An independent investigator says Lance Armstrong should be cleared of any suspicions in the blood doping allegations raised by L'Equipe magazine last fall.

At the same time, the Dutch independent investigator said the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the French testing laboratory acted improperly and unethically in the way it handled the specimens. ...   more »

On any long distance bicycle tour, lodging could easily be the biggest expense. When you're at home, you don't think twice about taking a hot shower after your 50-mile ride, plopping down on your soft couch or taking a nice nap in front of the TV.

Do that on a long bike tour and you'll soon be taking out a second mortgage on that home. Here are 8 suggestions from that harshest teacher of all, personal experience, and things I've read about touring on the cheap. ...   more »

Now that the Giro d'Italia is behind us, I'd like to find out who you think will win the Tour de France. Check out the poll at right. ...   more »

Italy's Ivan Basso officially won the Giro d'Italia bike race Sunday, wearing the overall leader's pink jersey for the past 14 days.

This was no squeaker; Basso won by 9-minutes 18-seconds over his closest challenger Jose Gutierrez of Phonak. Gerolsteiner cyclist Robert Forster won the final stage in Milan in a bunch sprint at the finish. ...   more »

This publicity photo strikes me as one of the most bizzare I've seen in a while. In light of the Giro d'Italia, it's maybe something that could have been composed by filmmaker Frederico Fellini.

To publicize Lance Armstrong driving the pace car Sunday for the Indianapolis 500, Armstrong posed next to the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 he'll drive. Behind him, 33 Indy race car drivers stood astride their Trek bicycles. ...   more »

In case there was any doubt, Italy’s Ivan Basso showed the peloton that he’s in charge of the 2006 Giro d’Italia bike race.

The leader of Team CSC not only won another mountain stage, his third, on Saturday, but added at least a minute to all his challengers. ...   more »

The so-called Google Earth Community must have a lot of cycling fans. They've already composed each stage of the 2006 Tour de France onto Google Earth.

I remember seeing some of these bike race route maps appear midway through last year's Tour, not long after Google Earth was released. The hackers got an earlier start this year and have added lots of features. ...   more »

Spectators on most difficult uphill finish on the most difficult day of this year's Giro d'Italia bike race witnessed two separate battles on Friday, about a 2 1/2 minutes apart.

Juan Garate (QuickStep) beat breakaway companion Jens Voigt (Team CSC) at the summit of Passo di San Pellegrino after the pair battled back and forth all the way up the mountain. ...   more »

A doping scandal that has ripped apart the Liberty Seguros pro cycling team could leave scores of cyclists' careers in a shambles.

The Associated Press reports that Spanish investigators have found a list with more than 100 names of cyclists who received services from sports physicians who have been arrested in the doping round-up. ...   more »

Police arrested a San Jose man in connection with a string of smash-and-grab bicycle shop burglaries in California's Silicon Valley.

It's the second time this week that authorities made news by breaking up a major bike theft ring; two thieves in Texas are heading to long prison terms for a three-year bike shop crime spree in a half dozen western cities. ...   more »

A five-man breakaway battled to the finish Thursday as Stefan Schumacher won his second stage in the Giro d'Italia bike race.

Italy's Ivan Basso held onto the overall leader's pink jersey for the 11th day, and edged closer to winning the first half of his Giro - Tour de France double. If he wins both classics, he'd be the first cyclist since fellow countryman Marco Pantani did so in 1998. ...   more »

Remember Don Adams as Agent 86 and his shoe phone? "Would you believe" that Nike and Apple have formed a partnership to create a shoe that talks?

Retired cyclist Lance Armstrong was on hand in New York City recently to present the Nike+ running shoe. ...   more »

Overall leader Ivan Basso didn't contest Leonardo Piepoli's final sprint to the finish on a cold and rainy Plan de Corones on Wednesday, as the Italian cyclist for Saunier Duval won his second stage at the Giro d'Italia bike race.

While it was touted as the toughest stage of the 2006 Giro, the teams convinced organizers to go around the snowy Passo delle Erbe before the race started; and snow atop the Plan de Corones prompted a further shortening of the race on that trecherous final climb. ...   more »

Two bicycle thieves are facing long prison terms after stealing nearly a million dollars worth of bicycles and other sporting goods from shops in five Western cities and selling them on eBay.

Their three-year crime spree ended when police in Richardson, Texas, tracked them down through their eBay accounts. Many of the bikes have been recovered by store owners as they still bore their pricetags. ...   more »

Ivan Basso's singular winning effort against all challengers on the 10-mile climb to Monte Bondone's Giro d'Italia finish on Tuesday is drawing more comparisons between himself and Lance Armstrong.

Italian TV commentators could only say, "Lui è fuoriclasse, stesso Lance Armstrong" ("He is unequalled, like Lance Armstrong"), according to CyclingNews. ...   more »