Two sessions of CX today. Did about an hour fifteen of riding at Kirkwood Park with Jay, Dan and David. While we did a few small laps it was predominantly hurdle work. Then in the afternoon I did another 40-45 minutes of purely hurdle work with Bobber since he is new to cyclocross. He says he still is hesitant but he looks pretty smooth for only a few practices.

News Item of the Day TOURS, France (AP) -- Erik Dekker of the Netherlands won the 157-mile Paris to Tours cycling classic Sunday for his first victory in the World Cup race.

He broke away with about 500 yards left and held off a large group of sprinters, finishing in 5 hours, 33 minutes, 3 seconds. Germany's Danilo Hondo was second and Spain's Oscar Freire was third, both in the same time as Dekker.

"Only five of us broke way and I wanted to make sure I stayed out in front,'' said Dekker, who has won four Tour de France stages in a career beset by injuries.

Paris-Tours was the ninth of 10 events in this season's World Cup. Paolo Bettini of Italy leads the overall standings with 340 points, with countryman Davide Rebellin second at 327. The champion will be crowned Saturday after the Tour of Lombardy in Italy.