Registration for the 2009 Longest Day Ride

Cycling News

Velo

Flash: Cannondale's 16.6-pound cross-country bike On the last day of the 2010 Cannondale release in Park City, Utah, the research and development team were excited to unveil a new high-end hardtail cross country bike. The age-old weight gap between mountain and road bikes is now becoming smaller. Of course getting weight down is always a major goal for bike manufacturers, but with the strength and specific performance depends of cross-country racing, ideal weight and actual never seem to finish together. For the Cannondale research and ... read more

Fireworks and stars and stripes at Saturday's Firecracker 50 For most Americans, the Fourth of July is associated with flags, fireworks, parades, and independence from another English speaking country. For the 750 registered racers of the Firecracker 50 mountain bike race in Breckenridge, Colorado, the Fourth of July will represent four to seven (the time limit) hours of exhausting singletrack followed by all those things that normal Americans do on this holiday. Beginning in 2001 as a grueling mountain bike race to celebrate our sovereignty, in 2007 ... read more

Casey B. Gibson Tour press conference photo gallery

Inside Cycling - All eyes on Contador The pressure is on Alberto Contador at the 96th Tour de France. By general consensus, Team Astana’s 26-year-old Spanish star is the clear favorite to wear the yellow jersey into Paris in three weeks’ time — but the 2007 winner could lose the chance of taking the Tour for a second time as early as Sunday’s opening stage: a demanding 15.5km time trial. Contador has developed into a fine time trialist, and the opening climb of the tricky Monaco course plays to his physical strengths. ... read more

Sastre likes underdog role It’s not often that the defending Tour de France champion is rated as an underdog. That unlikely position is just where Carlos Sastre finds himself on the eve of the 96th edition of the Tour de France. With all eyes on Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador, not to mention the Schleck brothers, Cadel Evans and Denis Menchov, Sastre seems to be the forgotten Tour winner. Even the odds-makers seem to have written him off, putting his chances at a repeat at 18-to-1. But that’s just ... read more

Contest narrows at BC Bike Race The fifth day of the 2009 BC Bike Race saw riders tackle a 47-kilometer trek along British Columbia's Sunshine Coast from the town of Sechelt to the ferry landing at Langdale. The day's primary feature was a 45-minute descent on the famed Highway 102 South trail, which plunged down nearly 2000 vertical feet, and took most riders the better part of an hour to navigate. The Kona duo of Barry Wicks and Kris Sneddon continued to chip away at the overall advantage of Canadians Seamus McGrath and ... read more

Is Bruyneel on way out at Astana? Johan Bruyneel said if Astana wants to get rid of him as team manager, they should tell him to his face. While a months-long struggle over financial problems apparently resolved for the team ahead of the start of the Tour, the imminent return of Alexander Vinokourov seems to be creating more turbulence. A report in Friday’s edition of L’Equipe said that officials from the Kazakh-backed team plan to jettison the Belgian director and rebuild the team around Vinokourov and Spanish ... read more

Contador, Bruyneel promise Astana will ride as one Journalists and bloggers might be keen on planting the seeds of discontent within the Astana squad, but the team is refusing to buy into the storyline. Astana team boss Johan Bruyneel and Alberto Contador promised Friday that the team will ride as a unit during the Tour de France with the singular goal of winning. Both shot down notions that Astana will ride as a team divided, with loyalties split between seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong and Contador, back to the Tour ... read more

Armstrong's new ride: The 6-series Madone Back before Lance Armstrong won his first Tour de France he lived in Nice, France. In 1998, he, like many pros in the area, started using the Col de la Madone to test his fitness. At 10 kilometers, the climb has been described by Armstrong as not easy, but not too hard, a perfect road to gauge fitness. Armstrong’s most magical moment on the Madone came in 1999. He went there by himself, on a normal training ride, and did the climb on his own. He recalls the time as 30:45, “with a lot of ... read more

Armstrong's new ride: The 6-series Madone Back before Lance Armstrong won his first Tour de France he lived in Nice, France. In 1998, he, like many pros in the area, started using the Col de la Madone to test his fitness. At 10 kilometers, the climb has been described by Armstrong as not easy, but not too hard, a perfect road to gauge fitness. Armstrong’s most magical moment on the Madone came in 1999. He went there by himself, on a normal training ride, and did the climb on his own. He recalls the time as 30:45, “with a lot of ... read more

Armstrong on training for the Leadville 100 and Taylor Phinney It’s hard to believe that during his record-breaking run from 1999-2005, Lance Armstrong suffered nary a mishap on the way to seven Tour de France titles. But the Texan hasn’t enjoyed quite the same charmed life since returning to the sport in 2009. He’s crashed, suffered, and, at times, appeared fairly mortal. In the final installments of our exclusive interview with Armstrong, VeloCenter host Jason Sumner talks to him about his year of firsts. First Giro. First time “in the ... read more

Boonen gets green light Tom Boonen was granted an eleventh-hour reprieve, allowing him to compete in the Tour de France when it starts on Saturday, Tour organizers confirmed on Friday. The reigning Belgian national champion had been barred from the Tour following a positive test for cocaine in April, but the French Olympic Committee's arbitration panel upheld his appeal against the ban. The Quick Step rider missed last year's Tour after testing positive for cocaine for the first time. Tour organizers ... read more

A BC Bike beat down The fifth day of the 2009 BC Bike Race saw a sizable line of riders queue up outside the Obsession Bikes bike maintenance tent at the finish line in Langdale. After five days of racing, the wrenches-for-hire had seen just about every mechanical calamity known in the world of mountain bike maintenance. Since day one, the business has attacked between 60-70 bikes a night, often times working on the rigs into the wee hours of the morning. “We’ve seen a crazy number of bent brake rotors ... read more

2009 Tour de France Start List The following is the full start list for the 2009 Tour de France. We will continue to update this list until the July 4 start in Monaco. 2009 Tour de France teams Cervelo TestTeam Manager: Theo MAUCHER - VeloNews article 1. Carlos Sastre (ESP) 2. Inigo Cuesta (ESP) 3. José Angel Gomez Marchante (ESP) 4. Volodymyr Gustov (UKR) 5. Heinrich Haussler (GER) 6. Thor Hushovd (NOR) 7. Andreas Klier (GER) 8. Brett Lancaster (AUS) 9. Hayden Roulston (NZL) Silence-Lotto Manager: Marc ... read more

Powers, Zirbell take Fitchburg TT Bissell’s Tom Zirbel and Alison Powers (Team Type 1) won the first stage of the 2009 Fitchburg Longsjo Stage Race in central Massachusetts on Thursday, with each taking a damp and foggy 14.3 kilometer time trial win. The first stage of the four-day NRC race, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, began with a deluge. While the early-morning Category 4 riders and Juniors faced the TT course in pounding rain, the water backed off to a gentle mist by the time the first Pro women ... read more

Tour de France Tech Gallery—Readying for le Tour The 2009 Tour de France begins Saturday, but by Thursday the giant show had already overwhelmed the small streets surrounding Monaco’s Port Hercule. Spectacular yachts and sailboats pack the docks in the port, and now, a row of trucks and buses belonging to the 20 teams contesting the Tour can be counted in the mix. The setting is nothing short of stunning, both in terms of the scenery and the barely controlled chaos. The principality of Monaco seems barely big enough to accommodate ... read more

Tour de France Tech Gallery—Readying for le Tour The 2009 Tour de France begins Saturday, but by Thursday the giant show had already overwhelmed the small streets surrounding Monaco’s Port Hercule. Spectacular yachts and sailboats pack the docks in the port, and now, a row of trucks and buses belonging to the 20 teams contesting the Tour can be counted in the mix. The setting is nothing short of stunning, both in terms of the scenery and the barely controlled chaos. The principality of Monaco seems barely big enough to accommodate ... read more

Vittoria Tires: A factory tour photo gallery The term “handmade” is a rarity in today’s age of automated production. Fewer brands are holding onto their heritage, and are increasingly seeking cheaper, quicker and less labor-intensive production options. Vittoria Tires has a different take, and the company has managed to keep costs within reason, while maintaining the quality control that has helped build its reputation. The Madone, Italy-based tire manufacturer invited us for a rare visit into its Bangkok, Thailand-based ... read more

Boonen decision expected Friday Tom Boonen will find out on Friday whether he has been granted a last minute reprieve to compete in the Tour de France which starts in Monaco on Saturday. The former world road race champion, and current Belgian national champion, was barred from the Tour following a positive test for cocaine in April. Boonen's fate is being decided by the French Olympic Committee's arbitration panel. The Quick Step rider missed last year's Tour for the same reason.

Exclusive video interview: Lance Armstrong on cycling's PR challenges Despite reaping the benefits of worldwide fame and spectacular fortune, even Lance Armstrong admits his chosen career is not 100 percent healthy. Doping scandals, contentious leadership battles, and an oftentimes tepid sponsorship climate have all conspired against cycling. But even in the face of such scrutiny, the seven-time Tour de France winner is certain of one thing — bike racing is here to stay. “Every day you hear people say cycling is going to die,” says Armstrong. “Well ... read more