http://www.yardbarker.com/cycling Recent articles about Cycling en-us American Levi Leipheimer says he retired from professional cycling when his six-month ban for doping violations ended March 1 and he was unable to sign with a new team. Leipheimer told The Press Democrat (http://bit.ly/17S3JVL ) of Santa Rosa of his decision Sunday. His comments came after watching the final stage of the Tour of California, an event he won three straight times from 2007-2009. The 39-year-old Leipheimer, from Butte, Mont., was fired by the Omega Pharma-Quick Step team in October after confessing to doping as part of the investigation that brought down Lance Armstrong. Leipheimer was Armstrong's teammate for five years during stints with the U.S. Postal Service, Astana and RadioShack teams before joining Quick Step last season. Mon, 20 May 2013 00:35:15 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/cycling/article_external/levi_leipheimer_announces_retirement_from_cycling/13652395 http://network.yardbarker.com/cycling/article_external/levi_leipheimer_announces_retirement_from_cycling/13652395 Levi Leipheimer announces retirement from cycling http://www.yardbarker.com/cycling/articles/levi_leipheimer_announces_retirement_from_cycling/13652395 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/c/1/c146e96834d1881657e817551cb0d733cd5d6a2c/mini/Amgen_Tour_of_ea6d.jpg Alise Post race to her third straight victory in the USA Cycling Elite BMX National Championships on Saturday, and fellow 2012 Olympian Nic Long won his second men's title. Post, from St. Cloud, Minn., won all three motos and semifinals, then held off Arielle Martin of Spanaway, Wash., in the final. ''Today was a lot of fun,'' Post said. ''It was good racing. All the girls were on point. For me, it just felt really great to win three in a row. It's a great accomplishment. On top of that, I made my momma proud. She's been watching from home and wasn't able to make it, being in the hospital. I'm happy to have won for her.'' Long, from Lakeside, Calif., used a quick burst out of the gate to gain an edge over Olympic teammate and defending national champion Connor Fields of Henderson, Nev. ''It was a super long pause on the random gate and I was sitting there thinking about it and followed through and had a good start,'' Long said. '' Sat, 18 May 2013 22:18:48 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/cycling/article_external/post_wins_3rd_straight_bmx_title/13647487 http://network.yardbarker.com/cycling/article_external/post_wins_3rd_straight_bmx_title/13647487 Post wins 3rd straight BMX title http://www.yardbarker.com/cycling/articles/post_wins_3rd_straight_bmx_title/13647487 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins and defending champion Ryder Hesjedal have both withdrawn from the Giro d'Italia before the start of Friday's 13th stage. Team Sky says Wiggins made his decision on the advice of the team physician because of ''a worsening chest infection.'' Sky general manager Dave Brailsford says ''he wanted to continue but he is simply unable to do so on medical grounds.'' Wiggins struggled throughout the Giro, both on rainy descents and on steep climbs. He lost more than three minutes in Thursday's rainy stage and leaves the race in 13th place, 5 minutes, 22 seconds behind overall leader Vincenzo Nibali. The Garmin-Sharp team says Hesjedal, who was more than 32 minutes behind in 38th, withdrew because of a ''deteriorating physical condition.'' Fri, 17 May 2013 04:50:25 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/wiggins_and_hesjedal_withdraw_from_giro/13636499 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/wiggins_and_hesjedal_withdraw_from_giro/13636499 Wiggins and Hesjedal withdraw from Giro http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/wiggins_and_hesjedal_withdraw_from_giro/13636499 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png American rider Connor Fields followed his World Cup time trial victory by taking first place in the BMX supercross final on Saturday in Argentina. The U.S. Olympian led every lap he raced over the weekend, and finished the men's final in 32.008 seconds. Fields, from Henderson, Nev., edged Jelle Van Gorkom of the Netherlands and French rival Joris Daudet to win the second stop on the World Cup calendar. Justin Posey of Winston Salem, N.C., finished fifth in his first World Cup final. British star Shanaze Reade won the women's final in 35.622 seconds, holding off Olympic gold medalist Mariana Pajon of Colombia and Laura Smulders of the Netherlands. Arielle Martin of East Spanaway, Wash., finished seventh. The third round of the World Cup begins June 15 in Papendal, Netherlands. Sat, 11 May 2013 20:50:01 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/cycling/article_external/american_connor_fields_wins_bmx_world_cup_stop/13598489 http://network.yardbarker.com/cycling/article_external/american_connor_fields_wins_bmx_world_cup_stop/13598489 American Connor Fields wins BMX World Cup stop http://www.yardbarker.com/cycling/articles/american_connor_fields_wins_bmx_world_cup_stop/13598489 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Connor Fields of the United States won the time trial in the second round of the BMX World cup on Friday, while Britain's Shanaze Reade won the women's event. Fields finished the course in Argentina in 31.892 seconds to beat out France's Joris Daudet, who clocked 31.993, and Sylvain Andre, who finished in 32.167. Fields was third in the time trial at the season-opening event last month in England. Reade won the women's time trial in 35.217, beating out Olympic gold medalist Mariana Pajon of Colombia (35.518). Eva Ailloud of France was third and American Brooke Crain was fourth. Fri, 10 May 2013 21:24:33 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/cycling/article_external/american_fields_wins_bmx_time_trial_in_chile/13593695 http://network.yardbarker.com/cycling/article_external/american_fields_wins_bmx_time_trial_in_chile/13593695 American Fields wins BMX time trial in Chile http://www.yardbarker.com/cycling/articles/american_fields_wins_bmx_time_trial_in_chile/13593695 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png (Eds: With AP Photos.) By ANDREW DAMPF AP Sports Writer Unlike Lance Armstrong, Bradley Wiggins didn't need to be recruited for the Giro d'Italia with a $1 million commitment. Wiggins, last year's Tour de France champion, is riding in the Italian classic purely out of personal desire. In fact, the Giro didn't even have to ask. Race director and RCS Sport general director Michele Acquarone tells The Associated Press he first heard about Wiggins' plans from two-time Giro champion Ivan Basso. During the Tour of Britain in September, Basso sent Acquarone a message saying that Wiggins had told him casually that he was interested in racing the Giro. Acquarone forwarded the message to Dave Brailsford, the general manager of Wiggins' team, Sky, to ask if there was any truth to it. ''From that point on we stayed in contact with Sky and slowly but surely we realized that the possibility was becoming greater and that he was coming,'' Acquarone said Sunday, shortly before Sky wo Mon, 06 May 2013 13:58:59 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/bradley_wiggins_needs_no_inducement_to_race_giro/13560584 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/bradley_wiggins_needs_no_inducement_to_race_giro/13560584 Bradley Wiggins needs no inducement to race Giro http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/bradley_wiggins_needs_no_inducement_to_race_giro/13560584 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Britain's Mark Cavendish won the opening stage of the Giro d'Italia that was marred by a crash shortly before the finish on Saturday. The main pack was split into two groups when riders went down with less than a mile to go in the 81-mile leg. Cavendish, who rides for the Omega Pharma-Quick Step team, finished in 2 hours, 58 minutes, 38 seconds on the circuit in downtown Naples, Italy. Elia Viviani, an Italian with Cannondale, was second. Frenchman Nacer Bouhanni, with FDJ, was third. Cavendish won his 11th career Giro stage and 98th overall. He'll wear the overall leader's pink jersey in Sunday's second stage, a team time trial on the nearby island of Ischia. Sat, 04 May 2013 12:29:35 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/cavendish_wins_opening_giro_stage_in_sprint_finish/13549928 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/cavendish_wins_opening_giro_stage_in_sprint_finish/13549928 Cavendish wins opening Giro stage in sprint finish http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/cavendish_wins_opening_giro_stage_in_sprint_finish/13549928 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png It's rare when a regular sprint stage opens a Grand Tour, and British standout Mark Cavendish wants to take advantage of the opportunity when the Giro d'Italia starts on Saturday. The first stage is an 81-mile leg that will follow a circuit in downtown Naples. ''It would be a dream to take the pink jersey in the first stage,'' Cavendish said. ''It's just incredible to ride the Giro. It's one of maybe two races I insist on doing each year. I also have a place in Italy, so it's kind of like my home tour.'' Cavendish has won 10 stages in the Giro and worn the leader's pink jersey twice, including when his former team Columbia won the opening team time trial in 2009. But taking the lead with an individual win would be different. The last time the Giro opened with a regular-length sprint stage came 10 years ago, when Alessandro Petacchi edged out Mario Cipollini in Lecce. The last time there was a sprint in Naples was when Cipollini won before 200,000 fan Fri, 03 May 2013 12:45:45 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/cycling/article_external/cavendish_aims_to_open_giro_with_win_in_naples/13543982 http://network.yardbarker.com/cycling/article_external/cavendish_aims_to_open_giro_with_win_in_naples/13543982 Cavendish aims to open Giro with win in Naples http://www.yardbarker.com/cycling/articles/cavendish_aims_to_open_giro_with_win_in_naples/13543982 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/3/5/35a0b9a88bc07e292641e002a4a3f37e38cecb40/mini/cycling-tour-france-2010.jpg With cycling again shadowed by doping, Bradley Wiggins begins his possible attempt Saturday to accomplish that rarest of doubles - victories in the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France in the same year. The Briton followed his Tour de France triumph last year by winning the gold medal in the time trial at his home London Olympics. Now, Wiggins is the favorite for the three-week Giro. He has declared all along that the Giro is his top priority this year, but earlier this week indicated he might challenge Froome instead of helping him in the Tour. Nobody has pulled off the Giro-Tour double in the same year since Marco Pantani 15 years ago. Italy's Vincenzo Nibali is regarded as his top challenger in the Italian classic, while defending champion Ryder Hesjedal could also contend again. Attention, however, remains on a Spanish court's decision Tuesday to destroy the blood bags seized in the 7-year-old Operation Puerto case. Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes was found guilty of endangering public h Thu, 02 May 2013 10:25:50 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/cycling/article_external/wiggins_doping_case_in_spotlight_as_giro_starts/13534868 http://network.yardbarker.com/cycling/article_external/wiggins_doping_case_in_spotlight_as_giro_starts/13534868 Wiggins, doping case in spotlight as Giro starts http://www.yardbarker.com/cycling/articles/wiggins_doping_case_in_spotlight_as_giro_starts/13534868 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) lawyer Bill Bock said earlier this week that, had Lance Armstrong cooperated with the organization’s investigation, the cyclist only would have been stripped of two of his record seven Tour de France titles. In August, the USADA charged Armstrong with performance-enhancing drug use, banned him from competition in any sport that follows the World Anti-Doping Agency Code, and voided all titles won by Armstrong since August 1998.   Armstrong won his first Tour de France in 1999, less than three years after his final chemotherapy treatment for advanced testicular cancer. The USADA’s eight-year statute of limitations only permitted the organization to strip Armstrong of wins dating back to 2004. But when Armstrong refused to cooperate, the USADA was able to waive the statute and eliminate not only the cyclist’s 2004 and 2005 Tour wins, but also his five Tour de France victories from 1999 through 2003. Lance Armstrong would still have a record num... Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:42:52 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/cycling/article_external/lance_armstrong_could_have_saved_5_of_his_7_tour_de_france_wins_by_cooperating_with_the_usada/13482526 http://network.yardbarker.com/cycling/article_external/lance_armstrong_could_have_saved_5_of_his_7_tour_de_france_wins_by_cooperating_with_the_usada/13482526 Lance could have saved Tour wins? http://www.yardbarker.com/cycling/articles/lance_armstrong_could_have_saved_5_of_his_7_tour_de_france_wins_by_cooperating_with_the_usada/13482526 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/7/b/7b27fe1c667e7e904e8caff0966ce9abc3937cfe/mini/armstrong.jpg Three-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond says he has ''no vendetta'' against disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong and hopes professional cycling can clean up its sport. LeMond spoke Monday night at a University of Texas symposium on doping in sports. Despite more than a decade of clashes with Armstrong in a feud that he said pushed him out of cycling, LeMond was restrained in his criticism of the rider who was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles in a doping scandal. Armstrong was just beginning his run of seven consecutive victories when LeMond publicly criticized his relationship with Italian sports doctor Michele Ferrari. Ferrari is now a central figure in the Armstrong case for his involvement in the U.S. Postal Service doping program, and has been banned from sports for life. ''I have no vendetta against Armstrong,'' LeMond said. He also said ''I don't rejoice'' over Armstrong being stripped of his victories, even though it means LeMond is n Tue, 23 Apr 2013 01:33:00 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/cycling/article_external/lemond_no_vendetta_with_armstrong/13460998 http://network.yardbarker.com/cycling/article_external/lemond_no_vendetta_with_armstrong/13460998 LeMond: 'no vendetta' with Armstrong http://www.yardbarker.com/cycling/articles/lemond_no_vendetta_with_armstrong/13460998 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/3/f/3f729d791cc6924b9cf0132bc83a2be80de4b9d5/mini/GettyImageProxy.ashx_requestUrl_http_3a_2f_2fcache.gettyimages.com_2fxc_2f51186615.jpg_3fv_3d1_26c_3dEWSAsset_26k_3d2_26d_3d17A4AD9FDB9CF193268B03E3DD5E0E09DA4635D0A303038A.jpg Mon, 01 Apr 2013 12:30:08 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/cycling/article_external/cyclist_peter_sagan_grabs_podium_girls_butt/13285903 http://network.yardbarker.com/cycling/article_external/cyclist_peter_sagan_grabs_podium_girls_butt/13285903 Cyclist apologizes for getting handsy http://www.yardbarker.com/cycling/articles/cyclist_peter_sagan_grabs_podium_girls_butt/13285903 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/d/e/deae067720f95a8d07ac1099bf5267475f95ec19/mini/cyclist.jpg Check out the video. A deer took out a Richmond, Va., mountain biker as he competed in a race at a state park. Cyclist Jeff Plassman was competing in the Monster Cross and Mountain Bike race at Pocahontas State Park when all of a sudden a deer jumped in front of him and knocked him off his bike. Thu, 28 Feb 2013 21:35:34 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/cycling/article_external/deer_takes_out_mountain_biker_video/13022254 http://network.yardbarker.com/cycling/article_external/deer_takes_out_mountain_biker_video/13022254 Deer takes out mountain biker during race http://www.yardbarker.com/cycling/articles/deer_takes_out_mountain_biker_video/13022254 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/f/4/f40445cac8e715662ec7b4559604ea6940d9aacb/mini/Deer__1_.jpg After coming out and admitting during an interview with Oprah Winfrey that he did INDEED take performance-enhancing drugs during his legendary cycling career, it appears that Lance Armstrong may have lied to the world... ONCE AGAIN. According to investigators, Armstrong claimed during the interview that he stopped doping back in 2005, when in fact he continued up until 2009. During the widely-seen interview with Oprah, Armstrong noted the timetable was the "only thing" that upset him. "The accusation and alleged proof that they say I doped [in 2009] is not true," he said. "The last time I crossed the line, that line was 2005." Investigators revealed that in 2009 Armstrong's blood values showed signs of two transfusions. CNN host Piers Morgan tweeted that the disgraced athlete was a "sniveling, lying, cheating little wretch," and John Fashey, president of the World Doping Agency, said that if Armstrong was "looking for redemption... Sun, 20 Jan 2013 09:51:00 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/cycling/article_external/lance_armstrong_lied_during_oprah_interview/12706954 http://network.yardbarker.com/cycling/article_external/lance_armstrong_lied_during_oprah_interview/12706954 Armstrong lied to Oprah about lying? http://www.yardbarker.com/cycling/articles/lance_armstrong_lied_during_oprah_interview/12706954 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/a/7/a71e6eb45de7dfdf85c7990cc432dd4fd1840069/mini/Armstrong.jpg Tweet   Lance Armstrong has taken alot of losses as a result of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency finding a significant amount of evidence supporting his involvement in a doping program. He’s been banned for life from competition and had his seven Tour de France titles stripped. His quote was removed from a U.S. Olympic training center. [...] Thu, 01 Nov 2012 20:08:44 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/cycling/article_external/30_ft_tall_lance_armstrong_effigy_to_be_burned_saturday_as_part_of_annual_celebration_in_england/12111268 http://network.yardbarker.com/cycling/article_external/30_ft_tall_lance_armstrong_effigy_to_be_burned_saturday_as_part_of_annual_celebration_in_england/12111268 Lance Armstrong to be burned in effigy http://www.yardbarker.com/cycling/articles/30_ft_tall_lance_armstrong_effigy_to_be_burned_saturday_as_part_of_annual_celebration_in_england/12111268 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/e/4/e476d0c12739ebdee6fc445a33eaec966a3cdd0d/mini/armstrong-effigy.jpg