertmark entered the 90km final stage deadlocked on time with six other riders within eight seconds of the pair. Cheered on by an estimated 100,000-strong home crowd lining the 4.5km Adelaide circuit, O'Grady crossed the line in

Australian Stuart O'Grady celebrates his victory.

A fifth race leader in as many days was christened at the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under when Germany's Kai Hundertmark took over the yellow jersey in Saturday's gripping stage. The Telekom rider's victory in the 156km leg from Gawler to the German town of Tanunda saw him depose overnight leader Nicolai Bo Larsen (CMS). Hundertmark, a former member of the now-disbanded Motorola team, won the stage by out sprinting 17 breakaway companions who finished two minutes, 47 seconds clear of Larsen's group. In second and third places were Australia's Peter Rogers (Sunsmart) and Allan Davis (United

Germany’s Kai Hundertmark captured the yellow jersey on Saturday.

Australian fans show their colors.

If Stuart O'Grady's fairytale return to winning form is to be, he will have to pull off one of the mightiest coups of his career. His bid to win the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under stumbled Friday when he lost the leader's yellow jersey to Dane Nicolai Bo Larsen (CSC). In the 157km fourth stage from Unley to Strathalbyn, O'Grady (Credit Agricole) looked set to finish with the perfect result until eight kilometers to go. That’s when Bo Larsen attacked. And missing Larsen's move was a mistake that may cost O’Grady dearly unless he can turn the tables on the red headed Dane Saturday. Larsen

Cancer survivor. Texan. Professional cyclist. Look for a one-hour show focusing on the two-time Tour de France winner on A&E cable network Monday, January 22. The segment will air at 8 p.m. (Eastern and Pacific); check local listings or the network's site, www.AandE.com, for broadcast times in other regions.

The UCI released the list of teams that will make up Division II in 2001 on Friday, and only one half of the expected U.S. contingent is on the current UCI list. With key acquisition Kirk O’Bee and returning GC threat Vassiliy Davidenko, the Navigators are the only American team listed. However, Saturn is expected to be added to the list as soon as some paperwork is completed. According to Saturn team director Tom Schuler, the squad didn’t get its team audit completed in time, causing the omission. Schuler assured VeloNews that it was just a formality, and his team would be on the list

Nicolai Bo Larsen has a 13-second lead in the overall standings.

South Australia's Luke Robert's wins the fourth stage of the Tour Down Under.

A bitter two-year spell of misfortune that once threatened Stuart O'Grady's life, let alone his career as a cyclist, may be near its end. The proof for O'Grady’s (Credit Agricole) came yesterday when he took race leadership of the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under. The South Australian realizes the 757km race is still a long way from him adding a second victory to the one he claimed in 1999. But the image of O'Grady on the podium and in the yellow jersey after the 165km second stage from McLaren Vale to Victor Harbor, which was won by Italian Alessio Galletti (Saeco), heralded an emphatic

Another castoff from the disbanded Specialized downhill team has landed. Kirt Voreis, 12th in the final World Cup standings last year, has inked a deal with the Haro-Lee Dungarees squad. Besides his strong overall finish in last year's World Cup, Voreis had three top-10 finishes, including a fifth at Maribor, Slovenia, and a sixth at Arai, Japan. The 26-year-old Californian’s first race with his new team will be at this year’s Sea Otter Classic in March.

Seven days after crashing his bike while trying to avoid an oncoming car, Fred Mengoni was listed in stable condition at St. Mary's Hospital in West Palm Beach, Florida. In the accident, which happened January 11, Mengoni broke his pelvis and several ribs, and suffered a severe concussion. At the time of this report, Mengoni was on a respirator in the intensive care unit. The 77-year-old New York City resident is considered one of American cycling’s greatest patrons. Some of the riders he’s helped develop include Lance Armstrong, Greg Lemond, George Hincapie, Steve Bauer, Mike McCarthy

Stuart O'Grady dons the yellow jersey.

Australian fans show their support during the third stage of the Tour Down Under.

Alessio Galletti wins the third stage of the Tour Down Under.

Nicolas Vouilloz is looking to dominate another speed sport.

Reigning Olympic champion and 1997 Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich's pre-season campaign has hit a bump after a briefcase containing his training plans for this year was stolen. The case was swiped from the German cyclist's trainer, Peter Becker, in Majorca, Spain. Papers detailing Ullrich's training plans for 2001, as well as a gold watch were in the briefcase. "I only hope that the program doesn't fall into the hands of the opposition. I don't care about anything else in the case," Ullrich said.

A new bill introduced by Texas state senator Jeff Wentworth proposes to amend the state transportation code and make life very difficult for groups of cyclists riding on the roads of Texas. SB238 would require cyclists to ride single file on roadways, and would restrict groups of three or more from many small rural roads. The bill would also require cyclists to have a "slow-moving-vehicle emblem" when riding on roadways. The bill has been sent to the Texas senate's State Affairs Committee. The Texas Bicycle Coalition is urging that Texas cyclists write to their own state senators and

Fabio Sacchi nips Stuart O'Grady at the line.

Fabio Sacchi enjoys the spoils of victory.

With just two weeks left before the polls close on the Readers' Choice Awards, some of our contestants are in big trouble, while others are running away. Here’s a quick look at some of the early returns. In the battle between Phat and Fat relating to the upcoming season of Telekom's Jan Ullrich, Phat holds a commanding lead with 66 percent of the vote, while Fat has just 22 percent. Twelve percent of the voters abstained. On the question of who’s a scarier driver, Marco Pantani or your grandma, it’s no contest. Pantani has garnered nearly 70 percent of the votes, pulling away

Italian rider Fabio Sacchi held off Stuart O'Grady in a thrilling sprint finish to claim the overall lead in the Tour Down Under cycling race here Wednesday. But an investigation involving Australian Olympian Graeme Brown was garnering all the attention. Brown is one of several Australian riders named in an alleged incident with a car at last year's Noumea six-day track race. After losing the race lead in stage two of the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under, Brown (United Water) denied knowledge of the incident. But Cycling Australia confirmed it has received notice from the New Caledonian

There's been a lot of celebratory back slapping by organizers of the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under for signing up the world's number one team to race. So much so, some joked that they had beaten each other black and blue in the lead up to tonight's start to the 757km event, the stage one criterium in the Adelaide suburb of Glenelg. The 47km stage ended in a popular home win for the estimated 54,000-strong crowd that lined the tight 1.88km circuit. In balmy conditions that saw temperatures in the mid seventies, it was won by NSW's Graeme Brown (United Water). South Australia's Stuart O'Grady

National cyclo-cross championships were held throughout Europe on Sunday, and with the world championships just three weeks away, national teams for the world’s in Tabor, Czech Republic, began to take shape as well. In the Netherlands, Superprestige series winner and World Cup leader Richard Groenendaal easily won the Dutch championship as he prepares for the defense of his world title. In Belgium, two-time world champion Mario De Clercq took his first Belgian title, while the favorite, Sven Nijs crashed twice and could manage only a sixth place finish. Other winners on Sunday included

Australian cyclist Stuart O'Grady rates German rider Steffen Wesemann as the big threat in the Tour Down Under starting in Adelaide Tuesday. Wesemann, who rides for the German Telekom team, has been training in Australia since December 3 to give himself plenty of time to become accustomed to the Australian heat and conditions. And 1999 race winner O'Grady said the 29-year-old German, who won a stage of last year's Tour Down Under and finished third overall, was giving nothing away in the lead-up to the six-stage, 757km race. "As soon as I found out Steffen was coming over this early

Last week Prime Alliance unveiled its roster for a new Division III road team. Included on the roster were some heavy hitters, including Jonas and Jame Carney, Colby Pearce, Danny Pate, Mike Creed and NORBA national champion Steve Larsen. The day after the team was announced, VeloNews spoke with team owner and Prime Alliance CEO Tom Irvine, team director Ian Birlem and rider-manager Kirk Willett about how the team came about and what its outlook is for the coming season. VeloNews (to Tom Irvine): How did you get involved, and what’s the major thrust for Prime Alliance to get into

Birlem (l), Irvine (c) and Willett

Willett

Petr Dlask won the Czech Republic’s national cyclo-cross championship on Saturday in Tabor, at the same venue where the world cyclo-cross championships will take place February 3-4. Saturday’s race was contested on a 2.85km course that was frozen and covered with snow. Fifth in the World Cup standings, Dlask beat out two other members of the Author Expandia team, Jiri Pospisil and Vaclav Jezek.

Stop No 4. of the 2001 mountain-bike World Cup has been cancelled and there is no word yet on whether the event will be rescheduled. The season’s first triple — cross country, downhill and dual slalom races were all to be contested — was originally slated for July 7-8, in Whistler, British Columbia, but organizers backed out, citing financial concerns. The cancellation follows a complicated stream of events that according to event organizers TEAM Management, began when the UCI instituted a new rule in April of 2000, requiring first-time "triple" World Cup organizers to get their contract

Wordin had a busy off-season

The International Sports Arbitration Tribunal (TAS) decided on a six-month suspension, but retroactive to November 24, 2000, and with three months of the sentence suspended, for French mountain biker Jérôme Chiotti. Chiotti admitted last April that he won the 1996 world mountain-bike championships while taking the performance enhancing drug erythropoietin (EPO). The French cycling federation (FFC) had suspended Chiotti for one year beginning July 11, 2000, but the Union Cycliste International appealed that punishment to TAS in August. The UCI challenged the initial French sanction because it

According to a tentative schedule posted on his Web site, two-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong will not compete in any French races prior to the start of the Tour on July 7. The 29-year-old, whose U.S. Postal team is at the center of a French judicial investigation into drug allegations, will steer clear of races in France, racing primarily in Spain and then capping his preparations with the Tour of Switzerland, June 19-28. Last season Armstrong participated in the prestigious Paris-Nice and Dauphiné Libéré in France as part of his build-up to his second straight Tour victory. But

On Thursday the USCF announced the National Racing Calendar schedule for 2001. Among the highlights of the 52-race schedule are eight new events, including the Manhattan Invitational in New York City on August 2 and the previously announced San Francisco Grand Prix, September 9. The other new events are the Housatonic Valley Classic in Danbury, Connecticut, June 24; the San Rafael Cycling Classic in California, September 8; the Irvine Cycling Grand Prix in California, September 24; the U.S. Open Cycling Champioinships in Columbus, Ohio, September 29; the Deland Cycling Grand Prix in Florida,

Richard Virenque has filed an appeal seeking to overturn a nine-month ban for doping with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland, a court spokesman said on Thursday. Spokesman Mathieu Reeb, said the appeal was received via certified mail on Wednesday. Lawyers for Virenque, the five-time winner of the King of the Mountains competition at the Tour de France, must submit their written arguments within 10 days. The 31-year-old Virenque was given a nine-month suspension by the Swiss cycling federation after he admitted during the recent Festina trial that he had used

The Canadian Cyclist of the Year award for Best Newcomer has been renamed the Roger Sumner Award, in honor of long-time cycling mentor Roger Sumner, who passed away last December. The first recipient of award is Clare Hall-Patch, the junior woman who rode brilliantly to a bronze medal at the 2000 Road World Championships in Plouay, France. Sumner was particularly active in the coaching, managing and of newcomers to the sport, so the editors of Canadian Cyclist believe that this award is best suited to his memory. This award will be not be voted upon as part of the magazine's People's

Some of America’s top cycling stars, past and present, will gather together on Friday night in Denver for Wheat Ridge Cyclery’s 3rd annual Pro Night and Expo. The event benefits the Front Rangers Cycling Club and the Nicole Reinhart Foundation. Wheat Ridge Cyclery’s annual Pro Night expo gives the general public a rare opportunity to mingle in an intimate environment with the cycling industry’s most influential leaders. Throughout the night professionals will share their training and motivational expertise, cycling legends will tell their stories of the most exciting moments of the sport’s

The domestic men's road scene got another boost on Tuesday with theannouncement of a new UCI division III squad, the Boulder-based PrimeAlliance Cycling Team. On paper, the squad looks like it will be a bigplayer in the U.S. races. The roster includes Jame and Jonas Carney,Colby Pearce, John Walrod, Danny Pate, Michael Creed and Kirk Willett,who will also manage the team. In addition, NORBA national championSteve Larsen will race selected road events for Prime Alliance. The brainchild of Prime Alliance CEO Tom Irvine, the team did not decideto seek UCI status until December. After a fall

VeloNews is once again accepting submissions of North American team rosters. These listings will appear on our website. The deadline for submission is February 28, 2001. Rosters sent after that date will not be accepted. Please include team name, sponsors, riders' names –listed alphabetically by last name and by category/class – and riders' ages . The format should be as follows: Team SupremeSponsors: Capitol Bike Shop, Washington Cleaners. Cat. I: BREYER, Steve, 61; GINSBERG, Ruth, 66; O'CONNOR, Sandy, 69; STEVENS, John, 79; Cat.II: KENNEDY, Tony, 61; REHNQUIST, Bill, 75;

Officials from USA Cycling released the final roster of riders bound for Tabor in the Czech Republic to contest the world cyclo-cross championships, February 3-4. SuperCup cyclo-cross series winners Marc Gullickson (Mongoose) and Ann Grande (Kona-Voicestream) will head the eight-rider team. Dale Knapp (Kona-Voicestream) and Rachel Lloyd (Novo-Sycip) fill out the other spots in the U.S. elite squad offered by USA Cycling. Alan Obye and Josh Anthony will race in Under-23 event, while Jeremy Powers and Aaron Bradford will represent the U.S. in the junior men's race. Notably absent from the

It’s taken a bit of scrambling, but it looks like Dave Cullinan will be riding a Diamondback this year. Word is a verbal agreement has been reached and it’s just a matter of pushing the paperwork through. The deal — assuming it happens — will provide much relief for the 31-year-old gravity rider, who unexpectedly found himself without a team in late December when Schwinn dumped him in favor of 20-year-old Frenchman Mickael Deldycke. Cullinan had been with Schwinn for nearly four years. "If I get through all this, racing will be easy this year," said Cullinan, who added that he wasn’t

Belgian cyclo-crosser Sven Nijs (Rabobank) continued his late-season charge on Sunday, winning the Grand Prix of the Netherlands, round five of the six-round World Cup series. Nijs beat Czech Petr Dlask and Dutchman Richard Groenendaal to take his second World Cup win of the 2000-01 season. Nijs, Dlask and Groenendaal jumped out to the early lead in Zeddam, opening up a gap on chasers such as Erwin Vervecken, Mario De Clercq and Gerben De Knegt. But with three laps remaining, Groenendaal fell back, victim of a mechanical problem. The world champion chased back, only to crash on the

Round one of the 2001 New Zealand Mountain Biking national championship series got going January 6-7, in Levin. Downhill opened the competition, as riders tackled a steep 2km course that was smooth, fast, and very dusty. In the women’s race Sheryl MacLeod (Haro) came down in a flurry, posting a time of 3:30.70 to claim her first win of the season. Current European champion Tracy Mosely (Kona-Ford Focus) finished second, four seconds back, while Vanessa Quin (Giant) was third. On the men’s side, 2000 series’ winner Glenn Sisarich wasn’t around, meaning the race was wide open. Nathan Rankin

Facing a "serious budget shortfall," USA Cycling has eliminated both its endurance track and women's road programs as well as eliminating nearly 20 percent of its total work force. The organization's staff and administration met Thursday afternoon to review a series of personnel and program cuts designed to lower costs in what USA Cycling CEO Lisa Voight attributed at least in part to "a post-Olympic reduction in sponsorship dollars." Hardest hit, in what chief operating officer Steve Johnson referred to as a "reorganization," was USA Cycling's athlete performance department. Several coaching

With budget concerns limiting USA Cycling's support of a national cyclo-cross team at world championships in Tabor, Czech Republic, February 3-4, the American Cyclo-cross Foundation has launched a last-minute drive to raise enough money to field an eight-person squad. USA Cycling is funding trips for five riders: one elite man, one elite woman, one under-23 man, and two juniors. The ACF is attempting to raise enough money for three additional riders, at an estimated cost of $1500 per rider. The American Cyclo-cross Foundation is a private group set up to funnel donations from

Genevieve Jeanson will head a new Canadian women's team that will contest the major road events in North America. Jeanson, who won the Tour de Snowy and the Flèche Wallonne World Cup in her first season as a senior, will be joined on Team RONA by five other Canadian women: Amy Jarvis, Manon Jutras, Raphaele Lemieux, Melanie McQuaid and Melanie Nadeau. Among the races on the schedule for Team RONA are Redlands, the Montreal World Cup, the First Union Liberty Classic, Fitchburg-Longsjo, the Grand Prix of Quebec and the Killington stage race. Jeanson will continue to race for the Canadian

When the U.S. Postal Service submitted its paperwork to the UCI at the end of last month, an unexpected name appeared on the team's official roster, former Saturn sprinter Robbie Ventura. The move was part of an effort by the team to solidify its presence on the home front. Director of operations Dan Osipow said, "We were looking for some speed in criterium racing, which we've lacked in the last couple of years, in American-style events." Osipow said that the team's U.S. schedule will resemble that of recent years -- including Redlands, Sea Otter, the BMC series, Clarendon Cup

Rabobank's Sven Nijs proved Sunday's edition of the Superprestige cyclo-cross series in Diegem, Belgium, belonged to the hometown favorites. Nijs finished at the top Belgian sweep of the top five spots. Hey, maybe his teammate, Richard Groenendaal isn't invincible after all. Don't bet on it ... even after the man who has dominated the 2000-2001 cyclo-cross season finished sixth, giving the Dutchman the day's top non-Belgian spot in the seventh race in the eight-race series. While Groenendaal had a tougher time than usual -- finishing in a group, 1:20 behind Nijs -- he remains in charge of

Editor's note: He's back. There, not here, that is. American cyclo-cross racer Alex Candelario returned to Belgium last week to continue his season of 'cross racing where it matters. Candelario started his season in Europe, then came home to contest the U.S. national championships in December (where he finished 10th) and is now back in Belgium for the remainder of the season. He checked in on Tuesday with this latest account of the Belgian 'cross chronicles. On Christmas day, I left the comforts of family and the loved one to venture back to the snowy fields of Belgium.

Can you name the largest "investor" in American bike racing? Hint: It's the folks who deliver cycling fans' "must see TV" on Thursday nights. That's right, Outdoor Life Network. In 2001, VeloNews estimates that the sports cable television broadcaster will invest approximately $7 million in broadcasting, marketing, and promoting major bicycle events such as the Tour de France, Sea Otter Classic, Giro d'Italia and the NORBA NCS Series. Since its founding in 1995, OLN has made a steadily increasing commitment to bike racing. It's spending $3 million for rights fees alone for the Tour de

2001 Giro route unveiled

Full of promise: Strock had an amateur contract with Banesto

The juxtaposition of the Festina drugs trial going on in Lille and the announcement Thursday in Paris of next year’s Tour de France route was not lost on race director Jean-Marie Leblanc. In a 5000-word speech, Leblanc made one reference to the trial that is dredging up the Festina team’s exclusion from the 1998 Tour because of its systematic drug use. Leblanc said, "After being brought down by dubious hands — as the Lille trial is showing right now — cycling … has suffered so much and worked so hard to correct things over the past two years, that it will end up with its head held high.