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Archive: July, 2011


July 31, 2011


2011 Alpine Odyssey. Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong won Sunday’s 60-mile Alpine Odyssey race here, beating Greg Krause of Littleton, Colorado by three seconds.




annemiek van vleuten
Nederland Bloeit rider takes over World Cup lead from teammate Marianne Vos with one race to go.



It has been a big weekend for women's racing - with two of the last three Road World Cup races, and a race that would have been a World Cup, if it hadn't had to move the date to this weekend.  Lots of big questions - could Garmin-Cervélo keep their unbroken record and win the Vårgårda Team Time Trial?  Would Marianne Vos' recent string of victories finally come to an end?  Could World Champion Giorgia Bronzini win in Germany?



Marcel Kittel (Skil-Shimano) powers to victory in Warsaw.
Marcel Kittel (Skil-Shimano) overpowered Alexander Kristoff (BMC) and Francesco Chicchi (Quick Step) in a bunch finish in Warsaw to take the opening stage of the Tour de Pologne.




Stage 1 Profile
Sunday's Tour of Poland Stage 1 gets underway at 11:25am CET (5:25am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at around 1:45pm CET (7:45am U.S. Eastern).  Tour of Poland live video streaming MIGHT get underway at around 12:20pm CET (6:20am U.S. Eastern). *Unrestricted live feeds for Stage 1 are uncertain as Eurosport's coverage does not begin until Monday's Stage 2...



Dan Martin (Garmin-Cervélo)
Garmin-Cervélo rider sets off today wearing dossard number one.



Tour of Beijing - International launch in France
Although the initial signing of the tour took place in Beijing back in November little detail about the event has emerged till now.



Road ID Rules of the Road
Bicycle Tutor
The Bicycle Safety Guide
On The Road: Bicycle Safety
Guide to Bicycle Safety
Beginners' cycling questions answered
Bicycle Insurance
World Bicycle Relief
Lexicon of cycling terms
Race Reports - Janel Holcomb.
Video: Performance- some humor.
Video: Ride Right

Tour de Pologne
The Tour of Poland starts today. It’s the 68th edition although you probably can’t cite many notable winners. For years the race was behind the Iron Curtain but, in a neat metaphor, today the race is run by a private promoter Czesław Lang and has become a minor success. It’s a World Tour race and for some team sponsors an interesting target market as it’s one of the few parts of Europe to escape recession and downturn.



“So, he’s [Philip Gilbert] raced 25 out of 28 days and still has the juice to ride away solo to win a World Cup.” - Steve Tilford SteveTilford



5982058741_3590612ef3_z_medium
"With August swiftly approaching, so comes near the deadline for the world championships qualifications, which is set right in the middle of that very month (15th). With only two races left in which points can be scored - Tour of Poland and ENECO - let's see who's going strong and who needs to give it that little extra to ensure they get to send a full squad."




2011 Presbyterian Hospital Invitational Criterium, photos by Peter Brentlinger
The Presbyterian Hospital Invitational Criterium is the seventh race in the USA Crit series with a prize list of over $100,000. In its eighth year, the Presbyterian has become one of the biggest criteriums on the East Coast attracting the best domestic racers. This year the six-rider per team restriction had been removed and squads had the option of pinning numbers on eight riders.





Daniel Teklehaymanot
Talented African rider one of cycling’s big prospects.



Quick Step
Belgian team hoping for better fortunes in second half of season.



PezCyclingNews.com

One piece bar mania
Thomas Voeckler's unexpected success in the Tour de France gave one-piece systems their biggest PR boost since Mario Cipollini dressed his up. Adding to the buzz was the stage win of Team Movistar's Rui Costa. His bar was branded MOST, which is Pinarello's component house brand. During my recent trip to Treviso,



Marc de Maar (Quick Step) is champion of Curacao.
Yellow and blue, with stripes and stars, the Curaçao National Champion's jersey was worn for the first time by Marc De Maar on stage one of the Tour of Poland.



Thomas Voeckler France twisted spoke
Voeckler after losing yellow on Alp d'Huez.



Carlos Sastre
Insists he’ll be ready for big season goal of Vuelta a España.



no doping
I got a few messages about USADA showing up yesterday at the Texas State Time Trial Championships and drug testing virtually the whole Cat 1 field. Plus some more Cat 3 riders.



Andreas Kloden (RadioShack)
Andreas Klöden and Janez Brajkovic will ride the Vuelta a Espana for RadioShack. The team announced that the two captains, who both had abandon the Tour de France due to injuries, were among the seven riders already set for the race in Spain, which starts on August 20.



Shop Talk
VeloNews’ 2011 race calendar
VeloNews' 2011 mtb race calendar
CXMagazine’s  2011 cx race calendar
How to Drive Around Cyclists
Men's Pro Cycling on Twitter
Twitter Hashtags For Races
Bike trade tweeps - who uses Twitter.
Classified - bikes and accessories for sale.
Archive - looking? it may be in the archive.
Health and Fitness - also training information.
Tips and Safety - what to watch out for.
Unwritten rules of cycling etiquette

July 30, 2011


http://www.atwistedspoke.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Philippe-Gilbert.jpg
“There have always been strange races,” Damiano Cunego told Gazzetta dello Sport. “After the Jaizkibel, there have been riders who’ve gotten back on and then counter-attacked and it’s all over.”



Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian - Alto de Garate
Clasica San Sebastian live video streaming should get underway at around 3:45pm CET (9:45am U.S. Eastern).




Clasica San Sebastian
Tomorrow sees the Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian race. It’s a good race in one of the heartlands of cycling… yet it’s struggling financially with race organiser El Diario Vasco, like many other newspapers, unsure whether to continue with the event. The field sees a mix of Tour de France heroes meet fresher challengers, the course is such that a variety of riders can win.



Ireland's Nicolas Roche (AG2R) moved up to 5th overall with another fine display.
Irishman looking to San Sebastian and Vuelta a España.



Serge Pauwels
Belgian to miss the Vuelta a España.





HTC-Highroad
Finally a victory for the American team after three consecutive second places.



Erinne Willock of Team TIBCO/Top The Top earned the final leader
Colavita Forno D’Asolo presented by Cooking Light walked away with the team title in the final standings of the Women’s Prestige Cycling Series followng the last Series race, the Bend Memorial Clinic Cascade Cycling Classic. The squad also claimed the sprinter’s jersey for Leah Kirchmann, whose standing got a big boost when she won the Wheaties FUEL Sprint jersey at the Nature Valley Grand Prix in June.



2011 Tour de France - S. Sanchez Wins Stage 12
The “second half” of the season gets underway this weekend, with Pro Tour races in Spain and Poland. For some, the weekend is the last bit of racing before a well-deserved post-Tour break; for others, it begins the final build-up to the Vuelta a Espana and the autumn classics.



2010 Clásica San Sebastián, the podium
The dust has barely settled following the Tour de France and big-time racing returns across Europe with a busy weekend.



Squad aiming to step up after three years taking second.



After having had to abandon the Tour de France because of a crash, Tom Boonen is ready to take on the second part of the season with a view to the World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark, in September. The Quick Step rider is due to start at the Tour of Poland this Sunday, and hopes to score a stage victory while further fine-tuning his form.



Road ID Rules of the Road
Bicycle Tutor
The Bicycle Safety Guide
On The Road: Bicycle Safety
Guide to Bicycle Safety
Beginners' cycling questions answered
Bicycle Insurance
World Bicycle Relief
Lexicon of cycling terms
Race Reports - Janel Holcomb.
Video: Performance- some humor.
Video: Ride Right

Lee Waldman already focusing on improving for next season © Annette Hayden, MountainMoonPhotography.com
It started for me when I realized that I could no longer maintain the mental and the physical motivation necessary to race a full season of road and then cyclocross.



Basque Country
The Basque Country is characterized by two simple facts: remarkably beautiful landscape and incredibly delicious food. The simplicity of exploring the landscape - from stunning coastal roads to deserted mountainscapes - by bicycle and experiencing the pleasures of eating that is beyond an art form in this part of Europe, is to fully indulge in this Hedonist's playground that is determined to remain true to its cultural roots.



powerBIKE will retail at three grand once it goes on sale
Vibrating static bike claims to dramatically increase the effectiveness of your workout.



2012 Easton EA90RT road tubeless wheelset with wide rim perfect for cyclocross
The 2012 Easton EA90RT has an entirely new rim, and it’s wide! Internal rim width is 17.5mm with a solid rim bed, so no rim tape necessary. Uses the same double threaded nipple/dueler that they use on their mountain bike wheels.



Img_2640b_medium
"Last week I was at the Thüringen Rundfahrt, one of the biggest stage races for women outside of the Giro Donne.  I was there because Horizon Fitness-Prendas Ciclismo had taken me along with them, but I wanted to use the opportunity to see what goes on behind the scenes, enabling the cyclists to race - so I was very grateful indeed to have the chance to shadow Arkadiusz Wojtas, one of the two HTC-Highroad soigneurs, as he prepared for Stage 3 of the race."



2010 Leadville Trail 100, Levi Leipheimer
Team RadioShack’s Levi Leipheimer, winner of the 2010 Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race in his first attempt, is bypassing the opportunity to defend his title in order to compete at the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah and the USA Pro Cycling Challenge in Colorado.




http://www.atwistedspoke.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Frank-Schleck1.jpg
The Brothers Schleck have decided to wait one month, rest up, re-think some strategy and then attack Evans in the high mountains again. This time it’s the Colorado Rockies.



MB_SamBonelli21.jpg
Jump curbs, obstacles, and anything that gets in your way..




PezCyclingNews.com

Evan Hyde (RealCyclist.com) in the break at stage 2 of SRAM Tour of the Gila
After winning the overall the BMC Cascade Cycling Classic, the RealCyclist.com team made its way to Utah to get ready for ‘America’s Toughest Race’, the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah. The squad is headquartered in Park City, home of Evan Hyde.








Hayden Roulston
Kiwi talks about getting that elusive first win of the season and his future.



“So, he’s [Philip Gilbert] raced 25 out of 28 days and still has the juice to ride away solo to win a World Cup.” - Steve Tilford SteveTilford



Iglinskiy celebrates his stage win at the 2011 Tour of Turkey
Kazach cyclist Valentin Iglinskiy of Team Astana will go before a French judge in September to face drunk driving and speeding charges stemming from an arrest Tuesday, according to a judicial source.







Wouter Weylandt will be fondly remembered by the entire peloton
Vandals knocked over a brick memorial to Belgians Wouter Weylandt, Dmitri De Fauw and Frederiek Nolf on Thursday night, Sporza.be reported today. The stone was dedicated last month after the death of Weylandt in the Giro d'Italia. Patrick Cosyn, who led the effort to create the memorial, was aghast.



Sevilla
Out of the blue the Rock Racing twitter account sputtered to life with the message, “Hey everyone, get ready for some exciting news about Rock Racing!” Honestly I took this announcement with a grain of salt as I suspected that a @FakeFloydLandis had hacked the account and was going to randomly post links to porn sites under the guise of a new Rock Racing team.







Mavic Infinity mesh
What perhaps most cyclists don’t know is that Mavic wants you to roll in style. Their Infinity Bib is the latest in a line of cycling apparel and has some very specific good ideas.



Shop Talk
VeloNews’ 2011 race calendar
VeloNews' 2011 mtb race calendar
CXMagazine’s  2011 cx race calendar
How to Drive Around Cyclists
Men's Pro Cycling on Twitter
Twitter Hashtags For Races
Bike trade tweeps - who uses Twitter.
Classified - bikes and accessories for sale.
Archive - looking? it may be in the archive.
Health and Fitness - also training information.
Tips and Safety - what to watch out for.
Unwritten rules of cycling etiquette



As TheToto Turns

July 29, 2011

Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian - Alto de Garate
Clasica San Sebastian live video streaming should get underway at around 3:45pm CET (9:45am U.S. Eastern).





HTC-Highroad
Finally a victory for the American team after three consecutive second places.



Erinne Willock of Team TIBCO/Top The Top earned the final leader
Colavita Forno D’Asolo presented by Cooking Light walked away with the team title in the final standings of the Women’s Prestige Cycling Series followng the last Series race, the Bend Memorial Clinic Cascade Cycling Classic. The squad also claimed the sprinter’s jersey for Leah Kirchmann, whose standing got a big boost when she won the Wheaties FUEL Sprint jersey at the Nature Valley Grand Prix in June.



2011 Tour de France - S. Sanchez Wins Stage 12
The “second half” of the season gets underway this weekend, with Pro Tour races in Spain and Poland. For some, the weekend is the last bit of racing before a well-deserved post-Tour break; for others, it begins the final build-up to the Vuelta a Espana and the autumn classics.




Clasica San Sebastian
Tomorrow sees the Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian race. It’s a good race in one of the heartlands of cycling… yet it’s struggling financially with race organiser El Diario Vasco, like many other newspapers, unsure whether to continue with the event. The field sees a mix of Tour de France heroes meet fresher challengers, the course is such that a variety of riders can win.



2010 Clásica San Sebastián, the podium
The dust has barely settled following the Tour de France and big-time racing returns across Europe with a busy weekend.



Iglinskiy cleared of cocaine use, reiterates he was alone night of arrest
Squad aiming to step up after three years taking second.



Tom Boonen (Quick Step) heads onto the podium at Tour of Belgium.
After having had to abandon the Tour de France because of a crash, Tom Boonen is ready to take on the second part of the season with a view to the World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark, in September. The Quick Step rider is due to start at the Tour of Poland this Sunday, and hopes to score a stage victory while further fine-tuning his form.



Koppenberg - Bart Hazen
Starting in Breinigsville for the Nittany Lions ’Cross, the pair will take part in eight events on the east side of America.  Other key events will include Charm City, which is a double weekend of racing, the Nor’easter Cross and Ellison Park in Rochester.  The trip will conclude with the Gloucester GP races in near Boston.



Road ID Rules of the Road
Bicycle Tutor
The Bicycle Safety Guide
On The Road: Bicycle Safety
Guide to Bicycle Safety
Beginners' cycling questions answered
Bicycle Insurance
World Bicycle Relief
Lexicon of cycling terms
Race Reports - Janel Holcomb.
Video: Performance- some humor.
Video: Ride Right

2012 Easton EA90RT road tubeless wheelset with wide rim perfect for cyclocross
The 2012 Easton EA90RT has an entirely new rim, and it’s wide! Internal rim width is 17.5mm with a solid rim bed, so no rim tape necessary. Uses the same double threaded nipple/dueler that they use on their mountain bike wheels.



Img_2640b_medium
"Last week I was at the Thüringen Rundfahrt, one of the biggest stage races for women outside of the Giro Donne.  I was there because Horizon Fitness-Prendas Ciclismo had taken me along with them, but I wanted to use the opportunity to see what goes on behind the scenes, enabling the cyclists to race - so I was very grateful indeed to have the chance to shadow Arkadiusz Wojtas, one of the two HTC-Highroad soigneurs, as he prepared for Stage 3 of the race."



“How many folks can say that they played catch with Babe Ruth?  One on one with Jordan? You get the drift.  Well I rode with Lance Armstrong.” - Harper RAGBRAIHarper



2010 Leadville Trail 100, Levi Leipheimer
Team RadioShack’s Levi Leipheimer, winner of the 2010 Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race in his first attempt, is bypassing the opportunity to defend his title in order to compete at the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah and the USA Pro Cycling Challenge in Colorado.




http://www.atwistedspoke.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Frank-Schleck1.jpg
The Brothers Schleck have decided to wait one month, rest up, re-think some strategy and then attack Evans in the high mountains again. This time it’s the Colorado Rockies.



MB_SamBonelli21.jpg
Jump curbs, obstacles, and anything that gets in your way..




Cadel Evans (BMC) with .Andy and Frank Schleck (Leopard Trek)
Fränk and Andy Schleck were the stars of the Gala Tour de France criterium in Luxembourg on Thursday evening, with the two brothers taking first and third, while Frenchman Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) finished between them in second place.



Samu_sprint_medium
Man, do Belgians ever love cycling. Even when it's completely corrupt. Our man Patrick Verhoest checks in from his natal city of Roeselare, home to one of the many post-Tour de France criteriums, because apparently all of Belgium is transformed into a carnival in late July, and you need big-name pro cyclists to move that cotton candy.




Ballan
Santambrogio will also be a protected rider in WorldTour race.
George Bennett (Trek/Livestrong) was the last rider to stay with the race leader on todays tough climb.
After the greatest event of the cycling calendar has come to an end, top teams are already preparing for the next season, not only signing new riders but also thinking about the mid-term future. The month of August is when young riders are given a chance to prove themselves at the highest level as stagiaires.



Rock Racing Italian website.
It’s Italian skull time, deja vu all over again only without the cocaine and hot Asian models. Uhh, so maybe this news isn’t that thrilling after all.



PezCyclingNews.com







Wouter Weylandt will be fondly remembered by the entire peloton
Vandals knocked over a brick memorial to Belgians Wouter Weylandt, Dmitri De Fauw and Frederiek Nolf on Thursday night, Sporza.be reported today. The stone was dedicated last month after the death of Weylandt in the Giro d'Italia. Patrick Cosyn, who led the effort to create the memorial, was aghast.



Sevilla
Out of the blue the Rock Racing twitter account sputtered to life with the message, “Hey everyone, get ready for some exciting news about Rock Racing!” Honestly I took this announcement with a grain of salt as I suspected that a @FakeFloydLandis had hacked the account and was going to randomly post links to porn sites under the guise of a new Rock Racing team.




Astana rider says that he will sue over reports of cocaine use.



Michael Blaudzun, Christina Hembo and Michael Rasmussen
Michael Rasmussen and Christina Watches-Onfone are still searching for sponsorship money to enable them to move up to Professional Continental status in the coming year. The Danish team currently has a Professional license, but hope to move up in order to become eligible for a wild-card invitation to next year's Giro d'Italia, which starts in Denmark.



2011 Tour de France
The maillot jaune of the Tour de France will feature on the roads of Colorado next month when Cadel Evans starts the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. Race officials have confirmed that Evans (BMC Racing) will take part in the inaugural event, which begins August 22 in Colorado Springs.



Mavic Infinity mesh
What perhaps most cyclists don’t know is that Mavic wants you to roll in style. Their Infinity Bib is the latest in a line of cycling apparel and has some very specific good ideas.



The Omega Pharma-Lotto team works to set up Gilbert
Management at Omega Pharma has confirmed that the Belgian pharmaceutical company will stay in cycling in 2012 after agreeing to join forces with another team with the objective of securing a WorldTour licence.



http://redkiteprayer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Feedzone.jpg
I love feed zones. They are opportunities for riders to take refuge and stock. That is, they are a sort of mental landing in the stairway,  a brief pause that allows a rider to tell himself no matter how things have been, they just got better.



Ballan
Santambrogio will also be a protected rider in WorldTour race.



Shop Talk
VeloNews’ 2011 race calendar
VeloNews' 2011 mtb race calendar
CXMagazine’s  2011 cx race calendar
How to Drive Around Cyclists
Men's Pro Cycling on Twitter
Twitter Hashtags For Races
Bike trade tweeps - who uses Twitter.
Classified - bikes and accessories for sale.
Archive - looking? it may be in the archive.
Health and Fitness - also training information.
Tips and Safety - what to watch out for.
Unwritten rules of cycling etiquette



As TheToto Turns

July 28, 2011

Philippe Gilbert
Belgian champion continues his domination of exhibition races.



Pierre Rolland
Europcar’s new French star riding the new wave of French confidence.



http://www.atwistedspoke.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Andy-Schleck-tour-de-France-twisted-spoke.jpg
"We suspect that Andy made the mistake of assuming the Tour de France was his once Alberto Contador lost time behind a week one crash and later banged up his knee."



Oscar Freire
Rabobank fielding two previous winners for the race.



“How many folks can say that they played catch with Babe Ruth?  One on one with Jordan? You get the drift.  Well I rode with Lance Armstrong.” - Harper RAGBRAIHarper



Wiggins
Says he’s done too much work to miss next year’s Tour.



Van Avermaet s
Belgian to lead BMC Racing Team in Spanish classic after showing fine form.



Marcus Burghardt (BMC) worked hard for Evans.
BMC teammate praised a perfect plan for the overall win. One of Cadel Evans' domestiques at the 2011 Tour de France, Marcus Burghardt, was instrumental in the Australian's overall victory. The tall German Classics rider is a powerful rouleur and set the pace for the BMC Racing Team whenever it was needed, protecting the squad's sole leader throughout the three-week race.



20110728-113058.jpg
Fizik’s new Kurve saddles use a very lightly padded cover over a “thermoplastic composite” carbon textile base on their Mobius alloy rail. The shell flexes to provide virtual padding, so the initial appearance is that they’re more rounded than the matching non-Kurve version.



Road ID Rules of the Road
Bicycle Tutor
The Bicycle Safety Guide
On The Road: Bicycle Safety
Guide to Bicycle Safety
Beginners' cycling questions answered
Bicycle Insurance
World Bicycle Relief
Lexicon of cycling terms
Race Reports - Janel Holcomb.
Video: Performance- some humor.
Video: Ride Right

Neal Henderson after his crash. Photo courtesy Boulder Center for Sports Medicine.
When we look at fractures as a whole in cyclists, the collarbone is the most frequent bone to be broken.




Rock Racing Italian website.
It’s Italian skull time, deja vu all over again only without the cocaine and hot Asian models. Uhh, so maybe this news isn’t that thrilling after all.




Third place Tom Danielson (Garmin-Cervelo) after a champagne shower.
In its first year of UCI 2.1 classification, the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah has already attracted the sport's top domestic talent. Garmin-Cervélo's Tom Danielson, who placed ninth in the Tour de France, has been confirmed for the race, along with BMC's George Hincapie, who, after helping Cadel Evans to the overall victory, has been a part of nine winning Tour teams.







Mosquera
Mosquera was suspended after anti-doping controls showed both he and then team mate David Garcia Da Peña had tested positive for hydroxyethyl starch (HES) in the Vuelta. Garcia also tested positive for EPO and was subsequently banned.



Vaughters bus Garmin-Cervelo twisted spoke
The Tour de France team competition is a bit of a mystery for Twisted Spoke. It’s determined by taking the best time of each team’s top three finishers in every stage. People get excited about this competition and Garmin-Cervelo was proud to win it this year.



One23 Ceramic/Carbon external bottom bracket
Super smooth and lightweight bottom bracket, but you're paying a big premium for Carbon you'll never see...



Roman Kreuziger (Astana)
Microfracture of the wrist means six weeks break for Astana leader.



Joaquim Rodriguez
2010 World number one hoping to kickstart current WorldTour campaign.



PezCyclingNews.com

Nature break. AFP photo
"Why was Niki Terpstra (Quick Step) fined 100 CHF for public urination? This happened on stage 15. Surely, riders are allowed to pee during the stage."










Contador
World Anti Doping Agency says it needs time to respond to huge volume of files.



Hesjedal and Christian Vande Velde celebrate a Tour done well, in Paris on Sunday. Photo: Casey B. Gibson | www.cbgphoto.com
As most of his Tour de France colleagues head home, race in criteriums or chill on the beach, the Garmin-Cervélo rider is preparing to race this weekend’s Clásica San Sebastián in northern Spain.



http://www.pavepavepave.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/PIC207548S.jpg
How did those whose careers are defined on the pavé, hellingen, and April rain fare in this year’s Tour de France?



Seb Coe talks with some of the 2012 track team
Seb Coe criticises UK Anti-Doping after request to reclassify recreational drugs.



Iglinskiy
Team contradicts some aspects of RTL report.



The Giro di Padania leader will wear a green jersey.
The organisers of the first edition of the Giro di Padania have unveiled the route of the six-day race, saying they hope to have Tour de France winner Cadel Evans (BMC) and current world champion Thor Hushovd (Garmin-Cervelo) on the start line on September 6.



Liquigas_Mechanic.jpg
With this five-minute bike maintenance routine and wheel truing video, you'll be off without a hitch on your next bike ride.



The peloton leaves Rio de Janiero on stage 1 of the Tour do Rio
Conditions not ideal but UCI commissaire predicts improvements for 2016.



Shop Talk
VeloNews’ 2011 race calendar
VeloNews' 2011 mtb race calendar
CXMagazine’s  2011 cx race calendar
How to Drive Around Cyclists
Men's Pro Cycling on Twitter
Twitter Hashtags For Races
Bike trade tweeps - who uses Twitter.
Classified - bikes and accessories for sale.
Archive - looking? it may be in the archive.
Health and Fitness - also training information.
Tips and Safety - what to watch out for.
Unwritten rules of cycling etiquette



As TheToto Turns

July 27, 2011

BMC's Greg Van Avemaet is happy to accept the winner's kisses
BMC rider takes takes final sprint finish.



Marcus Burghardt
German gets lion from Australian BMC teammate as a reward.



Dan Martin (Garmin-Transitions) stayed in the lead of Tour of Poland after stage 6
The cycling season gets back up to speed following the Tour de France at the weekend, with the Clasica San Sebastian on Saturday and the start of the Tour of Poland on Sunday.



Brailsford
Sky Procycling principal says conclusion based on analysis of race data.



Mark Cavendis
Awareness of island nation raised across the globe says Minister.



Roman Kreuziger
MRI scan reveals Tour de France crash was worse than expected.



Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Omega Pharma Lotto)
Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Omega Pharma-Lotto) has returned to full training as he aims to make amends for his curtailed Tour de France with a strong showing at the Vuelta a España.



Best Young rider and second overall Lachlan Morton, overall winner Francisco Mancebo, and third overall Jeremy Vennell.
The Cascade Cycling Classic concluded on July 24 and there were some big changes in the National Racing Calendar (NRC) standings. Janel Holcomb (Colavita-Forno d'Asolo) finally regained her lead after losing it to Amber Neben (HTC-Highroad) earlier in the year. Francisco Mancebo (RealCyclist.com) built on his already commanding lead in the standings but there were some big changes in the top 10.



Road ID Rules of the Road
Bicycle Tutor
The Bicycle Safety Guide
On The Road: Bicycle Safety
Guide to Bicycle Safety
Beginners' cycling questions answered
Bicycle Insurance
World Bicycle Relief
Lexicon of cycling terms
Race Reports - Janel Holcomb.
Video: Performance- some humor.
Video: Ride Right

http://www.atwistedspoke.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Levi-Leipheimer-Paris-TDF-twisted-spoke.jpg
Option number five, Haimar Zubeldia of the Basque country took 16th place overall. Double that futility and you have Levi Leipheimer in 32nd place, a real downer for the man from Santa Rosa who came into the Tour having won the Tour de Suisse.



http://redkiteprayer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/2592_Fignon_Crash_BloisChaville82_maPhSpt.jpg
Hoogerland became a legend when he pulled himself out of the barbed wire fence, rode to the finish and donned the polka dot jersey, but that’s beside the point. For him.



http://www.pavepavepave.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/PIC207183S1.jpg
You can be forgiven for having a bit of Tour de France-related short term memory. When the Tour blasted through the Pyrenees and lit fireworks throughout the Alps, it sent the first week back into distant memory. However, before Thomas Voeckler’s tear-fueled defense of the yellow jersey, before Thor Hushovd’s reign of terror, and before Evans, Contador, and the Schlecks really began trading blows in the high mountains, it was Phillipe Gilbert who helped define the Tour de France.



McEwen
Australian’s confidence boosted after victory yesterday.



Jan Ghyselinck and Gorik Gardeyn
“The broom-wagon followed me for a while until I could get the bike, then I rode full gas to get back up to the peloton and work for my leader. In order to say thanks to the guy who gave me his bike, I’m going to give him a jersey, or a hat and bottle. It’s thanks to him that I am still in the race. Thank you, sir!”



"The Giro, never again." So says Alberto Contador. You can probably hear the prosecco corks popping in the Nibali household. Despite winning the Italian tour this year, the Spaniard says he’s never going back to the race. But “never say never” is valuable advice for those making statements in public and we’ll see what the future brings.



Polar RCX5
Polar was the pioneer in portable heart rate monitors for athletes, and continues to set the benchmark for heart rate devices. Their latest launch is the top-shelf RCX5, featuring just about every possible training feature in a sleek unit that is perfectly designed for cyclists on and off the bike.



"Yesterday we covered the Winners from the 2011 Tour de France—here’s a look at the Losers."



PezCyclingNews.com

chocolate-skinny-on-sweets.jpg
When to say no and when to say go.











HR Monitor
Avoid these and you will be well on your way toward getting the most out of your device.



The peloton on the Champs-Élysées
Suffering from post-Tour de France malaise? Unsure of what to do with your day now that there isn't several hours of live bike racing to watch on television? This video montage from Cyclingnews' Paul Stevenson is just the tonic you need to revive your spirits: it is a behind-the-scenes look at the post-stage chaos on the Champs-Élysées.




Kazakh rider Valentin Iglinskiy>
Astana rider said he’d been at a party at Alexandre Vinokourv’s home.



2011 Nature Valley Grand Prix, Stillwater Criterium, Women’s field
Ever wonder why a U.S. company outside of the bicycle industry would invest in bicycle racing? Here’s a hint: it has nothing to do with athletic excellence or a love of the sport.



Matt Brammeier
Irishman speaks about accident that delayed his professional career.



“How many folks can say that they played catch with Babe Ruth?  One on one with Jordan? You get the drift.  Well I rode with Lance Armstrong.” - Harper RAGBRAIHarper



Dimitry Konyshev
Journalists throw superlatives around these days, 'legend' is one of them. On the Tour's second rest day, PEZ spoke to a man who actually deserves that accolade, Dimitry Konyshev.



We raise our thumbs for this Tour’s unpredictability
Wow, what an amazing Tour de France this one was! From where we sat, it was one of the most engaging Tours we’ve seen in a long time. What made it a particularly memorable one?



Shop Talk
VeloNews’ 2011 race calendar
VeloNews' 2011 mtb race calendar
CXMagazine’s  2011 cx race calendar
How to Drive Around Cyclists
Men's Pro Cycling on Twitter
Twitter Hashtags For Races
Bike trade tweeps - who uses Twitter.
Classified - bikes and accessories for sale.
Archive - looking? it may be in the archive.
Health and Fitness - also training information.
Tips and Safety - what to watch out for.
Unwritten rules of cycling etiquette



As TheToto Turns

July 26, 2011

Seen here in Joe Martin
Winner of the overall BMC Cascade Cycling Classic, Janel Holcomb (Colavita/Forno d’Asolo) is back on top of the NRC women’s individual standings. Racing aggressively, Holcomb slipped into the winning break on the final day to take the leader’s jersey from Clara Hughes (Cycling BC) in Bend on Sunday.




Robbie McEwen
Greg Van Avermaet takes back the race lead in early sprints,







Brajkovic
Tour crash victims to get second chance in Spanish Grand Tour.



Phil Gaimon Diary: Our view from the host house. Not bad.
"While you were watching all those overpaid Europeans slide on their butts down the Alps, my teammates and I were doing a real race in Bend, Oregon: The Cascade Classic. This is one of my favorite cycling towns, with great host housing, big crowds coming out to scream at us, and the most fish tacos per capita outside of Mexico (I averaged 2.57142857 tacos per day)."




Aalst Criterium
With the Tour de France over now comes the criterium season. These are exhibition races put on by entrepreneurial race organisers who seek to capitalise on the high profile of the sport following July. Riders are invited to take part in these races and the stars of the Tour de France command big appearance fees, some can collect €50,000. Not bad for 90 minutes.



2011 Tour de France
Evans’ racing schedule is not yet finalized, there is a possibility he could race Colorado’s inaugural USA Pro Cycling Challenge in August.



cadel
I was disappointed to read and watch Mia Freedman's belittling words on Cadel Evan's recent achievement. I'm always respectful of people's opinions, however as a journalist with an influential platform you would think that Mia would have done a minute or two of research before she spoke those words.


Road ID Rules of the Road
Bicycle Tutor
The Bicycle Safety Guide
On The Road: Bicycle Safety
Guide to Bicycle Safety
Beginners' cycling questions answered
Bicycle Insurance
World Bicycle Relief
Lexicon of cycling terms
Race Reports - Janel Holcomb.
Video: Performance- some humor.
Video: Ride Right


chateau_bethusy_court_abritration_sport
Twisted Spoke is privy to those high level procrastinations that have taken place in the hallowed halls of the Lausanne arbitration board. The hearing is now set for November, 2020.



Samuel Sanchez
Polka-dot jersey gets “revenge” over Philippe Gilbert in post-Tour exhibition race.






2011 Tour de France stage 19
Karpets flicked Contador off the road in a bizarre incident early in that crash-marred stage when Contador’s handlebars got tangled up with Karpets’ seat-post. The big Russian shoulder-butted Contador and the three-time Tour champion went slamming to the ground. Contador recounted Sunday that he injured his already sore right knee so badly that he nearly packed up his bags and went home.



Daniel Oss
One of the surprises of the sprint stages of this year's Tour was the sight of big haired, gangly Liquigas man Daniel Oss up there jousting with the NASCAR guys in the last kilometre. On Sunday, the native of Trentino took 6th on the Champs-Elysees.



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"The rock’em sock’em action is over, the lights have been turned on for a few days now, you’ve used the time not spent on watching the Tour on tv to pick up  your life where you left off in early July and you may have more questions than answers after 21 days of racing a lap of France."



diy-wrench-tension.jpg
The overlooked and underrated torque wrench belongs on every home mechanic's tool rack.



Venge3
The go-to bike for Specialized pro teams in mountain stages now has a more balanced stiffness and ride feel front and rear, despite the fact that its predecessor placed 1-2 in last year’s Tour de France.


PezCyclingNews.com






http://www.pavepavepave.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/PIC213349S.jpg
"Yesterday we covered the Winners from the 2011 Tour de France—here’s a look at the Losers."






contador, alberto, tour, tdf, tour de france, 2011
The case of Alberto Contador's positive test for clenbuterol at last year's Tour de France is set to be dragged out even longer after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has once again postponed the hearing.





Giro
Acquarone takes over cycling-related matters, Vegni takes over race management role.



Congratulations shared among Mark Cavendish and his HTC Highroad teammates
Time is running out for Bob Stapleton and HTC-Highroad – will the team find a new sponsor and if so, in time to hold on to its current riders? Team management has indicated that a new sponsor may be lined up, with contracts to be signed possibly as early as this week, but many riders are apparently on the verge of signing with other teams.



Img00156-20110719-1212
As always, there are two sides to every story, and so thus with this year's Tour de France. At the end of three weeks of arduous racing, we end up with happyfaces and sadfaces, joy and pain, elated boys and broken men, winners and losers.



“Russia's Alexandr Kolobnev will receive the "Knight of the Order" by President Medvedev for "for services to the Motherland". I kid you not.” - Inner Ring Twitter



Contador
Spaniard had been close to dropping out of 2011 Tour de France.



Panache is the latest clothing company to offer online convenience in custom ordering.
If you’ve ever coordinated a team’s clothing order, you know what a headache it can be when one person is responsible for all the details. Custom clothing companies know this, too, and a few have modernized the process with online team stores where riders can shop and order on their own, and then have custom kit shipped to their addresses.


Shop Talk
VeloNews’ 2011 race calendar
VeloNews' 2011 mtb race calendar
CXMagazine’s  2011 cx race calendar
How to Drive Around Cyclists
Men's Pro Cycling on Twitter
Twitter Hashtags For Races
Bike trade tweeps - who uses Twitter.
Classified - bikes and accessories for sale.
Archive - looking? it may be in the archive.
Health and Fitness - also training information.
Tips and Safety - what to watch out for.
Unwritten rules of cycling etiquette
As TheToto Turns

July 25, 2011

Thanks to our new German friends for the post race beverages!
The final day of racing during stage 8 at the TransAlp.



Cadel Evans
With the crashes of the first half of the race behind him, Cadel Evans finally ascended to the top step of the Tour de France podium after winning the 2011 edition. Evans had twice finished second. It was a tour of firsts. Evans became the first Australian to win the world's most prestigious bike race, and the brothers Schleck, Andy and Frank, became the first siblings to share the podium, taking second and third, respectively.



Tour director Christian Prudhomme expects AFLD to announce more positive controls
UCI President, Pat McQuaid, confirmed that all tests carried out since had returned no positive samples but that he was still waiting for results from the last two days of racing.



What a great Tour de France!
What a great Tour de France! I don’t think I have been this consumed with a sporting event since England won the FIFA World Cup in 1966. What a great thing for the sport of cycle racing in Australia.
Cadel Evans won the most spectacular Tour de France in years but who were the other winners and losers in this year's race?








Bennati prevails in Perwez.

Daniele Bennati
Joost Van Leijen takes race lead with intermediate time bonuses.

2011 Tour de Wallonie
The 2011 Tour de Wallonie (Belgium) started Saturday and the final 3 stages will be broadcast LIVE Monday to Wednesday. Live streaming video: 2:30pm CET (8:30am U.S. Eastern).



Grand Départ 2012
In case you thought things had ended yesterday… this is a sneak preview of the prologue course for Saturday 30 June 2012 and the Grand Départ weekend of the Tour de France, featuring the opening time trial and then a road stage the following day.



Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-Sungard) is not used to riding into Paris without the yellow jersey.
Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank) has confirmed that he will not ride this year’s Vuelta Espana. The Spaniard won the Giro d'Italia in May and competed in the Tour de France.



INgSOC hybrid concept bike
Designers Edward Kim and Benny Cemoli have unveiled plans for a radical new hybrid electric/pedal-powered cycle, named INgSOC.


Road ID Rules of the Road
Bicycle Tutor
The Bicycle Safety Guide
On The Road: Bicycle Safety
Guide to Bicycle Safety
Beginners' cycling questions answered
Bicycle Insurance
World Bicycle Relief
Lexicon of cycling terms
Race Reports - Janel Holcomb.
Video: Performance- some humor.
Video: Ride Right


Tour of Poland
"Cycling cannot simply be one race in July. The Tour de France must be one episode in the middle of a saga." So says Christian Prudhomme, organiser of the Tour de France. You’d half expect him to say this given ASO runs the Tour de France but it runs many other races from the Tour of Qatar in February to the Vuelta a Espana in September, where it recently bought a controlling stake in the organisation. Not to mention the likes of Paris-Nice, Paris-Roubaix, Liège–Bastogne–Liège and the Critérium du Dauphiné.



http://www.pavepavepave.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/PIC213377S.jpg
While it’s anyone’s guess where Evans will head from here program-wise, he can rest easy knowing that he’s finally gotten a monkey off his back.



Australia's Cadel Evans
Now the dust has settled on the Champs and FDJ have stopped attacking, Blazin' Saddles takes you through its official post-Tour awards.






http://redkiteprayer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/1120_Cadel_Evans_Relaxes_iri_PhSptsm.jpg
The Tour de France is an impossible bike race—21 stages, thousands of kilometers, high mountain passes, time trials, bunch sprints. When Henri Desgranges concocted it, it was as the most audaciously challenging sporting event on the planet, like nothing sporting cyclists had ever attempted. And from its inaugural year, it has always sought to fulfill bike racing fans’ wildest dreams, an infinite jest.



Crowds watch as the riders climb at altitude in the Tour de France 2004.
If you’re missing the Tour de France already, imagine what it’s like for the riders. Maybe the last three weeks saw you adjust your routine around TV broadcasts, your reading habits changed and even colleagues at work might have talked cycling.



After much cussing and two crashes, Jens Voigt gets going again.
Jens Voigt is not ready to call time on his long career. The German, who will turn 40 in September, is considering the offer of a new one-year contract with Leopard Trek.



Wilier Zero.7
The Veneto region of northern Italy is home to what might be the highest concentration of luxury-class cycling brands in the world. They include Sidi, DMT, Campagnolo, Selle Italia, Selle San Marco, Elite, Giordana, Nalini, Pinarello, and Wilier. The gorgeous terrain marries nicely to the fact that they've been building roads there for the better part of 1,000 years. Cycling is sewn into the cultural soul of the Veneto, which is why it was such a joy to make a pilgrimage there to test Wilier's new top-end bike for 2012, the Zero.7.



“Russia's Alexandr Kolobnev will receive the "Knight of the Order" by President Medvedev for "for services to the Motherland". I kid you not.” - Inner Ring Twitter



http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/668766/119632208.jpg
Fabian Cancellara, Olympic gold medalist and reigning world champion — a man with such bulging palmares would sleep like a king in a pimped out suite, you’d think. No. Fabian effin’ Cancellara has slept on the team bus like a hobo at Tour de effin’ France. Incroyable! He’s been plagued by “bad air” (roomie O’Grady’s gaseous emissions?), barking dogs, and poisonous “aircon” air. To think Fabian’s day starts on the bus and finishes in the autobus...where’s the dignity?


PezCyclingNews.com




Cadel_and_andy_medium
Cycling is not for the impatient. Races roll on for hours on end, and regardless of the course profile they are almost never kind to the riders who jump before the final half hour. Stage races are worse: you can pounce with great patience for early victories but that may or may not help you in the final classification. Grand tours, it thus follows, are even more extreme. Since there are only three of them, it's easy to generalize: course organizers like to save the fireworks for the final few days, so fans don't drift away too soon.










Cadel Evans on podium, Tour de France 2011, stage 20
Tour de France winner Cadel Evans (BMC Racing) has unseated Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto) at the top of the Union Cycliste Internationale's latest World Tour ranking, published on Monday afternoon.



Janel Holcomb (Colavita/Forno d’Asolo) made it into the break that stuck and claimed her first overall NRC stage race.

Cascade Classic
Colavita/Forno d'Asolo threw a monkey wrench in the plans of the big teams at the 32nd Cascade Classic this week. Aggressive riding by Rushlee Buchanan, Leah Kirchmann, Janel Holcomb, Lauren Hall, and Andrea Dvorak netted the team the Cascade Lakes Road Race with Buchanan, and the Downtown Crit won by Hall.




Img_3578_medium
The final stage started early - 11am - so riders could start back on their journeys home with enough time.  It feels like a sad thing, the way the race dissipates without a chance to say goodbye - but then, I'm a fangirl - for the riders, that's business as usual, and some of them were discussing what comes next from the moment they got there - Vårgårda for the top riders, and hoping for selection for the Road Worlds.




Video: Holm
Suggestions that Bob Stapleton is looking increasingly likely to secure team’s future.



Andres Diaz and Carlos Alzate
"As a kid, the international nature of professional cycling greatly contributed to my love for the sport. Races took place in other continents, with riders from around the world using bikes made in countries I had never been to."



Where is everyone?
During the three weeks of the Tour de France, it is said that all normal activity comes to a grinding halt. Having followed the tour in the Alps in previous years, traffic jams are normal and advertising boards appear outside many bars. But on the Cote D’Azur, which was not on this year’s tour schedule, I intended to discover any real interest in the proceedings.



bike shop
"We asked a few top mechanics to weigh in on their first picks for cheap upgrades, and we got a lot of great and varied responses."



http://janheine.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/raphavsofficial.jpg
Rapha recently introduced their “Paris-Brest-Paris Jersey.” It is designed specifically for randonneuring, and as a bonus, it comes with a reflective vest. The vest has generated considerable interest among randonneurs.


Shop Talk
VeloNews’ 2011 race calendar
VeloNews' 2011 mtb race calendar
CXMagazine’s  2011 cx race calendar
How to Drive Around Cyclists
Men's Pro Cycling on Twitter
Twitter Hashtags For Races
Bike trade tweeps - who uses Twitter.
Classified - bikes and accessories for sale.
Archive - looking? it may be in the archive.
Health and Fitness - also training information.
Tips and Safety - what to watch out for.
Unwritten rules of cycling etiquette
As TheToto Turns

July 24, 2011

http://www.pavepavepave.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/PIC213387S.jpg
Stage 21 from Creteil to Paris marked the end of the Tour de France. Going in to the stage, every major classification – general, young rider, team and mountain – was finalized, save the points classification.




Tom Danielson
Garmin-Cervélo rider uncorks strong debut in cycling’s top event.









Tour de France



Stage Profile
Sunday's Tour de France Stage 21 departs Créteil at 2:30pm CET (8:30am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Paris Champs-Élysées at around 5:06pm CET (11:06am U.S. Eastern). Tour de France live video streaming should get underway at around 2:15pm CET (8:15am U.S. Eastern).



Ah Paris! After three weeks of racing around rural France today’s stage is an urban criterium. The start is in Créteil, a boring suburb of Paris full of ugly tower blocks and a contrast to the elegant finishing circuit in Paris that borrows some of the most upmarket roads in the world, in particular the Champs Elysées and Rue de Rivoli.



Stage preview
Stage 21 start time: Sunday 14:30 CET (5:30 AM PDT). Earliest live video: 14:15 CET (5:15 AM PDT). Approximate finish: 17:06 CET (8:06 AM PDT).



In both the men’s and women’s Downtown Twilight Criterium, the pace was very fast and the winner came out of a break but that’s where the similarities end. Lauren Hall (Colavita/Forno d’Asolo) outsprinted her breakmates for the win in stage 5 of the BMC Cascade Cycling Classic while USA U23 Crit Champion Rob Bush (Chipotle Development Team) claimed victory in a chaotic and confusing finish after his 6-rider break lapped the field.




Img_3152_medium
It was a big day for the General Classification - with only 11 seconds between Emma Johansson (Hitec Products UCK) and Amber Neben (HTC-Highroad), and then 5 seconds from Neben to Noemi Cantele (Garmin-Cervélo) and Claudia Häusler (German National Team), a lot hinged on the 19km time trial.



“Russia's Alexandr Kolobnev will receive the "Knight of the Order" by President Medvedev for "for services to the Motherland". I kid you not.” - Inner Ring Twitter



Tifosi Pave shades
Good quality shades with a versatile transmission range. Better suited to small or narrow heads.



Christian Vande Velde and Tom Danielson (Garmin-Cervélo) can hardly feel the pain of the day after teammate Tyler Farrar wins his first Tour de France stage.
Christian Vande Velde finished the Grenoble time trial tired but happy after his Garmin-Cervélo squad secured the team competition prize to complete a hugely successful Tour de France.



'Gimme a bike!' says Levi - we're five kilometers into the final time trial of the 2011 Tour de France and at the worst possible place - on a tough climb - Radio Shack's Tour jinx continues... Ed Hood got the chance to follow former Tour podium finisher, Levi Leipheimer in today's time trial around Grenoble.


Road ID Rules of the Road
Bicycle Tutor
The Bicycle Safety Guide
On The Road: Bicycle Safety
Guide to Bicycle Safety
Beginners' cycling questions answered
Bicycle Insurance
World Bicycle Relief
Lexicon of cycling terms
Race Reports - Janel Holcomb.
Video: Performance- some humor.
Video: Ride Right


14 Cadel winning the Tour de France
What a Tour it's been. I don't think a better script could have been written for a more dramatic finish. I've never been so emotionally invested in a sporting event in my entire life and it's completely consumed me for the past 500 hours.



Tangled mess Johnny Hoogerland
Johnny Hoogerland was literally knocked off the road by a French television car during Stage 9. The Dutch rider crashed into a barbed-wire fence, suffered multiple gashes on his legs requiring 33 stitches. However, Hoogerland not only resumed riding in the Tour -- but completed the stage.





Video: Vaughters applauds Garmin-Cervélo’s Tour de France achievements
Fifteen points separate the two in fight for green; other classifications decided.



Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank Sungard) finished third on the stage, but it wasn't enough to move onto the Tour's podium.
A solid outing in the Grenoble time trial on Saturday saw Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-Sungard) move up to 5th overall at the Tour de France, but the Spaniard admitted that he had paid for his efforts on the road to l’Alpe d’Huez the previous day.



http://redkiteprayer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/6863_Andy_Schleck_Galibier_jfPhSptsm.jpg
I ache. I ache for Thomas Voeckler. I ache for Andy Schleck. I ache for the end of the Tour de France.



Friendly retro ride, but ultimately low on performance and value
"Friendly retro ride, but ultimately low on performance and value."



Thomas Voeckler
Former top rider interviews current one after time trial.



French hope Pierre Rolland fought Estonian rival Rein Taaramae on the penultimate stage of the race Saturday.



Italian currently leading points competition in Brixia Tour.


PezCyclingNews.com


tdf-atoc-2011-bmc-team-car-one.jpg
Cadel Evans's BMC team walked away from the Tour de France with the lion's share of the cash prize after the Australian claimed an historic maiden victory on the race Sunday.





Evans and Schlecks on final podium, Tour de France 2011, stage 21
Cadel Evans (BMC) became the first Australian to win the Tour de France on Sunday, safely completing the 2011 race's final stage to Paris. Mark Cavendish (HTC) won on the Champs Élysées to take Britain's first Tour de France green jersey.









Chris Horner (RadioShack) lost over twelve minutes in a crash.
RadioShack's Chris Horner was forced to watch the last two weeks of the Tour de France from the sidelines after he suffered a concussion as the result of a crash during the seventh stage. The American is now focused on making a swift recover and will turn his attention to the upcoming UCI 2.1 USA Pro Cycling Challenge held from August 22-28 in Colorado.



Contador marks Rolland in the finale of the Alpe d'Huez climb
At the end of this year's Tour de France, many observers and anti-doping experts have drawn positive conclusions about the race's credibility. The statistics with regard to the decisive mountain stages indicate less explosive performances than in previous years, while riders have appeared to cross the finish line in more obvious states of fatigue than in the recent past.



A tired David Millar (Garmin-Cervelo) couldn't repeat his Giro d'Italia triumph.
A weary David Millar (Garmin-Cervelo) finished a disappointing 32nd in Saturday's individual time trial, but the former Tour de France stage winner was pleased to simply be nearing Paris. Friday's stage to Alpe d'Huez tested his resolve, but in the end after a determined effort he was able to finish within the time-cut.



Vaughters
Says all five objectives met, talks about right approach with Danielson.



Unai Etxebarria thinking
Former Euskaltel-Euskadi rider Unai Etxebarria has been awarded damages of more than 30,000 euros by the supreme court in the Basque Country after newspapers in the Grupo Vocento media group erroneously linked him with the Operación Puerto blood doping investigation.


Shop Talk
VeloNews’ 2011 race calendar
VeloNews' 2011 mtb race calendar
CXMagazine’s  2011 cx race calendar
How to Drive Around Cyclists
Men's Pro Cycling on Twitter
Twitter Hashtags For Races
Bike trade tweeps - who uses Twitter.
Classified - bikes and accessories for sale.
Archive - looking? it may be in the archive.
Health and Fitness - also training information.
Tips and Safety - what to watch out for.
Unwritten rules of cycling etiquette
As TheToto Turns

July 23, 2011

Christian Vande Velde and Tom Danielson (Garmin-Cervélo) can hardly feel the pain of the day after teammate Tyler Farrar wins his first Tour de France stage.
Christian Vande Velde finished the Grenoble time trial tired but happy after his Garmin-Cervélo squad secured the team competition prize to complete a hugely successful Tour de France.



The 'burbs, and it climbs, up, up, out of the saddle, the speed is down to 30, he sits down, changes gear - jeez ! his chain is off, we can hear the rattle back here.
'Gimme a bike!' says Levi - we're five kilometers into the final time trial of the 2011 Tour de France and at the worst possible place - on a tough climb - Radio Shack's Tour jinx continues... Ed Hood got the chance to follow former Tour podium finisher, Levi Leipheimer in today's time trial around Grenoble.



http://www.atwistedspoke.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Phil-Anderson-Twisted-SPoke.jpg
Andersen is the first guy who wasn’t a euro to wear the yellow jersey of the Tour de France. His has two stage wins in le Grand Boucle and top 10 a few times.
















Tour de France



Stage Profile
Saturday's Tour de France Stage 20, a 42.5km Individual Time Trial at Grenoble, gets underway at 10:26am CET (4:26am U.S. Eastern) with the departure of the first rider. Tour de France live video streaming should get underway at around 2:15pm CET (8:15am U.S. Eastern).



After three weeks of uphill sprints and summit finishes this the only individual time trial with the start and finish in Grenoble.



Stage preview
Stage 20 start time: Saturday 10:30 CET (1:30 AM PDT).
Earliest live video: 14:15 CET (5:15 AM PDT).
Approximate finish: 17:13 CET (8:13 AM PDT).



Danielson
Yesterday's performance has American team positioned well.



Eddy Merckx was on hand to congratulate Andy Schleck.
Five-time Tour de France champion Eddy Merckx was full of praise for the spectacle taking place at this year's Tour de France. The Belgian was particularly impressed with the efforts of Alberto Contador (SaxoBank-Sungard), Andy Schleck (Leopard-Trek) and Cadel Evans (BMC).



Orbea Odin helmet
"Well-vented and protected brain bucket, but bulky size, limited adjustability and low value ."

Road ID Rules of the Road
Bicycle Tutor
The Bicycle Safety Guide
On The Road: Bicycle Safety
Guide to Bicycle Safety
Beginners' cycling questions answered
Bicycle Insurance
World Bicycle Relief
Lexicon of cycling terms
Race Reports - Janel Holcomb.
Video: Performance- some humor.
Video: Ride Right


Thomas Voeckler
Former top rider interviews current one after time trial.



tdf-stg08_rolland_tdf2011.jpg
French hope Pierre Rolland fought Estonian rival Rein Taaramae on the penultimate stage of the race Saturday.



Daniele Colli
Italian currently leading points competition in Brixia Tour.



Geraint Thomas (Sky) earned the combativity prize for his efforts.
Geraint Thomas and Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky) have enjoyed a successful Tour de France. Thomas wore the white jersey early in the race before being one of the main protagonists in a break in the Pyrenees, which won him the most aggressive rider prize for the stage. Boasson Hagen has been everywhere, following the breaks, taking part in the bunch sprints and most recently winning solo on the road to Pinerolo.




Riders off the front heading to Mt Bachelor at the 2007 Cascade Cycling Classic
Attacks flew in today’s Queen Stage especially on the finale, the tough climb up Mt Bachelor but no one was able to unseat the leaders on stage 3 of the BMC Cascade Cycling Classic. Stage 1 winner Cesar Grajales (RealCyclist.com) claimed the stage win while his teammate Francisco Mancebo remains in yellow. Best Young Rider Rushlee Buchanan (Colavita/Forno d’Asolo) attacked her breakmates in the final kilometers to solo to the win and Clara Hughes (CyclingBC) keeps the GC lead.






Ernesto Colnago
Many bike manufacturers have come and gone over the years but Colnago have endured the bumps and bends and come out stronger for it. Much of this can be credited to 79-year-old Ernesto Colnago, the company’s founder. We sat down with him at the recent Gran Fondo Los Angeles ride to find out more.



_MG_0133
The Tour de France is the focus of the cycling world in July but naturally every professional rider wants a chance to ride the world’s best-known race. Those on the sidelines in Girona, Spain, watch with interest or continue preparing for other events in the calendar.



Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad) holding onto the green jersey.
Two top Belgian teams are still scrambling to find sponsors and new riders for the coming season.  Omega Pharma is to hold talks next week with Vacansoleil-DCM about merging, while Quick Step is talking to top sprinter Mark Cavendish.


PezCyclingNews.com










Judith Arndt
HTC-Highroad has a double-day as Amber Neben takes the yellow jersey.




Schleck
Andy and Fränk have no regrets after possibly best-ever races against the clock.



Alberto Contador gained only the most aggressive rider's prize for his efforts.
Two Tour de France champions will have hearings before the Court of Arbitration for Sport in August.  Alberto Contador's hearing will be at the beginning of August, with Jan Ullrich having his day later in the month.  In addition, Mikel Astarloza's case will be heard by the court in mid-September.



“Russia's Alexandr Kolobnev will receive the "Knight of the Order" by President Medvedev for "for services to the Motherland". I kid you not.” - Inner Ring Twitter



tdf-stg19_voeckler_tdf2011.jpg
'When I dig I can really dig, but when I crack I really crack.'



Europcar L'Equipe
The wording below Pierre Rolland and Thomas Voeckler translates as “3450km full of courage” but “le plein” is also the term for a full tank of fuel so it also means “3450km on a full tank of courage” , an appropriate message for a car hire company.



http://velonews.competitor.com/files/2011/07/nolevels.jpg
“We are checking them by sight today,” commissaire Philippe Marien said in between bike checks Saturday morning. “We learned a lesson from last time.”



George Hincapie (BMC) was all smiles
Asked if it was one of his favourite Tours, Hincapie told Cyclingnews: "They’re all so different and so special. Hincapie, 38, said it had been a tough edition. "It’s been a very, very stressful, tough Tour, fighting for position every day and doing more work than we’ve ever done.


Shop Talk
VeloNews’ 2011 race calendar
VeloNews' 2011 mtb race calendar
CXMagazine’s  2011 cx race calendar
How to Drive Around Cyclists
Men's Pro Cycling on Twitter
Twitter Hashtags For Races
Bike trade tweeps - who uses Twitter.
Classified - bikes and accessories for sale.
Archive - looking? it may be in the archive.
Health and Fitness - also training information.
Tips and Safety - what to watch out for.
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As TheToto Turns

July 22, 2011





Saturday's stage is a 42.5 kilometer individual time trial in Grenoble. After the hard race through the mountains, the riders will race the clock with the overall victory still far from decided.

Stage preview
Stage 20 start time: Saturday 10:30 CET (1:30 AM PDT).
Earliest live video: 14:15 CET (5:15 AM PDT).
Approximate finish: 17:13 CET (8:13 AM PDT).




tdf-snob-stg19_navarro_tdf2011-2.jpg
Had today’s Stage 19 been more decisive, we could have gone about our respective recreational activities this weekend knowing that the remaining two days were a formality in terms of the GC, and simply checked in for the ceremonial bunch sprint on the Champs-Élysées (pronounced “LAY-oh-pard Trek.”)







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Today’s 108km stage 19 was billed as a mountain sprint. True to form, the first 14km saw some furious racing before a big breakaway went away. They didn’t last long, though, as Alberto Contador lit up the Telegraphe climb to set off an exciting day of racing.








Tour de France



Pierre Rolland Alpe d'Huez
Aged 24, Pierre Rolland won the Tour de France stage on Alpe d’Huez today and took the White Jersey. Is he the next big thing in French cycling? No, Pierre Rolland was the next big thing three years ago.



Stage Profile
Friday's Tour de France Stage 19 departs Modane Valfréjus at 2:30pm CET (8:30am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Alpe d'Huez at around 5:37pm CET (11:37am U.S. Eastern). Tour de France live video streaming should get underway at around 2:30pm CET (8:30am U.S. Eastern).



La Côte de Pramartino
Alpe d’Huez lies at 1860m and enjoys 300 days of sunshine a year, impressive for the Alps. On a good today there are stunning views of surrounding mountains but today every rider who reaches the resort can expect to see the Eiffel Tower in Paris.




Giro factress women's shoe:
Accessory makers Giro showed several new lines of shoes and helmets at the iceBike show in Milton Keynes hosted by their UK importers Madison this week. The big news for anyone who's been lusting after Giro’s shoes but balked at the £160 pricetag of the cheapest model is that they've expanded the line down to below the £100 mark.



Kevin Pauwels File Photo © Bart Hazen
Tim Johnson and Ryan Trebon are taking on the Cascade Cycling Classic this weekend, one on a ’cross bike, the other on a road bike: who will be the ’cross winner? Kathy Sherwin lands a pro contract for ’cross season, big things from the tough woman?


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Video: Performance- some humor.
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Andy Rihs
Swiss believes final glory awaits his rider in Paris.



2011 Tour de France stage 19: Alberto Contador punch
Contador dispatched a spectator who bothered him on the Alpe.







Thomas Voeckler
Tenacious Frenchman says he’ll give everything today.



“Russia's Alexandr Kolobnev will receive the "Knight of the Order" by President Medvedev for "for services to the Motherland". I kid you not.” - Inner Ring Twitter



http://www.atwistedspoke.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Voeckler-bus-Tour-de-France-Alp-dHuez-twisted-spoke.jpg
FIghting his way through the Pyrenees and then battling to keep his jersey on the legendary climbs of the Alps, the Galibier, Col d’Izoard, Telegraphe, and then most of the way up the fearsome Alp d’Huez.



Everything you need to know to stay hydrated—before, during and after a ride.



21 bends
“The Alpe! It’s like all the Alps encapsulated in one mountain” Gérard Ejnès, L’Equipe journalist and author.



Tern are pressing ahead with the launch of their debut range at Eurobike despite the impending lawsuit
The founders of new folding bike brand Tern have hit back after market leaders Dahon filed a lawsuit against them, accusing them of "unlawfully using company assets, resources and intellectual property to start a competing company."



KCNC's new stem
If you want your road bike to look proper Pro, or you fancy getting featured on SLAM THAT STEM, then you're going to need a stem that's long. And flat. And that's what you'll get with the new ST35 stem from KCNC.



Look 566
"Super comfortable, distance-friendly aristocrat albeit at a flex and cost premium."




PezCyclingNews.com








Frank Schleck, Alp d;Huez, twisted spoke
“I am going to kick my brothers’ ass in the time trial and win this goddamn French race for myself.” said Frank. As media people crowded around, the older Schleck made his priorities clear.




Emma Pooley
World time trial champion escapes breakaway companions to finish alone; Emma Johansson holds overall lead.



Rhae-Christie Shaw finished 2nd at Sea Otter Classic Time Trial earlier this year
All eyes were on Rhae-Christie Shaw after her commanding time trial win at the Tour de Bretagne Féminin and she did not disappoint. The Canadian set a time of 21:10 over the 15-km course to not only win the stage but also take over the lead at the Tour Féminin en Limousin after two stages.



http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/667059/Evans_and_Schleck.jpg
Wow, what a stage. Happy Alpe Day indeed. What a week. For all the things that haven't been what we'd hoped this year, the Tour de France has saved the 2011 cycling season, and then some.



Portland, Ore., has an extensive system of bike paths and lanes, like this one along the Eastbank Esplanade.
Bicycles offer a great way to get to know an urban area.



http://redkiteprayer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Lemond-89Yel-Stopped-@PhSpt.jpg
The Tour’s current status as a wealthy, far-reaching business enterprise that is the heart of the professional racing calender is huge reversal of fortune. There are teams who argue that without a trip to the Tour their sponsors will abandon them. It wasn’t always so.



http://redkiteprayer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/0028_Thomas_Voeckler_Yel_Galibier_cwPhSptsm.jpg
"All of the photography that I run from ProTeam events, such as the images from this year’s Tour de France come from John Pierce at Photosport International."



Cadel Evans (BMC) leads Thomas Voeckler (Europcar)
BMC's team doctor Max Testa was not giving anything away as to the condition of team leader Cadel Evans at the conclusion of stage 18 at the summit of the Galibier.



Nicolas Roche (Ag2r-La Mondiale)
Nicolas Roche (Ag2r-La Mondiale) was among the last riders to put up resistance to Andy Schleck’s winning ride on stage 18 of the Tour de France, but the Irishman admitted that he was powerless to do anything other than attempt to hold Schleck’s wheel on the lower slopes of the Col du Galibier.



tdf-stg18_cavendish_tdf2011.jpg
The Galibier Pass, France: (Bicycling.com): For years, British cyclist Mark Cavendish has dreamed of winning the prestigious green jersey offered to the most complete sprinter in the Tour de France. And this year, Cavendish is closer than ever.


Shop Talk
VeloNews’ 2011 race calendar
VeloNews' 2011 mtb race calendar
CXMagazine’s  2011 cx race calendar
How to Drive Around Cyclists
Men's Pro Cycling on Twitter
Twitter Hashtags For Races
Bike trade tweeps - who uses Twitter.
Classified - bikes and accessories for sale.
Archive - looking? it may be in the archive.
Health and Fitness - also training information.
Tips and Safety - what to watch out for.
Unwritten rules of cycling etiquette
As TheToto Turns

July 21, 2011

http://www.atwistedspoke.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Andy-Schleck-on-Galibier.jpg
Andy Schleck went up the famed Galibier with a smile on his face. Not a grimace like Ivan Basso or the clenched teeth and hard jaw of Cadel Evans or the hors category suffering on the face of Alberto Contador or Thomas Voeckler.



Cadel Evans attacks, Tour de France 2011, stage 17
Australian Cadel Evans' chances of winning the Tour de France may have evaporated on the 18th leg to the Col du Galibier today.



tdf-stg18_contador01_tdf2011-snob.jpg
Until today, I had no idea how much I wanted Thomas Voeckler to win the Tour de France.





Mark Cavendish, Tour de France 2011, stage 17
Mark Cavendish's green jersey quest became more difficult after Tour de France's mountainous leg to the Col du Galibier today. HTC-Highroad's British sprinter finished in a group outside the time limit and lost 20 points.






A quick look at who was hot and who was not during stage 18 of the Tour.







Tour de France




Stage Profile
Thursday's Tour de France Stage 18 departs Pinerolo at 11:20am CET (5:20am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Galibier Serre-Chevalier at around 5:04pm CET (11:04am U.S. Eastern). Tour de France live video streaming should get underway at around 1:30pm CET (7:30am U.S. Eastern).



La Côte de Pramartino
Big, grande, enorme. Call it what you like, this is the biggest stage of the 2011 Tour de France. It might not settle the result, far from it, but three hors catégorie climbs including the finish in the Galibier mean it’s a massive day in the race. The French call it the Etape Reine, literally the “Queen Stage”.



Stage preview
Stage 18 start time: Thursday 11:30 CET (2:30 AM PDT).
Earliest live video: 13:30 CET (4:30 AM PDT).
Approximate finish: 17:04 CET (8:04 AM PDT).



“Dear Phil Lighhett and Paul Sherwen, please please stop calling Mark Cavendish " The Missile " that name is all mine :):):) I'm going to sue you guys for doing this :):):)” - Ivan Dominguez Facebook



Evans
Race makes history with highest finish ever.



Cadel Evans (BMC) on the attack in the finale of stage 16.
Watching the Tour's 12th stage to Luz-Ardiden on Saturday, Australian Federal Member of Parliament Ed Husic told Cyclingnews via Twitter that he would push for a national holiday if Cadel Evans goes on to wear the yellow jersey in Paris. Evans would be the first Australian to claim the honor.



Galibier
“Oh Laffrey! Oh Bayard! Oh Tourmalet! I would be failing in my duty not to proclaim that next to the Galibier you are pale cheap wine. In front of this giant I can do nothing more than raise my hat and salute.” Henri Desgrange – Founder of the Tour de France.



1bikeonroad.jpg
Rugged mountain passes—and chain-link fences—are no match for this light and speedy performance road bike.



http://www.atwistedspoke.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Laurens-Ten-Dam-Tour-de-France-2011.jpg
Laurens Ten Dam — or as we like to call him — Laurens Eight Stitches — is feeling better.


Road ID Rules of the Road
Bicycle Tutor
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On The Road: Bicycle Safety
Guide to Bicycle Safety
Beginners' cycling questions answered
Bicycle Insurance
World Bicycle Relief
Lexicon of cycling terms
Race Reports - Janel Holcomb.
Video: Performance- some humor.
Video: Ride Right



As the hairpins count down, the views become ever more spectacular - as the standard of accommodation begins to slide.
There are still 24 hours to go until le Tour attacks l'Alpe for the 27th time; tomorrow it will be impossible to go back down the climb to take it all in, so we thought we'd give you the PEZ Tour of some of the famous 21 hairpins before it goes totally insane.




2011 Tour de France stage 18
Cadel Evans was a man on an island high above Briançon Wednesday as he pursued an audacious Andy Schleck to the summit of the Col du Galibier. After the finish Evans and his BMC Racing team management said they rode to win and were critical of the tactics of the other top GC riders.






Pat McQuad, Christian Prudhomme, Yan Shi and Alain Rumpf at the Tour of Beijing press conference.
Pocket climber John Gadret (AG2R-La Mondiale) said after the Giro d'Italia that his next goal would be the Tour of Beijing, the new WorldTour event, from October 5-9. The course unveiled on Monday may not suit pure climbers like him, but key stages include a 11-kilometer opening time trial and a hilly third stage.



LeMond in 1986
When you look west from Pinerolo, your eyes are drawn to the Alps, whose majestic peaks received a new dusting of snow this week. It was in this sparkling city of the Piedmont (literally “foot of the mountain”) region where the legendary Italian rider Fausto Coppi scored one of his most famous coups: a 192km solo odyssey over five alpine passes to finish almost 12 minutes ahead of second-place Gino Bartali to clinch his overall victory in the 1949 Giro d’Italia.



Alberto Contador leading the bunch with Andy Schleck in stage 17
Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-SunGard) went on the attack yet again in the Tour de France, this time on the final descent near the finish in Pinerolo of stage 17, as he continued to try to pull back every possible second on his rivals and fight for overall victory.



Fearless descenders Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank Sungard) tried to put time into their GC rivals.
Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) has formed a potent alliance with Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-SunGard) in the third week of the Tour de France, and the Olympic champion is hoping that the two stages over the Galibier can help him finish on the podium in Paris.



Columbian making small steps on long road to recovery
"You can have short conversations with him. He's still really tired, and that's normal due to the magnitude of the blow he suffered, but his progress is good, especially during this last week."



tape your bars like a Pro
Geert van de Meulebrocke of Team Vacansoleil-DCM show you how...



Ivan Basso's Liquigas-Cannondale SuperSix Evo sits safely tucked in between other team bikes - just like how it usually is out on the road.
Liquigas-Cannondale is on the Bedford, Connecticut company's latest SuperSixEvo – an ultralight evolution of the previous SuperSix Hi-Mod that reportedly weighs just 695g for the bare frame.  Team frames are almost certainly a fair bit heavier than that, though, given the thick coats of paint comprising the white, light green, and blue livery – paint can easily add a couple hundred grams.



tdf11-jersey-man.jpg
In the evenings, Fabrice Pierrot can be found in a parking lot. He does his work from inside a small Skoda van. For the past eight years, Pierrot has held the unique job of preparing all the distinctive leaders' jerseys found in the Tour de France.



Levi's 511 commuter skinny:
Levi’s are to release a series of bike commuting products this week, based on their existing 511 Skinny jeans and denim Trucker jacket.


PezCyclingNews.com


http://www.pavepavepave.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/sirotti-voeckler-2011-TdF-st-18.jpg
Thomas Voeckler’s teeth-gritting defense of his Yellow Jersey in today’s Stage 18 of the 2011 Tour de France came at a price.









A smiling Coryn Rivera (Peanut Butter & CO Twenty12) earlier this year at the Sea Otter Classic
American Coryn Rivera took the win at the UCI 2.2 Tour du Limousin Féminin today when she outsprinted her breakmates at the end of the 120 km stage 1. Sofie de Vuyst (Lotto Honda) was second and defending champion Grete Treire (S.C. Michela Fanini Rox), third.




Thüringen Rundfahrt der Frauen
American Amanda Miller attacked out of the breakaway on the final lap to win stage 3 of the Thüringen Rundfahrt der Frauen today. Swedish National Champion Emma Johansson (Hitec Products – UCK) remains in the yellow leader’s jersey with a seven second lead on Amber Neben (HTC-HighRoad).




Former Dahon employees Joshua (pictured) and Florence Hon are being sued after settting up a rival folding bike business, Tern Bicycles
Dahon are taking new folding bike rivals Tern to court, with CEO David Hon accusing the founders of the fledgling business – his son Joshua and estranged wife Florence – of "unlawfully using company assets, resources and intellectual property to start a competing company".



Eight ProTeams to compete in first-year event.


The Trek-Livestrong team was very active in the breaks today.
The International Cycling Union (UCI) will not permit Continental teams Chipotle Development and Trek-Livestrong to compete at the upcoming Tour of Utah and USA Pro Cycling Challenge, both held in August. The decision was based on code 2.2.001 that involves the teams' affiliation with participating ProTeams Garmin-Cervelo and RadioShack.



Amador
Costa Rican youngster fights on despite injury.



Cesar Grajales (RealCyclist.com) at the 2011 Joe Martin Stage Race
With time gaps still tight after a short prologue, the 74-mile (119-km) McKenzie Pass Road Race with two decisive climbs  put the stage winner into the leader’s jersey on Wednesday at the Bend Memorial Clinic Cascade Cycling Classic.



caffeine-alert.jpg
There's a lot more to know about this popular pick-me-up than how to order a proper doppio. Consider these six stimulating truths.



2_medium
So, big changes in the GC, with the top 9 riders all close to each other.  Stage 3 is hilly again - but then stage 4 is the queen stage - and the time trial on Saturday could shake things up.  It really feels like anything could happen in this race!



Craig Lewis (HTC-Highroad) in hospital following his crash at the Giro d'Italia
For the past seven years, Craig Lewis has been living his dream as a professional cyclist, but this July he is also recovering from another nightmare. The HTC-Highroad rider is stuck at home watching his teammates race the Tour de France as he recuperates from a broken left leg suffered at this year's Giro d'Italia. He's only just getting back on the bike almost two months later.


Shop Talk
VeloNews’ 2011 race calendar
VeloNews' 2011 mtb race calendar
CXMagazine’s  2011 cx race calendar
How to Drive Around Cyclists
Men's Pro Cycling on Twitter
Twitter Hashtags For Races
Bike trade tweeps - who uses Twitter.
Classified - bikes and accessories for sale.
Archive - looking? it may be in the archive.
Health and Fitness - also training information.
Tips and Safety - what to watch out for.
Unwritten rules of cycling etiquette
As TheToto Turns

July 20, 2011

view of south side of Galibier from the summit.
Stage 18 visits three massive climbs including the highest point in the 2011 Tour and the highest mountain top finish in Tour de France history.   We voted this the 2011 Queen stage.



Evans
The Tour de France heads toward its final stages with two massive days in the Alps and a time trial around Grenoble. The battle for the Yellow Jersey remains unusually tight with just over three minutes separating the top seven riders.







2011 Tour de France stage 17 notebook. Photo: Andrew Hood
“Alfred Hitchkock would be a good director of this race,” Delgado told VeloNews. “Nothing’s decided yet. It’s suspense at the highest level.”








Tour de France



Stage Profile
Wednesday's Tour de France Stage 17 departs Gap at 12:30pm CET (6:30am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Pinerolo at around 5:18pm CET (11:18am U.S. Eastern). Tour de France live video streaming should get underway at around 2:15pm CET (8:15am U.S. Eastern).



La Côte de Pramartino
The only stage outside of France this year, the race takes a classic route from France to Italy. 150 years ago the region was as one as the Kingdom of Savoy, a mostly French speaking area where the finishing town was called Pignerol. Today the differences are still subtle as both sides of the border are dominated by the Alpine peaks, indeed the start and finish towns are twinned.



Stage preview
Stage 17 start time: Wednesday 12:35 CET (3:35 AM PDT).
Earliest live video: 14:00 CET (5:00 AM PDT).
Approximate finish: 17:18 CET (8:18 AM PDT).



“Lots of passion, stubbornness, capability for suffering and willpower. That is how I won on Sestriere.” Claudio Chiappucci
.
The Tour will cross the 2,033-metre high climb of Sestriere en route to Pinerolo.



Oscar Pereiro
Tour de France winner says Leopard Trek needs to choose a leader.



Vaughters
Wants independent commission to carry out a thorough study of contentious subject.



Euskaltel-Euskadi
Orange squad illuminates Alpine stage.


Bicycle Tutor
The Bicycle Safety Guide
On The Road: Bicycle Safety
Guide to Bicycle Safety
Beginners' cycling questions answered
Bicycle Insurance
World Bicycle Relief
Lexicon of cycling terms
Race Reports - Janel Holcomb.
Video: Performance- some humor.
Video: Ride Right



A tired but satisfied Andy Schleck at the finish
Andy Schleck (Leopard Trek) managed to chase down Alberto Contador and Samuel Sanchez after the high-speed descent of the Cote de Pramartino to hold onto his fourth place overall. Yet he was still angry that such a technical descent was included in the finale of the stage.

J Voigt
Jens Voigt strongly defended Leopard-Trek’s tactic of riding for both Schleck brothers throughout the Tour de France rather than rally behind one of the brothers as a single leader.



2011 Tour de France stage 17, Bjarne Riis. Photo: Andrew Hood
For Contador to win the Tour, he had to come out firing in the race’s final week and he has done just that, attacking on the final climb Tuesday above Gap and again on the Cat. 2 Côte de Pramartino climb and the descent to Pinerolo Wednesday.




http://www.atwistedspoke.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Favorites-Sestriere-Tour-de-France-2011.jpg
Trailing his chief rival in the Tour de France by roughly two minutes, Alberto Contador and his countrymen Samuel Sanchez launched a vicious attack on the descent into Pinerolo, Italy.



Marie-Odile Amaury
The difference between a wealthy Tour de France and teams hunting for money is now leading squads to lobby for a share of the TV rights enjoyed by the Tour de France’s owners.



Pinarello Dogma 2
"Pinarello is following up with the all-new Dogma 2. It's a bike that, after some serious test riding, proved its extraordinary nature to me. There's no need to debate whether the Dogma 2 is the most alluring bike money can buy. If you factor in all of the variables -- curb appeal, street cred, ride quality -- it is the undisputed champion."






Jérôme Pineau
Quickstep rider Jérôme Pineau will continue his participation in the Tour despite the sudden death of his uncle, Patrick Guay, at the event. Mr. Guay was said to be attending his 27th Tour and a press statement released by Quickstep after the finish of Stage 16 said: “He never missed the chance to greet Jeje [Jérôme] at the end of each stage with words of encouragement and a pat on the back.



As head mech for Team BMC, Ian Sherburne knows more about tuning bikes than most guys.
"We talked to BMC’s head mech Ian Sherburne at le Tour about  keeping Cadel’s bike running smoothly."



Ian Sherburne at the U.S. service course preparing for the Tour of California. (Wil Matthews)
A conversation with BMC chief mechanic Ian Sherburne.



Contour Android
It’s looking like a smart phone is quickly becoming standard riding gear. More and more companies are introducing useful apps on both the Apple and Android platform for you to use for your bike.


PezCyclingNews.com




Emma Johansson
Double day for Swedish champion as break takes five minutes on hilly stage.










http://www.pavepavepave.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/PIC130272S.jpg
With two big mountain stages (18 and 19) and a 42.5km individual time trial all that remains to determine the General Classification of this year’s Tour de France, have we seen all we need to in order to speculate about the composition of the final podium?
















Kolobnev
Russian faces uphill battle to prove innocence.



Movistar's Mauricio Soler celebrates his stage victory on Crans-Montana
Mauricio Soler has left the intensive care unit at the Clínica Universitaria de Navarra in Pamplona as he continues his recovery from the serious injuries he suffered in a crash at the Tour de Suisse last month.



“Dear Phil Lighhett and Paul Sherwen, please please stop calling Mark Cavendish " The Missile " that name is all mine :):):) I'm going to sue you guys for doing this :):):)” - Ivan Dominguez Facebook



Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) tried to light things up on the descent, but nearly came to grief on a left turn.
Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) took all kinds of risks on the Pra Martino descent in stage 17 of the Tour de France and amazingly escaped injury despite overcooking a tight left hand corner and riding onto a car park. Voeckler conceded 27 seconds to his GC rivals and is just one day shy of equalling his epic ten-day stint in yellow at the 2004 Tour de France.



Cadel Evans, Alberto Contador and Samuel Sanchez, Tour de France 2011, stage 16
The Tour de France is too risky according to overall favorites, Fränk and Andy Schleck. They complained today at the finish in Pinerolo, Italy, about the closing descents of the last two stages.



Lezyne Alloy Drive CFH Pump
"Inflates well, heavy-duty hose, fully serviceable. Easy options for mounting or stowing pump and bracket" [Unfortunately, Lezyne has poor customer service - Ed.]



The Secteur’s fork uses Zertz elastomer inserts to help cushion the bumps
"Comfy, stylish and good value."


Shop Talk
VeloNews’ 2011 race calendar
VeloNews' 2011 mtb race calendar
CXMagazine’s  2011 cx race calendar
How to Drive Around Cyclists
Men's Pro Cycling on Twitter
Twitter Hashtags For Races
Bike trade tweeps - who uses Twitter.
Classified - bikes and accessories for sale.
Archive - looking? it may be in the archive.
Health and Fitness - also training information.
Tips and Safety - what to watch out for.
Unwritten rules of cycling etiquette
As TheToto Turns

July 19, 2011


http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/664340/119369829.jpg
The Tour de France pays a visit to Italy during this up and down stage 17 from Gap to Pinerolo. It's a hilly affair, as the Tour crosses the western Alps into Piedmont. Five categorized climbs enliven the proceedings, and the final climb of the day summits with eight kilometers left to race.




Deep in concentration, Andy Schleck considers the days ahead.
There is concern amongst the Tour de France's top contenders about the finish of stage 17 in Pinerolo, which comes immediately following an eight-kilometer descent of the Cote de Pramartino. Andy Schleck criticized the course during the rest day on Monday. "That's ridiculous," he said in his press conference. "It looks like a bike path across a wood. I trained three times in the descent and I already felt it too risky".



http://redkiteprayer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/9583_Thomas_Voeckler_Yel__jfPhSptsm.jpg
"I would not list an assertive ride by a yellow-jersey-wearing Thomas Voeckler as perhaps the best single piece of evidence that the peloton is cleaner than it once was."









Phil’s pick
Jonathan Vaughters (Garmin-Cervelo) says he’s encouraged by signs that this Tour de France is a cleaner race.








Tour de France



Stage Profile
Tuesday's Tour de France Stage 16 departs Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux at 1:05pm CET (7:05am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Gap at around 5:12pm CET (11:12am U.S. Eastern). Tour de France live video streaming should get underway at around 2:15pm CET (8:15am U.S. Eastern).



Col de Manse Gap
The start is near the foot of Mont Ventoux in Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux, which means St Paul Three Castles. Tourist brochures feature lavender fields, vineyards and the views towards Ventoux. It certainly is a pleasant place… except for the vast nuclear power station on the edge of town. With its four reactors, the plant produces 6% of France’s electricity and one day the town will be renamed St Paul Quatre Réacteurs.



Stage preview
Stage 16 start time: Tuesday 13:15 CET (4:15 AM PDT).
Earliest live video: 13:45 CET (4:45 AM PDT).
Approximate finish: 17:12 CET (8:12 AM PDT).




Tour de France, stage 15, start. Photo: Bryn Lennon/Getty.
The Tour de France resumes after the second rest day with this 162.5 kilometer stage between Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux and Gap. In its final week, the Tour rolls inexorably toward its grand finale with the two mountaintop finishes on the col du Galibier and the Alpe d’Huez and the time trial in Grenoble.


Bicycle Tutor
The Bicycle Safety Guide
On The Road: Bicycle Safety
Guide to Bicycle Safety
Beginners' cycling questions answered
Bicycle Insurance
World Bicycle Relief
Lexicon of cycling terms
Race Reports - Janel Holcomb.
Video: Performance- some humor.
Video: Ride Right


stage16-8
"How wrong I was. I was convinced this Tour de France was simply going to be a race of attrition and a winner would emerge from those who hadn't had a bad day rather than decimating attacks and fireworks in the mountains. This is one time I'm happy to be proven wrong."



Johnny Hoogerland
Johny Hoogerland: "The Tour is safe enough - it's the just the speed and the stress that's the problem."




Cadel Evans (BMC) enjoyed an uneventful stage.
Cyclingnews caught up with Euskaltel-Euskadi manager Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano ahead of the final week of the Tour, and the Basque warned that the Schleck brothers might well live to regret not putting serious time into Alberto Contador when he appeared to struggle in the Pyrenees.



Andy Schleck 2011 Tour de FRANCE
Last year it was a slipped change that was the time difference between him beating Albertto Contador to that final maillot juane.



Today marks the 25th anniversary to the day of the 1986 Tour's arrival in Gap. On that day, Jean-Francois Bernard, the young protege of the La Vie Claire machine, soloed home to his first truly major victory, sending the already high expectations into the stratosphere.




Andy Schleck attacks, Tour de France 2011, stage 14
With each passing stage the Schleck brothers are losing their their chance to win this year's Tour. Make no mistake, this is their race to lose, and the way they're riding at the moment, they're going to do just that.




Beijing WorldTour race
Collaboration with Tour de France organiser could prove important in the issue of a proposed team boycott.






Birzman Digital Torque Wrench £179.99
Top-quality piece of kit for the workshop, ideal for keeping the bolts on your bike in perfect condition. Not for the frugal though.



Bill Duehring, left, and Jim Felt welcome the media to the company’s 2012 product launch.)
As Felt Bicycles introduced its 2012 product offerings to the cycling media at its Irvine, California headquarters yesterday, the company looks to bring its racing and performance heritage to a wider audience with more options at better price points.



over-size derailleur rollers
The jury is out on is over-size derailleur rollers; some say the save watts, some say they don't.


PezCyclingNews.com

tdf-snob-stg16_voeckler06_tdf2011.jpg
And what of Thomas Voeckler, who says he has a “0%” chance of winning the Tour de France? Well, he’s going to have to do better than he did today (or worse, depending on how you look at it) if he wants to lose the yellow jersey.



Ina Teutenberg
German champion gaps the rest to extend overall lead.











tdf-stg14_danielson_tdf2011.jpg
At the start of the third week, a look at the U.S. riders’ performances so far.



Andy Schleck (Leopard Trek) conceded more than one minute to Evans, Contador and Sanchez on the run-in to Gap.
Fränk and Andy Schleck climbed onto the Leopard Trek team bus without saying a word to team manager Brian Nygaard, appearing stunned and angry about losing time to key rivals Alberto Contador and Cadel Evans after the attacks on the Col de Manse and the high-speed descent to the finish in Gap.



The gruppetto on its way up.
It's normal that the TV cameras focus on the race for the yellow jersey but when the lead group slims down to less than ten riders during a summit finish don’t forget that mean 160 riders are somewhere else on the mountain.



Garmin manager Jonathan Vaughters
Jonathan Vaughters has called for race organisers to share television revenue with professional cycling teams in a bid to improve the stability of teams. The comments come on the back of ASO’s – organisers of the Tour de France - stance to keep revenue from television streams and as Highroad’s Bob Stapleton struggles to find a lead sponsor for next year.



“Dear Phil Lighhett and Paul Sherwen, please please stop calling Mark Cavendish " The Missile " that name is all mine :):):) I'm going to sue you guys for doing this :):):)” - Ivan Dominguez Facebook



Jelle Vanendert (Omega Pharma-Lotto) celebrates his first professional win
The new team to be sponsored by the Belgian national lottery is starting to take shape. Jurgen Van den Broeck will be with the team, as will Tour de France stage winner Jelle Vanendert, who will be joined by his younger brother Dennis. And more big names from the current Omega Pharma-Lotto team may be on the list as well.



Geraint Thomas
Announcement comes day after Welsh rider admitted discussions held with other teams.



Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Cervelo) celebrates teammate Thor Hushovd's victory as he crosses the finish line two seconds later.
Ryder Hesjedal could hardly stand up after finishing stage 16 in Gap today. The adrenaline produced by victory helped Thor Hushovd smile as he headed to the podium, but Hesjedal's pain is clear to see in this video recorded just after the two hugged in celebration after taking first and third in Gap.





Shop Talk
VeloNews’ 2011 race calendar
VeloNews' 2011 mtb race calendar
CXMagazine’s  2011 cx race calendar
How to Drive Around Cyclists
Men's Pro Cycling on Twitter
Twitter Hashtags For Races
Bike trade tweeps - who uses Twitter.
Classified - bikes and accessories for sale.
Archive - looking? it may be in the archive.
Health and Fitness - also training information.
Tips and Safety - what to watch out for.
Unwritten rules of cycling etiquette
As TheToto Turns

July 18, 2011


Tour de France, stage 15, start. Photo: Bryn Lennon/Getty.
The Tour de France resumes after the second rest day with this 162.5 kilometer stage between Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux and Gap. In its final week, the Tour rolls inexorably toward its grand finale with the two mountaintop finishes on the col du Galibier and the Alpe d’Huez and the time trial in Grenoble.



“Dear Phil Lighhett and Paul Sherwen, please please stop calling Mark Cavendish " The Missile " that name is all mine :):):) I'm going to sue you guys for doing this :):):)” - Ivan Dominguez Facebook



Tejay Van Garderen Tour de France
The surprising thing about Van Garderen — besides how young he looks — is his perpetual laid-back calm about everything around him. He’s riding his first Tour de France and appears so relaxed that you might thing he’s bored.




2011 Tour de France, second rest day
Mark Cavendish’s fourth stage win Sunday didn’t sit well with some of the other top sprinters who couldn’t hold back their frustration that perhaps Cavendish made it through Saturday’s brutal climbing stage up Plateau de Beille with something more than his own two legs.





Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad) with another victory in the Tour de France
HTC's big numbers, Rojas not giving up green jersey ambitions, Andy Schleck content, Rabo jokers.



2011 Tour de France, stage 12
As the dust settled for Monday’s rest day in the Tour de France, many inside the peloton were looking at Leopard-Trek with a critical eye.




Tyler Farrar Tour de France 2011 twisted spoke
Tyler Farrar lost by a half bike length in stage 15 to Montpellier. Mark Cavendish and his HTC train rolled to their fourth victory in this year’s Tour de France. That puts Farrar 18 Tour wins behind the Member of the British Empire.



Stage preview



S1_05_final_mtrs_galibier_1_600_medium
In 2011 the Tour will climb both sides of this mythical mountain, including a finish at the top in what will become the highest ever Tour de France stage finish (stage 18).



Danish strongman Brian Vandborg - one of the key men for keeping Alberto out of the wind on the flat stages.
Bjarne Riis doesn't do things by halves; and press conferences aren't the exception - no chain motels for Saxo. "Château de Rochegude, Place du Château, 26790 Rochegude" says the invite. It doesn't disappoint, honey coloured sandstone, archways, fountains, artworks and a beautifully shaded patio where Alberto and Bjarne hold court.



Globe Coffee Bike
The normally singlespeed frame has a cassette shoved in there and an electrical derailleur with mostly hidden wiring.


Bicycle Tutor
The Bicycle Safety Guide
On The Road: Bicycle Safety
Guide to Bicycle Safety
Beginners' cycling questions answered
Bicycle Insurance
World Bicycle Relief
Lexicon of cycling terms
Race Reports - Janel Holcomb.
Video: Performance- some humor.
Video: Ride Right






Lance Armstrong (RadioShack) at the end of the Tour Down Under.
Lance Armstrong's newly appointed legal team has filed a motion at the US District Court in Los Angeles claiming that the seven-time Tour de France champion has been the victim of "character assassination". The charge stems from alleged leaks from the federal grand jury investigation into allegations that Armstrong was involved in organized doping during his pro cycling career.







Ete_finals_medium
"Podium Cafe Exclusive!! I have secret, insider information that HTC-Highroad, whose future has been hanging by a thread for months, may or may not make an announcement soon regarding the matter! Yes, count on it. A shoe will drop. Just don't ask me which one, or when."





UCI Beijing
The Chinese race, scheduled for October, is being catapulted into the World Tour calendar despite being completely new. Noticeably it is organised by the UCI itself, the governing body is branching out into race organisation and has a substantial financial stake in the race.



Geraint says ‘I’m going’
Team Sky burst on the scene in 2010 amidst tales of astronomic budgets and ‘cheque book recruitment.’ Spaniard Juan Antonio Flecha got their season off to a brilliant start with victory in Het Nieuwsblad; but their avowed goal of putting Olympic pursuit champion Bradley Wiggins on the Tour podium went badly wrong with an off form Wiggins finishing way down the classement.



Ten dam Hideously tough.
A day of rest in the Tour de France. A time to look after the wounded, or perhaps even better, to praise them.



Tioga's super-slim new MT-ZERO-01 flat pedal
Flat pedals have been getting slimmer and slimmer in recent years, with the aim of saving weight, avoiding rock strikes and providing a more stable platform (due to your foot being closer to the axle). MomentumBicycle's FlyPaper took this idea to its extreme but could only be used with their own cranks.



A bent derailleur is easy to miss but can hurt your race results. © Jason Gardner
DNF: these are probably the last symbols we want to see next to our name on the race results list. In endurance events, the DNF (Did Not Finish) is usually linked to some physical failure, an inability to achieve the expectations of the day.



Easton EC90SL stem
Hot on the heels of Jeremy’s post on modern carbon componentry, we’d like to share with you our experience riding some state-of-the-art carbon bits and pieces: an Easton EC90SL stem, EC90SLX3 handlebars, and EC90 seatpost.



GB Stem Bar 800
Grand Bois recently introduced their new stems. The stems are fillet-brazed from steel tubing, then polished and triple-plated (copper, nickel, chrome) for a brilliant and durable finish. The special clamp bolts and the expander bolt are chrome-plated as well. The stems are made by Nitto exclusively for Grand Bois.


PezCyclingNews.com




HTC-Highroad puts Ina Teutenberg
Judith Arndt poised to add third victory in German stage race.











Voiture Balai
Movistar have announced they’re planning to set a fast pace in the mountains with the aim of putting Mark Cavendish in trouble. If the Briton finishes a mountain stage hors délais then Jose Joaquin Rojas is in line to recover the green jersey.



Successful Belgian linked to American team.



Together again?
A little amusement from the Village du Depart, stage 15, Limoux. Each morning the Tour sets up  the village again, a space devoted to sponsors, special guests, tour personnel and the media.



Tour de France prizes
Another rest day on the Tour de France and a time for many to take stock of the race so far and plan for the upcoming stages in the Alps.



Effetto Mariposa
One thing most of our readers have in common is that one of their current bikes costs double + what their first car did. My number is 14X... With that in mind, Torque wrenches should be owned by virtually all of us and a ratcheting head version is very welcome...



Thomas Voeckler
The Tour entered the second rest day pretty much the same way as it did the first, with Thomas Voeckler holding a 1:49 lead in the GC and Alberto Contador still yet to find his legs. Saddles takes a look back at the last six days of action...



aegis mold
In the last 20 years, carbon frames in the pro peloton has gone from an option for well funded teams in the mountains, to the de facto year-round choice. While the occasional aluminum frame may show up under certain riders during the spring classics, most pro teams outfit their riders exclusively with carbon.



blueberries.jpg
Take advantage of the summer's fresh fruit and get your next recovery snack from the produce aisle. These five summer fruits that are nutritional champs for cyclists.



Graham Bensinger sits down with Floyd Landis
Graham Bensinger sits down with Floyd Landis. The Tour de France champ talks about the doping scandal that ruined his career, details Lance Armstrong's alleged illegal drug use and talks about his own future.


Shop Talk
VeloNews’ 2011 race calendar
VeloNews' 2011 mtb race calendar
CXMagazine’s  2011 cx race calendar
How to Drive Around Cyclists
Men's Pro Cycling on Twitter
Twitter Hashtags For Races
Bike trade tweeps - who uses Twitter.
Classified - bikes and accessories for sale.
Archive - looking? it may be in the archive.
Health and Fitness - also training information.
Tips and Safety - what to watch out for.
Unwritten rules of cycling etiquette
As TheToto Turns

July 17, 2011

Jens Voight
All was good until I crashed TWICE on the descent of the Col d’Agnes! Oh my God! The first time I misjudged the corner and braked too fast. My back wheel started sliding. But the road was rough like sandpaper and you can imagine what happens when you put sandpaper to rubber! Boom! My tire exploded.



A quick look at who was hot and who was not during stage three of the Tour.



Stapleton
Highroad boss Bob Stapleton was playing rope-a-dope outside the HTC-Highroad team bus Sunday morning. The questions about the team’s future came quick and fast from a handful of journalists chasing rumors about the team’s future, but the American tycoon wasn’t giving anything away.






Tyler
Controversy amongst the sprinters after the first big mountains.









Tour de France



Stage Profile
Sunday's Tour de France Stage 15 departs Limoux at 12:50pm CET (6:50am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Montpellier at around 5:17pm CET (11:17am U.S. Eastern). Tour de France live video streaming should get underway at around 2:15pm CET (8:15am U.S. Eastern).

Stage preview



Gert Steegmans
Team says return to racing depends on healing process.



Photo: courtesy Willem Dingemanse
The Leopard-Trek team spent the first rest day of the Tour de France at the Gabarit Hôtel and in the reception area were several photos from the past when the GAN team, later known as Crédit Agricole. The team would use the hotel as a base for training camps. Fabian Cancellara joked about Stuart O’Grady who features in the photos from the late nineties.



“And here's a first... Got pulled over IN the race today by a gendarme and he made me do an alcohol test, duriing the race...” - Johan Bruyneel Twitter


Bicycle Tutor
The Bicycle Safety Guide
On The Road: Bicycle Safety
Guide to Bicycle Safety
Beginners' cycling questions answered
Bicycle Insurance
World Bicycle Relief
Lexicon of cycling terms
Race Reports - Janel Holcomb.
Video: Performance- some humor.
Video: Ride Right










Thomas Voeckler is rock ‘n’ rolling this Tour de France.
He’s French, he’s yellow, he’s suddenly on the board as a possible podium finisher. C’est Fou! Even Lance Armstrong is taking him seriously from back in Texas.



Fabian Cancellara looks after Leopard Trek leader Fränk Schleck
Transfer rumours, Cancellara flying high, Evans and the status quo.



Stage 15 last kilometres
An easy day after the Pyrenees as the riders leave the mountains and around the Mediterranean coast, a place where millions of French and northern Europeans migrate for the summer to profit from the sea and sunshine. The stage starts in Limoux, half-famous for its sparkling white wine that struggles for attention alongside the more famous champagne.



Laurens ten Dam
The Rabobank team management has described Laurens ten Dam as “hard as rock” after he started the 15th stage of the Tour de France despite crashing and hurting his face in a high-speed crash during Saturday's stage to Plateau de Beille.



Mark Cavendish and Mark Renshaw (HTC-Highroad) have built up a wonderful understanding over the past three seasons.
Mark Renshaw has predicted that Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto) is the biggest threat to Mark Cavendish’s chances of winning the green points jersey in Paris because he will be able to score points during several hilly stages in the final week of the race.





Cavendish at sign-in, Montpellier, France.
“They ride themselves out of their skin,” said Cavendish. “That just shows the commitment these guys have for me. I’m incredibly lucky.”


PezCyclingNews.com


2011 XC Nationals: Spenser Paxson
The duo’s victories were similar in that after the first lap of their respective races each moved to the front and then dominated the proceedings.



Alexander Vinokourov crashed out of the 2011 Tour on stage 9
Kazakh cycling star Alexander Vinokourov announced his retirement on French television on Sunday, a week after crashing out of the Tour de France with a thigh fracture.



2011 Tour de France, stage 14: Andy Schleck
They blamed the wind. They wouldn’t commit to a full-out attack. They said the others were riding negatively. “They” are the men who the media said raced more like the seven dwarfs than the seven favorites on Saturday’s stage of the Tour de France because of their “after-you-Claude” tactics.



2011 Tour de France, stage 14: Jens Voigt
Jens Voigt was among the riders to go down hard on Saturday’s 14th stage of the Tour de France to Plateau de Beille. The Leopard-Trek rider said after the finish that he was banged up, but saw no threat to his continuing the race.



Unconfirmed rumours were of the event being cancelled at the Col du Pas de Peyrol, the second category climb, 99.5km in to the 208km stage. Riders are apparently still stranded at the town of Le Puy Mary on the Col du Pas de Peyrol, waiting to be evacuated.



Karsten Kroon
Karsten Kroon was born January 29, 1976 and is 35 years old and now races for American team BMC Racing. He turned pro way back in 1999 (pro for 12 years). Karsten is from Dalen, Netherlands and now lives Rekem, Belgium. He weighs 145 pounds and is 5 ft and 11 inches tall.



Keep your wheels rolling straight with this easy advice.




Graham Bensinger sits down with Floyd Landis
Graham Bensinger sits down with Floyd Landis. The Tour de France champ talks about the doping scandal that ruined his career, details Lance Armstrong's alleged illegal drug use and talks about his own future.
  • Landis on Charmichael :"Complete smokescreen, not a coach at all" "Created business to make money and deflect from Ferrari"
  • Landis on Charmichel: "Nothing to do with coaching Lance" "Talked to him once a month, not about cycling"
  • Landis on Johann; "He liked to boast how he was the team doctor" "He organized the doping"
  • Landis on Contador "His Coach was my drug dealer"
  • Landis on Armstrong: "For him the worst case scenario is people find out he is a liar, I think prison wouldn't be 1/2 as bad as that"

  • More at RaceRadio



Matt iebikes1
i.e. Bikes owner, Matt Barringer, tells us about his shop and what he is doing to create an atmosphere that is pleasing to his customers.


Shop Talk
VeloNews’ 2011 race calendar
VeloNews' 2011 mtb race calendar
CXMagazine’s  2011 cx race calendar
How to Drive Around Cyclists
Men's Pro Cycling on Twitter
Twitter Hashtags For Races
Bike trade tweeps - who uses Twitter.
Classified - bikes and accessories for sale.
Archive - looking? it may be in the archive.
Health and Fitness - also training information.
Tips and Safety - what to watch out for.
Unwritten rules of cycling etiquette
As TheToto Turns

July 16, 2011

2011 TdF stage 15 profile
Usually in a Tour, the sprinters and breakaway specialists can count on contesting at least two and perhaps even three "transition" stages between the Pyrenees and the Alps. This year though, they've got just the one.



Tejay
HTC-Highroad owner Bob Stapleton has a self-imposed deadline of this Monday to keep his American registered ProTour team alive. However, several riders have been rumored to be jumping ship regardless.





Thomas Voeckler as a potential Tour de France winner?
The favorites cancelled each other out on Plateau de Beille. Is Thomas Voeckler suddenly looking like a possible Tour winner?








Thomas Danielson (Garmin-Cervelo) moves into the top-ten overall with his 11th place finish.
Tom Danielson still holds a top ten spot at the Tour de France despite a cracking on the climb to Plateau de Beille on stage 14. The Garmin-Cervelo climber hit the final climb of the stage with all his GC rivals and looked strong on the initial slopes as teammate Christian Vande Velde rode tempo on the front.








Tour de France




Stage Profile
Saturday's Tour de France Stage 14 departs Saint-Gaudens at 12:00pm CET (6:00am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Plateau de Beille at around 5:02pm CET (11:02am U.S. Eastern). Tour de France live video streaming should get underway at around 12:15pm CET (6:15am U.S. Eastern).

Stage preview
Stage 14 start time: Saturday 12:05 CET (3:05:00 AM PDT).
Earliest live video: 12:20 CET (3:20:00 AM PDT).
Approximate finish: 17:02 CET (8:02:00 AM PDT).



Tom Boonen
Quick Step rider no longer getting headaches.



We did a little pre-ride of the Stage 1 course today. Behind us are some big climbs, descents and a finish line to stage 1.
Oh yes! The 14th annual TransAlp starts tomorrow and we are ready to rumble!


Bicycle Tutor
The Bicycle Safety Guide
On The Road: Bicycle Safety
Guide to Bicycle Safety
Beginners' cycling questions answered
Bicycle Insurance
World Bicycle Relief
Lexicon of cycling terms
Race Reports - Janel Holcomb.
Video: Performance- some humor.
Video: Ride Right





Frank would like to change, please.
The Tour is a spectacle for the public and the riders are on display constantly. Except for the team bus and the hotel room, they are marked men by the media who don’t give them even a second to recover, take a breath, drink of water or warm clothes.



Ivan Basso looked at ease following the wheel of teammate Sylvester Szmyd.
The status quo was maintained among the favourites for Tour de France victory at Plateau de Beille on Saturday but in the immediate aftermath of the stage, Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Cannondale) was critical of Fränk and Andy Schleck's reluctance to seize the initiative from further out on the final climb.



Stapleton
Reports that existing sponsor will stay on board.



Plateau de Beille
The race has climbed up to the Plateau de Beille four times before and each time the victor at the top has apparently gone on to win the Tour de France. It’s no coincidence because this is a very tough climb, 15.8km at 7.9% with a steep start.



Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad) savours taking the green jersey
Mark Cavendish of HTC-Highroad has been accused of holding on to cars in the Pyrenees by some of his rivals for the green jersey but Tour de France race organizers have dismissed the accusations.




Alejandro Valverde prepares for the start.
Alejandro Valverde's suspension ends at the end of this year and the disgraced Spaniard is actively negotiating with teams to restart his career. Several teams seem to be interested but the rider and his manager are being very discreet about exact details.



Northwave Evolution SBS shoes
"Superb stiffness and great foot bed. Slim upper might not suit everyone."



2011 Superweek Logo_Header
Will Routley is back from Europe to race BC Superweek and a familiar spot at the historic Tour de White Rock: Atop the podium at the Homelife Realty Hillclimb.




PezCyclingNews.com









Graham Bensinger sits down with Floyd Landis
Graham Bensinger sits down with Floyd Landis. The Tour de France champ talks about the doping scandal that ruined his career, details Lance Armstrong's alleged illegal drug use and talks about his own future.
  • Landis on Charmichael :"Complete smokescreen, not a coach at all" "Created business to make money and deflect from Ferrari"
  • Landis on Charmichel: "Nothing to do with coaching Lance" "Talked to him once a month, not about cycling"
  • Landis on Johann; "He liked to boast how he was the team doctor" "He organized the doping"
  • Landis tells story of Johan's assistant Duffy sealing off room to prevent secret videos of transfusions.
  • Landis on Contador "His Coach was my drug dealer"
  • Landis on Armstrong: "For him the worst case scenario is people find out he is a liar, I think prison wouldn't be 1/2 as bad as that"

  • More at RaceRadio



“And here's a first... Got pulled over IN the race today by a gendarme and he made me do an alcohol test, duriing the race...” - Johan Bruyneel Twitter



Not a good day for Andreas Klöden (RadioShack) as the German crashed on the descent of the Hourquette d'Ancizan.
RadioShack will turn their attention to stage wins after their third potential GC leader, Andreas Klöden, abandoned the race on stage 13 to Lourdes. The 36-year-old German had been suffering from injuries after succumbing to multiple crashes in this year's race. After slipping off the back of today's bunch after an electric first hour of racing the German decided to throw in the towel.



Thüringen Rundfahrt Frauen
Thüringen Rundfahrt is 7 stages around Thüringen in central Germany - a team time trial, an ITT, 2 (or 3) sprint stages and the rest hilly routes that look perfect for escape groups - each stage starting and finishing in the same town.



mavic-plasma-concept-bicycle-road-bike-helmet
The Plasma helmet would round put the namesake line, they already offer Plasma shorts and jerseys.



To the pub for a few beers and to watch the last couple hours of an exciting stage up the Plateau de Beille
Instead of making my way to the Plateau de Beille today to watch the action live, I decided to take advantage of my location in Lourdes and climb the Col d'Aspin and Col du Tourmalet. After that we headed to a local pub and watched the last 2hrs of the stage. I could't think of many better ways to spend a day in France...



Matt iebikes1
i.e. Bikes owner, Matt Barringer, tells us about his shop and what he is doing to create an atmosphere that is pleasing to his customers.

Shop Talk
VeloNews’ 2011 race calendar
VeloNews' 2011 mtb race calendar
CXMagazine’s  2011 cx race calendar
How to Drive Around Cyclists
Men's Pro Cycling on Twitter
Twitter Hashtags For Races
Bike trade tweeps - who uses Twitter.
Classified - bikes and accessories for sale.
Archive - looking? it may be in the archive.
Health and Fitness - also training information.
Tips and Safety - what to watch out for.
Unwritten rules of cycling etiquette
As TheToto Turns

July 15, 2011

Stage preview
Stage 14 start time: Saturday 12:05 CET (3:05:00 AM PDT).
Earliest live video: 12:20 CET (3:20:00 AM PDT).
Approximate finish: 17:02 CET (8:02:00 AM PDT).




51078184_medium
Just thinking about this final stage in the Pyrénées makes me tired.  Stage 14 will feature six categorized climbs including a mountain top finish up the fearsome Plateau de Beille.






2011 Tour de France
Jeremy Roy (FDJ) won a consolation prize by earning the day’s most combative award, but French riders have come up empty so far in the 2011 Tour de France.











Tour de France





David Moncoutie (Cofidis) couldn't handle Thor Hushovd's surge in the closing kilometres and crossed the finish line in second place behind the Norwegian.
Leaning against the barriers after the finish, Moncoutié explained that while an attack was a surprise, waiting for the sprint would only have delayed the inevitable.



Jérémy Roy
FDJ’s breakaway star reflects on being denied a stage victory inside the final three kilometres.



Stage Profile
Friday's Tour de France Stage 13 departs Pau at 1:10pm CET (7:10am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Lourdes at around 5:24pm CET (11:24am U.S. Eastern). Tour de France live video streaming should get underway at around 2:15pm CET (8:15am U.S. Eastern).

Aubisque
Stage 13 almost feels like a missed opportunity given the Pyrenees but clearly the race organisers don’t want to fix the overall classification with three consecutive summit finishes. Thinking about it, I agree as yesterday gave a glimpse of how the favourites are riding relative to each other but a tentative one.



Jelle Vanendert:
Omega Pharma-Lotto domestique re-evaluates his own expectations but knows his job for the rest of the race.



Leopard Trek teammates Fabian Cancellara and Andy Schleck don't seem to mind the inclement weather.
If either Andy or Frank Schleck stands on the top step of the podium in Paris at the end of the Tour de France, then they'll likely owe a huge debt of thanks to Fabian Cancellara for helping them get there.



2011 Superweek Logo_Header
It took a photo finish review, but Cameron MacKinnon threw his bike to narrowly edged out Bailey McKnight of at the line to win the $15,000 2011 Giro di Burnaby on Thursday, capping a great night for the local teams at BC Superweek.

Bicycle Tutor
The Bicycle Safety Guide
On The Road: Bicycle Safety
Guide to Bicycle Safety
Beginners' cycling questions answered
Bicycle Insurance
World Bicycle Relief
Lexicon of cycling terms
Race Reports - Janel Holcomb.
Video: Performance- some humor.
Video: Ride Right


The pack rides during the 11th stage starting in Blaye les Mines and finishing in Lavaur on July 13, 2011. (Laurent Cipriani/AP) #
The world's most beautiful stadium - the entire country of France - annually hosts the most important bike race of the year: the Tour de France. Upwards of 12 million fans line the roads to watch the race. For free. No tickets needed. The race traverses over 2000 miles in 21 days of racing.




Matteo Tosatto, Saxo Bank:
'This is my eighth Tour, I first rode it in 1997. There's much more press and media now - and more stress for the riders, not just on the race but before and after it.







Philippe Gilbert
Omega-Pharma Lotto sprinter Philippe Gilbert says Alberto Contador is bluffing, not suffering, after the first Pyrenean stage of the Tour de France.



http://www.cyclesportmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Evans2.jpg
Unlike the mist-obscured view from Luz Ardiden at the end of stage 12, a few things have become clear about the general classification of the Tour de France.



Gert Steegmans
Quick Step rider’s broken wrist from stage five confirmed after x-rays in Pau.



“And here's a first... Got pulled over IN the race today by a gendarme and he made me do an alcohol test, duriing the race...” - Johan Bruyneel Twitter




HTC chase, Tour de France 2011, stage seven
Team HTC-Highroad's Bob Stapleton remains positive despite a looming deadline to find replacement sponsor. He arrived at the Tour de France on Wednesday, the same day as star rider Mark Cavendish won, but without good news.



The view down the mountain.
Bruyneel gets breathalysed, McGee positive despite losses, Kreuziger makes a move, Cunego proves his form.



The Roubaix is an endurance bike - for high miles you'd be hard pushed to find a better place to be
"Class leading in comfort, but upright ride doesn’t appeal to racers."



Trek 2012 Session 9.9 Profile small
As one of the bikes everyone’s been buzzing about, Trek finally took the official wraps off of the already World Cup winning Session 9.9 carbon at Trek World Mayrhofen.


PezCyclingNews.com

Mary McConneloug racing in Offenburg at the World Cup
Mary McConneloug (Kenda/Seven/NoTubes) will miss the US Mountain Bike Cross Country National Championships tomorrow because she is battling Lyme disease. She previously won the stars and stripes jersey in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2008.



CyclingTips: Le Tour Diary | Stage 13. TdF-Stage13-13
It’s common to see a rider leading in a competition in specially painted groupsets, frames, helmets, shoes, gloves, clothing and sunglasses. Team and sponsors love to kit out these riders.










Veltec Sports currently distributes Descente, Lake and Shebeest.



Hoogerland
A rider fell down, a hero got up.






Andreas Kloden (RadioShack)
Andreas Klöden's injuries he suffered in multiple crashes at the Tour de France  forced him to abandon the race early during Friday's 13th stage. Gert Steegmans of Quick Step did not take the start after it was discovered he had a fractured scaphoid in his left hand, while Lars Boom (Rabobank) also retired after a very fast start to the stage. Russia's Vladimir Isiachev (Katusha) also climbed off.





Thomas Danielson (Garmin-Cervelo) moves into the top-ten overall with his 11th place finish.
Jonathan Vaughters has admitted that Tom Danielson was always Garmin-Cervelo’s best bet for a strong GC performance coming into this year’s Tour de France. Until today’s first mountain stage Vaughters had publicly stated that the team had three riders able to challenge for a top ten placing, with Ryder Hesjedal and Christian Vande Valde also in contention.



linn-cove-viaduct-loop.jpg
A 2011 study published in the journal Experimental Physiology found that cyclists riding a 40k time trial were nearly five minutes slower in 95-degree heat than they were in a more-comfortable 68 degrees.



Matt iebikes1
i.e. Bikes owner, Matt Barringer, tells us about his shop and what he is doing to create an atmosphere that is pleasing to his customers.



liveblog13.jpg
Welcome to Stage 13 of the 98th Tour de France! We'll be live blogging here starting about 8:30 a.m. EDT on Friday, July 15, until the end of the stage. Join us! Ask questions, or just hang out and follow the conversation.


Shop Talk
VeloNews’ 2011 race calendar
VeloNews' 2011 mtb race calendar
CXMagazine’s  2011 cx race calendar
How to Drive Around Cyclists
Men's Pro Cycling on Twitter
Twitter Hashtags For Races
Bike trade tweeps - who uses Twitter.
Classified - bikes and accessories for sale.
Archive - looking? it may be in the archive.
Health and Fitness - also training information.
Tips and Safety - what to watch out for.
Unwritten rules of cycling etiquette
As TheToto Turns

July 14, 2011


Aubwest600_medium
Stage 13 sees the peloton face the historic slopes of the hors categorie Col d'Aubisque before a downhill finish to the pilgrimage destination town of Lourdes.  After a rough two weeks, most of the peloton will be praying that the miraculous healing waters of Lourdes actually work.



Samuel Sanchez TDF 2011 Luz Ardiden Twisted Spoke
"When the riders came up, their faces were gaunt, expressionless — like prison camp victims, their eyes dead. There mouths were wide open like Van Gogh’s The Scream. They were zombies or machines that continued to pedal because they were programmed that way. The rational mind gone along with any care for self preservation."



The first mountain showdown of the 2011 Tour narrowed the list of potential winners down to half a dozen riders.








Tour de France



Not a good day for Andreas Klöden (RadioShack) as the German crashed on the descent of the Hourquette d'Ancizan.
The Tour de France may be looking up into the Pyrenees, but there are slim signs of RadioShack's race having an upturn in fortunes after Andreas Klöden crashed again and lost time and Levi Leipheimer was dropped on the final climb to Luz-Ardiden on stage 12.



2012 Ritchey Logic C260 alloy stem at just 100g
The new C260 and is a 100g stem that’s testing 3x to 4x stronger than any previous Ritchey stem because they’re using a new generation Alcoa alloy and because of the new design. Not only is it stronger, it’s stiffer, giving you more control. The rear uses a three-bolt, radius slot clamp design, meaning the slit is crescent moon shaped.



Stage Profile
Thursday's Tour de France Stage 12 departs Cugnaux at 11:10am CET (5:10am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Luz-Ardiden at around 5:11pm CET (11:11am U.S. Eastern). Tour de France live video streaming should get underway at around 12:20pm CET (6:20am U.S. Eastern).


Col du Tourmalet
Some say the Tour de France begins today. We’ll finally discover which of the pretenders for the overall win are really on form, you can’t bluff on a 10km mountain pass. In that sense the Tour de France will end for several riders today.

Stage preview
Stage 12 start time: Thursday 11:20 CET (2:20 AM PDT). Earliest live video: 12:00 CET (3:00 AM PDT). Approximate finish: 17:11 CET (8:11 AM PDT).



Lemond 25
The Tour is climbing its first summit finish at Luz Ardiden on Bastille Day. We covered this incredible climb in our Iconic Places series in the Summer edition this year.


Bicycle Tutor
The Bicycle Safety Guide
On The Road: Bicycle Safety
Guide to Bicycle Safety
Beginners' cycling questions answered
Bicycle Insurance
World Bicycle Relief
Lexicon of cycling terms
Race Reports - Janel Holcomb.
Video: Performance- some humor.
Video: Ride Right


2011 Tour de France, stage 12
Tough-guy Carlos Barredo stops to chat with fan after racing 6+ hours over the Pyrenees. Photo: Andrew Hood.



“And here's a first... Got pulled over IN the race today by a gendarme and he made me do an alcohol test, duriing the race...” - Johan Bruyneel Twitter



2011 TDF Lamas, Tourmalet, twisted Spoke
"Took me an extra 15 minutes to drive down the backside of the Col du Tourmalet."











Kloden
Kloden has been on the deck - Lance must have used up all Johan Bruyneel's luck with those seven Tour wins.



Two HTC men got the better of a strong
Two HTC men got the better of a strong six-man breakaway to deliver Mark Cavendish to victory and allow Saddles to lead with this gem of a headline.



David Moncoutié hoping to go on the attack in the mountains
‘When I kick, normally I get a gap and I win.”



Rigobert Uran
Boasson Hagen pledges his support.



The man behind the frame
"If steel is calling your name, I encourage you to listen."



Anquetil62bike
"I love paging through magazines with my children. Many of those magazines I have kept since I was a teenager. And I love libraries and archives – the mystery of old volumes, which haven’t been touched in decades, yet are ready to yield their secrets as soon as you open the pages. It’s a different experience from sitting in front of a screen and scrolling down the page."


PezCyclingNews.com





Matt iebikes1
i.e. Bikes owner, Matt Barringer, tells us about his shop and what he is doing to create an atmosphere that is pleasing to his customers.



TdF-Stage12-7
Stage 12 was the day we've been waiting for, and it did not disappoint.



Juan Antonio Flecha (Sky) is assisted following his heavy crash.
Every evening the Tour de France issues the official results of the day’s stage along with the full standings for the overall classification and the other jerseys in the race. The same release contains details of other incidents during the day.



Tom Danielson
Garmin-Cervélo rider in top ten after first mountain stage.



Sammy Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi)
Contador recovered and ready for Pyrenees, Evans says the Tour starts today, Quickstep and Leopard to merge?, Sanchez to form Spanish coalition with Contador.



Johnny Hoogerland King of the Mountains after horrific crash with barbed wire fence requiring 32 stitches (FR3 Press Car)
"When Johnny Hoogerland ascended the podium to be awarded the polka dot jersey as the Tour de France’s king of the mountains, if you’re anything like me, you exhaled in relief. At a certain level we could relax with the assurance that justice could be found on such a public stage."



Jurgen Van Den Broeck and David Zabriskie crashed out on stage 9
Jurgen Van Den Broeck will be leaving the hospital of Herentals, Belgium, on Thursday afternoon following several days of treatment for injuries sustained when crashing out of the Tour de France on stage nine. The Belgian GC favourite suffered a collapsed lung, two broken ribs and a broken shoulder blade, but he is now hoping to participate in the Vuelta a España starting in late August.



Alexandre Vinokourov injured, Tour de France 2011, stage nine
Alexandre Vinokourov's career could be over after his recent crash in the Tour de France. Astana's leader fractured his pelvis and femur when he left the road in a horrific crash on stage nine.



2012 Scott Groove II mountain bike helmet
Scott Sports has done bike helmets in Europe for years, and this week marks their move across the pond with new models and new colors.


Shop Talk
VeloNews’ 2011 race calendar
VeloNews' 2011 mtb race calendar
CXMagazine’s  2011 cx race calendar
How to Drive Around Cyclists
Men's Pro Cycling on Twitter
Twitter Hashtags For Races
Bike trade tweeps - who uses Twitter.
Classified - bikes and accessories for sale.
Archive - looking? it may be in the archive.
Health and Fitness - also training information.
Tips and Safety - what to watch out for.
Unwritten rules of cycling etiquette
As TheToto Turns

July 13, 2011



Tour
The Tour somehow got it all just right. It got the best time slot, all the best support acts, went to the best schools, had all the right friends and all the breaks it could ever need. As such, over the years I suppose, it has become something frighteningly huge, perpetually aggrandising and intensely addictive.








Cavendish gives Greipel a gorilla hug
The André Greipel-Mark Cavendish duel has been a fascinating subplot to this year’s Tour de France, not least because the bitterness that marked the pair’s time together at Highroad appears to have been tempered since Greipel’s departure from the team last winter.







Tour de France




Stage Profile
Wednesday's Tour de France Stage 11 departs Blaye-les-Mines at 1:05pm CET (7:05am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Lavaur at around 5:14pm CET (11:14am U.S. Eastern). Tour de France live video streaming should get underway at around 2:00pm CET (8:00am U.S. Eastern).

Stage 11
Today’s start and finish are not far from each other but the organisers have chosen a big S-shaped route instead of a straight line. Even so it’s 167.5km, one of the shorter stages of the Tour. With two small hills along the way there’s every chance this ends in a bunch sprint, especially as tomorrow sees the high mountains, it’s the last chance for the sprinters for a while.

Stage preview
Stage 10 start time: Tuesday 13:40 CET (4:40 AM PDT).
Earliest live video: 14:00 CET (5:00 AM PDT).
Approximate finish: 17:20 CET (8:20 AM PDT).



John Gadret
Frenchman too fatigued to carry on.



Dippin_27_dots_rainbow_flavored_ice_medium
How can something so small be so delicious? That's what I'm talking about. The Tour is full of dippin dots stories.




The Tour de France counts down to the mountains with a sprint stage running 165.7 kilometers from Blayes-les-Mines to Lavaur. Wednesday's stage includes only two categorized climbs, and they won't cause anyone much difficulty.


Bicycle Tutor
The Bicycle Safety Guide
On The Road: Bicycle Safety
Guide to Bicycle Safety
Beginners' cycling questions answered
Bicycle Insurance
World Bicycle Relief
Lexicon of cycling terms
Race Reports - Janel Holcomb.
Video: Performance- some humor.
Video: Ride Right





Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Cervelo) before the stage.
In this video Farrar takes us through the tense finale in Lavaur, describes the tough conditions the peloton has faced so far in this year’s Tour and the remaining stages he can compete in.



Hushovd
Hushovd, Gilbert, Siutsou said to be on the move.



Voeckler
In case you didn’t realize, the French love Thomas Voeckler. Not like, not kinda affectionate, not favorable impression but swooning love, like a small version of the Beatles in the 60′s.



BookwalterS10
Brent Bookwalter never expected to be on the front row for a yellow jersey push for Cadel Evans in the Tour de France.



Tom Boonen dropped out of the race after suffering a concussion on stage 6
Tom Boonen continues to suffer from headaches a week after suffering concussion during his stage five crash at the Tour de France.  He has not started training again and does not known when he will be able to do so.



Alexandre Vinokourov
Long recovery period for Astana rider.




Our cook put together what each rider in our team eats a day ... on Twitpic
@andy_schleck: Our cook put together what each rider in our team eats a day during a day in the TDF.


PezCyclingNews.com










mark-cavendish-sera-en-australie-pour-gagner
Eighteen and wet and wild and dangerous. No, not the podium girl, the sprinter.




L'Equipe chutes
With the Tour de France on the eve of the mountain stages one thing that has characterised the racing so far has been the crashes.




Kangaroo leather goes into making the limited edition 74 shoe, which echoes race shoes of the past with its styling:
After checking out Specialized's new road and mountain bikes on the first day of their 2012 press launch, the emphasis on day two was firmly on the company's clothing and component ranges – both of which have been growing steadily in recent years.



“Nobody can be blamed for this. It’s a horrible accident and I was in it. But I said to Flecha, ‘We’re still alive and Wouter Weylandt died in a crash.'” - Johnny Hoogerland  Bicycling



http://www.atwistedspoke.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/La-Legend-Plaisance-TDF-2011.jpg
The Tour de France is highs and lows, flat stages and high mountains, abandons and podiums, gourmet dinners and mediocre crap. As the French say, I had a jour sans, a day without — I felt slow and short on humor.



Brent Bookwalter (BMC) cruising along on the climb.
One man very happy to be back in the saddle on Tuesday was BMC Racing's Brent Bookwalter. The American will be an important ally for Cadel Evans as the Tour heads into the mountains but it was touch and go for the 27-year-old on stage 9 when he came down in the crash on the descent of the Pas de Peyrol and hit his head.



Felt z5:
"Superb handling frame dulled by under-performing wheel package."


Shop Talk
VeloNews’ 2011 race calendar
VeloNews' 2011 mtb race calendar
CXMagazine’s  2011 cx race calendar
How to Drive Around Cyclists
Men's Pro Cycling on Twitter
Twitter Hashtags For Races
Bike trade tweeps - who uses Twitter.
Classified - bikes and accessories for sale.
Archive - looking? it may be in the archive.
Health and Fitness - also training information.
Tips and Safety - what to watch out for.
Unwritten rules of cycling etiquette
As TheToto Turns

July 12, 2011


Tour de France 2011, course preview.
The Tour de France counts down to the mountains with a sprint stage running 165.7 kilometers from Blayes-les-Mines to Lavaur. Wednesday's stage includes only two categorized climbs, and they won't cause anyone much difficulty.



2011 Tour de France, stage 7: Horner
"Although we haven’t yet reached the high mountains, the 2011 Tour de France has already been one giant rollercoaster of a ride. With 10 stages in the books as of Tuesday, we thought it appropriate to take a look back. And besides, who doesn’t love a good Top 10 list?"












Tour de France




Frank Pipp jumped into third place of the men's National Racing Calendar standings after a strong performance at the Tour de 'Toona
With nine events remaining on USA cycling’s NRC, the overall rankings have become tighter than ever. The biggest mover was Frank Pipp (Bissell Pro Cycling) who jumped from seventh to third place after a solid ride in the Tour de Toona.



Stage Profile
Tuesday's Tour de France Stage 10 departs Aurillac at 1:30pm CET (7:30am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Carmaux at around 5:20pm CET (11:20am U.S. Eastern). Tour de France live video streaming should get underway at around 2:00pm CET (8:00am U.S. Eastern).

Stage 10 intermediate
Note the early intermediate sprint. If you think it’s downhill, you’re right. There’s also a central reservation in the middle of the road during the approach.

Stage preview
Stage 10 start time: Tuesday 13:40 CET (4:40 AM PDT).
Earliest live video: 14:00 CET (5:00 AM PDT).
Approximate finish: 17:20 CET (8:20 AM PDT).



Orbea Thor Helmet Review
The Thor may not have been my first choice of helmets based on appearance alone, but overall I was very impressed with how it performed.  This helmet may not be for everyone. But if you want a helmet that is easy to use, will keep you cool and stand out in the crowd…The Thor is worth a look the next time you go shopping for a new lid.



http://www.atwistedspoke.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Yellow-TDF-mini-bikes.jpg
Never say that ASO chef and Tour de France boss Christian Prudhomme isn’t proactive. As he said the other day, horrified, two crashes is two too many. Bravo.




Bicycle Tutor
The Bicycle Safety Guide
On The Road: Bicycle Safety
Guide to Bicycle Safety
Beginners' cycling questions answered
Bicycle Insurance
World Bicycle Relief
Lexicon of cycling terms
Race Reports - Janel Holcomb.
Video: Performance- some humor.
Video: Ride Right





Voigt on Twitter
Sure we had our mandatory doping bust during the rest day of the Tour de France, but more importantly it will be known as the day Jens Voigt joined Twitter.



2011 Tour de France, stage 9, Luis-Leon Sanchez
“The victory was a nice surprise, but the goals don’t change for me here at the Tour,” Sánchez told VeloNews before the start of Tuesday’s stage. “We are here to ride for Robert. We want to support him for the podium.”



Andreas Kloden (RadioShack)
Andreas Klöden (RadioShack) battled through stage 10 of the Tour de France but his team manager Johan Bruyneel remains tentative as to whether the German can still challenge for the podium.



in-race cars
Regulations tightened to avoid a repeat of Sunday’s Hoogerland/Flecha incident.





Popovych withdraws
Klöden under pressure due to back injury.



Juan Antonio Flecha of Team Sky, who was hit by a French TV car during stage 9, talks to the media on the rest day. Tour de France 2011. Photo: Bryn Lennon/Getty.
Today in El Pais (Spanish newspaper) there's an interview with Flecha, written by his former teammate Pedro Horrillo. He seems really pissed off (absolutely normal).


French TV car swerved
“He hasn’t come to say sorry and I think that if he were to come, I wouldn’t even talk with him,” Flecha said in comments published by Spanish newspaper El Pais on Tuesday. “France TV also did not say sorry to me.”



“Nobody can be blamed for this. It’s a horrible accident and I was in it. But I said to Flecha, ‘We’re still alive and Wouter Weylandt died in a crash.'” - Johnny Hoogerland  Bicycling



uci, bike diagram
The Union Cycliste International (UCI) has reinforced its position on riders' saddle orientation following their decision on the day of the Tour's team time trial to implement the rule that all saddles must be exactly horizontal.


PezCyclingNews.com

Team car 1 and 2 typically have televisions in the vehicle
Television, list of rider numbers, and wheels, tools, bidons, food and spare parts in the backseat.










2011 Tour de France rest day gallery
With blood pouring from his legs and backside, Hoogerland soldiered on to the finish of stage 9, where he first went on stage, in tears, to receive his jersey, before being loaded into an ambulance for a ride to the hospital where he received 33 stitches.




http://www.pavepavepave.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/PIC83023S.jpg
With an exciting Stage 10 in the books, it looks like yesterday’s rest day did the riders well.










Ride 2 Recovery gets to the finish of stage 6 of the Tour de France
Some of the USA's wounded war veterans had the unique opportunity to ride the last 20 kilometres of the Tour de France’s sixth stagein the city of Lisieux on the Ride 2 Recovery’s Normandy Challenge presented by UnitedHealthcare.



Dave Brailsford and Sean Yates (pic credit: Team Sky)
Vuelta now a serious possibility for Wiggins… while Yates targets National 12.






Kolo
Voluntarily leaves Tour while waiting for B sample.



2011 Tour de France
While many of the other favorites have lost skin and time to crashes — if not crashing out entirely — Leopard-Trek’s two-brother GC front is sitting pretty. Fränk and Andy Schleck are now fourth and fifth overall, just three and 11 seconds behind BMC’s Cadel Evans, the highest-placed GC contender.



Contador
Spaniard vows to fight to Paris, says knee injury is improving.



2012-michelin-pro4-service-course-road-bike-tire2
With the new PRO4, Micheline wanted to improve both performance and longevity. The new PRO4 Service Course claims to improve wet surface cornering speed by 16% over the PRO3 but provides better cut resistance with a new dual compound tread.


Shop Talk
VeloNews’ 2011 race calendar
VeloNews' 2011 mtb race calendar
CXMagazine’s  2011 cx race calendar
How to Drive Around Cyclists
Men's Pro Cycling on Twitter
Twitter Hashtags For Races
Bike trade tweeps - who uses Twitter.
Classified - bikes and accessories for sale.
Archive - looking? it may be in the archive.
Health and Fitness - also training information.
Tips and Safety - what to watch out for.
Unwritten rules of cycling etiquette
As TheToto Turns

July 11, 2011

Tour de France 2011, stage 9, French village, scenic. Photo: Michael Steele/Getty.
Enough with this rest day thing, we have more bike racing to do! Hopefully, with much less crashing. People, please, keep the cars and the bike racers separated, okay? Okay, onward with the bike race!



http://redkiteprayer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/0474_Hushovd-e1310422778266.jpg
The cliché says you can’t win the Tour de France in the first week, but you can certainly lose it. It’s a shame really, because so many pro teams organize their season around the Tour, the possibility for stage wins, for sponsor publicity, for glory. Something simple like the swerve of a car or a wet bend in the road can play havoc with a pack of riders grand tour thick and first week nervous.







voeckler-snobbed.jpg
The hero of the day was Thomas “Suitcase of Courage” Voeckler, who not only slowed for his fallen breakaway companions but also ultimately seized the yellow jersey for France in high style.



http://www.atwistedspoke.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/2011_02-490_008_5860875_PDH102_CYC_3070563721.jpg
Andy and Frank, the invisible brothers.









Garmin hotel
Garmin-Cervélo relax in a château ensconced in a private park with a swimming pool and its own restaurant. Each room has individual decoration, some even have jacuzzi baths. By contrast Liquigas get a chain hotel near a busy road junction where each room is probably smaller than the bathroom enjoyed by the Garmin guys.





Klöden
RadioShack leader plans to continue in race.



2011 Superweek Logo_Header
Former US criterium champion Brad Huff edged out the current American crit champ, Daniel Holloway, in two-man sprint to the finish line to win the 2011 Tour de Delta White Spot Road Race on Sunday, finishing the 140-kilometer ride in 3:24:44.1.



Another hard day at the office for Alberto Contador as the Spaniard crashed during the Tour's ninth stage.
Alberto Contador is having a hard time of it at this year's Tour de France, admitting “This is not my Tour.” He was again involved in a crash on Sunday, which left him with further pains in his right knee.


Bicycle Tutor
The Bicycle Safety Guide
On The Road: Bicycle Safety
Guide to Bicycle Safety
Beginners' cycling questions answered
Bicycle Insurance
World Bicycle Relief
Lexicon of cycling terms
Race Reports - Janel Holcomb.
Video: Performance- some humor.
Video: Ride Right




Alexandr Kolobnev
Russian rider set to be removed from race.




VeloLive
Brian Holcombe takes a look at the race’s first week with guests including Liquigas-Cannondale pro Timmy Duggan, Training Peaks chief evangelist Dirk Friel and VeloNews managing editor Neal Rogers.





Successful operation for Astana leader.



http://www.letour.fr/2011/TDF/img/lacarte.jpg
It was one hell of a first week at the Tour de France. Thoughts from week one of three . . .



Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank) nears the stage nine finish.
Katusha rider Vladimir Karpets on Sunday seemed to admit that he had forced Alberto Contador off the road on stage 9 of the Tour de France to Saint-Flour – only to later maintain that the clash had been an accident.



Gilbert was in a class unto himself in the finale of Stage 1.
Stage 1 Passage du Gois-Mont des Alouttes: Phillippe Gilbert reminds me a lot of Venetian ex-world pro road champion, Moreno Argentin.



Tourmalet pelaton Tour de France giving cycling fans plenty to talk about
The first nine stages of the Tour de France have been a roller coaster of emotion.


PezCyclingNews.com









Lambo bike
The simple answer is €218,000, about  US$305,000.



Euros
Omega-Pharma Lotto have struck the jackpot thanks to Philippe Gilbert’s consistent riding, and Garmin-Cervélo’s efforts with Thor Hushovd have had a similar effect.



New KOM leader Johnny Hoogerland is overcome with emotion on a day which he suffered a serious crash while riding in the winning break.
Johnny Hoogerland hopes to try and continue in the Tour de France despite having 33 stitches applied to the wounds he suffered in a crash during Sunday’s ninth stage.




http://static3.trouw.nl/static/photo/2011/18/4/1/20110710195714/media_xl_888781.jpg






Hoogerland
This Tour has extracted a high tariff from the overall favorites. Everyone who has reached the rest day unscathed will breathe a sigh of relief.




Johnny Hoogerland (Vacansoleil-DCM) is attended to by a Tour doctor following a frightening crash onto a barbed wire fence.
"It's a scandal to see what has happened. That person will of course be excluded from the race but what does that do for us? What does it do for Johnny?"



“"I've got a huge headache .Every kilometre was one too many. I was wondering, 'who am I pleasing by continuing?' Not myself, that's for sure. I was a danger for the other riders, too. I think I suffered a concussion. Noise, colors... I couldn't stand them. A honking car that passed was echoing a thousand times in my head.” - Tom Boonen  CyclingNews



The Tour de Feminin in Krasna Lipa, a UCI 2.2, was my first race in the For Viored Brookvex
I had forgotten how confident most Europeans are with their bodies until I noticed that only 2 out of the 8 showers had shower curtains. It also wasn't uncommon for you to go into the bathrooms and have a naked person, male or female, happily standing there whilst you brushed your teeth or filled up your race bottles.


Shop Talk
VeloNews’ 2011 race calendar
VeloNews' 2011 mtb race calendar
CXMagazine’s  2011 cx race calendar
How to Drive Around Cyclists
Men's Pro Cycling on Twitter
Twitter Hashtags For Races
Bike trade tweeps - who uses Twitter.
Classified - bikes and accessories for sale.
Archive - looking? it may be in the archive.
Health and Fitness - also training information.
Tips and Safety - what to watch out for.
Unwritten rules of cycling etiquette
As TheToto Turns

July 10, 2011




Tour de France




Stage Profile
Sunday's Tour de France Stage 9 departs Issoire at 12:10pm CET (6:10am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Saint-Flour at around 5:35pm CET (11:35am U.S. Eastern). Tour de France live video streaming should get underway at around 2:00pm CET (8:00am U.S. Eastern).

Stage preview
Stage 9 start time: Sunday 12:10 CET (3:10 AM PDT)
Earliest live video: 14:00 CET (5:00 AM PDT).
Approximate finish: 17:35 CET (8:35 AM PDT)






Ricky Escuela (Full Circle) wins San Rafael Twilight Crit
It was a battle between sprinter’s teams and lone wolves at the San Rafael Twilight Criterium on Saturday. In the end the sprinters won with Ricky Escuela (Full Circle) winning the bunch sprint ahead of Rahsaan Bahati (SKLZ/Pista Palace), making it the third year in a row that Bahati took second. Eric Marcotte (SKLZ/Pista Palace) was third.



Coryn Rivera (Peanut Butter & Co Twenty12) wins San Rafael Twilight Crit. Martina Patella (Red Racing) 2nd, Mary Ellen Ash (Metromint) 3rd
Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12 came to the San Rafael Twilight Criterium with a plan. The plan was to attack and keep attacking, allowing Coryn Rivera to easily win from a bunch sprint. Martina Patella (Red Racing) finished in second and Mary-Ellen Ash (Metromint Cycling) in third.



pedro-delgado-contador.jpg
Speaking from experience, former Tour de France winner Pedro Delgado offers Contador advice on getting back lost time in the world's biggest race.







Costa
Heroic performances from Thor Hushovd saw him finishing the day wearing the yellow jersey, and the stage saw the first successful long-range attack of the 2011 Tour, but the race favourites rode cagily to Super Besse.



Rui Costa
Rui Costa is grimacing but riding steadily towards a debut stage win in the Tour de France.





Thor Hushovd (Garmin-Cervélo) retained the leader's yellow jersey after one of his best ever performances in the Tour de France. The Norwegian hung tough with the peloton over the second category climb of Col de Croix Saint-Robert and hung on during the final climb to Super Besse in the stage 8 finale, keeping his one-second general classification lead over Cadel Evans (BMC).


Bicycle Tutor
The Bicycle Safety Guide
On The Road: Bicycle Safety
Guide to Bicycle Safety
Beginners' cycling questions answered
Bicycle Insurance
World Bicycle Relief
Lexicon of cycling terms
Race Reports - Janel Holcomb.
Video: Performance- some humor.
Video: Ride Right


Hoogerland
Riders clipped by overtaking vehicle at Tour de France.






French TV car swerved
Nasty day in the Tour de France which saw gruesome injuries and unforgivable nonsense.




Vinokourov
Accidents continue to thin out list of overall contenders.



Thor Hushovd (Garmin-Cervelo) took the dash for third place
"Cyclingnews documents a highlights reel of some of the world's best."



Perthus
Eight categorised climbs today, that’s more than we had during the first five days of the race and the points total available today is greater than the whole race so far. As a result, it’s a key stage for anyone with half an eye on the Mountains jersey, especially those unable to contest the final summit finishes.



Alessandro Petacchi wins Volta a Catalunya 2011 stage two
Alessandro Petacchi finished second to Mark Cavendish on Friday in Châteauroux, but has otherwise fallen short in this year's Tour de France. The Italian had already won two stages and firmly put himself at the top of the green jersey competition by this point in last year's race.



“"I've got a huge headache .Every kilometre was one too many. I was wondering, 'who am I pleasing by continuing?' Not myself, that's for sure. I was a danger for the other riders, too. I think I suffered a concussion. Noise, colors... I couldn't stand them. A honking car that passed was echoing a thousand times in my head.” - Tom Boonen  CyclingNews



A bike fit can make all the difference. Photo courtesy of Clifford Lee
"You’d think that after riding so many years at a high level your bike fit is dialed in for the best comfort and efficiency. I was intrigued by what I might discover about the process and my present bike position."



"That was some good racing on Saturday, wasn't it? And how much fun to see two young riders, Rui Costa and Tejay van Garderen, go up the road. I heart me some of that. Sunday, it's back into the Massif Centrale. Now, with more climbing! Breakaway party!"


PezCyclingNews.com





Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana)
There has not yet been an official announcement regarding his injuries but the word was that he had suffered a broken elbow, pelvis and thigh.



Giro-donne_medium
"I can't believe this race is over - it's had so much drama - from the lows of the crashes (get well soon Rochelle Gilmore, Grace Verbeke and all the riders injured out - and to Marijn de Vries & anyone out sick) and the news of the death of Australian cyclist Carly Hibberd - to the highs, of the fantastic racing on an incredible course."



Porte + Jalabert
Many fans were distressed to see the video of Chris Horner from Friday. He crashed late in the stage, the same move that took out FDJ’s Rémi Pauriol and Sky’s Bradley Wiggins but whilst these two were holding their arms in the tell-tale sign of a broken collarbone, the Radioshack rider was apparently unconcious in the roadside ditch.



Cuts and bruises are an occupational hazard and broken bones an ever-present possibility in cycling.
The Tour de France needs to reduce the size of the field. It’s clear that the bunch cannot fit on modern roads, and it’s causing danger to the riders.



Quick step are among the teams using custom stainless steel derailleur hangers for extra durability:
Gaining weight and stiffness in an unlikely location.



Evans
BMC Racing team assumes responsibility of controlling peloton on stage eight.



Kessiakoff celebrates overall win
Kessiakoff's biggest success in his career.






All that is left is a 16km time trial that should be covered in around 22 minutes or so. Just about the only way that Marianne Vos could lose two and a half minutes would be if she were compelled to fix her own puncture by the side of the road.



RadioShack came to the Tour de France with four options for the overall classification, but after a frenetic, crash-filled week of racing, only the 36-year-old reclusive German remains in position to make a legitimate run for the GC.


Shop Talk
VeloNews’ 2011 race calendar
VeloNews' 2011 mtb race calendar
CXMagazine’s  2011 cx race calendar
How to Drive Around Cyclists
Men's Pro Cycling on Twitter
Twitter Hashtags For Races
Bike trade tweeps - who uses Twitter.
Classified - bikes and accessories for sale.
Archive - looking? it may be in the archive.
Health and Fitness - also training information.
Tips and Safety - what to watch out for.
Unwritten rules of cycling etiquette
As TheToto Turns

July 9, 2011





Costa
Heroic performances from Thor Hushovd saw him finishing the day wearing the yellow jersey, and the stage saw the first successful long-range attack of the 2011 Tour, but the race favourites rode cagily to Super Besse.



Rui Costa
Rui Costa is grimacing but riding steadily towards a debut stage win in the Tour de France.





Tour de France




2011 Tour de France, stage 7: Vande Velde
Veteran American cyclist Christian Vande Velde knows well what a rollercoaster of luck and fitness the Tour de France can be. He finished fourth overall in the 2008 Tour, 11th in the 2009 Tour and crashed out of the 2010 competition with broken ribs. Well before that, he twice rode on U.S. Postal Service squads that delivered Lance Armstrong to overall victory.





Thor Hushovd (Garmin-Cervelo) rode gallantly to retain yellow at Super-Besse.
Thor Hushovd (Garmin-Cervélo) retained the leader's yellow jersey after one of his best ever performances in the Tour de France. The Norwegian hung tough with the peloton over the second category climb of Col de Croix Saint-Robert and hung on during the final climb to Super Besse in the stage 8 finale, keeping his one-second general classification lead over Cadel Evans (BMC).



Stage Profile
Saturday's Tour de France Stage 8 departs Aigurande at 12:20pm CET (6:20am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Super-Besse Sancy at around 5:16pm CET (11:16am U.S. Eastern). Tour de France live video streaming should get underway at around 2:00pm CET (8:00am U.S. Eastern).

Superbesse finish
A final ramp to the small ski-station of Super-Besse with 1.5 km at 7.6% so don’t get ideas of big mountains, this is a small climb and it’s one long ramp upwards. It’s still steep enough for the climbers and if the results have been anything to go by so far, expect Philippe Gilbert and Cadel Evans to be present, with Alberto Contador and maybe even Edwald Boasson Hagen there.>

Stage preview
Stage 8 start time: Saturday 12:25 CET (3:25: AM PDT).
Earliest live video: TBA.
Approximate finish: 17:16 CET (8:16 AM PDT).



David Zabriskie, Garmin-Cervélo, Tour de France, stage 7. Photo: Bryn Lennon/Getty
If you are an English-speaking cycling fan, you almost certainly recognize the voice of Paul Sherwen. Together with Phil Liggett, Sherwen has spent the past thirty years telling tales of riders dancing on the pedals across the roads of France. This year, Liggett and Sherwen are covering the race for Versus, who broadcasts the Tour de France in the United States.



Look Keo Blade Carbon/Ti axle pedals
"Featherweight carbon sprung pedal with a proven system."


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On The Road: Bicycle Safety
Guide to Bicycle Safety
Beginners' cycling questions answered
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Video: Performance- some humor.
Video: Ride Right
British Bike Association


Tour de France, Stage 8, Super Besse.
"That was some good racing on Saturday, wasn't it? And how much fun to see two young riders, Rui Costa and Tejay van Garderen, go up the road. I heart me some of that. Sunday, it's back into the Massif Centrale. Now, with more climbing! Breakaway party!"






the green jersey competition
The points classification of the 2011 Tour has turned into a fascinating battle of racing styles.



I don't know about you but I've been on the edge of my seat for the Tour de France stage finishes this week. But if the sprints have been action-packed, the start of a stage can be great to watch too. This is a crucial part of the race but you don't see it on TV that often.

Movistar.
Wow! The first truly hilly day of the 2011 Tour de France was the first one won by a breakaway, but it was close.





Chris Horner
The Shack puts all its might behind the German.



“"I've got a huge headache .Every kilometre was one too many. I was wondering, 'who am I pleasing by continuing?' Not myself, that's for sure. I was a danger for the other riders, too. I think I suffered a concussion. Noise, colors... I couldn't stand them. A honking car that passed was echoing a thousand times in my head.” - Tom Boonen  CyclingNews



Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto) remains atop the points classification.
After starring on the hilltop finishes of the Tour de France’s opening week, Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto) has tipped Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-SunGard) for victory on the short, stiff climb to Super-Besse Sancy on stage 8.



Kenny van Hummel (Skil-Shimano) was all smiles on the podium
The transfer carousel is turning again, and Kevin Van Impe must leave Quick Step, Kenny Van Hummel has decided to leave Skil-Shimano, and Rabobank has re-upped Dennis van Winden and signed two youngsters to its Continental team.



Horner Hospital
When do we draw the line on when a gladiator of the road is picked back up and returned to the arena?



http://www.atwistedspoke.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/image0121.jpg
And then there were two legs. Radio Shack came into the Tour de France with high hopes and four leaders. After another crash-filled day on the narrow roads of France, they’re down to one leader. That honor goes to  36 year old Andreas Kloden, still upright and in sixth place on GC, 10 seconds from yellow.

PezCyclingNews.com




Giro-donne_medium
All that is left is a 16km time trial that should be covered in around 22 minutes or so. Just about the only way that Marianne Vos could lose two and a half minutes would be if she were compelled to fix her own puncture by the side of the road.



"Although I’m no longer going to win any prizes for prettiest legs, the crash that nearly took my life has offered a surprising gift."



Andreas Klöden is RadioShack’s last man standing.
RadioShack came to the Tour de France with four options for the overall classification, but after a frenetic, crash-filled week of racing, only the 36-year-old reclusive German remains in position to make a legitimate run for the GC.




Carlos Sastre satisfied with podium spot in Tour of Austria
Only time trial left before dominating Vos can celebrate final general classification victory.





2011 Tour de France, stage 8, Van Garderen in polka dots
Riding in his first Tour de France, 22-year-old American Tejay Van Garderen went for broke on stage 8, and ended up with the King of the Mountains jersey and the Most Combative prize for his efforts.



Bradley Wiggins crashes out, Tour de France 2011, stage seven
After flying back home to Britain last night, Bradley Wiggins is due to be operated on Monday on his broken collarbone.



Boonen
Key names have difficult moments in first week.



Geraint Thomas at the end of a disappointing day for his Sky team.
Intxausti continues despite broken arm, Cavendish impressed by Greipel, White jersey another loss for Sky, In the Twittersphere.



Cyrille Guimard
Now aged 64, the Frenchman had a brief career on the bike, winning 100 races including seven Tour de France stages and also sprint titles on the track and in the 1974 Tour de France, pushing Merckx very close. He has correctly picked five of the seven stage winners so far in the race.




Mauricio Soler
Rider faces long road back due to cognitive defects.



Carlos Sastre satisfied
Spaniard moves up from fourth in his non-discipline, a flat time trial.


VeloNews’ 2011 race calendar
VeloNews' 2011 mtb race calendar
CXMagazine’s  2011 cx race calendar
How to Drive Around Cyclists
Men's Pro Cycling on Twitter
Twitter Hashtags For Races
Bike trade tweeps - who uses Twitter.
Classified - bikes and accessories for sale.
Archive - looking? it may be in the archive.
Health and Fitness - also training information.
Tips and Safety - what to watch out for.
Unwritten rules of cycling etiquette
As TheToto Turns

July 8, 2011



Chris Horner takes the lead from his RadioShack team leader Levi Leipheimer in the final kilometres
RadioShack's Tour de France went from bad to worse on stage 7 of the race with Levi Leipheimer and Chris Horner both losing significant time. The American squad came into the race with four potential threats for GC but after seven days of racing only Andreas Klöden remains a realistic challenge, 10 seconds down on the yellow jersey.




“"I've got a huge headache .Every kilometre was one too many. I was wondering, 'who am I pleasing by continuing?' Not myself, that's for sure. I was a danger for the other riders, too. I think I suffered a concussion. Noise, colors... I couldn't stand them. A honking car that passed was echoing a thousand times in my head.” - Tom Boonen  CyclingNews






Tour de France





2004 Tour de France, Thomas Voeckler
The combative French attacker told VeloNews that the biological passport and the UCI’s new no-needle policy are helping to create a cleaner racing environment. “I don’t know if it’s 100 percent clean, but cycling is cleaner and cleaner every year,” Voeckler said before Friday’s stage. “It’s cleaner than it was 10 years ago, that much is sure.”




Jose Joaquin Rojas
Jose Joaquin Rojas is a bit of a cult hero in the CS office, for his incredible run of third to fifth places over the last few years. It’s got so that when he actually wins a race, we ask ourselves, what the hell went wrong?



Stage Profile
Friday's Tour de France Stage 7 departs Le Mans at 12:10pm CET (6:10am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Chateauroux at around 5:24pm CET (11:24am U.S. Eastern). Tour de France live video streaming should get underway at around 2:00pm CET (8:00am U.S. Eastern).

Stage preview
Stage 7 start time: Friday 12:20 CET (3:20 AM PDT).
Earliest live video: 14:00 CET (5:00 AM PDT).
Approximate finish: 17:24 CET (8:24 AM PDT).



Boasson Hagen
Boasson Hagen’s success shows team is on track.



Sao Paulo
Two top U.S. development programs will get a taste of the World Tour in August when the Chipotle Development and Trek-Livestrong squads are among the starters at the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. VeloNews has learned that the two Continental teams are among five new invitees to the inaugural Colorado tour.



Greg van Avermaet
Small break holds off peloton by a few seconds.


Bicycle Tutor
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On The Road: Bicycle Safety
Guide to Bicycle Safety
Beginners' cycling questions answered
Bicycle Insurance
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Video: Performance- some humor.
Video: Ride Right
British Bike Association


Tour de France 2011, sunflowers. Photo: Michael Steele/Getty.
Now, with more climbing! Could Friday's stage have been any flatter? Well, say au revoir to all that, because on Saturday, there will be climbing.






http://www.atwistedspoke.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/image0121.jpg
And then there were two legs. Radio Shack came into the Tour de France with high hopes and four leaders. After another crash-filled day on the narrow roads of France, they’re down to one leader. That honor goes to  36 year old Andreas Kloden, still upright and in sixth place on GC, 10 seconds from yellow.








Bradley Wiggins'
British champion comes down in big crash, receives attention from race doctor.



Stage 7 intermediate sprint
Famous for its 24 hour motor race, the start town of Le Mans will have hosted the race for no more than 18 hours before the riders head off to Châteauroux, a town famous for nothing.



Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto) remains atop the points classification.
After some internal tension within Omega Pharma-Lotto, Friday's stage seven from Le Mans to Chateauroux will be raced in support of the squad's pure sprinter André Greipel.



Bjarne Riis has his say at a meeting of team bosses
Saxo Bank will continue to support Bjarne Riis' team even if Alberto Contador is suspended by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and also announced that it will give the Dane more money to find more riders for the team.



broom-wagon-Tour-France-alain-daniel.jpg
“One day, I came across Magnus Backstedt crying in the road because he couldn’t go any farther. But to see the winner of Paris-Roubaix crying! That’s something you don’t expect.”






Oakley Fast Jacket sunglasses
"Near perfect sports eyewear in what amounts to a split lens Oakley Radar."


PezCyclingNews.com

Giro-donne_medium
And still the contest for pink continues. Marianne Vos may have a lead of two and a half minutes, but she could all too easily lose that all on the final mountain stage of this year’s Giro Donne.






levi-stage-7
“Unfortunately the race is being decided by crashes. Of course, crashes are part of the sport but I don’t think it’s right to have it to this degree.”



Garmin podium
Garmin-Cervélo: Two stage wins and the yellow jersey for several days, the team could quit the race tomorrow and hail the race a total success. One of the best things with the team is the obvious joy in winning, sometimes crossing the line first is about more than “being professional” or “doing the job well”, it’s a dream come true and you could sense the enjoyment and pride in the team.







Embattled Tour de France leader Michael Rasmussen (Rabobank)
Michael Rasmussen is suing Rabobank for 42 million Danish kroner, or about 5.6 million euro.  He is claiming damages stemming from his dismissal from the team after the Tour de France 2007.





Giro-donne_medium
After yesterday's stage climbed the Mortirolo and gave us a master-class in descending steep, twisting roads, today's stage was shorter - with a serrated profile, adding lots of smaller climbs to the over 1,000m climb in 70km.



Fabian Cancellara looks after Leopard Trek leader Fränk Schleck
With three riders within touching distance of the yellow jersey, Brian Nygaard and his team of sports directors at Leopard Trek will have to think long and hard about how they approach tomorrow's key stage of the Tour de France to Super-Besse.




2011 Tour de France, stage 5: Boonen
Belgium’s 2005 world road race champion Tom Boonen, injured after crashing on Wednesday, quit the Tour de France during Friday’s seventh stage.




Columbian rider Juan Mauricio Soler
There is concern among doctors treating the Columbian rider Juan Mauricio Soler who suffered serious head injuries in a crash at the Tour of Switzerland, that his brain has been damaged to a greater extent than initially feared.



Oakley's nano clear coating is easy to apply (especially when using the hydro pen applicator) - just smear it on, then polish it in:
Applying the Nano Clear coating is simple – just rub it on using the dedicated applicator, then polish it in. Unlike the original factory-applied hard coating that was only used on the outer lens surfaces, Nano Clear makes it easy to treat the inner surface to better deal with water dripping down off the rider's face.


VeloNews’ 2011 race calendar
VeloNews' 2011 mtb race calendar
CXMagazine’s  2011 cx race calendar
How to Drive Around Cyclists
Men's Pro Cycling on Twitter
Twitter Hashtags For Races
Bike trade tweeps - who uses Twitter.
Classified - bikes and accessories for sale.
Archive - looking? it may be in the archive.
Health and Fitness - also training information.
Tips and Safety - what to watch out for.
Unwritten rules of cycling etiquette
As TheToto Turns

July 7, 2011


Tour de France, Stage 6 breakaway, Le Mont-Saint-Michel. Photo: Michael Steele/Getty.
Friday's stage, which runs 218 kilometers from Le Mans to Châteauroux, is all about the sprinters. The Tour turns inland now after the past few stages on the coast and heads southeast. Destination? The Pyrénées. To get to the mountains, we have to cross the plains.






http://www.pavepavepave.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/PIC203261S.jpg
Today’s stage did not bring the deserved relief afer yesterday's stage - poor weather with strong winds, showers through the stage and rain in the finishing town. Topping that off with the traffic furniture and narrow roads of the final k’s, there are likely to be more complaints from the peloton.







Tour de France




Stage Profile
Thursday's Tour de France Stage 6 departs Dinan at 11:45am CET (5:45am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Lisieux at around 5:10pm CET (11:10am U.S. Eastern). Tour de France live video streaming should get underway at around 2:00pm CET (8:00am U.S. Eastern).


Stage preview
Stage 6 start time: Thursday 11:55 CET (2:55 AM PDT).
Earliest live video: 14:00 CET (5:00 AM PDT)
Approximate finish: 17:10 CET (8:10 AM PDT).



Leipheimer loses 65 seconds and 17 GC places in “silly crash.”



Robert Chapatte
Robert Chapatte was a professional cyclist for 11 years, riding the Tour de France nine times and finishing 16th in 1949. He was the first French cyclist ever to do a TV interview and perhaps this encounter with the media changed his career forever.



Geraint Thomas (Sky) holds the white jersey for another day.
Recorded on the way to Wednesday’s stage start, Thomas discusses race tactics for the finish in Cap Fréhel and then asks his teammates to predict the stage winner. Edvald Boasson Hagen predicted a late attack and then went on to make his own move in the finale.


Bicycle Tutor
The Bicycle Safety Guide
On The Road: Bicycle Safety
Guide to Bicycle Safety
Beginners' cycling questions answered
Bicycle Insurance
World Bicycle Relief
Lexicon of cycling terms
Race Reports - Janel Holcomb.
Video: Performance- some humor.
Video: Ride Right
British Bike Association


Riccardo Ricco happy after his Coppa Sabatini win
Riccardo Riccò has told Cyclingnews he is “in training” and “ready to race” again but admitted he currently has no indication of when the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) might announce a verdict in the doping case against him.













Giro-donne_medium
Marianne Vos has already won three stages and yesterday I hyperbolised about her career, and why she's simply the best cyclist in the world, male or female - but today she just added to her legend, putting an epic mountain stage onto her palmares.




Tom Danielson and David Millar were important parts in the team's win
Millar to stay with Garmin, Lefevere talks transfers, Moto cuts and Vino for ever.




Willow Koerber
Trek World Racing’s Willow Koerber, who is four months pregnant, will be visiting her teammates at the Windham World Cup in Upstate New York this weekend.



Stage 6 sprint
The longest stage in the race but no marathon. The races leaves Brittany and heads for Normandy and its woodland bocage where they grow the apples to make calvados. Note the presence of three categorised climbs, if a breakaway goes then someone has the chance to take the King of the Mountains jersey, albeit with a slender lead.




TIBCO's Tara Whitten (middle) and Jennifer Wheeler took the top two spots in the opening prologue of the Tour de 'Toona today. The Team placed four riders in the top 15 - Photo by Jonathan Devich, Epic Images.
World Track Champion Tara Whitten and Jennifer Wheeler of Team TIBCO/To the Top powered their way to the top two spots in the opening prologue of the Tour de ‘Toona in Pennsylvania.



“Tyler Farrar is a sprinter disguised as a gentleman.” - Bonnie D. Ford  ESPN



Chris Milliman
"Though I've already ridden myself stupid, near the bottom I'm able to get through some number of pedal strokes by trying to conjugate what is happening to me. I am going to crack, I think. I am going to be cracking. I am going to have been cracked."



Brooks Leather handlebar tape
High quality bar tape that looks good and lasts for ever, but not the comfiest.


PezCyclingNews.com









2011 Tour de France stage 6: Sean Yates. Photo: Andrew Hood
Yates is one of the most astute minds among the sport director corps.



http://redkiteprayer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/0087_Vaughters@PhSptsm.jpg
Based on their team performance thus far, there is really nothing I can tell Jonathan Vaughters that he hasn’t already thought of, other than hire a credible GC rider.




Gilbert
Team has settled its issues around the table after Greipel closed out of stage five sprin.



Philippe Gilbert is having the most successful year of his glittering career so far, winning stage one of the Tour de France to wear the coveted yellow jersey.



Carly Hibberd claimed the women's national road series title this year, while David Pell, who wasn't there on the night, took the men's series.
Twenty-six-year-old remembered as a "bright, friendly, energetic young person."



The all-new storck scentron will carry with it a retail price of €1,699 for the frame, fork and headset:
This year's Absolutist carries on into the 2012 range in name only. It's gained a little weight – Markus Storck tells us a new 57cm frame weighs 1,070g – but the new shape promises a substantial jump in pedaling and torsional stiffness relative to the already-stout current version.



Jonathan Vaughters (Garmin-Transitions)
With Thor Hushovd (Garmin-Cervelo) in the maillot jaune, his team has a certain amount of responsibility for controlling the racing at the Tour de France. However Garmin-Cervelo also has a number of other ambitions in the race, including posting a rider in the top ten on GC. As a result team boss Jonathan Vaughters knows that he can't afford to burn all his matches in the pursuit of breakaways just to hold onto the leader's jersey.




A special prototype has been developed taking into consideration the race special constraints in which the aerodynamic drag is a key performance factor
Remember those Mavic prototype wheels we showed you on Tyler Farrar’s new Cervélo the other day? Garmin Cervélo used the front one (paired up with a disc at the back) during the team time trial and bagged the win, and Mavic have stuck up a little vidio on YouTube about it.


VeloNews’ 2011 race calendar
VeloNews' 2011 mtb race calendar
CXMagazine’s  2011 cx race calendar
How to Drive Around Cyclists
Men's Pro Cycling on Twitter
Twitter Hashtags For Races
Bike trade tweeps - who uses Twitter.
Classified - bikes and accessories for sale.
Archive - looking? it may be in the archive.
Health and Fitness - also training information.
Tips and Safety - what to watch out for.
Unwritten rules of cycling etiquette
As TheToto Turns

July 6, 2011

1987 Tour de France podium: Stephen Roche
It was some 24 years ago, in 1987, that Irish cycling hero Stephen Roche won the Tour de France; it was his and Ireland’s only ever Tour victory — if you can actually be so blasé as to use the word “only” in the same sentence as a hard earned Tour de France victory; the culmination of a life’s work and ambition for any cyclist.



Tour de France
Tomorrow's Tour de France stage 6 runs 226.5 kilometers from Dinan to Lisieux. The Tour rolls into Normandy in the northwest corner of France and the terrain is all up and down. The course profile looks like someone tripped over the rug.



The Tour came alive as it traversed Brittany to the northern coast of France, with an exciting finale and exceptional sprint.










Tour de France





Janez Brajkovic
Janez Brajkovic, one of Team RadioShack’s four leaders in the Tour de France was placed on a stretcher and placed in an ambulance.



1 Eddy Merckx 34
2 Bernard Hinault 28
3 André Leducq 25
3 Lance Armstrong 25
5 André Darrigade 22
6 Nicolas Frantz 20
7 François Faber 19
8 Jean Alavoine 17
9 Charles Pélissier 16
9 René Le Greves 16
9 Jacques Anquetil 16
9 Mark Cavendish 16
As for greatest sprinter ever, time will tell. But 16 wins puts him in exclusive company and time is on his side to add to the count.




Stage Profile
Wednesday's Tour de France Stage 5 departs Carhaix at 1:40pm CET (7:40am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Cap Fréhel at around 5:29pm CET (11:29am U.S. Eastern). Tour de France live video streaming should get underway at around 1:45pm CET (7:45am U.S. Eastern).

Stage preview
Stage 5 start time: Wednesday 13:50 CET (4:50 AM PDT).
Earliest live video: 14:00 CET (5:00 AM PDT).
Approximate finish: 17:29 CET (8:29 AM PDT).



Europcar's Vincent Jerome takes it easy in the race to the bottom
Once upon a time, the race for the lanterne rouge was a pretty straightforward affair: you simply lost a packet of time day after day and hey presto, you were the winner. Well, the loser. The winner at losing.



Alberto Contador
It may appear a teensy-weensy margin, but at this stage of the race every little helps for Alberto Contador. Besides, doesn't the eight seconds Bertie seized back from rival Andy Schleck at Mur-de-Bretagne have a nice symbolic ring to it?



Rabobank's custom time trial bottles and cages are designed so that the rider doesn't have to break his tuck to take a drink - just slide an arm back a little, grab and go:
Rabobank riders didn't need to worry about hydration during the short team time trial that made up Stage 2 of the 2011 Tour de France, but the penultimate stage's individual effort will be a slightly different story. Instead of standard frame mounted bottles, Rabobank will have fluids mounted right up front on the aerobars.


Ridley noah fb: ridley noah fb
Aero road bikes are all the rage this year, with Specialized, Scott and Cervelo all jumping on the bandwagon – with the Venge, Foil and S5 respectively. However, Ridley beat them to it with the original Noah and the Belgian company have now gone a step further with the launch of the Noah Fast.


Bicycle Tutor
The Bicycle Safety Guide
On The Road: Bicycle Safety
Guide to Bicycle Safety
Beginners' cycling questions answered
Bicycle Insurance
World Bicycle Relief
Lexicon of cycling terms
Race Reports - Janel Holcomb.
Video: Performance- some humor.
Video: Ride Right
British Bike Association





Janez Brajkovic needed medical treatment after his crash
The Tour de France passed four stages without serious incidents but the peloton's luck ran out on the narrow, windy roads of Brittany from Carhaix to Cap Frehel on stage 5, causing a number of riders, including the top GC contenders to crash.



Mark Cavendish
“I think what the organisers have done this year is they’ve made it hard to have a proper bunch sprint.” I think that’s because we’ve been dominating in the last years..“We’ve brought the best team to work on the sprints at the Tour de France so we dominate the sprints. They’ve tried to make it a handicap this year – that wasn’t a bunch sprint, that was hard, real hard at the finish.”



Giro-donne_medium
Stage 7 has been presented as the signature stage of this year’s Giro, but while we knew last year that the overall winner would almost certainly have to win on the Stelvio, this year no-one is sure how decisive this stage will be. Nor how it will play out.




Giro-donne_medium
Last flat stage before the mountain goats take over tomorrow, so all the sprinters & breakaway queens were out for their final chance for glory.









http://www.cxmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/KalmthoutDames91.jpg
This racer from New Zealand hit the cyclocross circuit in 2009, racing primarily in Europe, though she hopes to come to the States this season. First a mountain biker, now Whitson is trying her luck on the road circuit with an eye toward cyclocross in the fall.



Stage 5 sprint
Cap Fréhel is a small peninsula, a cape, on the coast of Brittany with only 1,600 inhabitants and the actual finish location is the village of Pléhérel. The arrival of the race today will probably be the biggest thing to happen in the village’s history. It’s a unique setting with tall cliffs above the sea, heathland and salty air.



Chris Horner (RadioShack) leads Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Cannondale).
Hesjedal's stocks rise, Sick Spartacus, Horner's odd odyssey and a Leopard cub.



FSA SL-K Light carbon compact crankset
"Great lightweight compact chainset that’s tough and slick shifting."



Bjarne Riis at Saxo Bank-SunGard's pre-Giro d'Italia press conference.
Bjarne Riis has admittited that losing so many riders and personnel to Leopard Trek was one of the most difficult moments of his career. However, the Saxo Bank-SunGard chief concedes that such a separation is part of the sport.”



http://janheine.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/rhcrankrl.jpg
Some products are hard to improve; they make you wonder why all components are not made that way. The classic René Herse cranks are like that.


PezCyclingNews.com

Pellos example
The Tour de France has been relentlessly commercial from the beginning, at first an exercise to sell newspapers and today a money-making event that exploits sport.










Carly Hibberd
Australian cyclist struck while out training in Italy.



Smiles from Carmen Small (TIBCO/To The Top) at 2011 Redlands Bicycle Classic
After breaking from the NRC schedule for national championships and the July 4th weekend, Team TIBCO/To the Top will be back in action at the five-day, four-stage Tour de ‘Toona, which makes its return to the calendar after several years’ hiatus.



Carlos Satre (Geox-TMC)
Writing in his current role during the Tour as a consultant for Spanish national TV, Sastre said he believes that some bodies are taking a stance "against Alberto at all costs". He added that his compatriot is not being shown the respect he deserves.




Mikel Astarloza
Basque rider might start Tour of Poland.



Mavic Elite both wheelset
A review of the 2011 Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheelset is almost pointless. Praise of the French hoops from reviewers, mechanics, bike shop owners and riders has been consistent, effusive and universal.



American Classic 38 Carbon Tubula
Over the past few years, we've seen plenty of tweaks to the wheel line up at American Classic. A few new rim materials, a new hoop shape or a hub geometry tweak would be added to an already tried and true "classic" design.



Michelin Krylion Carbon tires
"Not nearly as inexpensive as some commuter-oriented tires, the Krylion Carbons provide what I consider to be an excellent balance of ride, grip, and durability."


VeloNews’ 2011 race calendar
VeloNews' 2011 mtb race calendar
CXMagazine’s  2011 cx race calendar
How to Drive Around Cyclists
Men's Pro Cycling on Twitter
Twitter Hashtags For Races
Bike trade tweeps - who uses Twitter.
Classified - bikes and accessories for sale.
Archive - looking? it may be in the archive.
Health and Fitness - also training information.
Tips and Safety - what to watch out for.
Unwritten rules of cycling etiquette
As TheToto Turns

July 5, 2011

Jessica Phillips (Colavita-Baci) sporting her national champion stars and stripes jersey.
Former US National Road Champion, Jessica Phillips, one of the promoters of the inaugural Aspen Women's Pro Race, is hoping to attract the top women to Colorado for an omnium event set to take place from August 22-24.



2011 Tour de France, stage 4
“Now Tyler knows he can win. That barrier is no longer there. His victory was very important for his confidence,” said Garmin-Cervélo sport director Lionel Marie. “He knows he can do it. And he knows he has the team riding for him.”



Jurgen Van de Walle (Omega Pharma-Lotto) gest a push after a wheel change.
The team's doctor Jan Mathieu said that Van de Walle has a sprain to his left adductor, the muscle on the inner thigh, and despite getting intensive physiotherapy, the injury has gotten worse.



Tro Bro-Léon
The Tour de France is racing across Brittany at the moment. This the region in north west, the big finger that pokes westwards into the Atlantic. It’s a hotbed of French cycling where many a village festival is accompanied by a small race and where one of the biggest races in France takes place, the GP Plouay.







Tour de France





Tour de France contender Andy Schleck brushed off losing eight seconds to yellow jersey rival Alberto Contador on Tuesday as the Spaniard provided drama on a thrilling finish to stage 4.




Stage Profile
Tuesday's Tour de France Stage 4 departs Lorient at 12:50pm CET (6:50am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Mûr-de-Bretagne at around 5:05pm CET (11:05am U.S. Eastern). Tour de France live video streaming should get underway at around 2:00pm CET (8am U.S. Eastern).


Stage preview
Stage 4 start time: Tuesday 13:10 CET (4:10 AM PDT.
Earliest live video: 14:00 CET (5:00 AM PDT).
Approximate finish: 17:05 CET (8:05 AM PDT).






World champion Thor Hushovd (Garmin-Cervelo) has traded his rainbow-striped jersey for the Tour de France leader's jersey.
Racing on the north western coast of France can be fraught with danger, and the cross-winds were certainly at play on Monday's third stage. Pre-Tour contender for overall honours, Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Cannondale) had a few nervous moments ahead of the Saint-Nazaire bridge.


Bicycle Tutor
The Bicycle Safety Guide
On The Road: Bicycle Safety
Guide to Bicycle Safety
Beginners' cycling questions answered
Bicycle Insurance
World Bicycle Relief
Lexicon of cycling terms
Race Reports - Janel Holcomb.
Video: Performance- some humor.
Video: Ride Right
British Bike Association


Romain Feillu has flown the flag for Vacansoleil-DCM this season.
Romain Feillu, the outspoken sprinter of Vacansoleil-DCM, reckons Mark Cavendish is the fastest rider at the Tour de France. "He's perhaps the strongest [sprinter] because he has the advantage to have a very strong team for the lead-out" he told Le Parisien/Aujourd'hui en France. "He's got a brilliant burst of speed, a lot of power and a great aerodynamic position."






Cadel Evans,
Cadel Evans has been singing the praises of his BMC Racing team mates for helping him get back to the bunch to contest the finale after suffering a mechanical problem.








http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/505704/83071365.jpg
Today's stage was a relatively straightforward flat stage, built for sprinters.  Well, apart from the fact the riders only knew how long the stage was after it finished!  Monty's stage profile will tell you more about what they faced, but it turned out to be 137km - 11km more than the race book!





The leader fuels up
There were a lot of surprised faces at the finish line Tuesday. Cadel Evans said he was surprised at his finish, especially after his bike was destroyed in the closing 20km and he was forced to chase back on when the pack was in full flight.



Kelly
Says it’s a ‘sorry time’ for sprinters.




Mûr de Bretagne
It’s Philippe Gilbert’s birthday today. He won the opening stage of the Tour on the day of his wife’s birthday and everything points to a repeat today. Almost.



Gilbert
Belgian wants stage win on birthday, Australian after Maillot Jaune.



Cadel Evans (BMC) wore the polka-dot jersey during stage 3.
With just one second separating Cadel Evans from the yellow jersey, stage 3 had the potential to be a very dangerous stage for the BMC leader.


PezCyclingNews.com

Mavic Elite both wheelset
A review of the 2011 Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheelset is almost pointless. Praise of the French hoops from reviewers, mechanics, bike shop owners and riders has been consistent, effusive and universal.



Giro-donne_medium
Stage 6 is sort of a stage for the sprinters, but it was also designed to honour Giorgia Bronzini in her home town of Piacenza, so there’s a steepish climb of some 200m at 30km from the end, followed by a narrow, technical descent.



http://neilbrowne.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/IMG_0665.jpg
I think we can safely call “bullshit” on the Leopard Tank story. And no, I’m not going to pronounce the team LAY-oh-pard Trek.






cyclingaward
It would be good for cycling if a cyclist got some recognition.





Soler
Movistar rider making slow progress, situation is going in right direction.



Zinn FAQ: Cipollini bikes
"Pro riders do not “choose” their bikes any more? As you know, it’s the sponsorship dollars that hold sway and really dictate what the team will ride."



Alessandro Ballan (BMC) was back racing on Italian roads in Trentino.
Alessandro Ballan met with the Italian Olympic Committee’s (CONI) anti-doping prosecutor Ettore Torri on Monday afternoon to discuss his implication in the Mantova-based doping investigation centred on the activities of pharmacist Guido Nigrelli.



“Tyler Farrar is a sprinter disguised as a gentleman.” - Bonnie D. Ford  ESPN



Cassette Body
Pacenti wants to work together with the biggest component makers—Campagnolo, Shimano and SRAM—to help make it a reality.



"We have been able to take an in-depth look at both the racing and especially the training data for a group of elite cyclists over the course of an entire season."




NetApp's Leopold König took third place
When Team NetApp's Leopold König finished third on the Kitzbüheler Horn in the second stage of the Tour of Austria, he may have been the most surprised. And especially when he passed Carlos Sastre in the final metres before the finish line.



Hinault and Herrera
The organizers of the Clasico RCN invited Bernard Hinault and his La Vie Claire team to race the nine day race they sponsored.


VeloNews’ 2011 race calendar
VeloNews' 2011 mtb race calendar
CXMagazine’s  2011 cx race calendar
How to Drive Around Cyclists
Men's Pro Cycling on Twitter
Twitter Hashtags For Races
Bike trade tweeps - who uses Twitter.
Classified - bikes and accessories for sale.
Archive - looking? it may be in the archive.
Health and Fitness - also training information.
Tips and Safety - what to watch out for.
Unwritten rules of cycling etiquette
As TheToto Turns

July 4, 2011

New jersey for Evans
A region that spored Tour winners Hinault, Bobet and Robic.



HTC-Highroad’s Mark Cavendish
Thor Hushovd and HTC-Highroad’s Mark Cavendish were disqualified from the intermediate sprint.



Ag2r collective
“We’d fixed the goal of finishing between twelfth and fourteenth place and we’re right on cue because we finished thirteenth! The result on the day was rather satisfying.”


“Tyler Farrar is a sprinter disguised as a gentleman.” - Bonnie D. Ford  ESPN





Tour de France










Stage 3 Profile
Monday's Tour de France Stage 3 departs Olonne-sur-Mer at 12:35pm CET (6:35am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Redon at around 5:21pm CET (11:21am U.S. Eastern). Tour de France live video streaming should get underway at around 2:00pm CET (8am U.S. Eastern).


Stage 2 preview



Tyler Farrar TDF 2011 stage 3
“This has been a horrible last two months with everything that happened in the Giro,” said Farrar. “I’ve had a lot of ups and downs but in the end I wanted to come back and do something special and this is certainly the biggest stage that you can do that.”






Chris Horner (RadioShack) would have a lot more to smile about at day's end.
Chris Horner’s (RadioShack) attempt to break into the top five at the Tour de France has got off to an almost flawless start. The American made the decisive split on stage 1, avoiding crashes and time gaps, while he and his Radioshack teammates finished 6th at 10 seconds in Sunday’s team time trial. Horner currently lies in 21st place overall, just ten seconds off the yellow jersey.



2011 Tour de France, stage 3: Thor Hushovd
Cue up the tune to “Walking in a Winter Wonderland” in your mind, then put in these words: There’s only one, Thor Hushovd. There’s only one, Thor Hushovd.



Tom Boonen
Mixed fortunes for Quick Step riders as chaos in the final corner ruins Belgian’s hopes.


Bicycle Tutor
The Bicycle Safety Guide
On The Road: Bicycle Safety
Guide to Bicycle Safety
Beginners' cycling questions answered
Bicycle Insurance
World Bicycle Relief
Lexicon of cycling terms
Race Reports - Janel Holcomb.
Video: Performance- some humor.
Video: Ride Right
British Bike Association


Dieter "Didi" Senft - The Devil of the TdF
"Today was pancake flat with beautiful weather and there was never much doubt it would come down to a sprint finish. I tipped that Cav would take the win, but it was one of the few times that HTC were unable to control the final kilometers to deliver Cav to the finish."




Mark Cavendish, British road race national championships 2011
"Just discovered Thor and I have been disqualified from the intermediate sprint today," he wrote on his Twitter account. "Seriously, no idea why?!"






Garmin-Cervelo on way to winning stage, Tour de France 2011, stage two
Thirty-nine riders racing this year's Tour are 25 or under. The list includes Roman Kreuziger (Astana), Geraint Thomas (Sky), Robert Gesink (Rabobank), Matthew Goss (HTC-Highroad), Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky), Ben Swift (Sky) and Tejay Van Garderen (HTC-Highroad).



http://www.cyclesportmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Wiggins.jpg







Stage 3 closing kilometres
The race leaves the Vendée region to head into Brittany, passing through the heartlands of French cycling. There are more amateur races organised in this area than anywhere else in France. The course is flat if there’s a single categorised climb on the day, it is not a hill but a bridge (Cat 4, 1.1km at 4.9%). This is a day for the sprinters.




Cyrille Guimard
Spaniard insists he’ll continue in Tour no matter what.



During the build-up towards the Tour de France all team managers have to make hard decisions when they're making their selection for the race. At the Garmin-Cervélo team, the last spot ended up being a tie between Paris-Roubaix winner Johan Vansummeren and little-known rider Ramunas Navardauskas.



Mavic Elite both wheelset
Whether you race or not, weigh 145 or 220 pounds, climb mountains or train on wet, windy flat roads, the feedback is always the same. Bombproof, beautiful, lightweight and affordable.



Repairing a tubular tire can be tricky, but it can save you a lot of money in the long run.
When you invest in a set of tubular tires, you pray they never flat. Because let’s face it, repairing tubulars is a whole lot of trouble.



Frank Schleck Leopard-Trek
His Tour de France could have ended yesterday if he would have had an reaction to the bug. Luckily there was no allergic reaction from his boody so he is all good right now.


PezCyclingNews.com

WADA president John Fahey gives an address at a symposium in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced today that it has signed a long-term agreement with pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline to get assistance in its efforts to stay on top of detection methods for emerging performance-enhancing drugs.



Giro-donne_medium
"HTC are talking about how they might not be able to control the day like they did today. I reckon they’ve just read that bit about the scorching heat of the plain."



United Healthcare rider continuing to improve.





bikesnob2.jpg
Alberto Contador experienced what George Costanza might have called “significant shrinkage” by losing over a minute to arch-rival Andy Schleck.




Ina Teutenberg
Marianne Vos holds on to pink as peloton finishes together.

1.   Ina-Yoko Teutenberg (Ger)HTC-Highroad
2.   Giorgia Bronzini (Ita)Colavita Forno d'Asolo, s.t.
3.   Monia Baccaille (Ita) MCipollini-Giambenini, s.t.




Amber Pierce (Diadora Pasta Zara) at 2011 Nature Valley Grand Prix
Amber Pierce, of Team Diadora-Pasta Zara, raced for years on US domestic teams. She raced with the Webcor Builders Women’s Professional Cycling Team and then spent time on Team TIBCO. As an ex-pat living in Graz, Austria, she contemplated leaving Team TIBCO at the end of 2009 and dreamed of racing in Europe full time.



The 98th Tour de France
Cindy Boren writing in the Washington Post seems to think there will be a void in this year’s event caused by the absence of Lance Armstrong. That is hilarious.



Johan Bruyneel and Bradley McGee were both slapped with fines from the sport's governing body for "improper conduct towards officials in the zone where the bikes were being checked."


Radioshack team car
There’s a mini-fuss at the moment over some of the UCI rules. Specifically rule 1.3.014 requires the saddle to be level.



Amber Neben leads Women's Prestige Cycling Series following her overall victory at the Nature Valley Grand Prix
On the strength of a dominant performance at the Nature Valley Grand Prix, the HTC-Highroad women are atop the Women’s Prestige Cycling Series standings in three of four categories.




The di2-specific routing on tejay van garderen's (htc-highroad) specialized mclaren tarmac sl4 is particularly clean:
Specialized are on a bit of a tear this year, scoring several key wins on new bikes right after they've been introduced to the public. The latest chapter in the company's new-bike saga is the S-Works Tarmac SL4, and one of the HTC-Highroad riders with the potential to do something big this time around is young American hotshot Tejay Van Garderen.



Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre ISD)
Not that Mark Cavendish is one to revel in the misfortune of others, but if on Monday night he was looking for consolation, the Manxman could take heart from the fact that defending champion Alessandro Petacchi’s 2011 Tour de France green jersey campaign is even further behind schedule than his own.


VeloNews’ 2011 race calendar
VeloNews' 2011 mtb race calendar
CXMagazine’s  2011 cx race calendar
How to Drive Around Cyclists
Men's Pro Cycling on Twitter
Twitter Hashtags For Races
Bike trade tweeps - who uses Twitter.
Classified - bikes and accessories for sale.
Archive - looking? it may be in the archive.
Health and Fitness - also training information.
Tips and Safety - what to watch out for.
Unwritten rules of cycling etiquette
As TheToto Turns

July 3, 2011

In his record-tying 16th Tour de France, George Hincapie is now the highest placed American (in 13th, four seconds behind new race leader Thor Hushovd of Garmin-Cervélo) after giving the team time trial his all in support of BMC teammate Cadel Evans’ GC aspirations.



Tyler Farrar
The Leopard-Trek team asked Tyler Farrar to join them as they honored their teammate Wouter Weylandt at the Giro d'Italia.



garmin celebrate
Jonathan Vaughters is not a taciturn man. In response to a question about doping at the post-race press conference Sunday, specifically why many in cycling don’t like to say anything at all on the subject, the Garmin-Cervelo team manager quipped, “I’m more chatty than most people.”












Stage 2 Profile
Sunday's Tour de France Stage 2, a 23km Team Time Trial at Les Essarts, gets underway at 2:30pm CET (8:30am U.S. Eastern) with the departure of the first team. Tour de France live video streaming should also begin by around that time.

Stage 2 preview
Stage 2 start time: Sunday 14:30 CET (5:30 AM PDT). Earliest live video: 14:30 CET (5:30 AM PDT).Approximate finish: 17:22 CET (8:22 AM PDT).



the Passage du Gois, notorious for its slippery roads and crosswinds.
The Tour race organisers pulled it out of the bag on Saturday with an opening stage which included everything we could have wanted - and more.



http://redkiteprayer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/StelvioRiderSnow-@PhSport-e1309671685829.jpg
There’s an arc to birthdays. When you’re young, they’re a sign of progress and increasing freedom. In your twenties and thirties they are a time of benchmarks, milestones reached.


Bicycle Tutor
The Bicycle Safety Guide
On The Road: Bicycle Safety
Guide to Bicycle Safety
Beginners' cycling questions answered
Bicycle Insurance
World Bicycle Relief
Lexicon of cycling terms
Race Reports - Janel Holcomb.
Video: Performance- some humor.
Video: Ride Right
British Bike Association





SaxoBank, were a source of fascination, like endangered zoo animals.
For the likes of Andy Schleck, it’s about whether they can further distance Alberto Contador. For Pez, it’s a day for zipping around the teams’ compound checking out who’s looking strong, reading the body language.






Grega Bole
It’s all the rage these days. Alessandro Petacchi has threatened to swap the maglia azzurra of the Italian national team for that of Kazakhstan after the Italian authorities raised the idea of banning those with doping convictions from representing their country. Now Grega Bole is sporting a jersey in the colours of the Dutch national champion. Only he is Slovenian.



"This course is so short that pacing doesn’t matter too much, it’s full gas. The riders will find this very painful, not the dull ache but acid in the legs and a strain on the lungs."



Leopard Trek's Fränk and Andy Schleck get ready for a pre-Tour training session.
Fränk Schleck's bomb, Cav's Twitter admiration, Lefevere abuse and the dame jaune.



Alberto Contador, Tour de France 2011, stage one
Immediately after the finish of the 2011 Tour de France's opening stage, the Team Sky bus was the venue for an agonising wait while manager Dave Brailsford and team leader Bradley Wiggins tried to establish whether Wiggins would receive the same finish time as the lead group he had been in before he was held up by a crash.



He's a quiet, interesting character,
Garmin-Cervélo's Team Physician, Prentice Steffen played a major part in the UCI's new rules introducing a no-needle policy within the professional peloton.


PezCyclingNews.com

Giro-donne_medium
Stage 4 and at last we get to the first sprint stage proper of the Giro. That means that just like in American Football it’s time for one set of players to take a break while another take their turn in the spotlight.



Marianne Vos
Dutch champion takes second stage and huge lead after hilly stage across Marche hinterland.



Defending champion Shelley Olds (Diadora Pasta Zara) was off the pace of her rivals and finished over a minute back.
The 30-year-old American crashed heavily at the Nature Valley Grand Prix last month, injuring her ribs. Olds made the decision in consultation with her team following persistent rib pain and will now take time to rest and recover properly.



2011 Tour de France, stage 2, UCI saddle check, Alberto Contador
More than half of Saxo Bank-Sungard’s riders had to change their saddle positions minutes before the start. Team boss Bjarne Riis was livid.




Chateau de la Verie
Quick Step’s hotel during the opening weekend.



“A monkey with two left thumbs and a rusty typewriter could write the Tour de France’s recent dope-smeared history, because it does not take a genius to attach a long string of question marks and asterisks to all the dubious and downright discredited results registered at cycling’s premier race over the past 15 years or more. Sadly, this year, again, may be no exception.” - John Leicester  Yahoo!



Saris CycleOps PowerTap G3 lightweight powermeter built with ENVE carbon rims for a complete power measurement wheelset
Saris has broken the weight and price barriers to power measurement with their new CycleOps PowerTap G3 and PowerTap Pro.


VeloNews’ 2011 race calendar
VeloNews' 2011 mtb race calendar
CXMagazine’s  2011 cx race calendar
How to Drive Around Cyclists
Men's Pro Cycling on Twitter
Twitter Hashtags For Races
Bike trade tweeps - who uses Twitter.
Classified - bikes and accessories for sale.
Archive - looking? it may be in the archive.
Health and Fitness - also training information.
Tips and Safety - what to watch out for.
Unwritten rules of cycling etiquette
As TheToto Turns

July 2, 2011

Stage 2 preview
Stage 2 start time: Sunday 14:30 CET (5:30 AM PDT). Earliest live video: 14:30 CET (5:30 AM PDT).Approximate finish: 17:22 CET (8:22 AM PDT).



The opening stage of 2011 is over and Bobke has plenty to say.

Andy Rihs (center) with John Lelangue and Floyd Landis after the 2006 Tour de France.
The Rihs question, CAS delay defence, Madiot on Contador, Basso's App.



2011 Tour de France, stage 1: Evans
The fastest teams will likely put at least two minutes on the slowest on Sunday in Les Essarts. The question is, how will the GC hopefuls fare?






Tour pile-up
A confused spectator caused a massive pile-up at today's Tour de France.




Crashes, and one of the strongest uphill sprinters ever seen in cycling, wrought carnage in the Vendée.








Evans
Australian's strong on uphill finish to end the first day.




Stage 1 Profile
Saturday's Tour de France Stage 1 departs Passage du Gois-La Barre-de-Monts at 1:05pm CET (7:05am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Mont des Alouettes (Les Herbiers) at around 5:20pm CET (11:20am U.S. Eastern).  *Tour de France live video streaming via some sources, such as Versus/NBC Sports and Eurosport International, is scheduled to start at around 2:00pm CET (8am U.S. Eastern).





Champs_medium
Meet the 198 cyclists in this year's Tour de France!



Frank Schleck
Schleck brothers chasing Tour glory.


Bicycle Tutor
The Bicycle Safety Guide
On The Road: Bicycle Safety
Guide to Bicycle Safety
Beginners' cycling questions answered
Bicycle Insurance
World Bicycle Relief
Lexicon of cycling terms
Race Reports - Janel Holcomb.
Video: Performance- some humor.
Video: Ride Right
British Bike Association


PIC207189906
"I gotta hand it to Gilbert. He was a marked man and a favorite in this stage after his domination in the Ardennes Classics. Talk about class!"





Stage-one-crash
The opening day of the Tour was eagerly anticipated. Unfortunately, a hectic run-in to Les Herbiers left many riders counting the cost.




Stage 1 last 5km
Each morning during the Tour de France I will preview the day’s stage. It’s hard to predict a winner but there are some certainties about the course and conditions that can help give us some insight into what might happen.



GALIBIER PASS
Bob Roll recalls his own struggle with the mountain, and picks the podium in Paris.



Chris Horner (RadioShack) goes solo and never looks back.
Chris Horner (RadioShack) believes he has a more than realistic chance of cracking the top five at this year's Tour de France and hasn't given up on a podium place. The American finished 10th in last year's race despite having to ride as a domestique for Lance Armstrong but he burst through as a truly legitimate top five contender after his win at the Amgen Tour of California.



Yesterday's stage winner Yohann Gene (Europcar).
Guadeloupe is 6700km from Paris but there is a small piece of France in the middle of Caribbean and this year the island will be represented at the Tour de France for the first time by Yohann Gène of the Europcar team.



Alberto Contador won't be able to escape questions about his pending doping appeal case during this year's Tour de France.
Three-time and defending Tour champion Alberto Contador is a rolling asterisk, able to compete courtesy of Spanish cycling federation officials who accepted his explanation that contaminated meat caused a positive test for clenbuterol.



It really is one of the best fields in recent years lining up tomorrow at the Passage du Gois to start this 98th Tour de France.



2012 Bianchi Impulso road bike with Ultegra drivetrain
Bianchi’s new Impulso road bike joins their lineup for 2012 as part of the long distance C2C (Coast 2 Coast) family. The frame is “Triple Hydroformed”, which means the top- and head tubes are hydroformed, then welded and fused together into a monocoque structure before going through a second hydroforming process.


PezCyclingNews.com

Giro-donne_medium
The "Giro of the emotions" stops at the home of an athlete that the whole group has in its heart. It rides on the roads of Marina Romoli, from Potenza Picena to Fermo.




Australian Champion for 2011 is Shara Gillow (Jayco-AIS), who will take the green and gold to Europe as part of the Australian National team
Shara Gillow (Bizkaia – Durango) won the second stage in and took the race leader’s pink jersey at the Giro Donne on Saturday.









Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Cannondale) had this wild height-adjustable seatpost fitted to both of his Cannondale SuperSix Evos.
Ivan Basso's (Liquigas) Cannondale SuperSix Evo was topped with a wild looking seatpost that may presumably be released by FSA at some point judging by the markings.  Simply grabbing and rotating the ribbed and detented collar adjusts the saddle height in stepped increments without producing any noticeable play between the upper and lower halves or slipping.



welcome to Mont des Alouettes
The caravan thunders into our consciousness, and one lucky driver gets a very enthusiastic welcome to Mont des Alouettes.



SRM's new campagnolo-based power meter makes an appearance on the canyon aeroad cf of philippe gilbert (omega pharma-lotto).: srm's new campagnolo-based power meter makes an appearance on the canyon aeroad cf of philippe gilbert (omega pharma-lotto).
Omega Pharma-Lotto riders have their choice of bikes from team sponsor Canyon and despite the Ultimate CF SLX model being the stiffest and lightest in the range, some of them have chosen the Aeroad CF instead – including new Belgian national champion Philippe Gilbert.



Josh hon with a tern verge duo. the coaster brake means no bar controls:
Tern, the name of a migratory bird, in fact, the longest flying migratory bird. Tern, now also the latest bike brand out there, only eight months in conception and with a span of 22 models in production, all folders.



“A monkey with two left thumbs and a rusty typewriter could write the Tour de France’s recent dope-smeared history, because it does not take a genius to attach a long string of question marks and asterisks to all the dubious and downright discredited results registered at cycling’s premier race over the past 15 years or more. Sadly, this year, again, may be no exception.” - John Leicester  Yahoo!



Sky-Tour-pres
Team Sky’s preparation for this year’s Tour de France has been different to their debut season in almost every way. Bradley Wiggins explains some of the changes and why he is going into this year’s Tour on the back of his greatest ever stage race result.


VeloNews’ 2011 race calendar
VeloNews' 2011 mtb race calendar
CXMagazine’s  2011 cx race calendar
How to Drive Around Cyclists
Men's Pro Cycling on Twitter
Twitter Hashtags For Races
Bike trade tweeps - who uses Twitter.
Classified - bikes and accessories for sale.
Archive - looking? it may be in the archive.
Health and Fitness - also training information.
Tips and Safety - what to watch out for.
Unwritten rules of cycling etiquette
As TheToto Turns

July 1, 2011




Teams Presentation
Stage 1 start time: Saturday 13:05 CET (4:05 AM PDT). Earliest live video: 14:00 CET (5:00 AM PDT). Approximate finish: 17:20 CET (8:20 AM PDT).



Stage_2_map_medium
Stage 2 travels in a large circle, starting and ending at Pescostanzo, but en route descending then re-ascending almost 1500m, including the first category 2 climb of the Giro.



Tour de France CREDIT: Thomas Browne
The Tour de France is one of the biggest sporting spectacles on the planet. I won’t bore you with the metaphors of riders suffering or how competing in the 21 stages is the equivalent to running a marathon everyday. Instead let’s focus on something that really matters – having a good time while waiting for shit to happen.




TOUR DE FRANCE - STAGE SEVENTEEN
"It’s the fastest, hardest, most prestigious race in the world, and its safe to say if the Tour hadn’t had the success it has, the sport would not have developed in the same way. It’s not the most innovative of races, but it’s earned its right not to have to rely on gimmicks."



We'll never be able to talk about Luz Ardiden again without mentioning the insanity of the 2003 Tour de France.
"With the Grand Depart just a day away, it seems appropriate to take a closer look at the route that will provide the stage for the world's best racers over the next three weeks. Come, join us in the PEZ coffee shop for a chat."



“A monkey with two left thumbs and a rusty typewriter could write the Tour de France’s recent dope-smeared history, because it does not take a genius to attach a long string of question marks and asterisks to all the dubious and downright discredited results registered at cycling’s premier race over the past 15 years or more. Sadly, this year, again, may be no exception.” - John Leicester  Yahoo!



Sastre
Regards Contador as favorite but says there are many big rivals.



After launching a brutal attack just a few miles from the line, the only person that could stay with Mara Abbott was Flavia Oliveira (Pactimo).
Diadora-Pasta Zara’s Mara Abbott was crowned the first American to win the Giro d’Italia Internazionale Femminile/Giro Donne last year and she will return to try and defend her title at this year’s event set to begin on July 1 in Rome. The Colorado native’s form is unknown however, and she has decided to take the race day-by-day after suffering from a concussion that rendered her unable to race during the month of June.


Bicycle Tutor
The Bicycle Safety Guide
On The Road: Bicycle Safety
Guide to Bicycle Safety
Beginners' cycling questions answered
Bicycle Insurance
World Bicycle Relief
Lexicon of cycling terms
Race Reports - Janel Holcomb.
Video: Performance- some humor.
Video: Ride Right
British Bike Association


Alberto Contador won't be able to escape questions about his pending doping appeal case during this year's Tour de France.
Three-time and defending Tour champion Alberto Contador is a rolling asterisk, able to compete courtesy of Spanish cycling federation officials who accepted his explanation that contaminated meat caused a positive test for clenbuterol.



: The Contenders.
It really is one of the best fields in recent years lining up tomorrow at the Passage du Gois to start this 98th Tour de France.






Bradley Wiggins at the press conference
Sky's Bradley Wiggins has questioned the enforcement of the UCI's new no-needles policy, saying the team's medical staff are ‘adamant' other squads are continuing to inject recovery aids like vitamins and minerals.



HTC-Highroad rider Danny Pate says he taped up some of the vents on his helmet not so much to defend against the cold but rather to protect from sunburn.
Danny Pate (HTC-Highroad) has called for stricter punishments for doping offences in cycling. The American rider has also called for a single governing body to deal with doping cases rather than individual national federations, who in his opinion, are inconsistent.




Ashleigh Moolman | ashleighcycling
Marianne Vos outpowered Ina-Yoko Teutenberg and Emma Johansson in the uphill sprint to win by a clear distance.




The competition leaders - Vos (Netherlands), Abbott (United States), Guderzo (Team Valdarno) and Pooley (Cervelo Test Team)
The longest, most difficult and most prestigious women's race of the year gets underway today, with the Giro d'Italia Internazionale Femminile, otherwise known as Giro Donne, beginning in Rome.



Recovery food.
After last year's 'contaminated meat' incident, food has become a key focus for a number of teams. The Rabobank and BMC squads have taken two different routes to insure they avoid any possible repeat of the scandal of the 2010 race.



2011 Tour de Suisse - Leipheimer in Stage 9
The 2011 Tour de France will see arguably the strongest North American contingent in the history of the race as 4 riders with top-10 finishes on their resumes will toe the start line on Saturday. Canadian Ryder Hesjedal and Americans Christian Vande Velde, Chris Horner, and Levi Leipheimer all hope to improve on their previous successes and perhaps make a run at a podium position.



Given their recent PR push to make them seem a little more friendly, the UCI’s consideration of lighter bikes in the peloton shouldn’t come as any surprise but it’s certainly a welcome one.


PezCyclingNews.com









Quick Step site
The police today seized the Quick Step bus, driving it to a compound in La Roche sur Yon to search it for doping products. Nothing was found… except the event got maximum media coverage for a short moment.


The Quick Step bus was taken by the French authorities
The police turned up at the Quick Step hotel late on Friday afternoon and asked for the chauffer of the bus. They then took the bus to the police station in La Roche-sur-Yon, 50km from the Quick Step hotel and half way between the French coast and Mont des Alouettes, where the first stage of the Tour de France will finish on Saturday.








Soigneur
BMC Racing’s troubles with a rogue soigneur are bad news for the team. The casual way which Sven Schoutteten was hired from time to time reflects the way many teams operate, a pro image up front but behind the scenes people are hiring their pals.



Vuelta runner-up Ezequiel Mosquera tested positive for an EPO masking agent.
The Spanish Cycling Federation has finally started its investigation into Ezequiel Mosquera's doping case from last year's Vuelta a Espana.



http://redkiteprayer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/1627_Contador_PodiumYel_PhSptsm.jpg
Every cycling site on the planet has postulated some theory about just which rider could conceivably beat Alberto Contador. Naturally, almost no one places much stock in their theories because all indications are that Contador will spend the next three weeks riding at an endurance pace and then making the odd acceleration to dust off his legs … and the competition.






http://www.pavepavepave.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/PIC129292S.jpg
Switzerland and Austria brings a small contingent to this year’s Tour de France, but representatives from each are quite likely to fly his nation’s flag admirably.


VeloNews’ 2011 race calendar
VeloNews' 2011 mtb race calendar
CXMagazine’s  2011 cx race calendar
How to Drive Around Cyclists
Men's Pro Cycling on Twitter
Twitter Hashtags For Races
Bike trade tweeps - who uses Twitter.
Classified - bikes and accessories for sale.
Archive - looking? it may be in the archive.
Health and Fitness - also training information.
Tips and Safety - what to watch out for.
Unwritten rules of cycling etiquette
As TheToto Turns
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