What the Benelux?

The 3rd Eneco Tour of Benelux (formerly the Benelux Tour) begins today as well. The 8 stage tour across Belgium and the Netherlands is on the Pro Tour calendar and therefore features most of the prominent teams.

Only in its third year, the race already has a fairly decent following. The fact that this race crosses two cycling mad countries has certainly contributed to its immediate success, but it is also due to the fact that this fledgling race has already been marred by a bit of controversy.

The 2006 edition featured a crash during the final stage that saw leader George Hincapie (Discovery Channel) taken out by Stefan Schumacher (Gerolsteiner) in the finale (Photo: AFP). The latter eventually won the overall as a result of Hincapie being on the pavement. Officials determined that the crash was coincidental, which left Discovery and Hincapie shaking their collective heads. Neither, however, is scheduled to participate in this year's race.

Stages
Prologue August 22 Hasselt (Bel) ITT (5.1km)
Stage 1 August 23 Waremme (Bel) - Eupen (Bel) (189.5km)
Stage 2 August 24 Anvers (Bel) - Knokke-Heist (Bel) (199.1km)
Stage 3 August 25 Knokke-Heist (Bel) - Putte (Bel) (170.8km)
Stage 4 August 26 Maldegem (Bel) - Terneuzen (Ned) (182.7km)
Stage 5 August 27 Terneuzen (Ned) - Nieuwegein (Ned) (179.9km)
Stage 6 August 28 Beek (Ned) - Landgraaf (Ned) (177.4km)
Stage 7 August 29 Sittard (Ned) - Geleen (Ned) ITT (29.6km)

Rolling on the Emerald Isle

After a 15 year hiatus, the 5 stage Tour of Ireland that we previewed back in May, kicks off today. The start list features 3 American teams, Navigators Insurance, Colvita - Sutter Homes presented by Cooking Light, and Slipstream/Chipotle [the first two each having an Irish lad], and three Pro Tour teams, CSC, Unibet.com, and T-Mobile.

Irish Legend Sean Kelly & Irish model Jenny Lee Masterson
(Photo: Gerry McManus/www.gerrymcmanus.co.uk)

The team to beat [on paper] looks to be Team CSC, which boast a strong contingent and is headlined by the Brothers Schleck, Frank and Andy. Unibet.com and T-Mobile will most likely be led by their respective sprinters, Baden Cooke and Bernhard Eisel. Another notable on the start list is Belgian Cyclocross superstar, Sven Nys who will be riding for Rabobank Continental.


Stage 1 - August 22: Kilkenny - Cork (St. Patrick's Hill), 160 km
Stage 2 - August 23: Clonakilty - Killarney, 167 km
Stage 3 - August 24: Tralee - Ennis, 190 km
Stage 4 - August 25: Galway - Galway, 212 km
Stage 5 - August 26: Athlone - Dublin, 135 km

The Residue

The folks over at UrbanVelo got me reading some of Roger Lootine's Residue Comics, which he describes as being "like a coffee enema."

The poster [click to enlarge] below perhaps exemplifies the true nature of the car versus bike debate, one which our own 53rd Tooth was pulled (or rather, slammed) into. His actual Jersey Girl court hearing was last week, and full details are forthcoming.

Alpe D'Huez 2001

Feeling nostalgic and missing the "innocent" days.

If you're not in Zone 3 just watching and listening to this, you're not a cyclist.

Ground Control to Major Tom...

I'm kind of a techie guy, then again aren't most men (boys and their toys, and all). But in regard to the smoldering debate of using race radios, the pendulum has definitely swung the other way for me. I once thought this simple technological implementation was great. Ongoing race communication allowed teammates to better function as a whole, and it seemed to level the playing field for most riders as the strongest could easily thwart any attacks.

But now I've come to realize that some riders [and teams] have become overly dependent on using race radios and most have lost their racing instincts that perhaps helped them get to their current level. It's also made most breakaways nearly impossible to succeed.

MORE: 2002 Cyclingnews article on the debate

Enter wireless technology into the game. My only questions are: Will the riders be able to pick up phone calls or satellite radio with those things? When will the iHelmet be coming out?

Brad Huff (Slipstream/Chipotle)
(Photo: Kurt Jambretz/www.actionimages.cc)

And, the time trialing version on Paolo Bettini (Photo: Bjorn Haake)

Down[pour]-ers Grove

One of the unfortunate circumstances of sports is that the women's events are not viewed in the same regard as the men's. We've heard it all before, women aren't as athletic, aren't as strong, or aren't as fast. As such, most of the women's events are viewed with less interest and are often held as a precursor to the main attraction, the men.

But looking at what the riders, especially the women, had to endure this weekend at the USPRO National Criterium Championships in Downers Grove, IL, you can definitely take "aren't as tough" off the list [if you haven't done so already].

On Saturday, the 18th, a deluge of rain made for some precarious conditions during the Women's Pro 1/2/3 International Challenge. Coming through it all was Tibco's Brooke Miller (Photo: Kurt Jambretz).

By the time the men came out to race, the rain had subsided but it was still a soggy affair. The conditions turned many of the big names into spectators, as they chose to save themselves for Sunday's National Championship races.

The Men's Pro 1/2 International Challenge was won by BMC's Kelly Hanson who beat Dominque Rollin (Kodak Gallery/Sierra Nevada) and Darren Lill (Navigators) to the line.

The rains continued on Sunday for the National Championship races. Navigating the wet roads during the Women's race was the venerable Tina Pic (Colavita/Sutter Homes), who had to feel a bit of vindication after last year's finale which saw her pull the endo of all endos (at least ones that I've seen captured on film) when Laura Van Gilder's foot got caught up in Pic's front wheel (see inset, click to enlarge).

The 50km Men's race was won by Daniel Holloway (VMG Racing),

All Holloway
(Photo: Kurt Jambretz/www.actionimages.cc)

while the 100km race was won by Kelly Benefit Strategies/Medifast's Martin Gilbert. The Canadian (center) barely pipped Ada, MI's own Kirk O'Bee (Health-Net presented by Maxxis) at the line.

Photo: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us

The Stars & Stripes jersey, however, went to O'Bee (Photo: Casey B. Gibson). In an interview with Cyclingnews' Mark Zalewski, O'Bee admitted to being a bit disappointed coming by the jersey for the second time under similar circumstances.

"I was upset I lost the race overall and it overshadowed winning the jersey. I wanted to improve upon the last time. It was Harm Jansen last time - he attacked with a couple to go and there were a lot of Americans in the break and we all looked at each other. It almost worked out this time."

For the former USPRO National Criterium Champion and Forest Hills Central High School product, it's been a long way back. In 2002, O'Bee was suspended for 1 year after he tested positive for a high testosterone-epitestosterone level (haven't we heard that somewhere before). Winning the Stars and Stripes is certainly the culmination of a great season; one which saw O'Bee return to the podium in several races and once again living up to the promising status he once held while racing for Navigators Insurance.

On Tap...

Unbelievably, its mid-August. The road and track seasons are coming to an end and cross events will soon be filling up the racing calendar. But not just yet. If you've been thinking about trying your hand in racing there is still some time to whet your appetite and plant the racing bug into your system for cross season or for next year. Below is a list of races in specific areas of the country.

If you've come by the site to look for results or photos of any of the races listed, click through to Truesport.com.


The featured race on the calendar this weekend is the USPRO National Criterium Championship in the western Chicago suburb of Downers Grove, IL. The race features a figure eight course with an infamous finale that is ingrained into American cycling tradition. The race usually comes down to who can first reach [and survive] the final turn, as it sits only 150m from the line.

Ivan Domniguez (Toyota-United) has to be considered one of the favorites coming off easy victories at Hanes Park and Elk Grove. But this race hasn't been particularly kind to Domniguez in the past. As such, the race shapes up to be wide open.

For the women, look for the usual suspects in Tina Pic (Colavita-Sutter Homes) and Laura Van Gilder (Cheerwine).

If you're in the Millersburg, PA area for the Tour de Millersburg, make sure to look for the special Master of Ceremonies, Bob "Bobke" Roll.

08/17/2007
Air Products Finals
Trexlertown, PA

08/18/2007
USCF Criterium Championships
Downers Grove, IL
Wine Country Classic
North East, PA
Tour de Millersburg
Millersurg, PA
Encino Velodrome Championships
Encino, CA
Dunnigan Hills Road Race
Yolo, CA
Carlisle Grand Prix
Newville, PA
Tour de Gap
Brian Head, UT
Carolina State Track Champ & 2007 Velo Champ
Ashville, NC

08/19/2007
Mt Lemmon Time Trial
Tucson, AZ
Suisun Harbor Bicycle Races
Suisun City, CA

08/20/2007
IL. State Velodrome Pursuit & TT Championship
Northbrook, IL

Tubing
As mentioned previously, the Versus [check your local cable listings] channel will be airing highlights of the Nature Valley Grand Prix stage race this Sunday the 19th with a replay on the 21st. The race took place in June with the overall titles going to Ivan Stevic (Toyota-United) and Kristin Armstrong (TEAm Lipton). However, depending on the highlights that are aired, we may all be in for a treat as this may be the first opportunity for many to see the precocious talents of Mara Abbott (Webcor Builders).

Ready or Not...

Here It Comes [and Goes]
Whether the good folks in Missouri are ready or not, the full glare of American cycling will be focused on the inaugural Tour of Missouri.

What looked a couple of weeks ago to simply be a stage race joining the elite ranks of the Tour of California and Tour de Georgia will now serve as an American send-off for Discovery Channel Professional Cycling [and the American riders on its roster who will certainly be employed elsewhere after the season].

Discovery will feature an all-star cast headlined by Tour de France champion, Alberto Contador, and third place finisher Levi Leipheimer. Also of note will be George Hincapie, Yaroslav Popovych, and Antonio Cruz. It will also be one of Director Sportif, Johan Bruyneel's final races, as he has previously announced his retirement.

The race begins on September 11th and runs until the 16th.


EVENT SCHEDULE
Tuesday, September 11 – Kansas City to Kansas City
road race (85 mi / 137 km); START: 1 PM EST FINISH: 4:30 PM
Wednesday, September 12 – Clinton to Springfield
road race (125.6 mi / 202 km); START: 11 AM EST FINISH: 3:30 PM
Thursday, September 13 – Branson
ITT (18 mi / 29 km); START: 11 AM EST FINISH: 1:55 PM
Friday, September 14 – Lebanon to Columbia
road race (133 mi / 214 km); START: 10:30 AM EST FINISH: 3:25 PM
Saturday, September 15 – Jefferson City to St. Charles
road race (126.6 mi / 204km); START: 11:30 AM EST FINISH: 3:40 PM
Sunday, September 16 – St. Louis
circuit race (74 mi / 119 km); START: 1 PM EST FINISH: 3:40 PM

Better Late Than Never?

If you’re a “fanboy” or “fangirl” of all things cycling then you’ve probably come across one or all of the items below. In the eventuality that you haven’t, then permit me to take you on a wild ride.

Elkish Cash-terium
I didn’t coin the term, but it certainly suffices for the seemingly disproportionate amounts of prize money being given away for some criteriums these days. It’s not an entirely new concept in sports, as appearance fees or prize money has been used to draw the prominent names to less than prominent events. Mind you, it doesn’t mean that any of these none too easily recognizable events aren’t great races, they just might fall outside a riders schedule or racing program.

In any event, one of our featured races this past weekend was the Alexian Brothers International Tour of Elk Grove, in of all places Elk Grove, Illinois. The two day event featured a stage race for the male participants, which consisted of an opening 4.5 mile prologue and then two criteriums. On the women’s side, there was a lone criterium held on Sunday the 12th.

The men’s races were to feature the debut of Ivan Stevic’s (Toyota-United) “B” World Championship Blue and Rainbow colored jersey, but he was a DNS due to some knee issues. The Toyota-United banner, however, was held up during the weekend by another Ivan, Dominguez in this case, as he made easy work of the field on Sunday.

Easy Rider Ivan Dominguez
(Photos: Kurt Jambretz/www.actionimages.cc)

The overall was taken by Australian Nathan O’Neill (Health-Net presented by Maxxis), who rode to victory in the Prologue and finished respectably in the subsequent crits. For his efforts, O’Neill garnered a whopping $31,000 [that is not a misprint]! Evidently, the victory made the 32 year old O’Neill a hot commodity, as he inked a contract earlier this week to ride for the second year American Continental Professional team, BMC. He joins Antonio Cruz (Discovery Channel) who also signed with BMC for the 2008 season.

The first and longer Saturday crit was won by Predictor-Lotto’s “Fast” Freddie Rodriguez who was led out perfectly by his teammate Chris Horner. As expected, neither seemed to be feeling any ill affects in their legs from their Tour participation.

Fast Freddy Center Stage
(Photo: Kurt Jambretz/www.actionimages.cc)

As for the women, it ended up being a very cheery afternoon as Cheerwine swept the podium. Catherine Cheatly cruised to victory, while Laura Van Gilder and Kelly Benjamin were the best of the bunch to take 2nd and 3rd place respectively.

Cheerwine's Podium: Van Gilder, Cheatly, Benjamin
(Photo: Kurt Jambretz/www.actionimages.cc)

Lance-less in Leadville
The on again, off again, on again, scheduled match up between Lance Armstrong and Floyd Landis (Photo: UltraRob) in the Leadville 100 never materialized as Lance withdrew. Although race co-founder, Ken Chlouber held out every semblance of hope saying, "The deadline for us mortals was February, but for Lance it will be 30 seconds before the starting gun goes off. Actually, let's make that 10 seconds." If Lance shows up, he'll be in the front row right alongside Floyd Landis."

Of course, as news came out of Discovery’s folding before last weekend; Lance probably had more urgent matters to which to attend.

The race was won by 5 time winner, Dave Wiens who broke the 7 hour mark for the first time in Leadville history. A few minutes behind was Floyd [who probably could have pushed Wiens in the finale, if not for an early crash], who for all intents and purposes [thanks for the catch tbv] showcased his form for any team that might need his services. That is if he isn’t suspended in the foreseeable future.

Wrong Rectified
The following definitely falls under the main header of better late than never, but it really speaks to something that should have never been done at all.

If you haven’t been following the mini saga of British mountain biker, Jenny Copnall (Photo: Jenny Copnall), she was earlier excluded from the British roster of riders to compete in the World Championships being held on September 3rd through the 9th, in Scotland [on home soil no less].

Did British Cycling suddenly forget that the 4-time British national cross country champion was the country’s best placed rider in World Cup events for the past 5 years?

The indiscretions didn’t end with Copnall’s exclusion, however, as they chose not to include any of their elite women in the cross country events.

None to surprisingly, after a uproar from the UK mountain bike community, British Cycling has now updated their roster to include Copnall and several other cross country racers.

Seriously, what was British Cycling thinking to begin with? Had they all of a sudden reverted back to some type of “good ole boys” network mentality? Women, bikes, dirt…how will they ever make it through without getting their knickers in a bunch?

Cup of Sand
One of the more memorable dialogues from the Michael Douglas presidential movie, the aptly titled, The American President, was this exchange with Michael J. Fox’s character, Lewis, regarding leadership.

Lewis: …People want leadership, Mr. President, and in the absence of genuine leadership, they'll listen to anyone who steps up to the microphone. They want leadership. They're so thirsty for it they'll crawl through the desert toward a mirage, and when they discover there's no water, they'll drink the sand.

President Andrew Shepherd: Lewis, we've had presidents who were beloved, who couldn't find a coherent sentence with two hands and a flashlight. People don't drink the sand because they're thirsty. They drink the sand because they don't know the difference.

Two months after its completion, the Versus channel has decided to air footage of the Nature Valley Grand Prix. The stage race held in Minneapolis from June 20th - 24th was won by Kristin Armstrong (TEAm Lipton) and Ivan Stevic (Toyota-United), respectively. For me, an ardent fan of cycling, this scheduled showing amounts to nothing more than the proverbially cup of sand. Was the racing great and entertaining? Sure. But, it happened so long ago, you could probably find the video out on DVD.

So as it goes, are you thirsty enough to view something Versus could have shown us in June or will you drink the Versus kool-aid because you don’t know the difference?

A Crumbling Infrastructure

Having read all the accounts of Tailwind Sports' decision to fold up Discovery Channel and walk away from the European cycling table, I was frankly disappointed that the decision seemed to be so business-like, so cut and dry. Although Lance Armstrong and his partners made it a point to relay the difficulty with which they made their decision, it seemed as vacuous as one of Armstrong's looks while climbing in the Pyrenees.

The tradition, the sentimentality, the undevoted fan loyalty, and the responsibility to the riders Armstrong once battled with, wasn't enough to sway the decision in favor of staying in the game, despite the fact that "...it wasn't about sponsorship."

Rather, the decision hinged on the profitability of investing in a machine that is in need of fixing. "We couldn't in good conscience ask someone to spend the sort of money that it would require to sponsor the team in the current situation. It's not an environment conducive in our opinion to make an investment," said Bill Stapleton, general manager of Tailwind Sports.

But juxtaposed against the Unibet.com season long saga [which ended with Unibet folding today after being effectively sanctioned against racing any of the big races despite having paid for a Pro Tour license], the inability of governing bodies, race organizers, and an organization of team managers to agree on superflous matters, and the persistent battle to clean up the sport, it is difficult to argue against Tailwind's less than popular decision.

In the United States, civil engineers have long recognized the need to address the crumbling infrastructure of our cities. Perhaps Discovery Channel's departure can be likened to the Minneapolis Bridge collapse; the ultimate signal to cycling's governing bodies like the UCI, AIGCP, ASO, IPCT, etc., that the infrastructure is in dire need of fixing.

And So It Begins...

Although highly speculated, but not formally confirmed or announced, George Hincapie will not go down in the books as the first Discovery Channel rider to find a new employer [T-Mobile]. That distinction belongs to Antonio Cruz, who inked a new contract with American Continental Professional team BMC. Right on the heels of his signing was that of the precocious talent, Slovenian Jani Brajkovic who will ride with T-Mobile next year.

The movement of riders from the soon to be defunct Discovery Channel Professional Cycling team isn't quite on par or as dramatic as the fire sale that engulfed the Florida Marlins after their 1997 World Series victory [afterall, its not like the team won and then disappeared the next year], but for fans of American cycling its close.

The nationalistic pride that once accompanied following an American team in the European peloton is quickly being reduced to keeping tabs on individuals. Twenty years later American cycling is back to where it began.

The Asphalt Conundrum

From the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation:
"A 27-year-old bike messenger was reportedly killed instantly when he was hit by a truck in the South Loop neighborhood on Monday afternoon. The bike messenger, who was identified by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office as Ryan Boudreau, of the 4000 block of North Oakley Avenue, was working when a truck struck him and killed him, according to a Central District police captain...

The Chicago messenger community will hold a vigil and memorial ride for Ryan this Friday. Meet at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Skylark at Cermak Road and Halsted Street. Friends will speak briefly on Ryan and then lead a silent ride to the site of Ryan’s death at Clark and 18th streets."

Unfortunately, Ryan isn't the first and probably won't be the last cyclists killed in the big city. Its perhaps the biggest conundrum there is, car, trucks, and bikes need to share the road, but at times neither group has a healthy respect for each other, and each feels entitled to the road.

But I'll say this, and it doesn't come from having darted through Chicago traffic for 13 years, unless the cyclist is riding as if he has no respect for his/her own life, then cars and traffic have to have a greater awareness of those on two wheels (whether motorized or not). Does it sound like I'm preaching to the choir, or like I'm an ardent bicycle activist? Maybe. But it really comes down to common sense and physics.

If a bicycles runs into a car or truck on accident, the most damage that those vehicles will incur is a dent or scratch. If the situation is reversed, its potentially someone's life!

Front Runner

"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the Gift." -- Steve Prefontaine

Although he passed away over 30 years ago, Steve "Pre" Prefontaine remains one of the most beloved, and greatest, long distance runners America has ever known. The diminutive runner from Coos Bay, Oregon at one point held every American track & field record from the 2,000 to the 10,000 meters. Pre was a notorious "front runner" who thought races more like art work "...that people can look at and be affected in as many ways as they're capable of understanding." Though he didn't win every race he ever entered, he made sure that the others had earned their medal.

"A lot of people run a race to see who is fastest. I run to see who has the most guts, who can punish himself into exhausting pace, and then at the end, punish himself even more. Nobody is going to win a 5,000 meter race after running an easy 2 miles. Not with me. If I lose forcing the pace all the way, well, at least I can live with myself."

Channeling the Mentality?

Every single time I have had the opportunity to correspond with our friend, Liz Hatch (Vanderkitten) or see a race photo of her at the head of the race, I always have a grin on my face thinking that Liz is somehow channeling Pre's personality. Take for instance her last race at Patterson Pass, Liz's response to blowing up on the final time going up the pass, "I just HATE sitting in the pack. and you never know... sometimes it works out. I'd rather die trying than sit in."


This may seem blasphemous to the running community but with Liz's mentality accompanied with her unbridled potential, her accomplishments may just one day rival Pre's; Liz "Pre" Hatch?

Go PRE!!!

"We're talking 'bout practice..."

Unfortunately, Allen Iverson (formerly of the Philadelphia 76ers) never fully comprehended the true message of his former coach, Larry Brown. As cyclists, we all know too well how valuable practice and training can be not only to our own ambitions, but also to our welfare and the welfare of those around us in the pack.

If you ever wondered what it's like on the track during practice, one of the coaches, Ed Gostin (Wolverine Sports Club), out at the Mike Walden Velodrome (Rochester Hills, MI) shot this great video with a handlebar mounted camera.

Not Another Hockey Item...

...On a Cycling Blog?
I should have left this one for T-o-03, as he could probably throw his vast knowledge of the subject around from his many years of covering the frozen chunk of rubber.

I have followed the Beanpot, a collegiate hockey tournament of the four major hockey schools (Boston University, Boston College, Harvard, and Northeastern) in Boston, MA, in the past but without much rooting interest.

Well that all changed with my recent acceptance into Boston University [definitely known more for their hockey team than their cycling team, which competes in the Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference or ECCC].

So now I can say "Go Terriers," with some pride rather than for sheer amusement.

Drama Kings

Cycling is a beautiful sport on the road, but recently the real drama has been held in the laboratories, the press rooms, and sometimes the court rooms.

With reports that 2007 Tour de France champion, Alberto Contador (Discovery Channel; photo: Agence France Presse), will be releasing a statement in response to doping accusations from German anti-doping activists Werner Franke [without answering any questions afterwards mind you], there has been more suspense, intrigue, and hand wringing than during the final Tour ITT.

The manner in which Contador approached the accusations was Lance-like, in control and cut-and-dry. And that's exactly what we got from his statement, nothing more:

"I won the Tour with clean means. I do not understand the attacks against me from people that don't even know me. I never doped and never participated in any doping scandal."

Contador has never tested positive for any performance enhancements, but neither did a hand full of riders, Ivan Basso and Michael Rasmussen included. Is this just another case of deny, deny, deny? Or is he truly believable? Is there still room for giving riders the benefit of the doubt?

Whether you believe in Contador's accomplishments at this moment or not, the way people are digging around for proof of guilt it won't be long before he's confirmed or implicated.

ALSO:
-- AP: Tour de France winner Alberto Contador denies doping allegations
-- Ian Austen of the NYTimes: Tour de France Winner's Team Will Disband
-- LA Times: Discovery Channel cycling team to disband
--Cyclingnews: Discovery disbands
--Charles Pelkey of the VeloNews: Discovery gives up sponsor hunt

--Sal Ruibal of USA Today: Armstrong's Discovery team shutting down

Last Stop

But the real drama was with the man sitting next to him, Johan Bruyneel. Although he was at Contador's side for support and translation, he could have easily swept away all of our thoughts about doping.

According to the LA Times and confirmed by Tailwind Sports, American cycling will indeed take a step backwards [hopefully to take two steps forward in the future], as Discovery Channel Professional Cycling has failed to produce a sponsor for next year and beyond.

The European peloton will be without an American team for the first time in two decades; when Team 7-Eleven first touched down on the Charles de Gaulle tarmac. Yes, the news of Team Slipstream does take away a bit of the sting from the announcement, but as a Professional Continental team, they are not secured a spot in any of the top European races. If organizers choose, Slipstream could meet a similar fate [albeit by different circumstance] as Unibet.com, who despite being a Pro Tour team was excluded from all the major races. Will that happen? Most likely not, but with what's transpired over the past year in cycling, its anyone's bet.

The Discovery disbandment also means that a Pro Tour license will be available. If they choose to, Slipstream has the opportunity to buy into the Pro Tour this year rather than wait till 2009 as planned. But according to Jonathan Vaughters, who had been advised several times to build a team up slowly, engaging in the Pro Tour may be too daunting a task at present.

"The ProTour requires that teams race the Giro, the Tour and the Vuelta -and that's a huge undertaking."

For Discovery Channel, the team once partly owned by Lance Armstrong, it marks the end of an amazing run. The Big Blue Train was arguably, the greatest cycling team of all time [where's a young Muhammed Ali when you need him?]. In fact, who could reasonably argue with their overall palmares?

So what happens next?
George Hincapie seems poised to tackle the cobbles in pink with a T-Mobile signing imminent. As for the rest, look at the prominent names suddenly available for the pickings:

Alberto Contador, Levi Leipheimer, Stijn Devolder, Yaroslav Popovych, Vladimir Gusev, Benjamin Noval, Volodymyr Bileka, Tom Danielson, Jani Brajkovic, Chechu Rubiera, Pavel Padrnos, Egoi Martinez, and Tomas Vaitkus.

Also suddenly on the waiver wire:

thepaceline.com

Special Photography Contributors - Graham Watson & Liz Kreutz

Director Sportifs - Johan Bruyneel, Dirk Demol, Sean Yates

Armstrong's reaction to the end of the era:

"I do not think you have seen the last of this organization in the sport,but clearly things need to improve on many levels, with a more unified front, before you would see us venture back into cycling."

On Tap...

In this week's edition, the track is featured heavily as both the Ed Rudolph and T-Town will be boiling over holding several State Championships in various track disciplines.

For those in the Chicagoland area, the NRC makes its way into the Midwest with the Alexian Brothers International Cycling Classic Tour of Elk Grove. How's that for a mouthful? Many of the top continental professionals will be in the area for the two day event. Spectators and riders alike will be treated to the debut of the blue rainbow colored jersey of the current "B" World Champion, Toyota-United's Ivan Stevic.

Elk Grove was the first crit that I participated in so it holds a special place in my heart, and in my legs. I can still feel the pain from the fast pace and technical course. It was also my first DNF as I was blown out the back instantly. Needless to say, I learned many lessons about proper positioning in the field and even at the line.

As always, check into Truesport.com for results and/or photos for any of the races listed below.


08/10/2007
Festival of Speed
Trexlertown, PA

08/11/2007
The Chesapeake Criterium
Chesapeake, VA
Arizona State Track Championships
San Diego, CA
Tour of Elk Grove
Elk Grove Village, IL
BTR Bicycle Race
Kalamazoo, MI
Patterson Pass Road Race
Tracy, CA
Tour de Christiana
Lancaster, PA

08/12/2007
The Smith Dairy Milk Race
Orrville, OH
Esparto Time Trial
Esparto, CA
San Luis Obispo Criterium
San Luis Obispo, CA
Hines Park Time Trial
Westland, MI
Southbay Wheelmen DR Time Trial
Palos Verdes, CA
Atlantic Regional Masters Track Time Trial Championship
Trexlertown, PA

08/13/2007
IL State Velodrome Kilo Championships
Northbrook, IL

08/14/2007
thevelvdrome.com ISGP #2
Trexlertown, PA

08/16/2007
IL. State Velodrome Points Race Championships
Northbrook, IL

Alternatives?
I would like to provide you, the reader, with some alternatives to these competitive events or in case the weather is less than desirable, but I am actually going to refrain. The calendar has flipped over to August, and this month is for riding. So go out and ride!

Fast and Furious, Eh

That's how Dale Hughes, NAS-Track Chairman at the Mike Walden Velodrome (Rochester Hills, MI) described the racing at the end of the 2007 NAS-Track International 3-Day.

The weekend was filled with thrills, spills, fans, and bands [alright only 1 band, The Pit Crew].

The event featured 10 teams from 8 different velodromes, which by the third day was pared down to 8 teams with a couple of DNFs. The teams included:
Austin Carroll & Dan Vogt - ADT Velodrome, California
Brian Crosby & Luke Winger – National Sports Velodrome, Minnesota
Kevin Suhr & Jason Luttrell – 7-Eleven Velodrome, Colorado
Jarred Faciszewski & Luke Canvender – 7-Eleven Velodrome & VBP
Kelly Sparks & Chris Mosora – Major Taylor Velodrome, Indiana
Danielle DeFransica & Dave Byer – Forest City Velodrome, Canada
Rick Denman & Tony Bruley – Encino Velodrome, California & VBP
Andre Champoux & Paul Hertzler – Velodrome at Bloomer Park, Mi
Matt Walp & Brendan Benson – Velodrome at Bloomer Park, Mi
Paul Jaqua & Nick Bayma – Dick Lane Velodrome, Georgia & VBP

And the schedule featured 3 days of 3 different disciplines:
1 Mile Sprint – 1st team member 10 – 1pt
1 Mile Sprint – other team member 10 – 1pt
8 Mile Madison – 3 sprints 10 -1pt
Miss & Out – all riders 15 – 1pt
15 Mile Madison – 6 sprints 10 – 1pt, double pt last sprint

The overall winners, and quite literally the last ones standing, were Danielle DeFransica & Dave Byer of the Forest City Velodrome in Canada who compiled 327 points.

Photos: Courtesy of Bob Bruce

Back for More

The talking heads over at T-Mobile have decided to do just that, stay in the cycling game through the 2010 season. Christian Frommert, spokesperson for Deutsche Telekom, had this to say about the company's re-commitment to cycling,

"After a lot of consideration, we concluded that to leave cycling at a time this sport is in crisis would send the wrong message. We are in an uncompromising fight against doping."

Whether the telecommunications company continues its relationship with a sport that seems to be cannibalizing itself, as the pressure for results invariably means pressure to dope, beyond the end of the current contract remains to be seen. The re-commitment, however, speaks volumes about the re-structuring that Bob Stapleton has implemented both physically [by the removal of suspect staff and riders] and culturally [by creating and fostering an attitude that great accomplishments are feasible without extraneous enhancements].

Charles Pelkey's article on Velonews also confirmed what has long been speculated; George Hincapie will most likely don the fuchsia next year.

Having played the "good soldier" for so many US Postal and Discovery Channel teams, it will be interesting to see what Hincapie can do with a European based team committed to the European races he covets. How much the 34 year old has left in his legs for the cobbles is another story.

MORE:
-- Samuel Abt for the IHT: Break in the Gloom as T-Mobile Stays in the Saddle
-- Deutsche Welle: Doping Doesn't End T-Mobile Cycling Sponsorship
-- Bloomberg: T-Mobile Stays as Cycling Sponsor Even After Doping Scandals

Maggie Revealed

For whatever reason, the identity of the "as of yet unnamed former Paris - Roubaix winner," who recently signed with Slipstream/Chipotle has been kept a secret. At least until now.

Photo: Timm Kolln

As if a contestant on To Tell The Truth, the big Swede, Magnus Backstedt (currently Liquigas) has finally decided to step forward from among the current former Roubaix winners and comfirm.

"I feel that it is time for a new start and I am extremely attracted by the program and values of Team Slipstream/Chipotle... as soon as I spoke with him [Vaughters] regarding the possibility of me joining the team, I knew it was the right decision."

The 2004 Roubaix winner and former teammate of Jonathan Vaughters on Credit Agricole, will join Julian Dean, Christian Vande Velde, David Zabriskie, and David Millar on Slipstream for the 2008 season.

Slipstream Kiwi

New Zealand's Julian Dean (currently of Credit Argricole) is the latest Jonathan Vaughters signing. Dean joins David Millar, Christian Vande Velde, David Zabriskie, and a yet unnamed former Paris-Roubaix winner on the 2008 Slipstream/Chipotle team.

The current New Zealand National Road Champion served as Thor Hushovd's lead out man during this year's Tour. Dean's best season to date was in 2003. Riding for Team CSC, he finished second on the team to Tyler Hamilton in UCI points gained despite being the team's winningest rider that season.

He began his professional career in 1996 for Shaklee, and has ridden for Mercury (1998), US Postal (1999-2001), CSC-Tiscali (2002), CSC (2003), and Credit Agricole (2004 to present).

It'll be interesting to see how the kiwi all-black mates with the Slipstream argyle in what Scotman David Millar's sister proclaimed as "fantastic concept, horrific realization."

(Photo: Graham Watson)

In My Mind I'm Going to Carolina

Many, if not all, of the top continental professionals were in North Carolina this past weekend to partake in not one, but two US Cycling National Racing Calendar (NRC) races.

On Saturday, Charlotte hosted the Presbyterian Hospital Invitational Criterium. The event, also a part of the the USA Crits series, boast the largest prize list of the series along with $100,000 in prize money.

Health-Net presented by Maxxis' Frank Pipp outlasted the field and the Southern summer weather to take the $25,000 men's prize ahead of breakaway partner Jesse Anthony (Kodak Gallery-Sierra Nevada). Yosvany Falcon (AEG-Toshiba-JetNetwork) rounded out the podium.

Photo: Kurt Jambretz/www.actionimages.cc

The women's race came down to a bunch sprint with Colavita/Sutter Homes. TEAm Lipton, and Cheerwine attempting to deliver their sprinters to the line. Current USA Crit series points leader, Laura Van Gilder (Cheerwine) found herself out front "a little too early," during the finale and was overtaken by the four-time US criterium champion, Tina Pic (Colavita/Sutter Homes). Gina Grain (Team Expresscopy.com) came in third.

A Vicious Dig
Photo: Kurt Jambretz/www.actionimages.cc

Our friend Liz Hatch (Vanderkitten) was extremely animated all day. As reported by Cyclingnews' Laura Wieslo, "With temperatures cresting the 35 degree mark and high humidity adding to the discomfort of the evening, Vanderkitten's Liz Hatch was the first to attack on lap one, but was quickly absorbed when a prime was called at the end of the lap." Liz (second wheel trying to cover another Kori Seehafer (TEAm Lipton) attack; Photo: Emory Ball/Cyclingnews) finished 10 seconds back in 24th. And yes, that's Laura Van Gilder that Liz is out kicking in the image. More than impressive!

On Sunday, Tina Pic's appetite evidently wasn't squelched as she came back for a second helping at the Hanes Park Criterium in Winston - Salem. She bested Laura Van Gilder once again, with Katharine Carroll (Aaron's Corporate Furnishings) beating out Gina Grain for third.

On the men's side, Ivan Dominguez (Toyota-United) brought it home in an impressive fashion. It was the team's 30th victory of the season. Jeff Hopkins (Jittery Joe's) and Kleber Ramos da Silva (Garneau-Crocs) finished second and third, respectively.

Ivan in Control
Photo: Kurt Jambretz/www.actionimages.cc

Dominguez's victory definitely was the highlight in Toyota-United's bittersweet weekend. On Saturday, the team lost Caleb Manion with a broken collarbone.

The weekend also marked the end of Team Director, Kirk Willett's, career in the professional cycling ranks. The 37 year old will begin his studies in medicine at the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland. Of the upcoming challenge and his career in cycling, Willett had this to say,

"It's always exciting to move on to new things and new challenges, but at the same time, I've spent so much time investing and learning in one aspect of my life that I'm saying goodbye to something that's been a part of me for 20 years."

Best wishes Kirk, you've had a hell of a run.

Et Stykke av Historien

Roughly translated from Norwegian, A Piece of History [How am I doing Knut-Walther?]

For the last three years, the California IT company sponsored, Danish based Team CSC has taken the overall at the Post Danmark Rundt or Tour of Denmark. In 2004, it was Kurt Asle Arvesen, followed by Ivan Basso and Fabian Cancellara in 2005 and 2006, respectively. Add to that total, Jakob Piil's victory in 2002, and Team CSC has virtually owned this race taking a quarter of the 16 previous editions.

Arvesen On Route to a Stage 3 Victory
(Photo: CorVos/Pezcyclingnews)

Now to accompany the team's success, Kurt Asle Arvesen has written himself into Danish history by becoming the first and only repeat winner of the event. Going into the penultimate stage, a 12.4 km ITT on Saturday, teammate Matti Breschel and the 32 year old Arvesen sat atop the general classification. The Norwegian finished 5th on the day, adding to his Stage 3 victory, to set himself up for the ride into Frederiksberg Allé on Sunday.

The ever humble Arvesen had this to say about his win,

"It's a great feeling to be the first to win twice, but just like the last time I won it's more than anything a team effort. There's not a lot of opportunity for attack, when we have such strong people at the front of the peloton. Matti (Breschel), Nicki (Sørensen) and I were equally strong and they could just as easily have won this race. In the end it was decided by the time trial."

Leo Roars

Leonardo Bertagnolli (Liquigas) claimed a small piece of Spain for Italy today by conquering the Clasica San Sebastian. The 29 year old from Trento won a two-up sprint over Spain's Juan Manuel Garate (Quick Step - Innergetic). Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne) led the chase group home to claim third.

The victory continued a marvelous streak this year for the Italian team, with Pippo Pozzatto claiming Het Volk and Stage 5 of the Tour de France, and with Danilo DiLuca taking the overall of the Giro d'Italia. The latter remained on top of the UCI Pro Tour standings.

Photo: www.teamliquigas.it

EXCLUSIVE: United's Rainbow Warrior

Over the past year, we've made some great friends and great contacts through the Triple Crankset. Today marks a first for us, as Sean Weide, Director of Communications for Toyota-United Pro Cycling provides us with an exclusive. Most of what you read below will be in the upcoming Toyota-United press release, but we are priviledged to present it to you here, first.

For the first time in years (and quite possibly, ever), the pro peloton will feature the jersey of the UCI B World road race champion. There is a certain amount of education that I'll be doing since few are familiar with the rainbow-and-blue jersey that goes along with winning that title.

The UCI B World Championships is an event that is staged to create an opportunity for those nations where cycling is not considered to be a major sport to qualify riders and teams for the Olympic Games. Because of this, it is normally raced the year prior to the Olympics. It has a secondary objective to allow those riders from these nations who do not qualify for the Elite Championships or who may not be able to have an opportunity to ride for a professional team an opportunity to compete against other riders of a similar level. It is also seen as a developmental event where young, up and coming riders can test their mettle and be identified as potential stars of the future.

There were two days of road competition – the time trial and the individual road race – and a three-day track programme. The men's road race was 100 miles (161 km) and Toyota-United's Ivan Stevic (inset) soloed to victory, winning ahead of Namibia’s Erik Hoffman and Alexandr Pliuschin of Moldova, respectively. In 2003, Stevic finished second in this race.

The B World Championships are often staged in countries outside of Europe and this year was no exception. Cape Town, South Africa, follows past venues which include Ipoh, Malaysia in 1997, Beijing, China in 2001 and Aigle, Switzerland in 2003. Past winners of the men's road race are names you probably don't recognize: Sergey Beloussov (1997), Gregorio Bare (1999), Tang Xuezhong (2001) and Murilo Antonio Fischer (2003), who currently rides for Liquigas.

The blue-with-rainbow-stripes jersey is one not often seen. It is for both the"B" and masters world champions. Domestically, five-time world masters mountain bike champion Steve Tilford (of Topeka, Kan.) is one of the few who have earned the honor of wearing the jersey. My research indicates only Fischer raced on a ProTour-level (or equivalent) team in the year after his B World's victory. The Brazilian spent the 2004 season with Domina Vacanze - which had the reigning world road race champion (Mario Cipollini) in its ranks that season. That might explain why Fischer never sported his blue-and-rainbow jersey.


Stevic will debut his new kit at next weekend's Alexian Brothers Tour of Elk Grove, a two-day, three-stage race in Elk Grove, Ill.

Sean Weide is the Director of Communications for Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team. He is an accomplished sports journalist who has covered the Tour de France since 1981. He has been an USCF official since 1993, and helps to promote cycling in the Midwest through his work on Nebraska Cycling News (http://www.nebraskacyclingnews.com/).

On Tap...

Post Tour Letdown?
No way, no how! As the calendar flips to August and the temperatures flip off the charts, the racing season is kicking into high gear. Of the 24 listings below, 11 are on US Cycling's list of significant races, and two are on the National Racing Calendar (NRC).

The folks in the land of the Grand Banks are in for some excellent racing as it host both of the NRC races. The Presbyterian Hospital Invitational Criterium in Charlotte, North Carolina takes place on Saturday the 4th, and the Hanes Park Classic in Winston Salem on Sunday the 5th. The former is part of the US Crit Series.

Closer to home, the NAS-Track International 3-Day in Rochester Hills, MI begins tonight, Friday the 3rd at 7pm. Teams from California, Colorado, Indiana, Georgia, Minnesota, Michigan, and Canada will be representing 8 different velodromes.

08/03/2007
Golden Wheel Race/Corp Challenge
Trexlertown, PA
Statesville Criteruim 2007
Statesville, NC
American Velodrome Challenge- Elite Quailfier
Indianapolis, IN
NAS-Track International 3-Day
Rochester Hills, MI

08/04/2007
Downtown Bloomington Criterium
Bloomington, IN
Deodate Road Race (TM)
Deodate, PA
Bike Source Criterium
Charlotte, NC
Ada Criterium
Ada, MI
Pur Tour
Mason, OH
Sisquoc Road Race and SoCal/NVJr St Champ
Santa Maria, CA
Grayslake Cycling Classic at Prairie Crossing
Grayslake, IL
Huntsville 100
Huntsville, UT
Wisconsin State Time Trial Championship
Kansasville, WI
District Road Race Championships
Marina, CA
Pan-Mass Challenge
Boston, MA
Presbyterian Hospital Invitational Criterium
Charlotte, NC
San Diego AVC Elite Nationals Qualifier 2007
San Diego, CA

08/05/2007
Elgin Cycling Classic
Elgin, IL
NJ Track Championships - Mass Start and Sprint Eve
Breinigsville, PA
Timpani Criterium
Santa Clara, CA
Zionsville G.P.
Zionsville, OH
Zoar Road Race
Zoar, OH
Hanes Park Classic
Winston Salem, NC
Zaveta Construction Circuit Race
Doylestown, PA

As a life long Boston Red Sox fan, listed among the races above is the Pan-Mass Challenge. The Pan-Massachusetts Challenge raises money for life-saving cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through its Jimmy Fund. The annual bike-a-thon crosses the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and offers one and two day riding options from 47 to 192 miles. Like most things on the east coast, the Pan-Mass is an original. It is considered the nation’s first fundraising bike-a-thon and raises more money than any other athletic fundraising event in the country.

Venga, Venga, Venga
As if Spain doesn't have enough to celebrate with Alberto Contador's (Discovery Channel) victory in France, the biggest Spanish one-day race, the Clasica San Sebastian takes places on Saturday. As Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne has been tabbed, The Revenge, for those who miss out on the Belgian Spring Semi-Classic, Het Volk, San Sebastian has served as a small measure of redemption for those riders who haven't faired well at the Tour.

Look for Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne) to make amends.