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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