Allan Davis has never felt so good. The only rider to have ridden every edition of the race, the 28-year-old Queenslander now finds himself in the enviable position of becoming the eleventh champion of the Tour Down Under and the sixth Australian to do so. After two seasons he’d probably rather forget, he finally wrenched himself free of the mudded waters of Operación Puerto to start 2009 afresh with a new team, Quick Step, and clear of any wrongdoing.
Doubling up on his victory two days before and gaining a valuable 10 second time bonus Friday in Angaston, Quick Step’s Allan Davis has given himself a realistic shot of going one better than last year in his bid to become the sixth Australian winner of the Tour Down Under.
Sizes: 1.2mm Price: $36.95 to $69.00 Web site: www.powercordz.com Power Cordz now offers 1.2mm derailleur cable sets and a complete cable system. The difference between 1.2mm Cordz and traditional 1.2mm steel cables is that Cordz are made from Zylon, a fiber that Io Dupont suggests is as strong as steel yet reduces weight by 75 percent. In terms of compatibility, Derailleur Cordz are just that — fully compatible with Shimano, SRAM, Campagnolo, and any standard 4mm housing.
What appeared to be a relatively innocuous stage was turned on its head Thursday in Victor Harbor. Courtesy of a howling westerly wind and some of the world’s best riders, a star-studded break created havoc in the Tour Down Under and threatened to leave no more than a dozen riders in contention to win the race overall.
Team Bissell's Tom Zirbel was second in Wednesday's third stage of Argentina's Tour de San Luis, a 19.8km individual time trial.
Following a difficult year that saw his career aspirations go off the boil, Quick Step’s Queenslander Allan Davis found his form at exactly the right time, flying up the final 500 meters in Wednesday’s finish in Stirling to capture both the second stage and race lead in the 2009 Tour Down Under.
Lucas Sebastian Haedo, an Argentinian who races for the American Colavita team, won stage 2 of his home country's Tour de San Luis on Tuesday. Haedo held off Nazaret Prado of Brazil and Alfredo Lucero of Argentina to win the 174km stage from San Luis/La Toma to Mirador Del Potrero.
Santa Cruz is unveiling its latest cross-country machine, a carbon fiber Blur XC, which looks to be the fastest endurance race bike the brand has ever built.
He said last year Australia was where he found himself. Facing sponsorship uncertainties, Columbia-High Road’s André Greipel went on to a stellar 12-win season that was only topped by his teammate Mark Cavendish. And Tuesday in Mawson Lakes, Germany’s ‘Gorilla’ picked up where he left off, the defending champion sailing straight down the middle of the road to capture the opening road stage of the 2009 Tour Down Under and find himself in familiar surroundings in the leader’s ochre jersey.
Sizes: 23c or 25c x 700c Weight: 240 or 280 grams Price: $45.99 Web site: www.panaracer.com Panaracer now sells a tire that is intended to be ideal for heavy training and racing on less than ideal surfaces. On the scale of durability versus speed, the new Extreme Duro is aimed right in the middle.
Italian Mattia Gavazzi (Diquigiovanni) won Monday's opening stage of Argentina's Tour de San Luis, holding off a charge by the Haedo brothers, Sebastian and Juan Jose. Juan Jose (Saxo Bank) was second on the stage, while his younger brother Sebastian (Colavita) was third in the sprint at the end of a 168.4 km stage from San Luis to Villa Mercedes.
Sizes: 20 gram syringe Price: $14.95 Web site: www.finishlineusa.com Chances are you paid top dollar for your bike and bike parts, and if not, it’s still valuable stuff. One way to extend the life of your bike and components is to keep them greased.
American Katie Compton (Spike Shooter) won the UCI World Cup in Roubaix, France, on Sunday, bringing her a step closer to a World Championship win in two weeks in the Netherlands.
Tour de France champion Carlos Sastre wants more than to defend his yellow jersey in 2009. The 33-year-old Spanish climber revealed an ambitious racing calendar that includes taking aim at the Giro d’Italia podium and the world championships as well as a defense of the Tour along the way. First up will be the Giro, where Sastre said he has some unfinished business with the season’s first grand tour.
The number 13 may not be so unlucky after all. Why? Because just after 8 p.m. Sunday evening in Adelaide, Australia, Katusha’s sprinting pocket rocket Robbie McEwen notched his thirteenth stage victory in the race by winning the Cancer Council Classic criterium, outsprinting Milram’s Wim Stroetinga and Graeme Brown of Rabobank.
China won the fourth leg of the UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classic series in Beijing on Sunday. The hosts claimed the team title after clinching three more silver medals on the third and final day of the competition. China hauled in a total of 108 points, boosting them to joint third place in the nation world cup standings on 210 points, behind Britain on 216 and leaders Germany on 262.
Riders from Lithuania, New Zealand, Malaysia and China collected valuable points at the UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classic in Beijing on Saturday. With just two months remaining before the World Championships in Poland, many leading athletes have chosen to skip a return to the 2008 Olympic venue for this fourth leg in the five-part series. The second day of competition at the Laoshan velodrome featured four men's and three women's events and the absence of star names gave an opportunity for some fresh faces to step onto the podium.
Colors: Green, black, white, red, blue, grey Sizes: Small to Extra Large Price: $1999 (frame and rear shock) Web site: www.intensecycles.com Are you unsure about your mountain bike riding style? Are you a pure cross country rider or do you enjoy technical descents that are akin to a hardtailer’s hell? Perhaps you find yourself somewhere in the middle? If so, the new Spider 2 by Intense bridges the gap between trail and cross country.
In what is one of his last appearances on the velodrome, Erik Zabel joined Leif Lampater in winning the 45th edition of the Six Days of Bremen in Germany late Tuesday. The 38-year-old Zabel competed in the penultimate track event of his career in Bremen, with plans to make his farewell appearance at the Six Days of Berlin, slated for January 22-27. Zabel and Lampater finished ahead of the German-Swiss duo Olaf Pollack and Franco Marvulle. Pollack suffered a heavy crash during the last laps of the race and was later diagnosed with a broken clavicle.
Considering that professional racers spend thousands of hours a year on their bikes, it’s surprisingly rare to find many who actually look comfortable on their steeds. Everyone knows what a bad bike fit feels like and most pros seem to share the same menu of dull aches, pains and injuries encountered by the rest of us. A few are blessed, like Fabian Cancellara, who seems genetically wired to ride a bicycle.
Dear Lennard,
I would like to change my Dura-Ace 7800 53/39 crank set for a compact 50/34 set and am considering the new Shimano 7950 but noticed that Shimano states that to run the 7900 crank set, the new 7900 chain and front derailleur are also required. Can I not simply put a 7950 compact crank set on my 7800 system and if so, will shifting be compromised? If indeed the new front derailleur is required, do I then need to change my shifters to 7900 as well?
Paul
Sizes: 8 oz (227g) tube Price: $18 Web site: www.beljumbudder.com Is your chamois rubbing you the wrong way? Perhaps this new chamois creme can help. Beljum Budder is a high quality chamois creme and skin lubricant designed to perform and protect the nether regions of friction-riddled endurance athletes. Not only does Beljum Budder make for a smooth and comfortable ride, it’s safe to use–made with all natural ingredients.
Lars Boom (Rabobank) took an important step toward the defense of his world cyclocross title, winning the Dutch national championship in Huijbergen on Sunday. Boom beat Thijs Al and veteran Richard Groenendaal in his first major race since injuring his elbow in a big crash in late December. In Belgium, former world champion Sven Nys defended his national title, outsprinting Niels Albert and Kevin Pauwels in Ruddervoorde. [nid:86474] Both Boom and Nys are considered favorites for the world title in the upcoming championships on February 1 in Hoogerheide, in The Netherlands.
While the U.S. women's, junior and U23 teams approach this month's Cyclocross World Championships with some of the strongest teams ever, the men's team is surrounded by uncertainty. The country's most accomplished international male racer, Jonathan Page, could be kept out of the race because of a missed doping control in November. And several of the country's top prospects have bowed out, mostly because of road or mountain bike team obligations.
Mavic has issued a voluntary recall of its R-SYS front wheels, the company announced this week. Mavic is advising consumers not to use the front wheels from any of its R-SYS wheelsets (R-SYS, R-SYS Test and R-SYS Premium) because of the possible risk of spoke failure. The system relies on a unique set of tubular carbon spokes. While front wheels rely solely on the tubular carbon spoke, the rears combine those with Zicral spokes and the risk of failure is, therefore, lessened.
Graeme Brown of Rabobank held off challenges from Robbie McEwen (Team Katuysha), Simon Gerrans (Cervelo Test) and Bernie Sulzberger (Virgin Blue) to win the 2009 Jayco Bay Cycling Classic on Tuesday. Brown led the Classic going into the penultimate stage by the barest margin of one point.
Do you have some bike suggestions for tall riders?
Why are my bottom bracket bearings wearing out so quickly?
Editor's Note: Drew Geer is an endurance mountain bike racer who has been using a computer training log since 1998 and has hand-written training logs going back to 1972. He's been an Apple Mac user since 1984. Geer paid retail for each of the products he reviewed in this article.
Day 4 of the Jayco Bay Cycling Classic saw the top professionals punish the bunch with explosive and sustained attacks. The sound of popping was almost audible as the pace and surges whittled the field down. Finally the Australian criterium champion, Bernie Sulzberger of Virgin Blue, won the day, sprinting to the line ahead of a reduced field. Sulzberger said after the win: “It makes me very proud to win wearing the Australian champion’s jersey.”
Check out CyclingTips's author page.
American Rachel Lloyd (California Giant) was second at the Tervuren, Belgium, cyclocross on Sunday, finishing just behind former world champion Daphny Van den Brand. American Sue Butler was eight, Followed by Canadians Natasha Elliot and Wendy Simms in ninth and tenth. Lloyd and Van de Brand were battling for most of the race after gapping the rest of the group on the first lap when Van den Brand attacked into a sandpit and Lloyd jumped on her wheel. The two worked together for a few laps. Van den Brand crashed in the sand at one point and Lloyd rode solo for about a lap.
History has a way of repeating itself. The Jayco Bay Cycling Classic proved that with Will Walker of Fuji Servetto taking out day 3 of the Jayco Bay Cycling Classic. Six years ago Walker as a 17-year-old won a stage of the Jayco Bay Cycling Classic with a courageous and powerful breakaway from the main bunch. Walker repeated that performance by breaking away in the last third of the race in an explosive attack and consolidated the gains made until the end.[nid:86289]
The second day of the Jayco Bay Cycling Classic was all about thrills and spills. Graeme Brown of Rabobank took out his first win of the season in impressive style leading a bunch finish which saw Robbie McEwen (Team Katyusha), Baden Cooke (Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team), Simon Gerrans (Cervelo Test Team) and Nic Sanderson (Rock Racing) finish third, seventh, eighth and tenth respectively.
Tour de France stage winner, Simon Gerrans, a new recruit of the new Cervélo Test Team, won the first stage of the Jayco Bay Cycling Classic in Australia, riding for the local O2 Networks squad on Friday. The race was delayed, in strange circumstances, by more than 90 minutes because Australian sprint ace, Katyusha's Robbie McEwen, had his flight cancelled and was late arriving for the event.
Can you recommend a tall stem for a tall rider?
Why does my new bike tick?
How will Q-factor affect IB Band Syndrome?
Do you have any advice for correcting leg-length discrepancies?
American junior Zach McDonald finished second to Dutch rider Corné Van Kessel on Thursday in the GP Sven Nys in Baal, Belgium. McDonald crossed 14 seconds behind Van Kessel to take the runner-up spot with Belgian Sean De Bie (Kon. Balen B.C. V.Z.W.) third at 0:21. In the elite men’s race, Nys (Landbouwkrediet-Colnago) won in 57:51, nine seconds up on Czech Zdenek Stybar (Fidea) with Belgian Niels Albert (BKCP-Powerplus) third at 0:25.
Torque wrenches and temperature ranges Dear Lennard, I own both deflecting beam and click-type (Giustaforza) torque wrenches. They are stored in my garage where the temperature can get below freezing in the winter and over 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer. Do torque wrenches need to be stored and used within a certain temperature range to maintain accuracy? Gary Answer from Effetto Mariposa:
Check out CyclingTips's author page.
Dutchman Thijs Al (Be One) won the cyclocross world cup in Friday in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium, prevailing over Belgians Kevin Pauwels and Sven Vanthourenhout. The top American male was Jamey Driscoll in 26th, followed closely by new U.S. champion Ryan Trebon in 27th. American national champ Katie Compton (Spike) was fourth. Compton won the Nommay, France, world cup, but her husband Mark Legg said she had bad legs Friday. "On the race day the legs didn't feel good and she couldn't open it on on the road or fast pedaling sections," Legg said. [nid:86170]
Ridding the rim of remnants
Dear Lennard,
I have some carbon tubular rims that I glued Vredestein Fortezzas into, and when I removed them there were parts of the casing stuck to the rim (I think it might have been latex that covered the casing but it wasn't able to be removed before mounting). Is there a safe way to remove this substance from a carbon rim?
Jared
Dear Jared,
World champion Lars Boom and U.S. women’s champion Katie Compton scored big wins in a muddy World Cup cyclocross race in Nommay, France, on Sunday. Compton topped a strong ride in the women’s field, earning first place as she edged out world champion Hanka Kupfernagel by 19 seconds. Fellow Americans Georgia Gould and Rachel Lloyd finished in third and eighth places at 24 seconds and 2:17 respectively.
Organizers for the Tour of Italy said on Friday that Olympic time trial champion Fabian Cancellara will join former seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong on the start line for the centenary 2009 edition. It promises to be one of the strongest Giro line-ups in recent history with Italian former winners Ivan Basso — returning from a two-year doping suspension — Damiano Cunego and Danilo Di Luca as well as Spaniard Carlos Sastre, the current Tour de France champion, amongst the riders.
Colors: Khaki Sizes: 30 to 38 inch waist Price: $90 Web site: www.cordarounds.com You may not be a "hardcore" commuter, but there's a good chance you use two wheels to get around town every once in awhile. In that case, a good pair of commuting pants that are not made of lycra may be just right for you. [nid:86098]
Size: 12" x 12"[nid:86095] Price: $13.95 Web site: www.velogear.com Collected by the editors of VeloNews, here's a full year of the best photographs of road cycling, from the spring classics to cyclocross. Full 12" by 12" color photographs.
The 2009 Tour of Spain will begin in the Netherlands, in the first overseas launch of the race in more than 12 years, organizers announced Wednesday.
Electric D-A: Why not a little step instead of a big leap? Dear Lennard, Great review of the new electronic Dura-Ace in this month’s VeloNews. I have to say there have been a lot of comments about the “why?” of electric and it was nice to finally read an article that included a good reason — shifting under load that can't be done with cable.
Ryan Trebon (Kona) and Georgia Gould (Luna) locked up their respective titles in the USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Calendar on Sunday during the cyclo-cross national championships in Kansas City, Missouri. Trebon won the elite men’s race and also took the series win in commanding fashion, with 620 points. Jeremy Powers (Cyclocrossworld.com-Cannondale) finished second in the standings with 479 points while his teammate Tim Johnson was third.
Sizes: 280 and 350mm length; 27.2 and 31.6mm diameter Price: $100 to $325 Web site: www.thenew3t.com 3T may be an unfamiliar brand name to those of us in the U.S., unless you’re the new owner of a 3T fork after Cervélo recalled their Wolf forks, but 3T is a familiar name in Italian cycling.
Sizes: 500ml Price: $25 Web site: www.elite-it.com Are frozen water bottles during the winter riding months betraying your thirst? Or is the scalding water in your bottle during the dog days of July preventing you from hydrating properly? The Nanogelite water bottle from the Italian company, Elite, is a thermal bottle for keeping your liquids at just the right temperature.
Ryan Trebon (Kona) proved himself the strongest man on the course Sunday in Kansas City, powering to a second national cyclocross championship on a bitter cold but dry day. Trebon's win on a course that many said suited his strengths to a T was impressive but not a huge surprise, and continued the run of national titles held by just four men since 2000; Trebon, Jonathan Page, Todd Wells and Tim Johnson have passed around the stars and stripes jersey like an Illinois Senate seat.
Katie Compton (Spike Shooter) raced to her fifth national cyclocross title on Sunday in a chilly, windswept Kansas City. The course was dry, the temperature low and the wind brisk as the women lined up at Tiffany Springs Park. Rebecca Wellons (Ridley Factory Team) scored the hole shot with Compton second and Deidre Winfield (Velo Bella–Kona) third. The defending champ hovered in second place on the climb, then went to the front and gave it the gas.
Nick Weighall (Rad Racing) won a hard-fought battle with Nick Keough (Jittery Joe's-Sonic) on Saturday to claim the men’s under-23 title at the USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships at Tiffany Springs Park in Kansas City, Missouri.[nid:85931] Danny Summerhill (Clif Bar) took third. Keough shot off the line first ahead of Weighall, who then took the lead with Bjorn Selander (Riley Factory Team) and Summerhill in pursuit in gray, windy conditions on a comparatively dry, tacky course.
At first glance, Jeremy Powers' Cannondale looks like a fairly standard pro mount: a Cannondale aluminum frame with Mavic wheels and SRAM Red parts.
A former road bike product manager at Specialized, Andy Jacques-Maynes has an eye for detail when it comes to bikes, and has the advantage of riding a frame he helped design. Jacques-Maynes won the 30-34 national cyclocross championships for the second year in a row on Saturday, aboard a carbon Tricross. [nid:85912] The bike features an array of Specialized parts and thanks to the light frame and Roval Alpiniste climbing wheels, weighs in at just 15.2 pounds.[nid:85913]
Ryan Trebon's Kona Major Jake is very similar to the mount that he's been racing on for the last few years, except for the change to Challenge tubular this season. Trebon also switched from 175 to 177.5 mm cranks this fall just before the Gloucester, Massachusetts, race. He says the longer cranks help him get the full benefit of his size. [nid:85926] Ryan Trebon's Kona Frame: Kona Major Jake scandium, 63cm Fork: Alpha Q CX20 Wheels: FSA Carbon RD488 tubular Shifters: Dura-Ace 7800 Brakes: KORE Brake pads: Swissstop
Georgia Gould's Orbea is a simple, solid race machine. Gould runs virtually all Shimano parts, and is one of the few top pros to use clinchers (although sharp eyes might have noticed her on some blackwall tubulars at nationals). She also prefers a single front chainring, a set-up that appears to be becoming a bit less common among the top pros. Frame: Orbea Lobular aluminum Fork: Easton EC90X Wheels: Mavic R Sys clincher Tires: Maxxis Raze clincher 700x35 Shifters: Dura-Ace 7800 right; Shimano aero left. Rear Derailleur: Dura-Ace 7800
Defending champ Andy Jacques-Maynes (Specialized-KMC-California Giant) took the hole shot and rode solo to victory in the men's 30-34 category on Saturday at the USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships in Kansas City, Missouri.[nid:85933] Jacques-Maynes took the win in in 41 minutes, 58 seconds ahead of Weston Schempf (C3-Sollay.com) and Ali Goulet (Ridley Factory Team), who fought out a tough sprint at 40 seconds back.[nid:85935] Other winners include: Men 35-39: Brandon Dwight, Boulder Cycle Sport. Men 40-44: Roger Aspholm, Westwood Velo.
Lance Armstrong may have seven Tour de France victories under his belt, but he’s not predicting victory for himself when he tackles the Giro d’Italia for the first time in May. Organizers unveiled the route for the centenary edition on Saturday, and Armstrong said that while he taps Ivan Basso as the favorite for overall victory, he’s nonetheless looking forward to competing.
The Giro d’Italia, which in 2009 will welcome seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong for the first time, will start its centenary edition in Venice on May 9 and finish in Rome on May 31, organizers said in unveiling the 3395.5km route on Saturday. The race, which Spaniard Alberto Contador won this year, will comprise 21 stages and take in major cities including Milan, Turin, Florence, Bologna and Naples.
Amy Dombroski (Velo Bella-Kona) grabbed the hole shot and rode away from the field toward a second consecutive under-23 cyclocross title on Saturday at Kansas City. The Durango, Colorado, rider was never seriously challenged in her title defense on day 3 of the USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships, which saw temps in the 40s, a brisk wind and a comparatively dry course at Tiffany Springs Park. Ally Stacher (Lees-McRae College) took second with Ashley James (IS Corp.) third.
Just days before she attempts to win her fifth national cyclocross title, Katie Compton and her husband/mechanic Mark Legg have decided to switch from a hodge podge of Shimano and Campagnolo drivetrain components to a new set of Dura-Ace 7900 shifters and derailleurs.
Cadel Evans has denied he will ride in next year's Giro d'Italia, putting him at odds with his Silence-Lotto team, reports said. Race organizers on Wednesday announced that the 31-year-old runner-up in the past two Tours de France was set to take on seven-time Tour champion Lance Armstrong in the Giro next May. The race director of his Belgian team, Roberto Damiani, also said that Evans would ride in the three-week Italian stage race. But Evans, who is currently in Australia preparing another assault on the Tour de France, on Friday denied he would be taking part.
The 2010 Tour de France will open with a nine kilometer individual time trial through the streets of Rotterdam, race director Christian Prudhomme announced in Rotterdam on Thursday. It will be the first time that the Tour will have started from the Dutch port city, but four other cities in the country — Amsterdam (1954), Scheveningen (1973), Leiden (1978) and 's-Hertogenbosch 1996) have previously enjoyed the honor. The 2009 race kicks off from Monaco.
Sizes: 43, 46, 51, and 56cm Price: $2500 Web site: www.carryyourdreams.com Just in from France: the new Lapierre Passport, a full suspension folding mountain bike and travel case. When packed inside of its travel case, this 24.5-pound, aluminum mountain bike only weighs 35 pounds, which means no extra weight fees for air travel.
Australian cycling ace Cadel Evans is set to take on seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong in the Giro d'Italia next year, race organizers announced Wednesday. The 31-year-old — runner-up in the past two Tours de France — will also face Italian stars Ivan Basso, Damiano Cunego and Danilo Di Luca in what will see the race in its 100th year since its creation. Evans wore the overall leader's pink jersey for a day during the 2002 edition and eventually finished 14th overall.
Following last weekend's UCI races in Virginia, Rhode Island and Oregon, Ryan Trebon (Kona) and Georgia Gould (Luna) continue to lead the USA Cycling national cyclocross standings. The final races of the national calendar are this weekend: the national championships in Kansas City. Men's Top 5 Standings: | (Complete men's standings) 1. Ryan Trebon ( Kona, Bend, Ore.) 500 2. Jeremy Powers (Cyclocrossworld.com-Cannondale, Hadley, Mass.) 479 3. Tim Johnson (Cyclocrossworld.com-Cannondale, Middleton, Mass.) 431
Well, the manuscript of the third edition of Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance is due today, and I’ve been burning the midnight and daybreak oil for some time now, especially the last week, to get it done. Still not certain I’ll make it. But somehow, despite not riding or answering the phone these days, I got sucked into answering this question in some serious detail while writing Chapter 8 on cranksets. Back to the book now. Lennard
Colors: Gloss metallic black with scotch-bright panels Sizes: 50, 53, 56, and 59cm Price: $2,399.99 Web site: www.ironhorsebikes.com New from Iron Horse the Double Cross cyclocross bike is built around an aluminum frame. The Double Cross features Hutchinson Bulldog tubeless-ready tires and a SRAM Rival group.
Sub-freezing temperatures greeted the participants who braved the elements to contest the final Zipp Ohio Valley Cyclocross Tour event at Brookside Park in Indianapolis. Although the ground was snow covered in spots, icy in others with air temperatures hovering around 20°F, the racing action was anything but frigid.
Weight: 200g/pair Suggested retail: $599.99/pair Web site: www.zerogravitybike.com The Vanderkitten Elite Women’s Team will be using a limited edition version of the Zero G brakes, which also will be available to the public next month. Ciamillo Components’ Zero G brakes are made in the U.S and feature a patented Power Cam that provides a mechanical advantage with modulated stopping power.
VeloNews technical editor Matt Pacocha took a three-up sprint to win the Colorado state cyclocross championships Sunday in Boulder. Last year's champion Kerry Barnholt (Tokyo Joe's) defended her title, taking the women's open win over Lisa Matlock Strong (Tough Girl). With dry conditions, Pacocha took the hole shot and immediately opened a gap on the field. An elite group of five soon formed, containing Pacocha, Brandon Dwight (Boulder Cycle Sport), Jake Wells (Mafia Racing), Jonathan Baker (Vitamin Cottage) and Yannick Eckmann (Clif Bar).[nid:85762]
Belgian Sven Nys (Landbouwkrediet) won Sunday's UCI World Cup in Igorre, Spain, retaining his overall lead in the World Cup series after five events. Countrymen Erwin Vervecken, Bart Wellons and Kevin Paulwels finished behind Nys. American Jonathan Page was 13th. Top Ten 1. Sven Nys in 1:06:36 2. Klas Vantornout (BEL) at 15. 3. Erwin Vervecken (BEL) at 27. 4. Bart Wellens (BEL) at 35. 5. Kevin Pauwels (BEL) at 1:09. 6. Zdenek Stybar (CZE) at 1:36.
Thankfully, the apocalypse was called off on Sunday as heavy rains returned to Portland and along with it some serious slop. What was Saturday an obvious motocross course transformed quickly into deep, goopy swamp.[nid:85721] The junior men saw the worst of the weather with heavy rain and cooler temperatures. As soon as the elite women were called up, the rain machine paused and racers had to contend with the leftovers. Katarina Nash (Luna) scored back to back wins and took the USGP series overall.
Dee Dee Winfield (Velo Bella / Kona) and Weston Schempf (C3-Sollay.com) rode to commanding solo wins in MAC Powered by SRAM’s season-ending Capital Cross Classic on Sunday. Winfield’s victory comes in the middle of a tough three-week stretch of travel that saw her working her way through the field to finish 21st in last week’s World Cup in Koksijde, Belgium, before traveling to Kansas City for next week’s U.S. National Cyclocross Championships.