SomeoneStoleMyBike.com is a new website devoted to the millions of individuals worldwide who’ve had their bikes stolen.

From their email: If riding a bike is a universal pastime, then having it stolen is a universal nuisance, and it is for this reason that we have created SomeoneStoleMyBike.com to give individuals a cathartic forum to share their own personal stories and express their distinct feelings and philosophies on the aggravating subject of bike theft. We’ll be updating the page weekly with new stories and encourage people to send their own.  There’s no gimmick or money-making intentions here, just the hope that people will enjoy the videos and find a place to vent.

From me: If I made my video, it would vent about having worked all summer as a kid to buy a Mongoose Decade BMX freestyle bike only to skimp on a cheap lock from Wal-Mart.  It was stolen from the (Catholic) school parking lot during class.  I hope they burn…

Just got word on these new wheelsets from Hope for both 26″ and 29″ wheels (click pic to enlarge).  It’s a Hope Pro III hub with standard 6-bolt disc mounts built with Stan’s NoTubes rims, which will use tape and valves to run tubeless.  Claimed weights are:

29″ version is 843g ft/974g rr
26″ version is 775g ft/906g rr

The Hope Pro III hub‘s been available on wheelsets in the UK built with DT Swiss rims/spokes for a little bit now.  So, what’s new about this?  A couple of things.  First, the one you’re looking at here is assembled in the U.S. by Stan’s NoTubes for Hope.  Second, this means their now available in the U.S.  They’re convertible to 15mm through-axle on the front and 10/12 bolt-thru on the rear.

Read “more” for a shot of the UK wheelset and some additional specs and details…

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The prizes and contests have been announced for the 2009 U.S. MTB Cup Mountain Bike race series.

They include Podium Kickbacks from Kenda Tires, Round Trip VIP packages to the Vegas Finals and complete component set from Hayes Brakes, Under-18 Comp’d Entry Fees from Specialized Bicycles and an Essay Contest from Sho-Air.

In my opinion, this is what racing should be like…more of a party and offering better value and opportunities for the amateur categories.  Kudos to Sho-Air and these sponsors for putting it out there.  Read “more” for full details from each sponsor…

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Kenda’s gearing up for the new U.S. MTB Cup mountain bike race series with their giant inflatable finish line arch.  I spoke with Kenda this week about those sweet white and black tires on the Kenda / Spinergy Pro Team Masi bicycles (see that post here) and found out…nothing.  Well, slightly more than nothing:  They’re prototype rubber compounds and prototype tread patterns and, no, they don’t have any pictures.  I’m working on it.

In the meantime, they did have some good news about the race series:  The first 500 registered racers for the March 1st Kenda Cup race at Bonelli Park will get a free In-N-Out burger meal served up fresh from the chain’s mobile grilling trailer.  The trailer will be on site serving up food for everyone else, too, but those suckaz gotta pay.

FROM BIKE PURE (with minor edits): The global organisation to protect the image of procycling has had a great start to the 2009 season. BikePure volunteers have been busy at the early season races, raising support for the campaign and collecting riders to sign the BP ‘honour codes’

Bike Pure solely wishes to promote the clean riders, so this week we celebrate a great start to the season in results and recruitment. Young Garmin-Slipstream star Dan Martin 4th in the Tour of the Med, Daniel Lloyd (Cervelo) showing he is settling into top level racing well with 4th overall in Qatar and Olivier Kaison (Slience-Lotto), pictured at left, wore the green jersey in the TDU. The Bronze medal in the World cross Champs for Katie Compton (Spike), shows the world that it can be done clean, on and off road.

The talented Brit, Barney Storey who won double gold at the Beijing Paralympics Games signed this week to Bike Pure’s anti doping commitment, along with the overall winner in the Tour of Qatar Kristin Wild (Cervelo) and Phil Cotes (AmoreVita/McDonalds). Kristin’s win is the first stage race victory for BikePure’s riders and we are all delighted for her efforts and talent, helping to move the sport forward. This along with the 400,000 fans who have viewed and support the bike pure website, is great reassurance that we are on the right track to a new future.

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Considered by many as the world’s fastest cyclist, Mark Cavendish (GBR) of Team Columbia-Highroad sprinted to an impressive win in Stage 4 of the 2009 Amgen Tour of California. Two-time defending champion Levi Leipheimer (USA) of Astana was able to retain the overall lead and will wear the Amgen Leader Jersey heading into Stage 5 of the race. The impressive and challenging Stage 4 course, which took the riders from Merced to Clovis, included five King of the Mountain (KOM) and two sprint competitions.

After a fast and furious start to the race, which began with immediate attacks, Cavendish celebrated a narrow victory over Tom Boonen (BEL) of Quick Step.

“This win was massive for me and for the team,” said Cavendish. “I was really driven and I wanted this win bad. The team stayed so well together on every climb and it played into our ends today.”
Though the 115.8-mile stage saw no major changes in the overall general classification, the field faced multiple challenging aspects, including the five categorized climbs between the morning start in Merced and the final flat run-in to the finish line in Clovis.

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PRESS RELEASE: After 25 years of BMX at Cologne Jugendpark, there has to be an adequate celebration for this historical anniversary. Due to this the next World Championships will take place in Cologne – the BMX Worlds from July 10.-12. 2009!  (Click image to see Ben Wallace up close)

Düsseldorf/Cologne, January 14, 2009 Suitable for the worldwide unique contest-series of 25 years at Cologne Jugendpark, in 1994, 1996, 2000, 2002 and 2004, the Freestyle BMX World Championships will now come to Cologne for the sixth time. From 10th to 12th of July 2009, the official BMX Freestyle World Championships of the iBMXFF (international BMX Freestyle Federation) will take place at Jugendpark – the BMX Worlds. Therefore Cologne Jugendpark is manifesting again to be one of the most popular locations of the international BMX-Scene. Over 300 participants from about 40 nations will start in five BMX Freestyle Disciplines: Park, Dirt, Vert, Miniramp and Flatland. This makes the BMX Worlds the most important BMX Freestyle Event of the year.

STAGE 4 WINNERS:
1) Mark Cavendish (GBR), Team Columbia-High Road
2) Tom Boonen (BEL), Quick Step
3) Juan José “J.J.” Haedo (ARG), Team Saxo Bank
4) Thor Hushovd (NOR), Cervelo Test Team
5) Tyler Farrar (USA), Garmin-Slipstream

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE 4 (no changes):
1) Levi Leipheimer (USA), Astana
2) Michael Rogers (AUS), Team Comumbia-High Road
3) David Zabriskie (USA), Garmin-Slipstream
4) Lance Armstrong (USA), Astana
5) Christopher Horner (USA), Astana

STAGE 4 JERSEY WINNERS:
Amgen Race Leader Jersey- Levi Leipheimer (USA), Astana
Amgen’s Breakaway from Cancer Most Courageous Rider Jersey- Tyler Hamilton (USA), Rock Racing
Herbalife Sprint Jersey- Francisco Mancebo (ESP), Rock Racing
Rabobank Best Young Rider Jersey- Robert Gesink (NED), Rabobank
California Travel & Tourism Commission King of the Mountain (KOM) Jersey- Francisco Mancebo (ESP), Rock Racing

Stage 5 starts at 10am PST, Tune in online to watch live at 1pm EST…unless of course your evil employer doesn’t let video sites come up.  In which case, you need one of these.

CLOVIS, California (AFP) – Police on Wednesday said they have recovered a one-of-a-kind bicycle swiped from Tour de France legend Lance Armstrong at a northern California racing venue.

A person brought the purloined Trek training bicycle to a police station in the city of Sacramento, where it was stolen during the weekend.

The person’s name was not released by police, who said the investigation of the theft is continuing. Police said they will return the bicycle to Armstrong, who was competing Wednesday in the Tour of California.

The seven-time Tour de France champion had used the bicycle Saturday at a rain-pelted, wind-pounded opening of the 750-mile race that continues through the week.

Armstrong’s bicycle was one of several stolen from an Astana team truck parked behind a hotel in Sacramento. A lock on the truck was clipped to get inside, according to police.

Armstrong on Sunday sent out a rallying cry to the more than 128,000 Twitter members who have signed up to receive the brief text messages he routinely fires off on the popular micro-blogging service.

A Facebook group called “1 Million Citizens Looking for Lance Armstrong’s Stolen Bike” had grown to 1,282 members by the time word of the Trek’s return hit the Internet on Wednesday.

“Score one for the good guys,” a Twitter user using the screen name ‘kraftmstr’ wrote as the news ricocheted about the website.

Attention on Twitter swiftly shifted back to Armstrong’s latest day in the saddle.

“Watching Lance Armstrong gently shove an idiot into the snow on the roadside in the tour of California,” Twitter user Pete Watson said in a message about what he was doing at the moment. “Falling over laughing – excellent.”

Terrasoles has released their new Beyond sandal for pre- and post-ride comfort.  Made with air holes to increase air flow and keep your tootsies comfy in the summer, they also have a anti-microbial footbed to keep the funk at bay.  One interesting idea their press release had was to throw them in the freezer (ie. your cooler) and slip them on after a race to help cool off.

The big toe lip should help prevent stub accidents, and the textured footbed and arch support supposedly make for a very comfortable piece of footwear.

Read “more” for color options and pricing…

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This feature just popped up on the Tour of California site, and it looks pretty sweet.  There’s a “Play by Play” text stream alongside the video, and live commentary.  Click here to go directly to the video site and stop doing “work” at work.

TEAM ASTANA’S LEVI LEIPHEIMER RETAINS THE AMGEN LEADER JERSEY AFTER STAGE THREE OF THE 2009 AMGEN TOUR OF CALIFORNIA
Cervelo Test Team’s Thor Hushovd Takes Bunch Sprint to Win Stage 3

MODESTO (February 17, 2009) – After completing one of the most defining stages of the 2009 Amgen Tour of California, which included the Sierra Road (Cat. 1) climb, a signature climb in the race, Thor Hushovd (NOR) of Cervelo Test Team held on to take the stage win. Santa Rosa resident Levi Leipheimer (USA) of Astana had another strong performance in front of thousands of enthused cycling fans to retain the overall lead.

The riders were hit hard early in Stage 3, just five miles into the race, when they took on the first King of the Mountains competition (KOM) Sierra Road (1,930 ft.). The racers then sped through flat sections that twisted and turned, including more than 40 switchbacks on Calaveras Road. After tackling the second KOM climb of the day, Patterson Pass (category 4), the stage concluded with a lap around a downtown circuit in Modesto.

Beginning with the difficult Sierra Road climb, the 101.4-mile stage from San Jose to Modesto started off with a warm welcome from a massive crowd. As the field started up the climb just outside of San Jose, a small breakaway group of four riders separated from the pack and was briefly joined by the previous day’s KOM leader Francisco Mancebo (ESP) of Rock Racing.

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