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Belgian-based frame builder Ridley has completed two new models in time for this year’s Tour de France with the goal of putting Silence-Lotto's top rider on the top step of the podium in Paris on July 27. Anyone can hope, of course, but Ridley has the technological chops to back it up. Aside from Team Columbia's prototype Giant, which we’ll look at in another piece, Ridley’s Dean and Noah are the big tech stories of this year’s Tour. And, unlike Columbia's new time-trial bike, both Ridley models are slated for 2009 production.

We've been getting some really good photo submissions from our readers. Here are a few of our favorites. If you are out there with a camera this summer, let us know what you see! Submit photos here.

While the spectacular battle for stage 6 unfolded on the erratic climb to Super-Besse on Thursday, I was standing at the finish line next to Bob Stapleton, the owner-manager of Team Columbia. As we watched, we speculated whether his team leader Kim Kirchen could make up the 12 seconds by which he trailed Stefan Schumacher and take the yellow jersey. Right then, as Kirchen and the other race contenders were about to start their sprint for the line, Schumacher fell off his bike.

Team Columbia’s André Greipel won the fourth stage of the 60th edition of the International Tour of Austria on Wednesday, outsprinting Astana’s René Haselbacher and Danilo Hondo (Serramenti) at the end of a 216.8-kilometer race from Lienz to Wolfsberg.

Team Type 1's Matt Wilson crossed the finish line just ahead of Garmin-Slipstream’s Tom Peterson to win Thursday’s second stage of the Cascade Cycling Classic, and also slipped on the yellow leader’s jersey. Most important to him, though, was dedicating the wins to Ben Brooks, his Aussie teammate who remains in a nearby hospital in stable condition after a serious crash in the first stage. [nid:79776]

When Ron Peterson and Christian Stoehr heard the honking behind them, they knew the routine — get single file. “As we singled up, the driver came up on us, told us to ride single file and then started yelling,” Peterson recalled.

Britain's David Millar has all but given up hope of finally ending his eight-year wait to wear the Tour de France yellow jersey again. However, the Garmin team leader said his encouraging performance on the race's first foray into the hills on Thursday can now boost his second objective of a stage win at this year's race. Millar began the first medium mountain stage of the race, a 195.5km hilly ride from Aigurande to Super-Besse in the Massif Central, in third place overall at 12 seconds behind Stefan Schumacher of Germany.

Saunier Duval’s Riccardo Riccò put his money where his mouth was on the summit finish of stage 6, sprinting uphill for the win ahead of overall race favorites Alejandro Valverde and Cadel Evans. Team Columbia’s Kim Kirchen finished just behind to take the yellow jersey, as race leader Stefan Schumacher (Gerolsteiner) crashed within the final kilometer and lost 30 seconds. (The final 3km mercy rule, which gives crashed riders the same time as the group they came out of, does not apply on summit finishes.) Ironically, it was Kirchen’s wheel with which Schumacher collided.

Details are starting to emerge on the Cincinnati International Cyclocross Festival scheduled for October 10-12. Part of the Zipp OVCX Tour, the Festival consists of three UCI-sanctioned races in the greater Cincinnati, Ohio area: the Darkhorse Cyclo-Stampede, the Java Johnny’s Lionhearts International and the newly-upgraded UCI-C1 Bio Wheels – United Dairy Farmers Harbin Park International. According to organizers, it is one of only two 3-day cyclocross festivals of its kind in the world, with the other being Belgium’s legendary Christmas Week.

RICCO A LA PANTANI?
Will Riccardo Riccò pull a page from the playbook of his childhood hero, Marco Pantani, and surprise everyone at this Tour de France? Riccò insists he’s here only for stage victories, but his impressive pop in Thursday’s stage could betray his public declarations.

Stage 6, Aigurande to Super-Besse, 195.5km

Sponsoring a bike team makes good business sense, especially if you’re Garmin and one of the largest companies in the fast-growing, highly competitive GPS market. Garmin unveiled its high-profile deal with Slipstream sports at the start of the 2008 Tour de France as the first step of a title sponsorship contract that continues through the 2010 season. VeloNews spoke with Jon Cassat, vice president of communications with Garmin, about the details of how the sponsorship deal came about and why the company decided to bet on cycling. Here are excerpts from the interview:

As the Tour of Colorado approaches the fourth race of the seven race series, several Tour of Colorado leaders are solidifying their hold on Overall Points. Joey Thompson of the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory/Specializes leads Scott Tietsel, Jelly Belly and Dan Porter of the Rio Grande Racing Team in the Senior Men’s Pro, 1, 2 field. Defined Fitness Training rider Megan Hottman leads the Senior Women’s class and Nico Toutenhoofed of Excel Sports leads the Senior Men’s 35+ class.

Today was the first stage in this year's race where we hit some hills. After traversing Brittany we're now down into the heart of France and the mountains of the Massif Centrale.

Bob,
We have a little ride in Iowa called RAGBRAI (Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa). A few years ago a cyclist hit a centerline crack and died. The widow sued the county, and a settlement out of court resulted in $300k to the widow.

There were two accidents that morning at the same location. A deputy was dispatched to the scene to warn riders, and put up cones. After some time at the scene, the deputy left and took the cones. Very soon after he did that, the tragic accident occurred.