Andy Schleck wins Liege-Bastogne-Liege

LIEGE, Belgium (AP) Andy Schleck of Luxembourg won the Liege-Bastogne-Liege cycling classic after a long solo breakaway on Sunday, holding off a group of chasers led by Joaquin Rodriguez of Spain.

Schleck won the 162-mile race through the hills and woods of southern Belgium’s Ardennes, building a lead of 1 minute, 11 seconds over the final hills to win in 6 hours, 34 minutes, 33 seconds.

Davide Rebellin of Italy took third place, a second podium finish in five days after winning the Walloon Arrow on Wednesday. Belgian Philippe Gilbert was fourth, just ahead of Sergei Ivanov of Russia, who had won last week’s Amstel Gold Race.

Gilbert threw open the race when he broke away with 18 miles to go and was soon joined by Schleck. The Luxembourger sensed the chasers were closing and pulled away from Gilbert with one hill to go.

“I attacked and continued pushing,” Schleck said.

His Team Saxo Bank teammates did a perfect job of slowing the chasers behind him.

“I would never have won without my teammates,” said Schleck, who finished second in the Walloon Arrow classic on Wednesday and was fourth in Liege last year.

Report: Kloeden, Kessler linked to transfusions

FRANKFURT (AP) A Der Spiegel news magazine report implicates German riders Andreas Kloeden and Matthias Kessler in illegal blood transfusions, citing the findings of an independent commission investigating doping.

The commission spent two years looking into doping allegations against two doctors who allegedly put a doping system into place at Freiburg University Clinic between 1995 and 2006 for the former Team Telekom, later known as T-Mobile.

Doctors Lothar Heinrich and Andreas Schmid, fired by the university in 2007, have admitted providing and administering doping material until 1999. But the commission concluded they continued until at least 2006, the news magazine reported.

Kloeden and Kessler are suspected of receiving illegal transfusions of their own blood in July 2006, along with teammate Patrik Sinkewitz. All were assisted by one of the two doctors, according to the report.

Kloeden, who now rides for Team Astana with Lance Armstrong, has always denied doping.

Astana team spokesman Philippe Maertens said Kloeden again denied any wrongdoing.

“We spoke to Kloeden about the allegations, and he’s repeated that he had nothing to do with the whole thing,” Maertens said.

Sinkewitz tested positive for testosterone in an out-of-competition test before the 2007 Tour de France. He was banned for one year, half the usual suspension, because he cooperated with German investigators and gave details about doping in cycling.

Former Astana rider Kessler was banned for two years in January 2008, eight months after the team suspended him when a sample showed elevated testosterone levels after a surprise test.

Hans Joachim Schaefer, a lawyer who leads the commission, declined to comment on the report Sunday.

“I have sworn to myself that I won’t say a word,” he said.

The commission’s 64-page report is expected to be published soon.

Basso back n the winners podium in Italy

Ivan Basso is back to the top after a three-year break due to his involvement in Operación Puerto. The Liquigas Italian won the Giro del Trentino overall Saturday in Pejo Fonti, Italy. His last win was the 2006 Giro d’Italia.

After serving his two-year suspension for his involvement in Operacion Puerto Ivan Basso wins the Giro del Trentino in Italy. His overall win on this hilly four day race included a difficult time trial and two mountain top finishes putting him among the favorites for the upcoming Giro d’Italia.

P.J. DICKERSCHEID, Associated Press Writer, CHARLESTON, W.Va. Goals posted on the Tour de Revs Web site say plenty about three Lutheran ministers from West Virginia planning a cross-country trip on a 10-foot, three-man bicycle built from bamboo and hemp fibers.

1. Raise $40 Million.

2. Encourage pastors/parishioners to get off their butts and into spandex.

3. Get picture on the cover of “The Lutheran.”

The Rev. Fred Soltow at Shepherdstown Lutheran Parish, the Rev. Ron Schlak at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Charleston and the Rev. David Twedt at Capon North River Lutheran Parish in Wardensville have spent years planning, preparing and promoting their 13,000-mile, 100-day bicycle ride to fight hunger and promote wellness.

They leave from Chicago on May 13.

But getting their photo on the front of the church’s monthly magazine may prove to be their biggest challenge.

“The likelihood of their worthwhile effort being on the cover is very unlikely,” said editor Daniel J. Lehmann, because cover stories are determined months in advance. “But one should never say never.”

Too bad for “Tweeter,” ‘’The Slacker” and “Fixed Gear” Fred, but fame isn’t their real objective.

While it’s a vision that unites them, they say it’s their personal differences that will help them succeed.

Soltow, 61, is the captain.

“I’m in charge,” he reminded his back-seat stokers during a recent test ride in Charleston. “One, two, three, peddle.”

Twedt, 60, is the “out-of-the-box thinker” with a dry sense of humor and a flair for outlandish costumes.

“He doesn’t have to tell us to put our foot down to stop,” Twedt said deadpanned, while sporting a pair of red- and orange-flame socks. “We know enough to do that.”

Schlak, 59, is the thinker who keeps the group spiritually grounded. He earned his nickname “The Slacker” for being distracted from pedaling while mulling an upcoming sermon.

“We want to help the Lutheran people change their lifestyles” to consume less and share more, Schlak said. Without sacrificing much, the 20 percent who have 80 percent of the resources can help the 80 percent who have 20 percent of the resources.

After all, he said, “God doesn’t want people to go hungry.”

The three are urging parishioners to give up one fast-food meal or specialty coffee a month to help the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America reach its $25 million-a-year pledge for battling hunger. They also want people to exercise more.

They will stop at each of the Lutheran’s 65 synods, many of which have pledged money to their effort.

“It takes a lot of courage and willingness to do something new and take a risk,” said the Rev. Bill Nienstedt at Faith Lutheran Church in Arlington, Va., a tour supporter. “And all three of them are willing to take risks for the sake of the gospel.”

The three men don’t envision any trouble spending 100 days and nights together, but Soltow adds with a smile, “Ask us on Day 99.”

Their journey, which includes overnight accommodations at church members’ homes, will take them through the Midwest to Florida, circling around the country and up to Minneapolis in time for the church’s national convention in August. A support van will follow them.

The pastors turned to Craig Calfee of Calfee Design in California to build their custom-made bike out of bamboo because it is durable, lightweight and environmentally friendly.

The keys to riding a “triplet” are clear communication, well-choreographed precision and plenty of trust.

“It works best if I turn off my brain and do what he tells me,” Twedt said of Soltow.

Whenever a rider needs to adjust his position, he must give his teammates warning to avoid crashing.

They’ve had a couple of close calls — like when they slid around a concrete barrier on a bike path in Moundsville and when their bike tire dropped into the grove between rumble strips on the interstate — but so far no tumbles on a bike that can fly up to 48.8 mph downhill.

Their love of riding shows not only when the wind is in their faces, but in other ways, too.

Soltow, who picked up his nickname “Fixed Gear” after stripping his personal bike down to one gear, has a tattoo of a cyclist on his left calf, a 60th birthday present to himself. Twedt, whose neighbor gave him the nickname “Tweeter” 25 years ago, said his wife gave him a gift certificate for a tattoo, but he hasn’t decided what image he wants permanently etched into his skin. As for Schlak’s plans for body ink? “Never,” he said.

Though none of them has ever personally experienced hunger, Soltow said he took the “Food Stamp Challenge,” trying to eat on $3 a day. He lasted about two weeks before “I got so sick of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese.”

“But I could always bail out,” he said. “They can’t.”

On the Net:

www.tourderevs.org

PARIS (AP) France’s anti-doping agency says it will not seek sanctions against cyclist Lance Armstrong over a dispute with a drug tester.

The AFLD agency said in a statement Friday that it “decided to take into consideration the athlete’s written explanations” and will not open disciplinary procedures.

The anti-doping agency has said the American cyclist did not fully cooperate with a drug tester who showed up at Armstrong’s home in France to collect blood, urine and hair samples on March 17.

“Just got the word from the French agency AFLD on the shower gate incident,” the seven-time Tour de France winner wrote on social networking site Twitter. “Case closed, no penalty, all samples clean. Onward.”

The seven-time Tour de France winner has said he wasn’t sure of the identity of the drug tester and did not try to evade or delay testing.

The AFLD said in its statement that the blood and urine tests were clean, but that it did not test the hair samples.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: 2004 Roubaix Comp and Roubaix Pro bicycles

Units: About 3,000

Importer: Specialized Bicycle Components Inc., of Morgan Hill, Calif.

Hazard: The cable stop on the bicycle can loosen, which can cause the rider to lose control and fall from the bike.

Incidents/Injuries: Specialized received reports of two falls that resulted in fractures requiring medical attention and surgery.

Description: The recalled bicycles are as follows: 2004 Roubaix Comp 18, 2004 Roubaix Comp 27, 2004 Roubaix Pro 18, and 2004 Roubaix Pro frameset models. Only bicycles with a single rivet fastening the cable stop to the frame are subject to recall. The cable stop is attached through bonding materials and a single rivet mounted at the front of the bicycle. The cables pass through eyelets in the cable stop on the down tube. Bicycles with a double rivet fastening the cable stop to the frame are not subject to recall. The model names of the recalled bicycles can be found on the top tube of the bicycles. (The Top photo shows the single rivet mount that has been recalled, the bottom photo shows the correct mount that is not recalled.)

Sold by: Specialized authorized dealers nationwide from September 2003 through August 2004 for between $1,600 and $4,000.

Manufactured in: Taiwan

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using their bicycle and return their bicycle to a Specialized authorized dealer for an approved repair, at no cost to consumer.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Specialized toll-free at (877) 808-8154 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. MT Monday through Friday or visit the firm’s Web site at www.specialized.com

Here’s an article we published about a charity ride next month starting at Rockland Lake and looping through the county.

Jenna Carlesso
jcarlesso@LoHud.com
As a 22-year veteran of the New York Police Department, Detective Terry McGhee devoted much of his life to helping others.

But after a spinal cord injury left him paralyzed from the chest down, his friends are hoping to give him a break by throwing a charity bike ride in his honor.

On May 9, supporters will gather at Rockland Lake for the 40-mile ride that runs through Clarkstown, Orangetown, Piermont and South Nyack, then back to the lake.

The funds raised from the event, dubbed “Terry’s Ride,” will help build a wheelchair ramp at McGhee’s home.
“He’s a very caring person,” said Jim Conneely, who worked with McGhee in the Bronx homicide squad of the NYPD. “If there was ever a cop in trouble, he would do anything he could to help them.”
McGhee, 43, joined the force in 1987 and covered homicide in the Bronx. After the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, he became a member of the Joint Terrorism Task Force.
“He was inspired by the 9/11 attacks,” Conneely said. “He was (at Ground Zero) almost every day, digging and trying to find any life.”
While in Portugal for work recently, McGhee suffered the spinal cord injury. He uses a wheelchair, with no use of his arms and limited use of his hands, friends said.
The benefit will include a 10-mile ride for those who don’t want to pedal the full 40 miles, said Robert Depaolis, a representative of Tour de Force, the national organization hosting the bike ride.
The ride will begin at 9 a.m. from parking lot 1 at Rockland Lake. Registration begins at 7 a.m. A post-ride party will be held at the site.

The ride will begin at 9 a.m. from parking lot 1 at Rockland Lake. Registration begins at 7 a.m. A post-ride party will be held at the site. The cost is $40 if forms are postmarked by April 24 The fee is $50 after April 24.

To enter the bike ride, visit www.tourdeforceny.com and click the “Terry’s Ride Application Form” link.

On Saturday at 11:30am at St. Josephs Church in Croton Falls a Blessing of the Bicycles will be held.

Here is the posting of the ride from their website.
The Westchester Cycle Club invites you to bring your bike INSIDE the St. Josephs school auditorium for the very first Blessing of the Bicycles. We all know how dangerous cycling on the roads in Westchester and Putnam can be, we’ve all been in a bad situation or two and who among us would argue that we can use any help we can get. Monsignor James Moore, Pastor of St. Josephs Church will say a few kind words, lead us in prayer and then bless our bikes with Holy Water. There will be a moment of silence to remember those cyclists we’ve lost or have been injured in the past year. Following the Blessing we will go on an easy 30 mile C – paced ride. Other ride levels may become available. Contact me if you would like to lead another category ride. Regardless of your religious beliefs – you are welcome. This service is based on a similar service that has been going on for eleven years at the cathedral of St. John the Divine in NYC. The Blessing of the Bicycles is a free event. However, before you leave we will pass the hat (pass the helmet?) to raise some money for the church and musicians(s). They are not charging us for this event, and they do great work in the neighborhood. (Besides, they have electricity and heating bills to pay too, just like everyone else). The contribution is ENTIRELY VOLUNTARY, although I would suggest that you kick in as much as you spent during your last snack break while out cycling. One hundred percent of the money you donate goes directly to the church and musician(s). Wear what you like – your usual cycling gear is fine – but if you have cycle shoes with exposed cleats (such as Look or Speedplay), please use rubber cleat covers or take your shoes off and leave them at the door so you don’t scratch the floors. Please note that this event looks to be wonderful but BRIEF—if you are even a little late, you’ll miss it! Please be on time! Any questions? contact me at brucereisdorf@optonline.net
St. Josephs Church is located at 10 Croton Falls Road, Croton Falls, NY 10519

If Holy Water isn’t your style but a beer is try this hard core A level ride – “Oh Captain, My Captain”. Gary Steinel will lead this 51 mile ride starts at the Captain Lawrence Brewery and the real key it finishes there in time for the free sample Saturday’s. If you can hang with the big boys and work up a thirst – this could be the ride for you. The WCC A rides are fast, 20mph average and do not wait for stragglers. I’m not sure I can hang, but I know I can find my way back to the Brewery on my own if need be for one of the worlds best “recovery drinks”.
Here’s the ride summery: Hilly ride to whet your appetite for the Captain’s finest. You can order out for food or bring your own should you desire solid nutrition along with the rehydrating brews.

On Sunday John Petti is hosting an all levels ride to test your – Strength, Speed, Stamina – test your cycling abilities by participating in this unique riding event. The course has three timed stages that will test your endurance climbing three separate hills. You will be racing the clock and your results will be recorded. This same ride will be conducted July 26th and then October 4th. The goal of this ride series is to gauge your performance for the 2009 season.

This story broke the news that the TD Bank Pro bike race that is famous for climbing the “Manayunk Wall” is in danger of being cancelled. Here are the first three paragraphs from The Philadelphia Inquirer’s website, Philly.com and writen by an old friend who is a terrific Cat 3 racer for the Tri-State Velo team.

By Christopher K. Hepp, Inquirer Staff Writer, Philadelphia’s annual professional bike race, a signature event that unites the city from the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to the Manayunk “Wall” each June, is on the verge of cancellation, a potential victim of the global economic downturn and the city’s own budget woes.

Organizers of the race, the TD Bank Philadelphia Cycling Championship, say they face a $500,000 budget gap, about half of which is the result of the Nutter administration’s decision to charge for city costs.

At the moment, organizers have raised about $1.2 million of the $1.7 million needed to have the race.

To read the whole story, please click here.

Found this tidbit on Jan Ullrich on Road Bike Action’s website. Maybe Lance should try driving a Corvette once he retires and we could watch Jan and Lance do battle once again. Not a surprise that Ullrich drives a diesel, he always rode like one.

Retired former Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich enjoyed his first success in his second career as a sports car driver in a race at the famous Nurburgring circuit on Sunday. The 35-year-old German notched up his first driving success at the wheel of a BMW 335 in the Diesel category of the second leg of the endurance championship. “I felt more confident lap after lap, I’m really happy,” he said.

Ullrich won the 1997 Tour and was a multiple runner-up behind Lance Armstrong before retiring from cycling after being sacked by his T-Mobile team in 2006. His dismissal was due to his alleged links with Eufemiano Fuentes, the Spanish doctor at the center of the Puerto drugs affair. ( AP Photo )

President Barack Obama’s announcement last week that the U.S. Department of Transportation had approved the 2,000th project to receive stimulus money brings to mind images of an army of backhoes and dump trucks ready to roll across the land, creating jobs while building smoother highways and sturdier bridges. The federal DOT has committed $6.3 billion of its $48 billion in transportation funds so far.

It’s good to know that amid all this heavy-duty infrastructure spending that some of the jobs-creating stimulus money is also being spent on smaller, more human-scale projects like walkways and bike paths. Earlier this month, Gov. David Paterson announced $34 million in federal stimulus money was being granted through an existing state transportation program to help fund things like a sidewalk along Route 52 in Putnam County’s Town of Kent, where pedestrians walking home from a busy ShopRite supermarket often veer dangerously close to traffic.

Also included in the governor’s list of improvements with “cultural, aesthetic, historical and environmental significance” are a pedestrian and bike trail in Croton-on-Hudson; a walking path near the Annsville traffic circle in Cortlandt that would help make the area near the Annsville Creek and the Hudson River more inviting to walkers; and a streetscape improvement project for Main Street and Broadway in Rockland County’s Village of Haverstraw.

Putnam County is still waiting to hear if its bicycle path plans will be funded. The county has applied for state funds to build a bike trail from the Town of Patterson to Dutchess County and for painting an old railroad bridge that will be part of a bicycle trail in Southeast, John Lynch, the county’s commissioner of planning, told the Editorial Board. Putnam County has also applied to the federal government for $720,000 in stimulus funds to build a security fence on a bike trail leading from the Village of Brewster to the Connecticut border.

None of these quality-of-life improvements could come soon enough for the Westchester Biking & Walking Alliance, a newly formed advocacy group that aims to promote more bike- and pedestrian-friendly public policies. The advocacy group was introduced earlier this month at the Westchester Bike Summer, a meeting attended by more than 100 government officials and biking enthusiasts.

First up for the alliance: getting bicycle racks added to county’s fleet of buses and bike lockers at the transit center in downtown White Plains. “Not only do you put a bike on the street, which takes a car off the road, (but) it really empowers public transit,” Michael Oliva, a liaison for the East Coast Greenway bike trail project, told The Journal News. That’s two birds with one stone and, if the efforts create a new job along the way, all the better.

A Journal News editorial

Scott Nydam solos to win Tour of Battenkill

The 200km (124mile) spring classic in upstate New York was won today by Scott Nydam of Team BMC solo after spebding 175km on the front. For about 100km Bobby Lea of OUCH / Maxxis worked with him but lost his whell on one of the dificult dirt road sections and fell back to the shattered peleton to help set up a teammate in the finsh.

This race may well be the hardest singleday race in America. 200 kilometres of rolling tarriane and challange climbs all with 40km of dirt roads demands a powerful and skilled racer. 160 riders started the race and 60 finished with only 20 in the peleton.

Here’s a link to www.cyclingnews.com for a full race report.

AP Story

Sergei Ivanov wins Amstel Gold cycle race

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) — Katusha rider Sergei Ivanov has won the 44th Amstel Gold Race on Sunday, outsprinting Karsten Kroon in the last 100 meters for the victory.

The Russian won the 160-mile race in 6 hours, 38 minutes, 46 seconds.

Kroon, a Dutchman on the Saxo Bank team, finished second, ahead of Rabobank’s Robert Gesink, also of the Netherlands.

AP Photos