Inline Racing News The latest Planet news about inline racing and speed skating listed in reverse order of publication: Aug. 7, 2006
Skate Bytes
Houston, We Have a Problem
Organizers scramble to arrange new course for inline marathon after property owner rejects original choice.
• Go to announcement. Ultramarathon Shrinks in San Mateo
A scheduling problem cuts the Godfather's 100K Challenge, California's only skate ultramarathon, in half.
• Go to announcement. Aug. 3, 2006
New York 100K Resurrection
 It's back — but after a year's hiatus, the New York 100k is looking for ways to bring back the skaters.
• Go to Planet story. Aug. 1, 2006
World Records Tumble in Europe
 Four world records, including a 10-year-old mark by Chad Hedrick, fall at European Championships.
• Go to Planet story. June 28, 2006
Fast Skates, Hot Tamales
The Mexican Skating Federation is laying out the welcome mat for foreign skaters. It is offering free food and lodging for those who attend its 4-day track and road event in Chiapas in August.
- Go to more info. June 26, 2006
'What's This Guy Made Of!'
Four months after a devastating accident that could have sidelined him permanently, Florida speed skater Bret Whitman is back on skates.
- Go to more info and photos. Battle of the Long Legs
Team Rainbo's Peter Starkowicz apparently learned his lesson last week: Don't let Flanders' Mike Anderson get ahead. Anderson won last week's Big Granite Marathon on a breakaway. Yesterday, Starkowicz wouldn't let him get away.
- Go to report. Rollerblade Women Sweep Biel
 The Rollerblade women made it two in a row collecting all the medals (gold, silver and bronze) in today's rain-soaked Biel World Inline Cup in Switzerland. Powerslide's Alexis Contin of France won the men's race. Shane Dobbin (Rollerblade) and Pier Davide Romani (MMCmicro Salomon) were right behind him. (Go to results.) (May 13, 2006) Smith, Foley Finish on Top at NIRA Nationals
 Hyper's Jessica Smith, 22, dominated the women's racing over the weekend at NIRA Nationals in Canton, Mich. Team United's Todd Foley won the men's individual title. The meet is a warm up for the U.S. outdoor national championships later this month. Noticeably absent were last year's Team USA stars Joey Mantia and Brittany Bowe. (May 8, 2006) Di Eugenio and Presti Win in Rennes
 World Cup newcomer Simona Di Eugenio escaped with four others and won the sprint in today's Rennes World Inline Cup in France. MMCmicro Salomon's Massimiliano Presti made it two for four with a victory in the rain-soaked men's race. (Go to the Planet story.) (May 7, 2006) Skatin' Laps in Rennes
 World Cup racers will be skating around (and around) downtown Rennes, France, on Sunday. The men's race is 18 laps of the 2.9 kilometer road course. (Total distance is 52.2K, or 32.4 miles.) The women's race is 15 laps for a distance of 45.5K or 28.3 miles. (Look for race coverage Sunday morning on the Planet.) (May 5, 2006) World Cup: All Shook Up!
 Saturday's Team Time Trial in Basel shook things up in the World Inline Cup. Athleticum Rollerblade's win vaulted it into second place in the men's team rankings. Formerly, one of the World Cup's "B" teams, Athleticum is now within striking distance of first-place MMCmicro Salomon. (Go to World Cup rankings.) (May 2, 2006) Upset in Basel!
 Underdog Athleticum Rollerblade upset the big boys in today's Basel World Inline Cup in Switzerland with a dominating performance that added drama to the World Cup's first team time trial. (Go to the Planet story.) (April 29, 2006) World Inline Cup Tries a New Format
 In an effort to improve, while adapting to the requirements of a twisting, narrow road course, the World Inline Cup is trying something new on Saturday: a team time trial with as many as 2500 skaters. (Go to the Planet preview of the Basel World Inline Cup.) (April 27, 2006) Finster, Barbotin Win World Cup in Paris
 Salomon's Nathalie Barbotin went on a solo breakaway to win today's Val d'Europe marathon in Paris. In the men's race, Australian Danny Finster marked his return to World Cup racing with his first-ever win. (Go to Planet story.) (April 22, 2006) Peterson, Starykowicz Win Again in the Metrodome
 Peter Starykowicz borrowed a tactic from the Indy 500 to win today's Metrodome Inline Marathon in Minneapolis. Kara Peterson finished third overall to win the pro women's division. (Go to the Planet story.) (April 22, 2006) Teams Numbers Soar for Dome Marathon
 The number of skaters expected for the second annual Metrodome Inline Marathon is about the same as last year: 270. But the number of teams has doubled. So far, 14 teams have signed up for the popular team time trial, the organizers say. The event, the world's only indoor skate marathon, is Saturday in Minneapolis. It's not too late to sign up! (Go to official event page.) (April 19, 2006) Austin Gets New Training Program
 Austin skate instructor Richard Littrell isn't easily discouraged. Despite the failure of Austin Inline Fit, he is launching a new marathon training program in the city next month. (Go to Planet story.) (April 18, 2006) Cactus Classic Canceled Again
 Unable to find financial backing, the Cactus Classic will once again skip a beat in 2006. "We've been trying to find some money — but there's just nothing," said lead organizer Edward Wachter. (Go to Planet story.) (April 17, 2006) Mantia and Bowe Win in Tampa
 Luigino's duo lightning bolts Joey Mantia and Brittany Bowe blazed the way at the weekend's Tampa Classic Invitational in Florida. Mantia proved particularly dominating, easily winning all three of Sunday's outdoor events. (Go to Planet story.) (April 17, 2006) Jessica Smith Talks Seoul and the Olympics
 Just back from Korea, where she won the Seoul World Inline Cup, Hyper's Jessica Smith talks about the race, her winning hawk and ... what you do next when you've already won all the marbles in the inline world. (Go the Planet podcast with Jessica Smith.) (April 13, 2006) Dana Eads Wins Cal 50K
 Dana Eads won the 50K Greg Levien Memorial Road Skate in San Mateo, Calif., on Sunday. Robert Motta Jr. finished second. The threat of rain without end (it rained 25 days last month in San Francisco) held down attendance, and last year's winner Eddy Matzger, having moved to Virginia, wasn't around to defend his crown. (Go to CORA race report.) Jessica Smith, Max Presti Win in Korea
 Skating solo, without the help of teammates, Hyper's Jessica Smith sprinted through the women's pack with about 300 meters left in the race and claimed a narrow victory in today's Seoul World Inline Cup in South Korea. "It feels really good," she told the Planet. In the men's race, Salomon Massimiliano Presti caught Rollerblade's Jorge Botero in the final meters for the win. (Go to the Seoul coverage.) (April 9, 2006) 'Skatin' With the Big Girls'
 Florida phenom Brittany Bowe talks about her win in yesterday's Disney World Inline Marathon in this post-race interview with the Planet. The World Team star also discusses her plans for the 2006 season and her preference for 100mm wheels. (Go to the Planet podcast.) (April 3, 2006) Mantia, Bowe Rule the Mouse!
 The young World Team stars Joey Mantia and Brittany Bowe scored victories today in what turned out to be the smallest, though perhaps the happiest, Disney World Inline Marathon. (Go to the Planet story and results.) (April 2, 2006) Cheryl Ezzell Returns to Win the Road Rash
 Hall of Famer Cheryl Ezzell emerged from retirement today to win the women's division of the Texas Road Rash inline marathon. Among the men, Adam Miller was the winner for the second year in a row. After the race, Cheryl told the Planet about her return to racing. (Go to the Planet story and results.) (March 26, 2006) Pics Tell Tale of Vegas 10,000 Meters
 Mark Virtue's photos tell the tale of the women's 10,000 meter race in Las Vegas on Monday. The race featured lots of breakaways, a tight pack and a gutsy performance by surprise winner Nancy Lauritzen of the Tiffany speed skating team of Puyallup, Wash. But we'll let Mark's photos (and our captions) do the talking. (Go to the Planet photo story.) (March 23, 2006) ✮◆❍❂❅❒▲✣●❉❍❂❆❏❒✴❅❘❁▲✲❏❁❄✲❁▲❈
 The Texas Road Rash appears to be an event with a future. Organizers expect between 200-250 skaters for this year's event on Sunday. That would represent a healthy jump from last year's numbers. (Go to Planet story.) (March 22, 2006) Surprise Winner in Vegas 10,000 Meters
A relatively unknown skater from Washington State surprised the favorites to win the 10,000 meters today in the Las Vegas High Roller Invitational. Nancy Lauritzen says that when she pulled away from the lead pack no one wanted to follow. (Go to Planet story.) (March 20, 2006) Joey Mantia Skates a Blue Streak
 Expect Joey Mantia to be strong again this year. The 20-year-old Powerslide skater clocked 44.5 seconds in the 500 meters Saturday at the Las Vegas High Roller Invitational. That's six-tenths of a second below the U.S. record, set last year by Jeremy Anderson. (Go to race highlights.) (March 20, 2006) Wolverine Women Hit Jackpot in Vegas
 The perennially powerful Wolverine women dominated the relay events at the Las Vegas High Roller Invitational yesterday. The Michigan women won the 3-lady relay and made up 3 of the members of the winning 4-lady squad. (Go to race highlights.) (March 18, 2006) The Beginner's Guide to Outdoor Racing
 Finally — a comprehensive guide to inline marathoning and outdoor racing! We've got a2a champ Kim Perkins to thank for it. She put together a 5-part guide that covers all the basics, including what race category to enter, how to skate in a paceline, how to prepare for a race — and even how to turn pro. (Go to the ✯◆▼❄❏❏❒✲❁❃❉■❇✎✉ ✈✭❁❒❃❈✑✗✌✒✐✐✖✉ Bret Whitman Undergoes Surgery
 Surgeons used three screws, a steel rod and a metal plate Saturday to repair inline racer Bret Whitman's left foot. Whitman injured his feet in a work accident three weeks in Florida. "The objective of the surgery was to avoid fusing any bones together to preserve range of motion," said his business partner Chal Love. Whitman will be off his feet for the next three months. His right foot is in a cast. Skaters have donated $2449 to his medical fund. (Go to Planet story about the accident.) (March 13, 2006) Floridians Get More 10K's
 Inline racing appears to be gaining more grip at the Publix Family Fitness Weekends in Florida. For the past few years, the grocery store-sponsored event series has included two 10K skate races. But this year there will be four: one each in St. Augustine (April 23), Ft. Lauderdale (July 16), Tierra Verde (Aug. 20) and Cypress Gardens (Oct. 8). (Go to the event web site.) (March 9, 2006) Skating in Paradise
 Planet correspondent Ilene Kummer flew half way around the world—and then back again—to get us this report on the Tahiti Aito Inline Challenge. ... Yep, she did it just for us. Well, maybe she also liked the idea of spending another week in paradise. (Go to ✩Planet story.) (Go to more Racing News.) | 
