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Louder wins Utah’s Queen Stage
To the cheers of a partisan crowd, BMC’s Jeff Louder won the queen stage of the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah Saturday, a grueling slog from Park City to Snowbird Ski Resort that delivered 15,000 feet of climbing and three KOM points over 98.7 miles. At Snowbird Ski Resort at the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon the Salt Lake City native finished seconds ahead of Garmin-Chipotle’s race leader Blake Caldwell, who finished second on the stage. Team Type 1’s Glen Chadwick, less than one week off a return flight from Beijing, finished third.
Blixseth settles LeMond suit
Greg LeMond has reached a $39.5 million settlement with the owners of an exclusive retreat for the super rich that has its own ski resort and uses ex-Secret Service agents for security. Last week's settlement resolves a two-year legal dispute in which LeMond, his in-laws and an associate accused businessman Tim Blixseth of trying to buy out their minority stake in the Yellowstone Club for less than its actual value. A related settlement between Blixseth and his estranged wife, Edra Blixseth, in their divorce case also resolves a bitter struggle over control of the enterprise.
How many more for the Brits?
With three golds, a silver and a two bronzes through four events on the Laoshan Velodrome, Great Britain is living up to its pre-Olympics hype as the track dominator. So far it hasn’t been a benevolent ruler. Day Two saw Chris Hoy take a crushing victory in the men’s keirin (with Ross Edgar in silver), just 24 hours after the Brits mowed their way to gold in the Team Sprint.
Spain’s points race winner Joan Llaneras plans retirement
Joan Llaneras is one of those oddball eccentrics who disappear into the woodwork and barely cause a stir for much of the racing season. That’s not until the big-time events roll around and they sprout out of the background like tulips in spring. Llaneras, 39, won the Olympic points race on Saturday. He plans to compete in the Madison and then hang up the bike for good.
Llaneras scores points gold
Spaniard Joan Llaneras produced a stunning display of endurance and sprint riding here at the Laoshan velodrome to reclaim his Olympic crown in the men's points race. Germany's Roger Kluge took the silver with Britain's Christopher Newton taking the bronze. Llaneras, 39, reclaimed the title he won at Sydney in 2000 after a stunning ride in the 160-lap race which he finished with 60 points. Kluge, the halfway leader, finished on 58 with Newton on 56.
Phinney qualifies for next round
Wiggins sets new standard in pursuit
Defending champion Bradley Wiggins set a new Olympic record of four minutes 15.031 seconds in winning his qualifying heat for the men's individual pursuit cycling at the Laoshan Velodrome on Friday. American Taylor Phinney finished seventh, made the cut and will enter Saturday's round of pursuit rides ahead of the final medal rounds.Jennie Reed heads into Sunday’s Olympic sprint qualifiers with confidence
Jennie Reed is heading into Sunday’s sprint qualifying rounds with the added air of confidence that comes with owning a world championship gold medal. True, Reed did not take her world title at this year’s worlds in Manchester in the sprint — she won it in the keirin, which is not an Olympic event. But the fast and furious keirin is often a litmus test for how strong a track sprinter’s legs are firing. And this year, Reed’s legs have been firing full blast.
Team Canada’s Michael Barry reports on his Olympic road race.
The motorcade of team cars raced through downtown Beijing, the usually congested roads virtually emptied for the Olympics, to the start. In each unbranded white car, the riders were piled in the back, as the directors drove. A small flag on the side was the only thing differentiating each team. On the roof, the bikes were covered in tape and the carbon wheels logo-less to appease the Olympic rules that control which companies can be featured in their event.
Phillip Gaimon wins Mount Washington climb
While Mother Nature teased participants with tiny showers up to about an hour before the start, this year’s Mt. Washington Hillclimb went off without a hitch. At start time the temp at the base of the New Hampshire peak was a mild 61, while the summit was a sunny 46 with literally no wind. [nid:81910] The 600-rider field — containing none of the more well known riders of the past few years such as Tyler Hamilton, Tom Danielson or Ned Overend — left the field wide open for up-and-coming riders.
Fred Dreier’s Olympic Notebook
While dodging taxis and buses on my morning ride I saw another cyclist spinning his wheels a few hundred meters up the road. There are millions of people on bicycles in Beijing, but cyclists are a novelty, and in the sea of riders on the road he stuck out. He wasn’t hauling a load of junk on the back of an old Flying Pigeon, and he was actually wearing a helmet. I caught up to him at a red light to chat.