GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Hometown favorite George Hincapie sprinted hard the last 100 meters on rainy streets Sunday to win the USA Cycling Pro Road Race Championship.

Hincapie topped rivals Andrew Bajadali and Jeff Louder as a crowd cheered him to the finish line.

Hincapie says he “was in full-crank mode” during the last dash.

Hincapie, with Team Columbia-High Road, finished in 4 hours, 33 minutes and 36 seconds to win his first U.S. Road Race championship since 2006.

Hincapie won his first national title in 1998 and got the victory after coming off a broken collarbone from a fall during the Tour de France.

Bajadali followed in 4:33.37 for Kelly Benefit Strategies and Louder in 4:33.39 seconds in third.

On Saturday David Zabriskie won his fourth straight U.S. Cycling time trial title, as Floyd Landis was eighth as he tries to make a comeback from a doping suspension.

Zabriskie finished the 20.7-mile course in 39:37, beating Tom Zirbel by 44 seconds.

Landis served a two-year suspension for testing positive for synthetic testosterone, which stripped him of his 2006 Tour de France victory. He finished in 46:30.

Zirbel picked up his second straight second-place finish at 40:21, while Scott Zwinsanski was third at 41:18.

PETE IACOBELLI,AP Sports Writer,  GREENVILLE, S.C.   At 24, John Murphy only knew what he read about Floyd Landis — and much of that wasn’t good.

Landis had been stripped of his 2006 Tour de France victory after testing positive for synthetic testosterone. He fought the result in court but ultimately served a two-year ban that ended this season.

But instead of finding an angry rider bitter about what he lost, Murphy found Landis a stellar addition to the OUCH cycling team: Professional, talented and happy to help.

“He’s a really good guy and really knowledgeable bike racer,” Murphy said Friday. “To have a guy with that kind of experience is pretty cool.”

Landis is competing at the USA Cycling Professional Championships this weekend. There’s a time trial event Saturday and then a 110-mile road race Sunday with the winner of each earning the stars and stripes champions jersey to race in throughout 2010.

Three-time defending time-trial winner Dave Zabriskie will be going for four in a row Saturday. There will be a new road-race champion as last year’s winner, Tyler Hamilton, retired in July after admitting he took a steroid in an herbal remedy for depression.

Landis did not respond to several attempts to talk to him about his comeback.

There’s no question, says former Tour de France stage winner George Hincapie, that returns of Landis and Lance Armstrong to racing has elevated the profile of all American riders.

Hincapie pointed to Armstrong’s newly formed RadioShack team as an opportunity to grow the sport to another generation.

“We have lots of young, good Americans that are carrying the weight of the sport, so it’s an exciting time for cycling,” said Hincapie, who lives and trains in Greenville.

Armstrong returned to racing after 3½ years of retirement. He finished third in the Tour de France this past July and plans to return there in 2010 with his new team. Hincapie, Armstrong’s friend who rode alongside him during his championship days, said there was interest in joining RadioShack.

“Unfortunately, I’m already committed,” Hincapie said with a grin.

USA Cycling CEO Steve Johnson has seen how people who’ve never ridden before watch pro cyclists like Hincapie, Murphy, Landis and Armstrong and become hooked.

“They’ll carry that passion for the sport throughout their entire life,” he said.

Murphy says Landis has improved his form and fitness since his comeback began with a 23rd-place finish at the Tour of California in March.

“He’s coming around for a better second half of the season,” Murphy said. “He’s definitely a guy to watch out there.”

Tom Zirbel, 30, came a few seconds away from taking the time trial title here a year ago, finishing second to three-time defending champion Dave Zabriskie. Zirbel says it’s easy to tell when Armstrong or Landis compete.

Both bring a passionate fan base eager to support their rider.

“It’s all about generating interest and fans,” Zirbel said. “Lance, there’s no bigger star in the sport, and Landis as well. You ought to see his fans, both on the road and on his bus.”

It’s good to have them back.”

By MIKE CORDER, Associated Press Writer, UTRECHT, Netherlands / Three years after winning the Spanish Vuelta, Alexandre Vinokourov returns to the event for the first time since a doping ban.

The 35-year-old Kazakh rider lines up Saturday in a strong field for cycling’s last Grand Tour of the year. Competitors includes Tour de France runner-up Andy Schleck and his brother Frank, Cadel Evans and pre-race favorites Alejandro Valverde and Ivan Basso. ( Ed’s note – if you’re looking for a reason to follow this third leg of the grand tours there are two American favorites in the hunt for the overall. The best chance is Chris Horner of Team Astana. His bad luck before the Tour kept him off  their Tour team and he’s eager to show his form and ride as a team leader. The other is Garmin-Slipstream’s Tom Danielson who also had some bad luck and crashes early in the season and is back on form. )

But Vinokourov is an unknown quantity, embarking on his first major race since returning from a two-year blood doping ban. Astana team sporting director Johan Bruyneel doesn’t expect Vinokourov to be the team leader.

“He just started riding again and I doubt he’s in the right shape,” Bruyneel said. “Vino will just be one more rider, but if he’s in good shape we’ll help him. We go without a defined leader but with a good team.”

The Vuelta gets under way with riders from 22 teams tackling a 4.8-kilometer individual time trial at the Assen TT circuit — a track better known for racing bikes powered by engines, not pedals. The 21-stage race ends in Madrid on Sept. 20.

Last year’s Vuelta champion and winner of this year’s Tour de France, Alberto Contador of Spain, is not competing. Nor is his rival Lance Armstrong, who finished third in the Tour de France.

The Astana team has patched up its differences with Vinokourov, whose doping caused the entire team to be banned from the 2008 Tour de France. Now his team — and the rest of the cycling world — is waiting to see what he can do.

The first four stages start in the Netherlands, with the fourth finishing just across the border in the Belgian city of Liege. The fourth stage includes two climbs of the Cauberg, the most famous hill for cyclists in this largely flat nation and a regular feature of the Amstel Gold race.

The race has a total of eight mountain stages to test the riders’ legs.

Vinokourov, who wants to revive his career for “one season or two,” also has said he wants to ride at the world championships in Mendrisio, Switzerland, starting three days after the Vuelta finishes.

( One last eds note, Watch for stage wins from American Tyler Farrar who has ben on fire in the past few weeks winning a number of stages in the Eneco Tour. He’s seeking to pull on the leader’s Golden jersey early in the race. He’s still young and only beginning to find his pro legs, but he’s a real champion who should win many big races in the years to come. He will pick up where George Hincapie is leaving off, and maybe will surpass Hincapie’s achievements. )

Dear Mr. President, with all due respect please get your people to get you a bike helmet and set a proper example for cyclists of all ages. I know you’re on vacation in the quite town of Martha’s Vineyard. It’s warm and bike helmets might not be the most stylist thing to wear, but they are important. The photo shows your daughter Sasha in her helmet with a friend wearing one as well, in most states kid’s must wear head protection by law. Sure adults still have the right to choose to wear a helmet while riding and you like to take risks. At least you left the cigarettes at home.

It’s also tough following President Bush, who road his mountain bike on occasion with his buddy from Texas, Lance Armstrong. He was a great cyclist, who rode with great vigor and passion, and yes, a helmet.

The weather looks to be clearing for Sunday’s Tour de Putnam bicycle ride . If you’re looking for country roads and hills this is a great-organized ride for all levels of cyclist. The day begins early at Veteran’s Memorial Park in Kent on Gipsy Trail Road. This is about a mile north of Route 301.

They offer Mountain Bike Loops and 15,30,50, 75, and 100 mile road routes. Day of registration opens at 7:30am and closes at 9:00am. Same day registration is $30.00. They ask the 75 and 100 miles riders to leave between 8:00 and 9:00am, the 30 and 50 mile riders to leave between 8:30 and 9:30am and the 15 mile group to leave between 9:00 and 10:00am. The mountain bike loops open at 9:30am.

I struggled through the 75 mile route last year as the miles and heat wore me down. I plan on the same route this year, but hope to be in better fitness and enjoy it more. I might even decide to do the 100 mile loop if the mood strikes me. Last year I found some of my favorite training roads and have put over 1,500 miles of my 3,000 miles ridden so far in 2009.

The courses are rolling with a few tougher hills. Please take extra caution on the descents if the roads are wet.

The ride offers plenty of  friendly rest stops and beautiful scenes along Putnam’s roads. If trouble arises they have SAG and medical support along the well-marked courses. Bikeway will have some of their mechanics on duty for repairs as well. If you would like to use a free shuttle service from Southeast Station please call 800-470-4854 to make reservations.

Once finished your ride a lunch will be waiting for you to refuel.

For more information please click here.

Hope to see you out there.

The 20th riding of the Fall Foliage Bike tour is set for Oct. 4 beginning at the Brotherhood Winery in New  Windsor in Orange County.

Registration and signup begins at 7:30 a.m. that day.

Rides includes 14, 25, 30 and 50 miles along the Orange countryside.

Sponsorships are available for interested companies. To pre-register or for other information, visit www.mcquade.org or call 845-561-0436, Ext. 122.

Pre-registration is $25 for adults and $10 for children 12 and younger. On-site fee is $30 per rider.

Participants get a free t-shirt and catered lunch after the ride.

The event is being held under the auspices of McQuade Children’s Services and the Orange County Bicycle Club. Proceeds will benefit McQuade Children’s Services.

Cycling might make you smarter according to Amanda Gardner’s Health Day column.

For every excess pound piled on the body, the brain gets a little bit smaller.

That’s the message from new research that found that elderly individuals who were obese or overweight had significantly less brain tissue than individuals of normal weight.

“The brains of obese people looked 16 years older than their healthy counterparts while 1/8those of3/8 overweight people looked 8 years older,” said UCLA neuroscientist Paul Thompson, senior author of a study published online in Human Brain Mapping.

Much of the lost tissue was in the frontal and temporal lobe regions of the brain, the seat of decision-making and memory, among other things.

The findings could have serious implications for aging, overweight or obese individuals, including a heightened risk of Alzheimer’s disease, the researchers said.

“We’re all trying to protect our bodies and our brains from aging and this is just one factor that’s accelerating that on top of all the other factors such as pollution, smoking, alcohol. We all lose some tissue as we get older and they’re saying this is being accelerated,” said Paul Sanberg, distinguished professor of neurosurgery and director of the University of South Florida Center for Aging and Brain Repair in Tampa.

According to the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics, 30 percent of American adults 20 years and older—more than 60 million people—are now obese, while another 36 percent are considered overweight. Either condition puts you at a much higher risk for type 2 diabetes, cancer and heart disease, as well as cognitive problems.

The findings seem to explain why heavier people are more prone to such cognitive conditions. “This is the first study to show physical evidence in the brain that connects overweight and obesity and cognitive decline,” said Thompson, who is professor of neurology at UCLA and a member of the UCLA Laboratory of Neuro Imaging.

The researchers studied brain images of 94 people in their 70s who had participated in an earlier study looking at cardiovascular health and cognition. None of the participants had dementia or other cognitive impairments. They were followed for five years, and any volunteers who developed cognitive symptoms were excluded from the study.

Clinically obese people had 8 percent less brain tissue, while the overweight had 4 percent less brain tissue compared to normal-weight individuals.

Dr. Jonathan Friedman, an associate professor of surgery and neuroscience and experimental therapeutics at the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine noted that the causal relationship here is not clear. Theoretically, he said, a smaller brain might mean appetite and weight-control centers of the brain are actually propelling the weight-gain process.

Thompson believes it may be a vicious cycle. “Each one is contributing to the other,” he said. A person’s genetics may be contributing to overeating and weight gain, which leads to less activity, which leads to a shortfall in the oxygen and nutrients that the brain needs to thrive and grow.

Overall, though, the findings really weren’t surprising, added Dr. Mitchell Roslin, chief of obesity surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

“Obesity affects every system in your body. The body can’t be splintered. It’s completely linked. We are what we eat and we eat too much,” he said. “The bottom line is that an obese, sedentary person is going to have a breakdown of every organ system, and that includes a greater chance of impotence and infertility and other things that people don’t generally think are directly related to obesity.”

On the Web@

Find out how to stay sharp as you age from the Alzheimer’s Association’s Maintain Your Brain program at http://www.alz.org/national/documents/brochure(UNDERSCORE)maintainyourbrain.pdf.

Photo link: http://www.healthday.com/images/editorial/hotdog(UNDERSCORE)eater.jpg

Journal News writer Hema Easley just posted this on LoHud.com, check back for more information.

UPPER GRANDVIEW – A California couple touring the country on bicycles to document sustainable communities made a stop in this hamlet to have lunch and to regroup.

Mandy Creighton, 31, and Ryan Mlynarczyk, 33, are on a 12,000-mile trip around the United States to search for environmentally sustainable communities where they can set down roots. In the process they are making a documentary film that will highlight their search, their struggles on the road, the people they met, and the sustainable communities they found.

The two began their trip on October from San Francisco and expect to end it by Earth Day next year. They have completed about 5,000 miles of their journey traveling through New Mexico, Texas, Arizona and Tennessee, and have 7,000 more to go.

“It’s our journey toward sustainability, community, love and adventure,” said Creighton. “If we make it through this we’ll get married.”

Read more about this story tomorrow in The Journal News.

Staff writer Susan Elan wrote this article about Putnam Couonty stopping work on a commuter parking

Putnam legislators voted last night to cease work on a commuter lot under construction at Route 6 and Mount Hope Road in Mahopac. ( Ed’s note – this is adjacent to the Putnam Trailway entrance and would be used by cyclists to access the trailway network. )

Many of the 50 residents who packed a small meeting room at the County Building in Carmel said they want the project abandoned because it would add to traffic congestion at the busy intersection, create noise and light pollution in their neighborhood, damage drinking water quality and lower property values.

“We support commuter lots so people can earn a living but not in my back yard,” said Tilde Zimmerman, a Mahopac Ridge resident.

County Executive Robert Bondi is expected to veto the resolution to shut down work at the Mahopac Park and Ride, one of five currently under construction in Putnam.

But Legislator Dini LoBue, R-Mahopac, who proposed the resolution, expects to have the six votes necessary to override the veto. Last night’s vote was 5 to 3. Legislator Sam Oliverio, D-Putnam Valley, did not attend.

The Bondi administration and the three legislators who voted against the shutdown say the county could be on the hook for the $643,000 already spent at the site. That number could soar to $1 million if the cost of restoring the site is included, they say.

Furthermore, the legislature’s decision could jeopardize funding for four other commuter lots currently under construction in Kent, Patterson and Southeast, Deputy County Executive John Tully said yesterday.

Putnam has received about $3.4 million in federal and state funds for five commuter parking lots including the one in Mahopac. Only the Mahopac lot, which abuts a residential neighborhood, has generated controversy.

Some legislators who voted last night to shut down the site said they favor a compromise that would allow for 20 parking spots off Route 6 with additional commuter spots added off Willow Road.

LoBue said she tried to broker a deal with Bondi to reduce the original 60-space lot to 20, but after securing the agreement of residents, Bondi reneged.

“We have to send a message to the county executive tonight or they’ll try to pave it next week,” LoBue said.

Bob Laga, a civil engineer who helped mobilize his neighbors to oppose the project, said he is no longer interested in compromise.

“I am very glad the legislature voted to cancel the Mount Hope project,” Laga said. “I hope the county executive realizes this is a bad situation and abandons the project and restores the site.”

David Wilson the president of Westchester Cycle Club and candidate for Carmel Town Board has alerted WCC members to make their voices heard through an email. Wilson said, “Access to bike paths is under attack in Putnam County, and we need your help to convince town and county leaders that they need to consider the needs of those who use the bike facilities. So far, officials have only heard from residents who don’t want cyclists and pedestrians parking near their homes.  The officials need to hear from the cycling community about how bike trails fulfill an important recreational need in our society and are part of a healthy community that encourages nonmotorized transportation.”

Wilosn also pointed out to the membership another parking issue in Carmel. “The second issue concerns parking on Willow Road and Willow Spur, at the Trailway in the hamlet of Carmel. The Town Board voted unanimously last week to ban all parking on these streets, leaving just seven spots in a small lot. It is far too few. There is a public hearing on their proposal Wed., Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. at Carmel Town Hall, 60 McAlpin Ave., Mahopac. It is essential that we have people attend the public hearing to show the Town Board that cyclists and pedestrians need access to the Trailway. The board’s action goes against the recommendation of Police Chief Michael Johnson, who said cars can safely park on the northside of Willow,w here there’s room for about 12 cars.”

Settling on a new saddle is a major topic of discussion among my riding buddies.

Seems everyone’s done a series of trial-and-error changes en route to their landing on their current choices. And even then most riders I know tolerate but rarely rave about their ultimate choice.

Since buying my Trek 5200 in 2003 I’ve tried a couple of different saddles in seeking to replace the Selle San Marco that came as original equipment. Not that I wanted to make the change – I love that saddle. Stiff enough for good performance but not too hard. But it had become worn and was getting uncomfortable.

After a couple of changes and tests rides I decided on the Selle SMP TRK Extra. Yeah, it’s a bit more cushy than the San Marco, and it’s ergonomically designed to let’s say, relieve certain pressure. It’s a bit wider in the tip than I would have liked, but otherwise so far so good after about 70 miles.

My buddies gave it the once-over and laughed about the SMP’s shape – definitely not as sleek as a racing saddle. But since I spend a lot more time sitting on it than admiring it, too bad.

Anybody out there in Lohud land want to share some experiences or tips for selecting a saddle?