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Photo submitted by Katherine Fuller, a pro cyclist on Team Vera Bradley, blogger, and writer for ShePedals. She writes: “These two Specialized Amiras belong to Team Vera Bradley Foundation and are pictured leaning up against Specialized headquarters in CA - the place of their conception. Photo taken while spending three days at training camp with the team.”

To see more Pics of the Day, click here, and to submit your own photo to be shown to the world, go here.

Soul Cycles has announced that their new Vegas all-mountain full suspension bike is in production, and it’ll be available in both 26″ and 29er versions.

Featuring a full 5.5″ of travel, it’ll also be the deal of the century if they nail their target price point of under $1,000…and that would include a Fox RP23 shock (which has a street price of about $395 by itself).  The feature set is impressive: Hammerschmidt mounts and front derailleur routing, 10- and 12mm rear axle options, iGlide based scissor linkage for rear lateral stiffness and a low-leverage travel ratio.

The frame will be built of Easton FS RAD tubing.  Keep tabs on them on their blog if you’re interested.

This product is simple yet effective. It serves one purpose, to ice the lower back; a purpose in which it accomplishes with great avail. I happened to be lucky enough to get a turn with this product right after making comments on how I was experiencing a fair amount of lower back pain. Fate?

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Perhaps you recall the first Hellcat teaser as well?

Above, a batch of tack welded rear triangles for the redesigned Niner Jet 9 are getting ready to take a solution bath to ensure that they’re “clean, clean, clean” before being fully welded.  Niner co-owner Steve Domahidy is in Taiwan overseeing the first production run, and he’s updating the Niner Facebook page with quasi-real time posts about how it’s going, pictures and general information about a bicycle production run.  Check it out…we know you’re Facebooking anyway and your Farmville pigs can tend to themselves for a few moments.

Earlier this year, the first ever positive test result for Human Growth Hormone was publicized as a break through for clean sport. Now, Bike Pure has spoken with the UK Anti-Doping Agency about the test and what it means for sport and cycling. Following is their interview, republished with permission:

There has been much publicity recently regarding the new test for the banned Human Growth Hormone. It has long been the case that some riders have abused this substance, yet there was never a sufficient, reliable blood test to determine if a rider had been using it, until now that is.

After many months of research and development, a test was finally put into place and British Rugby player Terry Newton became the first athlete to return a positive test for the substance from a blood sample.

The Human Growth Hormone (hGH) test was initially developed in Germany by Dr. Christiaan Strasburger and Dr Martin Bidlingmaier. We were in contact with the UK Anti-doping Agencies Michael Stow this week to help provide us with more information regarding this major breakthrough in anti-doping and asked him how the test was developed.

“UK Anti-Doping (formerly UK Sport) have been collecting blood on a routine basis since 2007 and had requested the use of this test to look for Growth Hormone at times when detection was thought to be most probable,” Stow said. “UK Anti-Doping has hosted and participated in the two previous WADA Growth Hormone Expert group meetings. The majority of work for the development of this test has been done with the support of this group by those mentioned above. The UK WADA accredited laboratory at King’s college London has been fully involved in the validation work of the test.”

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“2010_tcc_dallas(4 of 18)” by Bicycle Geography (Subaru Trail Care Crew). Check with your local bike shop or group for the next trail day in your area and give some love to the trials that love you back every time you ride!

To see more Pics of the Day, click here, and to submit your own photo to be shown to the world, go here.

Here’s how they describe it: “We’ve got a guy, a girl, the biggest Sprinter van money can buy, a trailer, and about 30 of our best bikes all equipped with the finest offerings from the folk listed below. They are going to be traveling the highways of this great land, from dealer to dealer, stopping at trailheads along the way, spreading the gospel of better living through better suspension.”

Check the full Santa Cruz Bicycles demo schedule after the break to see if they’re coming to a trail near you (hint, if you’re on the East Coast, you’re SOL)…

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Now, if you’re outta breath like the person shooting this video, you should probably rethink hauling a 55lb trailer around behind your bike.  But if you’re die hard about being self sufficient or don’t have a ride to the next 24 hour race, this looks pretty nice.  Honestly, it’d almost be worth transporting to endurance races just to have a firm place to sleep that’s off the cold, damp ground.

The Midget Bushtrekka trailer has a unit weight capacity of 260 pounds, so apparently it can carry everything but political correctness. Packed up to a 3-foot-8 b 2-foot-9 package when rolling along behind you, it unfolds into a 7-foot by 2-foot-9 tent that can be leveled with 4-inch adjustable jacks.

Check it out at midgetcampers.com.au.  Found at BikingBis.com via Bicycledesign.

Floating around NAHBS I noticed a number of bikes with these Terminator-esque mechanical stoppers, and Steve from Calfee said they were new, so a quick call to ee Cycleworks was in order.  First thing you need to know: They average under 200g per set.  Yeah, now you’ll keep reading.

Launched at Interbike ‘08, ee Cycleworks is the brainchild of Craig Edwards, the man who had a hand in the design of the original Sweetwings cranks from the ’90s (if you don’t remember them, they were at the time the lightest mountain bike cranks you could get…if you could get them.  They even trumped purple ano for total coolness).

Like any good tinkerer and entrepreneur, the first version is always just a starting point.  Pretty much since the eeBrakes first came out, Craig’s been thinking how he could make the already-well-reviewed brakes even better.  Jump on past the break for more pics, colors, details on what’s changed and pricing…

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A patent was awarded 110 years ago this month for this snappy bicycle fan. Keeping you cool as you roll! Check out the pulley system operating the fan from the front wheel…and the tidy umbrella to keep the UV rays off the noggin.

Click ‘more’ for a schematic of the pulley system, or to just admire the cool drawings and calligraphy of yesteryear.

Hat tip to Brett for the link!

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Irina is the 2009 XC World Champion. She is from Russia and enjoys racing in the mud and saunas. She has partnered with Ergon to offer a line of women’s sportswear. Check it out here and after the break for a picture.

PRESS RELEASE: иPA -my choice- Cycle Collection is now available in shops. World Champion Irina Kalentieva believes that fashion and sport can go hand in hand, however “when I looked at what was available for women cyclists, all I could see was a lot of bland sameness”. With this in mind, Kalentieva has been working on her own line of clothing. Backed by Ergon and an external design team, Irina has realised her ideas this past year, and the result is a stunning range of women’s sports clothing. The details are obvious in not only the athletic cut and many sports influenced elements, but also with the inclusion of Kalentieva’s own signature иPA –my choice-. иPA being the Cyrillic spelling of IRA, her nickname.

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Rapha’s on a roll turning out new kit and clothing.  The limited edition Transit Elite Sweater is a hat tip to their old Track Top and looks to be a sweet cruise around or aprés ride sweater.  Made in partnership with Apolis Activism, a Los Angeles based clothing company, it’s hand knitted in Kathmandu from a blend of 30% Nepalese cashmere and 70% Merino wool.

Here it is rocked by a guy that looks a lot like what I suspect Dicky (aka: Rich Dillen, aka: my adversary at Breck Epic this year) will look like in 5 years:

MSRP is £285 and it’s only available in this blue striped tone.  Video that explains its origin and fair-tradey humanitarian roots right after the break…

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Liquigas rider Peter Sagan sprung a massive surprise on the peloton today, as he launched a gutsy attack 1.9km out, and buried himself to stay ahead and claim a second stage win.

A tight left turn and a narrow plunge under a railway track distracted the bunch and the steep uphill after was the perfect springboard for the 20-year-old Slovakian. He followed Christophe Le Mevel’s wheel as the Française des Jeux rider jumped, but soon outstripped the Frenchman.

The pain was evident on his face as the peloton, in disarray, tried and failed to chase him back. This second stage win in his debut Paris-Nice more than makes up for the tricky, steep hill-top finish yesterday where he lost ground to many of his more experienced rivals.

“That kid is going to be more epic than Rapha,” a Liquigas team insider may (or may not) have said as they watched the former junior mountain-biking world champion recover in a heap on the ground.

Provisional standings after stage 5, Pernes-les-Fontaines - Aix-en-Provence.

1. Alberto Contador (AST)

2. Alejandro Valverde (GCE … +20″)

3. Roman Kreuziger (LIQ)

4. Luis Léon Sanchez (GCE)

5. Samuel Sanchez (EUS)

6. Jens Voigt (SAX)

7. Joaquin Rodriguez (GCE)

8. Peter Sagan (GRM)

Since leaving the upper ranks of Competitor, which publishes Triathlete, Inside Triathlon and Velonews among others, John Duke (pictured) will start publishing Lava Magazine this Summer.

Starting with three issues for 2010, the magazine will focus exclusively on Ironman and 70.3 distance events with content catering to the serious and committed triathlete.  Filling the pages will be Susan Grant, Erika Krystek (both from Inside Tri), Heather Gordon, Jay Prasuhn and Sean Watkins (all three from Triathlete).

The magazine is being launched by World Triathlon Corporation, producers and licensors of the Ironman and 70.3 events, leaving one to wonder if other media outlets will be granted full and open access to those events now that they’re publishing competitors.  Dan Empfield over at Slowtwitch.com has the answers.