Stories by Andrew Hood

• Posted: Fri, May 9th
  Bettini hungry for a win at the Giro
  Paolo Bettini sees his best chance to end his winless streak that dates back to last year’s world championships in Sunday’s second stage of the Giro d'Italia, a race into Agrigento that traces the course from the 1994 worlds. The final 13.2km of the 207km stage from ...
• Posted: Thu, May 8th
  91st Giro d'Italia: Another American in pink?
  In Palermo, Italy Perhaps it’s only appropriate that during the 20th anniversary year of Andy Hampsten’s historic 1988 Giro d’Italia victory that another American rider could recapture the maglia rosa. While it’s too early to say if one of six U.S. riders ...
• Posted: Thu, May 8th
  Soler hoping for a return of the sun in the Giro
  Mauricio Soler is hoping the warm Italian sun will return so he can live up to expectations to try to heat up the 91st Giro d’Italia. Until things warm up in Italy’s northern mountains, the Colombian climber is discounting his chances at this year’s Giro. Last year’s ...
• Posted: Mon, May 5th
  Pereiro back on track
  There are certain topics that Oscar Pereiro is downright sick and tired of talking about. Top among the list is the ongoing legal struggle of Floyd Landis. Landis is still awaiting the outcome of his final appeal before the International Court of Arbitration for Sport that ...
• Posted: Mon, May 5th
  Soler: Riding for stage wins or the jersey?
  If you believe Barloworld team manager Claudio Corti, Colombian climbing sensation Mauricio Soler is starting next week’s Giro d’Italia only with ambitions to win a stage or two. Instead of making a run for the maglia rosa, Corti says the Giro will serve as a ...
• Posted: Sat, May 3rd
  Merckx: Happily retired and carefully weighing his options
  Axel Merckx was back at the races last month in the Ardennes, but this time dressed in civilian clothes. The son of Eddy Merckx was made a triumphant return in his native Belgium and had a handful of cycling tourists in tow as he made the rounds before Flèche Wallonne and ...
• Posted: Fri, May 2nd
  Sastre, Schleck take a pass on Giro
  Last year’s runner-up Andy Schleck and Spanish climber Carlos Sastre will both skip this month’s Giro d’Italia in favor of a run at the Tour de France podium. The two Team CSC stars have opted to put everything on the Tour and will leave the Giro to other riders on the ...
• Posted: Sun, Apr 27th
  Valverde scores again in Liege
  A new climb with 20km to go lived up to expectations, breaking Liège-Bastogne-Liège wide open, but Alejandro Valverde relied on tactical savvy and his fiery finish-line punch to win La Doyenne for the second time in three years Sunday. After working into the decisive ...
• Posted: Sat, Apr 26th
  New climb will spice up Liège-Bastogne-Liège
  A new climb with about 20 kilometers to go in Sunday’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège should pump fresh excitement into one of the oldest races in cycling. The steep climb at La Roche aux Faucons ("Falcon's Rock") is giving hope to riders such as Damiano Cunego, Frank Schleck and ...
• Posted: Fri, Apr 25th
  Valverde hopes for warm reception in Liège
  Chances that Alejandro Valverde will repeat his 2006 victory at Liège-Bastogne-Liège all depend on what the rain gods decide to do on Sunday. If the peloton is drenched with rain and cold, he might finish even worse than 21st as he did in Flèche Wallonne. But if benevolent ...
• Posted: Thu, Apr 24th
  Cadel Evans: My job is to win the Tour de France
  Cadel Evans almost won Flèche Wallonne on Wednesday and will line up as one of the favorites for Sunday’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège, but July is what’s on his mind these days. Second at Flèche, the ...
• Posted: Wed, Apr 23rd
  Kirchen steals Evans’ thunder at Flèche Wallonne
  It was a mur too far for Cadel Evans (Silence-Lotto) as Kim Kirchen (High Road) sprang past the attacking Australian on the final ramps of the knee-busting steeps up the Mur de Huy on Wednesday to win a wet and wild Flèche Wallonne.