In the men's cross-country in Austria, it was Jose Antonio Hermida Ramos who won the day, but it was Julien Absalon who won the overall World Cup title. Homegirl 'Lisi' Osl took the day and the 2009 title. Hill wins on Sunday and takes overall crown.
Swiss national champion Christian Heule (Rendementhypo) won the elite men’s race and British national champion Helen Wyman (Kona) won the elite women’s race at the 2009 FSA Star Crossed in Redmond, Washington, Saturday evening. Defending 2008 Star Crossed champions Jeremy Powers (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com) and Sue Butler (Monavie-Cannondale) each finished second in their respective races.
It's said at the Singlespeed World Championships that if you don't want the winners' tattoo, don't win. 'Rad' Ross Schnell and Heather Irmiger were up for the tat on Saturday.
Evald Boasson Hagen secured his overall victory in the Tour of Britain Saturday, safely finishing in the peloton at the end of the final stage in London. Barloworld's Michele Merlo win the final field sprint of the race, followed by Koldo Fernandez (Euskatel Euskadi) and Chris Sutton (Garmin-Slipstream). Sutton, who won one stage of the race, finished second overall, 23 seconds behind Boasson Hagen, who won four stages.
Saturday’s 27.5km time trial at the Vuelta a España was several races within one. In the battle for the stage, David Millar had enough in the tank to fend off some late challenges to win Garmin-Slipstream’s third stage during this year’s Vuelta and claim his first win since 2007. Millar stopped the clock in 35:53 (46.484kph), five seconds faster than Samuel Sánchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi ) and nine seconds faster than Cadel Evans (Silence-Lotto).
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The folks hosting the Singlespeed World Championships in Durango promise an eclectic stroll of fun, raucous ballyhoo hindered by nothing more than a slight residue of common sense.
Sam Hill and Gregg Minnaar will duke it out for the men's downhill crown in Schladming, Austria. American Jill Kintner is fighting for second overall in 4-cross.
Clink. At the lobby bar of Dallas’ W Hotel on Thursday evening, pro bike racers and bike racing fans alike held their champagne glasses high in toast of Team Hotel San Jose’s Heath Blackgrove, who scored his second consecutive victory at the TX Tough Grand Prix by out-sprinting a breakaway group of five riders. “We missed two big moves and were able to bring them back. It really speaks to the strength of our squad,” said Blackgrove, who placed in front of OUCH-Maxxis’ national criterium champion John Murphy.
Vertical Earth Gravity Park at Blue Mountain ski resort hosts the biggest event of its young life Sept. 25-27 when Gravity East pays a visit.
Documentary on the Leadville Trail 100 will play Oct. 20. Those willing to pay can eat and chat with Lance Armstrong to raise money for Fort Lewis College cycling program and Trails 2000.
The chill of fall may be in the air in some places - autumn officially starts on Sept. 22 - but that doesn't mean mountain biking season is finished. Head to New England and get a blast of color on these great trails.
Ben Swift (Katusha) took a hugely popular first professional win in Friday's seventh stage to become the first British stage winner in the Tour of Britain since Paul Manning in 2007. The Katusha rider sprinted to victory ahead of teammate Filippo Pozzato, with race leader Edvald Boasson Hagen (Columbia-HTC) in third. Boasson Hagen extended his overall lead ahead of Rabobank’s Kai Reus to 23 seconds and retained points jersey.
Another cold, rainy day seemed to take the spark out of the Vuelta a España in the last mountain stage going into this weekend’s finale. Juanjo Cobo (Fuji-Servetto) won out an elite, eight-man group to make it clear over the Cat. 1 Puerto de Navacerrada late in the four-climb, 179.8km 19th stage from Ávila to La Granja while Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d’Epargne) all but secured his first overall victory in a three-week grand tour.
The future of two-time Tour de France champion Alberto Contador is still far from certain, but Garmin-Slipstream remains a top option if he can break his remaining year contract with the troubled Astana team. Contador said Garmin would be an attractive choice if can reach an agreement with Astana officials to exit the Kazakh-backed team. “(Garmin) is a very interesting option. It’s an interesting team, a strong team, an experienced team,” Contador said Friday. “They did a great job at the Tour this year and it would be a good option for me.”
Editor's Note A version of this review first ran in VeloNews.com last December, too late for most cyclocross racers to make tire buying decisions for the race season. Matt has reviewed the information to make sure it is still relevant, and re-written parts. Watch for Matt's review of some new Vittoria cyclocross tubulars soon — and look for the VeloNews issue containing the US Gran Prix of Cyclocross Guide on newsstands October 1.
Recently-crowned Tour of Portugal champion, Nuno Ribeiro, tested positive for the banned blood booster EPO before the race, the rider said confirmed Friday after being notified by cycling's world ruling body. Ribeiro also won the race in 2003 but his recent victory is now under a cloud after the results from doping control prior to the race, on August 6, were officially released Friday. The 32-year-old's Liberty Seguros team announced Friday that two other riders with the team, Spaniards Hector Guerra and Isidro Nozal, had also tested positive for EPO.
This cyclocross season, filmmaker Andy Frothingham will be following two professional racers through their seasons, checking in with them at events around the country and at their homes in Colorado between races. The first episode is presented here today. The featured riders are Amy Dombroski of the Richard Sachs team and Jonathan Baker of the Hudz-Subaru Cycling Team.
Despite reports to the contrary, Garmin-Slipstream team manager Jonathan Vaughters says Bradley Wiggins will continue to ride in blue-and-orange argyle in 2010. Responding to a story in Friday’s edition of the British newspaper The Guardian that described a Team Sky buy-out of Wiggins’ contract with Garmin for 2010, Vaughters told VeloNews via email, “It’s just untrue. There is no agreement in existence like this.”
National level cyclocross begins this weekend with the Full Speed Ahead Star Crossed on Saturday, and the Rad Racing Gran Prix on Sunday. This is also the first of five weekends of the North American Cyclocross Trophy (NACT). Star Crossed is under the lights of the Marymoor velodrome in Seattle, Washington. Racers will put their early-season cyclocross ability to the test. Star Crossed is known for its boisterous atmosphere, thanks to the 360-degree viewing, beer garden, deep prize list and DJs.
Singletrack.com has found a great new product that will keep the coming fall chill from your head while at the same time ward off the bike-industry-induced lust for the coming 2010 mountain bikes.
Garmin-Slipstream lost three riders in Thursday’s 18th stage at the Vuelta a España, leaving the squad with just four going into the final weekend of the race. Ryder Hesjedal and Christian Meier did not start and Tom Danielson abandoned early in the stage from Talavera de la Reina to Ávila. Hesjedal’s exit was planned to allow him a few days’ recovery ahead of the world championships next weekend while Meier suffered a death in his family.
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Many were surprised to see Dave Zabriskie’s name absent from the list of riders on the U.S. national squad headed to the world championships next week in Switzerland. A two-time worlds time trial medalist, Zabriskie said he’s feeling the wear and tear of a long racing season. “My body is pretty beat up. My Achilles is acting up and I’ve done worlds the last four or five years,” Zabriskie wrote VeloNews in an e-mail. “I need one off every now and then.”