It’s not the longest climb nor is it the highest, but the Joux-Plane always proves troublesome in any race it’s featured. That was certainly the case in Friday’s short but explosive 125km fifth stage in the 60th Dauphiné Libéré that saw plenty of action on both sides of the 11.5km climb high in France’s Haut-Savoie.
A last wave goodbye, the tears in my parents’ eyes as they waved back, the pit in my stomach at the idea of being gone for months, and I then I was through the gate and walking towards the waiting lounge.
This is what I call getting them started early.
Mt. Hood Cycling Classic
Nema winning CSC over 30 race
Bernardo Colex (Tecos Trek UAG) let his rivals know that he wasn't going to give up the Yellow Jersey at the Tour de Beauce without a fight, with an aggressive ride up Mont Megantic to finish second on stage three behind Miguel Martinez (Amore E Vita-McDonalds).
Writing this article presented some interesting challenges. Here I sit in the support van, halfway across the US in the Race Across America (RAAM), somewhere in Kansas, supporting Team Type 1 in their bid to repeat their 2007 victory and hoping to set a new record. If this were an audio segment, I’d be slurring my words something awful, because I haven’t slept but six hours in the last three days.
In 2007, Kirk O’Bee and his HealthNet-Maxxis team dominated the Nature Valley Grand Prix, with one exception: the final overall standings. Last year, the men in green and black won four of five stages and enjoyed the leader's jersey for two days, but could not wrestle the final GC from the grip of Toyota-United’s Ivan Stevic. This year, O’Bee got off to a good start, winning the 65-mile second stage in a sprint – just as he had done a year ago - but this time he pulled on the leader’s yellow jersey afterward.
Dear Readers,
The response to From Tombstone to Dodge has been tremendous, some favorable, some not-so-favorable. So although I intended to discuss two more issues this week that were raised by Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden in his The Bulls Eye blog entry “Cyclists and Dodge City," I thought I’d share some of the letters with you.
Former American pro road racer Chad Gerlach, once a promising U.S. Postal Service rider who became homeless and addicted to drugs, will be featured on episode of A&E’s “Intervention” next week. Gerlach rode professionally for Montgomery-Bell in 1995, U.S. Postal Service in 1996, Navigators Insurance in 1997, Oilme-Klein in 1998 and Sierra Nevada in 2002. Gerlach never raced a grand tour, but won a sprint stage at the 1996 Kent Tour of China and two stages of the 1998 Tour de Langkawi.