The head honcho at Saunier Duval is a man who knows a little bit about cycling - he was a pro for 17 seasons, rode for 9 teams and won 17 races, including The Tour of Britain, LBL, the Amstel Gold, and came oh so close to a Worlds win in Lugano in 96 - only a rampant Museeuw denied him. Doing his best to ignore the brace of constantly ringing cell phones he totes (one for personal calls and one for business calls) he settled down with a tonic water to answer our questions.

They’ve got the big-time GC guys, the mountain goats and the chrono-men; yeah, yeah – but have they got a sprinter? He’s tall, good looking, has the bracelets, the big watch, the stubble, doesn’t like hills and last year he cracked the big league with a Vuelta stage win; meet Francisco Jose Ventoso Alberdi.

One Legged Wonder... The dual Paralympic champion (Sydney & Athens) and multiple World Champion is a great inspiration to many around the world and was happy to chat at the Surfers Paradise International Criterium about riding with a disability and toughing it out in the harsh world of Professional bike racing.

Colavita-Sutter Pro Cyclist Tyler Wren is set for a “breakthrough” year according to his CTS coach Jim Lehman. Wren is known on the domestic circuit as “Wrenegade,” a name given to Wren by Health Net Pro and soon to be Jelly Belly rider Mike Jones. A veteran like Jones wouldn’t give Tyler such a tough name if he didn’t deserve it. Let’s find out what makes this Princeton Graduate and Economist tick.

PEZ sat down for a quick chat with AG2R’s Simon Gerrans at the recent Surfers Paradise International where we talked about his season 2006, his future and life on a French ProTour team as a young Aussie.

We caught up with Discovery Channel’s Matt White at the recent Australian National Criterium Championships in Brisbane to chat about the past couple of years and what’s coming up in 2007 for the likable Aussie.

A race filled with crashes, fast racing and controversy was played out in Surfers Paradise alongside one of Australia’s most famous beaches over the weekend. Rising above the controversy was Davitamon-Lotto’s top domestique, Nick Gates who managed to take the win ahead of Unibet’s Matt Wilson and Baden Cooke.

What do you get when you cross some of the best Aussie pro riders racing in memorial of a lost mate, big prize money, a hot summer’s day and tight racing around an Oceanside beach resort? The Salt Resort Darren Smith Memorial of course and this year was one of the fastest and hardest races ever.

It wouldn't be right to move forward reporting on anything else without a suitable tribute to a fallen rider. Edmond Hood takes a look at Isaac Galvez and the tragedy that is gripping not only the track cycling world, but all of biking.