News

Wilderness Trail Bikes, Inc., a global leader in bicycle components, is proud to announce a new partnership with legendary mountain bike racer Brian Lopes. Lopes will be riding and racing exclusively on WTB’s high-end saddles. Each of Lopes’ team-issue Ibis race bikes will be outfitted with WTB’s Silverado SLT saddles.

The BC Bike Race - The Ultimate Singletrack Experience is proud to announce the LUNA Pro Teams participation in the 2009 event scheduled for June 28th- July 4th.

The 2009 MERCO Credit Union Cycling Classic Presented by McLane Pacific in Merced, CA is pleased to announce that they have added and open Juniors’ Race at both the Downtown Grand Prix and the Foothills Road Race. A $500 Cash Prize list for each day will be awarded plus a champion’s jersey and rock trophy for the single winner of each day. Distances of the races are 20 miles (25 laps) in the Grand Prix and 48 miles (2 laps) in the Road Race.

Following an extremely successful 2008 season, the Webcor/AltoVelo racing team is expanding its Elite Amateur Men’s team for the upcoming 2009 season. The core of last year’s Pro/1/2 team remains intact, and will be bolstered by extremely talented additions to the roster. For the 2009 season, the Elite Amateur Men’s team will be divided into a National-level “NRC Squad” that will be focused on larger National Racing Calendar (NRC) events all around the U.S., and a “Regional Squad” that will focus on rider development and in-district racing.

PRESS RELEASE FROM THE BIKE PURE organization: After the torrent of drug scandals damaging our sport, we have all become accustomed to the annual headlines of another disgraced professional. The image of professional cycling is repeatedly tarnished and the public at large, after being fed so much bad publicity, took it that all cyclists were dopers. Such was the frequency it was no longer clear who was clean and who is doping.

Touchstone Cycling enters the 2009 season with an expanded roster and additional sponsorship. After an impressive 2008 season, Touchstone looks to increase their presence and podium appearances. Kelly McDonald, 6th in the Mogollon Road Race at Tour of the Gila and 9th overall at Cascades, returns to the team and looks to add to her impressive NRC results.

Speedgoat Bicycles, Inc., a leading Internet retailer of bicycles, announces the appointment of Don Belt as Chief Operating Officer. Belt brings more than 20 years of corporate management experience, including 15 years with ServiStar and True Value, and President/CEO of Internet-centric start up procurement service provider, MRO Direct. His first assignment will be to establish the management and operational processes within the company to support the scalability objectives of Speedgoat Bicycles.

PRESS RELEASE In response to a tightening economy, the makers of specialty bicycle line Litespeed are launching the bicycle industry’s first ever direct-to-consumer rebate program. Specialty hangtags are being distributed this week to all Litespeed dealers to launch and promote the campaign, in which parent company American Bicycle Group (ABG) will send a rebate check for up to $350 to any consumer who purchases a qualifying Litespeed bicycle frame, frameset or complete bike.

Do you want to contribute to Mailbag, a regular feature of VeloNews.com? Here's how:

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MILRAM newcomer Paul Voß had a perfect season debut on Sunday in the cyclo-cross race in Vechta. The 22-year-old 'cross specalist from Rostock, who last year won the silver medal in the U23 road world championships as his biggest success to date, brought in the first season win for his new team.

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For I have always lived violently, drunk hugely, eaten too much or not at all, slept around the clock or missed two nights of sleeping, worked too hard and too long in glory, or slobbed for a time in utter laziness.— John Steinbeck, “Travels With Charley”

Do you want to contribute to Mailbag, a regular feature of VeloNews.com? Here's how:

• Keep it short. And remember that we reserve the right to edit for grammar, length and clarity.
• Include your full name, hometown and state or nation.
• Send it to webletters@insideinc.com.

Dear Explainer,
A good friend of mine recently got a contract offer from a bike team. While I am happy for her, I was floored when I learned that she would only get about $5000 a year for her efforts. Five thousand dollars a year? How can they sign someone up for what has to be less than the minimum wage? Even though she’s just happy for the chance to ride, how can that even be legal?
Marianne J
Westchester, New York

Editor's Note: At the serious risk of self-indulgence, VeloNews' web editor Steve Frothingham has decided to share some memories of his first year with the Web site.

What if there was something you could do to improve your health and fitness, save money, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, improve air quality, and reduce your carbon footprint, all at the same time—would you do it?

It's not always easy to be VeloNews' editorial cartoonist. I've been on the job for nearly 20 years — my first contribution, starring the Old Guy Who Gets Fat in Winter, appeared in the March 1989 issue — and it often seems as though the same old problems keep popping up issue after issue, year after year, immortal pests in an eternal "Groundhog Day" game of Whac-A-Mole. How many different ways can a guy say, "Doping sucks?"

History was made, new talents were revealed as drugs cheats and one of sport's biggest names, Lance Armstrong, decided to emerge from retirement to show rivals ten years his junior a trick or two. In all, 2008 was another topsy-turvy year for cycling but for fans drama was abundant from the spring one-day classics through the Olympics and the three grand tours to the end-of-season world championships. For better or for worse, cancer survivor Armstrong decided to end a three-year hiatus from the sport and return to competition in a bid to promote the global fight against cancer.