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Jeremy Powers reports on his first ride on the Hoogerheide race course.
The weekend is here and it’s the biggest race in cyclocross: The world championships. If 'cross were included in the Olympics, we’d all have a bigger race to look forward to every four years. While talk of the Olympics is happening, so far it’s only talk. For now, we’ve got the rainbow stripes and it’s the highest honor any 'cross racer can achieve.
Valverde betting everything on Tour
Less is more for Alejandro Valverde in 2009, at least that’s what Caisse d’Epargne is banking on as Spain’s best all-rounder takes aim for the Tour de France podium. With the idea of goal of peaking during July, Valverde will race less with the hopes of a big payoff on the Champs-Elysées. “I’ve decided to focus everything on the Tour,” Valverde said during the team’s presentation Thursday in Paris. “I’ll arrive in Monaco with less kilometers in my legs, but with more experience, which counts for something, too.”
CO2 Cartridge Alternative
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Amgen Tour of California to feature strongest field ever assembled in the U.S.
World cyclocross championships to cap Compton’s stellar season
Two years after the most successful day in American cyclo-cross history, the U.S. National Team is once again preparing to face the world’s best in northern Europe this weekend at the 2009 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Hoogerheide, Netherlands. One of the favorites to contend for a world title is Katie Compton (Colorado Springs, Colo.). In 2007, Katie was one of three athletes to contribute to the U.S. medal count, winning a silver medal in the elite women’s category. And if her 2008 campaign is any indication, she will line up in Holland as a marked woman.
Felt Bicycles to sponsor Hawk Relay Cycling Team
Felt Bicycles is pleased to announce the sponsorship of the Hawk Relay Cycling Team, a UCI professional Track trade team based in Los Angeles, CA. Hawk Relay Cycling Team members including 2-time World Pursuit Champion Sarah Hammer, 2-time US Olympian Adam Duvenbeck, and Canadian National Champion Travis Smith have already begun using their new Felt frames.
Scott Moninger joins Peaks Coaching Group
Hunter Allen & Peaks Coaching Group is pleased to announce that Scott Moninger, one of the most successful individuals in the history of American bicycle racing, will join the Peaks family in 2009. Scott is a former member of Team BMC, HealthNet and Mercury Pro teams and has notched over 275 career victories, the most of any active U.S. racer at the time of his retirement in 2007.
Jonathan Page named to U.S. men’s cyclocross team
Just two days before the race, Jonathan Page has been named to the men's team for this Sunday's UCI World Cyclocross Championships, USA Cycling announced Thursday. Page had been left off the team because his eligibility was questioned after he accidentally missed a post-race doping control after a race in November. However Page was cleared of any wrongdoing in that incident last week.
Tifosi Dea sunglasses
Colors: Black and Pink, Black, Gloss wood, White, Leopard, Caramel Sizes: One size fits most Weight: 29 grams Price: $59.95 Web site: www.tifosioptics.com [nid:87005]
The Cyclist’s Training Diary
Price: $15.95 Web site: www.velogear.com
Wrenched & Ridden bike reviews: ESI’s grippy silicone mountain bike grips
Editor's Note: VeloNews' new technical editor, Zack Vestal, comes from the Trek-VW mountain bike team, where he was the mechanic for three years and, most recently, the manager for two years. Prior to working for the team, he spent more than 10 years in the cycling industry, both behind a desk (briefly) and in front of a workstand (extensively).
2009 Paris-Nice route and teams announced; Ventoux’s “little sister” makes an appearance.
The inclusion of a never-used climb dubbed Mont Ventoux’s “little sister” should prove decisive in the eight-day Paris-Nice. Garmin-Slipstream and Columbia-High Road each received invitations Thursday to start the 67th Paris-Nice as officials released details of the eight-day route with a few surprises thrown in for the season’s first major stage race. Just a day after being snubbed for the Giro d’Italia, Fuji-Servetto and Barloworld were both left off a list of 20 teams invited to the Race to the Sun, set for March 8-15.
Mountain bike teams list ’09 rosters
Beijing Olympians Adam Craig and Ollie Beckinsale will lead Giant Bicycles’ global mountain bike racing team in 2009. The American Craig and Brit Beckinsale will be joined by Australian downhill racer Jared Rando. Craig, 27, repeated as U.S. cross-country champion last season. He also collected his sixth consecutive U.S. Super D title. Consistent international results earned Craig a spot on the U.S. Olympic team at the 2008 Summer Games.
Filippo Pozzato wants to put 2008 behind him
Filippo Pozzato makes his season debut in his new team colors at Katusha this weekend at the Tour of Qatar a very different rider than he was one year ago. After a sub-par 2008 campaign with just two minor victories and a snub at selection for the Italian national team for the world championships in Varese, a fresh start at the Russian-sponsored Katusha is just what Pozzato says he needs to erase the bad memories.
How Much Of Your Work Time Is Taken Up With Cycling?
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How To Beat The Heat
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VeloGear sold
Omaha, NE - Midwest Velo, a national leader in bicycling merchandising, online and catalog retailing, announced today the acquisition of VeloGear (www.velogear.com). Midwest Velo predicts a seamless transition for VeloGear operations, which will remain in Boulder, Colorado. "Customers won't initially notice a lot of change," said a company spokesperson. "What they will notice over time is an improved online retail experience. VeloGear gives us a great online platform to offer cyclists a one-stop shopping experience to find those lifestyle items you simply can't find anywhere else."
Tech Report: Giro honors Contador with limited-edition shades
Giro’s vision was 20-20 when it signed Alberto Contador to promote its new eyewear line.
Money woes force postponement of Oregon Pro Cycling Classic
The Oregon Pro Cycling Classic will be a little late getting to the start line — the 500-mile, seven-day race is being postponed to 2010 after organizers were unable to secure a title sponsor and the necessary money to run the event this year. The National Racing Calendar event had been scheduled for May 11-17, kicking off with a prologue in Portland and stage finishes in Salem, Corvallis, Timberline Lodge, Hood River and Mt. Hood Meadows before returning to Portland for a concluding circuit race.
Italian champ absent from Giro teams list
Italian national road champion Filippo Simeoni, who famously had a run-in with Lance Armstrong during the 2004 Tour de France, is not among the riders invited to this year’s Giro d’Italia. Simeoni’s Flaminia Bossini team was not on the preliminary list of 20 teams announced Wednesday. Other teams absent from the initial list include Cofidis, Euskaltel, Française des Jeux and Fuji, formerly Saunier Duval.
The Explainer – When strict liability ain’t that strict
Dear Explainer,
The Biggest Loser Week 3
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New route for BC Bike Race
Riders at the 2009 BC Bike Race will begin their seven-day journey through British Columbia’s singletrack with a spin over an automobile bridge. Not just any bridge, however. The scenic 1800-foot Lion’s Gate suspension bridge that connects downtown Vancouver with that city’s North Shore municipalities will host the opening miles of the race to Whistler, slated June 28 to July 4. The North Shore area is also home to some of the region’s best riding.
Sitting In and Bowing Out: The Art of Pass/Fail Racing
I was looking through some blogs last night and came upon Bike Snob NYC . This guy writes a great blog and this post in particular gives some humorous TIPS that I though I would post. Cycling should be an enjoyable endeavor. However, if you find yourself in an amateur road race in the first place you’re the sort of person who seeks suffering rather than avoids it. If you simply must participate in amateur road racing, here are some tips to help ameliorate the adverse effects: Know Your Limits There is a fine line between ambition and delusion. The former is the fuel for success, and the latter is the way to ruin. I believe it was either Sheldon Brown or Ben Franklin who said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” This is especially true when it comes to road racing. Basically, if you’ve never won a race before, you’re not suddenly going to start winning them now. So settle down, pick a wheel to follow, and stay out of trouble. Unfortunately, though, too many people fail to realize this, especially in the lower categories, where everybody stupidly sees him-or herself as a potential winner. When everyone’s going for the podium the result is a pile-up. It becomes like some moronic slapstick routine where eight people bend down to pick up the same $100 bill and just end up bashing their heads together as a gentle breeze carries the money down the street. The reason the higher categories generally see fewer crashes is not because
Winter Riding TIPS
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Team Kelly Benefit Strategies hits the slopes
While a few teams were racing Down Under, the Kelly Benefit Strategies team took advantage of everything a Northern Hemisphere had to offer this weekend, getting in some slope time at Colorado's Winter Park and Mary Jane downhill resort and the nearby Snow Mountain Ranch nordic ski area. VeloNews photographer Casey B. Gibson tagged along to capture some of the action. Casey reported no snowball fights, but noticed a contrast between the team's Canadian stalwarts and its Southern California contingent.
Book authors offer free bicycle power analysis
Hunter Allen and Dr. Andrew R. Coggan are collecting data for the second edition Training & Racing with a Power Meter via www.peakscoachinggroup.com online power profile analysis survey, with the first 250 applicants receiving a free power profile analysis and the first 1,000 receiving a sneak preview of the results.
Technical Q&A with Lennard Zinn – Questions to ponder
Dear Lennard,
Can I run a new CN-7900 chain with 7800 derailleur, cassette, and FSA crank set (53/38)? It is time to replace my 7800 chain and would like to upgrade to the CN-7900 chain.
Mike
Sprint kings Mark Cavendish and Tom Boonen will line up at next week’s Tour of Qatar
It looks like Tom Boonen (Quick Step) will face stiffer competition in this year’s Tour of Qatar.
The 2009 Tour of Missouri will start in St. Louis and finish in Kansas City.
Cuesta: Still going strong at 40
Spanish veteran Iñigo Cuesta will be among the oldest riders in the peloton in 2009. Cuesta – who turns 40 in June – is still going strong as the right-hand man of Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre. When Sastre committed to Cervélo, he made sure there was a place for the hard-working Cuesta on the start-up team. The prolific climber won such races as the Vuelta al País Vasco and a stage in the Dauphiné Libéré early in his career before evolving into a super domestique, riding at such teams as Euskaltel, ONCE, Cofidis and Team CSC.
Lip Smacker® Professional Women’s Cycling Team announces 2009 roster
Handmade bike show honors “Original Six”
The North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS) today announces the launch of its “Original Six” 2009 promotional campaign, highlighting a select group of frame builders that has exhibited every year since the show began five years ago. The Original Six builders exhibited at the first NAHBS in Houston, Texas in 2005. They will return as the show celebrates its fifth year, February 27 – March 1, 2009 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis.