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Options in aftermarket brakes have multiplied in recent years. A category once defined by feathery but flimsy-looking carbon and aluminum has matured, and the TRP R960 is evidence that shedding weight need not result in shredded skin from a blown corner. At 245 grams for the pair (with pads, but minus mounting hardware) they are almost 50 grams lighter per pair than Shimano Dura-Ace, but proved to function almost as well.

Henk Vogels is back. Well, sort of. After a career that included a pair of top-10 finishes in Paris-Roubaix, second at the 2003 Gent-Wevelgem, wins at the USPRO road and criterium championships, an overall victory at the Tour de Beauce and an Australian national road title, Vogels quietly retired at the end of the 2008 season. There was no announcement, no send-off race or ceremony — just a shift, from the bike to the driver’s seat in a new role as team director.

Price: $90 Weight: Colors: Silver and Black Web site: www.ryderseyewear.com

Price: $189 Weight: 315 grams Sizes: 39 to 48 Colors: Black/red Web site: www.lakecycling.com

The domestic stage-racing calendar opens up this weekend with the three-day San Dimas Stage Race. The race begins Friday with a 3.7-mile climbing prologue, followed Saturday by a hilly road race run on a 7.15-mile circuit. The race concludes Sunday with the Old Town Grand Prix, raced on a 1.2-mile circuit in downtown San Dimas. Rising Canadian star Cameron Evans of OUCH-Maxxis returns to San Dimas Friday as the defending champion.

A bad crash during training this week meant a trip to the hospital and now a break from racing for Team Saxo Bank’s Fränk Schleck. The rider from Luxembourg skidded and crashed on a downhill curve. Seven stitches on the chin and a heavy contusion on his left wrist was the immediate damage.

More than 200 men and nearly 150 women will line up for the Redlands Bicycle Classic, starting Thursday March 26. “Not only is this one of the largest number of entrants we’ve had for both the men’s and women’s fields, but it’s also one of the most prestigious,” said Race Director Dan Rendler. “The women’s field reads as a ‘who’s-who’ of female cycling, while the men’s field features 11 of the 13 registered UCI Continental teams.” Among the women are five current national champions, one current world champion and the current NRC champion.

San Luis Obispo, California, 18th March 2009 - Columbia-Highroad tackles Milan-San Remo this weekend with high hopes for Mark Cavendish, the recent winner of the last stage of Tirreno-Adriatico. However, the squad has no intention of placing their top sprinter under any pressure to come up with a specific result.

Minnesota Bicycle Festival Donates 2008 Proceeds to Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota

Complete entry information for the seven race Carmichael Training Systems Sand Creek Series is now available on the race web site at www.sandcreeksports.com

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Jeremiah Bishop, the reigning marathon and short-track cross-country national champion, is suiting up in the green and purple kit of Monavie-Cannondale.com for the 2009 season. Bishop, 32, found a home with the Utah-based team after spending four seasons as the marquis World Cup rider on the now-defunct Trek-Volkswagen program.

Italy's reigning world champion Alessandro Ballan and Olympic time-trial champion Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland have both pulled out of this weekend's Milan-San Remo race, their teams announced on Wednesday. Ballan, who had also withdrawn from the Tirreno-Adriatico, must take a fortnight off owing to an infection on the orders of Lampre team doctor Dr. Carlo Guardascione.

Add Mark Cavendish to the growing list of people who think Daniele Bennati is one of the big favorites for Milan-San Remo.   The British sprinter easily handed Bennati defeat in Tuesday’s final stage at Tirreno-Adriatico, but when pressed to give one name who would win Saturday, Cavendish thought long and hard before saying, “Bennati.”   “Three hundred kilometers at 23 is a long way,” said Cavendish, discounting his own chances for his San Remo debut. “I will be ready to win San Remo in a few years. Bennati looks strong. He can get over the climbs and he has the sprint.”

Price: Tubular $2500; Clincher $2800 Weight: Tubular 1840g/pair; Clincher 1910g/pair Web site: www.bontrager.com New from Bontrager, the high profile Aeolus 9.0, a 90mm-deep time trial wheelset. As with past Aeolus models, the 16 spokes are embedded within the rim for better aerodynamics. Why upgrade to the 9.0 model? Bontrager reports that the Aeolus 9.0 is 10 seconds faster over 40km than the Aeolus 6.5.

Dear Explainer,
After reading VeloNews.com’s recent article about the return of the Litespeed Blade, which features a picture of Lance Armstrong riding a Trek-badged Blade, I was reminded of a question that's been nagging me ever since I learned that some of Greg LeMond's Tour-winning "LeMonds" were, in fact, manufactured by Calfee.

Tom Boonen leaned back on the hood of the Quick Step team car on a sunny morning in San Benedetto del Tronto before the final stage of Tirreno-Adriatico. Life was good. The sun was out, his form was closing in on its annual spring peak and, most importantly, his left knee wasn’t giving him any problems.

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DT Swiss

I’m still being deluged with letters about CO2, and I promised to end it, so now I’m switching to letters about wheels. However, at the bottom, you’ll find one more CO2 letter addressing environmental points, which I think to be important and a duty to bring up.

Mark Cavendish wasn’t going to let anyone pass him this time.   Just days after Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Slipstream) relegated Cavendish to a rare second place in Friday’s third stage, Cavendish evened the score in Tuesday’s 169km finale at the 44th Tirreno-Adriatico.   Daniele Bennati (Liquigas) tried in vain to sprint early, but Cavendish darted past him in easy work to win for the fifth time in 2009. Farrar trailed through second in another strong performance for the American while Baden Cooke (Vacansoleil) took third.  

Twenty teams have been selected for the 2009 Tour de France, but Fuji-Servetto won’t be among them.