After fending off the relentless Schleck brothers attacks then dropping everyone to solo to a massive victory on Stage 16 of the 2009 Tour de France, the UCI became suspicious.

And those suspicions proved founded after Euskaltel-Euskadi’s Spanish rider Mikel Astarloza tested positive for EPO, the UCI claims.  He has been provisionally suspended, but he’ll likely appeal and has the right to be present for the testing of his “B” samples.

See how it all went down in our recap of Stage 16 here, and hit ‘more’ to see a video interview with Astarloza after Stage 16…

(more…)

JammyCo has introduced their 1stTimeTri app for the iPhone and iPod Touch.  It’s designed to walk beginners through a 12-week training program to prepare for their first triathlon.  The training workouts were designed by former professional triathlete Jamima Wolk.

Prior to using starting their workout, they recommend you’re able to do the following (individually, not one after another): (1) swim a total of 4 laps or 100 yards during a particular workout (this can include stops in-between laps); (2) bike for 20 minutes without stopping, at an easy, leisurely pace; and (3) run at least one mile continuously using an easy, leisurely pace.

It’s available through iTunes (link will launch iTunes, assuming you have it installed) for $9.99 USD.

Screenshots shown when you hit “more”…

(more…)

Veho has introduced the “world’s smallest” video camera, and it intends to offer an “extreme sports pack” to give us cyclists a new toy to play with.

Dubbed the Muvi, its diminutive size hides real ability.  A Two megapixel camera that records 640×480 video at 30fps, and audio is recorded via built in microphone.  The surprise feature?  Voice-activated

It comes with 2GB Micro SD card, but can use up to 8GB cards.  Powered by a built-in rechargeable Li-Ion battery, it connects to your PC or Mac via USB.

It’s fairly cheap at £80.00 (approximately $132 USD) and the Extreme Sports Kit, which includes helmet and handlebar mounts, is £20.00 more.  They’ll be kicking it off at the UK Cycle Show in October, according to BikeBiz.

More pics after the break…

(more…)

Wednesday, the New York City Council passed Intro. 871, the Bicycle Access Bill, by a 46-1 margin. When signed by Mayor Bloomberg, the new law will enable tens of thousands of would-be bike commuters to bring their bikes into the workplace. Fear of bicycle theft is the number-one reason seasoned bicyclists do not bike to work.

The Bicycle Access Bill requires commercial buildings to allow bicyclists entry, provided there is space set aside by their respective employers to accommodate them. Bicycling is the fastest-growing mode of transportation in NYC, and Transportation Alternatives is campaigning to double cycling by 2011 using tools like the Bicycle Access Bill. Encouraging bike commuting not only supports a more sustainable New York City, it also improves the health of New Yorkers.

“No other city in the country has a policy like the one City Council passed today,” says Paul Steely White, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives. “When we open the doors of New York City’s workplaces to cyclists, tens of thousands of commuters are going to get on two wheels.”

(Editor’s Note: Here at Bikerumor, we’re a bit ahead of the curve.  We’ve let bicycles into our office since day one. Yep, that picture above, that’s where all this magic happens…)

(more…)

British Garmin-Slipstream rider Bradley Wiggins, who finished fourth in this year’s Tour de France, is making public two years of blood tests to dispel any rumor that he didn’t earn his top finish.

Many were surprised that he finished as well as he did, and he wanted to nip any controversy in the bud.

“Brad is an exceptionally talented athlete and it was great to see him do so well in the Tour de France,” said Jonathan Vaughters, chief executive of Slipstream Sports. “He’s always been an outspoken advocate of cleancycling. He requested that we release his results after the Tour and his decision makes me and the entire team proud.”

“I came from nowhere on the Tour and everyone knows where it’s been with blood doping,” said Wiggins yesterday. “I don’t want there to be any suspicion or doubt that what I did was natural. I have nothing to hide and I want this transparency. If more people did that, fans would have a lot more respect for our achievements.”

Hit ‘more’ to see his blood test charts…

(more…)

Focus Bicycles, a German bike brand that outfitted Gerald Ciolek and the rest of Team Milram in this year’s Tour de France, has just begun bringing their bikes into the U.S.  Containers are on the water at this very moment!

We’ve got some pics to share, and we talked to Chris McLaren of Focus Bicycles USA to see what was up with the bikes:

BIKERUMOR: Why did Focus wait until now to enter the US market?

CHRIS: The parent company of Focus Bicycles USA, Inc., Derby Cycle Werke GmbH, is the owner of several brands including Focus, its largest and fastest growing brand. Derby has had an eye on the US market for a long time, viewing it as one with high potential. After gaining incredible momentum in its home country of Germany and in many markets around the world, Derby feels that the time is right to jump into the American market with a dedicated presence.

Focus will be in the American market for the long haul and its parent company sees steady, conservative growth over a long period of time as the best way to achieve success. Focus sees real room in the market for a bicycle manufacturer that can offer incredible service and transparency to dealers and the world’s best bikes to consumers.

After an extensive search Derby selected former bicycle retailer and one-time Vice President at PowerBar Scott Rittschof to head their new American subsidiary. In the short order Scott has brought in several key people to support a growing dealer base and consumers: Jeff Rowe in operations, myself to head up sales and Chris Michels as a Customer Service expert. Between the four of us, we have over 50 years of industry experience.

BIKERUMOR: What makes Focus bikes different/special/better?

CHRIS: Focus bikes are totally unique because they are designed by riders for riders. From their line of Izalco performance road bikes to their complete line of tried and tested city bikes, every Focus model has been created by a team that truly understands a rider’s needs. Focus is widely regarded as one of the most innovative bike manufacturers in Europe and their team of passionate designers, engineers and product managers work closely with top level riders to create new and innovative technologies that help all kinds of riders enjoy their time on a bike more.

(more…)

The 2009 Rocky Mountain Bicycle Show is headed to Denver, CO, August 22-23, 2009.

Held at the National Western Complex, it’ll host bicycle art and memorabilia from collector Howie Cohen, handmade bicycle builders like Tiemeyer Cycles, Black Sheep, Rene Herse, Courage Bicycles, Anvil Bicycle Works and big names like Moots showing off their finest.  Plus, check out the latest from various component manufacturers.

Free local craft beer samples, kids bike rodeo, parties and roller races round out the festivities.  $10 for adults, kids 12 and under are free.  Proceeds benefit Bike Denver and Bicycle Colorado.

Are you a budding photographer and/or journalist and/or just want to get your name out there?  Shoot us an email if you’re attending and want to take pics of cool handmade bikes and other drool-worthy stuff and we’ll cover your entry fee.

Bicycle and component manufacturers, as well as helmet and gear companies, announced the formation of GOCEM (Global Organization of Cycling Equipment Manufacturers) with the goal of providing a unified voice for the cycling industry when dealing with the UCI.

“Cycling Equipment manufacturers (frames, components, wheels, drive trains, helmets, apparel), represent the largest and most influential contributors to both the cycling industry and professional cycling,” said Phil White, co-founder of Cervélo and one of the coordinators of the GOCEM founding group. “Providing approximately 100 million Euros annually in sponsorship, product and support, manufacturers have the greatest investment and a vested interest in the success and growth of the sport.”

“GOCEM is a global organization that has attracted universal support,” explained Claudio Marra, general manager of FSA and a coordinator of the GOCEM founding group. “From Asia to Europe and North America, we have seen tremendous interest from the international community of cycling equipment manufacturers.”

(more…)

BikePortland.org recently interviewed a range of folks all involved in online mapping, route planning and related data to figure out how, when and why we can or can’t expect nationwide bicycle route mapping systems to come online.

One of the biggest hurdles, according to Aaron Antrim, owner of Trillium Transit Internet Solutions, the company that designs websites for municipal transit agencies, is a lack of data.  Google Maps, for instance, requires cities to upload their own transit info in a specific format…which, for most cities, isn’t an issue.  Cyclists, and the cities they live in, however, haven’t compiled the data to give Google or anyone else the info it needs to create routes tailored to cycling.

ByCycle.org has an open source platform that’s put together maps for several cities, and Peter Smith has dedicated his Google Maps Bike There blog to getting Google to set it up.

Read the full BikePortland article if you’re interested…

Technically, the “first look” was the camera phone spy pics we posted a couple weeks back, but here are the first full production “glamour shots” of the all-new 2010 Ellsworth Enlightenment carbon fiber hardtail.

We spoke to Tony Ellsworth about the bike quite a bit over since he leaked his spy shots to us, and here’s what he’s been saying about this frame:

BIKERUMOR: Excluding the source or type of carbon on the bike, what makes this bike different and/or better than other carbon hard tails?
TONY: Aside from the grapes and the barrel, what makes the wine different? Aside from the Engine and the tires, what makes the car different….
I suppose the detail paid to the lay pattern, and the shapes that channel the energy into and away from the frame would make it special. I’m extremely meticulous when I look at a design challenge. I think the frame will ride with more life then other frames when it comes right down to it, it’s about the liveliness of the frame, it’s ability to flex where it should and not where it shouldn’t, and how it springs back from the designed-in flex features… I’m also quite proud of the graphics…!

BIKERUMOR: Why a hardtail? Given that most people ride full suspension, why not take the energy and effort and put it into a carbon Truth or Evolve?
TONY:What makes you think I’m done??!??!? Mu ha ha ha ha.

More pics, specs and Q&A after the break…

(more…)

Here’s a fun project for the weekend we found on Threadbanger:

“Speedy” by drummerboy1214.

For more Pics Of The Day, click here.