BikeRumor.com

A strong and competitive Team Saxo Bank, led by South Australia’s Stuart O’Grady, will take to the start line at the 2009 Tour Down Under.

Race Director Mike Turtur highlighted that Stuart O’Grady is the only rider in the Tour Down Under’s history to have won the event twice.

“Stuart O’Grady won the inaugural Tour Down Under in 1999 and again in2001,” said Mike Turtur.
“Stuart has had the taste of victory here twice before and I know he will hit the race hard, looking to add a third title to his crown.

(more…)

The Tour Down Under keeps adding more teams and star riders to their lineup.

2003 Tour de France Green Jersey Winner Baden Cooke will be the leadrider for the 2009 UniSA-Australia team at next month’s Tour Down Under.  The UniSA-Australia team is a mix of seasoned pros and college riders, giving younger talent a chance to ride with Pro Tour cyclists on their home turf.

Additionally, Italian UCI ProTour teams Liquigas and Lampre-N.G.C. have confirmed their places on the 2009 Tour Down Under start list.

“Liquigas finished fourth overall in the Team Classification at the 2008 TourDown Under, so we expect them to be tough competition in 2009,” said MikeTurtur, Tour Down Under Race Director.

Read “more” for the Lampre and Liquigas team rosters…

(more…)

In 2009, Team Type 1 is expanding to include a triathlon team, a developmental squad, a women’s professional squad and two teams for the Race Across America (RAAM): Team Type 1 and Team Type 2. The athletes with diabetes in these programs serve as examples that diabetes can be controlled through diet, exercise and the use of the best treatment and technology available today.

Team Type 1 is the only professional cycling team in the world with a mission to instill hope and inspiration for people around the world affected by diabetes. It was created in 2004 by two racers with Type 1 diabetes, Phil Southerland and Joe Eldridge. The pair led the squad to back-to-back victories in the Race Across America (RAAM) in 2006 and 2007 before joining Fabio Calabria and Timothy Hargrave as two of four professional riders with Type 1 diabetes on the roster in 2008.

(more…)

USA Cycling has announced the first round of nominations to the United States National Team for the 2009 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Hoogerheide, Netherlands, Jan. 31-Feb. 1.

Five athletes were named to each of the elite women’s, U23 men’s and junior men’s squads based on competitive performances over the course of the last year.

After capturing her fifth consecutive USA Cycling Cylco-cross National title, Katie Compton (Colorado Springs, Colo./Spike) received an automatic nomination and will lead the elite women’s squad. Compton is currently ranked third in the world behind Dutchwoman Daphny van den Brand and World Cup leader Hanka Kupfernagel (GER). After her silver-medal-performance at the World Championships in 2006, with two World Cup victories and a trio of top-three finishes already this season, Compton is not only an automatic qualifier to the squad, but looks to be a favorite in Hoogerheide.

(more…)

Only three events in the 2009 USA Cycling National Championship events calendar have yet to name a location:

• March 21: USA Cycling BMX National Championships – Desoto, Texas
• May 8-10: USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships – Fort Collins, Colo.
• June 28 – July 4: USA Cycling Masters Road National Championships – Louisville, Ky.
• July 2-5: USA Cycling Junior Track National Championships – Carson, Calif.
• July 4: USA Cycling Mountain Bike Marathon National Championships – Breckenridge, Colo.
• July 8-12: USA Cycling Junior, U23 & Elite Road National Championships – Location TBD
• July 10: USA Cycling Tandem Sprint Championships – Trexlertown, Pa.
• July 16-19: USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships – Granby, Colo.
• Aug. 15-16: USA Cycling Elite & Professional Criterium National Championships – Downers Grove, Ill.
• Aug. 18-23: USA Cycling Masters Track National Championships – Indianapolis, Ind.
• Aug. 29-30: USA Cycling Professional Road & Time Trial National Championships – Greenville, S.C.
• Sept. 19-20: USA Cycling 24 Hour Mountain Bike National Championships – Payson, Ariz.
• Sept. 30 – Oct. 4: USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships – Carson, Calif.
• Dec. 10-13: USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships – Bend, Ore.
• Date TBD: USA Cycling Collegiate Track National Championships – Location TBD
• Date TBD: USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships – Location TBD
• Date TBD: USA Cycling International Omnium National Championships – Location TBD

FROM USA CYCLING:

The 2009-10 USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships have been awarded to the city of Bend, Ore., the national governing body announced today.

The USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships were last held in the Pacific Northwest when Portland hosted the 2003 and 2004 editions. Since then, the annual event has been held in Providence, R.I. (2005-06) and Kansas City, Kan. (2007-08). With scheduled dates of Dec. 10-13 in 2009 and Dec. 9-12 in 2010, the two-year commitment returns the national championships to one of the most popular hotbeds of cyclo-cross racing in North America.

With more than 2,000 athletes from around the nation expected to compete in Bend next year, 35 national titles will be on the line throughout several categories of racing; including junior, U23, collegiate, masters and elite divisions for men and women. 

(more…)

VeloPress recently released the 2nd edition of Weight Training for Cyclists, which includes updated pictures and exercises developed specifically for improving your riding.  We asked coauthor Ken Doyle to pick three exercises, one each for core, arms and legs, that would have the most impact on your riding.  Ken is USCF licensed coach and an exercise physiologist certified by the National Athletic Trainers Association and the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

Of course, there are a lot more in the 224 pages of the book, and I’m not advocating that you focus on just these three, but if you’re pressed for time, click the “more” button to get FREE printable pages of Ken’s top three picks…

(more…)

From Bike Pure:
Bike Pure are pleased to announce that Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team have requested to be part of our anti-doping campaign adding to our growing list of teams and riders. The team’s Commercial Manager Frank
Kwanten confirmed their inclusion in a statement to Bike Pure recently.

The new Dutch Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team recently added Dane Martin Mortensen to it’s team. Mortensen won a stage in this years Boucle de L’Artois, the Trophée Arras and the Duo Normand. Dutchman Gerben
Löwik and Italian Matteo Carrara are also new additions to the team for 2009. 31-year-old Löwik recently rode for Rabobank while the 29-year-old Carrara makes the transfer from Quick Step.

Cyclo-cross international Thijs van Amerongen is already a Bike Pure listed rider so it is great news to get his complete team on board in support of our anti-doping campaign. We wish them every success for 2009.

The team’s page will be listed on our site in the coming days but in the meantime please visit Vacansoleil’s official site at www.vacansoleilcyclingteam.co.uk

The 2009 Amgen Tour of California will once again bring together a world-class field of cycling teams from multiple nations, including eight of the sport’s top-rated ProTour teams.  Race organizers confirmed today that entries for the fourth annual race will include Lance Armstrong and the Amgen Tour of California’s two-time defending champion Levi Leipheimer’s team, Astana, along with two of the top U.S.-based teams, Garmin-Slipstream (new to the ProTour circuit) and Columbia Highroad (formerly Team High Road).  Also racing will be Team Saxo Bank, which finished in the top-three of the world rankings last season and Quick Step, which claimed 55 victories in the 2008 season.

The 2009 Amgen Tour of California roster includes the following eight ProTour professional cycling teams:

• Ag2r-La Mondiale (FRA)
• Astana (LUX)
• Garmin-Slipstream (USA)
• Liquigas (ITA)
• Quick Step (BEL)
• Rabobank (Netherlands)
• Columbia Highroad (USA)
• Team Saxo Bank (DEN)

The recently expanded 750-mile, nine-day stage race, considered to be the most important and popular race held on U.S. soil, will take the world’s top professional cycling teams from Sacramento to San Diego County from February 14-22, 2009.

(more…)

The Euskaltel-Euskadi (ESP) team and new UCI ProTour Fuji-Servetto(ESP) team will add to the list of Spanish riders competing at nextyear’s Tour Down Under.

Mike Turtur, Race Director, Tour Down Under said Spanish teams have astrong and successful cycling history.

“The Euskaltel-Euskadi and Fuji-Servetto teams are welcome additions to the already talented rider and team line-up for the event,” said Mike Turtur.

(more…)

Fresh from their team training camp in Tenerife, Chris Horner gave us an interview about what it’s like to have Lance on the team, what the Europeans think of the relatively new U.S. stage races like the tours of California and Georgia (and how we can improve their status among the “grand” tours), and what it’s like to be on a Pro Tour team.

BIKERUMOR: If you weren’t a pro bicycle racer, what would you be doing?
Flippin’ burgers (laughs)…I don’t know, I’ve never thought about doing anything else.

BIKERUMOR: I read about a lot of pro mountain bikers that have day jobs…are there many (or any) Pro Tour riders that have to keep a job on the side?
No. There’s many pro road racers that do, but no Pro Tour guys that keep jobs.

BIKERUMOR: Let’s talk about the Europeans for a bit. When you travel there for some of the big classics, what’s the overall attitude from the other racers and from the crowds toward American riders?
I think it’s always good from both. The Americans are welcome now, everybody’s used to us.

BIKERUMOR: How do you think the Europeans regard our relatively new stage races like the Tour of CA and Tour of GA? Do those events have any relevance to them?
They all love CA. All the riders want to come back and do it, and more teams want to come do it. They like it, they think it’s hard racing and the courses are good. I don’t think any racer is going to compare it to the Giro, but it would compare with something like Romandy (Switzerland).

Click “more” to read the rest of the interview…

(more…)

NiteFlux is an Australian brand of bicycle lights, offering a full range for commuters to racers.  We tested the Photon 4 Commuter light, which is the starting point for their line.

All NiteFlux lights are crafted from Aluminum Alloy, black anodized with laser etched logos.  Inside, all of their lights have an electronic brain that controls the power to protect against total discharge, alert you when the battery is too low and keep “Constant Wattage” going to the light.  This last bit is helpful when the battery starts getting low…it keeps the light at full brightness. Instead of dimming, it’ll blink every few seconds to let you know you have a limited amount of time to get where you’re going.

We’ve got about two solid months of night riding and commuting with the light, and we’re extremely impressed.  For a straight up Commuter light, you’d be hard pressed to find a better light that has so many mounting options, has a lot of upgrade options and is so darn bright!

Even if you’re looking for a racing or mountain bike light, read this review, because the technology and features in the Photon are the same for their higher end lights. If you’re into 24 hour racing…you’ll like being able to piggyback chargers to reduce charge time to just 2 hours!  Check out video, pics and the full review when you read “more“…

(more…)

From the Tour Down Under:
A strong Astana team will support Lance Armstrong when he makes his return to professional cycling at the 2009 Tour Down Under in Adelaide.

Tour Down Under Race Director, Mike Turtur, believes victory by the Astana team is not out of the question.

“We all know that Lance Armstrong is a champion, but the rest of his Astana team mates heading Down Under should not be underestimated,” said Mike Turtur.

Assan Bazayev, Steve Morabito and Maxim Iglinskiy all competed in Astana’s team at the 2008 Giro d’Italia. The Astana team finished seventh on Stage 1 of the 2008 Giro d’Italia, with Astana rider Alberto Contador going on to win the overall event.
(more…)

VeloNews is reporting that Rock Racing Pro Cycling Team may be the victim of some budget cuts at Rock & Republic Jeans.

While no one is confirming it, and several people are actually stating that the team will race as planned, there are some factors that cast doubt on their future.  For instance, 10 of their riders were left off the USA Cycling Continental Pro Team roster, and one rider is saying he’s had no communication with team management.

We’ve got one of our writers looking into it and we’ll keep you posted…

Although this interview has been in progress for about a week, it’s a great followup to the NYC Critical Mass post below.

I spoke with Atlanta’s Courteous Mass ride organizers, Jeff McMichael and Jett Marks, about their softer version of Atlanta’s Critical Mass, about the ride and why they differentiate it from a typical CM.  They’re both daily, year-round bike commuters, are members of the Atlanta Bicycle Campaign and work with a few local bicycle groups.  In other words, they’re pretty much like you and I, except they’re doing the right things to get more people on bikes…

BIKERUMOR: Are you the organizer for Atlanta’s Critical Mass or Courteous Mass?

JEFF: I am helping to organize the Atlanta Courteous Mass Rides. I seek opinions on routes and other matters, and post announcements on various local websites.

Critical Mass is a ‘leaderless ride’, often with just the people in front going where they want.

BIKERUMOR: Sounds like Fight Club…you don’t talk about Critical Mass, or at least not the “organization” behind it. Why not?

JEFF: I think this quote from the Wikipedia Critical Mass article says it better than I could:

“The “disorganized” nature of the event allows it to largely escape clampdown by authorities who may view the rides as forms of parades or organized protest. Additionally, the movement is free from the structural costs associated with a centralized, hierarchical organization. In order for the event to function, the only requirement is a sufficient turn-out to create a “critical mass” of riders dense enough to occupy a piece of road to the exclusion of drivers of motorized vehicles, pedestrians, and other road users.”

Read “more” for the links, pics and the rest of the interview…

(more…)