Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Slipstream) bolted past Mark Cavendish (Columbia-Highroad) to win Friday’s third stage at Tirreno-Adriatico. Cavendish looked to have the sprint in the bag when Farrar came off Cavendish’s wheel and surged past his left shoulder to take the biggest win of his European career.
The Segal I rode most of last season was without a doubt the finest Israeli-made magnesium road bike I've ever had the occasion to try. That's an admittedly subjective statement, but I feel pretty sure I can back it up.
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It's too early to say if Alberto, Levi, Andreas or Lance will show, but Team Astana is confirmed to race in this year's Tour of Missour, September 7-13. The Kazakstan-registered team joins Garmin-Slipstream, Columbia-High Road, Liquigas, Cervelo TestTeam as confirmed ProTour teams at the race, which will feature 15 teams. “To have the participation of Astana is yet another huge step for this race," said Chris Aronhalt, the managing partner of event organizer Medalist Sports.
Alessandro Petacchi (LPR Brakes) won the second stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico over 177km from Volterra to Marina di Carrara on Thursday. Petacchi edged out compatriot Daniele Bennati of Liquigas and Spaniard Koldo Fernandez in a sprint finish. Frenchman Julien El Fares of Cofidis, who won the first stage on Wednesday, held onto the leader's jersey with Bennati in second 15 seconds behind.
Jeremy Roy (Française des Jeux) won the fifth stage of Paris-Nice on Thursday. Roy won the 204km stage from Annonay to Vallon Pont d'Arc, crossing the line in 4hr 58min 47sec. Sylvain Chavanel (Quick Step), retained the overall lead.
Of all the lessons I learned during this past year of getting coached, No. 1 by a long shot is this basic tenet: More time on the bike does not necessarily translate to increased fitness. Instead, the key is finding that critical balance between high intensity and adequate rest. Better to crush yourself a couple times a week, and then have several short truly easy days, than to noodle around whenever you can and rarely take time off.
If you’re an early adapter and have been aching to try out a tubeless road system, you now have a new option, the Hutchinson RT1 carbon wheelset. The wheels are Hutchinson-branded, but are made by Corima and are exactly the same as Corima’s Aero + Tubeless wheelset (which is not available in the United States).
French rider Julien El Fares (Cofidis) held off the chasing peloton to win the first stage of Tirreno-Adriatico. Led by Liquigas and Columbia-Highroad, the chasing pack fell 11 seconds short of ending the Frenchman’s adventure in the 147km stage to Capannori on Wednesday. El Fares dropped his fellow escapee, Vladimir Duma (Flaminia), with about 20km to go but Duma chased back with 9km to go. They held a slender lead of 1:34 to hungry sprinters.
Italian Liquigas racer Gianni Da Ros was arrested on Wednesday in the northern city of Padua amid an investigation into the trafficking of banned doping products, the ANSA news agency reported. Da Ros, 23, was arrested during a team run out at the Padua velodrome and was to be questioned Thursday by a Milan judge, ANSA reported. The news agency added that the investigation at the behest of the Milan state prosecutor had seen 12 people arrested in total as well as 64 searches of properties across the country.
Britain's Olympic gold medalist Bradley Wiggins (Garmin-Slipstream) pulled out of Paris-Nice on Wednesday to attend the funeral of his wife's grandmother, team sports director Lionel Marie said. Wiggins scratched from the 173.5km stage from Vichy to St Etienne after placing second in the opening time trial only to lose 11 minutes on the leaders in Tuesday's third stage.
Christian Vande Velde’s world went from black to kisses from the podium girls in just four days at Paris-Nice. The Garmin-Slipstream captain attacked with 20km to go out of a seven-man breakaway to snatch a thrilling solo victory in a hard-fought rainy and cold day in Wednesday’s fourth stage at the 67th Paris-Nice. “I was good at (Tour of) California, nothing special, so to come out and do that today, it gives me a lot of confidence,” Vande Velde told VeloNews. “The form is coming along really well. I am just surprising myself.”
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SRAM has taken over title sponsorship of New Mexico's Tour of the Gila stage race, which begins this April 29 in Silver City. “SRAM has given this race security for the next several years and, with their increasing popularity in the peloton, we can only anticipate growth for our event. And SRAM’s professional neutral race support, along with their great team relationships, make them a perfect long-term partner,” stated Jack Brennan, Tour of the Gila Race Director.
Optimal recovery nutrition is essential.
Kelly Benefit Strategies' David Veilleux will miss a few weeks' racing after breaking his collarbone in a crash during a team training camp in Texas. Veilleux was reaching back to put his sunglasses in his jersey pocket when he hit a pothole and crashed. He is returning to his native Quebec, Canada to recover and is expected to miss the Redlands Bicycle Classic and the Tour of Uruguay. His team expects him to return to racing at New York's Tour of the Battenkill April 18-19.
Alberto Contador gave up his yellow jersey — at least temporarily — to Quick Step's Sylvain Chavanel Tuesday after losing 1:10 in the third stage to a breakaway group containing Chavanel.
Dear readers,
I’ve enjoyed the recent exchange on CO2 cartridges, and judging by the volume of lighthearted mail I’ve received on it, so have a lot of you. I thought we’d thoroughly covered all of the technical aspects of it to the point that no more needed to be said.
The International Tour de 'Toona will hold a four-day stage race this year, bouncing back after having to downscale to one-day criterium last year. The race is part of the National Racing Calendar for men and women. This year's race begins July 16 with a time trial in Altoona, in the mountains of central Pennsylvania. The event continues with a road race in Martinsburg on the 17th, then a difficult road race on the 18th and a concluding criterium in downtown Altoona on Sunday the 19th.
Price: $70 Weight: 71 grams Web site: www.eastonbike.com Easton EC90 bar ends, new for 2009, are made of Easton composite carbon fiber and are ergonomically molded. One-piece carbon construction lends strength and a clean look. The pair weighs in at just 71 grams and is approved for use with Easton bars. The EC90 bar ends carry a limited 5-year warranty.
Price: $389 Weight: 315 grams per brake with rotor Sizes: 160, 180, and 203mm rotor sizes Web site: www.magura.com The Magura Marta SL hydraulic disc brake is now available in a magnesium model, which is about 20 grams lighter than the original SL model. The Marta SL Magnesium uses magnesium for the master cylinder and the slave cylinder, typically the heaviest parts of the system. For added look and feel, carbon levers are used and for additional weight saving, Magura uses titanium hardware.
Heinrich Haussler slammed home his third victory of the 2009 season on Monday in the second stage at the 67th Paris-Nice. The Cervélo TestTeam rider cranked up his sprint with 250m to go in the 195.5km stage and had plenty of time to thump his chest as he crossed the line clear by three bike lengths. Coming through second was Mark Renshaw (Columbia-Highroad) with Mirco Lorenzetto (Lampre) slotting into third. "The sprint wasn't easy. We were racing into a headwind so I tucked my bike in behind Renshaw and the Columbia team,” said the 25-year-old Haussler.
Price: $575 to $900 Sizes: 120mm spacing Colors: Silver, black, gold, red, blue, green, and purple Web site: www.philwood.com As part of their 38th anniversary, Phil Wood will be releasing 100 specialty track hubs. The 3.5 Track Limited hub has a 3.5-inch flange and is only available in 32 and 36 spoke models. [nid:89071]
J.R. Grabinger (Fly V Australia p/b Successful Living) and Janel Holcomb (Webcor Builders) collected the overall titles at the 23rd annual Tucson Bicycle Classic on Sunday. Nick Clayville (Hagens Berman LLP) won the final stage, the Speedway/Anklam Circuit Race, crossing five seconds ahead of Sean Mazich (Team Waste Management) and Chad Beyer (BMC). But Grabinger finished with the bunch at 1:48 to claim the overall after three days of racing. Michael Mathis (CRCA-Empire Cycling Team) took the runner-up spot at 17 seconds back with Waste Management’s Scott Stewart third at 0:24.
There’s not a lot on the menu this week in terms of choice. What Europe lacks in quantity this week is certainly made up for in quality, however. Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico serve up the season’s first major European stage races and provide the first glimpse of who’s strong in 2009. Victories at either one of these two prestigious races can make a season, and sometimes a career, for the victors. Winners coming out of France and Italy this week usually figure very high in both the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France.
Canadian Andrew Pinfold (OUCH-Maxxis) won the final stage of the 2009 Vuelta Mexico Telmex on Sunday, wrapping up the eight-stage race by winning a massive field sprint at the finale of the Hospedaje circuit race.
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Denis Menchov wrapped up the overall title at the Vuelta a Murcia in Spain on Sunday to claim his first victory since winning the 2007 Vuelta a España. There was no major shakeup in the overall standings as a busted-up peloton came in for a mass sprint for the fifth and final stage.
Dutch rider Johnny Hoogerland (Vacansoleil) won the overall crown at the Three Days of West Flanders in Belgium on Sunday. The Dutch sprinter, winner of the first stage on Friday, finished safely in the pack in the 185.7km final stage starting and finishing in Ichtegem to wrap up the overall title. Belgian rider Wouter Weylandt (Quick Step) claimed the finale in a bunch sprint, finishing ahead of Danilo Napolitano (Katusha), winner of Saturday’s second stage. Coming through third was Roy Sentjens (Silence-Lotto).
Alberto Contador likes to say he doesn’t feel obliged to win, so perhaps it's just that he can’t help himself. The 25-year-old Spaniard is turning into a modern-day cannibal, seemingly winning at will as he continues his superb start of the 2009 season.
J.R. Grabinger (Fly V Australia p/b Successful Living) and Janel Holcomb (Webcor Builders) lead the 23rd annual Tucson Bicycle Classic going into stage 3, the Speedway/Anklam Circuit Race. Grabinger holds a 12-second lead on overall runner-up Michael Mathis (CRCA-Empire Cycling Team) with Caleb Fairly (Felt-Holowesko-Garmin) third at 14 seconds. In women’s racing, Holcomb sits just six seconds up on Melissa McWhirter (Veloforma) with Webcor teammate Rebecca Much third at 11 seconds.
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Tecos' Florencio Ramos won stage of la Vuelta Mexico on Saturday, while Team Type 1's Shawn Milne was second and Jackson Rodriguez (Serramenti PVC) continued to lead the general classification. Americans featured in the day's key breakaway and remain atop the sprint and U23 competition leader boards.
Spanish rider Rubén Plaza (Liberty Seguros) won Saturday’s “etapa reina” climbing stage at the Vuelta a Murcia in Spain and Denis Menchov (Rabobank) surged into the overall lead. Plaza was first out of a group of 10 riders that pulled clear after topping over the Cat. 1 Collado Bermejo some 22km from the finish line in Alhama de Murcia. Coming through second was Jesús Herrada (Contentpolis) while Menchov crossed the line third in the 156km fourth stage.
Italian sprinter Danilo Napolitano shot to another victory for his Katusha team after taking the flowers Saturday in the second stage at the Three Days of West Flanders in Belgium. The stocky Italian won ahead of last year’s winner Bobby Traksel (Vacansoleil) while French rider Denis Flahaut (Landbouwkrediet) came through third in the 179.3km stage from Torhout to Handzame. “My teammates did a very good job today,” said Napolitano. “We always ride in the first position and in the final 5km, we took control of the head of the group. I won the sprint even for a little.”
Swedish rider Thomas Lövkvist (Columbia-Highroad) bolted home to victory in the 3rd Monte Paschi Strade Bianche Toscana on Saturday as foreign riders dominated the popular one-day race on gravel roads across Tuscany. Coming through second was German Fabian Wegmann (Milram) at four seconds back with Swiss rider Martin Elmiger (Ag2r-La Mondiale) completing the podium with third.
Alberto Contador says he’s quietly optimistic ahead of Paris-Nice, which begins Sunday with an individual time trial in Amilly. Contador, already a winner at the Volta ao Algarve in his first race of the 2009 season last month, said he hopes to be among the best. “I am not obsessed with winning, because for this time happen everything has to go the right way,” Contador said in an interview released by his press agent. “My idea is to do the best possible and I believe the fans understand this.”
Cameron Evans (OUCH Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis) won a three-up sprint to take the victory at the end of Stage 6 of la Vuelta Mexico. The rolling, 190 km stage saw a break succeed for the third consecutive day. And for the third consecutive day, an OUCH rider made the most of it. “We knew a break had a good shot to stay away to the finish,” Evans said. “We wanted to make sure we had a guy in every move.”
The UCI and the French Anti-Doping Agency (AFLD) reached an agreement on Friday regarding drug-testing measures in the Paris-Nice stage race, which starts on Sunday. "There was a strong desire on both sides to work together," UCI president Pat McQuaid said. AFLD president Pierre Bordry, who declared himself "very satisfied" with the agreement, said the drug-testing program for the Paris-Nice would serve as a test prior to a new collaboration between the two bodies during the 2009 Tour de France.
I got involved with Diabetes Training Camps about three years ago. I’ve been to seven camps since then. I just wrapped up a camp in Tucson with the Triabetes group, which was a departure from the other camps I’ve done in that all the diabetic campers were training for the same goal, an ambitious one, to complete the Ironman in Phoenix in November ’09. All the campers have type one diabetes.
Johnny Hoogerland delivered his Vacansoleil team a victory in the opening stage of the Three Days of West Flanders on Friday. The 25-year-old Dutchman finished ahead of his teammate Jens Mouris as Agritubel’s Kevin Ista came through third in the 176.4km stage from Kortrijk to Bellegem. Wouter Weylandt (Quick Step), winner of the GP Le Samyn on Wednesday, finished out of the podium in ninth. Hoogerland, who finished fifth at the GP Marseillaise and fourth overall at the Etoile de Bessèges to open the season, carries the leader’s jersey into Saturday’s second stage.
Columbia-Highroad’s romp through the opening weeks of 2009 continues. This time with Frantisek Rabon, who took a surprise victory in Friday’s 16km time trial at the third stage of the Vuelta a Murcia in Spain.
The 23rd annual Tucson Bicycle Classic gets under way Friday for what should be a sun-splashed weekend of road racing in southern Arizona. Racing begins with the Old Tucson/McCain Loop Time Trial. The course uses a 3-mile stretch of freshly paved road, beginning with gentle rollers leading to a 5 percent climb, then serving up more rollers followed by a 6 percent-plus climb to the finish.
Rock Racing’s David Vitoria rode to his second straight stage win and donned the King of the Mountains jersey Thursday following the fifth stage of the Vuelta Mexico Telmex. Meanwhile Jackson Rodriguez (Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni) took over the overall leadership of the race, displacing his teammate Gilberto Simoni.
German cyclist Stefan Schumacher was on Friday banned from racing anywhere in the world by the sport's governing body, the UCI. Schumacher was suspended by French anti-doping agency AFLD from racing in France last month after failing an anti-doping test at the 2008 Tour de France. That penalty, however, has now been extended beyond France's borders. The 27-year-old, sacked from the now defunct Gerolsteiner team, tested positive for banned blood booster CERA, a modern variant of EPO once thought to be undetectable.
Most observers expect Alberto Contador to ride away with the victory at the 67th Paris-Nice, which begins Sunday with a time trial in Amilly. The Spanish climber, who won Paris-Nice as part of his breakout 2007 season, is the five-star favorite following his victory at the Volta ao Algarve to start his season last month. But expectations aside, the eight-day “Race to the Sun” is known to deliver a surprise or two in what’s the season’s first major stage race. There will be plenty of challengers nipping at Astana’s heels among the 20-team field.
Ryder Hesjedal almost rode away with last year’s Monte Paschi Eroica, the new but already wildly popular semi-classic over the dirt roads of Tuscany. The 28-year-old Canadian attacked out of a leading breakaway and was only caught with less than 10km from the line by eventual winner Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) and runner-up Alessandro Ballan (Lampre). Hesjedal will be back with a strong Garmin-Slipstream team to tackle the 190km course littered with dusty sectors of the famous “strade bianche” – or white roads.
Fuji-Servetto will be heading to Tirreno-Adriatico and Milan-San Remo, but not Paris-Nice. That’s what the Court of Arbitration in Sport ruled Friday in an interim decision that the Spain-based team will be allowed to start the two upcoming Italian races, but stopped short of allowing the team to race at Paris-Nice, slated to start Sunday. Fuji-Servetto is the new name for the troubled Saunier Duval team that last year saw two of its star riders – Riccardo Riccò and Leonardo Piepoli – to test positive for the banned blood booster CERA.
Heavy winds wreaked havoc in Thursday’s second stage at the Vuelta a Murcia in Spain, prompting officials to cut the distance and then halt the race due to blustery weather. Dangerous winds topping 80kph before the race started prompted race organizers to trim the distance by nearly 75km and eliminate the day’s main obstacle at the Cat. 1 Alto de San Juan.
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Several show-goers were surprised to see a De Rosa booth at NAHBS, placed within sight of trendy urban single-speeds and wild one-off full suspension mountain bikes. The De Rosa bikes on display cut a uniquely classic image compared to some of the exotic and experimental show bikes. Here’s a look at both ends of the spectrum: the handcrafted De Rosas, backed by years of history and family tradition; and some one-off show bikes not found anywhere else.
The Tour of Missouri on Thursday released a short list of teams confirmed for the 2009 event, which will be held September 7-13. Garmin-Slipstream, Columbia-High Road, Liquigas and Cervelo TestTeam are confirmed for the race. Team rosters will be announced in August. While Garmin, Liquigas and Columbia have competed at the race prior years, this would be the first appearance by Cervelo.
World champion Alessandro Ballan said he would be focusing on the Milan-San Remo and northern classics in the early part of this season. The Italian also said he was looking forward to competing in May's Giro d'Italia wearing the rainbow jersey. The 29-year-old Lampre rider has never won the prestigious Milan-San Remo race but came eighth in 2006. "I feel good, it's been a tough winter but I've worked hard with my team," he said.
Though he still might carry the nickname "The Cuban Missile," Ivan Dominguez is now a U.S. citizen. As of February 26th, Dominguez no longer needs to worry about a green card or complicated travel with his old Cuban passport. It's been a happening year for the 32-year old from Cuba. With his former team, Toyota-United, permanently closing its curtains, and an uncertain relationship with Rock Racing, Dominguez finally found his way onto the new Fuji-Servetto ProTour team.
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Rock Racing's David Vitoria won the Vuelta Mexico Telmex's fourth stage in a solo breakaway, while Italian Gilberto Simoni retains the overall lead in the race. Vitoria, a fourth-year Swiss pro, escaped from three others — Arquimedes Lam (Tecos), Francesco Rivera (Amica Chips-Knauf) and Andrew Pinfold (OUCH-Maxxis) — on a steep climb in the closing miles to beat Lam by 20 seconds. Pinfold was third, 1:53 behind.
Ivan Basso returned to racing in Wednesday’s Giro del Friuli following a knee injury that sent him packing early from the Tour of California. The Italian rider, who is back after serving a suspension for his links to the Operación Puerto doping scandal, said he was encouraged that he’s riding again without pain. “It was a hard race but it gave me some encouragement because I didn’t feel any pain in the knee,” Basso told Italian reporters after the race. “The cold didn’t help resolve my problem but things are improving and I continue to make progress.”
Ted King’s debut with his Cervélo TestTeam didn’t quite go according to plan, but he’s already recovering from a crash that short-circuited his season debut at the Amgen Tour of California. His teammate Thor Hushovd won stage 3, but King was forced out of the race earlier in the stage after a freak spill left him with a busted up arm. Luckily, surgery wasn’t necessary and the 6-foot-3 King is anticipating a fairly quick return to the peloton.
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Price: $1.70 each Weight: 30 grams per packet Flavors: Wild Berries Web site: www.carbboom.com Carb Boom now offers all natural wild berry Energy Chews. These nutrient-rich snacks are perfect for times when an energy gel is not enough and an energy bar is too hard to chew.
Salt Lake City Police officials have released the name and a description of a suspect in the burglary of David Zabriskie’s home. Thieves struck the home of the Garmin-Slipstream rider approximately two weeks ago, while he was competing at the Amgen Tour of California. The home was cleared of nearly everything as thieves took bicycles, personal mementos and even automobiles.
Belgian rider Wouter Weylandt (Quick Step) won the GP Samyn ahead of compatriot Bjorn Leukemans (Vacansoleil) out of a successful breakaway in the 191km race in western Belgium. Weylandt was part of a six-man move that stayed clear late in the race. Joining him and Leukemans were Belgians Geert Omloop, Roy Sentjens and Jan Bakelants, with French rider Rèmi Cusin (Agritubel) coming across the line third. It was the first win of the season for the 24-year-old Weylandt and the eighth for Quick Step.
Graeme Brown (Rabobank) took vengeance on Greg Henderson (Columbia-Highroad) on Wednesday by winning the opening stage of the Vuelta a Murcia in Spain.
Mirco Lorenzetto (Lampre) continues on good form, out-kicking Grega Bole (Amica Chips) to win the Giro del Friuli Wednesday in Pordenone, Italy. It was the third win of the season for Lorenzetto, who took two stages last week at the Giro di Sardegna. Taking third in the 188km race in northeastern Italy was Manuel Belletti (Diquigiovanni) with Alessandro Petacchi (LPR) fourth out of a lead pack of about 30 riders.
Italian Gilberto Simoni (Serramenti PVC Disquigiovanni) attacked on the last climb to win stage 3 of the Vuelta Mexico on Tuesday and take over the yellow jersey.
Fabian Cancellara’s classics campaign is in doubt following a shoulder injury that forced him out of today’s start of the five-day Vuelta a Murcia. The Olympic time trial champion recently crashed at his home in Switzerland during a training ride, injuring his right shoulder blade and throwing a wrench into his racing and training schedule ahead of the spring classics.
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With so many exhibitors combining to bring unlimited creativity to NAHBS this year, the stories and photos are far from exhausted. Among the myriad of bicycle configurations on display in Indianapolis, those with only a single cog and chainring represented a majority. Many were track bikes, urban fixed gear bikes, commuters, town bikes, and even a cyclocross bike or two.
Jackson Rodriguez (Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni) won Monday's second stage of the Vuelta Mexico, a 205km route from De Huajuapan to León-Puebla. Canadian Andrew Pinfold (OUCH-Maxxis) finished second while young American Peter Stetina of a composite U25 American team leads the Most Aggressive category of the eight-stage event.
Sid Taberlay (Sho Air-Specialized) and Krista Park (NoTubes-Magura) claimed victory at the Bonelli Park cross-country race in San Dimas, California on March 1. The race was the opening round of the inaugural US Cup, a 13-race series of mountain bike races across the United States. The race was also the first event of the Kenda Cup West, the seven-race West Coast half of the US Cup. The race opened with motorcycle rider Jason Britton, star of Speed Television’s show “Super Bikes,” riding a wheelie at the head of the men’s field through the neutral start on his stunt motorcycle.
Sitting on a plane headed back to Spain after a weekend of racing and a day spent pre-riding Paris-Roubaix sectors, I’m pretty sure that classics season is now officially open. The blister on my hand, right where the ring finger creases as I type, is a good reminder. Yep, pave is in no way easy on the body. My fingers, and the slight ache that run through them as they roam the keyboard would be reminder number 2. Moving on to other contact points with the bike; well, yeah, I’ll be reminded tomorrow.
Dutch rider Steven de Jongh will miss the upcoming spring classics due to a painful muscle tear that will require surgery. The Quick Step veteran was unable to defend his title at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne last weekend because he thought he was suffering from tendonitis dating back to a nasty crash at the Tour of Qatar in January. Further tests Tuesday, however, revealed that he has a torn bicep femoris muscle, the team reported. De Jongh is scheduled for surgery on Friday at the Herentals Clinic in Belgium. He will be sidelined for at least six weeks.
Chris Hoy, Britain's four-time Olympic track-cycling gold medalist, announced on Tuesday he was withdrawing from this month's World Championships in Poland because of injury. Hoy, who has suffered complications following a hip injury sustained when falling off his bike in the keirin final of the Copenhagen leg of the World Cup in February, said: "I'm hugely disappointed that I'm not going to be riding in the Worlds."
Change is just what Robbie McEwen needed. His move to Katusha for a two-year deal with the start-up Russian squad has put the fire back into the veteran Australian sprinter. Not that it’s ever gone away, but McEwen didn’t have his best season in 2008, coming off just five wins and getting blanked in the grand tours. McEwen will see more support in the sprints with Katusha and he already has two wins under his belt before the end of February.
Team Saxo Bank is expecting big things in this year’s Paris-Nice and brings a stacked squad that includes candidates for stage wins as well as a shot at the GC for the season’s first major stage race. Headlining the team’s GC hopes will be Fränk Schleck, winner of a stage at the Tour of California last month, while Olympic silver medalist Gustav Larsson has a chance to win the opening time trial for the “Race to the Sun,” set for March 8-15.
Dear Lennard,
You may want to do a little better research when answering these questions next time because both of your CO2 answers were completely wrong.
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With a grassroots movement that continues to flourish, a handful of pro races to show off and national championships in two disciplines being fought out on its turf, the Pacific Northwest looks to be a hotbed of cycling again in 2009. The local peloton will shift into high gear March 1 when the nearly 30-year-old Banana Belt Series hits the roads around Henry Hagg Lake, about a half hour west of Portland. Banana Belt promoter Jeff Mitchem says he expects anywhere from 350-500 participants for each of the three series races, depending on the weather.
Price: $80 Weight: 117 grams Sizes: EBB Shells 68 x 55mm Colors: Red, blue, silver, black Web site: www.ninerbikes.com Do you rely on an eccentric bottom bracket (EBB) for proper chain tension on your single speed, internally geared hub, or tandem? If so the new Niner Bio-Centric EBB may come as a relief to your current creaking and ovalized EBB shell woes.