All Content

Four of us climbed into the back of the borrowed team Saturn truck, picking good spots for our lawn chairs. Once we were settled, the door was pulled shut and locked. We sat in darkness while our team captain, Steve Bauer climbed into the passenger’s seat beside Fernando, our mechanic and the driver, up in the cab. The southern air was hot and muggy and the back of the truck, filled with bikes and wheels was at first refreshingly cool in contrast to the outside air.

Racing in hot, humid conditions, worsened by pollution levels, is not the only thing worrying Spain's big favorite for the Olympic cycling road race this Saturday. Alejandro Valverde comes into the 248.5km race, said to be one of the toughest ever at an Olympics, fresh from the Tour de France where he finished ninth overall and won the opening stage. As one of the most feared all-rounders in the business, Valverde could be the man to succeed formidable Italian Paolo Bettini, the world champion for the past two years.

Australian cyclist Michael Rogers is looking forward to putting his skills back on the international stage after what has proved to be a trying year for the Columbia Team pro. Rogers crashed out of the Tour de France last year while in the virtual yellow jersey, and took months to get over his injuries. He then battled the effects of glandular fever, setting his career back further and effectively costing him a place on his team's squad for this year's Tour where his teammates won an impressive five stages.

Dear Readers,
I have received so much mail about the " tubulars vs. clinchers rolling resistance debate that I could not resist running some of the better ones. The debate may never end, but your letter sure have raised a lot of issues that I’d never considered.
Lennard

Price: $285 Weight: 535 grams Web site:www.crankbrothers.com No need to stop, to drop and roll: You can bust some serious moves on a 5-inch travel bike these days; both up and down hills. Crankbrothers’ Joplin post, a Maverick American-licensed design, offers three inches of adjustment via a handlebar-mounted remote, which allows you to get down some serious terrain. It’s intended for trail riding and Super D racing. Crankbrothers offers a two-year warranty with the Joplin.

Sam Atherton at Bromont WC 2008

Trek/VW rider Chris Eatough came from behind to win the 24 Hours of 9-Mile solo national championships in Wausau, Wisconsin, Saturday. Pua Sawicki defended her 2007 title with 18 laps, which she completed in 24 hours and 3 minutes. [nid:81316] In the men’s race, Josh Tostada led the race early on, riding 15-mile laps in under an hour. “[Tostada] really put me into difficulty, he and I were very evenly matched,” Eatough said. “But my pit crew has our routine dialed, and the new bike let me race even faster.”

Next month's Tour of Missouri will feature that kind of lineup rarely seen in the U.S., with all the top U.S.-based squads taking on European-based teams including Liquigas and Rabobank. While the teams have yet to release their complete rosters for the Sept. 9-14 event, the race organizers on Monday announced the final list of teams:

Speed. Agility. Grace. Strength. All traits that get Olympic athletes noticed and remembered. At this year’s Olympic Games though, something else will also command attention and require conversation – the athletes’ clothing. Shiny, performance enhancing compression gear takes center stage as Skins™ USA outfits numerous Team USA competitors.

Lance Armstrong is preparing diligently for the Leadville 100 mountain bike race in Colorado, training in nearby Aspen to acclimatize to the altitude. As of Monday, Armstrong had ridden parts of the 100-mile Leadville course two or three times and was doing daily road and offroad rides, said Trek spokesman Ben Coates. "Lance is in Aspen with a couple of guys, one of them is a trainer that he is working with. He looks super fit when I saw him the other day, and he seems to be taking the race very seriously," Coates said.

Adventures for the Cure: The Doc To be Screened After Rolla’s Tour of Missouri Stage 4 Finish Rolla’s Diabetes Education Fund announces that a screening of Adventures for the Cure: The Doc will be held in Castleman Hall after the Tour of Missouri Stage 4 award ceremony. Castleman Hall is located immediately behind the Stage 4 finish line and across the street from the Tour of Missouri Health and Wellness Expo. The documentary will be shown shortly after the Stage 4 awards ceremony, approximately 4:30. Admission is free and there will be door prizes.

The wait is over for CrossVegas fans looking for details about the cyclocross race that has become the highlight of the Interbike show week. CrossVegas.com has been revamped with complete information about the September 24th race in Las Vegas.

LPR Brakes to make Tour of Britain debut in 2008 Di Luca and Petacchi to lead Italian squad’s assault on this year’s Tour of Britain The Tour of Britain organisers are pleased to announce the identity of the 16th team who will ride the 2008 race, Italian squad LPR Brakes – Ballan, led by Alessandro Petacchi and Danilo Di Luca. Petacchi is one of the greatest sprinters ever, having won over 150 races in his career, while Di Luca will become the first winner of a Grand Tour to ride The Tour of Britain, following his win in the Giro d’Italia in 2007.