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While the Liquigas team hasn’t had the race it might have wished for at this year’s Amgen Tour of California, it does appear to have a new bike. When questioned, Cannondale reps only acknowledged that the team has been testing prototype frames. The prototypes were created using the feedback Daniele Bennati provided after racing on a Super Six frame with custom geometry last year. That frame also served as a proving ground for Cannondale to test the use of high modulus carbon fiber, which is now found in the 2009 production model.

It can be difficult to judge just how difficult a race is until you can make a direct comparison with a previous result. That was the case Saturday, when enormous crowds, probably the biggest of the week, showed up at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena to see the finale to stage 7 of the Amgen Tour of California. This stage from Santa Clarita was identical to the one that George Hincapie won 12 months ago, when he covered the 89-mile course in a time of 3:50:57. This year, the time of stage winner Rinaldo Nocentini of AG2R-La Mondiale was 26 minutes faster!

New Mexico's Tour of Gila stage race will hold its 23rd edition this spring, thanks to recent donations that have offset much of an expected budget shortfall. Race director Jack Brennan told VeloNews on Saturday that the event's price list will be reduced 15 percent for all categories and the event is still searching for a title sponsor. The event will remain part of the National Racing Calendar, he said. "Although fundraising goals have not yet been fulfilled we are definitely going ahead with the 2009 event," Brennan said.

A day after being relegated to a rare second place on a summit finish, Alberto Contador turned in an authoritative time trial victory Saturday to take the overall lead at Portugal’s Volta ao Algarve. Contador beat back the likes of teammate Andreas Klöden and reigning world time trial champion Bert Grabsch (Columbia-High Road) on a fairly challenging 33.7km course in the hills along the Algarve Coast to snag his first win of the season and secure the overall leader’s jersey.

With just two days left in the nine-day Amgen Tour of California, only six of the 17 teams have won a stage. That means that 11 others are still eager to taste victory, especially those teams that have major American sponsors. Top of this list of teams is Rabobank, followed by Liquigas and Quick Step.

Giant Bicycles had something special at the Amgen Tour of California: Two teams riding a time trial bike it’s developing. This isn’t out of the ordinary, except for the fact that one of the teams has a different bike sponsor. You’ll notice that Rabobank and Columbia are on quite similarly designed bikes, but one says “Giant” on its downtube, while the other sports a “Highroad techdev” label.

Gustav Larsson placed third in Friday's stage 6 time trial in Solvang. This is one place better than his fourth place finish last year and was a full 47 seconds faster. He averaged 486 watts for just over 30 minutes. This new SRM data file also made us aware that we need to update his functional threshold power (FTP) value from the original setting of 415w. Gustav’s FTP is now set at 470 watts which is about 5 percent lower than his 30-minute power value he set Friday.

Price: $36 Sizes: About 28 servings, 125 calories per scoop Web site: www.myogenesis.net

Price: $100 Sizes: 90, 100 and 110mm Weight: 119 to 125 grams Colors: Dark gray or black Web site: www.sixsixone.com Sunline, a producer of high-end downhill components, will have a new crosscountry stem on the market beginning in April. The Sunline XC 1 stem is aesthetically similar to stems by Rotor and Thomson, which can be attributed to their machining process.

Price: $65 Colors: Carbon finish Weight: 28 grams Web site: www.arundelbike.com

Levi Leipheimer is an undemonstrative guy. So when the Astana team leader thrust up his arms and raised three fingers 10 meters before he crossed the finish line on Friday’s stage 6 of the Amgen Tour of California, that was big. The three fingers signaled his third consecutive victory in the 15-mile Solvang time trial, and it may well signal his third overall victory come Sunday night in Escondido.

Katusha’s early season haul continued Friday as Toni Colom out-kicked triple-crown winner Alberto Contador (Astana) in the final meters of a summit finish to win the stage and take the overall leader’s jersey in stage three at the Volta ao Algarve. Colom – fresh off winning the Mallorca Challenge earlier this month – had a stronger kick at the end of the steep, second-category climb up the Alto do Malhao to relegate Contador to a rare second-place on a summit finish.

Alejandro Valverde vows to race this weekend in France despite facing a possible two-year racing ban and even jail time in Italy for his alleged links to the Operación Puerto blood doping scandal. Valverde appeared before Italian authorities on Thursday, but is scheduled to race with his Caisse d’Epargne teammates in this weekend’s two-day Tour du Haut Var in France starting Saturday.

1. Francesco Chicchi Liquigas 12:00 p.m.
2. Andy Guptill Colavita/sutter Home P/b Cooking Light 12:01 p.m.
3. Jacopo Guarnieri Liquigas 12:02 p.m.
4. Freddy Rodriguez Rock Racing 12:03 p.m.
5. Alessandro Vanotti Liquigas 12:04 p.m.
6. Karl Menzies Ouch Presented By Maxxis 12:05 p.m.
7. Daniel Oss Liquigas 12:06 p.m.
8. Adam Hansen Team Columbia-High Road 12:07 p.m.
9. Carlos Sastre Candil Cervelo Test Team 12:08 p.m.
10. Jeffry Louder Bmc Racing Team 12:09 p.m.
11. Curtis Gunn Fly V Australia P/b Successful Living Foundation 12:10 p.m.
12.

No time trial is a shoo-in. Just ask Cadel Evans, who was the overwhelming favorite to depose Carlos Sastre at the Tour de France last July in the final TT at St. Amand-Montrond. The Aussie could never get his momentum going and Sastre, a modest time trialist, comfortably held on to the overall lead. Astana’s Levi Leipheimer, who’s now a superb time trialist, so he should have no problems defending his yellow jersey in Friday’s 15-mile time trial at the Amgen Tour of California. But nothing is guaranteed.