Schlecks leaving the team

It has been announced that both Frank and Andy Schleck, along with the current Saxo Bank Directerr Sportif Kim Andersen, will be forming a new team at the conclusion of this season.  News of this intended move is nothing new and not surprising.  This represents yet another pivotal change for the current Team Saxo Bank following the announcement of an end of the relationship with the Denmak based financial institution as the title sponsor.

Andy Schleck down but not out after training ride crash

Older brother Frank Schleck posted a photo on his TweetPhoto stream of a banged up Andy Schleck.  According to a report on VeloNews.com the tumble took place on a training ride and resulted in no serious injuries that might threaten involvement in the upcoming Tour de France.

Andy Schleck (@andy_schleck) himself reported the incident on twitter:

Was out training with@schleckfrank hit a big bump in the road, went down pretty hard,lost quit lot of skin all over my body but I be okay

Frank Schleck (@schleckfrank) also commented:

@andy_schleck went down in training this morning I was really scared.tought about tdf,but finally its just skin n wounds.autch.he is ok

However, all of this happened one day before the Luxembourg national championship race.  It remains to be seen if Andy will be participating in that event.

Haussler also out of Tour de France due to knee problems

Pro cycling team Cervelo Test Team announced today that Heinrich Haussler will not be participating in the 2010 Tour de France due to knee problems exacerbated by his crash in the Tour de Suise (see cyclingnews.com for more details on that.)  This, along with a similar announcement by Tom Boonen of Quickstep, represents two strong sprinters that will not be participating in the Tour de France, and site that nasty Tour de Suisse crash as part of the cause.

Mark Cavendish – who was penalized for causing that Tour de Suise crash – ultimately pulled out of the Tour de Suise due not to inuuries, but repoted “family reasons” in addition to his injuries. However, riders on the very next stage after the Tour de Suise crash did make a gesture of protest by delaying the race.  Still unannounced at the time of this writing is the final roster for Columbia in the Tour de France.

In light of all of these events, it seems assured that right or wrong, any successful performance by Mark Cavendish in this year’s Tour de France will be met with voices of frustration and protest given the unfortunate absences of Boonen and Haussler.

Tendinitis keeps Tom Boonen out of the Tour de France

According to Velo News, QuickStep rider Tom Boonen will not be participating in this years Tour de France due to “patellar tendinitis in his left knee” [VeloNews].

Tom Boonen, After Stage 1 Crash, Amgen Tour of California

Boonen himself cites the injury has going back to the final sprint crash in the Tour de Suise and the crash in Stage 1 of the Amgen Tour of California.

After three days of rest, yesterday I trained for five hours on the parcour of the national championship in Leuven. The knee pain has always accompanied me. During the last hour of training I had to stop more than once because of the pain. Everything began with the crash in California and the situation became even worse after the fall in Switzerland. [VeloNews]

At the time of this writing, the official QuickStep website had not yet posted anything regarding this announcement.

Team RadioShack – There’s an app for that

Pro cycling information flows across the twitterverse – for better or for worse.  Major races give up-to-the-minute, GPS fueled race position information.  But what if you want to know every single detail of what Team RadioShack is doing at any given moment?  Well, thanks to bikereviews.com I now know – there’s an app for that.

Saxo Bank Announces TDF 2010 Lineup

Team Saxo Bank announced their lineup for the 2010 Tour de France.  No huge surprises really:

• Fabian Cancellara
• Andy Schleck
• Fränk Schleck
• Jens Voigt
• Stuart O’Grady
• Matti Breschel
• Chris Anker Sørensen
• Jakob Fuglsang
• Nicki Sørensen
• Gustav Larsson – on standby in case of injury
  

Team owner Bjarne Riis is quoted on the Team Saxo Bank website as saying:

We have ten riders on our Team of which all are ready and fit to do the race and that has made the job of selecting the line-up extremely difficult. That’s why the decision has been made of tactical reasons. It has been a problem of pure luxury but it’s not easy telling a rider to stay home when you know he would have done a great job in the race. However, we are now looking forward to a Tour de France with Team Saxo Bank in front of the race.

Using twitter to help (and hurt) your cycling enjoyment

It is unquestionable that twitter has had a huge impact on cycling.  It is probably safe to say that a lot of cyclists – both recreational and pro – would have never heard of the social media and microblogging service if it were not for the tweets of a particular American Pro Cyclist.  “Tweets” – or postings to twitter – are increasingly becoming one of the most accurate and timely sources of information on the international racing scene.

There have been many international scene races in the last year or so where numerous fans on the roads have helped to provide up to the minute race coverage.  However, perhaps the power of Twitter as a source of pro cycling news came to a head most poignantly at the 2010 Amgen Tour of California when there were folks tweeting events as they happened – from cars in the pro peloton.  I know that personally, as I was positioned at various finish lines of the race, I became a sudden celeb in the crowd of folks I happened to find myself in.  It was not because of any particular status or insight.  Rather, it was because I was able to capture these up-to-the-minute tweets right there, at the finish line, on my smartphone.  I knew where the peloton was, who was in the breaks, and how many km were left to go.

All of this information is great when you are standing at the finish line or somewhere along the route waiting for the teams to roll by.  However, it is a much different perspective when you’ve gone back to your day jobs and have to wait until you get home to catch the day’s racing (or at least the meager sampling of the day’s racing that Versus manages to get to the American public.)  However, if you’ve got your “twitter in a bunch” and utilize tools such as TweetDeck on your laptop, or Twidroid on our Android powered smartphone, another new and perhaps unexpected problem can arise.  Specifically, with Twitter hooked directly to your social-media blood stream, it can be really really hard to avoid knowing what has happened in that big stage of the day’s race (like Stage 4 of the Tour de Suise) before you have the opportunity to get home and watch that delayed broadcast of, or recorded copy of, the race of the day.

I’d like to say that I have some great solution for those of you out there that are suffering from this like I am.  Unfortunately there is no middle ground between wanting to know every single details, and wanting to know every single detail but 8 hours after the fact.  No middle ground, that is, except for unplugging a little bit, putting down the phone, turning off the auto-popups on every tweet you follow.  And if you are addicted like I am, you sure as hell aren’t going to be turning off those alerts any time soon.

On the other hand, if you pass it off as casual predictions, your friends will be amazed at the accuracy with which you can “predict” the outcomes of those tragically delayed Versus broadcasts of the European races.  Maybe it is high time you started wagering six packs and seat posts on your amazing predictive powers, eh?

Until then – see you at the races, and @delducra will be listening!

Farther’s Day tips for the cyclist dad

There is a very long tradition of getting dad a tie for Father’s Day (that’s June 20 this year, by the way.)  But what if Dad’s favorite pastime involves a saddle, two wheel and two pedals?  As a general rule, folks don’t wear neck ties on the weekend group rides.

Luckily, there are a number of items – ranging from the relatively inexpensive to the completely extravagant – that can fill the bill.  Here’s a list of some ideas in no particular order:

• Socks.  Socks are probably the closest analogy to the tie for the cyclist dad.  They provide that splash of color, that personalization, to whatever kit dad wears.  Get him socks for his favorite pro cycling team (Does dad have a favorite pro cycling team?  If so, do you know who they are?)  Or maybe some socks branded with the logo of the company that made his favorite bike.  Perhaps some uber-high tech socks, utilizing the latest research in nano-technology, genetic engineering, interstellar travel and manipulation of the public through advertising (you’ll recognize them by their inclusion of PhD, Tek or Sci in the name).  Or, maybe just socks with a cutesy saying embroidered on em.
• Cycling Caps.  Another good substitute for the neck tie.  You’ll need to be a little careful with these, though, as some men don’t like to wear them casually.  Know Thy Father! However, if dad is into the caps, you can find these ranging from the common manufacturer-labeled black styles, to the omni-present Capo caps, to the stuffy “let’s ride to Cambridge on our classic Bianchi” wool variety.  (Hint: this last item might be a good fit for dad if you’ve heard him use the phrases “Brooks,” “leather,” “saddle,” and “I own” in combination in the same sentence.)  And just like socks, know what components dad rides (ask if you don’t know – he’ll be more than happy to talk about them for a few hours) and get him a cap that matches his crankset.
• Spare Tubes.  OK – a little caveat here.  Giving spare tubes to dad may evoke a similar reaction to giving a new vacuum cleaner to mom on Mother’s Day.  It depends entirely on the person.  Spare tubes are an extremely practical, and completely unsexy gift.  They will be greeted with either gratitude or fits of fury.  Again, Know Thy Father! If you do, however, happen to know one of those practical type dads, be damn sure you know the difference between presta and schrader valves (Know Thy Valves).  Check the bike while he is sleeping if you don’t know for sure.
• Jersey Always a sure hit – but expect things a little more on the pricey side ($75-$150).  See Socks and Cycling Caps above for logo ideas.  When all else fails, go for a beer themed jersey.
• New Bike.  OK.  If you are seriously looking at this item and considering it as an option, I’ll recommend the Pinarello Dogma.  If you are still seriously considering this item, please contact me ASAP, as I can assist you with disposal if dad doesn’t like the bike you selected for him for some reason.

Wow. Rush hour can be fun

Finally. Out of Europe. Video evidence that rush hour traffic can actually be enjoyable! And a little less noisy too.

All of GoldSprints equipment stolen

West Coast GoldSprints trailer was stolen. Read the story at http://www.bikemonkey.net/?p=9125#more-9125. Spread the word in any way you can. Help them find their equipment.

GoldSprints are indoor (i.e. on trainers) cycle racing.  Often taking place in a party type atmosphere, these events have ties back to the pubs of Europe where (it is my understanding) they got their start.  West Coast Gold Sprints is one of the premier promoters of these type of events on the US west coast.  These events require a whole lot of equipment – including not just bikes and trainers but audio/visual equipment, computers, etc.

West Coast GoldSprints is also the orginization staging at least some (if not all) of the Mike’s Bikes hosted races.

If ever there was a time to be part of the “cycling community,” it is times like this.