TFM's Awesome Cycling Thread

Discussion in 'Sports' started by Think for myself, Feb 4, 2012.

  1. Think for myself

    Think for myself Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Rather than take up tons of bandwidth with things that most folks ignore, I decided to put it all into a single thread to be ignored all at once.

    You see, I love cycling. I love riding my mountain bike. I love riding my road bikes. I love waving through congested traffic and I love riding in the absolute country. I love the feel of a possible injury from pushing things to the very edge. I love the feeling of screaming downhill at 50mph and I love the agony of climbing mountains in the summer sun. I love riding the cold winter mornings when the frost is on the ground.

    Not only do I love participating in it, I love watching it. When the Tour de France is on I am up by 4 in the morning watching it on TV. I watch it again at night. The local race, the Tour of California, is a favorite of mine as I get to watch some of the top riders in the world live and in person.

    It is my opinion that these guys are undoubtedly the greatest athletes in the world. They race over the course of weeks and thousands of miles. First place and 100th place are separated by fractions of percentages of overall times. Think you can ride a bike averaging over 25mph for 4 hours? Go try it. then imagine doing it for 21 days out of 23.

    So feel free to jump in as I rant endlessly.
     
  2. Think for myself

    Think for myself Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    And he may very well.

    3rd in the Dauphiné his rookie season is very impressive considering it is generally considered the last tune up before the Tour and considering the quality of the riders he is up against. Winning a GC is entirely possible now that he has a few years under his belt running with the big boys.

    http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/02/news/van-garderen-‘i-want-to-win-a-gc-this-year’_205178

    DENIA, Spain (VN) – Tejay Van Garderen enters his third professional season with high hopes of building on the tremendous success he’s had so far in the pro ranks.

    Van Garderen joins BMC this season that will see him have the pressure of helping Cadel Evans in the mountains at the Tour de France but having freedom to chase his own results in other parts of the calendar.

    That suits Van Garderen just fine, who, 24 in August, is making steady progress in the peloton.

    His phenomenal rookie season in 2010, capped by third at the Dauphiné, was followed up by another steady season in 2011, when he finally notched his first professional victory as well as featured in an exciting breakaway effort in his Tour debut that landed him in the best climber’s jersey.

    In addition to helping Evans try to win another Tour, Van Garderen is hoping to step up this year and take aim for an overall victory of his. He doesn’t really care where it comes, just so long as it does.

    VeloNews.com European correspondent Andrew Hood caught up with Van Garderen at BMC’s camp last week in Spain, here’s what he had to say:

    VN.com: You’re one of the riders expected to be there to help Cadel Evans in the mountains during this year’s Tour de France, what are you expectations for that role?

    Tejay Van Garderen: That’s the goal, to be there for Cadel in the high mountains. I have only done two grand tours so far, so it’s hard for me to know how I am going to be in the third week, on the final climb, of a summit finish. That’s what they’re expecting from me and that’s what I am going to try to deliver.

    VN.com: Sounds like you will be a helper at the Tour and then other races, such as California and Colorado, you will be the leader, how do you see the season unfolding?

    TVG: My first goal is Paris-Nice. Every race I go to, I don’t like to suck, so even at Algarve, I had some success there, that will be my warm-up for Paris-Nice, so if I can get a result there, I will try. Then Paris-Nice is a big goal. I have a few other races on the calendar, but the ‘big three’ for me this year are Paris-Nice, California and Colorado. Then the biggest one is helping Cadel in the Tour.

    VN.com: What’s it like being around guys like Evans, Gilbert, Hushovd?

    TVG: I thought it would be a bit nerve-racking having these big names walking around, but when we’re at the dinner table, it’s so relaxed. Gilbert is just a joker. He’s always cracking jokes and makes everyone feel like he’s just a normal guy. Even George (Hincapie), he always seems very serious, but he is silently just hilarious. Under his breath, in this monotone, when he pulls it out, he just has everyone in stitches.

    VN.com: It seems like this team is very relaxed, more so than Highroad?

    TVG: HTC had a good ambiance. We always had fun there, too, with Cav always cracking jokes. There was always that underlying stress, ‘OK, we have a small budget. We need to find a sponsor. We need results.’ It took away from that relaxation and it was more like cracking the whip. Here, at BMC, we have 10-year security with the future of the team. They know the results are going to come. We are all self-motivated people. There is no need to hold a knife to your throat. They let us go out there and do our thing.

    VN.com: How are the two teams different?

    TVG: A lot of things are similar, of course. Once you’re on the road training, it’s just a bunch of guys racing our bikes. But it is a different atmosphere. It’s a bit more relaxed, a bit looser. At HTC, we had a much stricter regime, here it’s a lot more kicked-back. At HTC, they told me which races I would be going to. Here, they asked me what races I wanted to race. The only pressure we get comes from ourselves.

    VN.com: Where do you see yourself at this point of your career? In the first two years, you’ve done very well …

    TVG: I need to take it step-by-step. My first year of my career, I had more success than I could have ever imagined, and I let it go to my head a little bit. Then last year, I thought I was going to win every race I was going to start, and obviously, that didn’t happen. Last year, I made a small step forward. I realized I am going to make a gigantic step and another gigantic step and another gigantic step. You have got to be patient. I made a small step in 2011 and another small step in 2012.

    VN.com: So working toward … what? Winning everything you start?!

    TVG: Well, building toward the Tour and being part of a Tour-winning team. I do want to win a GC. I had my first pro win last year at the Tour of Utah in the time trial, that was good to get that under my belt. The next step in that progression would be to win a GC, whether that would be California or Paris-Nice or Colorado, even something like Tour d’Ain or Algarve. Being last year in Colorado with the jersey, it’s not easy to handle that stress of having the jersey. So if I can learn to handle that stress and deliver a GC win in the end, that would be a big step.

    VN.com: So you’re still working to become comfortable with the idea of trying to win a big race?

    TVG: I would like to get myself in that situation a few more times so I can get more comfortable with it. Being on a team like this, and learning from guys like Cadel. I always envisioned Cadel as being a pretty high-strung guy, but after meeting him, he’s the most relaxed guy here. If I can learn from that and learn to lower my blood pressure at races, I think that would help a lot.

    VN.com: What did you take out of last season as lessons that you can take forward?

    TVG: I learned to respect the opponents. To get podium results as a first-year pro, that doesn’t mean that I am going to go up against multi-podium, grand-tour caliber riders and just kick their asses. I have to realize, good things are going to happen, but not to be too disappointed when those don’t always pan out the way that you expect. Sometimes I am going to have a really good race and sometimes I will be beaten by a better guy. Sometimes you have to be OK with that.

    VN.com: A busy season through the Tour, anything after that? The Vuelta, worlds, Canada?

    TVG: I want to do the worlds. I am pretty excited about the TTT (the professional team time trial event a week ahead of the road worlds), that should be interesting.

    VN.com: Coming to BMC is a big step, now you’re arguably on one of the best teams in the peloton, what does that mean to you?

    TVG: Every team could argue they are the best team in the world, but the thing about this team, is that we don’t go for the number of wins. At HTC, we always worried about our tally. Now we have 12 wins, now we have 30 wins. We don’t care about the number of wins, we care about the quality. We’re going to go for the Tour, Roubaix, Liege, whereas on HTC, we weren’t going for any of those, we were going for stages at Tour of Qatar. We had a bunch of Tour wins with Cav and Tony (Martin) won Paris-Nice. Here it’s all about quality over quantity.

    VN.com: And the spring classics?

    TVG: I have Fleche and Liege on my calendar. I’ve done both of those before but I am not sure I will be there this year. To win Liege, I don’t know if I am that kind of rider. I had a good day in Liege last year. If I develop a few more years to get used to that distance, I could be up there. I am not going to be a Philippe Gilbert. That’s a whole different level. It’s pointless to go there and think I am going to get seventh place. If I go there, I am there to help Philippe.
     
  3. Think for myself

    Think for myself Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Yeah Lance, we get it.

    You never doped. However, you beat a field full of people who did. You are just a medical wonder who somehow is 1/10th of 1% of all of those guys who took steroids.

    7 times you, without taking anything, beat a field full of guys who were more shot up than Barry Bonds.

    Right.

    Lance, you are about as innocent as OJ was.

    http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2012/02/04/prosecutors-wont-charge-cyclist-lance-armstrong/

    Lance Armstrong is used to winning, but his most recent victory was unlike any he had experienced before.

    Federal prosecutors dropped their investigation of the seven-time Tour de France champion Friday, ending a nearly two-year effort to determine whether the world's most famous cyclist and his teammates joined in a doping program during his greatest years.

    Armstrong steadfastly denied he doped during his unparalleled career, but the possibility of criminal charges threatened to stain not only his accomplishments, but his cancer charity work as well. Instead, another attempt to prove a star athlete used performance-enhancing drugs has fallen short, despite years of evidence gathering across two continents.

    "I am gratified to learn that the U.S. Attorney's Office is closing its investigation," Armstrong said in a statement. "It is the right decision and I commend them for reaching it."

    The probe, anchored in Los Angeles where a grand jury was presented evidence by federal prosecutors and heard testimony from Armstrong's former teammates and associates, began with a separate investigation of Rock Racing, a cycling team owned by fashion entrepreneur Michael Ball.

    U.S. Attorney AndrDe Birotte Jr. announced in a press release that his office "is closing an investigation into allegations of federal criminal conduct by members and associates of a professional bicycle racing team owned in part by Lance Armstrong."

    He didn't disclose the reason for the decision, though Birotte has used discretion in pursuing high-profile criminal cases before. Last February, his office closed an investigation of mortgage giant Countrywide Financial Corp.

    Investigators looked at whether a doping program was established for Armstrong's team while, at least part of the time, it received government sponsorship from the U.S. Postal Service.

    Authorities also examined whether Armstrong encouraged or facilitated doping on the team. He won the Tour de France every year from 1999-2005.

    The pronouncement comes after a pair of less-than-successful cases against top sports figures accused of doping. Home run king Barry Bonds was found guilty of obstruction of justice and sentenced in December to 30 days' home detention -- a conviction he's appealing -- but prosecutors were unable to convince a jury he lied about using steroids. Roger Clemens' steroid trial is slated for April 17 after a judge declared a mistrial last summer when prosecutors showed jurors inadmissible evidence.

    The hurdle for prosecutors wasn't so much to prove whether any particular cyclist used drugs, but to determine if Armstrong and other team members violated federal conspiracy, fraud or racketeering charges. Unlike Bonds and Clemens, who testified before a federal grand jury and Congress, respectively, and were accused of lying under oath, Armstrong was not questioned in front of the grand jury.

    Betsy Andreu, who with her husband and former Armstrong teammate, Frank, accused the cycling champion of doping, said the "legal system failed us."

    Led by federal agent Jeff Novitzky, who also investigated Bonds and Clemens, U.S. authorities sought assistance overseas, requesting urine samples of U.S. Postal riders from France's anti-doping agency and also meeting with officials from Belgium, Spain and Italy.

    Prosecutors also subpoenaed Armstrong supporters and ex-teammates to testify in Los Angeles. Among them were Ukrainian cyclist Yaroslav Popovych, who rode on three Armstrong teams dating back to 2005; Allen Lim, an exercise physiologist for Team Radioshack; and longtime Armstrong friend Stephanie McIlvain.

    The investigation began after Novitzky was told about a cache of PEDs found by a landlord in the vacated apartment of Kyle Leogrande, a cyclist who rode for Rock Racing and had a doping ban, according to several people familiar with the case.

    The case also was spurred by disgraced cyclist Floyd Landis, who claims Armstrong had a long-running doping system in place while they were teammates. Landis, who was stripped of the 2006 Tour de France title for drug use, acknowledged in 2010 he used performance-enhancing drugs after years of denying he cheated.

    One of the most serious accusations came during a "60 Minutes" interview last May when former teammate Tyler Hamilton said he saw Armstrong use EPO during the 1999 Tour de France and in preparation for the 2000 and 2001 tours.

    U.S. anti-doping officials said Friday they will not be dissuaded by the government's decision to close the Armstrong probe and will continue their investigation into doping in professional cycling.

    As the investigation progressed, Armstrong assembled a legal team, hired a spokesman and briefly created a website to address any of the allegations reported by the media.

    Frustrated by a slew of news articles about the investigation, Armstrong's attorneys filed a motion in July, asking a judge to order federal agents to testify about their contacts with reporters.

    Armstrong consciously maintained a high profile throughout the investigation, raising money for his cancer charity, Livestrong, and racing in events such as off-road triathlons. He had no reason to hide, he said.
     
  4. Think for myself

    Think for myself Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Boonen wins a stage in a second rate race. Wow.

    DOHA, Qatar (AP) - Tom Boonen of Belgium won the opening stage of the Tour of Qatar on Sunday, finishing four seconds ahead of Adam Blythe of Britain.

    The former world road racing champion, riding for the Omega Pharma Quick-Step team, completed the 88.5-mile first stage in 3 hours, 11 minutes, 22 seconds.

    BMC Racing Team's Blythe was followed by Peter Sagan of Liquigas-Cannondale, six seconds back in third. Tyler Farrar of Garmin-Barracuda was fourth.

    British rider Mark Cavendish, who was sick when he arrived in Doha and didn't train on Saturday, finished 51st and 10 seconds behind Boonen. Cavendish, riding for Sky Procycling, is the world road race champion.

    Boonen is looking for his fourth title at the Tour of Qatar after wins in 2006, 2008 and 2009 in the Gulf nation. Sunday's win was his 19th stage victory at the Tour of Qatar.

    "It was a very good stage for me. We were working very hard and it showed,'' Boonen said. "I only got here on Friday and was very tired. But I finished the day with a victory so that is pleasing.''

    The race came down to the last 30 yards, when seven riders, including Boonen, were in position to go for the win.

    "It was unbelievable,'' Boonen said. "Near the finish you always form a group and everybody is always tired. But today that was not the case. Nobody seemed tired. It was a strong finish,''

    Blythe said he was just happy to finish second.

    "I wasn't so sure that I'd do so well. I was hoping for a top five so I am happy,'' he said. "I am sure we will be looking to finish the job in the next few days. I got the opportunity so I took it. We will see what happens. Anything can happen from now on.''

    On Monday, the cyclists will race in a seven-mile time trial around Qatar's iconic Losail International Circuit, the venue of an annual MotoGP race.

    Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20...st.ld.writethru.0392/index.html#ixzz1lZ7DCv4y
     
  5. Kranes56

    Kranes56 Banned

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    I love biking. Do it all the time. To the grocery store, clubs, the mall. It's great. The wind when you go down hill. And I go biking in the winter. I get these feelings in my fingers that they're frozen. It's an annoyance, but I can't think of biking any other way now.
     
  6. Think for myself

    Think for myself Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Enjoy your two year break. I guess folks did not buy that whole "the steroids in my system were from the food I ate" story.

    A non factor at last year's TDF after several crashes, it appears he will not be a factor at this year's or next year's either.

    http://www.usatoday.com/sports/cycl...ontador-doping-2010-tour-de-france/52986232/1

    MADRID (AP) – Alberto Contador was stripped of his 2010 Tour de France title Monday and banned for two years after sport's highest court found him guilty of doping.

    The Court of Arbitration for Sport suspended the three-time Tour champion after rejecting his claim that his positive test for clenbuterol was caused by eating contaminated meat.

    The three-man CAS panel upheld appeals by the International Cycling Union and World Anti-Doping Agency, which challenged a Spanish cycling tribunal's decision last year to exonerate Contador.

    His ban was backdated and he is eligible to return to competition on Aug. 6.

    The decision was announced by CAS in Lausanne, Switzerland.

    Contador has continued racing since testing positive on a 2010 Tour rest day.

    Contador becomes only the second Tour de France champion to be disqualified and stripped of victory for doping. The first was Floyd Landis, the American who lost his 2006 title after testing positive for testosterone.

    Andy Schleck of Luxembourg, who finished second at the 2010 Tour, stands to be elevated to victory.

    Contador tested positive on the July 21 rest day. The positive results were not confirmed publicly until September 2010, when the UCI announced it had provisionally suspended him pending an investigation by Spain's cycling body.

    Contador blamed steak bought from a Basque producer for his high reading of clenbuterol, which is sometimes used by farmers to fatten up their livestock.

    Contador was originally cleared last February by the Spanish cycling federation's tribunal, which rejected a recommendation to impose a one-year ban. Days earlier, then Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said on Twitter that there was no reason to punish the rider, who is a sports icon in his home country.

    After the UCI and WADA appealed the Spanish verdict, a twice-postponed hearing was eventually heard by CAS in November.

    The four-day session almost ended in chaos as lawyers for the UCI and WADA considered walking out when the panel chairman, Israeli lawyer Efraim Barak, prevented one of their expert witnesses from being questioned about the science of blood doping and transfusions.

    The complex 18-month legal case has also raised questions about the status of clenbuterol in anti-doping rules and the honesty of Spanish farmers. The drug is banned in Europe.

    Contador is one of only five cyclists to win the three Grand Tours — the Tour de France, the Giro and the Spanish Vuelta. He also won the Tour de France in 2007 and 2009.

    ———
     
  7. Think for myself

    Think for myself Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Farrar gets a boost to second.

    An interesting team time trial, aero bikes are not allowed, just regular road bikes, slowing the action a bit and making it a bit more stable.

    http://www.usatoday.com/sports/cycling/story/2012-02-06/tour-of-qatar-second-stage/52991630/1

    DOHA, Qatar (AP) – Garmin won the second stage at the Tour of Qatar on Monday, beating Quick Step by 7 seconds in the opening time trial of the season.

    In a slick performance from start to finish, Garmin completed the seven-mile route in 12 minutes, 38 seconds in sunny conditions.

    Sky Procycling was third, 9 seconds back.

    The win lifted American rider Tyler Farrar into second place in the overall standings, behind 2005 world road race champion Tom Boonen of Belgium.

    Farrar says it "all looks good for us. We got what we aimed at in this stage."

    The third stage on Tuesday is a 91-mile eastward ride from Dukhan to Al Gharafa Stadium.
     
  8. Think for myself

    Think for myself Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    And Boonen soldiers on.

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ot...ll-lead-following-second-victory-in-Doha.html

    Belgium's Tom Boonen, riding for Omega Pharma-Quick Step, won the fourth stage of the Tour of Qatar on Wednesday, a 144km ride from Al Thakira to Madinat Al Shamal, as he tightened his grip on the race leadership.

    Boonen won a sprint finish to see off Dutchman Tom Veelers and Swiss Fabian Cancellara.

    Thursday's fifth and penultimate stage is a 160km ride from Camel Race Track to Al Khor.
     
  9. Think for myself

    Think for myself Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Cavendish, sprinter extraordinaire, took today's stage.

    Overall, Boonen is still in the lead with Farrar a scant 21 seconds back.

    http://road.cc/content/news/52389-tour-qatar-stage-5-mark-cavendish-takes-second-stage-week-team-sky

    Mark Cavendish went for an early sprint in the Tour of Qatar this afternoon, launching himslf through a gap a little under half a kilometre from the line to take his second stage of this week's race and leave his rivals standing in what was a hard-fought and somewhat scrappy finish. Daniel Oss of Liquigas-Cannondale finished second, with his team mate Peter Sagan third. Tom Boonen retains the overall lead and barring misfortune will seal his fourth win in the race he has made his own on tomorrow's final stage.

    In today's 160km stage from the Camel Race Track to Al Khor Corniche, two escapees, the Polish rider Maciej Bodnar of Liquigas-Cannondale and the Belarus champion Aliaksandr Kuchysnski of Katusha were caught with 10 kilometres to go as the sprinters' teams started jostling for position ahead of the finale.

    Coming into the final three kilomteres, Rabobank and Farnese Vini - minus Pippo Pozzato who had crashed earlier and has subsequently confirmed he has broken his collarbone - were at the front with teams behind them fighting for their places ahead of a tricky roundabout that had to be negotiated 1.3km from the line.

    Garmin led the peloton through that final obstacle, but almost immediately Team Sky's Juan Antonio Flecha hit the front, looking to set up Cavendish, the Manxman appreciative of his team mates' work, TV footage catching him greeting them with the words "F*cking nice job, lads" as he met up with them after the finish.

    Afterwards, a slightly more composed Cavendish said: "The guys took it in turns to come up and keep me sheltered up at the front - I always had one of them with me at every point in those last kilometres and that was incredible.

    Quoted on the Team Sky website, he continued: "The wind was a real factor at the end and was changing direction a lot so you couldn’t really do a big lead-out train. It was a scrap and everyone was pretty fresh. With the tailwind I could go from around 250-300 metres out and I just carried it to the line.

    "It’s nice to get two wins," he added. "I won two stages here in 2009 and that was one of my most successful seasons so it’s good to get off to a great start with Team Sky and in the world champion’s jersey."
     
  10. Think for myself

    Think for myself Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    And Boonen wins the Tour of Qatar, again.

    Color me unimpressed. This race makes watching paint dry seem like more than a spectator sport.

    http://www.sacbee.com/2012/02/10/4253845/boonen-of-belgium-earns-4th-tour.html

    DOHA, Qatar -- Tom Boonen of Belgium won his fourth Tour of Qatar title on Friday, beating American Tyler Farrar.

    Boonen led the race since the opening stage last Sunday, and topped Farrar by 28 seconds overall.

    Boonen and his Omega-Pharms Quick Step were careful to protect his lead on the sixth and last stage, 75 miles from Sealine Beach Resort into Doha Corniche.

    He also won the event in 2006, 2008 and 2009.

    The stage was won by Arnaud Demare, the under-23 road world champion, for his first pro victory.
     
  11. Think for myself

    Think for myself Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Tour of California route released!

    My local cycling event, where I have watched the Schlecks, Armstrong, Hincapie, and the top riders in the world race.

    This year, the opening day is in Santa Rosa, meaning for the first time ever I get to see the start and finish of a stage.

    Not only that, the route will take some of the roads I ride myself.

    http://bayarea.sbnation.com/2012/2/8/2785245/2012-amgen-tour-of-california-course-route-map-news

    The 2012 Amgen Tour of California organizers released the route map for the 2012 race. It features a variety of stage favorites. We break down the eight stage race with a map of the course. For more cycling coverage, head over to Podium Cafe.

    Follow @sbnbayarea on Twitter, and Like SB Nation Bay Area on Facebook.

    Feb 8, 2012 - The 2012 Amgen Tour of California is still three months away, but Wednesday afternoon the tour organizers released the official Tour route and a Tour map. This year's route will feature 750 miles of cycling from May 13 to May 20. Last year, weather conditions led to a delay in the race and cancellation of stage one. Hopefully this year will see better conditions and a complete race. Chris Horner claimed victory in the 2011 race and will likely be back to defend his crown.

    The 2012 Tour will start in Northern California, head over to the Central Valley and then wrap up in Southern California. Stage one will start and end in Santa Rosa, which is the hometown of three-time winner Levi Leipheimer. Stage two will start on Marina Boulevard in San Francisco and go down Highway 1, ending in Aptos down in Santa Cruz County. Stage three will feature a fairly short ride from San Jose to Livermore. San Jose is the only city to host a stage every year of the Tour.

    The Tour then heads over to the Central Valley where stage four takes the riders 130 miles from Sonora to Clovis in the longest stage of the race. Stage five features an individual time trial in Bakersfield that will last 18.4 miles. Stage six will run from Palmdale to Big Bear Lake. This stage will feature the first of a pair of brutal climbs with the Big Bear Climb. That will be followed on Saturday in stage seven with the always brutal Mt. Baldy climb. The race then wraps up in stage eight with a ride that starts on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills and ends just past STAPLES Center at the LA Live finish line.

    We'll have plenty more on the race as the teams are announced and details come out. Below is a map of the 2012 Amgen Tour of California. For more cycling coverage, head over to Podium Cafe.
     
  12. Kranes56

    Kranes56 Banned

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    That's cool, who do you want to win?
     
  13. Think for myself

    Think for myself Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    The stage or the race?

    I would lean towards Hincapie. Class act.
     
  14. Think for myself

    Think for myself Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Andre Greipel takes the first stage at the Tour of Oman.

    Certainly a sprinter's stage, short course, rather flat, and it woudl appear that Cavendish was pushed out of the way.

    Tyler Farrar seems to be having a decent start of the season. could be a factor in the classics, though his team, Garmin-Barracuda, is not the strongest it does have Vaughters leading it, who may be one of the most brilliant tacticians out there.

    http://road.cc/content/news/52599-tour-oman-stage-1-greipel-bounces-back-illness-take-opening-stage

    André Greipel of Lotto-Belisol, who missed the Tour of Qatar due to stomach problems and a fever, has continued his impressive start to the season by winning the opening stage of the Tour of Oman.

    The German, who last month won three stages of the Santos Tour Down Under, outsprinted Katusha’s Denis Galizmyanov and Garmin-Barracuda’s Tyler Farrar to win today’s 159km stage to Wadi Al Hoqay.

    World champion Mark Cavendish of Team Sky, who crashed in Qatar on Friday, did not figure in the finale, with team mate Cj Sutton tweeting afterwards, "Well that didn't go 2 plan.! @MarkCavendish got put in the dirt and 1 foot out. Don't know how he held it up.@TeamSky were strong."

    A four-man breakway group, comprising BMC Racing’s Danilo Wyss, Mikhail Ignatiev of Katusha, Champion Systems rider Jiao Pengda and Bridgestone-Anchor’s Alexandre Lemair had at one point built up a lead of five minutes over the peloton.

    However, with Lotto-Belisol and Team Sky leading the chase, the catch was inevitable, although not before Ignatiev had attacked again 20km out to try and stay away.
     
  15. Think for myself

    Think for myself Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    And Sagan wins today stage, and takes the overall lead.

    http://road.cc/content/news/52678-t...agan-wins-liquigas-cannondale-moves-race-lead

    Peter Sagan of Liquigas-Cannondale, who lay seventh overall after yesterday’s opening stage, has won Stage 2 of the Tour of Oman and takes over the race lead from Lotto-Belisol's André Greipel. GreenEdge's Baden Cooke was second today, with Rabobank's Tom Slagter third.

    The late arrival of a ferry caused an hour’s delay to the start of the 140.5km stage mainly along the coast from Sur to the Wadi Dayqah Dam. Once the riders did start racing, however, it didn’t take long for a four-man breakaway to form.

    Three of those riders – Martin Kohler and Klaas Lodewijk of BMC Racing and Farnese Vini’s Diego Caccia – still had two and a half minutes on the chasing peloton with 20km to go, and with the route heading inland on rolling roads, it wasn’t guaranteed they would be caught.

    The gap was halved over the next 10 kilometres, however, and the catch finally made 5km out as the race headed towards its finale, with Liquigas-Cannondale among those working hard at the front, on what would prove to be a successful afternoon for them.
     
  16. Think for myself

    Think for myself Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Kittel win's today's stage, and Greipel takes the overall lead back form Sagan.

    Which brings to mind a question. Where is Cavendish? These have all been sprinter's dream stages. The Manx Missile may not be up to snuff this week.

    http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_sports/view/1183460/1/.html

    MUSCAT: Marcel Kittel of Germany won the third stage of the Tour of Oman race on Thursday, winning a sprint finish ahead of fellow countryman Andre Greipel and Nacer Bouhanni of France.

    Britain's world champion Mark Cavendish took eighth place.

    Greipel, who won the race's first stage on Tuesday, took the red jersey that goes to the race's overall leader, taking over from Peter Sagan of Slovakia.

    Friday's fourth stage covers 142.5 kilometres from Bidbid Naf'a to Al Wadi al Kabir.
     
  17. Think for myself

    Think for myself Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    And Greipel retains the lead.

    A sprinter hanging in the rollers is pretty impressive. Perhpos he changed his 'roids?

    http://www.omantribune.com/index.php?page=news&id=112428&heading=Sports

    WADI KABIR Germany’s Andre Greipel of the Lotto team won the fourth stage of the Tour of Oman on Friday to consolidate his overall lead of the race.

    Greipel, who also won the race’s first stage on Tuesday, beat home Slovakian Peter Sagan of Liquigas Cannondale team and Frenchman Tony Gallopin of RadioShack Nissan in a sprint at the end of the 142.5km ride from Bidbid Naf’a to Al Wadi Al Kabir.

    Saturday’s fifth stage is a 158km run from the Muscat Opera House to Jabel Al Akhdhar, featuring a climb up to the top of the ‘Green Mountain’.

    Greipel remains in the lead after winning a thrilling stage 4, which saw a series of attacks on a tough closing circuit, over his closest rival in the overall standings, Peter Sagan.

    The fourth stage featured three laps of a bumpy closing circuit featuring climbs that while not as taxing as those encountered earlier on the stage took a cumulative toll on the legs of many sprinters, but evidently not those of Greipel, who is on fire with just a month to go until Milan-San Remo, one of his big targets for the year.

    “With 200 to go, I came down the side of the road and there was a bump,” Greipel told journalists at the finish. “So I had to stop sprinting; Sagan went past me, and I thought it’d be impossible to pass him again. Somehow I managed to just do it.”

    “I don’t have my most professional weeks behind me, so it’s a big surprise (to be going so well),” he said.

    Early on in the stage following a nervous start that saw several riders crash in the after a few kilometres on a hot and windy day, two riders, Stijn Vandenbergh of Omega Pharma-Quick Step and Klaas Lodewijck of BMC Racing, managed to get away and at one point had a lead of nearly eight minutes.

    Lodewijck was brought back on the penultimate lap, but Vandenbergh managed to rebuild an advantage of nearly a minute until he too slowly reeled in and was caught on the final circuit, with attack and counter-attack animated by the likes of another Omega Pharma-Quick Step rider, Sylvain Chavenal, plus Sagan, the young Slovak aiming to get into the leader’s jersey.

    Somehow, however, Greipel managed to rejoin the fray to pick up yet another win in what is turning out to be a stunning start to the 2012 season for the German sprinter.

    Mark Cavendish had promised close friend and teammate Bernie Eisel, celebrating his 31st birthday, which he would try to hang on for as long as possible and managed to get back on after being dropped before that tough last lap final saw him distanced.
     
  18. Think for myself

    Think for myself Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Interesting stat I read on Armstrong.

    He won the TDF 7 times. In those 7 times there was 2 other people on the podium with him, for a total of 14 positions.

    now out of those 14 positions, 13 of them tested positive at some point for banned substances, EPO, steroids, plasticizer from blood doping, etc.

    So lance, you beat 13 out of 14 positions form none dopers, and you are innocent?
     
  19. kronikcope

    kronikcope Active Member

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    (*)(*)(*)(*), seriously? I don't believe for one second Lance didn't use PEDs constantly during his career. They test them just like a boxer would be, right? Before and after the event?
     
  20. Think for myself

    Think for myself Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    He has tested positive before.

    I don;t knwo about before and after, but I believe they are subject to random tests and some during the race.

    Lance tested positive in 1999, then miraculously produced a prescription for steroids 30 days later for the treatment of "saddle sores".

    http://bicycling.com/blogs/theselection/2011/04/27/emma-o’reilly-responds-to-strickland’s-“endgame”/
     
  21. Leffe

    Leffe New Member

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    I race MTB and road. MTB I've raced 2x epics and a bunch of marathons. Road I've done a bunch of european 200km's.

    Can say I enjoy watching road racing much, but I do enjoy the volodrome (which Team GB dominate the world at :)).

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6lzwT6nSdc&feature=related"]Chris Hoy pummeling the rest - world championship Keirin final 2010 - YouTube[/ame]
     
  22. Think for myself

    Think for myself Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Awesome.

    For those not familiar with the hour record, it is how far you can go in an hour.

    When I hit 100, I will bust this record.

    http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/02/news/centenarian-claims-hour-record_206632

    At the age of 14 he entered his first cycling event under a false name because he was too young: yesterday he established the first-ever best hour performance… in the category over 100 years.

    And that pretty much sums up the personage of Robert Marchand. Full of energy and motivation, when he gets an idea in his head, nothing will stop him.

    The centenarian rode 24.25 km (15.1 miles) in 60 minutes watched by crowds of cheering supporters at the International Cycling Union (UCI) velodrome in Aigle, Switzerland.

    The feat does not threaten the 49.7 km (30.8 miles) achieved by Czech cyclist Ondrej Sosenka in 2005 at the age of 29, but it will be recognised by the UCI in a new over-100s category.

    But I’m not playing at being a champion,” he said. “I just wanted to do something for my 100th birthday.”

    With that intention in mind, less than three months after his birthday, he made the trip from his studio in Mitry-Mory (near Paris) to Switzerland to attempt the world hour performance on the center’s velodrome. The suggestion that Marchand make the attempt came from Gérard Mistler, president of the Ardéchoise Cyclo-Promotion, an annual sportif event that Marchand never misses.

    I think he is a human example of the benefits of cycling,” said Mistler. “The fact that this performance is achieved at the WCC, headquarters of the International Cycling Union, is truly symbolic.”

    With Mistler taking care of the administrative side of this record attempt, the athlete himself was able to concentrate on his preparation, which included familiarizing himself with the center’s track during the four days directly preceding the official date. While his ability to ride non-stop for an hour was not a concern, Marchand had to dig deep into his personal cycling history to retrieve the sensations of riding on the track.

    “I haven’t cycled on a track for 80 years. You have to get used to the fixed gear. I prefer cycling outside but that is impossible at the moment,” he complained as he watched the snow fall heavily outside the WCC. “I don’t want to catch the flu. So I am short on training.”

    His build-up at the WCC included a first initiation under the watchful eye and guidance of Magali Humbert, former junior world champion in the sprint and multiple French champion. The following days, he rode around the track accompanied by his “coach” Humbert, increasing his time in the saddle as the day of his challenge approached.

    “The track is small. You just turn round and round,” he commented after one of the training sessions. “I could keep going for another hour. I’ve been told not to raise my pulse too high so I’m not even tired.”

    For all his physical exploits, this man of small stature but big personality is obedient and follows medical advice. He has been told not to go raise his pulse over 110, and it is a rule he respects with reverence, for the most part. “I did climb a steep hill not long ago and went up to 134 but it’s best to avoid that,” he admits with a mischievous chuckle. “But I would be very surprised if I had heart attack,” he offers spontaneously. Marchand’s first ever cardiograph last week revealed that his heart was in excellent condition.

    Optimism aside, he knows his limits and remains cautious. “For the last five years I have decided not to go for rides of more than 100km. There is no point going overboard. I want to keep cycling for some time yet.”

    These words of wisdom come from a man who last competed in the Bordeaux-Paris race at nearly 90 years of age, completing the 600km in 36 hours. In addition to filling sportif event results with his name, Marchand has a mountain pass named after him.

    What is his secret? How is it possible to be in such frighteningly good physical, and mental, health at 100 years old?

    “I’ve never abused anything. I don’t smoke, I never drank much. The only thing I did in excess was work. I retired at 89 years old.”

    His many jobs include looking after cattle, his first job as a boy, his time as a gymnastics monitor with the Paris Fire Department, his eight years in Venezuela as a driver, his three years in Canada where he was a woodcutter. Then there are the myriad other sports he was involved in when he was younger: boxing, gymnastics (he was French champion in the pyramid as the lightweight at the top), weightlifting (“I was good,” he explained. “I could have been a champion”).

    “I have to try to resume everything or we’ll be here all night.” It would certainly be worth staying up all night to listen to this man who has a memory that would put anyone to shame and stories to keep any audience captivated.

    “But basically, I am like everybody,” said Marchand. “I am lucky that I haven’t had any major health problems. My advice to anyone, young or old, is to keep moving. I do ‘physical culture’ every day. It works out my whole body and keeps me supple. Some people when they reach 80 years old, start playing cards and they stay immobile. Not me. I’ve never been able to keep still.” Clearly.
     
  23. Think for myself

    Think for myself Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Classic race just started today, the Paris-Nice.

    Very short, less than 6 miles, time trial for a prologue.

    http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-new...n-wins-parisnice-prologue-20120305-1ubl2.html

    SAINT-REMY-LES-CHEVREUSE, France, March 4 AP - Gustav Larsson beat British cyclist Bradley Wiggins by one second to win the prologue stage of the Paris-Nice race on Sunday.

    The Swede completed the 9.4km time trial from Dampierre-en-Yvelines to Saint-Remy-les-Chevreuse on the outskirts of Paris in 11 minutes, 19 seconds.

    Veteran American rider Levi Leipheimer finished four seconds behind Larsson in third place.
    Advertisement: Story continues below

    Best of the Australians were Richie Porte of Sky, 17 seconds down in 16th place, and GreenEdge's Simon Gerrans, plus 23sec in 26th place.

    "I wasn't really sure of myself because it was only my second race this season. My legs were very hard, but it was enough," said Larsson, who expects to struggle to retain the yellow jersey when the race reaches the mountains.

    Larsson, a silver medallist in the time trial at the Olympics in Beijing four years ago, started in the middle of the field and had better racing conditions than Wiggins, who was the penultimate rider to set off under light rain.

    "My goal is the GC (overall classification)," Wiggins said. "I took no risks in the bends."

    Andy Schleck, one of the favourites for this year's Tour de France, had a poor day and finished 1:01 back in 142nd place.

    Monday's second stage is mostly flat over 185km from Mantes-la-Jolie to Orleans.

    German rider Tony Martin, who won the Paris-Nice race last year, finished 25 seconds off the lead in 28th place.

    The race ends next Sunday.
     
  24. Viv

    Viv Banned by Request

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    I was shouting for him. (But it's really irritating that any time any Scot achieves anything anywhere, some eejit calls him "Braveheart" :shh: )
     
  25. Think for myself

    Think for myself Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Excuses, excuses.

    Yes Andy, you just sucked at the TT yesterday. If that is an indicator of what is to come form you, I am guessing you can write off a real win at the Tour.

    Painful to watch.

    http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/schleck-paris-nice-time-trial-was-too-early-and-too-short

    Do you like this?

    Andy Schleck (RadioShack-Nissan)

    Andy Schleck (RadioShack-Nissan)

    Andy Schleck (RadioShack-Nissan)
    Andy Schleck speaks at a presscon onboard the ferry on the way to stage 2 at the Tour of Oman

    view thumbnail gallery

    Luxembourg rider loses over a minute in 9.4km

    Andy Schleck (RadioShack-Nissan) lost over a minute in the opening time trial of Paris-Nice, but the Luxembourg rider claimed that the 9.4km test was too short and too early in the season to offer a reliable indicator of his progress against the watch.

    Time trialling has long been the glaring Achilles heel in Schleck’s armoury and he lost the yellow jersey in the penultimate day time trial of last year’s Tour de France. In spite of his insistence that he has trained assiduously on his time trial bike since the arrival of Johan Bruyneel as manager, the fruits of their labour were not in evidence in Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse on Sunday.

    “I didn’t have such a good feeling in my legs today but don’t take this as a reference,” Schleck told his team’s website. “This is my first big competition of the season.”

    Schleck finished the day in 142nd place, 1:01 down on winner Gustav Larsson (Vacansoleil-DCM). The 26-year-old explained that he began well on the course’s early climb, but struggled to keep a big gear turning over thereafter.

    “On the top of the climb I had same time as Maxime [Monfort, who was 15th – ed.] but then I didn’t have the forces to push the big gear. This was a TT for the big engines. This is not a real test for me. The distance was too short and it’s too, too early.”

    Schleck’s brother Fränk fared little better, coming home 54 seconds down in 121st place. Their teammate Andreas Klöden was among the last riders to start, just as the rain began to fall, and he took few risks in the treacherous conditions to finish 36 seconds behind Larsson.

    Nonetheless, Bradley Wiggins (Sky) also had to perform on rain-soaked roads, but the Briton put in a fine showing to finish just one second off Larsson’s winning time. RadioShack-Nissan directeur sportif Alain Gallopin expects Wiggins to be the man to beat over the remainder of the week.

    “Wiggins showed that he is the big favourite of the race,” he said. “Without the rain he would have won by 15-20 seconds.”
     

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