Pro Cycling News – 'Cross Worlds, Team Camps, Comebacks

Man, I was so excited by yesterday’s racing. Such a letdown to have none today. There’s some ‘Cross Worlds results, but it’s just juniors and U23s. News of ‘Cross Worlds is the course is fast with a lot of stairs, which, if the U23 results are any indication, are something lacking from ‘cross courses in the USA and Zimbabwe. Beyond that, there is a report from CSC camp that makes things sound a lot rainier than they actually were. Heck, I’ve got space to fill, why not throw in these photos from FdJ’s training camp in Brittany. Sure, it’s over a month-and-a-half old, but check out that foliage; winter comes a lot later to Northern France than you might expect. It certainly seems much nicer than “the sun”, where Sean Kelly’s team plans to train this spring, apparently unaware that they’ll be burned alive. And, to finish off the team news on a domestic note, HealthNet is apparently going all out for the Tour of California.

Moving on to rider stories, Iban Mayo is planning a comeback. I was told by the Orbea rep for the shop I worked at this summer that his salary is pretty much paid for by the people of the Pays Vasco, so he instead might want to consider a tax refund. Scott, meanwhile, continues to use Chris Horner’s image to try and sell their bikes, despite the fact that he no longer rides for them, which is probably illegal in some way or other. Scott ought to focus on current Saunier riders, like Gibo Simoni, who uses this interview to draw the Saunier Duval media frenzy on for yet another day. Over at VeloNews, Mad Dog has made some cartoons about Tyler Hamilton’s current plight, which for some reason prompted him to write a foaming rant that is anything but (he also bungled the name of The Twilight Zone host Rod Sterling). And finally, I feel like if someone dresses up as nutty as this guy, you really gotta reward that effort and let him ride with the team.