Road Racing

This time there were no late climbs or rising finishes. Tuesday’s flat and treacherous arrival into Puertollano in the fourth stage of the Vuelta a España was a flat, fast and furious finish ideal for the pure sprinters. So it was no surprise that Daniele Bennati (Liquigas) made up for the disappointment of losing Monday with a definitive victory ahead of arch rival Tom Boonen (Quick Step).

The second sample provided by Spanish rider Manuel Beltran, who tested positive for erythropoietin (EPO) during the Tour de France, has also tested positive for the blood booster, a source close to the dossier said Tuesday. The test on the second sample, known as the "B" sample, was carried out by French anti-doping agency AFLD which also tested the first sample back in July, the source, who does not want to be identified, told AFP. The anti-doping agency is expected officially to announce the results of the testing on the "B" sample shortly.

I’ve received a lot of mail about our story in the print VeloNews, issue 14, about climbing wheels. It was a great test that revealed a lot about climbing wheels we saw right afterward in the Tour de France. Matt Pacocha rode 50,000 vertical feet on the wheels and performed wind tunnel tests on them, and then we did our own measurements of rotational inertia. For those not understanding what rotational inertia is and how we measured it, please go here. Lennard

Jelly Belly's Bernard Van Ulden and Team Tibco's Lauren Franges took the wins in Atlanta on Labor Day, taking their share of a $30,000 combined prize list at the city's U.S. 10k Classic. Held the same morning as a 10k running race, men race 100k on a fast five-mile loop, finishing on a wide downhill highway. The mens field contained many who had raced in the weekend's USPRO championships in Greenville, South Carolina, including Van Ulden, who was eighth in the USPRO time trial and did not finish the road race. Women raced 10k, with the same wide-open finish as the men.

Tom Boonen (Quick Step) and Daniele Bennati (Liquigas) – two riders who missed this summer’s Tour de France for dissimilar reasons – were both back on the podium spotlight in Monday’s 168.6km third stage at the Vuelta a España. Barred from the Tour after he tested positive for cocaine in late May an out-of-competition test, Boonen jumped off Bennati’s wheel with 100 meters to go into a stiff headwind to claim his first Vuelta stage-win in his career.

Tyler Hamilton (Rock Racing) scored one of the biggest wins of his long career — and the biggest since returning from a two-year doping suspension — on Sunday at the U.S. professional road race championships in Greenville, South Carolina. The 37-year-old Hamilton outsprinted his late-race breakaway companion, 24-year-old Blake Caldwell (Garmin-Chipotle), winning a photo finish by less than a tire’s width after 115 miles of racing.

Columbia put on a textbook display of team tactics at the Tour of Ireland, commanding the stage win and the overall victory on an aggressive final stage that blew the field apart. Frantisek Rabon dispensed of his breakaway companions on the punishing finishing circuit in Cork to take the win 15 seconds ahead of Pezula’s Fredrik Ericsson. Behind, Marco Pinotti countered off the attack of teammate Michael Barry to launch a successful solo bid for the overall.

It was a double-dose of delight for Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d’Epargne) in Sunday’s second stage at the Vuelta a España. Capping what’s been a spectacular season for Spain’s Green Bullet, Valverde opened up a winning sprint with 200 meters to go in a rising finish into Jaén to claim victory and surge into the overall leader’s jersey thanks to time bonuses.

The 63rd Vuelta a España is supposed to be a showdown between Alberto Contador and Carlos Sastre, but it was Filippo Pozzato of Liquigas who wanted to remind everyone that there are more than two teams in the season’s final grand tour. Liquigas worked in perfect cohesion over a short, but technical 7.7km course in the shadow of the Alhambra to win the opening team time trial, with Pozzato surging across the line first to take the Vuelta’s first leader’s jersey.

Russell Downing of the British squad Pinarello CandiTV captured the race lead with a winning sprint on stage 4 of the Tour of Ireland. Downing took the kick from a 22-man group at the finish in Dingle, after Garmin-Chipotle’s David Millar shattered the field over the Cat. 1 Conor Pass. Downing started the day 32 seconds down on race leader Mark Cavendish. He took the lead through snatching time bonuses at the finish (10 seconds) and at the day’s first and last intermediate sprints (3 seconds a piece).

On the eve of the USPRO Road Race Championships, Garmin-Chipotle showed it intended to dominate the championship weekend in Greenville, South Carolina, taking four of the top five spots in the time trial, led by David Zabriskie. Only Bissell’s Tom Zirbel kept Garmin from taking the entire podium and then some, with a brilliant second place ride, coming in five seconds behind a clean-shaven Zabriskie, who captured his third straight USPRO time trial jersey.

Alexander Kristoff followed last year’s successful script and launched an early sprint with 350 meters to go, but Mark Cavendish, as he continues to do with his blossoming career, is following his own plan. At stage 3 of the Tour of Ireland from Ballinrobe to Galway, that plan was simple: win. Cavendish was one of many riders to go down on slick tarmac just over the top of the final categorized climb, but Columbia put him back into the front group and wound it up in the closing kilometers to 70kph.

The 63rd Vuelta a España roars out of Granada on Saturday afternoon in a fitting start with a team time trial in what should be a dogfight between cycling’s two strongest teams and Spain’s two biggest stars. The showdown between Alberto Contador and Carlos Sastre and their respective Astana and CSC-Saxo Bank teams should provide plenty of drama during a three-week course loaded with hard mountains spread judiciously among a long string of sprint-friendly stages.

Set aside for the day’s top riders, the winner’s circle in Loughrea served as a photo booth as fans of all ages took turns posing for pictures with Mark Cavendish. The Team Columbia rider again won handily at the Tour of Ireland, in the 158km stage 2 from Thurles to Loughrea, and the popularity of the four-time Tour de France stage winner is only swelling.

Thirty-eight year old Eric Zabel will lead the Milram team at the Vuelta a Espana starting Saturday. The German vet will lead an otherwise young team looking for stage wins at the Spanish tour. The team's average age is under 25.

Sastre leads CSC-Saxo Bank

Neither a four-man breakaway nor getting spit out on a climb could stop Columbia’s Mark Cavendish from taking a commanding sprint win in the opening stage of the Tour of Ireland. Columbia rode the front of the peloton all day, then strung it out in the rush to the flat finish along River Suir in downtown Waterford.

Spaniard Jose Ivan Gutierrez, riding for Caisse d'Epargne, won the Tour of Benelux in Brussels as Latvia's Raivis Belohvoscicks (Saunier Duval) won Wednesday's final stage, an 18km time trial around Mechelen. Gutierrez was second on the stage, 8 seconds back. He finished without a saddle, which fell off his bike with about 800 meters to go, according to reports.

Astana brings a loaded team looking for nothing short of domination in the 63rd Vuelta a España that opens with a team time trial Saturday in sunny Granada. Still miffed it was left out of the 2008 Tour de France, the Astana blue swaggers into Granada with its A-team for the season’s third tour with overall victory as the main objective. Andreas Klöden and Levi Leipheimer provide heft to the nine-man lineup, but it’s budding Spanish super star Alberto Contador who will be captain of this ship.

Ingredients per serving: Sodium (150mg); Calcium (40mg); Magnesium (30mg); Potassium (95mg) Calories: 0 Cost: $11.98 for 90 tablets. Web site: www.eletewater.com Tablytes are electrolyte tablets, designed to be swallowed with water to replace electrolytes lost in exercise.

Norway's Edvald Boasson Hagen of the Columbia team won the sixth and penultimate stage of the Tour of Benelux here Tuesday, as German team-mate Andre Greipel held the overall race lead. Boasson won a sprint finish ahead of France's Jimmy Engoulvent and Serguei Ivanov of Russia. Wednesday's final stage is an 18km time-trial around Mechelen. In Tuesday's stage, a nine-rider breakaway looked set to fight out the finish but Columbia did a lot of work to chase the riders and then Hagen jumped past late attacker Jimmy Engoulvent within sight of the finish line.

Robbie's ride
Dear Lennard,
I saw photos of it during the Tour, but can't tell what the model name of the San Marco saddle pictured on Robbie McEwen's Ridley is.
Kito Dear Kito,
It’s a Selle San Marco Regal, nice retro-looking saddle due to its big brass rivets around the back edge. Yet it has a nylon base, foam padding and a cover, just like most modern saddles.
Lennard

Sizes available: 700 x 32 and 700 x 35 Weight:350 grams (32 width); 395 grams (35 width) Suggested Retail: $39.99. Web site: www.kendausa.com/bicycle The Kommando is a new bi-directional cyclocross tire from Kenda. It is designed to be run in one direction for soft conditions and the other way for hardpack. The tire, which has a folding bead, also features Kenda's Iron Cloak puncture resistant material that runs bead to bead under the tread.

Despite a strong showing by Minnesota riders, Wisconsin took home the trophy after the inaugural Border Battle race on Sunday afternoon. The contest pitted over 350 racers from the Wisconsin Off Road Series (WORS) against nearly 250 racers from the Minnesota State Championship Series (MNSCS). The White Tail Ridge course in River Falls, Wisconsin, was mostly flowing singletrack but included a steep lead-out climb, a long climb through an open field, and a rocky technical section.

German rider Carlo Westphal (Gerolsteiner) won the fifth stage of the Tour of Benelux on Monday. Compatriot Andre Greipel of the Columbia team holds the overall race lead.

During his three-week assignment to cover the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, VeloNews reporter Fred Dreier roamed China's capital city armed with his point-and-shoot digital camera. A professional photographer he is not, but Fred managed to snap a few photos of a side of the games not seen by all.

Price: $13 for 12 tabs Servings per tab: Four Web site: www.nuun.com Bigger is Easier? Nuun is now offering its sugar-free electrolyte replacement drink effervescent tabs in a larger four-serving size. Each tab now makes 32 ounces, instead of 16 ounces, so that only one tab fills liter sized bottles and hydration packs. The price per serving is the same as the smaller size.

Suggested Retail:$355 for fixed hub set, $436 for singlespeed disc hub set Web site: www.bythehive.com The Hive is a new brand from Perigeum Development, a distributor that has been involved with product development for several well-known brands. Chub Hubs from The Hive have massive flanges and large carbon center tubes, which the company says increase torsional stiffness and reduce spoke stress. The carbon lay-up in the center section is optimized to transfer torque between the flanges.[nid:82273]

Belgian rider Tom Boonen (Quick Step) won a sprint finish for Sunday's fourth stage of the Tour of Benelux. Dutch rider Kenny van Hummel finished second and Norwegian Edvald Boasson Hagen (Columbia) in third. Boasson Hagen 's teammate Andre Greipel took the leader's jersey going into Monday's fifth stage over 171.8km from Ardooie to Ostend.

Italy's Daniele Bennati (Liquigas) sprinted to victory in the third stage of the Tour of Benelux on Saturday, taking the leader's jersey from Spain's Jose Ivan Gutierrez. Bennati crossed the line ahead of Belgians Tom Boonen and Jurgen Roelandts.

Frenchman Julien Absalon took his mountain bike status to new heights on Saturday when he became the first rider to defend the men's Olympic cross country title. US and Canadian men had a dismal day, with Canadian Geoff Kabush the top North American finisher in 20th place. At only 28 years old, he said motivating himself for a third consecutive gold in London should be no problem. "The Olympic Games is a massive motivation for every athlete and four years passes quickly, as it has from Athens to Beijing," said Absalon.

Germany’s Sabine Spitz owns a closet full of silver and bronze medals from mountain bike racing’s biggest events — the Olympics, world championships and World Cup. The 36-year-old patiently rode in the shadows of ’04 Olympic champ Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjå during the four years in which the Norwegian ruled over the sport.

Germany's Andre Greipel (Team Columbia) won the second stage of the Eneco Tour in The Netherlands on Friday. Greipel beat Argentina's Juan Jose Haedo (CSC-Saxo Bank) and compatriot Robert Forster(Gerolsteiner) in a rain-soaked sprint finish in Nieuwegein, in the north of The Netherlands. Kenny Van Hummel (Skil-Shimano) was fourth and stage one winner Tom Boonen was fifth.

France’s Anne-Caroline Chausson out-pedaled, out-jumped and out-maneuvered the world’s best female BMX riders to win the inaugural Olympic BMX race at the Laoshan cycling venue. The Frenchwoman, who also owns 16 world titles in gravity mountain bike racing, grabbed the biggest single prize of her storied career ahead of compatriot Laetitia le Corguille. Amerian Jill Kintner crossed the finish line in third to bring the United States its first-ever medal in Olympic BMX.

Web site: www.liquidgoldenergy.com Suggested Retail Price: $5.99 for a 6.5 ounce flask (five 2-tablespoon servings) GloryBee Foods' Liquid Gold is an organic honey-based sports energy gel. The Eugene, Oregon-based company says that honey contains a mix of carbohydrates that help prevent sugar spikes.

Suggested Retail: $79.95 for saw with one blade. $49.95 for five replacement blades. Web site: www.cantitoeroad.com The CarboCut from Effetto Mariposa has toothless, grit-edge tungsten carbide blade that is intended for cutting hard materials such as ceramics, titanium and steel, and for cutting carbon fiber (the company says a traditional toothed blade is still best for cutting softer materials like aluminum and plastic).

Maris Strombergs put Latvia on top of the BMX world by taking the inaugural Olympic gold medal in flying fashion. The 21-year-old Latvian, who won the BMX world title earlier this year, earned Latvia its first medal of the 2008 Olympics, crossing the line ahead of Americans Mike Day and Donny Robinson. “It didn’t matter if it was the Olympics, the world championships or the European championships, the feeling is the same,” Strombergs said. “I was very cool and concentrated.”

Suggested Retail: $260 Weight: 200 grams Dimensions: 290mm x 135mm Web site: www.sellesanmarco.com Selle San Marco’s new Mantra is a new road bike saddle. It features the company's patented NoShuffle system, which involves a narrowed nose to reduce thigh chafing for riders with a knee-in riding style. It also includes an arrowhead-shaped cut out and a synthetic "microfeel" cover. [nid:82174]

Belgian rider Tom Boonen (Quick Step), won the first stage of the Tour du Benelux in The Netherlands on Thursday. Spain's Jose Ivan Gutierrez (Caisse d'Epargne), retained the yellow jersey after winning Wednesday's prologue. Boonen, 27, is the 2005 world champion. In June he was barred from the Tour de France after testing positive for cocaine.

Price: $369 Web site: www.kurtkinetic.com A portion of the revenue from sales of the special pink Kurt Kinetic trainer go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, a grassroots organization of breast cancer survivors, advocates and activists. The organization has pledged $2 billion in the next ten years to fight breast cancer.

Cadel Evans will not be in the Silence-Lotto team competing in the Tour of Spain, starting on August 30 at Granada, the team announced on its Web site. The Belgium-based outfit has left the Australian out of the Vuelta, which finishes on September 21 in Madrid. The 31-year-old, who injured his knee in the aftermath of finishing second overall in the Tour de France at the end of July, finished 15th in the road race and fifth in the individual time trial at the Beijing Olympics.

Jose Ivan Gutierrez (Caisse d'Epargne) won the prologue of the Eneco Tour of Benelux in Sittard-Geleen, Netherlands, on Wednesday. The Spanish cyclist, winner of the event last year, was judged to be leader after clocking 5:31.09 minutes over the 4.4 kilometer stage — fractions of a second in front of French rider Cyril Lemoine (Credit Agricole). Norway's Edvald Hagen (Team Columbia) was third.

Irish cyclist Nicolas Roche (Crédit Agricole) won the first stage of the Tour du Limousin on Tuesday. Roche, 24, powered along the country roads between Limoges and Guéret to win the 166km stage in four hours, four minutes, beating the field to the line by three seconds. France's Steve Chainel (Auber 93) and Roche’s teammate Sébastien Hinault came second and third.

Britain confirmed their status as rulers of the Olympic velodrome Tuesday, claiming two of the last three track cycling gold medals on offer to finish with seven out of 10. On a day that Australian blushes were saved in timely fashion by Anna Meares' sprint silver, giving the team that dominated in Athens just one medal, Britain were celebrating a total of 12 out of 30 medals awarded in Beijing. They medalled in eight of the 10 events, only failing to claim a medal in the women's points race and the men's Madison.

Victoria Pendleton of Great Britain grabbed her first Olympic gold after dominating Anna Meares of Australia over two legs of the women's sprint final in Beijing on Tuesday. Meares picked up the silver with China's Guo Shuang winning the bronze. Pendleton's maiden Olympic crown means she has taken Britain's track cycling gold tally to six. The 27-year-old Englishwoman is also the first British woman to win Olympic gold in track cycling's blue ribbon event. It is also Britain's first women's track medal since Yvonne McGregor won pursuit bronze in Sydney eight years ago.

Flying Scotsman Chris Hoy equaled a 100-year-old British Olympic record on his way to winning his third gold medal of the Beijing Games on Tuesday. Hoy, who had already won gold in the team sprint and keirin, claimed his first ever Olympic sprint crown after a dominant display over teammate Jason Kenny. Hoy claimed his third gold medal of the Games, and fourth of his career, after beating England's Kenny in two successive sprints.

Dear Lennard,
You mention you use the No Tubes set up with your Ksyriums and Hutchinson’s Road Tubeless tires. I would like to do the same, but am concerned about Hutchinson’s warning against doing so. Something about ammonia breaking down the inside body of the tire. Any thoughts here?
Matt

Argentina's Juan Curuchet and Walter Perez grabbed Olympic gold in the men's Madison in Beijing on Tuesday when all three medals were decided on the last lap's 10th and final sprint. Spain finished second to take the silver with Russia winning the bronze. Britain's pursuit and team pursuit champion Bradley Wiggins, aiming for a record-breaking third gold medal of the Beijing Games, was never in contention with teammate Mark Cavendish. Argentina's pairing was a constant threat for their rivals in the 50km, 200-lap race where points can be won at intermediate sprints.

Price: $449.99 Weight: 230 grams Web site: www.exposurelightsusa.com The Enduro model from Exposure Lights is a cable-free high-powered LED light intended for racing or high performance trail riding. The handlebar mounted light has a CNC-machined alloy body, anodized and laser etched. It uses three "Super LEDs" with a lifetime warranty. It has four settings that produce burn times ranging from three hours at the Max setting to more than 24 hours in flash mode.

It’s said that racing in the yellow jersey gives a rider wings. It’s also said that there’s no motivation like racing in front of friends and family. Both notions proved true Sunday during the final stage of the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah, in which Utah native Jeff Louder of BMC Racing overcame a seven-second deficit to Garmin-Chipotle’s Blake Caldwell to take the overall victory by eight seconds.

The four-man pursuit squad of Ed Clancy, Paul Manning, Geraint Thomas and individual pursuit champion Bradley Wiggins won Great Britain its fifth gold medal of the 2008 Olympics. Team Great Britain nearly lapped Denmark in the finals of the team pursuit, breaking their own world record from Sunday’s qualifying round with a 3:53.314 finishing time. The Brits led wire-to-wire against Denmark, which eased up on the throttle once the Brits came nipping at their heels on the final lap. The Danes finished with a time of 4:00.040. New Zealand took home the bronze with a 3:57.776.

Michael Blatchford might not own the bulky track sprinter’s physique, but the lean, mean American proved this season he can be competitive on the international circuit. Blatchford came up a hair short in Sunday night’s 1/16 round of the men’s match sprint. The 22-year-old saw his chances at qualifying for the finals dashed by France’s thick sprinter Kevin Sireau, one of the fastest men in the sport. Midway through the bell lap Sireau appeared to commit too early to his sprint, opening the door for Blatchford.

Dutchwoman Marianne Vos erased the demons from her sub-stellar finishes in last week’s road and time-trial events by dominating the Points Race. Vos, 21, earned 30 total points in the 100-lap race, 20 of which came from lapping the field. Yoanka Gonzalez of Cuba finished second with 18 points with Leire Olaberria of Spain grabbing the bronze. “I had a lot of confidence coming into [the points race] — during my training I felt very good,” Vos said. “It wasn’t like I felt bad in the road race or the time trial, of course I was trying to get a medal. I was very disappointed.”

Price: $269 Web site: www.dinottelighting.com DiNotte's 400L headlight is a new model introduced in time for fall training, trail riding and 24-hour racing. The standard double-LED light produces 400 Lumens and can be mounted on a variety of bar diameters with horizontal or vertical orientation. A helmet/head strap kit option is available this month. The user can experiment with different beam patterns with an optional lens kit, which the company recommends for helmet use and trail riding.

Michael Ball's fashion designers will be busy this week after Rock Racing's Rahsaan Bahati on Sunday earned his latest stars-and-stripes jersey, winning the Saab USA Cycling Pro Criterium Championship on the course in Downers Grove, Illinois, on which he last triumphed in 2000 as an amateur. It's the first time in three years that an American has earned the championship by winning the 100km race outright. And while Rock Racing betrayed a certain confidence by kitting up in red, white and blue, it also fulfilled a seasonlong goal for Bahati, who is still battling a bum leg.

Rebecca Romero pumped her fist and let out a shriek after crossing the finish line to win Olympic gold in the individual pursuit on Monday night. The finishing gesture mimicked that of her compatriot Nicole Cooke, who won last Sunday's women’s road race. “I’m trying to hold it together,” said Romero, who defeated compatriot Wendy Houvenaghel to take the win. “I’ve had to search deep inside and fight for it and do what I know I’m capable of. Olympic gold medals don’t come easy.”