If you missed the Vuelta a Espana, as I did, here's your chance to catch up on Denis Menchov's second victory in three years.
Our friends at Versus will televise a 1-hour review of the third and final grand tour of 2007 at 6 p.m. ET Sunday (AND 4 p.m. ET Monday) following, I might mention, the noon telecast of Anaheim vs. Los Angeles in their second regular-season game in London's O2 Arena.

As widely expected, George Hincapie has signed a two-year contract with T-Mobile.

Hincapie helped Our Boy Lance win all of his record seven Tour de France races between 1999 and 2005. The 34-year-old American formerly rode for the disbanding Discovery Channel and U.S. Postal teams and recently won the Tour of Missouri. Hincapie will ride in the men's road race at the world championships in Stuttgart on Sunday.

National teams for the upcoming professional cycling season seem to be the rage these days, with squads planned for Australia and Great Britain (and elsewhere?).

An Aussie team would be especially cool (imagine going out drinking with them!), and an Australian team competing in the Tour de France moved a step closer with a decision by the UCI to elevate Adelaide's Tour Down Under to ProTour status, according to a story in the TheAge.com.au.

"This is like going from a pre-season event to a home-and-away fixture," says Tony Smith, whose tourism company, Roamfree.com, has pledged $20 over four years towards establishing the team. "It just reinforces how big cycling is and how big Australia is in cycling."

ALSO:
-- William Fotheringham in the Guardian: British Cycling Vows to Control New Team at Tour de France
-- William Fotheringham: The War of the Wheels
-- Canadian Press: French daily [yeah, yeah, our buds at L'Equipe] reports Rasmussen used EPO-like substance during Tour de France [obviously, there's always the latest designer drug]
-- Matthew Pinset in the BBC: Time to reclaim cycling's soul

With the whole of Slipstream/Chipotle management in the INTERBIKE Media Center today for the announcement of their kit contest, I had the opportunity to speak with one of their new additions, Magnus Backstedt.

Maggie was in the INTERBIKE Media Center carrying [and I use that term lightly, quite literally] around a concept bike (inset) tricked out by the guys at Groupe de Tete [more on them a little later]. The bike weighed an astonishing 7 lbs.

Overall, Maggie seems very pleased with his decision to sign with Team Slipstream/Chipotle. He is anxiously looking forward to the team's training camp and the opportunity to meet his new teammates. In the meantime, he is going to continue his off season training practice of riding on the pines, as he's slated to ride with the Swedish National Track Team.

And the winner is...
Joe Yule of Redondo Beach, CA. Joe submitted the winning design for the Team Slipstream/Chipotle "Get in the Slipstream" 2008 kit design contest. I was backstage at the INTERBIKE Media Center and caught up with Joe before the official announcement on INTERBIKE Media Center Studio/Cycling.tv.

The graphic designer spent approximately 30 hours on his winning design. According to Joe, he won by less than 30 votes of the 7,000 tabulated by the Slipstream/Chipotle website. Joe has a history of designing kits, with several currently out on the road for teams based in California. But he had always dreamed of one day having a kit design in the top tier of cycling.

He was still somewhat in a state of shock and amazement, as he had planned on coming to INTERBIKE on this day anyway. Then again, the whole contest took him by surprise as he wasn't aware of the competition until a friend sent him the information a few days before the submission deadline.

When I informed Joe that not only was his kit going to be in the professional peloton, but with the disbandment of Discovery Channel, his would represent the only American team, he simply shook his head.

Congratulations Joe, who won the team issue Felt bicycle, a kit signed by the entire team, and a seat in the director's car during some races.

NOTE: The only design modification to the winning entry was the replacement of the Chipotle logo on the front and back with another sponsor, H30.

Kerri Martin and Patrick Connolly (Breille Cyclery)

Walking out to any exposition floor for the first time is a bit intimidating and overwhelming. I've been to several for medical devices and sporting goods. But when that expo room is filled with things you love and a mixed bag of interesting people, its like being a kid in a candy store and the feelings of intimidation and being overwhelmed come simply from "where do I go first?"

Words can't really describe what North America's largest cycling tradeshow is all about. So here are some images that unfortunately will leave you with that empty feeling of seeing the candy through the storefront window.

BOULDER CITY, Nev. - Apparently the "demo" in Demo Days stands for demolition rather than demonstration, as I broke my clavicle yesterday (more on that in a few).

The day started off inauspiciously enough, as I continued to meet new and interesting people in and around the tent city that is the Interbike Outdoor Demo Days.

While waiting in line to board the bus at the Sands Convention Center, I met Sheena Johnson, who like Johlene Hess the day before, headed straight to the Demo before checking into her hotel (Paris, or was it the Palms, sorry inside joke there). Sheena fits into the "its a small world" category of friends [and not merely because she currently resides in Florida] as we had some acquaintances in common, and none more poignant than Bicycle Generation's owner, Leo Cordery.

Needless to say, Sheena is the manager of Downtown Bicycles in Fort Lauderdale, FL and races for the Kenda Tire Women's team. By her own admission, a chronic 6th place finisher who "hates the sprints," Sheena has already shown to be quite the competitor in her second year of racing on the road, placing on the podium several times. Although she races crits, she is a big fan of the stage race; having tackled the Joe Martin this year.

Sheena was kind enough to hang with me for most of the day, and she ended up being a wonderful resource in critiquing the bikes we rode. So on to the rides...

The adventures started off at the Marin tent to catch up with Sheena's friend Mike (inset), who works for the California cycling company. Mike set up Sheena with the Mount Vision in their QUAD XC series, while I headed to Wilier to try their top-of-the line Cento.

Sheena's thoughts on the XS 25-26 pound bike, "it was great and felt light on the trail and even on the climbs." The only time she felt the weight was during the flats at the end of the trail, but she couldn't tell if that was from lack of sleep and food or truly from the bike's weight.


My impressions of the Cento, "don't ride a sweetly set up bicycle as your first ride of the day otherwise you'll have a tough time comparing apples to apples." The Cento was setup with some of Italy's best, Campy and Fulcrum.


In comparison to the dirt trails, the road loop was recently manicured with a fresh coat of asphalt. So it was difficult to determine how the bikes would perform on rougher terrain. But the two great things about the loop were the descent and ascent.

The Cento descended and climbed impeccably well. So well in fact that my riding experiences after that were a little biased. Its easy to see why a climber like Damiano Cunego (Lampre/Fondital) has this ride under him as it was ultra responsive to accelerations when I chose to chase some folks up the final climb.

While I was out on the Cento, I met up with Kerri Martin, a mechanic for Breille Cyclery in New Jersey. The self described "atypical Jersey girl," [ed. unlike the pair of typical Jersey girls who nearly ran 53rd Tooth down] Kerri was out on one of Jersey's originals Van Dessel. She was out at Interbike with the shop's owner, Patrick Connolly, who also gave me some great feedback on the bikes he rode.

For the next round, Sheena stayed on the dirt and I on the road. She went out on Haro and I on the bike currently ridden by Colavita/Sutter Holmes, Blue.


Sheena didn't like the Haro as much, while I had little to complain about the Blue Rc-7. It handled beautifully, but again fell a tad bit short in comparison to both the Wilier and Lemond.

The next bike for Sheena was an Ibis. Athough the Ibis wasn't sporting any extraordinarily new technology, it won the best bike ridden for both Sheena and Patrick.

Intense - More Than a Brand, Its a Riding Style
Alright now to what you have been waiting for, some with bated breath, my broken clavicle story. The final bike I took out was the Intense Spyder FRO. I wanted to take out the 5.5 FRO, but none were available. But by choosing the Spyder FRO, it wasn't exactly like getting stuck with an ugly step sister. The Intense Spyder is a bike that I have long been wanting to try after reading about their first VPP (Virtual Pivot Point) bike.


The beautiful Karen Lundgren of the adventure racing team teamsole.com got me ready for the trails. Teamsole.com is sponsored by Intense and uses the 29ers for their races [I hope I'm not letting anything out of the bag there].

The crash occurred while I was out on a roller coaster like section of the trail. It was the perfect endo, not quite at the speed at which Tina Pic experienced in the photo above [at Downers Grove last year], but probably just as painful. Pic, however, walked away without any major injury, which can't be said for me.


The verdict, a distal fracture of the clavicle or collarbone. It has yet to be determined whether I'll need surgery or not.

It would be easy for some to blame the bike for what happened. But in fact, the only derogatory thing I can say is that it was so sweet that it challenged, even begged, my ego to take it out a lot harder than my rusty mountain bike skills would allow. It frankly made me feel like Superman [riding that is, not the flying through the air part].

The folks at the Intense tent had a good laugh with me about the mishap, with Paul Romero, offering these words of wisdom, "the red rocks up on Bootleg are red for a reason as everyone leaves a little blood out there." Consider mine part of the landscape.

Overall, my experience of the Outdoor Demo Days was positive even though I took a spill. The only negative was trying to get out of Bootleg Canyon. As the sun began to set, many of us were dusty prisoners of the lack of Interbike buses (below). But other than that it was great. How could it be anything less? It was the opportunity to live out what a lot of people [you know who you are] frankly dream of...having all the guilty pleasures of life without any of the consequences. Of course I got hurt in the process, but for thousands of others, they are still revelling and snickering in their accomplishments.



Thoughts Aside
The cheap airline tickets are provided by the various international airlines to facilitate the customers with affordable ratings. The cheap car rental services are offered by the car rental service providers to get the cheap rates of car rents. The cheap hotels are situated in the different areas of the world for the vacationers or outsiders who want to get accommodating facilities in the cheap rates. The cheap rental cars are another additional facility for the vacationers, offered by the vacation planners or organizers. The cruise deals are offered by the travel agents for the vacationers in the cheap rates. The cruise vacations are the best source of excursions for the vacationers. The value of las vegas resorts has been growing due to the entertaining and alluring natural beauty of the surroundings.

From Chip Smith (SOAR Communications):

BOULDER CITY, Nev. - A record number of 3,300-plus bicycle retailers visited Bootleg Canyon in Boulder City, Nevada today as part of the 2007 Interbike OutDoor Demo (the first day of the two-day event). The relocated and improved OutDoor Demo kicks off a week-long trade show, conference and exposition full of cycling-related product demonstrations, launches, seminars, clinics, advocacy outreach and networking.

"Momentum and preparation leading up to the OutDoor Demo resulted in a phenomenal first day," said Lance Camisasca Interbike's show director. "The sunny, 75-degree weather didn't hurt either. With the improvements to the booth expo area and so many new and returning exhibitors and sponsors, we were confident this year's Demo would surpass numbers from last year. Our goal is to provide attendees with an opportunity to test the latest gear on realistic and high-quality trails and courses - we felt that this year's OutDoor Demo accomplished that."

Located again in Bootleg Canyon, the Outdoor Demo's booth expo area was relocated approximately 350 yards to the west in an area improved with new landscaping. This year's OutDoor Demo expo area includes 65,000 net-sold, square-feet of space, an increase of more than six percent versus last year's totals. In addition, the expo area's new location provided OutDoor Demo attendees improved access to mountain bike trails in the area, as well as paved roads for road bike testing.

"The new Out Door Demo location is phenomenal so far and was the ideal way for us to launch our new Fuel EX, "said Derek Deubel, director of marketing for TREK."Today attendees have shown the most interest in our mountain bike lines, more than 120 demos and it's not even noon - another successful event!"

Retailers from all over North America and several international retailers got the chance to test bikes and accessories from such brands as Bell Sports, Giant, Kona, Scott, and Trek Bicycles before making crucial buying decisions for the upcoming year.

"OutDoor Demo is one of the only places we can get to know the newest products as well as we would like," said Darrell Blankenship, a retailer from El Paso, Texas. "The demo lets us get beyond just ordering from the catalogue and gives us the opportunity to really put these products to the test."

Hydrate or Die
Its a tagline that Camelback has been using for years, but I had to challenge the axiom today at Bootleg Canyon. I haven't been in a desert like environment in quite some time, let alone been physically active in it. And by being physically active in it, I mean simply walking around the numerous vendor tents to oggle the new parts and accessories.

By the time I decided to jump on and demo the bikes, I was already close to "E" and didn't even realize it. I cramped up badly.

In any event, I still rode and tomorrow will be more of the same as I intend to try every darn road bike, some cross bikes and a couple of choice mountain bikes.

Today I focused primarily on a few bikes and accessories. My test ride today was the Lemond Tete de Course. I won't speak to the specifications, referring you instead to the Pezcyclingnews review, but the bike handled just as I've read. It even surpassed some of my expectations without detracting from others. But I'll definitely need to ride some different frames before I can come out with a final verdict. At a little over $7700.00 tricked out, I better ride some more bikes.


Part of the Lemond's setup was the use of SRAM's Force components. Their double tap system took some getting used to but I was pleasantly surprised at its ease of use once I got the handle on things. SRAM has their RED components at Interbike, but I haven't got my hands on it yet.

The other accessory I've been reading about and looked forward to trying was Mavic's new wheelset the R-Sys. The wheelset looks markedly like Topolino's but it works both in traction and compression as a result of the use of tubular carbon spokes. What does that mean to you? Light and stiff my friend, light and stiff.

LAS VEGAS - It has begun [famous last words, right?]. I've landed and have already met some interesting people.

Sean Weide can take pride in the fact that the three members from Cycle Works in Lincoln, NE, all knew of his work through Nebraska Cycling News.

But Johlene Hess, owner of East Coast Bicycle Academy in Harrisburg, VA takes the prize for independence and cycling passion. She showed up without accomodations [at least until her brother shows up tomorrow] after her husband decided not to head to Interbike this year. As such, she headed straight for Bootleg Canyon, for the OutDoor Demo Days (more later), right from the plane.

The Night Time is the Right Time...
I can honestly say that Vegas wouldn't be my top choice for a vacation spot. But there's something to be said about a place that seems to "rest" when the sun is up, and comes alive when illuminated by scores of incandescent colored lights. What that statement is I'm not yet quite sure?

More to come...

CHICAGO - As I prepare to embark for Interbike, I can't help but feel [and look, as I've been rocking the mop top lately; inset] like William Miller, Patrick Fugit's character in the movie Almost Famous.

On his first real assignment, the teenaged aspiring rock journalist, is sent to cover an "on the verge of stardom" band called Stillwater. Though advised by his mentor to "experience it, enjoy it, just don't fall for it," William gets taken on an adventure that sees him transform from fan to professional journalist.

Although this is the second time the Triple Crankset has been credentialed as media, it is my first real assignment as a member of the "working media." Admittedly, I am not a professional journalist nor do I seriously aspire to become one; my passions slanting rather to fiction and short stories.

But as a blogger, my passions for writing and for cycling have converged. I have discovered an adeptness and a style of writing that feeds both sides of my being. I am a blogger. A blogger of cycling and of things cycling related, and I am about to experience the wild ride that is Interbike.

The trade show has gone from simply being an avenue for those in the cycling business and industry to inform, consult, and aid each other in maintaining or expanding their respective businesses to something bigger than life. It has politely been described to me as "an adult Disneyland for cyclists," or "AVN [look it up] for Bike Nerds."

As William covered the spectacle of rock & roll through the eyes of Stillwater, I will analogously be seeing the cycling industry through another set of eyes, Vanderkitten eyes.

The grassroots clothing company for "women who kick ass," is on the verge of becoming more than a regional brand. With Team Vanderkitten for the road set to race with a full lineup in 2008, and with an already established mountain bike team and a fledgling cyclocross team, they have postioned themselves for an exponential growth period.

So as I get set to meet our friend of the blog, Liz Hatch, and the rest of the Vanderkitten crew I couldn't help but parody both casts and crews.








Lester Bangs (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) - Rock journalist & mentor. T-o-03 (Steve Klein) whose vast experience as a professional journalist, editor and professor has guided my creative processes.








Dick Roswell (Noah Taylor) & Dennis Hope (Jimmy Fallon) - The band's managers who troubleshoot all. Vanderkitten's equivalent, Dave & Mark - the creative and entrepreneurial force behind Team Vanderkitten.









Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup) and Stillwater (Jason Lee, John Fedevich, and Mark Kozelek). Hammond, the incendiary lead guitarist fronted the group to stardom. Liz Hatch and Team Vanderkitten - the one woman gang has fronted Team Vanderkitten for 2007. She's shown remarkably well for not having any teammates. Her latest exploits include another victory in the Infineon Raceway Twilight Series, and a dominating display at the Chico Criterium where she not only won, but took home every single prime to boot [guess who's buying the beer].








Penny Lane (Kate Hudson) & the Band-Aids (Anna Paquin, Faruiza Balk, and Bijou Phillips) - The groupies who reinvent themselves into "aiding the band." Not really sure who the VK groupies or Manderkittens are, but they're probably already out there.

In the end, as in the movie, we may all be singing a revised rendition of Cover of the Rolling Stones.

WE TAKE ALL KINDS OF PILLS
TO GIVE US ALL KINDS OF THRILLS
BUT THE THRILL WE'VE NEVER KNOWN

IS THE THRILL THAT WILL GET YOU
WHEN YOU GET YOUR PICTURE
ON THE COVER OF THE VELONEWS

"After three long weeks of sometimes exciting racing ..." -- all of which I missed -- begins Andrew Hood of VeloNews, Denis Menchov won his second Vuelta title in three years.

Excuse me? So how come we don't have a better sense of the Rabobank rider?

Oh yeah, isn't that Michael Rasmussen's former team?

And last year, didn't someone else win the last couple Vuelta's?

Right. Roberto Heras won three-straight Vuelta's from 2003-05, as well as in 2000. But this year, Menchov won it outright. Menchov inherited the 2005 crown after Heras tested positive for EPO. Daniele Bennati (Lampre-Fondital) held off Alessandro Petacchi (Milram) to win his third stage in Sunday's final stage into Madrid and bring to an end the season's final grand tour.

Bennati also won the final stage of the Tour de France on the Champs-Elysées. The Italian sprinter won the points jersey.

Tour de France winner Alberto Contador (right) congratulates Vuelta a Espana leader Denis Menchov (photo/Graham Watson).

Just thought I'd mention that Russian Denis Menchov of Rabobank leads Spain's Carlos Sastre by 3:02 heading into today's 20th stage of the Vuelta a Espana. Australia's Cadel Evans (Predictor-Lotto) is third, 3:49 back.

Isn't it about time that Spain's Oscar Pereiro got to enjoy HIS moment in the sun -- and yellow?

I'm not ready to tear the maillot jaune off of Bad Boy Floyd's back, despite the majority decision that has resulted in stripping him of the 2006 Tour de France title. I agree with Granny that the lab work that resulted in a positive for doping was shoddy. And even if Landis had won his case, he'd still be tainted forever.

But now that the decision is in, Pereiro deserves the same recognition that Alberto Contador earned this summer in winning the '07 Tour when Michael Rasmussen was tossed out by his team after leading the race. Fair is fair.

"After a year of rumors and more of waiting, it's been too much to stand," Pereiro said to Spanish radio.

ALSO:
-- San Diego Tribune-Union: Panel Strips Landis of '06 Tour de France title
-- Sports Illustrated: The evolution of the doping case involving Landis
-- Samuel Abt of the IHT: What if they held a bike race and nobody came?
-- Lancaster Online: Floyd's friends say forget appeal
-- AP: Landis' mom won't encourage him to appeal
-- Reuters: Pereiro's boss says team damaged by delay in Landis case

I began to follow the sport of cycling sometime during the twilight of American cycling legend, Davis Phinney's career, so I wasn't able to grasp the full consequence of his departure from the sport.

The same can't be said for Scott Moninger (inset, wearing yellow at Redlands), as the news of his retirement came across my desk last night. The story is published in its entirety below.

Boulder, Colo. — Scott Moninger, one of the most prolific professional cyclists in the history of bicycle racing in the United States, has announced his retirement.

Moninger, 40, closed out his 17-year pro career Sunday in St. Louis at the Tour of Missouri, where he finished 24th overall in the six-day, six-stage race.

In his final season, the native of Atlanta, Ga., won 12 races to raise his career victory total to 275.

“At this point I would have to say that I am content with what I have accomplished during my career,” Moninger said. “I don’t know if any athlete is ever completely, 100 percent satisfied when looking back over their own performances. But I do feel that my appetite for competition and victories has been fulfilled. This was not an overnight decision for me, but one that I came to after much thought and consideration.”

The Boulder, Colo., resident was a four-time winner of the Cascade Cycling Classic and the Nevada City Classic, a two-time winner of the Tour of the Gila, the Redlands Bicycle Classic, and the Tour De Toona. He was the individual champion of the National Race Calendar series on two occasions, 1992 and 2005.

Moninger raced for six different professional teams during his pro career: Coors Light (1991-94), Chevrolet-Los Angeles Sheriff (1995-96), Navigators Insurance (1997-98), Mercury (1999-2002), Health Net presented by Maxxis (2004-06) and BMC (2007). He began competitive racing at the age of 15.

“Cycling has been my life, my love, and my passion for nearly three decades and I can honestly say that it has been a great ride for nearly every minute of every mile,” he said. “Cycling has a unique way of giving back exactly what you put into it. I think that is what has kept me addicted to this sport for so many years … knowing that the harder I worked, the greater the rewards would be.”

Moninger enjoyed one of his most prolific seasons in 2006 when he won 16 races, including the Tour of Utah and the Mount Evans Hill Climb (for the sixth time). He represented the United States at the World Professional Road Race in Italy in 1999 and was a member of the U.S. World Amateur Road Race team at the Worlds in Japan in 1990.

His final victory came on Aug. 18 in Dillon, Colo., when he took a field-sprint win in the Dillon criterium on a technical course in the downtown streets of the high altitude ski town.

The news of the Floyd Landis decision began to filter out sometime Wednesday night, but I didn't hear about it until Thursday evening.

My initial reaction, baffled.

Although the results for the recent Crankset poll are in line with the actual verdict, I'm still quite baffled. In response to T-o-03's post, I actually did expect otherwise. Consider me naive.

The scientific process, or lack thereof, in this case was in Landis' favor. What turned the tide for the majority? The analysis of Landis' remaining samples in the Spring [by the same incompetent lab]. Huh?

Yes, that is the crux of the majority decision. The original analysis, which was done sloppily and against protocol, but turned up a positive analysis was buttressed by a secondary set of analyses of Landis' remaining samples; ones which were originally analysed as "clean," but were [6-8 months] later shown to have remnants of exogenous testosterone.

I just don't get that? Did I miss something?

It may be a case where the scientific analysis finally made up the lag to catch previously untestable performance enhancments [the sad case of all sports, as new ways to cheat are light years ahead of the ability to test for it], but this decision reeks more of politics rather than of logic.

Landis options from here on out are as they say, slim to none [and slim just left]. He is suspended until January 2009 [another political move, as previous sentences have at least given the athlete time already spent]. He has the opportunity to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), but that doesn't seem likely.

USADA has NEVER lost a case on an appeal. The pendulum of the court of public opinion has now swun indefinitely against him. And, given the mental state of Landis portrayed in the New York Times piece The Outcast, it may be better [wiser] for Floyd to be Falstaffian in his next move [discretion being the better part of valor].

As has been the case of the entirety of the Landis ordeal, all the recent news has remarkably been captured by Trust But Verify.

ALSO: Triple Crankset Coverage/Reaction during the Landis Case
-- Railroaded
-- 7 Days in May
-- The Ballad of Nell
-- Day 1: The Floyd Landis Hearing
-- Hear Ye, Hear Ye
-- Ranting His Head Off
-- With Friends Like...
-- Worth His Weight In...
-- Bad Boy Floyd Could Testify Saturday
-- Landis: 'It wouldn't serve any purpose for me to cheat and win the Tour, because I wouldn't be proud of it.
-- Hero
-- Goat?
-- Day 7: The Floyd Landis Hearing
-- Day 8: The Floyd Landis Hearing

Thoughts Aside
You can save your time and money if you choose the cheapest airlines to have flights to Amsterdam. The luxury standard of new york hotel rooms is maintained for the elite class customers. Due to the elegance and exclusive furnishings, orlando hotel is very much adequate choice of the outsiders or vacationers. The train travel fares are charged with the minimum cost to deliver the range of travel experiences. The travel trailers provide the excellent travel services for the travelers. The main airline of turkey, turkish airlines offers their services for the domestic as well as international passengers in the affordable air fares. The american airline tickets are available for the American passengers in the cheapest rates.

There should be plenty of commentary today on Floyd Landis's doping conviction, which has now officially stripped him of the 2006 Tour de France title.

Writes the Canadian Press: "The long and winding road that Floyd Landis pedaled out of Mennonite country and onto the wide boulevard of the Champs-ElysDees hit a dead end Thursday, when an arbitration panel overlooked some sloppy labwork and upheld a doping conviction that stripped the Tour de France winner of his title."

But what do Crankset readers have to say? Let us hear from you!

In one sense, I'm glad it's over. Professional cycling needs to have this controversy behind it. However, I'm hardly convinced that Floyd Landis will be the last cyclist to test positive or that this will be the last time we have a doping scandal in cycling. And that, perhaps, is the larger tragedy beyond the personal tragedy that is now Floyd Landis: The lack of confidence that fans will continue to have in the sport.

What will it take to change the perception of cycling? Oh, we'll forget about it during the next race, for the most part. But it will always be there. We'll always wonder -- at least until the science of the sport overtakes the men on the bikes, some of whom will always seek an unfair advantage to make up what their physiology and character didn't grant them: a big enough heart.

ALSO:
-- MSNBC's Mike Celizic: Sometimes Cheaters Don't Prosper
-- Canadian Press: Good Guy Landis Made a Bad Choice
-- Cycling News: Landis's Appeal Denied, two year suspension levied
-- Michael Hiltzik of the LATimes: Landis Loses Arbitration Ruling
-- Amy Shipley of the Washington Post: Panel Rules Against Landis
-- Juliet Macur of the NYTimes: Landis's Positive Doping Test Upheld

Its been sometime since we all caught up with our friend Amber. One of the lasting memories I have of the San Antonio native was during our ride in the Pauillac wine region of France in 2003.

Amidst the beautiful scenery, with stops at random cemetaries [one of Amber's passions is to one day complete an album of images taken at cemetaries] and vineyards along the way [to do some tasting], we fell behind our guide on the ride back to the chateau.

With Sean plowing along, I hung back a bit in no man's land to wait for Amber, who was for once, having a spot of difficulty [whereas I had many of those types of moments in the mountains]. As she pulled up to me, she ever so kindly reminded me that as a "Texas-tough" woman if she really needed me, she'd whistle.

As I took off along the beautiful wind blown coastline, eventually catching Sean's wheel, I heard a whistle.

Today, Amber resides in Houston and at this moment [Friday the 21st] is giving birth to her first, a beautiful daughter, Avery Grace.

I'm sure I speak for the Crankset in wishing her the best and passing along a hearty congratulations.

You don't often find cycling related stories on the humorous sports blog Deadspin, so you know this one has to be juicy.

From the original AP article by Pat Milton:

Christopher Carter, 44, a broker at Maxim Investments Group, was at Equinox gym taking a spin class, a high-impact workout using stationary bikes. He apparently became so fed up by member Stuart Sugarman's hooting and grunting during the workout that he picked up Sugarman and his bike and hurled them into a wall.

Apparently, this is being hailed as the first case of "spin rage." But if you read the original article that gives the dimensions of Mr. Sugarman (Image: Deadspin), this might be re-classified as another case of "roid rage."

What's even more surprising about Mr. Carter's display of anger is the fact that the market has been doing fairly well lately with the Fed dropping interest rates [by half a percentage point].

Perhaps Mr. Carter was the only broker who "took a bath" in light of the news?

ALSO -- Deadspin: Victim of Spin Rage: The Forgotten Minority

I can't take credit for finding the clip below as that honor belongs to my friend Kari. From the 2001 German "Coming of Age" movie, Mädchen Mädchen [translates to Girl, Girl], the clip...well it speaks for itself.

Perhaps the funniest portion is the gesture of the lady across the street, who can't quite figure out why her bicycle doesn't give her that much "pleasure." You'll see...

Julie Macur of the New York Times reports:

"Floyd Landis lost his lengthy, costly and very public doping case Thursday when an arbitration panel upheld the initial charges that the 2006 Tour de France champion used performance-enhancing drugs to win the race."


ALSO:
-- AP: Landis loses doping case and 2006 Tour de France title

Much more to come ...

Well it looks like a kit kind of day on the Crankset with the mention of Unattached Rider, and now with the five finalists for the Team Slipstream/Chipotle design contest.






Click HERE to be taken to the Slipstream/Chipotle website to vote for the 2008 kits. The winner will be announced at Interbike.

Aside from being a personal statement about my current relationship status [geez, did I just say that out loud!], its the term used to describe those of us on the road who are our own team of one, the unattached rider.

For some, training and racing with a group just isn't for them, or their hectic "life" schedules just don't afford them the time to make that 6pm group ride. For others, its just another form of rebellion or the fear of not fitting in.

In terms of fashion, the unattached rider can slant a few ways, wearing the full pro kit from his favorite team [hey, did that dude used to race for US Postal or Mercato Uno?] or looking like their favorite solid colored jelly bean in pack full of stripped mints. In other words, the unattached rider stands out at races for all the wrong reasons.

Well, now there is a solution to the latter; one for which Bicycling magazine's Style Man might even give high praise.


The brainchild [which is amazingly ironic considering he told me he pulled the idea out of his butt] of my former xXx Racing - Athletico teammate, Carlos Cabalu, who likewise found himself without a team after his move to Philadelphia, unattached rider is for the individual who would rather compete in something other than "submissively bland apparel."

Carlos recently sat down with Luke Seemann of Chicago Bike Racing to describe his motivations behind creating unattached rider, and why he's telling the cycling fashion misanthrope, "Don't be a Fred."

Beside the 2008 design above, Carlos also came up with some others for future kit runs. My personal favorite is the Eddie, below, which suits my cerebral nature to a tee [image and copy by Carlos].

Eddie
Make a statement: this racer is not for sale. This template displays all the opportunities you took to say no; no to The Man, and no to the commercialization of your effort. It is also a good way to break the ice with that guy who owns the roofing company whom you've been eyeing to sponsor your team. A little too cerebral? Perhaps. Will this ever make it to the group order stage? Probably not. Still, I figured I'd post this anyway. Because I can. So shut up.

To view his other designs or to place an order, go to Unattached Rider.