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Found this via FixedGearGallery by way of BikeMandan.com. It’s a handbuilt wood bike called the Birch Bike and was crafted by Alan Downey in Austin, TX. Sure, it’s a bit odd to see a double crankset on a fixie, but irregardless, it’s supposedely the first all wood fixed gear bike submitted to their gallery.
Another photo after the break, or just shoot on over to FGG for more…
Specific route details for the 2010 Amgen Tour of California professional cycling race will be revealed beginning tomorrow via individual stage videos, AEG, presenter of the fifth-annual event, announced today. The videos have been created in collaboration between the start and finish cities of each stage (designated at “host cities”), highlighting features of the route for the eight-day event. Two videos will be released per day throughout the week of Feb. 8, and they can be viewed online at the Amgen Tour of California Web site (www.amgentourofcalifornia.com), as well as the Amgen Tour of California’s Facebook page and on YouTube.
Stage-by-stage videos revealing the routes will be released on the following days:
You can check there, of course, or you can just check them out here on Bikerumor with all the other sweet cycling goodness…
Colnago’s top-end EPS road bike gets the custom white treatment from Pista Palace, one of the largest Colnago U.S. dealers. Occasionally, Colnago will do a custom, limited run of special paint jobs for dealers, and here’s the latest: The White Palace Edition EPS.
In 2009, they had a metallic candy apple red version that was pretty sweet, too, but for this year you can get three versions of the White Palace. If you’re a fan of steel, they’re also doing a White Palace Master Pista and Master X-Lite with some seriously nice chromed lugs.
More pictures, plus video of an EPS frame being built, after the break…
If you consider yourself a “roadie,” chances are you get a lot of strange looks from your friends, family, and coworkers when you don your Lycra skinsuit or they see the 15 bikes hanging in your garage. The cycling world can get pretty weird at times. Unless you are a rider, there is a lot of stuff that the general public just doesn’t get. Why do we shave our legs? What’s with all those wheels you have laying around? You spent HOW much on your last bike?
We are faced with these questions almost inevitably when we are in the presence of an “outsider,” and it can be tiring repeatedly explaining why we rabidly raid the refrigerator in search of calories or spend hours on end in a dark, damp basement counting watts on the trainer.
Enter Roadie: The Misunderstood World of a Bike Racer, by veteran race announcer Jamie Smith. After spending years explaining the little idiosyncrasies of being a bike racer, Smith decided to write a book to bring understanding to the masses. Roadie acts as a complete guide to the life of a bike racer, written for those confused friends, family, and coworkers in your life who have never driven two hours to race a 45 minute criterium, and have no idea what a 5 hour solo training ride feels like. Everything they ever wanted to know but never understood is covered in the book; training, equipment, racing, lifestyle and everything in between. The best part? It’s engaging, entertaining, and down right fun, from front cover to back.
Although written with the non-cyclist in mind, those more familiar with the way of the bicycle will get a kick out of the book also, as Smith captures every little intricacy of being a bike racer; a fantastically interesting self examination of cyclists. Each chapter, lesson, and story is dead accurate, but simple enough for your next door neighbor to understand. I found myself nodding in agreement with each page, as Smith picked apart everything it means to be a bike racer in a way that only a true roadie could.
The book is published by VeloPress and available online here for $21.95 or at most book retailers (editor’s note: Amazon = $14.93). You can also follow Smith’s blog here, where he keeps some hilarious commentary on various topics around the cycling world.
The Tour of Qatar was blown apart by a gutsy break by two smaller teams today in stage two, leaving all the big guns more than 1′40″ behind in the GC. Geert Steuers of Belgian team Top Sport Vlaanderen-Mercator narrowly beat VacanSoleil’s Wouter Mol after the pair held the main field off. They broke away early in the 147 km stage and held an on-the-road advantage that increased at one point to 11 minutes.
The chasing peloton was hampered by the wind once again, but despite a chasing pack stuffed full of the big sprinters, they simply didn’t pull hard enough to reel the two minnows in.
Steueur finished around 1′53″ ahead of third placed Roger Kluge (Team Milram) and Cervélo’s Heinrich Haussler in fourth. His commanding win must make him favorite for the overall prize and sets up an intriguing few days of racing: will anyone be able to make back so much time in the flat, windy, entirely unpredictable Tour of Qatar 2010?
In other significant news, Kurt-Asle Arvesen of Team Sky crashed early on and broke his collarbone, putting him out of the race. Coverage as ever on Eurosport or Versus.
A quick heads up for cycling film buffs in London. Safety In Numbers, a 70-minute documentary by Nick Mason about the Fireflies is showing at the ICA tonight, for a special Monday-night price of £5.
The Fireflies is a group of mainly British amateur cyclists who, each year for the past nine years, have ridden 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) across the French Alps from Geneva to Cannes to raise money for leukaemia research.
Though they take on the classic climbs of the Tour de France - more than 20 in eight days, including Colombière, Télégraphe, Galibier, Izoard, Alpe d’Huez and Madeleine - they’re far from pros. I’ve ridden with them once, and can pay testament to the inspirational determination and team spirit that gets everybody safely through some of the most awesome mountains in the world.
From what I’ve seen, the film, shot in full HD, captures the amazing vistas, and the personal stories, beautifully, and there’s a sneak peek posted on the Fireflies website.
2010 will be the ride’s 10th year and the organisers hope to break the £1 million ($1.5 million) mark for cumulative funds raised for this lifesaving charity. As the ride’s motto goes: ‘For those who suffer, we ride’.
Euskaltel-Euskadi officially launched their team this week at the Euskalduna Palace in Bilbao, Spain, unveiling a team which will include Olympic champion Samuel Sánchez and young prospect Romain Sicard, the 2009 U23 Road World Champion. General manager Igor González de Galdeano said that the Tour de France would continue to be a main goal for the team, while also focusing on what the team considers “home” races.
The focus of the evening was on the rich heritage of the Euskaltel-Euskadi team, boasting “17 years in the elite.” González stressed the team’s Basque Country roots, and called this season as “the start of a new challenge and of a year that will be very important for us”. The team also celebrated the new with the signing of Sicard, who will be closely watched by all in the peloton as a rising star. Sicard only recently upgraded to professional status after a successful season with the Orbea Continental squad, and is looking forward to a new season with a new team. “It’s a new world for me, a new level, but I’m delighted to be part of a team in this country, and it’s also one of the best teams on the international cycling scene”. Full roster after the jump…
Edvard Boasson Hagen will wear the leader’s jersey on today’s second stage after Team Sky won the opening team time trial in its first Tour of Qatar.
‘Preparation, preparation, preparation,’ was the familiar mantra from the Team Sky high-ups: “Every little detail was covered - from the warming up, examining the wind conditions, scouting the course and looking how we would handle different corners and roundabouts – basically all the different technical parts which make a difference,” said Sports Director Scott Sunderland. Those less enthralled by ‘marginal gains’ were more excited by watching Bradley Wiggins take some huge pulls at the front as the eight-man phalanx gelled to impressive effect. They covered the 8.2km circular course around West Bay Lagoon in 9′41″, an average speed of 50.809km/h.
Team Sky benefited from a tailwind towards the end, although the unpredictable –yet predictably strong – wind conditions in reality did nobody any favors. Least of all Cervélo, who were penalized a minute for an unauthorized shove among team-mates. Heinrich Haussler claimed he pushed Gabriel Rasch to prevent them crashing during a big gust of wind. However, the decision to ride in a two-man formation now looks a mistake, as the judges disagreed with Haussler’s assessment and consequently the team stands little chance of making an impact in the race.
Garmin Transitions recorded the same time as Cervélo, eight seconds behind Sky, but will take cold comfort in their second place – the team won last year’s opener and its then leader, Wiggo, took the gold jersey. What a difference a year makes.
Saxo Bank, in third, go into today’s stage 13 seconds behind the leaders. They’re followed by HTC Columbia (-18 seconds) and Quick Step (-20 seconds).
Check back for a report on Monday’s second stage, or tune in to Eurosport or Versus for coverage in Europe or the US.
Kirsten Wild Wins. Pic: Cervélo website.
Kirsten Wild won the final stage of the three-day ladies’ Tour of Qatar today, earning her first place overall. She retains her 2009 title and the Cervélo Test Team has its first race victory, early in the 2010 season.
Giorgia Bronzini of the Italian National Team was leading the GC by four seconds going into the final day, but, as Kirsten explains on the Cervélo website: “ I was able to close that gap in the intermediate sprints. Then I knew that it all depended on the last sprint. My teammates did an incredibly good job in the final. They brought me into the perfect position and I was able to win the sprint.”
Those teammates unfortunately did not include Lizzie Armitstead, the 21-year-old British rider in her debut season as a pro, who crashed out during the first day. However, team medics said her injuries weren’t serious and expect her to be back on her bicycle and training next week.
The notoriously windy Tour of Qatar must be a shock to riders just testing their legs in the new season – just think of last year’s images of the men’s race echeloned across the tarmac in fierce sidewinds and desert heat. The ladies this year benefited from a tailwind for much of stage one; when the wind turned against them, however, the field split and Kirsten Wild was fortunate to stay in the leading bunch. The second stage, where Kirsten placed fourth, sneaking up on Bronzini’s shoulder in the GC, was so blowy and progress so slow that the organisers reduced its distance from 107 to just 86km.
Nevertheless, with Eddy Merckx singing its praises, and many of the peloton’s big dogs – including Bradley Wiggins, Fabian Cancellara, Tyler Farrar and Tom Boonen, looking to bag his thrid successive victory – lining up for the men’s race that starts this Sunday, it looks destined to become firmly fixed in the early-season calendar. Check Eurosport and Versus for TV coverage in Europe and the U.S.
Red Your Dead announces their all-new Satellite track bike frame and fork.
The fresh design is inspired by their Masher. The geometry is focused on the all-purpose rider, but the frame’s extremely strong for the urban trickster.
The Satellite is 100% 4130 Chro-Mo, yet super light at 4lbs, and all frames come with the integrated steer head tube. The longer chainstay provides ample clearance for a thicker tire (up to 32c). The fork features a straight blade and the new RYD logo. Both are painted in matte black with
The low $289 MSRP (frame only) should help put it under the butts of aspiring hipsters everywhere. The matching fork is $58. Satellite is offered in sizes ranging from 46cm-54cm. Look for it to start popping up in shops soon. RYD has also just updated their website and blog to feature customers’ bikes, and they’re launching a RYD clothing line soon, too.
More pics after the jump…
Rahsaan Bahati is perhaps one of the most recognizable names in the domestic peloton. With eight national titles under his belt and an undeniable speed on the bike, Bahati is the complete package; the real deal when it comes to professional cyclists.
But Bahati has a larger focus this season; looking beyond the podium with the launch of the Bahati Foundation, a non-profit organization set up by Bahati to reach out to underprivileged youth through cycling. The foundation is accompanied by the Bahati Foundation Pro Cycling Team, which will include superstars like Bahati, Hilton Clarke, Nathan O’Neill, and Cesar Grajales on its roster.
With the launch of the foundation, a much hyped 6-episode television series is also in the works, and has been gaining quite a bit of attention. After releasing a trailer of the first episode, Bahati was overwhelmed by the response and how quickly the video spread. Yesterday, Lance Armstrong posted a link to the trailer on his Twitter page, and the video has since exploded, with over 20,000 views on YouTube. See the video after the break…
Fyxation has answered its customers’ calls for a more durable urban tire. The new Dual Compound Session 700 is, as the name implies, a 700×28c road tire with a new, more durable center compound. They use the same tread pattern as their original tires, and the same compound and color options on the sides, making these perfect for the rear, uh, brake (skidding, get it?).
The DC versions are the same price, $49.95 each, and use Fyxation’s bead-to-bead tread design and urban riding designed pinch flat protection. Available now on their website.
Close up of the tread after the break…
Damiani celebrates his most recent 'cross podium in a KPC kit.
Update: Owner Chad Thompson informs us that it was in fact the American consulate that denied the application.
The KENDA Pro Cycling presented by GEARGRINDER cycling team hit a snag in their season preparations this week as one of their premier riders was denied a VISA by the American consulate in Milan, Italy, just weeks before the scheduled start of their training camp in Georgia on February 26. Luca Damiani, a recent signing for the KPC team who spent last season with Colavita, was informed February 2 that his VISA application had been denied citing immigration fears, effectively grounding him from his planned travel stateside from his home in Italy to attend the first training camp of the season.
Trek’s Project One now has the Team RadioShack paint scheme available, letting you build up a custom bike just like Lance and company.
Trek’s road product manager Tyler Pilger says that, for now, Project One is the only way to get the team replica paint job.
The team paint job is a $1,679.98 option over the standard Select Series options, and that premium includes a $200 donation to the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Each frame is handpainted by the same folks that paint the team bikes, and they’re individually signed by the artist on the outside of the left chainstay. The RadioShack team stickers on the wheels are a no charge option available on the Bontrager Aeolus clinchers.
Just for fun, we built up the Madone 6.9 road bike as close as possible (with the provided Trek-branded options) to what the team is riding, but threw Shimano Di2 Dura-Ace on there instead of SRAM Red. The final tally? $12,400.47.
That’s the high end of what a Project One bike can cost, but you can still get this frame while spec’ing it with 105, Ultegra or Force groups and downgrading some of the component spec to make it (slightly) more attainable. Wanna kill some time? Start your own Project One bike here.
Team directors like Bjarne Riis will have to find new ways to organize their teams on the road.
The long debate over whether race radios should be allowed in the pro peloton came to an end this week as USA Cycling followed suit with the UCI in banning radios in all but its most elite level races, allowing radios in only three American races.
The USA Cycling Board of Directors called an emergency meeting Monday night to discuss and adopt the radio ban, a move long anticipated by many in the domestic pro peloton. All but three races taking place on American soil will fall under the ban, with the Tour of California, Tour of Missouri, and Philadelphia International Cycling Championship being exempt because of their 1.HC and 2.HC UCI classifications. This means all criterium and most road races, including NRC and USA Crits series events, will be radio-free for the coming 2010 season.
After banning race radios for U23 races in 2009 and extending the ban to lower-level elite races in September of last year, the UCI has been slowly phasing out the use of race radios over the past two years. Because many of America’s top events are modeled after UCI regulations, USA Cycling moved to stay consistent with UCI policies.
The ban was born out of growing concerns that allowing radios in the pro peloton was taking away from the quality of racing by putting a focus on team directors and eliminating some of the strategic skill required by riders. Responses from the peloton are mixed, with many riders anticipating a new dynamic on the road this year, forcing them to keep breakaways in check throughout the race. Many have cited safety concerns, losing the ability to warn riders of upcoming hazards and dangerous portions on the course during road races. Tour de France organizers tested the idea in last year’s event, banning radios during stage 10 of the tour, a move that was met with a massive protest by the riders as they soft pedaled nearly the entire stage, forcing organizers to scrap the planned ban on stage 13.
The vote on Monday reversed a previous USA Cycling rule that allowed radios only in races open to professional, category 1, and category 2 racers. The decision was adopted into the rulebook and takes effect immediately.
