Stage 2: The Quick Step fleet
Specialized team bikes lined up outside the Quick Step-Innergetic team bus
Specialized team bikes lined up outside the Quick Step-Innergetic team bus
The peloton moments before the start of stage 2
Levi Leipheimer (left) rolls out at the start of stage 2
IRVINE, Calif. USA 2/19/08 -- Bringing premium sports apparel and footwear to its offering of industry-leading cycling and fishing products, Shimano has completed its purchase of DashAmerica, Inc. (dba Pearl Izumi USA, Inc.) from Nautilus, Inc., announces David Pfeiffer, president of Shimano American Corporation. Pearl Izumi becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Shimano’s U.S. operations, and will continue to operate from its facilities in Broomfield, Colorado and Kirchzarten, Germany.
George Hincapie after the Tour of California Prologue in Palo Alto
Little Fan at the Tour of CA Prologue 2008
JJ Jubilation - Stage 1 ToC
Arenberg 2007
After a three-hour solo effort, Team BMC's Jackson Stewart finished alone — but not at the front.
The race heated up in the final circuits in Santa Rosa.
JJ Haedo (CSC) wins the first stage of the 2008 Amgen Tour of California — and teammate Fabian Cancellara, in yellow, celebrates.
Dura-Ace. It's electric. And coming to a bike near you?
Near the bottom bracket, wires run to the battery pack, the front derailleur and the rear derailleur.
The main wire housing runs down underneath the downtube to near the bottom bracket.
Wegmann also has a race transponder on his fork.
A second battery gets carried on rides as a backup
Rich said the entire cable system can be replaced much faster than traditional cable and housing.
Cables from the two shifters come together into a single housing underneath the stem.
Rich says he charges Wegmann’s battery every three days when racing just to be safe.
A closer view of the battery pack. Rich says he gets 2000 km out of the rechargeable battery.
Pushing the chain with the front derailleur requires the most power. The system’s battery pack is attached to the downtube (in front of the front derailleur).
The underside of the rear derailleur, which is slightly larger than current mechanical models.
The rear derailleur shifts more quickly than current mechanical versions, Rich said
Michael Rich, a long-time pro rider, is now part of Gerolsteiner’s management group. A friend and training partner of Wegmann, Rich also has been on the electric group for a year.
Wegmann’s PRO handlebar features internal cable routing for a clean presentation.
The left shifter has a similar screen, plus a battery-life indicator.
The right shifter has an LCD screen for gear indication
The levers feature housing sized similarly to standard Dura-Ace, although the size may come down in size. The hoods have a textured grip.
Fabian Wegmann’s Specialized Tarmac SL with full electric Dura-Ace and PRO integrated handlebar/stem.
The latest iteration of electric Dura-Ace shifters features two separate buttons on the STI levers. Previous versions had something akin to a toggle switch