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By this point, everyone knew that the Schleck brothers were no longer going to be a part of Team Saxo Bank, and that they were to be picked up by the new Luxembourg Pro Cycling Team.

What wasn’t know was what manufacturer was going to step up to replace the Specialized bikes underneath the new team. It was announced today at Eurobike by Trek and Brian Nygaard of the Luxembourg Team, that Trek would be the official equipment supplier and adviser of the Luxembourg Pro Team for 2011 and beyond.

While the complete roster is not yet finalized and the title sponsor is yet to be determined, Frank and Andy have both confirmed that they would indeed be racing for the new team which will be led by Director Kim Andersen.

In addition to riding both the Trek Madone and Speed Concept, Trek will outfit the team with the full line of Bontrager components. Drivetrains will be covered by Shimano with a fleet of Di2 equipped rides.

Trek is quick to point out that this sponsorship is in addition to the RadioShack team that is currently equipped by Trek. Both teams will be riding Trek bikes for 2011, with RadioShack being the US based team, and Luxembourg the European squad.

Check out the complete press release after the break!

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Preceded by the Old Salem Criterium on Saturday, the 38th Annual Carolina Cup will again take to the 1.6 mile swooping, curving paved path through Country Park in Greensboro, North Carolina. Featuring $5,500 in cash and prizes, plus an all new Single Speed/Fixed category sponsored by Chrome, this year’s race should be quite the spectacle. As always, there are free kid’s races in the middle of the day. Check the site for the mail in entry form to get the lowest price, or register through Active.com. We’ll see you there.

Stage five of the 2010 Breck Epic started with a warning that it would be the hardest climbing stage thanks to it’s maximum altitude of over 12,500 feet. In actuality, while tough, it went by quicker than the two previous stages (for me, anyway), and had some really big descents to make up for the more than 1,000 vertical feet of hike a bike trudging.

On the first climb of the last day, just before entering the singletrack, we passed by this old mining structure. Dickie caught and passed me before I could get the camera turned on, and this photo turned out better than one with some random riders in the foreground anyway.

More pics after the break…

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The Vuelta a Espana Stage race starts tomorrow August 28th, and will conclude on Sunday September 19th, with every stage available live on Universal Sports. Watch as many of the big names like Andy Schleck, Denis Menchov, Tyler Farrar, and Mark Cavendish duke it out in one of the years last big stage races.

Live coverage is available in one of two ways, TV and Online. Coverage will begin each day at 10 am ET, with the exception of the race opening night Time Trial through the streets of Seville on August 28 at 3:30 pm ET.

Have DirecTV but not Universal Sports? Good news there, as DirecTV is making Universal Sports Coverage of the Vuelta a Espana available free of charge to any DirecTV subscriber, just tune to channel 604. Otherwise check with your local cable provider to see if you get Universal Sports, or if it is offered.

Universal Sports will also be hosting the Grand Tour Giveaway, where by predicting the stage winners you could win a trip to 2011 Vuelta, a Giant Defy 1 Road Bike or Authentic Vuelta Red 75th Anniversary Jersey.

Check out the anniversary jersey after the break.

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Will Thor be riding for Garmin next season?

Jean Paul Van Poppel, venerable DS of the Cervélo Test Team, has given a clear indication that the rumors surrounding the Test Team’s demise at the end of the season are true, reports Velonation.

The website takes up Biciclismo.com’s Spanish-language reporting, which quoted Van Poppel as saying “I cannot deny that it is true. The future will change. For me, it is a question of how [it will happen]. I hope that we don’t stop completely, but at this moment I can say nothing meaningful about it.”

Carlos Sastre had already confirmed his move to the Geox team next season, but the indications are that Cervélo had not tried to offer him - or any of the other riders whose contracts were up - a renegotiated deal for 2011. Biciclismo is reporting that Thor Hushovd, Hienrich Haussler, Roger Hammond and Andreas Klier will move to Garmin-Transitions next year, and that Cervélo will also supply bikes to the team, which is part-owned by David Millar.

Cervélo have scheduled a pre-Vuelta press conference for Saturday morning, where the situation will presumably become clearer. If the news is true, it will see the end of a fascinating experiment, so well documented in their Beyond the Peloton videos - and the close to another chapter in the stuttering history of manufacturer-sponsored teams. The Test Team undoubtedly enhanced the reputation of the innovative bike manufacturer, but it appears the costs of maintaining a UCI ProTour team were simply too high.

The women’s team will stay as a stand-alone entity, it is reported.

Yesterday’s stage three was the first of two stages to take us over 12,000 feet, and the only one where we cross the continental divide. Twice. Shown above is some of the backcountry single track as we joyfully ride through the fields, unaware of the massive climbs to come.

Check more photos from stages three and four, including some of the leftover mining equipment and more great trails after the break…

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Day one at the Breck Epic was a brutal ride up ridiculous climbs and bumpy descents. There’s no pleasant way to put it, and I was one hurt puppy after it was over. With a finishing time of 5h15m, it put me firmly in last place among the Bikerumor Media Cup contenders. Dickie and Peter had about 45 minutes on me and the others, well, they’re in a league of their own.

There were a few redeeming sections of singletrack, and some great sites like the old mining shack above (remnants of these are littered through the forest everywhere…I saw one today that was a simple A-frame with an old toilet in it).

More pics and visuals after the break…

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A last minute addition to Bikerumor Media Cup competitors, MTBRaceNews.com’s Shannon Boffeli has thrown his hat into the ring. The BMC is the race within a race for us blogger/journo folk at the 2010 Breck Epic. So far, you’ve met Rich “Team Dicky” Dillen and Doper Suck’s Brandon Dwight, Jasen Thorpe, and yours truly, Tyler Benedict, Misfit Psycles’ Peter Keiller, and Mountain Flyer Magazine’s Jordan Carr.  Now, truly bringing up the rear, is race reporter and founder of MTBRaceNews.com, Shannon Boffeli:

Name: Shannon Boffeli
Hometown: LaMotte, Iowa (Now Salt Lake City)
Breck Epic Race Bike: 2010 Felt Team Nine?Bike Spec: Cannondale lefty fork, Stan’s No Tubes Race 29er, Ergon GX-1 grips, Race Face cranks and riser bar, Easton post, and XTR drive
Bike Weight: 21lbs 1oz

Ad Libs:  My name’s Shannon Boffeli and I’ve been riding bikes since I was fifteen years old and racing for about 19 years longer than I haven’t been racing bikes, weird. I started racing bikes as soon as I started riding, no one in the Midwest just rides, everyone races. My favorite racing accomplishment is beating my wife an I finished 7th at the 2007 TransAlp, best race experience ever!

I’m ‘racing’ in the Bikerumor Media Cup because I started MTBRaceNews.com specifically to talk about exciting races like this one and I like being in any kind of competition. Unfortunately, Brandon Dwight is racing in the Cup too, which sucks because you might not of noticed, but he podiumed here last year and was rubbing elbows with Jeremiah Bishop and will likely embarrass us all. I would like to beat the altitude in Breck, it routinely kicks my ass.

Thus far, my training has consisted of a little racing, a little training, and more time spent on the internet than a porn addict. In the month leading up to the Breck Epic this August, I’ll be preparing by riding my mountain bike until my taint has impenetrable protective callus that will withstand 6 stages on a hardtail.

If I win the Cup, I’ll celebrate by retreating to somewhere with more oxygen and spending another week marking the Park City Point to Point course by bike. Basically back-to-back stage races.

An action shot of Shannon after the break…

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Checked in at the 2010 Breck Epic and camp is all set up. Saw the other racers competing in the Bikerumor Media Cup and heard Brandon Dwight has backed out, which means the rest of us will actually have a race on our hands. Of course, we’ll be well behind the heat brought by Jeremiah Bishop, Ross Schnell, the gang from Topeak Ergon and Pua Sawicki (and any other pros I didn’t see at dinner).

Check after the break for a photo of the setting sun hitting the mountains in the distance…

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Check in for the 2010 Breck Epic is tomorrow. The excitement is building, but for the Bikerumor Media Cup competitors, there’s more than just pride and bragging rights on the line. There’s this sweet trophy cup. There’s only one in existence, and someone below will walk away with it, ready to be filled with the frosty beverage of their choice.

Here’s who’s in contention among us quasi-journalist like folk:

• Rich Dillen (Bad Idea Racing)
• Jasen Thorpe (PR lackey)
• Brandon Dwight (Dopers Suck)
• Tyler Benedict (Bikerumor)
• Peter Keiller (Misfit Psycles)
• Jordan Carr (Mountain Flyer Magazine)
• Shannon Boffeli (MTBRaceNews.com) (Updated 8/21/10, 9:04pm  MST)

See you chumps tomorrow!

In a last minute switch-a-roo among Bikerumor Media Cup competitors, Mountain Flyer Magazine’s Jordan Carr will be replacing their editor, Brian Riepe. The BMC is the race within a race for us blogger/journo folk at the 2010 Breck Epic. So far, you’ve met Rich “Team Dicky” Dillen and Doper Suck’s Brandon Dwight, Jasen Thorpe, and yours truly, Tyler Benedict and Misfit Psycles’ Peter Keiller.  Now, bringing up the rear, is a true ladies man, Jordan Carr:

Name: Jordan Carr
Hometown: Gunnison, CO
Breck Epic Race Bike: Not sure yet… Hopefully it will have two wheels though and gears…

Ad Libs:
My name’s Jordan Carr and I’ve been riding bikes since I was four years old and racing for a few years. I currently/used to (choose one, delete the other) race electric wheelchairs and my favorite racing accomplishment is trying, which is the key to anything in life.

I’m ‘racing’ in the Bikerumor Media Cup because I like to ride bikes for Mountain Flyer. Unfortunately, Peter from Misfit is racing in the Cup too, which sucks because he is probably a good beer drinker (he looks hardcore in his photo and he’s from Canada) and will likely drink us all under the table.

However, everyone else is racing in it too, which is good because they will provide a bigger pace line to draft from (drafting is legal, right?).

Thus far, my training has consisted of working out with my shake weight In the month leading up to the Breck Epic this August, I’ll be preparing by doing lots of sit-ups and pull ups, as I hear it is important to have big guns and a six pack.

If I win the Cup, I’ll celebrate by going for another bike ride the next day.

A true action shot of Jordan is after the break…

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The new Joule 2.0 gives you all the information you need and more.

CycleOps has been in the powermeter market from the start. From their initial hub offering they have made their hub system lighter, wireless and ANT+ compatible. The Joule 2.0 marks the first major overhaul of the head unit that reads all the data, and it is a big step forward. The Joule 2.0 shows all of the information you could possibly want to view while riding, and more is available after downloading. The new joystick navigation makes it easier to scroll through the various screens, making it simple to use. This really is an entirely new product rather than just a simple overhaul. (more…)

USA Cycling announced that its Road, Track & Cyclo-cross Board of Trustees has voted in favor of several rule changes for the upcoming cyclo-cross season.

The new rules are in line with the UCI rulebook and will take effect at the beginning of the 2010/2011 cyclo-cross season. The changes accomplish the following three things:

1) Establish rules for cyclo-cross race feeding
2) Change the manner in which lapped riders are handled to enable the use of the 80% rule currently utilized in many mountain bike events, and
3) Modify the rules regarding course obstacles (barrier height, distance between, and total number of obstacles on the course)

A summary of the rule changes follows after the break…

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With Lance Armstrong dropping out of contention earlier in the week, Levi Leipheimer left the competition in the dust to set a new course record at the Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race. He finished in 6h 16m 37s, besting Armstrong’s time last year by 12 minutes. Photo above by TrekBen of Leipheimer rolling up to the finish line. Armstrong was quick to congratulate with, of course, a Tweet.

For the women, Rebecca Rusch followed suit by setting a new course record of 7h 47m.

FROM USA CYCLING: USA Cycling announced today the 53 athletes nominated to represent the United States at the 2010 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Mont Sainte Anne, Quebec, September 1-5.

Seven men and seven women will wear the red, white and blue while competing for world titles in the elite cross country races.

As the reigning national champion, and winner of the 2010 USA Cycling Pro XCT, Todd Wells (Durango, Colo./Specialized) earned the only automatic nomination to the elite men’s cross country squad. He’ll be joined on the course by discretionary nominees Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Boulder, Colo./Subaru-Trek), Adam Craig (Bend, Ore./Giant), Sam Schultz (Missoula, Mont./Subaru-Trek), Michael Broderick (Chilmark, Mass./Kenda-Seven-NoTubes), Carl Decker (Bend, Ore./Giant), and Spencer Paxson (Seattle, Wash./Team S&M Young Guns).

Three women received automatic nominations to compete in the elite women’s contest in Mont Saint Anne.  Georgia Gould (Fort Collins, Colo./Luna) earned her nomination by way of winning the national championship cross country race as well as the overall USA Cycling Pro XCT. In addition, the Colorado rider earned a silver medal in the third stop on the World Cup and is currently ranked fifth in the overall World Cup standings. As the highest ranked American woman in the UCI rankings, in sixth-place, Willow Koerber (Durango, Colo./Subaru-Trek) also picked up an automatic nomination to the team. In addition to her UCI ranking, Ms. Koerber met several other qualifications to receive an automatic nomination, including winning the first World Cup of the season, placing second in the second World Cup, and currently sitting in third in the overall World Cup standings. With a fourth-place effort in the fifth stop on the World Cup circuit, Katie Compton (Colorado Springs, Colo./Planet Bike) also earned an automatic nomination to the team. Gould, Koerber, and Compton will join forces with four discretionary nominees:
Mary McConneloug (Chilmark, Mass./Kenda-Seven-NoTubes), Heather Irmiger (Boulder, Colo./Subaru-Trek), Kelli Emmett (Colorado Springs, Colo./Giant), and Allison Mann (Murietta, Calif./Rock N Road).
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