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SMP, known for splitting its saddles wide open to reduce perineal pressure, has done the same with bib shorts. The poster tells the 1000-word story. The zipper wraps completely around underneath from the top of the chamois in front to high on it in the rear. SMP claims that it is as comfortable as a pair of shorts without a zipper running under your crotch. The padding extends over the thin zipper from either side.

Ivan Basso is working with Aldo Sassi, director of the Mapei Sport Science Research & Support Centre between Milan and his Varese home to hone his conditioning. Basso’s “Ready for a Clean Comeback Training Archive” page to be hosted on his, Mapei Sport’s and Liquigas’s Web sites drew little attention at the Mapei Sport bus in the show until he himself arrived Thursday and Friday when consumers could enter the show.

Newly-crowned Italian world champion Alessandro Ballan was everywhere at the show, if not in person.

I just returned from Europe after visiting both the Milan bike show and a Formula 1 team in Silverstone, England that designs and has built aerodynamic carbon handlebars and bikes. At the Milan show, big news was the acquisition of Italian suspension maker Marzocchi by Tenneco, Inc. of Lake Forest, Illinois through the assumption of Marzocchi’s approximately $15 million in debt. Tenneco will lease Marzocchi’s Bologna manufacturing plant and will take over Marzocchi sales, marketing and customer service operations in the USA and Canada and purchasing and sales operations in Taiwan.

The Cervélo Test Team continues to add names to its lineup, this time bringing on 25-year-old Oscar Pujol to the new team for the 2009 season. Pujol, a close friend and training partner of Tour de France champion and top Cervélo recruit Carlos Sastre, turned pro this year with the Burgos Monumental continental Spanish team.

Colors: Black, Green, Red Sizes: Small to XX Large Price: $54.95 Web site: www.knog.com.au The Love Hate Gloves from the Australia-based company Knog, with “love” and “hate” stitched across the knuckles are made with goatskin leather. For extra durability, they have double stitched the key wear points. To improve breathability the gloves are perforated along the outsides of the glove and most notably along the strap.

The Cycle Loft in Burlington, Massachusetts, along with some of the industry’s top component manufacturers, has decided to put some sponsorship behind one of the country’s future track stars. Twenty year old Jackie Simes IV, whose home track is the Valley Preferred Cycling Center in Trexlertown Pennsylvania, is a fourth generation American pro rider whose father, grandfather, great grandfather and cousin were all pro cyclists. Simes is making his annual pilgrimage to the European Six Day Track Racing Circuit with a start at the Ghent Six on November 18, 2008.

After 25 races completed on the USA Cycling Cyclocross Calendar, Jeremy Powers (Cyclocrossworld.com-Cannondale) and Laura Van Gilder (C3 Sollay) lead the points race. At the most recent calendar event, Christopher Jones (Sonic/jittery Joes/Louis Garneau) earned the pro men's victory while Rachel Lloyd (California Giant Berry Farms-Specialized) took the women's pro win at the Dam 'Cross on Sunday in Los Angeles. Men's Standings:

Trek-Volkswagen rider Jeremiah Bishop claimed the men's win at this weekend’s 10th annual Iceman Cometh, a Michigan mountain bike race that caps registration at 2000 because of its immense popularity. In his first attempt, Bishop set a course record on the 27-mile course of 1:28:31. In the women's race, Amanda Carey (Kenda Titus Hayes), finished in 1:45:45, more than two minutes ahead of Susan Stevens (Brodie) and Heather Irmiger (Gary Fisher).

Nineteen year old Pete Ostroski in Intervale, New Hampshire, won this weekend's Porky Gulch Classic, an unusual omnium race held at Mount Washington, New Hampshire. Ostroski won two of the weekend's three events: the Toughest Two hillclimb, which ascends the first two miles of the Mount Washington Auto Road; and the Story Land Criterium, held on a hilly, narrow course inside a children's amusement park. In the Porky's third event, the Rockpile Rampage cyclocross race, Ostroski finished second to Todd Wheelden, who was second on the first two events and wound up second overall.

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Price: $29.99 Web site: www.pedros.com The Pedro's Trixie is an all-around tool for the single-speed or fixed gear rider. With no moving parts and all the necessary tools extruded out of hardened steal, it screams durability and practicality. The Trixie is small enough to be carried in a jean pocket, but more comfortably in one of the pen sleeves of your messenger bag.

Monique Ryan reviews a new study on caffeine consumption after exercise

Post-exercise recovery nutrition jumpstarts the recovery process at an accelerated rate after endurance training. Recovery nutrition is especially important when there is less than eight hours between training sessions. Your goals are to replenish fuel stores, rehydrate, and facilitate muscle repair and recovery. Stay on top of your recovery nutrition and have appropriate foods, drinks, and supplements available.

Fluid

Recently retired pro Rik Verbrugghe will join Quick Step as the Belgian team’s fifth sport director in 2009. The 34-year-old Belgian announced his retirement at the end of this season with Cofidis and will quickly step into the shoes as sport director at Quick Step, where he rode for one season in 2005.

Triple grand tour winner Alberto Contador says he is pleased with his recent trip to the United States to work on his time trial position at a San Diego wind tunnel. Contador, who won the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España within 14 months, said he made some changes to his position, but still has room for improvement.

Fabian Cancellara’s list of “must-wins” is growing shorter by the season. Just in 2008, the self-styled Spartacus added Milan-San Remo and the Olympic time trial gold medal to his career victories that already includes Paris-Roubaix, two world time trial championships and runs in the yellow jersey at the Tour de France. So what else left for the 27-year-old Swiss time machine?

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The UCI C2 HPCX served as the seventh round of the MAC Powered by SRAM Cyclocross Series on Sunday. Unlike the previous day’s sandfest at the Beacon Cyclocross in southern New Jersey, Sunday’s race meandered through a large grassy park next to the business district of Jamesburg. At 2.7 km, the course was technically one of the shortest on this year’s MAC circuit, but the combination of turns, hills and heavy ground from the previous day’s rainstorm made for long lap times, in the eight minute range for the Elite Men.

The BikeReg.com MABRAcross Series took to the property surrounding the Frank IX and Sons silk factory in downtown Charlottesville Virginia Sunday. Riders raved about the course- lots of fun but very difficult both technically and physically. The course included a sand pit as well as stairs constructed just for the race. The hot cider and fresh donuts from Carpe Donut were much appreciated in the cool morning hours, however the racing heated things up quickly.

Gathering winds blew in cloud cover and relatively cooler temperatures for an afternoon of Elite UCI racing in Los Angeles. The second-annual UCI Dam Cross race is the only UCI (class-two) CX event held in California this year. The 3.17-kilometer course was set at the base of LA’s Hansen Dam, snaking around and through an oak studded, bowl shaped park.

World champions Lars Boom (Rabobank) and Hanka Kupfernagel won the third round of the UCI’s World Cup of cyclocross, in Pijnacker, the Netherlands, on Sunday. In the men's race, the 22-year-old Boom grabbed the win ahead of Belgian Niels Albert (Palmans) and Belgian champion Sven Nys (Landbouwkrediet). Boom took an early lead on the first lap, with only Albert and Nys able to hold his wheel. The three traded the lead with attacks from each throughout the race.

Lance Armstrong says he isn’t responsible for the dismal state of Filippo Simeoni’s career, nor has he ever done anything to intimidate the Italian champion. In an interview with VeloNews Saturday, the seven-time Tour de France winner said he was bothered by Simeoni’s comments as they appeared in the Spanish daily AS and later reported on VeloNews.com.

Roberto Heras, the Spanish rider who saw his 2005 Vuelta a España title stripped for a doping offense, is still holding out hope that he can return to the professional peloton. Unlike other riders who’ve returned from doping bans to secure teams, Heras has had trouble finding a contract, especially among ProTour squads that have been hesitant to sign the Spanish climber.

The Mid-Atlantic Cross Powered by SRAM Cyclocross Series visited New Jersey for the Beacon Cyclocross and its iconic “Amphitheater of Pain” on Saturday. In a switch from past years, the event was run under domestic sanctioning instead of its traditional UCI sanction. But the lack of international stature didn’t seem to hurt, as the event drew record entries and the largest Elite fields in years, which were won by the C3-Sollay.com duo of Wes Schempf and Laura Van Gilder.

Which of the four riders currently leading America’s two premier cyclocross series have you not heard of: Georgia Gould, Ryan Trebon, Jesse Anthony or Amy Dombroski? If your answer was Dombroski, you’re probably not alone. Dombroski, who is leading the North American Cyclocross Trophy (NACT) series, has shown herself to be the revelation of the 2008 cyclocross season so far, having taken big wins at the October 11-12 Erdinger Gran Prix of Gloucester. Just 21 years old, the two-time U23 national ’cross champ stands a mere 5 foot 1 inches. So just who is Amy Dombroski?

Two-time Tour de France runner-up Cadel Evans isn’t losing any sleep over the prospect of Lance Armstrong’s return to racing. Back in his native Australia for a visit, Evans told the media outlet ABC that Armstrong would need to be at his best if the Texan hopes to win an eighth Tour crown.

Reigning Italian national champion Filippo Simeoni blasted the comeback of Lance Armstrong and said he would have nothing to say to the Texan if the pair ends up racing the 2009 Giro d’Italia. Simeoni, who had an infamous run-in with Armstrong during the 2004 Tour de France, angrily told Spanish journalist Quique Iglesias that the seven-time Tour champion should have stayed retired.

I don’t know about the rest of my fellow weekend warrior ’cross-aholics, but race time is often also deep thoughts time. It’s not like I’m out there unfurling the complexities of E=mc² while hopping barriers. But rarely does a race pass when I don’t find myself pondering something beyond the typical “pedal harder-don’t crash-shit, I crashed-man, I’m cracking-cool, I feel better” merry-go-round.

Bissell rider Ted King appears poised to be riding alongside Tour de France champion Carlos Sastre on the new Cervelo TestTeam next year. King, 25, had a breakthrough season in 2008, finishing second overall in the NRC individual rankings. Wins included the Hanes Park Classic, and a stage of the Joe Martin Stage Race. He also finished third overall at the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic, and wore the KOM jersey for one stage at the Tour de Georgia.

A rally for Dr. Ed Farrar will be held Sunday, November 9 at 9:30 a.m. at the Wenatchee Convention Center in Wenatchee, Washington, to show support for the doctor who was struck in a head-on collision October 22. Farrar, who is the father of Garmin-Chipotle rider Tyler Farrar, remains in a critical care unit, but is showing signs of improvement. This event is a chance for friends and associates to show support for Dr. Farrar and his family.

Russian marauder Alexandr Kolobnev has signed a two-year contract extension to stay with Saxo Bank-IT Factory through the 2010 season. The 27-year-old joined the team managed by Bjarne Riis in 2007 and immediately had strong results, including victory at Monte Paschi Eroica, a stage in Paris-Nice and the silver medal at the world championships. This year, Kolobnev was close to a breakout win, with second at the Clásica San Sebastián, third at the Giro della Emilia and fourth at the Beijing Olympic Games.

Planet Energy and Catalyst Capital Group Inc. will continue as the principal financial sponsors of Team R.A.C.E. Pro (TRP) through 2009, but the team also said Friday that it will soon be ready to offer details about additional support from new sponsors as well. Josée Larocque and Steve Bauer of Cycle Sport Management Inc. said they are both pleased with the progress made during this first year of building a Canadian UCI Continental men’s team. “Our message is clear. We are focused on providing the best possible opportunity for Canadian road cyclists,” said Larocque.

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Toyota-United rider Ivan Stevic is facing a lifetime ban by the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) for use of a prohibited substance, possession of prohibited substances and illegal trafficking of prohibited substances dating back to 2004.

Fellow Boulderite Brandon Dwight greeted me at the final finish line of last year’s La Ruta de los Conquistadores with a chilled bottle of Imperial in one hand and a digital camera in the other. The cold booze momentarily soothed the numerous aches and pains I had accrued during the four-day, 250-mile race from Costa Rica’s Pacific to Caribbean coasts.

Price: $59.99 Sizes: Small to XXL Web site: www.pearlizumi.com Pearl Izumi has answered the challenge of fall and winter cycling with the Shine Shoe Cover, which lets riders keep their feet warm and be more visible to motorists when cycling after sunset.

Armstrong played with forearm position during an hour-long media session, then closed the doors for private fit testing