All Content

Laughter resounds through the camper as Mark’s joke carries from the back to the front where George, who is at the brunt of it, sits. On the puffy pleather couches and fabric chairs we lounge in our cycling shorts, waiting until the last minute, like school kids, before heading to the start. Our radios dangle from our ears, our jerseys are piled along with our helmets and race food ready to be pulled on at the very last minute.

After four days of racing that left the first two riders tied and the first 85 riders within one minute of the leader, the 2009 Tour of Missouri finally took shape Friday in the stage 5 time trial. Garmin-Slipstream's David Zabriskie demolished the field, taking the stage victory and the yellow jersey on the same day his teammate Ryder Hesjedal took a historic stage win at the Vuelta a Espana.

After a break of six weeks, action resumes this weekend at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Champéry, Switzerland. On the start line will be newly crowned World Champions Nino Schurter and Irina Kalentieva.

The Italian Amore & Vita Detweiler Hershey & Associates team put Philip Mamos into the leader’s jersey of the Univest Grand Prix on Friday with a victory in the stage-1 team time trial. The TTT in Allentown, Pennsylvania, a first for the Univest GP, was two laps of a 3.8-mile course that featured several turns and a technical section near the end that included a short, steep climb.

Tire talk consumes an inordinate amount of conversational time when one engages with an off-road bicycle racer. What is Barry Wicks running right now? The best (even if it's all in his mind)!

Tom Danielson is licking his lips ahead of Saturday’s decisive climbing stage to Sierra Nevada in the 13th stage at the Vuelta a España. The route will retrace some of the roads over the Cat. 1 Alto de Monachil where he attacked three years ago to claim his biggest win of his career into Granada during the 2006 Vuelta. Danielson has twice finished in the top 10 at the Vuelta, but is now poised to make a run for the final podium — or perhaps even more.

Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Slipstream) made history Friday when he became the first Canadian to win a stage at the Vuelta a España. Hesjedal also delivered Garmin’s second consecutive stage victory at the Vuelta with a gutsy late-stage performance up the grueling Velefique climb. Hesjedal spoke exclusively to VeloNews following his emotional stage victory. Here are excerpts from his post-stage reaction: VeloNews: Describe your feelings coming across the line.

1. Alessandro Vanotti (ITA) Liquigas, starts 2:00 p.m.
2. William Frischkorn (USA) Garmin-Slipstream, starts 2:01 p.m.
3. Francesco Chicchi (ITA) Liquigas, starts 2:02 p.m.
4. Charly Vives (CAN) Planet Energy, starts 2:03 p.m.
5. Matthew Rice (AUS) Jelly Belly Cycling Team, starts 2:04 p.m.
6. Francois Parisien (CAN) Planet Energy, starts 2:05 p.m.
7. Tyler Wren (USA) Colavita/Sutter Home P/b Cooking Light, starts 2:06 p.m.
8. Bradley Huff Charles (USA) Jelly Belly Cycling Team, starts 2:07 p.m.
9.

There were no major shakeups in the Tour de l’Avenir on Friday and America’s Tejay van Garderen and Peter Stetina remained securely in the top 10 going into Saturday’s decisive individual time trial. The Colombian team tried to shake things up, putting two riders into the day’s main breakaway in the 182.5km run from Gérardmer to Ornans. The pack came back together for the bunch sprint, and German rider Andreas Stauff out-kicked Russian Timofey Kritskiy to take the flowers.

There is the right tool for every job, and on some race courses that ‘right tool' may be a 29er, or a full-suspension bike or maybe even — gasp — a 26-inch hardtail.

This July, federal authorities broke up the largest dog-fighting ring in U.S. history. It ensnared people operating in five states, including Missouri, where the Humane Society of Missouri took in over 400 dogs rescued from the ring. But with so many dogs coming into their care at once, the MHS sent out a plea for donations. Cycling photographer Jonathan Devich decided to take things a step further than simply sending some toys or writing a check. He set up a fundraising initiative called MODogs, and is donating proceeds from any prints he sells from shooting the Tour of Missouri.

Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Slipstream) launched a desperate, last-ditch attack in the final meters to win the 12th stage of the 2009 Vuelta a España atop the Alto de Velefique on Friday.

Win a Cannondale bike! Upload your video with the theme "How do you Fight the Good Fight" to TourofmissouriFanZone.com. The videos will be judged by panel that includes Tour organizers, Cannondale officials and others. Entries/uploads will be accepted online until September 25th. Make sure you put the word "Cannondale" in the subject line. Winner will be announced online by October 1st.

JJ Haedo (Saxo Bank) took the yellow jersey in the 2009 Tour of Missouri on Thursday after winning a tough uphill sprint against race leader Thor Hushovd (Cervélo TestTeam) on the “capital wall” in Jefferson City. It was another mass dash after the peloton gobbled up a four-man break — Bernard Van Ulden (Jelly Belly), Bradley White (OUCH-Maxxis), Michael Creed (Team Type 1) and Jeff Louder (BMC) — as they began the first of three circuits around the Missouri Capitol.

Is it any surprise that a movie of the 2009 Leadville Trail 100 has been made? Special screenings of the film will air October at select theaters. Check out the film trailer here.

After fracturing vertebrae in his back at the Intermontane Challenge, Jeremiah Bishop is taking up where he left off — winning races like the Shenandoah 100 in record time.

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

Throughout his long career on the road and mountain bike circuits, some of the Canadian’s best performances have come in September. Part of that is purely coincidental, especially since some of mountain biking’s biggest events (World Cup finals and worlds) often fell in September. But there’s no denying the tall, all-rounder from western Canada seems to rise to the top when the leaves start falling.

Americans Tejay van Garderen and Peter Stetina confirmed their places in the top 10 overall after Thursday’s summit finish at the Tour de l’Avenir. Russian rider Timofey Kritskiy won the 146km sixth stage from Chateau-Salins to Gérardmer, just ahead of new leader Romain Sicard of France, in a race that features young talent and is contested by national teams. Sicard started the day just one second behind compatriot Julién Bérard, who fell from first to fourth at 2:12 back.

Following Wednesday's announcement of six British riders, Team Sky released 10 names of international riders joining the team spearheaded by David Brailsford, the driving force behind Team Great Britain's dominant Olympic team. The list includes three riders from Columbia-HTC, including Norwegian time trial champion Edvald Boasson Hagen, who won Ghent-Wevelgem winner this year, plus Thomas Lovkvist and Greg Henderson, who recently won a stage of the Vuelta a España.

3, 2, 1, Go! Third on stage one; second on stage two; first on stage three. Not one to settle for mediocrity, Thor Hushovd’s track record at this year’s Tour of Missouri is nothing short of impressive. Oh and to ice the cake, Thor’s going to look pretty spiffy in yellow in stage 4. With four tough stages still to go, we say “game on.”

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

Is it OK to file off 'lawyer's tabs' on mountain bike forks?

What's that little red thing on Tour de France bikes' chainstays?

Can someone repair my Campy carbon crank?

Can I use Campy 10-speed shifters with 11-speed derailleurs?