The 24th edition of the Tour de l'Aude Feminin begins today. The race began because of the passion and audacity of one man, Jean Thomas.

Today, his legacy is carried on by his daughter Anne-Marie, who with the assistance of a team of more than 50 enthusiastic people and volunteers, and with the support of the General Council, [successive presidents, Robert Capdeville, Raymond Courrière, and since 1998, Marcel Rainaud] make this one of the signature races on the women's international calendar.

As Ben Atkins of Cyclingnews previewed,

"the race - one of the three toughest of the season with the Giro d'Italia and the Thüringen-Rundfahrt - will, as usual, consist of stages over a variety of terrains almost entirely inside the Aude department that gives the race its name.

The stages can be divided into three distinct phases: the first in the mostly flat coastal region close to Narbonne, the second more mountainous section to the south close to Andorra, and the third in the rolling country around the medieval city of Carcassonne."

Russellville, Ark. — Team Type 1’s Glen Chadwick soloed to victory on the opening stage of the inaugural Tour of Arkansas Thursday while his teammate, Moises Aldape, finished third.

Chadwick won the “Epic Road Race,” a 110-mile (177 km) race that featured 10,592 feet of climbing. In doing so, he scored his first victory of the season and the seventh win of the year for Team Type 1.

“Chaddy really wanted this one,” Team Type 1 Sport Director Ed Beamon said of the sixth-year pro from New Zealand. “We rode the climb for him so he was really the only guy who wasn’t on the front today.”

Chadwick capped an extraordinary display of teamwork by Team Type 1 by attacking just as a three-rider breakaway that included teammate Valeriy Kobzarenko was being caught in the final mile. At that point, fewer than 30 riders remained in the pack, including six from Team Type 1.

“With a kilometer to go, everyone was focused on the three guys in the lead who were only about four or five seconds ahead of us,” Chadwick said. “The field was riding on the right, so I punched it as hard as I could on the left.”

Chadwick’s successful attack led to a one-armed salute as he crossed the finish line five seconds ahead of Karl Menzies (Health Net presented by Maxxis). Aldape finished another five seconds later for his first top three placing of the year and Team Type 1's 23rd podium finish of 2008.

Team Type 1, which was created to inspire people living with diabetes to take a proactive approach to managing their health and overcoming the obstacles often associated with the condition, now has six riders in the top 25: Fabio Calabria is eighth, Ian MacGregor is 14th, Chris Jones is 16th and Kobzarenko is 23rd.

Calabria and Timothy Hargrave, two of four professional on the squad who have Type 1 diabetes, each played pivotal roles. Hargrave set a blistering pace as the race reached the first decisive climb, while Calabria launched the first attack to spring a breakaway that further decimated the field.

“It was a great ride for our two Type 1 riders,” Beamon said.

With three stages to go – including Friday’s 98-mile (157.7 km) Mount Nebo Road Race, Chadwick is leading a stage race for the first time since 2003, when he won the Tour of Beijing.

“I’ve always been racing for the GC (general classification) but never really been the guy in the first spot,” he said. “Hopefully we can pull another maneuver like we did at the Tour de Georgia (when Team Type 1 put four riders in the top 20 on the stage at Brasstown Bald) and have plenty of options. I’m always happy to hand the lead over to a teammate.”

Photo: Courtesy Team Type 1

Bicycle Polo has been around since 1891, with its first match being played in Ireland. Having been an Olympic demonstration sport in 1908, there is now a push for the sport to be included in 2012 games.



With the burgeoning number of fixies, it was only a matter of time before an urban version of the sport became popular.

Today, William Lobdell of the LA Times profiled Anne Hjelle, a 35-year old mountain biker from Mission Viejo, who was attacked by a mountain lion 4 years ago while riding with a friend.

Lobdell writes:

"On a sunny winter afternoon in early 2004, Hjelle headed out for a ride with Debi Nicholls, a woman whose intensity during the rides matched Hjelle's.

Barreling down Cactus Hill Trail, a narrow dirt path that slices through tall brush and fields of cactuses, Hjelle saw a blur leaping from the brush. She thought she had startled a deer. But then the mountain lion hit her "like a train."

She remembers everything. The silence of the attack. The color of the lion's fur."

"Hjelle still isn't comfortable with her public persona, which has occasionally made her a target of criticism. One blogger mocked her faith and her willingness to continue to ride in wilderness areas where mountain lions roam. The blog's post was titled, "Here, Kitty, Kitty, Kitty."

Personal attacks hurt, but Hjelle is more disappointed when people tell her that they have stopped mountain biking or trail running for fear of mountain lions."

Recently, Pippa Wysong of Medscape, an online medical journal [requires registration], sat down with out-going WADA President, Dick Pound, to get his take on the recent Major League Baseball steroids controversy and other key issues swirling around the shadow landscape of performance-enhancing drugs in sports.

A few excerpts from the interview are below. Interestingly, it was the first time I have ever heard [or seen] any movement on Pound's usually stalwart position on testing, where in cases against Tyler Hamilton and Floyd Landis, the tests were seemingly non-disputable [and nearly infallible].

Medscape: Now that your term, or I guess I should say your terms with WADA are up, can you look back and describe what you feel you and WADA accomplished during your time there?

Mr. Pound: When we started, there was nothing to deal effectively with doping in international sports. No one trusted the IOC, no one trusted cycling and the other sports to police their own sports. No one trusted countries to deal with their own athletes, which was why an independent international agency was required.

So, we, meaning some people from the IOC and I, did a variety of things to address this lack of trust, and to get a trustworthy system into place to really get at what was going on. And, of course, to do testing. We got an agency (WADA) established and up and running. We managed to get it financed by the sports movement and governments on a 50-50 basis. We developed and adopted a single set of rules (the World Anti-Doping Code) for all athletes, all sports, and all countries. Over time, those rules were adopted by the entire Olympic movement -- and others too. We even helped with the negotiations for an international convention signed by 191 countries in what I think was world record time -- that's a lot of cooperation by a lot of different people and organizations. It was quite satisfying to get that far. While I was at WADA, we also agreed upon a single dispute resolution process (Compliance Assessment Survey) to deal with all final dispositions of doping cases. We also worked hard to increase public awareness of the problem of doping.

Medscape: I guess part of that raising of awareness about doping in sports and the dangers of doping was the fact you were quoted in the media a lot. You've been quite a high-profile figure.

Mr. Pound: There was outreach via the media, and I did do a lot of interviews. While at WADA we also established a secure base of research funding and developed new tests, something you and I talked about in detail in a previous interview. We also worked a lot to get increased cooperation from governments, which was a big success for us.

Medscape: That's quite an impressive list of accomplishments. Surely everything didn't go smoothly. Could you highlight some of the areas that didn't work out as well? Failures?

Mr. Pound: Undoubtedly there are some areas that still need to be worked on. One of the big failures is the stonewalling on antidoping issues and testing being done by professional leagues -- baseball, hockey, and so on. Many IFs (international federations) are still not doing enough. While we've been successful in the past in getting funding to start up and keep basic programs running, WADA still needs to get significant increases in funding to improve the fight. There are several areas that could use more resources, such as research for developing new and improved tests, funding to improve testing programs, and more intensive efforts to prevent doping in the first place.

Medscape: How did you like working for WADA? Did you have a lot of freedom to do what needed to be done? Were your goals and WADA's goals the same? Could you tell Medscape readers what the biggest challenges were?

Mr. Pound: I enjoyed my experience at WADA very much, though it was hugely time-consuming for a voluntary position. I guess I have a certain passion about these issues that keeps me motivated. I had very little trouble in getting the things done that needed to be done, since I was, in effect, the CEO and was driving the agenda. The goals of the WADA stakeholders and my personal goals were pretty much the same. As for challenges, well, the biggest one always has been to develop genuine buy-in within the sports movement.

Medscape: What are the best tests for steroids and/or HGH? How accurate are they?

Mr. Pound: Right now the best test for steroids is urine-based gas mass spectrometry. It's a very accurate test. The HGH test is newer, but the test is very accurate also; however, the HGH test does not go back far enough to detect usage, say, 2 or 3 months before the test.

Medscape: There was a new study saying a genetic trait can lead to false positives and false negatives in people being tested for steroids. Could something like this lead to trouble in baseball, sports in general, and potentially put a damper on testing?

Mr. Pound: I'm not familiar with this study, and can't really evaluate it because I'm not a scientist. That said, no one has ever said tests were 100% on everybody; nothing ever is. I doubt something like this would cause much of a stir.

Medscape: The Olympics are coming up. Are there any new performance-enhancing drugs that are going to be a problem testing for? What's on the horizon for testing?

Mr. Pound: There often seems to be something in the works. But that's why we are always updating the banned substance list and doing work to both improve existing tests and develop new tests.

Medscape: Do you have any other comments on these areas for Medscape readers? How about a glimpse at the future?

Mr. Pound: Genetic doping may eventually be on the horizon, though it's been on the WADA banned list since 2005. Gene doping would be the manipulation of genes and cells to improve muscle strength, increase endurance, that sort of thing. It's all still pretty experimental right now. But studying ways to understand and detect gene doping is one of WADA's priority research programs right now. So, along with the development and evolution of the entire field of gene doping, work is being done in parallel to find ways to test for and detect it. WADA will be right there on top of all of these developments.

Insult to Injury
According to the Arizona Republic, Floyd Landis may face a suit from WADA.

"The World Anti-Doping Agency will seek to recoup legal costs of $1.3 million from Floyd Landis if the cyclist loses an appeal of a failed drug test that stripped him of his 2006 Tour de France championship.

The agency will follow "the normal process" in seeking costs if the American rider loses, WADA President John Fahey told a media conference call from Montreal on Monday. Landis appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, and a decision may come next month.

Landis said in April 2007 that he had spent more than $1 million in legal fees, about half of which has been paid through donations, and may have to seek bankruptcy."

In our continuing celebration of Bike to Work Week (BTWW), not to mention Bike Month (May), below are some interesting tidbits I recently came across.

Fold-able...How About Row-able
There are numerous alternatives to the traditional frame bike if you are looking to join the ranks of the hard core commuter. But the Rowbike featured in the recent Outside magazine is something that will have you working well before you arrive in the office.

From the Rowbike website:
"For decades physiologists from around the world have agreed that rowing is one of the top three exercises, along with cross-country skiing and swimming. Working out on Rowbike gives you fast results: stronger abs, back and core muscles. And rowing is virtually stress-free on the whole body."


Progressive City?
In the long overdue category comes this story from the Boston Globe.

Boston is one of my favorite cities for many reasons, but it is also "known far and wide as one of the most inhospitable cities for bikers, an obstacle course of gaping construction sites, tire-popping potholes, and lead-footed drivers."

To no surprise, its only taken city officials 8 years, when Bicycling magazine ranked Boston as one of the worst biking cities (1999), to work on enacting any change. In July, the city plans to unveil designs for its FIRST designated bike lanes. Remember folks, change doesn't exactly come sweepingly in Boston [it took my beloved Red Sox 14 years after Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color line (1945) to incorporate a black player, Pumpsie Green. They were the last team in Major League baseball to do so.]

I guess the moral of the story is, if you really want true bike advocacy for your city, have your mayor (Mayor Menino; inset) go out and ride your streets.

Photo: Dominic Chavez (Globe Staff)


Only In LA
From the LA Times feature, ICU: LA Connections. The video takes "hitting" on a guy (or girl for that matter) to a whole different level. Not sure if its the best way to promote bicycle safety and sharing the road. [CLICK on the image below to be taken to the video].

TFK partners with IMBA to host a full-day conference for TFK chapter leaders and interested attendees prior to the IMBA World Summit

Tunja, Colombia — The success of a solo breakaway on Stage 3 of the Vuelta a Colombia cost Rock Racing’s Oscar Sevilla one place in the overall standings, but the Spaniard remains less than a minute off the overall lead.

Sanitago Ojeda (Lottery Boyacá) won Tuesday’s 105.3-mile (169.5 km) race from Socorro to Tunja by three minutes and 30 seconds over Juan Pablo Wilches (Multirepuestos Bosa). Sevilla finished third in the field sprint of about 70 riders for fifth place on the stage, 3:43 behind Ojeda. He remains 42 seconds behind, in seventh place overall.

“Oscar is looking very strong and his confidence keeps growing,” Rock Racing Team Director Mariano Friedrick said.

Ojeda and two other breakaway riders led by more than five minutes at one point during Tuesday’s race, but the team of overall leader Carlos Ospina (GW-Shimano-EPM) worked together with Rock Racing and the Une Racing Team to reduce the gap. Ojeda soloed away from the two others to climb into second overall, four seconds behind Ospina.

“The plan was to keep Oscar safe at all times and have him just follow the main contenders,” Friedrick said. “The climbs weren’t that long, but we just kept going up the whole time.”

Sevilla’s Rock Racing teammates Victor Hugo Peña (59th overall, 5:26 behind) and Tyler Hamilton (80th overall, 20:35 behind) assisted with the chase to keep the breakaway in check.

Rock Racing started the 14-stage, 15-day race with seven riders but is down to four following Tuesday’s withdrawal of Adam Switters and Jeremiah Wiscovitch. Rock Racing’s Sergio Hernandez is 127th overall, 53:56 behind.

Wednesday’s Stage 4 travels 119.3 miles (192 km) from Tunja to La Vega. It includes three categorized climbs and three sprint competitions.

The lastest offering of the US Cycling National Racing Calendar (NRC) has the professionals in Oregon for the 6th Mount Hood Cycling Classic stage race (May 13th - 18th).

Looking at the results of the 1.7 mile downtown Portland time trial, the effort by Bissell in the men's category and by Aaron's in the women's looks more like the result of a team time trial.

Men
1 Benjamin Jacques-Maynes (Bissell Pro Cycling Team) - 2.46 (59.332 km/h)
2 Jonathan Garcia (BMC Pro Cycling Team) - 0.02
3 Ivan Stevic (Toyota-United) - 0.03
4 Edward King (Bissell Pro Cycling Team)
5 Aaron Olson (Bissell Pro Cycling Team)
6 Darren Lill (BMC Pro Cycling Team) - 0.04
7 Matt Crane (Health Net/Maxxis)
8 Andy Jacques-Maynes (California Giant Berry Farms/Specialized)
8 Jeremy Vennell (Bissell Pro Cycling Team)
10 Ian McKissick (BMC Pro Cycling Team)

Women
1 Joanne Kiesanowski (Team TIBCO) - 3.08
2 Alison Shanks (Jazz Apple Cycling Team)
3 Dotsie Buasch (Colavita / Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light)
4 Meredith Miller (Aaron's Professional Women's Cycling Team) - 0.01
5 Julie Beveridge (Aaron's Professional Women's Cycling Team)
6 Anne Samplonius (Cheerwine Cycling) - 0.02
7 Felicia Gomez (Aaron's Professional Women's Cycling Team)
8 Kristin Sanders (Aaron's Professional Women's Cycling Team) - 0.03
9 Lauren Franges (Team TIBCO)
10 Tina Pic (Colavita / Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light)

El Socorro, Colombia — While Rock Racing’s Oscar Sevilla narrowly missed out on a victory on Stage 2 Monday at the Vuelta a Colombia, his teammate, Santiago Botero, retired from the race, citing fatigue and a desire to do well at the Olympics.

Botero had claimed victory in Saturday’s prologue time trial, leading Rock Racing to a 1-2-3-4 sweep. But the race’s defending champion is looking ahead to an even bigger goal – success in the Olympic Games in Beijing later this year.

“Santiago has been training super hard since November of last year to win the Tour of California – a race he unfortunately was not even allowed to start,” Rock Racing Team Director Mariano Friedrick said. “Fortunately, he had enough fuel in his tank to win Redlands and do a very good job at the Tour de Georgia. Ultimately, he knew he didn't have the form to win this Vuelta and mentally he needs a rest.”

While Botero withdrew at the 37-mile mark (60 km), Monday’s stage was well-suited to an on-form Sevilla, who finished third in the prologue. With temperatures soaring over the century mark and high humidity, the peloton was reduced to fewer than 40 riders by the time the final 25-mile (40 km) climb began. Rock Racing was well-represented with both Sevilla and Victor Hugo Peña – who finished second in the prologue.

“Oscar looked relaxed and composed at all times, and under no circumstances was he in trouble,” Friedrick said.

Sevilla bided his time on the final ascent, covering several attacks in the closing kilometers before making a go of it on his own with 300 meters left, only to be passed by Jhon Freddy García (UNE) just before the finish line.


The result did not significantly change the overall standings, though, and Sevilla remains in sixth place, 42 seconds behind overall leader Carlos Ospina (GW-Shimano-EPM).

Tuesday’s Stage 3 departs from Piedecuesta and finishes 103 miles later (136.4 km) after passing over three categorized climbs, including a Category 1 ascent.

Photos: Luis Barbosa (www.ciclismohoy.com)

Ricardo Riccò (Saunier-Duval) won Sunday’s 207km Stage 2 of the Giro d’Italia from Cefalù to Agrigento.

A talented climber who is also comfortable with the fastmen has been earmarked for victory ever since his days as a junior, winning the under-23 Italian championship and beating up on the pros at Settimana Bergamasca [taking the overall classification and two stage wins].

His transition into the professional ranks; however, was met with skepticism as several blood tests revealed his hematocrit levels exceeded the standard. It was only after further exhaustive tests by the UCI that confirmed a naturally elevated hematocrit level.

Once he gained entry into the professional ranks, Riccò wasted little time by claiming victories in the 2006 Settimana Coppi & Bartali and the Japan Cup.

In 2007, he confirmed his talents and signaled to the rabid tifosi that he was a valid candidate for Italy's biggest prize, the Giro d'Italia. Under the tutelage of former teammate Gilberto Simoni [Simoni actually liked helping Riccò, unlike his previous understudy in Damiano Cunego], Riccò finished last year’s Giro in 6th overall and 2nd in the best young rider classification [to Andy Schleck].

On Sunday's Stage 2, he again served notice as he bested countrymen, reigning Giro champion Danilo Di Luca (LPR Brakes), and perennial classics victor Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner), to the line despite being caught up earlier in the crash that sent David Zabriskie stateside.

But perhaps the most lasting image of Stage 2 is this Roberto Bettini photo of Franco Pellizotti (Liquigas) who donned the maglia rosa as a result of coming in 4th on the day.

The gesture was mostly nationalistic, being graced with wearing the coveted leader’s jersey in his home country’s main race, but it also speaks to Pellizotti's passion for the sport of cycling; a passion, which unfortunately [and rightly] has either been diminished or is totally absent from most cycling fans who have been asked in recent years to endure one too many a scandal.

MORE:
Velonews - 2008 Giro d'Italia: Pellizotti in pink after Ricco wins stage 2
Cyclingnews - Riccò strikes to win, Pellizotti pips Vande Velde in maglia rosa fight

May is Bike Month, and this week (May 12th - 16th) is Bike to Work Week. To kick it off, we bring you the latest New Belgium Brewery video, Bike More. Enjoy!



For more Follies from the Fort Collins, CO brewery or to join Team Wonderbike, click HERE.

Barrancabermeja, Santander, Colombia — Rock Racing sent shockwaves through the field at the 58th Vuelta a Colombia by sweeping the top four places in Saturday’s prologue.

Rock Racing’s Santiago Botero won the 5.2-mile (8.4 km) individual time trial in nine minutes and 53 seconds, leading teammates Victor Hugo Peña (seven seconds behind), Oscar Sevilla and Tyler Hamilton (both 14 seconds back).

José Castelblanco, the 2006 winner of the Vuelta a Colombia, finished fifth, 15 seconds behind.

On a day with 105-degree heat and 75 percent humidity, Botero averaged 31.3 miles an hour over a crowd-packed course that ran through the city Barrancabermeja, a port and oil-refining center on the Magdalena River in northeastern Columbia. Botero, the race’s defending champion, also won the prologue last year.

“At the halfway point, Santiago was eight seconds down on Victor, but from there on he took a couple of fast corners and on the final straightaway of 3.5kms he turned it on,” Rock Racing Team Director Mariano Friedrick said.

Peña, who lives about an hour’s drive away from Saturday’s start in the city of Piedecuesta, said he was happy to be back racing in the Vuelta a Colombia for the first time in 10 years.

Fifteen teams – including 12 from Colombia – are participating in the 14-stage race that covers 1,237 miles (1991 km) over 15 days. Widely considered to be one of the most challenging stage races in the world because of its high-altitude race finishes, past Vuelta a Colombia champions include Tour de France stage winners Fabio Parra (1981, 1992), Luis Herrera (1984-86, 1988) and Oliverio Rincón (1989).

In addition to Botero, Peña, Sevilla and Hamilton, Rock Racing’s seven-rider squad includes Americans Jeremiah Wiscovitch, Adam Switters and Sergio Hernandez.

Sunday’s Stage 1 is a 91.2-mile (146.9 km) road race from Barrancabermeja to Bucaramanga.

Photos: Luis Barbosa (www.ciclismohoy.com)

I have not been terribly shy about expressing how much I enjoy the discipline of the Team Time Trial [TTT]. When incorporated into a stage race, the TTT is a spectacle of speed and coordination.

During a "race of truth" against the clock, it is one thing to turn yourself inside-out, but it’s quite another to do the same when you’re doing it for the guy next to you whose hopes for an overall victory have now been place equally on your shoulders.

At this year’s Tour de Georgia, Team Slipstream/Chipotle presented by H30 showed its team time trialing acumen by winning the Stage 4 TTT by over 3 seconds. On Saturday’s Stage 1 of the Giro d’Italia, Slipstream/Chipotle clocked a remarkable 53.366 km/h in taking the 23.6 km Palermo TTT.


The victory placed Christian Vande Velde in the maglia rosa. And in probably the most overused but highly undervalued fact, Vande Velde became the first American to be in the Giro leader’s jersey in over 20 years [Andy Hampsten the last with his 1988 victory]. The closest an American has come in recent memory to wearing the rose-colored [pink] jersey was Tyler Hamilton’s 2nd place in 2002.

Unfortunately, the Slipstream victory came to a sobering end on Sunday’s Stage 2, which saw Davie Zabriskie carted off the course on a gurney. Latest reports showed Zabriskie fractured his L1 vertebrae in the crash.

MORE:
Velonews - Giro TTT: Slipstream's American Vande Velde in the lead
Cyclingnews - Slipstream shows speed in Sicily

This past weekend looked mighty bright for Michael Ball and Rock Racing as Tomas Scheckter qualified for the Indy 500 and the cycling team dominated at the Vuelta a Colombia.


On Saturday, May 10th, IndyCar driver Tomas Scheckter, supported by Rock Racing, locked in the 11th position on Pole Day, capturing the final qualifying spot for the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500. Scheckter, sporting a helmet and driving gear bearing the Rock Racing insignia, was only one of the Rock Racing winners to cross the finish line in a top position today. At the 58th Vuelta a Colombia, the Rock Racing Pro Cycling team had a clean sweep of the podium, with Santiago Botero, Victor Hugo Peña and Oscar Sevilla capturing first, second and third, respectively, in Saturday's prologue. Teammate Tyler Hamilton finished fourth.

Photo: Shawn Payne (IndyCar.com)

In The Pink
The first of the three Grand Tours on the Pro Tour calendar begins today with the running of the 91st Giro d'Italia.

At one point, the Giro was held in as much regard as the prestigious Tour de France, but these days the Corsa Rosa is used by many primarily as a training ground during their run up to the Tour.

However, the well chronicled late inclusion of Astana may just make this year's battle for the Maglia Rosa the best of the three week races to watch this year. Astana, which is barred from competing in the Tour de France, looks to bring the full complement of its Tour proven team, including Tour champion Alberto Contador and third place finisher Levi Leipheimer, to contest for the grand prize.

It may be too much to expect a good result because of the team's late addition [Contador was on a beach when he got the call to ride the Giro]. But for the team that's been slighted and held in limbo during the early portion of the racing calendar, they must certainly feel "in the pink" and should bring plenty of motivation not only win, but dominate this year's edition of the race; the 20th anniversary of Andy Hampsten victory [Hampsten remains the only American to win the Giro].

WATCH it all on Cycling.tv or follow it on the internet on Cyclingnews.com or Velonews.com.

Schedule
Stage 1 - Saturday, May 10
Palermo (Team Time Trial) - 23.6km

Stage 2 - Sunday, May 11
Cefalù – Agrigento - 207km

Stage 3 - Monday, May 12
Catania – Milazzo - 221km

Stage 4 - Tuesday, May 13
Pizzo Calabro - Catanzaro-Lungomare - 183km

Stage 5 - Wednesday, May 14
Belvedere Marittimo - Contursi Terme - 203km

Stage 6 - Thursday, May 15
Potenza - Peschici (Circuito del Gargano) - 265km

Stage 7 - Friday, May 16
Vasto – Pescocostanzo - 180km

Stage 8 - Saturday, May 17
Rivisondoli – Tivoli - 208km

Stage 9 - Sunday, May 18
Civitavecchia - San Vincenzo - 218km

Rest Day - Monday, May 19

Stage 10 - Tuesday, May 20
Pesaro - Urbino (Individual Time Trial) - 39.4km

Stage 11 - Wednesday, May 21
Urbania - Cesena - 199km

Stage 12 - Thursday, May 22
Forlì - Carpi - 172km

Stage 13 - Friday, May 23
Modena - Cittadella - 177km

Stage 14 - Saturday, May 24
Verona - Alpe di Pampeago/Val di Fiemme - 195km

Stage 15 - Sunday, May 25
Arabba - Passo Fedaia/Marmolada (Dolomites Stars) - 153km

Stage 16 - Monday, May 26
San Vigilio di Marebbe - Plan de Corones (Individual Time Trial) - 12.85km

Rest Day - Tuesday, May 27

Stage 17 - Wednesday, May 28
Sondrio – Locarno - 146km

Stage 18 - Thursday, May 29
Mendrisio - Varese - 147km

Stage 19 - Friday, June 30
Legnano - Presolana/Monte Pora - 228km

Stage 20 - Saturday, June 31
Rovetta - Tirano - 224km

Stage 21 - Sunday, June 1
Cesano Maderno - Milano (Individual Time Trial) - 28.5km

Grand Opening
If you are fortunate enough to be in the Austin, Texas area, Lance Armstrong's bike shop, Mellow Johnny's, officially opens its doors today.

"The shop opens at 7 am, and Grand Opening day will feature special guests, book signings, giveaways, and more. Come and discover a shop for people who ride bikes, want to ride bikes, or just think about bikes."


Home Cooking
For races going on this weekend in select areas of the country, please see below.

05/10/2008
South Mountain Time Trial
Phoenix, AZ
East Bay Cyclist Criterium
Pleasanton, CA
The New Bethlehem Criterium
Bethlehem, PA
Matt Wittig Memorial Race
Muskego, WI
Golden Empire Classic & SCNCA RR Championships
Bakersfield, CA
Darek Leyde Memorial Criterium
Salt Lake City, UT
Carolina Speedway Series – Rougemont
Rougemont, NC

05/11/2008
Chicago Time Trial Series-Monee
Monee, IL
Berkeley Hills Road Race
Richmond, CA
Bob Rodale Fitness Park
Trexlertown, PA
Kokomo Time Trial Series
Kokomo, IN

Click through to Truesport.com for results and photos of some of the above races.


TOSRV
For those who make the Midwest, and specifically Ohio, their home, the annual Tour of the Scioto River Valley, or TOSRV, takes place this weekend. Unlike past years, there is no day-of registration for the 200 mile weekend roundtrip sojourn from Columbus to Portsmouth, OH [or alternatively the century from Chillicothe to Portsmouth and back]. But if you live on or around the route, stop to lend some support to the riders [and maybe even ride some of the closed of route].

Atlanta — Official Team Type 1 cycling uniforms and casual apparel is now available for sale, courtesy of the team’s clothing sponsor, Champion System.

Jerseys, shorts, gloves, technical T-shirts, technical polo shirts, and cycling caps can be ordered through the “TT1 Gear” link on the team’s website, teamtype1.org.

Champion System is discounting prices on several items to help support Team Type 1’s mission.

“Champion System is proud to support not only the Team Type 1 Pro Cycling Team but the cause for which they race,” said Charlie Issendorf, Vice President of Sales for Champion System. “We’re excited to offer our high quality cycling apparel to all Team Type 1 supporters and fans.”

Prices are $70 for a Team Type 1 jersey and $70 for shorts. Available sizes range from small to triple extra large (XXXL). All items being sold are worn by Team Type 1 professional and developmental team members.

Team Type 1 founder Phil Southerland said the team is thrilled to be working with Champion System to help others “fly the colors” at local races, American Diabetes Association Tour de Cure events or casual rides on bike trails.

“Each person wearing a Team Type 1 jersey on a group ride is an opportunity for them to talk about us and the exciting things we are doing in the world of diabetes and the cycling world,” Southerland said. “Every time someone gets inspired by these clothes, they become part of our team.”

A first-year professional squad, Team Type 1 is the two-time defending champion in the eight-person corporate team division of the Race Across America (RAAM). At the Tour de Georgia presented by AT&T, Team Type 1 finished third in the team classification.

TFK's Bicycle Thrift Shop booth sold merchandise to and formed new partnerships with Sea Otter attendees and participants

San Rafael, Calif. - While attending this year's Sea Otter Marketplace Expo in Monterey, California, Trips for Kids (TFK) made a profit selling surplus merchandise from the Re-Cyclery Bike Thrift Shop and met up with the bicycle industry to raise awareness of TFK programs.

"Because Sea Otter attracts a lot of racers, families and out-of-town visitors, it's a wonderful opportunity to shine the spotlight on our local programs and our national expansion," said Marilyn Price, founder and director of Trips for Kids. "I talked to several attendees who are interested in starting a TFK chapter!"

With generous product and monetary donations from bicycle manufacturers and organization supporters, the fourth year of attendance for Trips for Kid at the Sea Otter Marketplace Expo netted substantial proceeds. These funds directly support TFK programs which include daylong mountain biking adventures, Earn-a-Bike programs and 63 chapters across North America.

TFK's attendance at the Sea Otter Expo also resulted in new partnerships for the organization. A professional photographer dropped by the booth and agreed to shoot photos for TFK on a pro bono basis. In addition, the authors of Adventures of the Great Chiweenie drew huge crowds to the TFK booth with an adorable canine companion. They generously offered to donate a percentage of their book's proceeds to TFK.

The Trips for Kids Re-Cyclery Bike Thrift Shop is located at 610 Fourth Street, San Rafael, Calif. The shop is open every Tuesday through Friday, 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. For more information about Trips for Kids, please visit www.tripsforkids.org or call Marilyn Price at (415) 458-2986.

Lance Camisasca will continue to provide strategic development insight and industry relations for Interbike, while Tompkins assumes top post

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. - Interbike, producer of the International Bicycle Expo and OutDoor Demo trade only events, has announced that Andy Tompkins has been appointed its show director. Lance Camisasca of Lifeboat Solutions (Interbike's industry consultant), will continue to manage Interbike's bicycle advocacy efforts and provide key input and guidance to Tompkins and Joe Flynn on the strategic development of Interbike shows.

Tompkins has been with Nielsen Business Media's Sports Group for more than 10 years in a variety of senior sales and show management positions, most recently as the show director for Action Sports Retailer (ASR), the leading action sports apparel, footwear, accessories and hard goods trade show in North America. Prior to that, Tompkins was show director for Nielsen owned Outdoor Retailer (OR), the leading outdoor sports trade shows and adjoining demos in the world.

"Andy is a consummate specialty sports trade show professional," said Flynn, vice president of marketing and business development for Nielsen Business Media's Retail Group, which includes Interbike. "He has a deep understanding of the sports retail and brand landscape, as well as the needs of exhibitors and specialty retailers as they participate in trade shows."

Tompkins fills the vacancy left by Camisasca who left Interbike in January to form Lifeboat Solutions and began a consulting agreement with Interbike. Tomkins will work together with Camisasca and Flynn in their efforts to ensure that the International Bicycle Expo, OutDoor Demo and OutDoor Demo East meet the business needs of show partners, attendees and exhibitors.

"I've known Andy for quite some time now," Camisasca said. "He consistently impresses me with his hard work, strong business sense and passionate efforts towards the events he oversees. I am confident he will demonstrate the same work ethic directing day-to-day efforts for Interbike and the cycling community, and I look forward to working closely with him and introducing him to the cycling industry."

Effective immediately, Tompkins' new title is Group Show Director for the ASR, Cycling and Fitness Groups. In addition to serving as show director for Interbike, Tompkins has been tapped as the new show director for the Health+Fitness Business Expo, a retail fitness industry business-to-business trade event, another event previously managed by Camisasca. Tompkins will also continue to serve as show director for ASR.

For questions about exhibiting at the 2008 International Bicycle Expo, OutDoor Demo and/or OutDoor Demo East, please e-mail Interbike Sales Manager, Andria Klinger at andria.klinger@nielsen.com.