Video here from Cyclingfans.

 The format today is exciting (it was tested last year with Canadian cyclists) and involves 24 participants total and a sprint distance of just 1 kilometer.  There are 8 qualification series of 3 riders each, then quarterfinals: 4 series with 4 riders in each.  In the semi-finals, there will be 2 series with 4 riders in each.  4 riders will qualify for the finals.  Whoever reaches the finals will have tired legs for sure!

Announced today! Full list, below the fold.

Continue reading this post »

CN has the story updated

32 people named, facing chargers?

According to Tuttobici, also among the 32 people risking trial include  directeurs sportif Fabrizio Bontempi and Maurizio Piovani, and soigneur Fabio Della Torre. 13 Lampre past and present riders have also been named by Tuttobici: Cunego, Ballan, Marco Bandiera, Emanuele Bindi, Marzio Bruseghin, Mauro Da Dalto, Francesco Gavazzi, Mirko Lorenzetto, Manuele Mori, Simone Ponzi, Mauro Santambrogio, Francesco Tomei and Daniele Pietropolli.

From last year.

"At the moment, those of the team involved and their lawyers have not yet received any communication or notification of this, so it's obviously not possible to make any comment. If the news was confirmed, the team will act without hesitation in order to clarify its position with the investigating judge.”

Bici ticker

It has been a very fast start, no break has stuck yet. 

At km 61, 8 riders have attacked.

From Steephill:

Stage 5 is a hilly route along the coastal regioin featuring two cat 2 climbs and another climb near the end that is inexplicably unclassified, but is similar to the first two. This race has been a little docile thus far other than stage 1, but there is a good opportunity for some action today. Unfortunately, the last climb crests 40 km from the finish. 

 Today is the first day transfers can become official. We have:

• Garmin has signed Hunter, Kessiakoff, Zirbel, Kredel, Stetina, Vansummeren 
• Kroon, Burghardt and Hincapie confirmed to BMC
• Ale-Jet to Lampre
• Pereiro continues with Caisse 2010
• Leipheimer to The Shack

links

• http://www.declinemagazine.com/Nucleus/ROADNEWS.php?itemid=3899
• http://www.biciciclismo.com/cas/site/inicio.asp
• http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/cycling/news/story?id=4436339
• http://www.wielerflits.nl/index/
• (http://www.cyclingnews.com/)

[Ed] Use this thread to add more names as they come out today.

More news coming out every day:

• Two Belgians to Cofidis, Kevin Ista(Agritubel), Jens Keukeleire (Soenens-Yamadoo).
• Saxo and Caisse are after Soler.
• Caisse not renewing the contracts of Anthony Charteau, Oscar Pereiro, Marlon Perez and Nicolas Portal.
• Vansummeren close to sign with Garmin.
• Van Goolen and Jan Bakelands to *Lotto.
• EBH's manager confirmed this morning that he will be leaving Columbia. Did not mention EBH's new team, but Sky seems most likely.

Majope posted a great link to follow up, http://www.wielerflits.nl/forum/topic/382/. See also:

• http://www.biciciclismo.com/cas/site/inicio.asp
• http://www.wielerflits.nl/index/
• http://www.velo-club.net/index.php?op=edito-nonews

It started earlier today, check cyclingfans for live video/audio links.

ES live now

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS 

• Pendleton in action again in the Keirin
• Armitstead back on track in the points race
• Men's Omnium
• Men's sprint finals

Men's sprint semi-finals 
Azizulhasni Awang (Mas) leads Shane Perkins (Aus) 1-0 

women's keirin now, second round

live updates and more here

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/Track_cycling_world_championships_Sundays_coverage_article_279594.html

Finland won Wales yesterday

check http://www.cyclingfans.com/ for live video and English audio links. Es goes live at 19.00 CET, so in 1+h.

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS 

The Isle of Man duo Cavendish and Kennaugh take on the world in the Madison

Pendleton v Krupeckaite sprint showdown looming

Women's Omnium

Men's sprint early rounds

live updates and more here

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/Track_cycling_world_championships_Saturdays_coverage_article_279579.html

ok, more words... enough? almost. but still not enough, lemme try again

check cyclingfans for live video links, they have stream

Men's kilometre time trial 
Top three times so far 
1 Yudai Nitta (Jpn) 1-03.655 
2 Adrian Teklinski (Pol) 1-03.887 
3 Clemns Selzer (Aut) 1-04.077 

needmorewordsneedmorewordsneedmorewordsneedmorewordsneedmorewords

needmorewordsneedmorewordsneedmorewordsneedmorewordsneedmorewords

why do l need still more words? Pretty strange. Have a great Friday & weekend  all.

E3 tomorrow, coolio. 

ok, more words? gotta be kidding me

 More live updates here

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/Track_cycling_world_championships_Fridays_live_coverage_article_279530.html

check www.cyclingfans.com for video links

live tickers:

http://www.letour.fr/2009/PNC/LIVE/us/500/index.html

http://live.cyclingnews.com/

Current situation

• Tony Martin (Columbia-Highroad), Thomas Voeckler (Bbox Bouygues Telecom) and Jeremy Roy (Bbox Bouygues Telecom)
• Peloton at 6;20.

need more words need more words need more words need more words need more words need more words need more words need more words need more words need more words need more words

With just two days left in the nine-day Amgen Tour of California, only six of the 17 teams have won a stage. That means that 11 others are still eager to taste victory, especially those teams that have major American sponsors. Top of this list of teams is Rabobank, followed by Liquigas and Quick Step.

Although Rabobank is based in the Netherlands, it’s a worldwide corporation that has a presence in California as a community bank, even with a branch in Solvang, where Friday’s time trial was held. It is also a founding partner of the California race, and is sponsoring the Best Young Rider jersey — that just happens be the property of its team leader Robert Gesink this week.

What’s more, Giant bicycles is one of Rabobank’s newest sponsors, and the Dutch team is the only non-American formation that has a custom-painted bus at the Tour of California. Astana, for instance, has a rented bus with Astana stickers affixed.

http://www.velonews.com/article/88388/

we are live

The Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) recommended a one-year suspension for Emanuele Sella, who tested positive for EPO-CERA this last July.

The Italian, winner of three stages and the mountains jersey in the Giro d'Italia, cooperated with investigators to earn a reduced sentence. CONI's Danilo di Tommaso told Cyclingnews why Sella, who would have normally been recommended to receive a two-year ban, was given half that. "He collaborated and named names, so he got a reduction, according to the WADA codes," he said. "It will now be sent to the disciplinary commission." Sella met with CONI's prosecutor Ettore Torri in August. He admitted to doping in a two-hour meeting that took place at CONI's headquarters in Rome.

More here.

Lance Armstrong will announce today that his professional cycling comeback will be as a member of the Astana team headed by former U.S. Postal/Discovery team director Johan Bruyneel.

The team's first race will be the Tour Down Under in Australia January 20-25, according to email messages sent by Armstrong to several supporters Tuesday night that were shown to USA TODAY.

Continue reading the full story here.

[ED: USA Today? Oh, the shame...]

LIVE Stream up now at CNN.
Check cyclingfans.com for alternatives, too!

Here is the place for them. Feel free to add anything sounding like a rumour!

1. Lance will make a comeback next year in Astana colours

2. Vino will make a comeback next year in Astana colours

3. Kohl signs with Rabo/Columbia/*Lotto/somewhere else

4. Rasmussen found a new team

5. UCI& ASO having a piece pipe

Rumours, oh rumours , oh words, don't come easy, to me............

well, I'll try again..........

The second stage of the Tour of Elk Grove near Chicago was a 150km flat road race that unsurprisingly came down to a field sprint. However the narrow 90-degree final turn 600 metres from the finish proved to be too much, sending the lead riders to the ground. Among them was Astana's Chris Horner who took the worst of it, breaking his collarbone.

Horner was in the top-10 entering the final turn when the crash occurred. He was able to ride across the line but holding his arm. He was transported to a nearby hospital where the break was diagnosed.

The injury comes at an inopportune time for the American as his Astana team is targeting the Vuelta a España after watching the Tour de France from the sidelines. Horner told Cyclingnews that it is too early to tell what the collarbone break will do for the rest of his season, but that he had been planning on racing the Vuelta.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2008/aug08/aug04news

and has been asked to leave the Tour. No news yet about the rest of the SD team.

What a huge blow this is, even though I don't like the guy, this is truly sad. Makes one think what the rest of the team is up to.

update: The Saunier Duval-Scott team has voluntarily withdrawn from the Tour and gone home. Sad day indeed.

Source, l'equipe

Update by Gavia A few more details. The positive tests date from the time trial at Cholet. According to l'Equipe, Ricco tested positive for a new form of EPO, Continuous Erythropietin Receptor Activator (CERA), which has only recently come into use. This may explain his confidence that he would not be caught out by the authorities, as he likely believed that the authorities could not yet detect this variant. The other two positives of this Tour de France also used this same variant of EPO, according to Pierre Bordry, President of the AFLD. If indeed CERA was not previously detectable, we may well see more positives in this Tour and some surprise abandons, especially since these three positives announced so far date from so early in the race.

Saunier Duval DS Joxean Fernandez has also suggested in a press comment today that the team will stop racing altogether as a consequence of the Ricco positive. No confirmation just yet of that, however.

Update.Ricco was arrested before the start of the stage, and has been held for questioning by French authorities, and is currently in French custody with an interpretor and lawyer for company. It is not known when he will be released. The Prosecutor, Antoine Le Roy, will give a press conference at 18.00, about the legal status of the rider.

Update. According to a brief summary of the prosecutor's press conference, a preliminary investigation has been opened against Riccardo Ricco, and it seems, Team Saunier Duval. French authorities stopped the team bus near the département de l'Ariège at 17.50. Presumably, the police searched the bus, and it remains unclear whether the team has been allowed to continue on its way.

Update. More details from the press conference. The prosecutor explained that Ricco will be charged with possession and use of a prohibited substance which carries a pentalty of up to two years in prison and a monetary fine. He is currently being held in Mirepoix, but tomorrow will be transferred to Foix, where the investigation is based. The hotel of the team is currently being searched for evidence. Ricco has so far denied using the drug, and claims he is innocent. One report suggested that the team bus has been seized, though I have not seen further confirmation.

here:

Kim Kirchen, George Hincapie, Thomas Lövkvist, Kanstantin Siutsou, Mark Cavendish, Gerald Ciolek, Adam Hansen, Marcus Burghardt og Bernhard Eisel.

Kirchen is the captain, but the team wants to try to win on every terrain. This team looks very good, too bad Barry missed out once again.

Hincapie, Siutsou and Lövlvist try to help Kirchen in the mountains, and Ciolec helps Cavendish in the sprints.

Too few words again... Let's try once again. And again...

According to Danish media, the new sponsor is Saxo bank, a Danish investment bank. (http://www.saxobank.dk/)

There will be a press conference in 30 mins, I'll update after that.

Great news!

[ED, by Chris] OK, I'll jump in so Bruce's minimum word limit isn't a problem. CSC now have the full story up on their site. Not such a bad day for Cycling after all? It certainly is great to see the sport's investors trickling back in.