95th Paris-Tours

• Erik Dekker - flanked by Rabobank teammates, just prior to launching himself after Virenque
• Richard Virenque - and Francaise Des Jeux rider Jacky "Dudu" Durand put the pedal down
• Richard Virenque - works with his compatriot Jacky Durand to keep the peloton at bay
• Richard Virenque - closing in on the finish line, and showing the strain of the day
• Richard Virenque - crosses the line, and begins to celebrate his win, with the peloton in the background

37th Schulteiss-Cup - Cat. 2

• Mario de Clerq (Domo) - not looking impressed with the weather!
• The riders - await the start on a damp Berlin day
• Mario de Clerq (Domo) - crests stairs with two riders in hot pursuit
• Richard Groenendaal (Rabobank) - in Dutch National Champion colours
• Tobias Nestle (Emmendingen) - battles on towards 13th place
• Jan Faltynek (JOKO - Velamos 2) - flying the Czech flag
• Mario de Clerq (Domo) - the eventual winner, hammers on the front
• Beat Wabel - in Swiss National Colours
• Hanka Kupfernagel (BRC Zugvogel Berlin) - does the World Champion's jersey proud
• Hanka Kupfernagel (BRC Zugvogel Berlin) - winners are grinners

Bert Geerts

Bert Geerts from the Netherlands sent in several sets of pics from races held over the last two months.

Spektakel Van Steenwijk - August 4, 2001

• Michael Boogerd - signs autographs for the fans after another win
• Ludo Diercksens looks happy with second
• Max van Heeswijk
• Rik Verbrugghe raced strongly for third
• Boogerd celebrates the win - one for the home fans

Profronde van Surhuisterveen - August 7, 2001

• Erik Dekker pulls off his appropriate race number one
• Sergei Ivanov looking determined prior to the start
• Stuey O'Grady continuing to enjoy a fine season
• Dekker atop the podium, Ivanov and O'Grady take the minor places

Gouden Pijl - August 14, 2001

• Karsten Kroon (Rabobank) - chats before the race
• Hennie Kuiper and Erik Dekker - share a joke
• Stuart O'Grady (Credit Agricole) - looking confident
• Marc Wauters (Rabobank)
• Erik Dekker (Rabobank)
• The podium: Jans Koerts, Stuart O'Grady and Marc Wauters
• Stuart O'Grady - lets loose with the champagne

Ronde van Nederland - August 28 - September 1, 2001

Giro della Provincia di Lucca

Fotoreporter Sirotti was once again at the Giro della Provincia di Lucca, the last important stage race before the World's.

Stage 1 - October 2: Lucca-Pisa, 173 km

• Jaan Kirsipuu (Ag2r-Prevoyance) - first across the line and letting the other riders know about it.
• Jaan Kirsipuu - wins stage 1 ahead of Moreno Di Biase
• Jaan Kirsipuu - on the podium after a touch-and-go finish for stage 1.
• Jaan Kirsipuu - doesn't seem to mind sharing the podium.

Stage 2 - October 3: Altopascio-Capannori, 195 km

• Piotr Wadecki (Domo-Farm Frites) - strikes a stage victory for the Domo boys.
• Piotr Wadecki - salutes as he takes stage 2.
• Piotr Wadecki - lets the strain of the ten man sprint finish show.
• Piotr Wadecki - shows that the podium makes the sprint all worth while.
• Piotr Wadecki - with the podium girls. Even intimidating off the bike.

Stage 3 - October 4: Mozzano-Garfagnana, 164 km

• Jan Ullrich (Deutsche Telekom) - notches up another victory.
• Jan Ullrich - outsprints a three man group to take stage 4.
• Jan Ullrich - all in a day's work.
• Jan Ullrich - on the podium.
• Mario Aerts (Lotto-Adecco) - gets the lead in the GC.

Stage 4 - October 5: Viareggio-Marina Pietrasanta, 163 km

• The sprint for stage 4 - Paolo Bettini gets it from Cristian Gasperoni and Alberto Ongarato
• A happy looking Paolo Bettini - immediately after the stage
• Paolo Bettini - raises his arms on the podium as the stage victor
• Paolo Bettini - on the podium as the winner of the points classification
• Mario Aerts - on the podium with the overall winner's trophy.
• Paolo Bettini and Mario Aerts - on the podium after the race

Italian team for the Worlds (Nazionale Azzurra)

Boasting a 15 man line-up, the Nazionale Azzurra has great depth within their road race team. The question is do they have too many wannabe leaders, with seven big-hitters in Casagrande, Rebellin, Bartoli, Di Luca, Bettini, Simoni and Nardello? Interestingly, the Italians only have one time trial representative in 25 year-old Marco Pinotti, who placed tenth in last year's World Championship Time Trial, 2.16 behind winner Sergey Gontchar. Fotoreporter Sirotti captured all fifteen riders in action at various races during the course of the year.

• Francesco Casagrande (Fassa Bortolo) - Road Race
• Michele Bartoli (Fassa Bortolo) - Road Race
• Ivan Basso (Fassa-Bortolo) - Road Race
• Daniele Nardello (Mapei-Quick Step) - Road Race
• Paolo Bettini (Mapei-Quick Step) - Road Race
• Paolo Lanfranchi (Mapei-Quick Step) - Road Race
• Davide Rebellin (Liquigas-Pata) - Road Race
• Gianni Faresin (Liquigas-Pata) - Road Race
• Gilberto Simoni (Lampre-Daikin) - Road Race
• Eddy Mazzoleni (Tacconi Sport Caldirola) - Road Race
• Massimo Donati (Tacconi Sport Caldirola) - Road Race
• Denis Lunghi (Team Colpack) - Road Race
• Danilo Di Luca (Cantina Tollo-Acqua & Sapone) - Road Race
• Giuliano Figueras (Panaria-Fiordo) - Road Race
• Marco Pinotti (Lampre-Daikin) - Time Trial

World Track Championships

• French Arnaud Duble races during the men's 1 km time trial event - He came in 5th
• Arnaud Tournant - celebrates on the podium whilst German 2nd place getter Soren Lausberg applauds.

These photos have been provided by Mike Gladu, professional photographer and webmaster of www.velodrome.com, a very comprehensive site devoted to track cycling.

Women's Points Race Final

• Calm before the storm - the pack all together at the start
• Belem Mendez Guerrero - on her way to a bronze medal
• Big smile please Olga - Slioussareva does her best to smile at 60km/h
• Go Aussie! - Kate Bates peforms superbly to take out the silver medal
• Definition of tension: - Slioussareva leads out Bates holding a one point advantage with three laps remaining
• Yeah baby! - Olga celebrates with a huge smile and proudly waves the national flag of Russia
• The podium - Bates, Slioussareva and her son, and Guerrero Mendez
  

Men's Madison Final

• The American team of James Carney and Colby Pearce - set the pace early
• Jamie Carney and Colby Pearce - USA takes a lap early on in the race
• James Carney and Colby Pearce - from the USA defend their early lead
• Gabriel Ovidio Curuchet and Juan Esteban Curuchetl from Argentina - on their way to third place
• Neuville and Sassone from France exchange, with Sassone looking for the opposition
• Robert Sassone - exchanges with Jérôme Neuville
• Sassone and Neuville with Sergey Lavrinenko from Kazakstan in the background
• The Spanish team - exchange riders, and move past the Swiss
• Juan Llaneras Rossello of Spain - with Robert Sassone closing in on
• The winners podium - with the Spanish team , the French team and the Argentina team
• Jérôme Neuville with Robert Sassone - on the winners podium

Men's Keirin Final

• Ryan Bayley - in the repechage following Toshiaka Fushimi and Jan Van Eijden
• Toshiaka Fushimi and Jan Van Eijden - come to grief in the repechage
• Another shot of Toshiaka Fushimi and Jan Van Eijden - after falling in the repechage
• Ryan Bayley - leads out Jobie Dajka and Florian Rousseau (Fra) in the Keirin final
• The Keirin Final crash - with Rousseau , Jens Fiedler, Pavel Buran, and Jobie Dajka (Aus)
• Ryan Bayley leads out Jobie Dajka - with Laurant Gane moving up on the outside, with one lap to go
• Ryan Bayley and Laurent Gane - sprint for the line
• Jens Fiedler - makes a run for the line to claim third place.
• Immediately after crossing the finish line - Jens Fiedler collapsed.
• The winners podium - with Laurent Gane, Ryan Bayley and Jens Fiedler
• Ryan Bayley - on the podium after winning the the Keirin final

Women's Sprint Qualifying

• Svetlana Grankovskaia - in the Women's Sprint Qualifying
• Svetlana Grankovskaia - on her way to the fastest qualifying time.
• Svetlana Grankovskaia - cooling down after her ride
• Katrin Meinke - powering into 2nd place in qualifying
• Katrin Meinke - from Germany
• Lori Ann Muenzer - Canada
• USA's Tanya Lindenmuth - qualifying 4th
• Tanya Lindenmuth - gritting her teeth to extract some more speed.
• Natalia Markovnichenko - pushes into 5th in qualifying
• Belarus's Natalia Markovnichenko - looks to the clock after her ride
• Jennie Reed - from the USA
• Australian Kerrie Meares

Men's team pursuit

• Australia's pursuit team - Australia moments before....
• Australia on the banking - Australia, coming down the banking just before....
• Australia on the deck - Australia, down under!
  
• The Australian team crash - pretty spectacularly in the Team Pursuit.
  
• The Italian Team - just failing to make to semi-finals
• GB: beaten by Germany - but not in the Football
• France's good looks - but could only qualify fourth
• France's on the banking - in action
• France - The French in form
• Enjoying the podium- Ukrainian winners enjoy their winning ways
• Towards the win- The Ukrainian team heading towards victory

Men's Kilometre Time Trial

• Soren Lausberg- ,got the silver second, not the golden helmet of first for Germany
• Grzegorz Krejner- took third in the 1 Kilometre Time Trial for Poland
• Arnaud Tournant - France's Arnaud Tournant at the start of the Kilo Time Trial, an event he went on to win
• Arnaud Tournant - begins the celebrations with his win in the Kilo

Men's Olympic Sprint

• A different view- of France's Arnaud Tournant prior to the Olympic Sprint final
• Men's Olympic Sprint - France's winning team stand on those pedals at the start
• Australia's better times - The Olympic Sprint squad power to silver
• French Olympic Sprint - Tricolour, triumphant French team celebrates its win.

Celebrity snaps and opening

• VIP guest - Lance Armstrong drops in
• Super star and the boss - Lance Armstrong with the UCI president
• Stayers - get in on the opening ceremony

Women's Individual Pursuit

• Olga Slioussareva - an effort worthy of merit, but not the win
• Leontien van Moorsel-Zijlaardr - Olympic winner still on form
• Yvonne McGregor - impresive fourth

Mens Pursuit

• Symonenko - winner of the men's pursuit final

Men's Sprint Qualifying Results

• Laurent Gane - was pushed hard for his win
• Arnaud Tournant - is he smiling?

Milano - Vignola

Belgian Andrei Tchmil (Lotto-Adecco) won the 49th Milan-Vignola by jumping clear of the lead group one km from the finish line. "It was set to be a sprinters finish, and I am not a true sprinter, so I thought I should try and go a bit early," said Tchmil. "So I really made this win." Fotoreporter Sirotti was in the thick of the action and took these excellent pics which really depict plenty of grimacing faces.

• Awesome foursome - Latvian Romans Vainsteins, and Italians Michele Bartoli, Gasperoni and Bettini. Tchmil later joined this group
• Friends or foes? - former team mates Bartoli and Bettini join forces to extend their lead in the closing stages
• Andre, Andre, yiba, yiba! - Tchmil victorious
• The podium - Andrei Tchmil (Lotto-Adecco), Jaan Kirsipuu (Ag2r) and Paolo Valoti (Alessio)

Giro d'Emilia

Once again we see Jan Ullrich coming into ominous form during the latter part of the season, beating a class field of one day specialists that included Francesco Casagrande and Davide Rebellin. Lisbon's definitely going to be interesting. Photographer Fotoreporter Sirotti was there to see Jan in superb form.

• The arrival of il gatto - Casagrande appears concerned about his new team mate Michele Bartoli
• Michele in the 12 - looking composed in his new Fassa Bortolo colours
• Powering away - a very select group rides away, out of the saddle
• The final trio - Ullrich, Casagrande and Rebellin drive on and claim the top three places on the podium
• Ullrich attacks - is he sweating, or is it all too easy?
• An unemotional Jan - just another day in the office of Jan Ullrich
• The podium - Jan and Francesco look happy, but all Davide really wants is to get out of his damn lycra and hop into the shower

11th Post Danmark Rundt (Tour of Denmark) - 2.2

Photos provided by Jacob Bassøe