Alberto Contador reiterated his innocence

The 27-year-old Spanish cyclist Alberto Contador is facing a two-year ban and risks losing his third Tour de France title after testing positive for the banned drug clenbuterol, which he claims came from contaminated meat.
Contador labeled the charges as "absolutely ridiculous"felt the entire episode had discredited him, and reiterated his innocence over his failed doping test at the 2010 Tour de France and slammed Team Astana for abandoning him once the news broke. 

"I don't doubt [my innocence] for one second because I did not do anything irregular at any time," Contador said in an interview broadcast by Spanish national broadcaster TVE. "Never."

He looked to be fighting back tears when asked if he would follow up his threat to quit the sport if punished.

"It's early to say that but," said Contador, stopping to reflect on his words with his voice cracking. "I can't say for sure ... that I'll continue."

Contador took a swipe at his Kahzak-based team for failing to provide any support after he announced in September that he had failed a July 21 drug test. Contador had signed a two-year deal to ride with Danish outfit Saxo Bank from 2011 by that point.

"I've always given my most in every event over the last three years," said Contador, who rode for Astana over that time but was unable to defend his 2007 Tour title after it was barred due to a number of doping scandals.
"[But] it was no surprise to me" they have failed to defend him.

Contador is hoping a decision on his case by the Spanish cycling federation's disciplinary committee will be reached before the end of the year but still expected the case to stretch regardless of the verdict.

"I've never thought that this won't be resolved in a favorable way -- I can't go on thinking any other way," Contador said, adding he will meet with the disciplinary committee on Friday.

Contador, who is accused of using the muscle-building and weight-loss drug from a test taken one day before a crucial mountain stage, also won the Tour in 2007 and '09 for Astana. The beef was bought from the Spanish border town of Irun.

He added that he had been exchanging messages with Tour de France runner-up Andy Schleck (Team Leopard Racing/Luxembourg Pro Cycling Project) throughout the ordeal.

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Freedom Thick Slick Elite/The Latest Crop of Flat Resistant Tires

When it comes to preventing punctures from tacks,glass and other common road debrist the latest crop of flat resistant tires are pretty incredible,and double thick rubber for resistance to skidding works out well for those looking for long term durability as well. The Freedom ThickSlick Elite combines a thick rubber tread surface and their Kevlar based Urban Armor Casing undertread to provide a long lasting tire that in my experience is near impervious to flats. I rode the pictured pair of tires for about six months on my lock-up bike and can’t remember a flat tire in that time, and through countless miles at home and on road trips to NYC and Boston I was impressed with how long the rear tire lasted as used on a brakeless track bike. It wore to a squared off profile and then just kept going and going until finally the casing was showing through and the rear retired, lasting much longer than I’d anticipated, even for the double thick tread.


The wire bead ThickSlick Elite is heavy at 480g and certainly isn’t the most supple tire on the market, but neither is it meant to be. These are flat resistant city tires, not performance road versions and shouldn’t be compared to such in ride quality. While marked a 25c, the tires measure 27.5mm wide on my bike, confirming that the tires are larger than some competitors 28c tires—worth taking into consideration depending on frame and fender clearances. People either love or hate the graphics, but I must say I’m a fan of the dragster effect. For next year larger 28c labeled versions are slated to become available, along with white ones to match your belt.

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Manchester Velodrome for Revolution 30

At the Manchester Velodrome for Revolution 30 on November 20 a three-man Madison will take centre stage.

It will be the first time the race has been held at Revolution, although the format features on the Continent where two six-day riders pair up with a road rider.

"The Madison is always a spectacular event but we wanted to take it up a level," said event director James Pope.

"With three endurance riders in each of the teams, this Madison format provides an exciting opportunity for us to include the race in the Revolution's team competition."

"It will also enable us to make the most of the endurance talent we have on display. We have some of the best six-day riders in the world who will be on top form ahead of the Ghent Six.

"Combined with the British stars I think it is going to be the highlight of the Revolution season."

The third man will make the race much faster than a traditional two-man Madison and the extra rider will add an extra tactical dimension to the race.

Revolution's technical director Phil West explained: "The extra man will help keep the pace high as the three riders share the work load. The first part of the race will be run as a chase with no sprints.

"This means the teams will be attacking from the start to try and take lap. Once the sprints start in the second half points will be up for grabs so the racing will change.

"It will be full gas from start to finish but the tactics will play a huge part as the teams decide how to use their riders to best effect."

Six-day stars Franco Marvulli and Leif Lampater are set to feature, while Rapha Condor Sharp captain Dean Downing will team up with Owain Doull and Christian Grassmann.

And the Brit admits he will have his work cut out if the trio are to make an impact against the Continental riders.

"I've never ridden a three man Madison before but it sounds really exciting," said Downing. "I know they do it at the German six-day races so the guys like Marvulli and Lamapter will have experienced it before."

"At the end of the day, the race will be won by the team so we'll have to figure out a game plan pretty quickly. It will certainly be exciting for the spectators to watch so I'm looking forward to it."

Revolution 30 is the second event of the season and Team Sky lead the team standings ahead of Maxgear and Motorpoint respectively.

Full details of the teams are available on http://www.cyclingrevolution.com/ and tickets are available to purchase online or by calling 0843 208 1840.

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The single LED

The single LED sits behind a focusing lens to create a tightly defined and surprisingly powerful beam that accounts for a very high lux rating for its price.


On the trail that means it throws a useful amount of illumination far enough down straight trails for reasonably fast riding off-roading and it’s a good unlit road light too. It has very limited peripheral spread for twisty stuff though, and the small light pool means you haven’t got long to work out exactly what’s happening on technical trails.

The two lowest settings are useful for extended commuter run times, and there’s a flashing setting for 24-hour visibility. The second lowest setting is still bright enough for less lairy surfaces or steadier pace on straight bits, and it picks up potholes far enough in advance on country roads.

The nylon bar mount uses push-in rubber plugs to adjust between 31.8 and 25.4mm handlebars, and a quick-release latch for simple and secure, angle adjustable fitting. The Vision 1 also comes with a basic but useable helmet mount, but the light is a bit heavy for lid-mounted use. An ‘Adventure’ version with head harness and separate battery pack is available.

The knurled back of the Vision 1's scalloped barrel body unscrews to take a clip-in carrier for four conventional or rechargeable AA batteries. Rechargeable cells are better value in the long run, but run times here are with a fresh set of high-power conventional batteries. There’s no battery indicator, so it makes sense to carry a spare set of cells just in case. The big button is easy to use with fat winter gloves.

For more information on how we tested this year's crop of lights, see our latest buyer's guide to mountain bike lights and Tested: 30 high-power mountain bike lights.

About BikeRadar reviews: Our review scoring system has changed in 2010. Therefore recent reviews may have comparatively lower scores than past reviews. Click here for a full explanation of our ratings. 
 
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The new Standardized Headset Identification System

A group of leading headset manufacturers have collaborated to develop a standardized “language” for headset fitment to address the changing landscape of bicycle headsets.The new Standardized Headset Identification System (S.H.I.S.) creates a common language for describing modern bicycle headsets.  The system provides comprehensive and scalable headset fitment information in a standard format; making it easier to communicate headset requirements based on frame and fork interfaces.“As a bicycle manufacturer I have participated in many conversations with customers who are struggling to understand modern headset fitment,” says Michael Bonney of Orange Mountain Bikes. “During Eurobike and Interbike I suggested to a couple of headset makers that a universal system for talking about headsets was needed, and I’m excited to see it happening.”

The Standardized Headset Identification System (S.H.I.S.) incorporates the four critical interface dimensions required to fit a fork to a frame, as well as explicitly noting bearing location/cup type.

The group of companies leading the development of the new headset naming system include: Acros, Cane Creek, Hope, Race Face, Reset and Ritchey.  Each of the participants has committed to integrate the Standardized Headset Identification System into their respective businesses over the course of the next year and encourage additional headset manufacturers to follow. Select bicycle parts distributors will have partial integration of the S.H.I.S. in their 2011 catalogs with further inclusion throughout the year. On the bicycle manufacturing level, several early adopters will begin using the system on their new model-year bikes.“Headset standards were getting a bit out of control and the nomenclature to keep it all together was unraveling,” says Steve Domahidy, co-owner of Niner Bikes. “It was becoming difficult to talk to customers about headsets and help them understand, so this system takes out the guesswork and makes it as easy as it can be to insure that everybody’s speaking the same language.”

To learn more about system methodology and to view specific examples and illustrations, please download the complete S.H.I.S. overview. Or contact one of the participating headset manufacturers listed above. A collaborative website, BicycleHeadsets.com, is under development and will explain in detail the Standardized Headset Identification System complete with examples and drawings.  BicyleHeadsets.com will be available by the end of November.


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New Specialized Tracer tubular based on its Renegade mountain bike

Specialized factory team riders Todd Wells and Ned Overend arrived at the Fort Collins round of the US Gran Prix of Cyclocross with three brand-new tubular cross tires from the big S, designed to cover the full range of possible conditions.
The new Trigger is the fastest of the three with a progressive central file tread similar to what we've seen in Clement's LAS but with aggressive side knobs for reassuring grip in corners. Moving up a notch on the grippiness scale is the intermediate Tracer with a tightly packed array of low profile, rectangular knobs similar to Specialized's Renegade mountain bike tread. Finally, there's the aggressive Terra pattern with taller and more openly spaced knobs for low-traction conditions like loose gravel, snow, and mud.

All three tires are built with 260tpi polycotton casings, glued-on rather than vulcanized treads, and single-compound 62a rubber, giving a balanced mix of suppleness, grip, and tread life. In keeping with the UCI's recent technical rule changes, stated casing width is 33mm and according to Wells, actual casing dimensions will err on the smaller size to guarantee they're legal. Tucked inside each tire is a latex inner tube while a nylon breaker beneath the tread aims to ward off punctures. Claimed weight is around 400g for all three designs.

When Specialized's new offerings are taken in combination with other bigger manufacturers getting into the 'cross tubular game like Schwalbe (and maybe even Continental), things are looking good for racers seeking high-end options that are easier to source and a little less care-intensive.

Don't get too excited just yet, though, as Specialized says its tires won’t be readily available until next season. There's also no word yet on if we'll see these tread designs in clincher form.


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Alejandro Valverde suffered another legal defeat

The Swiss Federal Tribunal rejected Alejandro Valverde request to overturn suspensions imposed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport and the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI)suffering another legal defeat when Switzerland's supreme court upheld his doping bans for using the blood-boosting hormone EPO.

The CAS banned the 30-year-old rider until January 2012 when it ruled in favor of the International Cycling Union and World Anti-Doping Agency in May. However, the court allowed Valverde to keep his 2009 Spanish Vuelta title and other victories gained before this year.

The two organizations asked CAS to extend Valverde's ban worldwide after he was first suspended by CONI from riding in Italy.

The Italian body pursued Valverde using evidence gathered in 2006 during the Operation Puerto case after Spanish authorities refused to prosecute him.

Federal judges ordered Valverde to pay 4,000 Swiss francs ($4,130) in court costs, plus 5,000 Swiss francs ($5,160) each toward the legal costs of the UCI, WADA and CONI.

Despite the Swiss rulings published Thursday, Valverde's appeals may not be over.

His advisers said in May that any federal decision could be appealed at the European Court of Human Rights.
Valverde is the only Spanish rider who has been punished using Puerto evidence, which drove Germany's Jan Ullrich into retirement and led to a two-year ban for Italy's Ivan Basso.

Valverde never tested positive for a banned drug, but was linked to a doping ring by DNA evidence seized by police in raids on the Madrid clinic of doctor Eufemiano Fuentes.

Spanish authorities frustrated the UCI by arguing that national laws left them powerless to investigate riders.
Italy's Olympic authority then matched Valverde's DNA from a Puerto blood bag containing EPO to his blood sample taken during the 2008 Tour de France when riders had a rest day in Italy.

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TVM back co-sponsoring an amateur Dutch team

TVM previously sponsored a top-ranked pro team from 1988 until 1999.Now is back to the peloton in 2011, co-sponsoring an amateur Dutch team.

The road-haulage insurance company, based in Hoogeven, Netherlands, will be a co-sponsor of the newly named Team De Rijke, formerly Cyclingteam Van Vliet-EBH Eishof. De Rijke Group, a Dutch firm specialising in logistics, transport and warehousing, will be the main sponsor of the small amateur team as of the coming year.

The team is managed by, among others, Maarten den Bakker, who established the contact with TVM. He rode for the TVM team from 1993 to 1997. The firm has agreed to act as a sponsor for two years. “It is a modest sponsorship, but it is indeed our comeback to cycling,” a TVM spokesman told De Telegraaf.

The former TVM team featured such riders as Phil Anderson, den Bakker, Jeroen Bleijlevens, Bo Hamburger, Peter van Petegem and Steven de Jongh. The team won Paris-Tours twice, Omloop Het Volk four times and took Tour of Flanders victory in 1999 with van Petegem. It also claimed two stages each at the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia, as well as four stages of the Vuelta a Espana.

The team was involved in a doping scandal a the 1998 Tour de France, when it was revealed during the race that French customs officials had seized doping products from a team car in March of that year. The team hotel was raided a few days later and manager Cees Priam was arrested. Only a few days later, the team's vehicles were all impounded, and all of the riders taken to hospital for dope testing. The team ultimately abandoned the Tour, as did a number of other teams. TVM withdrew its sponsorship of the squad at the end of the 1999 season.

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Tejay Van Garderen sights on a top ten finish in a grand tour in 2011

Tejay Van Garderen(HTC Columbia)after a successful debut season in the professional ranks is setting his sights on a top ten finish in a grand tour in 2011. The American has yet to finalise his exact racing programme with his team but he has provisionally pointed towards the super-hard Giro d’Italia as the battle ground for his lofty ambitions.

“I’ve got a schedule of all the races that the team will be doing. I don’t think it will be confirmed until the first camp in December but my coach and I have made a rough outline of what I’d like to do,” Van Garderen told Cyclingnews.

In 2010 Van Garderen targeted a top 15 place in the Vuelta and looked on course succeed before tiring in the final week. However with a year’s solid racing in his legs and what he hopes will be a strong pre-season, the 22-year-old is undaunted about taking on what many regard as one of the hardest Giri in recent years.

“It’s definitely a hard route. No grand tour is easy but the Giro is renowned for having the most brutal courses. It’s nerve-wracking to see that but it doesn’t play too much into my selection for which races I want to do.”

“I just see it as an obvious stepping stone from doing the Vuelta, which is the more relaxed grand tour and then moving to the Giro which is harder. Maybe after that I can do the Tour de France.”

A possible shot at the Giro would mean missing out on the Amgen Tour of California, a race Van Garderen took part in this year and one to which HTC has tended to send its strongest team. However should Van Garderen get his wish and be allowed to skip California, he will aim to take part in another of the United States’ flagship races, the Tour of Colorado.

“It’s a tricky one to plan out because you’ve got the Tour of California and that conflicts with Giro, while you’ve got the Tour of Colorado in August and that conflicts with the Vuelta.”

“But my I’d say my aspirations are higher for next year. I went into the Vuelta thinking that I wasn’t going to put pressure on myself but that I wasn’t going to give anything away either. I was just going to ride as hard as I can.”

“Next year in the Giro I’m going to be really aiming for the top ten. It’ll be a disappointment if it doesn’t happen.”

Despite his relaxed demeanour Van Garderen will have to help shoulder more responsibility when it comes to stage racing during next year. The loss of Michael Rogers, the team’s most experienced GC rider, means that the likes of Van Garderen, Peter Velits and Tony Martin will have more chances. For Van Garderen, the loss of Rogers is a blow after the two roomed together on several occasions in 2010.

“It’s sad to lose Michael. Out of all the guys he’s the one I’m going to miss the most. I roomed with him a lot and I learnt a lot from him. He was a good mentor and we had similar strengths,” Van Garderen said.

“However I don’t think it’s really going to bring us down in terms of GC. There’s Peter Velits, myself, Tony Martin and Kanstantsin Siutsou so we still have plenty of guys to field for a GC team.”

“I’m not going to try and fill a void left by Michael. I just need to focus on my own progression. You can learn a lot from other riders but sometimes you just need to focus on yourself and not think about being someone else. That can put too much pressure on you.”


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The first annual Claro Brasil Ride kicks off

The first annual Claro Brasil Ride kicks off from the picturesque mountain town of Mucuge in the sprawling northeastern state of Bahia.

The six-day mountain bike stage race adds luster to a year that's already seen the globe's fifth largest country honoured as host of the next World Cup soccer cup in 2014 and the Summer Olympics in 2016.

Racing kicks off at noon local time with a 13km prologue. Top riders are expected to complete the technical loop in around 40 minutes.

The real action begins on Monday, with what's arguably the event's hardest day, a testing 86-mile trek from Mucuge to Rio de Contas. According to the race bible, total climbing on the day will exceed 11,000 feet. Ascending is spread equally across a knife-edged profile that's almost never flat. The last 40km finishes with a brutal 1772-foot grind.

All told, racers will take on 565km challenge with over 33,000 feet of climbing.

The first-year event is the brainchild of Mário Roma, a veteran of the mountain biking endurance game and owner of a sports communications company based in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Among Roma's accomplishments are finishes at Cape Epic in South Africa, Canada's TransRockies and the BC Bike Race, Costa Rica's La Ruta, and TransAlps, which criss-crosses Europe's highest mountains.

Roma's taken his experiences and observations from that list of great mountain bike stage races and used them as the starting point for his own creation.

"Racers can expect a very professionally run event and a very challenging race," said Roma, who along with his wife, sister and a staff of 80 will be doting on 109 teams of two over the next week.

The entire race is set within Parque Nacional da Chapada Diamantina, a massive 1520-square kilometer national park that's considered among Brazil's top scenic sights. But unlike many of North America major national parks, this gem is not overrun by tourists. That's due in large part to its remote setting deep in Bahia's western interior.

After arriving in the capital city of Salvador earlier in the week, the majority of racers and some staff took a bus to the Park - total travel time, including a brief lunch stop, nine hours.

The majority the Claro Brasil Ride racers are Brazilian amateurs, but there's also a handful of pro-level international teams from Europe and the US. Tops on that list are the Swiss duo of Martin Gujan and Christof Bischof. Gujan was 16th in the cross country at last summer's world championships in Monte-Sainte-Anne, Quebec. Bischof is an accomplished Swiss marathon and cross country rider, who was second in his country's nationals in 2004.

Perhaps the most intriguing battle will come in the mixed duo category, which includes a trio of US-based tandems: Jeff Kerkove and Sonya Looney (Topeak-Ergon), Brian and Jenny Smith (Trek), and Paul Romero and Karen Lundgren (Sole-Ellsworth).

Lundgren and Romero are accomplished adventure racers, but arguably they're better known for a recent ascent to the top of Mount Everest, along with Romero's 13-year-old son Jordan. It was a record-breaking effort for the teenager, who along with his dad and his girlfriend Lundgren, are on a quest to join the exclusive seven-summits club. They have six under their belts, with only Vinson Massif in Antarctica remaining to conquer.

Kerkove and Looney, meanwhile, swept the Breck Epic mixed category earlier in the year. The Smiths are both accomplished Xterra athletes.

Other notable names racing in Brazil include German Olympian Ivonne Kraft, multi-time Italian 24-hour-solo champ Menapace Lorenza and Portuguese cross country marathon champion Sandra Araujo.
Stay tuned to Cyclingnews for full coverage of the Claro Brasil Race including also daily blogs from racers Brian and Jenny Smith.

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Stuart O'Grady signing with the Luxembourg Cycling Project

Stuart O'Grady seasoned Tour de France campaigner has rubber-stamped his departure from Saxo Bank by signing with the Luxembourg Cycling Project / Team Leopard Racing being led by Andy Schleck and Frank Schleck.

The Schlecks caused a minor upset recently by quitting Team Saxo Bank, owned and managed by former Tour de France winner Bjarne Riis, and many of their former teammates have followed suit.
O'Grady, a former winner of the gruelling Paris-Roubaix one-day classic, has also been instrumental in Saxo Bank's successes on the Tour de France in recent years, displaying leadership qualities in his role as road captain.

His experience on the world's biggest bike race, in which the younger of the Schleck siblings, Andy, has finished runner-up the past two years, is highly-valued.

"Stuart is a real legend and probably among the most phenomenal athletes of his generation," the new team's general manager Brian Nygaard said.

"He has won everything worth winning on the track, as well as an impressive list of victories on the road, topped off by claiming one of the most beautiful recent editions of the Paris-Roubaix."

"I enjoy the challenge of being road captain," O'Grady explained.

"It is not as easy as it sounds. I have to use my knowledge, to keep the 'young guns' cool, calm and collected when the going gets tough. I remind the guys to work as a team, to support each other, to respect each other, and to give 100 percent."

Though O'Grady will be entering his 17th year as a professional, he still has personal ambitions.

"Personally I want to have another big classics season," he revealed. "I have been a bit unlucky with injuries and broken bones since winning Roubaix in 2007. So it would be nice to win some big races with the team and of course help the Schlecks win the Tour de France!"

The Luxembourg Pro Cycling Project has recently signed several top names, including German trio Linus Gerdemann, Fabian Wegmann and Jens Voigt and Denmark's Jakob Fuglsang.
Italian sprinter Daniele Bennati has also joined.

Andy Schleck is likely to start the 2011 Tour de France as one of the big favourites, having finished runner-up to Spaniard Alberto Contador in 2009 and 2010.

Contador is currently provisionally suspended and awaiting word on a possible sanction after testing positive, during the 2010 race, for trace amounts of the banned weight loss/muscle building drug clenbuterol.
Team Leopard Racing is currently rumored to have been unable to secure a paying main sponsor for the team's 2011 season.

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Jes Evald has criticised Bjarne Riis confessions of drug use

Jes Evald the head of the Danish National Anti-Doping Agency  has criticised Bjarne Riis' confessions of drug use in his newly-published autobiography, saying the former Tour de France winner could have been a big help in the fight against doping if he had disclosed a more details. however former Danish rider Rolf Sorensen defends the Saxo Bank team owner.

Riis' statements concerning his doping use while a professional rider from 1986 to 1999 could have helped “if he had told how it happened and who was involved,” Evald told Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten.
“The way he disclosed it does not contribute any further knowledge about the environment and one could well imagine that some of the people from that time are still active in cycling. It is too easy to say that the mentality has changed dramatically for the better in recent years.”

However Sorensen thinks that Riis acted properly, considering his current role as team owner. “It is like any other workplace. If you want to keep your job and be active in the environment, it is not sensible to name names,” he said.

"Most people who are familiar with cycling probably have the view that Bjarne Riis has taken major steps for the sport in the right direction in terms of a clean sport. In addition, I do not think that there may be many left of those who distributed the substances at the time.”

Danish cycling expert Henrik Elmgreen echoed Sorensen's thoughts. “The story Riis tells is part of history. It is guaranteed to be exciting and interesting reading and could be even more exciting if he also talked about other sinners or backers. But Riis ended his career in the late 1990s. I cannot exclude that there still are people from back then who still play a role in the doping game, but I find it hard to imagine that Riis's mention of others could be used in the fight against doping."

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Kurt Kinetic Road Machine

I have traditionally preferred rollers over trainers, and did not often use the Performance Travel Trak Trainer (Fluid)that I’ve had since the mid 90’s. However, 30-45 minutes on the rollers is about all that I can tolerate due to the concentration needed, and I want to be able to comfortably be able to do longer inside workouts, so I figured it was tie to get a new up to date trainer.

My first impression was that the Kurt Kinetic Road Machine has a good clamping system that is a big improvement over the old, lower end system on the Travel Trak. Sadly, other than that, the cheaper, older Travel Trak does not fall short in any notable way to the Kinetic.

The Kinetic performed fine and the quality was what I’d anticipated. It’s just that once you take away the marketing hype, a trainer is a trainer. The Kinetic is smooth and stable, but so was the old, cheap thing I was using. The kinetic wins in terms of the bike mounting hardware and process, and the old cheap thing wins in terms of price and noise level. Yes I can’t believe it either, but the Performance trainer is quieter by more than a little bit. Additionally, the Performance fluid module does not heat up nearly as much as the kinetic’s does and I’m certain that they improved the bike clamping system by now.

I’m not a fan of Performance products, and I actually try to avoid the place, but as I said before, a trainer is a trainer.

The kinetic is good and I liked it, but I’d say that the level of difference from one fluid trainer to the next is probably not enough to agonize over. Go with the one that looks the best to you and costs the least. Unless you get a lemon, you’ll probably find it to be adequate.

Strengths:
- Coast down
- Smoothness
- Stability

Weaknesses:
None…Well, maybe the Neon Lime Green color!

Similar Products Used:
Performance Travel Trak Fluid Trainer, Kreitler Challenger Rollers, Sportscrafters/Cyclops PVC Rollers

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Luxembourg Cycling Project New Sponsors

The telecommunications company Belgacom and Danish wireless communications equipment producer Jabra could be sponsors of the Luxembourg Pro Cycling Project Reports the Luxembourg newspaper Le Quotidien.

The team has already announced equipment sponsorships with Trek bikes and Mercedes for vehicles but has still to announce title sponsors for the team that includes Andy and Fränk Schleck and almost certainly Fabian Cancellara in its line-up in 2011.

Le Quotidien reveals that Belgacom has interests in the Netherlands and Luxembourg as well as Belgium, meaning cycling would be an excellent way to promote its various brands of high-speed internet and communications. However the newspaper indicates that the deal has yet to be sealed although it is expected to go ahead.

Jabra was named as a possible sponsor of Bjarne Riis’ team before Saxo Bank decided to remain onboard and sign Alberto Contador. The Danish brand could have decided to follow the Schleck brothers to the Luxembourg team.

The Luxembourg Pro Cycling Project has so far confirmed the arrival of 20 riders, with another five or six riders expected to join to complete the team’s line-up.The team was recently ranked number one in the UCI sporting criteria ranking for 2011 because of its powerful line-up but has yet to secure ProTeam status.

The 20 riders already confirmed for the team are Frank and Andy Schleck, Daniele Bennati, Will Clarke, Stefan Denifl, Brice Feillu, Jakob Fuglsang, Linus Gerdemann, Dominic Klemme, Maxime Monfort, Giacomo Nizzolo, Stuart O'Grady, Bruno Pires, Davide Viganò, Jens Voigt, Fabian Wegmann, Wouter Weylandt, Anders Lund, Tom Stamsnijder and Martin Mortensen.

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Belgian GP badly organised anti-doping control

At the finish of the Belgian GP de la Région Wallonne cyclo-cross in Dottignies on Saturday the anti-doping controls turned out to be so badly organised that UCI jury chairman Edwin Kistemaker included the incident in his report to the world governing body. The Walloon Community in charge of the controls did not properly communicate the list of riders to be tested, resulting in chaotic circumstances with one rider, Bart Wellens, already on his way home when he was notified of the control.

"Many things had to be noted in that control," Kistemaker told HLN. "The doctor only came as the riders were already on the final lap. He didn't even have an official paper with him to post the names of the riders at the finish. I had to get him that. I feared that too many riders would not be informed, so I had them called over the public address system - even though that is no longer permitted by the regulations. Even the location of the control wasn't indicated."

At the finish of the rainy and muddy event won by Frenchman Francis Mourey, the controls turned out to be "a mess", according to third-placed Gerben De Knegt. "Normally, there is a chaperone waiting for you if you're going to be controlled, but there were none. I knew that I had to go to the controls as I finished on the podium. But Wellens saw no-one and so he turned straight home in this awful weather," he told the Telegraaf.
Bart Wellens, who finished fifth, was already in Gent when word of his control reached him, so he had to return all the way and finally carried out the control. Fortunately, the incident did not result in a 'missed control'.

"There was no information as to where the control was," added Wellens. "I had to look for it for half an hour. That really can't be."


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The Stretto Race Bike

It certainly looks like it belongs on the start line, with its eye-catching black-and-white ?nish and the curved seat tube hugging the rear wheel.Moda say the Stretto is a race bike, pure and simple.

The lively frame is a hoot to ride, while the American Classic wheels are light, stiff and aerodynamic, and wouldn't be out of place on a much more expensive bike. They help make the Stretto ride like a rocket. If you want your racing licence to jump up a category next season, the Moda will be a willing ally.

Frame & handling: One agile bike, with quick, predictable handling and precise descending
All the style in the world doesn’t count for much when the local chaingang turns the screw, but that’s when the Moda’s stiff and lively frame pays off. It’s the kind of bike that gives back exactly what you put in, leaping forward at the ?rst use of your fast-twitch muscles.

Stamp on the pedals like Mark Cavendish with 100 metres to the ?nish and there’s almost no ?ex from around the bottom bracket, just rapid acceleration. The frame deserves a lot of the credit, but so does the Moda’s secret weapon: its American Classic wheels.

The 420 Aero 3s are light and aerodynamic, and the lightweight Kenda tyres are a good choice, too. It’s the combination of frame and wheels that makes the Stretto so addictive to ride. With so little inertia to overcome, it ?oats up hills, and the aero advantage helps you hammer along the at?


The wheels are stiff too and, along with stout seatstays, contribute to the ?rm, direct ride. You’re in touch with every surface change and can feel stones being ?icked sideways by the tyres. We kept bracing ourselves for the big hit that never came.

Whether carving a turn on the ?at or dropping down a steep hill, the Moda tracked precisely. Mid-corner bumps? No bother. A bend that tightens unexpectedly? Just lean the bike over harder, then stand it up and grab a higher gear.

Equipment: Light, aero and stiff wheels, comfy carbon kit and quality SRAM Force shifting
Although the Stretto is every inch the race bike, it’s not so stiff that it couldn’t be ridden all day. That’s partly thanks to the carbon bar and stem. Like the seatpost, these carry the Barelli name and help take the sting out of rough roads.

Go to the drops and really sprint, and the bar does ?ex a bit, but you may well fall into the category of riders for whom the extra ‘give’ is worth this compromise. We certainly didn’t ?nd that it robbed the bike of steering precision either.

American Classic wheels are much better known in the US than in the UK, but we'd like to see them fitted to more British bikes based on this showing. It’s great to see hoops of this quality – you’d pay £499.99 to buy them separately – on a bike costing less than £2,000.

The 34mm pro?le is deep enough to cut through the air ef?ciently without being pushed around by sidewinds too much. What’s more, since they’re made from aluminium, there’s none of the iffy braking associated with some carbon rims.

The Stretto's SRAM Force groupset is quality kit for a bike at this price. The DoubleTap shifting takes a little getting used to if you normally ride Campagnolo- or Shimano-equipped bikes, but once you get your head around pushing the same lever in the same direction to change up and down, shifts are precise and fast.


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A new-school 'cross geometry with COVan Dessel

Are you ready for the new COVan Dessel?"Fully featured, professionally performing cyclo-cross bike, but the price might be set too high for this niche brand"Sat 13 Nov 2010, 8:00 am UTCBy Matt Pacocha, US editor in Boulder, COVan Dessel have a cult following, especially when it comes to American cyclo-cross. Proprietor Edwin Bull has Belgian ancestry, and he calls on this to successfully meld an old-world aesthetic with a new-school 'cross geometry that works well on US courses.

The Full Tilt Boogie is the brand's latest cyclo-cross flagship, notable for its tube-to-tube carbon construction. It proved fast, comfortable, light (17.08lb) and durable, and we enjoyed our time on it. However, it’s pricey compared to its similarly equipped competition.

Ride & handling: High-performing blend of sharpness & stability, front end stiffness & rear flex

The Van Dessel's forward-biased geometry, with a steep (74-degree) seat angle that puts more weight over the front wheel, takes a while to get used to but proved to be an advantage both during hard cornering and when slogging through deep mud or sand. The massive fork and tapered front end with large tube junctions remained stable when pushed through corners and we never experienced any sort of brake chatter.

If the front of the Full Tilt Boogie sets the tone of the ride – it helps to hook a line in a corner and tracks through rough terrain – the rear is happy to play a supporting role. The stiffness of the bike tapers from the head tube to rear dropout. As a result, the rigid front lets you pick the line you want and hold it, while the softer rear is happy to follow in its tracks. It’s something you can feel the bike doing, and quite nice on a rough course.

If the whole bike was as stiff as its front triangle, it would have to be labeled as harsh, but the graduated feel works well. Heavier riders may be worried by the rear end wiggle, but this isn't a ProTour sprinter’s bike and in 'cross a bit of flex is often a good thing, especially if it’s well placed. The oversized down tube allowed by the BB30 bottom bracket shell and SRAM’s BB30 Force cranks serve to give the drivetrain an efficient feel and offset any negatives associated with chainstay flex.



The robust down tube, BB30 bottom bracket shell and tapered head tube bolster the bike's front end stiffness
Frame: Well thought out 'cross specific features, but we'd like at least one bottle boss

The Full Tilt Boogie shares the same geometry as Van Dessel's carbon-stayed alloy Gin & Trombones.

A 7cm bottom bracket drop and 72-degree head angle bring both sharpness and low-slung stability to the package, while the 74-degree seat angle (on our 54cm test model) puts the rider further into the front center of the bike. The chainstays measure 425mm.

The top tube has a reinforced center section to protect it against crash damage – specifically in the instance of the bars swinging around and smacking it. Another neat feature is the alloy tube moulded into the crown of the oversized fork that allows for the mounting of a bolt-on brake boss. While, we didn’t feel the need to use one, a fork-mounted boss is a proven way to improve braking performance and eliminate chatter.

Mud clearance front and rear is quite good, and we appreciate the thought put into the cable routing on this bike. The rear derailleur is afforded a length of housing that runs from the top tube. This does increase initial drag but should pay off in the long run by preventing contamination. Like most ’cross bikes, the Full Tilt Boogie is still a good candidate for a Gore Professional or fully sealed cable system.

The front derailleur cable is run along the down tube and comes with a barrel adjuster, which is appreciated.

Despite being in the path of mud, the straightforward cable routing offers performance that’s on a par with top tube routing even when dirty. The only real drawback is loss of arm hair should you shoulder with your forearm under the down tube. The rear brake cable follows the top tube and also has a barrel adjuster.

The Full Tilt Boogie has no bottle bosses. While this gives a 'pro' look, the UCI's decision to allow feeding during races means we'd welcome at least one set. Taking a feed brings its own problems – generally, it’s done in a crowded pit and only on certain laps – but it can mean the difference between winning and losing. The safest solution to this is to carry a bottle on your bike, as Tim Johnson did during the 2010 US Gran Prix of Cyclo-cross rounds in Louisville, Kentucky. He stayed hydrated but kept out of the mêlée in the pit, which could have potentially caused a race-losing mistake.


The massive tapered-steerer fork is designed to accept a bolt-on brake cable boss and weighs 500g
Equipment: SRAM Force is our top pick for 'cross but stem & wheels are disappointing for the price

The Full Tilt Boogie is offered with just about every component permutation imaginable, from SRAM to Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, to Campagnolo Super Record. Our test bike came with what might be the perfect cyclo-cross group: SRAM Force, which packs 97 percent of the SRAM Red group’s performance into a reasonably affordable package.

The DoubleTap shifters work well for ’cross because they’re rebuildable and offer a fixed brake lever, which helps ground the rider in their cockpit. Most SRAM sponsored pros ride a ‘pro’ model Red front derailleur with a steel cage, which is essentially the Force model with a different finish. And the Force rear derailleur is a solid piece of hardware; we most appreciate it for its unsprung B-knuckle, which seems to offer more stability to the drivetrain that those that pivot.

The last argument we have for Force is the dedicated in-line BB30 crankset, which offers benchmark stiffness, massive heel clearance in the mud and a clean, group matching aesthetic. As for durability, yes, the BB30 bearings may be more susceptible to contamination, but the SRAM bearing covers paired with liberal use of grease upon installation and careful attention to where you point the power washer should see them last a season, even in the worst conditions.


Van Dessel offer SUNRinglé Vista tubular wheels and Vittoria XM 320tpi tires with roughly 60 percent of their component kits. While tubular tires are a huge performance benefit for cyclo-cross, the quality of the 32-spoke traditional wheelset that’s built with un-machined, pinned rims leaves something to be desired at this pricepoint.

Custom yellow TRP EuroX brakes complement the SRAM package and look ultra sharp, though we'd have preferred to see Van Dessel offer SRAM’s new ultra powerful Shorty Ultimate cantilever brake. The build is finished with a Selle Italia SLR FSA Energy handlebar, SL-K carbon seatpost and OS-190 stem. We've no issues with the bar or post but, as with the wheels, we were somewhat disappointed with the pedestrian level of the stem given the US$4,000 price of the bike.


FSA's OS-190 stem seems outgunned by the rest of the kit
About BikeRadar reviews: Our review scoring system has changed in 2010. Therefore recent reviews may have comparatively lower scores than past reviews. Click here for a full explanation of our ratings.The Full Tilt Boogie is all-carbon, rock solid and agile as a cat. It's built with the tried-and-true racing geometry of the ever popular Van Dessel Gin & Trombones.

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Alberto Contador happy his case is finally being handled by the Spanish cycling federation

Rrovisionally suspended following a positive test for clenbuterol,Tour de France champion Alberto Contador said Wednesday he was happy his case is finally being handled by the Spanish cycling federation (RFEC).

"I'm happy that the case is being handled by the federation because that means we can now move forward," said Contador, who faces a ban from the sport as well as giving up his 2010 yellow jersey.

Contador has claimed his positive result for trace amounts of the banned weight loss/muscle-building drug, following a test on the Tour de France in July, was down to eating contaminated meat - although sceptics suggest he may have inadvertently put clenbuterol back into his system through an illicit and performance-enhancing blood transfusion.

Earlier Wednesday a report in AS sports daily claimed the RFEC would take "at least two months" to decide whether it would sanction Contador or not.

The final decision of the RFEC's Competition Committee on the Spanish rider "will not be known before two months," the federation's chief, Juan Carlos Castano, said.

"Everything depends on arguments that Contador will present and the checks that the Competition Committee will seek from neutral experts to look into the veracity of the evidence presented," AS said.

Under the anti-doping rules of world cycling's governing body, the UCI (International Cycling Union), the RFEC has a maximum of one month to deliver its decision.

The UCI "sets a rule of a one-month deadline to take a decision in doping cases ... but under Spanish anti-doping rules, which is what will be followed, the authorised period is three months," AS said.

Provisionally suspended by the UCI, Contador's future is hanging in the balance. If suspended for two years, he has threatened to quit the sport.

Contador, who also won the Tour de France in 2007 and 2009, in August signed a two-year contract with the Saxo Bank team.

Luxembourg's Andy Schleck, runner-up behind the Spaniard in the last two editions of the race, has recently quit Saxo Bank and set up a new team with his brother Frank and many other members of the Danish outfit.

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Cyclo-Cross Training

There are plenty of reasons to love the sport of cyclo-cross: it’s spectator and family friendly, races are short, and success demands a balance of bike handling skills and fitness. In short, it's the perfect competitive outlet for those of us with 'real' lives.
As we get older, our taste tends to shift from quantity to quality. This goes for all things good – beer, food – but is especially true when it comes to training. Young cyclists often overtrain and, despite the fact many make up for it with youth and an ability to sleep 12 hours a night, some are surely slower because of it.


Growing up also means you're likely to have a demanding job, wife, kids and/or a million other things competing for your time. The good news is that we’ve found a fairly specific – but fun – training structure which doesn’t take that much time but allows you to be competitive on the weekend ’cross courses. This holds true whether you’re a beginner or racing with the big dogs.

Even pros can benefit from a lower-volume training schedule for cyclo-cross; Garmin racer Danny Summerhill gets an effort in on the Wednesday morning group ride.

Even though cyclo-cross races are short and tend to reward those who can steer a bike, they still require a rider to ‘pin it’ for 45 minutes or an hour. While this requires serious training, you don't need to put in the hours of a Tour de France pro. In fact, once into the meat of the season, as we are now, you can skate by with four to six hours a week.

This is what we recommend you do during those training hours, from Monday through to racing on Saturday and Sunday:

Monday:

Rest and recover from previous day(s) of racing. For advanced riders this can mean a short (45 minutes) recovery spin, but other levels – or after a super-tough weekend of racing – should take the day off.

Tuesday:

Beginners and intermediate riders can benefit from a 20-minute run today. This can build to 45 minutes over the course of the season, but no more. Time should be increased in five minute increments as your running fitness improves.

Boulder, Colorado has a ’cross training route up a canyon road which is also intersected by a hiking trail. Riding the road then running each successive section of trail as it intersects makes for an incredibly hard workout. If you can find something similar, you'll reap rewards.
Advanced and professional racers may better benefit from a motor-pace workout consisting of three 15-minute lactate threshold efforts.


Motor-pacing forces race-paced efforts, benefits leg speed and helps train mental fortitude by always giving you a stronger wheel to follow.

Any workout should be skipped if you’re still tired from the weekend’s racing and replaced with a recovery spin or complete rest. With a high intensity sport like cyclo-cross, recovery is more important than training. You need to be completely recovered from previous efforts so that you can maximize the quality of your next training session or race. If you continue to work out when tired, you'll quickly become over-trained.


Wednesday:

Today do two 20- to 25-minute race-paced efforts with 10 to 20 minutes of recovery in between. These must be done at 100 percent effort to exhaustion.

In Colorado, we’re lucky enough to have a race-intensity morning ’cross ride to use for this workout. The group ride makes two stops at local parks to ride two sessions of hot laps, which end up being mini-races and maximize both the workout and fun. This type of ride also gives great practice at cornering, dismounting, remounting (transitions) and generally staying lucid on the bike under a high level of stress.

If you don’t have access to a group ride, motor-pacing will work brilliantly, as will pyramid intervals if you’re truly disciplined. A pyramid interval consists of a work/rest scheme that looks like this: 1min work/1min rest, 2/2, 3/3, 4/4, 5/5, 4/4, 3/3, 2/2, 1/1. The low numbers call for a higher-than-threshold effort, while the higher numbers have to be done at threshold.

Make it through one of these sessions and you should feel a real sense of accomplishment; two sessions and you’re a rockstar. Do not exceed a three hour total ride time or one hour total of intensity.

Besides benefiting fitness, a group cyclo-cross training ride offers practice for cornering and dismounts
Thursday: 

If you’re racing on Saturday or both weekend days you should be resting today. A short 45-minute recovery ride can be placed here as well. If you’re only racing on Sunday and/or didn’t train on Tuesday, you can add a second workout here too. We'd suggest the same style workouts as we recommended for Tuesday.
(Note: Beginning and intermediate riders should skip fitness workouts on Tuesdays and Thursdays all together in favor of practising techniques. One intense day of training per week is plenty for the average racer and greater gains can be made on the race course with better transitions, cornering and sand riding techniques than can ever be achieved by training fitness alone.)

Friday:
 
Here you should use a handful of high-cadence openers to unblock from your rest day, if you’re racing on Saturday. Complete (off the bike) rest is the order of the day if you’re racing on Sunday only.

Openers consist of two to three short (five-minute) efforts with rest in between that equals the effort. They should be done at a high cadence to jump-start your cardiovascular system, but not weaken your legs.

This workout can be done on your ’cross bike at the same park where you do your Wednesday training, or on your road bike. For a big race like a state or national championship, you should aim to do this ride on the course. Total training time is around one hour.

Saturday:
 
If you're not racing today, do some high-cadence openers (see Friday). If you’re racing you should plan to be registered, dressed and warming-up on course for the hour before the race. Once you have the course, tire selection and tire pressure dialed, you should plan on one or two hot laps at 85 percent effort to warm up. This will also give you a final race-speed check of your bike.

This effort should be finished 15 minutes before the start, after which you should make final equipment adjustments and take in an energy gel. If you’re racing the following day, plan on a short 20- to 40-minute spin after the race, before you pack up and get in the car.

Sunday:
 
If you’re racing a second day, consider a short 20-minute spin before you get in the car to drive to the race. Make sure this is finished no less than three hours before you start your warm-up. Use the same warm-up as yesterday.

Follow this schedule, while listening to your body – rest when it tells you to – and you should find a good balance between your racing endeavors and real life this fall.

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Why Cycling Cultivates Such an Aversion to accountability?

Why Cycling cultivates such an aversion to accountability?It must be drafting or something.
Let’s start with the UCI, who flatly denied a Contador positive to ARD after they were aware of it, and before the story broke. Ignore the fact that most third-graders know to spit back “neither-confirm-nor-deny” boilerplate to questions like that—it’s the frickin’ German media.

While they do seem to have a painfully self-conscious obsession with doping, they’re not exactly known for fishing expeditions. Contador’s positive tests occurred months ago, the UCI had already notified WADA, bringing dozens, if not hundreds of potential leaks into the loop. Did the UCI consider it conincedence that a doping specialist reporter called them to ask about Contador’s positive test?

Then there was the advice to Contador to keep quiet over the positive tests. Nothing says “we’re attempting to cover this up” like sequestering news from reporters, sponsors, team managers, etc. Now you’ve got Contador on record as saying he expects a “quick resolution“, rumors flying over slashed suspension terms, heaps of reporting on a double standard so obvious it would embarrass George Wallace, and—oh yeah—all this kicked up days before the UCI’s biggest week of racing.

In fact, the only thing transparent out of the UCI in recent weeks was their limp-wristed attempt to deflect attention and criticism onto the Spanish cycling federation. Words cannot convey how much better the sport and its governing body would look if the UCI had simply told Contador to come forward back in August, and confirmed—or at least not denied—the positive tests.

And then there’s Contador. Apparently, the B-sample clearance I’d been hoping for hasn’t come through. That makes a positive test. Contador should feel welcome to appeal to his heart’s content—it’s his right after all—but I don’t think there’s any reasonable expectation he won’t get sanctioned.

If Contador really did test positive from tainted meat, he should lose the TdF title for it. Yes, it’s not really fair—but then again, neither was Andy’s chain, Beloki’s crash, Hinault’s knees, Merckx’s liver or any other of a myriad of other hard-luck stories that potentially cost racers victory at the Tour de France.

At an absolute level, athletes have complete control over the food that goes into their bodies, and consuming anything other than the most rigorously vetted food at the biggest bike race in the world is as fool-hardy as taking risks on melted pavement, punching big gears through growing joint pain, or riding too close to a hostile crowd.

And frankly, if Contador’s case is handled like previous contamination positives, I think he should accept it and be satisfied. More than a few additional questions have been raised by this case, and with some labs apparently keeping an eye peeled for as-of-yet-circumstantial signs of doping, there’s no need for the Spaniard to start playing the retroactive testing card; at any rate, we know from experience that retro-positives are fairly easy to deny.

At the end of the day, what’s important is that people respect the rules cycling has established to deal with drug testing. They aren’t perfect—you’d be hard-pressed to find codified regulations that are—but they’ve come a tremendously long way in the past decade.

Tap-dancing around the media and normal procedure to try and control the impact of positive tests, or expecting special treatment because you happend to win a few Tours de France both undermines the effectiveness of the systems, and obscures the areas where it’s in need of further refinement.

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Brent Bookwalter talks about Giro d'Italia

Relatively unknown domestically Brent Bookwalter started the Giro d'Italia with nothing to lose,and when he crossed the finish line just over ten minutes later, he had become a star.The American posted the provisional best time for the opening time trial and in the end was runner-up by only two seconds.

"What really sticks out is that I didn't know I had the current best time when I crossed the line," Bookwalter said. "I had just got done with this hugely anaerobic, totally-depleting effort and all I could think about was continuing to ride a cool down or catch my breath."   He then sat in the “hot seat” for nearly an hour before Bradley Wiggins of Team Sky broke his time to take the victory.


In his previous two years with BMC, Bookwalter had never ridden a Grand Tour, but in 2010 he took on two of them.  After his startling success in the Giro opener, he went to to support captain Cadel Evans, who finished fifth overall but won the red points jersey.

His first Grand Tour was not easy, he admitted.   "My goal at the Giro was just to get off on the right foot in my first stage in a Grand Tour," Bookwalter said. "I was nervous and hopeful, but I knew it was going to take every last ounce of everything I had to get through each day and hopefully make it to the end of the race."

Having conquered one three-week race, Bookwalter was ready to tackle another one.  His next race was the Tour de France, where he finished 11th in the prologue. Later in the season, he had another podium placing, when he finished third in the Tour of Utah prologue.

He has been busy in the offseason, having ridden the Iceman Cometh Challenge, a mountain bike race in Michigan.  This weekend he will participate in the Miami Dolphins Cycling Challenge, a charity ride.

The American is also begin to train his thoughts on the 2011 season. "I've been mixing riding with some weight lifting and core workouts," Bookwalter said from his off-season home in Athens, Ga. "Our first training camp is just around the corner.”

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Contador Doping Case

I don’t particularly trust Joe Papp, but as far as assessing the effects of performance-enhancing substances go, I’m more than willing to defer to his expertise.Jeez, why can’t people get caught doping with anything normal anymore? 

Despite my own initial response, Contador’s statement that his Clenbuterol positive was the result of contaminated food certainly seems to have legs. The drug’s primary performance enhancing effect is largely fat management, something the still-three-time Tour winner has never struggled with.

Cases of Clenbuterol contamination among the food supply are well documented, and the amount detected is so small that Contador’s B sample might just come up clear, avoiding what will almost certainly be a messy, protracted legal dispute about what should count as a positive test, and what should qualify one for the Nazi Frogmen exemption.

And frankly, I hope that’s how it turns out. Anti-doping efforts have come a long way since another Spanish Tour champion, Pedro Delgado, tested positive for a not-yet-banned substance with an obvious PED-masking effect and was allowed to continue without sanction. If what’s reported on this case is true, Contador’s A-sample turns that scenario fully on its head, and hopefully, the system’s mechanisms for fairness will prove as effective (at least in this instance) as the mechanisms for detection.

I’m also impressed with how well Contador has presented himself in the face of this scrutiny, especially given his lousy media relations in the past. Granted, he’s had over a month to go over how to confront the issue, but, assuming his statements are true, it’s tough to imagine a more gut-wrenching twist for a rider who missed a Tour when his DS was caught in a dope doctor’s office with 50,000 EUR straight cash, was gifted his first Tour win the next year through an extra-judicial doping ejection, was arbitrarily denied a start 12 months later, and essentially raced alone against the entire peloton when the biggest celebrity in the history of cycling hijacked his team the following year.

Conversely, one has to wonder how another Spaniard, Ezequiel Mosquera, will handle news that he and a teammate have tested positive for a decidedly more effective chemical agent. Mosquera, who’s workman-turned-rockstar ascension was the story of this year’s Vuelta, now has to overcome the equally compelling narrative of a hard-worn rider at the end of his career crossing the line to try and maximize his chances in chasing down that one big win.

Media attention can be quite the double-edged sword in that regard, something Mosquera’s would-be employer just can’t seem to get its head around—unless, of course, Vacansoleil is trying to imply a little something about what’s included in the luxury camping trips it’s trying to advertize..

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The Luxembourg Pro Cycling Project for the 2011 Season

Tthe Luxembourg Pro Cycling Project(also know as Team Leopard Racing)announced that Stefan Denifl, Brice Feillu and Will Clarke have signed contracts with the team for the 2011 season.

Leopard Racing Team manager Brian Nygaard commented "A warm welcome to Stefan Denifl, Brice Feillu and Will Clarke! Lots of talent, skill and personality...and more to come!"

Stefan Denifl moves to Team Leopard Racing from Cervelo TestTeam where the young Austrian rider has shown great potential and proved very impressive and persistent in major races during the 2010 season. Denifl finished 8th overall in the 2010 Vuelta Castilla y Leon and 7th overall in both the 2010 Österreich Rundfahrt and the 2010 Bayern Rundfahrt. Denifl previously rode for Team Volksbank-Voralberg (2006) and Team ELK Haus (2007-2009).

Denifl is known to pro cyclist colleagues as a reliable and trustworthy, hard working team player who is always ready to sacrifice his own chances for the team leader. His friendly and open spirit is also useful when it comes to building high spirits among team members.

Stefan Denifl is a strong climber with definite stage race potential, not least owing to his powerful time trial performance. Denifl became Austrian National Time Trial Champion in 2008. He told Roadcycling.com that he is "looking forward to this new chapter of my cycling life."

Frenchman Brice Feillu moves to Team Leopard prematurely from Team Vacansoleil after a disappointing 2010 season where Feillu has struggled with language barriers in the team and with the team atmosphere. The fact that Vacansoleil was not invited to the 2010 Tour de France was the decisive issue which made Feillu jump ship after only one season with Team Vacansoleil despite having signed with the team for both the 2010 and 2011 seasons.

25-year-old Feillu won stage 7 of the 2009 Tour de France, taking the riders from Barcelona to Arcalis in Andorra, and finished 25th overall in the race. He was immediately declared a future Tour de France winner by many French media.

Will Clarke (25, Australia) has ridden as stagiaire for AG2R in the second half of the 2010 season and won the Australian national road series in 2009. He finished 5th in stage 3 of the 2010 Tour of Wellington.
Not least Stefan Denifl and Brice Feillu should prove to be valuable helpers for Team Leopard Racing captains Frank Schleck and Andy Schleck.

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The Quiznos Pro Challenge stages for 2011

The Quiznos Pro Challenge officially announced the stages, host cities and race format for the inaugural 2011 Quiznos Pro Challenge international pro-cycling competition at a press conference today held at the Colorado State Capitol in Denver.

Running from August 22-28, 2011, the event will be made up of seven stages, traveling through Colorado's most picturesque landscapes and visiting 11 Colorado host cities.  Created to be the most challenging pro-cycling race in American history, the Quiznos Pro Challenge is set to cover nearly 600 miles of the region's demanding terrain.

Colorado Governor Bill Ritter and Governor-elect and former Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper were joined by representatives from the 11 selected host cites including: personal coach to Lance Armstrong, Chris Carmichael (LOC Chair, Colorado Springs), Scott Damman (City Councilman, Salida), Leah Williams (Mayor, Crested Butte), William Buck (Mayor, Mt. Crested Butte), Jonathan Houck (Mayor Pro-Tem, Gunnison), Mick Ireland (Mayor, Aspen), Dick Cleveland (Mayor, Vail), Ron Wolfe (Mayor, Avon), Scott Myller (City Councilman, Steamboat Springs), John Warner (Mayor, Breckenridge), and Jacob Smith (Mayor, Golden).

Denver professional football legend and avid cyclist Shannon Sharpe spoke at the event to help convey the importance of the race and the announcement to the international sports world.  Sharpe expressed his respect for international cycling and the endurance it takes to compete at a top level while on stage with professional cyclists Tom Danielson, Tim Duggan and Rory Sutherland, as well as Steve Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of USA Cycling.
   
The 120 world-class cyclists anticipated to participate in the seven-day race will begin their journey in beautiful Colorado Springs, then crisscross their way over the treacherous Rocky Mountains.  The region's unique topography will provide challenging climbs and extremely fast downhill legs with an awe-inspiring backdrop of several of the United States' highest mountain peaks leading to the finish in Denver.
NLF legend and avid cyclist Shannon Sharpe on the podium with pro cyclist Tom Danielson.
The eleven official stage start and finish communities that have been selected for the 2011 Quiznos Pro Challenge include:

The 2011 Quiznos Pro Challenge Stages:

August 22: Stage 1: Prologue time trial, Colorado Springs
August 23: Stage 2: Salida to Crested Butte, mountain-top finish
August 24: Stage 3: Gunnison to Aspen, mountain stage
August 25: Stage 4: Vail, time trail, former Coors Classic stage
August 26: Stage 5: Avon to Steamboat Springs
August 27: Stage 6: Steamboat Springs to Breckenridge
August 28: Stage 7: Golden to Denver

"We are excited to welcome sports fans and the international cycling community to many of Colorado's most beautiful regions," said Governor Ritter. "The Quiznos Pro Challenge will provide a majestic tour of many of the state's natural treasures while becoming the battleground for one of the world's most intense competitions."

The initial idea to bring a major stage race back to Colorado is credited to Quiznos Pro Challenge partner, Team RadioShack rider and 7-time Tour de France Winner Lance Armstrong who expressed interest to Governor Ritter last year.  The Quiznos Pro Challenge is now expected to become one of the most significant international pro-cycling events worldwide, created to reinvigorate the legacy of the Colorado-based Coors International Bicycle Classic which took place from 1979 until 1988.  The official race routes for the 2011 event are in the process of being charted and will be announced in the near future.

"We had so much interest from incredible cities across Colorado that we could hold an event of twice the duration, said Ellen Kramer, Quiznos Chief Communications Officer.  "We worked diligently throughout the selection process to incorporate cities that provide terrain that is unique to Colorado and delivers one of the most exciting cycling events in the world.  The selected cities will make excellent partners and provide a demanding course for the world's top cyclists."

Visit www.quiznosprochallenge.com to keep in touch with the latest news and updates on the 2011 Quiznos Pro Challenge.

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